Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ice Office Becker Farm topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge private meeting with landlord, announce protest over ICE office at Becker Farm
Summary
Residents told Roseland council they plan a Saturday rally against an ICE office at Becker Farm, urged a private meeting with the landlord who leased space to ICE, and asked the township to help identify alternative tenants to avoid reputational harm.
Residents and local activists told the Roseland Governing Body on April 21 that they plan a public demonstration this weekend against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at Becker Farm and urged the committee to privately engage the landlord to persuade him to end the lease.
"At this point, we have north of a 100 people already registered," Rob Siedle said, announcing a rally set for 11:00 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Harrison and Roseland and asking that the clerk and police be made aware.
Rich Lorenzo, who identified himself as a Montville resident, urged the committee to request "a private meeting with Mister Craig Padover," the president of Oresco Management, which he said is leasing the Roseland space to ICE attorneys. Lorenzo said the committee should not stage a confrontation but instead "walk alongside each other" and offer help identifying replacement tenants or expedited municipal approvals to ease any financial burden from terminating the lease.
"He has been assured that the Roseland space will be used only for administrative work by attorneys," Lorenzo said, adding that if the community's concerns are not known to the landlord, his reputation could be damaged. He asked the committee to offer municipal relationships and resources to help Mr. Padover find alternatives.
Marilyn Stewart, a member of West Essex Indivisible, said many Roseland residents plan to attend Saturday's event and urged council members to "think about people like me who are banking on you to do the right thing." Alexandra Landau, who lives on Harrison Avenue, called the ICE office a "public nuisance" and accused ICE of "extrajudicially racially profiling" people and urged the borough to use available police powers to protect public health and welfare.
Mayor Espango acknowledged the planned demonstration and told Siedle "please" to ensure the clerk and police are informed; the mayor asked police to follow up with organizers. No formal action was taken at the meeting; speakers asked the council to open a dialog with the landlord and to consider offering local business and economic-development contacts to facilitate tenant replacement.
Next steps reported at the meeting: the rally is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Harrison and Roseland; council members said police and the clerk would follow up with organizers.
