Citizens taking control. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s the way our government was intended to work.
The citizens of Fremont , Nebraska were apparently tired of illegal aliens getting jobs and rentals that should be going to American citizens. And when their City Council wouldn’t listen to them, they decided to fight back.
Fremont citizens started a petition (referendum) to enact an ordinance “requiring employers and landlords in the city to stop knowingly renting to, or employing illegal immigrants”. Their City Council sued to stop them, and lost! They got enough signatures to put the referendum on the ballot for a special election and WON with 60% of the vote.
The ACLU, SPLC, and La Raza sued to stop the ordinance. It was suspended for 5 years while battling in court. It was ruled Constitutional and the citizens won… again!
Then, their City Council tried to repeal the ordinance with a simple Council vote! They tried to overturn the will of 60% of the voters in their city! Citizens overwhelmed Council chambers and demanded the ordinance stand. In a compromise with the City Council, citizens agreed to hold another special election vote. They won… again!
It was a long battle. But the citizens’ voices were finally heard. I wonder what the next City Council election will look like in Fremont? I suspect it won’t be advantageous to be an incumbent!
You can read more about it here.
Photo Credit MS Office ClipArt
