We are concerned that Mayor Sarno’s press release regarding refugee resettlement in Springfield reveals a broader attack on our city’s poorest residents.
Saying they are concerned that Springfield "Mayor Sarno is taking action against some of the city’s most vulnerable residents at a time when he is working to bring a major economic development project to Springfield," organizations that " serve, organize and advocate for Springfield’s poor and communities of color," are holding a press conference on Aug. 16 at the Bishop Marshall Center, 254 State St., at 12 p.m..
The are also requesting an "immediate meeting" with Sarno, according to an announcement released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, whose Catholic Charities is part of the coalition.
“We are concerned that Mayor Sarno’s press release regarding refugee resettlement in Springfield reveals a broader attack on our city’s poorest residents.
" We have come together in hopes of working with the Mayor and his administration to ensure that this city is for everyone,” said Archbishop Timothy Paul, president and chief executive officer of the Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts and Patriarch of the Holy Communion of Churches, in the announcement.
Besides Catholic Charities, the coalition includes Pioneer Valley Project, Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, Lutheran Social Services, Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts, ARISE for Social Justice, Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, Just Communities of Western Massachusetts, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and American Immigration Lawyers Association of New England.
The announcement comes in the wake of Sarno's letter to the U.S. State Dept., asking that requests for future resettlement of refugees in the city from any agencies be denied.
In the letter, Sarno cited concerns over education, crime and housing.
"Calling refugee resettlement in Springfield a 'crisis,' Mayor Sarno’s four-page letter to the State Department contained inflammatory statements and factual errors regarding refugee resettlement in Springfield," the coalition announcement reads in reference to the four-page letter.