Opinion/opinión Community Update
Open Letter to Lbk Mayor Glen Robertson
WEST TEXAS LEGAL s members of the TTU ChiAID, May 1, at 5:30 pm, Free, nese Faculty and Staff AssoAll Ages, Lawyers available for general questions regarding ciation and the Chinese and Chinese civil legal matters. Simmons American communities in Lubbock, Community Center. we have been deeply troubled by the
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SEEDS OF HOPE FUN-RUN The Bridge of Lubbock will be hosting the first ever Seeds of Hope Fun-Run on May 3, in Mackenzie Park from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to raise money for the Seeds of Hope community experience. All proceeds from the event will go towards funding their after-school and summer programs for at-risk youth in east Lubbock. Adult registration is $15 and kids registration is $10. Anyone can register at www.bridgeoflubbock. org/seeds-of-hope.html LUBBOCK CHESS CLUB will meet at the Mahon Library, 1306 9th Street, on Sunday, May 4 from 2 to 4:45 p.m. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Contact cmw02b@ gmail.com for more information. COMMUNITY LUNCH May 8 Family Promise of Lubbock is offering a free community lunch at 11:45 a.m. May 8 at the First United Methodist Church, 1411 Broadway. The theme of this event is “One Child, One Night” and will include an opportunity to make a donation to help provide overnight shelter for homeless families with children. For more information on this even or Family Promise, call 744-5035. 1ST TORCHRUN BBQ will be held May 10, 2014 at Hanly Hall, 2307 Main in Lubbock. A Dinner/Dance will be held from 6pm-12am. Cost is Adults $15. For tickets contact: bhassell@co.lubbock.tx.us
series of events revolving around Dr. Gary Zheng, Lubbock Power & Light’s CEO and Director, since October 2013. Dr. Zheng was first insinuated by you as being involved in corrupt and criminal activities on October 17, 2013, and continued to be portrayed as being dishonest and deserving demotion on March 16, 2014, even though not a shred of evidence has been found against Dr. Zheng in the Ashcroft Law Group’s “The Investigative Report for Lubbock Power & Light” released on March 13, 2014. At this point, we want to know why you have continued to smear Dr. Zheng. We were first stunned by the news report on your allegation that “people could lose jobs” and “they could go jail” on October 17, 2013. As we were waiting for the result of the legal investigation, we were bombarded by innuendos, speculations reported as facts, and misleading comments represented as official investigation. On March 16, 2014, you made another public statement: “They could have fired him in October and I think they should have.” It dawned on us that you first as-
SOUTH PLAINS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MEETING will meet Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 am in the Lubbock Mahon Library Community Room, 1306 9th St. A representative from Midland will present, "Using the Midland Genealogy Library." Visitors are welcome and refreshments will be served. We know our readers For more information, contact Carla Moore, have a lot to say! Mail letters to Latino LubPresident, at 794-3320. bock “Letters to the EdiTORCHRUN SENDOFF join us for tor,” Box 6473 Lubbock, the annual sendoff beginning at the Lubbock TX 79493, or email them to latinolubbock@suddenlink.net. Civic Center on May 21st , at 8 a.m. Don’t forget to include your name, adNATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S dress, and contact phone number. DAY Free kids fingerprinting and safety tips Mailed letters must be signed. Please provided by the Lubbock Police Department. note that unsigned letters will not be Located in the east parking lot of the South published. Letters are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one letter Plains Mall. (9 hr) 10 AM Sa SOUTH PLAINS MALL Free 5/25 per month. Submissions may be edited for clarity or space consideration. LetNATIONAL SENIOR HEALTH & ters are not acknowledged. Opinions FITNESS DAY This annual event pro- expressed in letters and Op-Ed articles motes the importance of regular physical do not necessarily represent the views activity and showcases what local organiza- of Latino Lubbock. tions are doing to improve the health and fitness of older adults in our community. Ages COVER - LOVE IT 50+ , May 28 at 9 a.m. at the Lubbock Senior Love it - the April magazine, the cover, the Center. emphasis this month!
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GENEALOGY WORKSHOP, May 23, Marty Groves 1 pm, Free, Learn the tips and tricks to trac- Director of Youth Services ing your family history. Simmons Community Center.
country can never be fully sumed Dr. Zheng to be measured by the monguilty and then started etary compensation. We fishing for evidence. As hope that Dr. Zheng’s exno evidence can be found, perience will not become you just want to have Dr. our local version of the Zheng fired on the basis Wen Ho Lee case. of your own allegations. Chinese came to North Dr. Zheng’s ordeal reAmerica in as early as the minds us of the McCar1830s. Chinese workers thyist style of witch-hunt not only helped build the against Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a transcontinental railroad former nuclear scientist at in the United States in the the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Lee was DAAN LIANG, late nineteenth century PHD, PE but also helped create the first slanted by the New technological miracles York Times and other media as a Chinese spy, then subjected in the Silicon Valley in the late to various interrogations by the twentieth century. Despite Chinese Department of Energy, and finally American contribution to the prosjailed in solitary confinement for perity and diversity of the United 278 days. On September 13, 2000, States, they were socially, culturalfederal judge James Parker not only ly, and institutionally discriminated publicly apologized to Dr. Lee for against in history, particularly durthe way this case began and was ing the Chinese Exclusion Era from handled but also drew a lesson for 1882 to1943. Today, it is against the the executive branch of the govern- law to discriminate any individual ment: “They did not embarrass me on the basis of race, ethnicity, and alone. They have embarrassed our national origin, but implicit racism entire nation and each of us who is against Chinese is still rampant in a citizen of it.” Even though Dr. Lee our culture and society. Dr. Zheng reached a settlement with the federal has now been victimized twice by government and the five news orga- racial prejudices while working at nizations for $1.65 million in 2006, Lubbock Power & Light; he was the damage done to him, to his fam- first referred to as “a Chinaman” at ily, and to all Chinese and Chinese City Council meetings back in 2003. American communities across the In 2012, Congress officially apol-
Carta Abierta ACTS OF KINDNESS Thank you for running the article about Children’s Connections 27th Anniversary. We celebrated with “27 Acts of Kindness-Papering Lubbock with Love”. Staff delivered items to 27 area agencies-some non-profit agencies received 27 paper good items (toilet paper, tissue, paper towels) to share with their clients, the four Lubbock accredited child care centers received construction paper, representatives from some agencies that work with children and/or families received stationery and UMC-NICU received crocheted baby caps with notes of encouragement for the parents. We look forward to another 27 years providing services to pregnant women who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy, are crime victims or who are wanting to place for adoption as well as adoptive families.
CASA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED I’m writing with a heavy heart and know that you can help. I’ve recently started the training to become a CASA volunteer and last night I learned something that was shocking and very disappointing. Right now there are 311 children in the court system who are in need of a CASA volunteer - of those children 148 of them are Latino. At the same time there are 124 CASA volunteers and sadly only 11 are Latino. There are two other Latina’s in my class, so when we finish the course we will make that number 14 but it is still not enough. We have a great need in our community for more Latino’s to answer the call to action of this program that is helping fight for these children (our children) to have a better life. Please help me find others to become advocates for nuestros niño’s.
Sincerely, Earlene Bustillos, LBSW Outreach Coordinator BRING TO CLOVIS We'd love to have your paper in Clovis, NM. How can we make this a permanent distribution point? We love this paper and pick it up each time we shop in Lubbock! Romrero family
Mil gracias, Manda Klein NEED HISPANIC CHAMBER I'M SHOCKED THAT LUBBOCK DOES NOT HAVE A HISPANIC CHAMBER! There is a real need for such an organization. We've had such a time connecting with Hispanic-owned businesses and the community. Can you direct us? Don
CITY OFFICES CLOSED May 26 – Memorial Day Weekend FREE LEGAL AID FOR THOSE WHO QUALIFY Legal Aid of Northwest Texas provides free legal services to eligible low-income residents in such areas as public assistance denials, divorce and child support, evictions, foreclosures, domestic violence and consumer fraud. Call 763-4557 or (800) 933-4557 or visit www.lanwt.org for more information.
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2-1-1 NON-EMERGENCY QUESTIONS 2-1-1 is a free help line answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which will link you to health and community services.
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May 2014, Vol. 8, Issue 5
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ogized to the Chinese and Chinese American communities in the United States for the damages done under the Chinese Exclusion Act. We demand that you publicly acknowledge the conclusion of the Ashcroft Law Group’s “The Investigative Report for Lubbock Power & Light,” which clears Dr. Zheng of any wrongdoing, and apologize to him, his family, and our Chinese and Chinese American community in Lubbock. Respectfully, Daan Liang, President TTU Chinese Faculty and Staff Association (Qing Cao, Qin Chen, Yong Chen,
Xinzhong Chen, Zhen Cong, Zhaoyang Fan, Qing Feng, Weimin Gao, Jiawei Gong, Miao He, Juyang Huang, Qing Hui, Hongxing Jiang, William Lan, Changzhi Li, Guigen Li, Jing Li, Kunyu Li, Wei Li, Xu Li, Jingyu Lin, Zhangxi Lin, Hongchao, Liu, Yunjuan Luo, Yanzhang Ma, Beixin Ni, Jenny Qiu, Beibei Ren, James Sheng, Jian Sheng, Huazhong Shi, Yuan Shu, Huaxin Song, Lianfa Song, Yiyuan Tang, Alex Wang, Dong Wang, Shiren Wang, Shu Wang, Zhixin Xie, Wenwei Xu, James Yang, Le Yang, Linda Yin, Jessica Yuan, Hong Zhang, Hong-Chao Zhang, Kai Zhang, Weiwu Zhang, Yan Zhang, Yuanlin Zhang, Weiping Zhao, Jianjun Zheng, Huijun)
RESPONSE LETTER FROM MAYOR ROBERTSON Daan Liang, I received your letter concerning Gary Zheng. I will not comment on Gary's employment or the controversy surrounding him during the last five or six years. Although I am an exofficio member of the electric utility board, I am not a voting member. The City of Lubbock Charter is clear that the EUB has the sole authority over the employment of the CEO of our electric utility department. As a member of the EUB, a current ex-officio member and in my role as Mayor, I certainly due have opinions on the action the board should have taken. I will continue to act in my capacity as Mayor and as a board member and attempt to do what I think is in the best interest of all Lubbock citizens. I am very troubled that you would attempt to make this a racial issue. The only mention of race in this entire issue has been made by you and your association. Your attempt to divert attention from the real issues facing Lubbock and our electrical department by making racist comments and allegations is counterproductive to finding solutions to serious problems we face as a growing and vibrant city. Instead of answering your demand, I would instead simply ask that you refrain from attempting to make this a racial issue in what appears to be preparation for future litigation. This issue is much bigger than Gary or myself, it is about the future of our great city's electrical generation and distribution. It has nothing to do with anybody's ethnic background, only the ability to perform job duties. These questions can only be answered by the EUB, and I hope you will join me in an attempt to take personalities and racial allegations out of the equation. I did reply to all in this email, but I deleted Council Members and EUB members in order to not violate state open meetings laws. Regards, Glen C. Robertson Editor's note: In an effort to provide fair perspectives, we included the mayor's response.
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