In the city of Walnut, California, council members are considering a proposal that would ask non-English speakers to provide their own interpreters for all council proceedings and public meetings, which would be conducted only in English: Proposal for 'English only' city council meetings sparks debate in Walnut, Calif.The city council recently voted to seek federal review from the U.S. Department of Justice before making a decision on the English-only proposal. Some local residents fear the policy would violate civil rights.
Consider the fact that nearly two-thirds of Walnut's residents and three of the five council members are Asian. Many of the residents have limited English proficiency -- why would the people behind this movement actively try to disenfranchise such a significant portion of the city's population?
The proposal comes at the helm of decades of similar policies targeting the growing immigrant population in nearby cities in the San Gabriel Valley, which has transitioned from a predominantly Caucasian collection of suburbs into a center of Asian culture in Southern California.Let me get this straight. One local resident (thanks, Wendy Barend Toy) complains that she couldn't understand commenters who spoke Chinese when addressing the council... and the solution is to discourage civic participation? In the future, it appears your concerns will only matter if you can speak English.
The English-only proposal was brought to the council by local resident Wendy Barend Toy, who said she could not understand several commenters who spoke Chinese when addressing the council.
On Wednesday, the council voted to seek federal review from the U.S. Department of Justice before making a decision on the proposal.
More here: English-only movement renewed in Walnut?
