Sanctuary City and Hypocrisy

This is almost as interesting as a headline of “Man Bites Dog.” The Tennessean (8/30/19) published an article about Mayor David Briley protesting that some Metropolitan (Nashville) agencies were cooperating with the federal government, particularly the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Here is an excerpt:

In a letter sent Thursday morning to Interim Metropolitan Auditor Gina Pruitt, Briley said it was "absolutely unacceptable" that Probation Director Robert Green and probation officers have been cooperating with ICE agents since at least 2017. Briley said the behavior "does not reflect the character of our city."

This administration is complaining about the city government cooperating with duly appointed and authorized federal law enforcement agencies. The thing that makes this story so interesting is that this is the same mayor who protests, condemns, and has attempted to ban scooter companies for operating in this fair city because they are not obeying the “laws” that he had established.

(We will not address the fact that these regulations are ex-post-facto, attempting to control pre-existing operations. Seems like some obscure document way back there in history proscribed passing laws outlawing ongoing operations. Or something like that–don’t write me to object. I know, it is on-going operations, not past ones. It is not germane  to this discussion.)

Mayor Briley is essentially claiming that his administration is justified in enforcing the laws that he chooses and ignoring those that he does not like. Seems like the term, “scoff-law” applies here. Not to the city, but to the scooter companies, in his economy. Well, maybe it applies to both.

Riders do not wear helmets. They drive where they should not. They go too fast. They are reckless. They abandon the scooters where ever they dang well please. And Mayor B doesn’t like that. (And a few other people as well.) But then he chooses to ignore laws, not just regulations or guidelines. But his rationale is that this does not reflect our city.

Does he mean, by “reflecting,” that this shows the character and conduct of the city in ignoring federal regulations, or that they want to be caring and compassionate? The “caring” moniker is somewhat suspect overall as reported by Bobbie Patray in The Tennessee Eagle Forum. Many instances all over the country deal with convicted felons being released into the community. Once free, they continue to commit further crimes because the jurisdiction refused to comply with ICE requests to hold them until the criminal could be repatriated to his own country.

It seems like the Ma’er (as they say in Chicago) only complains when it is his bull that gets gored. It is okay to disregard and disdain the laws he doesn’t like, but don’t dare scoff at his restrictions. (Ed comment from out of town: Maybe that is why about 75% of those voting for mayor in the preliminary chose a different candidate. They want him out. I didn’t get to vote in that election, but I would have been in the majority.)

“Obey my laws, but I will choose the ones I want to respect.” Does that bite?

Here is a link to the original Tennessean article along with some other comments from other government officials.

And here is a link to the newsletter from the Tennessee Eagle Forum.