Sheffield — State Rep. Leigh Davis (D – 3rd Berkshire District) met with 20 Berkshire County residents at Roberto’s Pizza and Pub on Monday, May 12. The event was part of a series of “constituent conversations” she has held throughout Berkshire County.
“I’m trying to be optimistic in the face of dire situations,” Davis said at the beginning of the event. “I’m trying to be a source of optimism in the community. These [constituent events] are a way to reach out to the community and for me to say, ‘Hey, somebody is listening. There is someone at the Statehouse who is trying as hard as you to make a change and a difference.'”
Throughout the two-hour meeting, Davis discussed various issues affecting Berkshire County, including the recent raid by ICE agents in Great Barrington.
On May 6, ICE agents and U.S. Marshals apprehended a Mexican national at the Barrington House in Great Barrington.
“I watched the videos [from the incident], and it is horrific to have something like that happen in a small town such as ours and to have this happen to the people that we know,” Davis said.
Multiple sources previously told The Berkshire Edge that the individual apprehended was employed as a kitchen chef at Agaves Mexican Grill/Fiesta Restaurant Enterprise owned by Sandra Sosa.
“I called [Sosa] to make sure that the person that was taken had legal representation,” Davis said. “I worry that we don’t have due process across the board. We need to make sure that people aren’t just being plucked off of the street, because if it starts with this group [of residents], God only knows what else is going to happen.”
Davis said that she contacted Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti after the incident. “I wanted to hear from him what happened,” Davis said. “I wanted to hear that the Great Barrington Police Department was not involved with this and they were not helping ICE out. I was very happy with his response that they were not helping ICE out. I have faith that the Great Barrington Police Department did what they were supposed to do.”
On the day of the May 6 raid, while Chief Storti told The Berkshire Edge at the time that he did not have any information about the raid, he told other news outlets that the Great Barrington Police Department was given a warning on the morning of May 6 that ICE would be in the area.
During her discussion with residents, Davis recalled Great Barrington’s May 2017 Annual Town Meeting during which residents passed a warrant article declaring Great Barrington as a “sanctuary city.” She said that because of this, “we are on the radar” of the Trump administration.
“What can we do as a community? I think that the best thing we can do is help out those groups that help out the immigrant population,” Davis said. “We should help out groups like the Literacy Network, Volunteers in Medicine, and the Berkshire Immigrant Center. We should talk to the folks on the ground, including the pantries and the schools.”
Davis said that, concerning the ICE raids and the current political atmosphere across the country, “the things that we thought were normal, there is no normal.”
“My fear [with ICE raids] is escalation,” Davis said. “Yes, we’re upset. When you are witnessing it, you want to get in and you want to fight. You want to stop these people, but we cannot. I don’t want innocent people hurt or harmed. Unfortunately, [ICE] has the upper hand. They are going to come in, whether we want them to or not.”
As for federal cutbacks to nonprofit organizations, Elder Services of Berkshire County Board member Barry Kriesberg said that the organization’s Meals on Wheels program is threatened as a result of the federal funding cuts. “Meals on Wheels is such an innocuous thing,” Kriesberg said. “You can’t imagine that somebody would cut Meals on Wheels. There are 1,000 people a day in Berkshire County that will suffer for this.”
Davis recalled visiting a site a few months ago where they prepared meals for the program. “I was blown away [by the program] because it’s not just meals, it’s about connection,” Davis said. “For many [seniors] this is a lifeline. To see that Meals on Wheels [is being targeted] is just unbelievable. Nothing is sacred.”
In an interview before the event, Davis said that she has been closely monitoring federal funding cuts to local nonprofit organizations and agencies. “I’m going to do all I can as a state representative to try to claw some of that funding back,” Davis told The Berkshire Edge. “I want to also amplify the needs of our constituents, the agencies, and the nonprofits that are feeling the effect of the funding cuts. What I’ve been emphasizing is community support and stepping in where the gaps are now in federal funding. That could be through philanthropy, reaching out and volunteering, or deepening the boards of directors so that we have more fundraising capability and pooling of resources. I am trying to hold on to hope and hold on to what we have here as a community, which is special.”
