Longazel Udel 0060D

“I’VE LOST MY CITY”: LAW, COMMUNITY, AND IMMIGRATION UNDER COLORBLIND NEOLIBERALISM by Jamie G. Longazel A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Spring 2011 Copyright 2011 Jamie G. Longazel All Rights Reserved “I’VE LOST MY CITY”: LAW, COMMUNITY, AND IMMIGRATION UNDER COLORBLIND NEOLIBERALISM by Jamie G. Longazel Approved: __________________________________________________________ Ronet Bachman, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Charles G. Riordan, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Benjamin Fleury-Steiner, Ph.D. Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Joel Best, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Aaron Fichtelberg, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Kitty Calavita, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank the members of my dissertation committee—Joel Best, Aaron Fichtelberg, Kitty Calavita, and Ben Fleury-Steiner, my chair—for graciously lending me their support, expertise, and time. Throughout my graduate career, Joel helped me learn to think clearly about my work and to understand its place in the grand scheme of things. Aaron‘s contagious inquisitiveness has motivated me to think about law and its relationship to social life in new and unique ways. I have long admired Kitty‘s work, and I consider myself lucky to have had the benefit of her mentorship—indeed, her insightful comments have helped this project enormously. Finally, Ben‘s mentoring has been nothing short of remarkable. He has tirelessly provided me support and encouragement, persistently helped me to refine my sociological skills, and inspired me to pursue knowledge and social justice with passion. I also want to thank the faculty and staff in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware who have helped me along the way. Each of you played a unique role is fostering my growth over the past six years. Fellow students also deserve acknowledgement for all they have done when the books were both open and closed: Nicole (and Greg) Bracy, Kevin Daly, Dan Howard, Phil Kavanaugh, Ray Maratea, Brian Chad Starks, Chris Steinbrecher, and many others. iv While working on this project, I had the distinct privilege of spending two years in residence at the American Bar Foundation (ABF) in Chicago. I would like to thank everyone at the ABF for enriching my experience. I could not have asked for a more stimulating environment in which to write this dissertation. Especially worthy of thanks are Bonnie Honig, Robert Nelson, Laura Beth Nielsen, Terry Halliday, Susan Shaprio, and the many others who provided valuable advice, suggestions, and encouragement. The companionship of the other ―doctoral fellows‖ often made writing easier as well. Jordan Gans-Morse, Shaun Ossei-Owusu, Rashmee Singh, and Kim Welch are to thank for that. Those who graciously agreed to participate in my research are also deserving of much thanks for devoting their time and telling their stories. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my family members who helped me maintain the confidence and emotional stability needed to complete this project and who, over a lifetime, have been there for me unconditionally. My mother and father, Bernadine and Greg Longazel, are the reason I got to this point. As much as this is my accomplishment, it is also theirs. Their good will, kind hearts, and unending love made me the person I am today and for that, I am eternally thankful. Thanks also to Josh Longazel, my brother and dear friend, for his companionship and inspiration. Finally, and above all, I want to acknowledge my loving wife, Becky Longazel. She, more than anyone else, is responsible for the completion of this project for it was her love that, day in and day out, kept me motivated. Thank you all. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 A Ceremony of Regret ............................................................................... 6 Contributions ............................................................................................. 8 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF BACKLASH ........................................... 10 Continuing Exploitation .......................................................................... 10 The New Political Economy of Immigration........................................... 12 ―All Immigration Politics is Local‖ ......................................................... 14 Hazleton as a Microcosm for the New Politics of Immigration .............. 17 RACE AND THE IMAGINED LOCAL COMMUNITY ................................ 19 The Latino/a Threat ................................................................................. 20 Whiteness and the Imagined Community ................................................ 22 LEGAL MOBILIZATION AND THE PARADOX OF COMMUNITY ......... 24 The Paradox of Community .................................................................... 26 THE PRESENT STUDY .................................................................................. 27 2 NEOLIBERALISM AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ................................ 32 ―A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes‖ ........................................................ 32 FROM GRASSROOTS DEVELOPER TO NEOLIBERAL CONDUIT......... 37 Waging Economic War ........................................................................... 37 ―Changing its way of thinking in order to compete‖ ............................... 39 Reluctantly Embracing the Neoliberal Agenda ....................................... 42 The New CAN DO .................................................................................. 43 Desperate Times ...................................................................................... 45 Desperate Measures ................................................................................. 46 Latino/a Immigrants‘ Arrival ................................................................... 50 ―Not a Word‖ ........................................................................................... 52 COLORBLIND NEOLIBERALISM AND CAN DO‘S LOCAL POWER ............................................................................................................ 53 Jobs, Jobs, Jobs........................................................................................ 54 CAN DO‘s Pitch for KOZ ....................................................................... 55 vi ―At Least you‘ll be Putting People to Work‖ .......................................... 56 Community Worthiness and the ―All-American City‖ ............................ 59 ―We Entrusted CAN DO‖ ....................................................................... 63 They‘re B.A.N.A.N.A.S.: A Closer Look at CAN DO‘s Power in Hazleton ....................................................................................... 65 CAN DO as Colorblind Enabler .............................................................. 68 CONCLUSION................................................................................................. 72 3 THE ―ALL-AMERICAN CITY" "UNDER SIEGE" ....................................... 75 Small Town Defender.............................................................................. 76 Debunking Claims of an ―Illegal‖ Immigrant Crime Wave .................... 77 THE IDEOLOGICAL ROOTS OF HAZLETON‘S CRACKDOWN ............. 80 Law and Order Politics ............................................................................ 80 Governing Immigration Through Crime ................................................. 81 The Myth of the Immigration-Crime Nexus ............................................ 82 ―Us‖ versus ―Them‖ as the Driver of Law and Order Politics

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