Yoko Ono, John Lennon and their
immigration attorney, Michael Wildes (right), leave the Immigration
and Naturalization Service in New York City on March 16, 1972.
Every December 8 we mourn the loss of
John Lennon. This year marks the 36th anniversary of his
assassination. Lennon was fatally shot by Mark David Chapman while
walking into a New York City apartment on December 8, 1980.
People in my generation find this
senseless act so despicable. We understand that Chapman took away the
man most responsible for the soundtrack of our lives. Lennon was the
musical and cultural icon who exemplified the love and peace
movements. His music, more than that of any other popular performer,
changed our world. For no reason, we lost him much too soon.
We should remember John Lennon was much more than a
talented musician.
Today it is appropriate to speak about a fight waged by John Lennon. It is lesser known than many of his other political exploits; however, it marks an important decision for United States immigration. Considering the times and the leaders, how important it is.
Elizabeth Mitchell of the New York Daily News speaks of Lennon's fight for freedom in America ...
“Who knows what Strom Thurmond had against the Beatles, but the senator from South Carolina certainly knew how to make John Lennon’s life miserable. On Feb. 4, 1972, the 69-year-old, anti–Civil Rights agitator wrote a few lines to Attorney General John Mitchell and President Richard Nixon’s aide, William Timmons, which would end up threatening Lennon with deportation and entangling him in legal limbo for almost four years.
“'This appears to me to be an important matter, and I think it would be well for it to be considered at the highest level,' Thurmond wrote. 'As I can see, many headaches might be avoided if appropriate action can be taken in time.'”
(Elizabeth Mitchell. “How this hastily shot
image of John Lennon became an enduring symbol of freedom. New
York Daily News. June 11, 2016.)
Word had it that leftists had gathered in New York and discussed the possibility of Lennon appearing at concerts on college campuses to promote voter registration, marijuana legalization, and bus trips to the Republican convention for throngs of willing protesters.
Lennon's friend, photographer Bob Gruen, said the reality was that Lennon felt he shouldn’t endorse or attack individual U.S. candidates. Grune claims Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono strove never to be negative. “They weren’t anti-war. They were pro-peace,” Gruen says. “They weren’t against a politician; they were for voting.”
Yet, despite Lennon's positive intentions, Thurman's letter reached sympathetic ears, and by the end of February, John and Yoko received a letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service telling them they had until March 15 to leave the country. John was found to be an “excludable alien.”
Mitchell explained the charges ...
“In 1968, a police drug squad had
conducted a warrantless search of his London flat and found a half
ounce of hashish. Lennon claimed he hadn’t known the hash was there
and, in fact, had swept the apartment three weeks earlier on a tipoff
that the squad would be coming. (Since Jimi Hendrix had been a
previous tenant he left nothing to chance.) He and Ono had even
gotten a friend in the police force to pre-search the place to make
sure they were clear. But the raiding officers discovered the stash
in a pair of binoculars, found in an untouched box of possessions
that had been moved from his previous residence. Lennon pleaded
guilty and paid a 150-pound fine. The charge, he thought, was behind
him.”
Bob Dylan wrote a letter on Lennon's behalf. Do did Joan Baez. Others also wrote letters to the service: beat poet Gregory Corso, novelists John Updike and Joyce Carol Oates, painter Jasper Johns, composer John Cage, Leonard Bernstein of "West Side Story," and Joseph Heller of "Catch-22."
On October 30, 1974, John Lennon and Gruen created an image that would make his case succinctly.
On Tom Snyder’s talk show in April 1975, Lennon said, “I love the place. I like to be here. I’ve got a lot of friends here, and it’s where I want to be, Statue of Liberty…welcome.”
For the entire story about Bob Gruen's
iconic photo, please click here: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-stories-john-lennon-iconic-statue-liberty-snapshot-article-1.2668009
Lennon's attorney Leon Wilde said John
“understood that what was being done to him was wrong. It was an
abuse of the law, and he was willing to stand up and shine the big
light on it.”
(Dave Swanson. “The Day John Lennon's
Deportation Order Was Reversed. ultimateclassicrock.com.
December 07, 2015.)
After years of struggle. Lennon finally received a green card, which allowed him to stay in the U.S. But, most importantly, the files discovered in Lennon's case led U.S. immigration officials to publicize a secret policy.
New York State Supreme Court Judge
Irving Kaufman said, “The courts will not condone selective
deportation based upon secret political grounds.” He added,
“Lennon's four-year battle to remain in our country is testimony to
his faith in this American dream.”
(Hansi Lo Wang. John Lennon's Deportation Fight
Paved Way For Obama's Deferred Action Policy. National Public Radio.
August 23, 2016.)
In fighting the system and exposing the files, John Lennon had effectively changed American immigration policy. It remains pertinent today.
The Obama administration used that policy to create the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
"Eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization," said President Obama in a 2012 announcement.
An expansion of the program, as well as the creation of a similar program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, is currently on hold because of legal challenges.
Now, the original DACA program covers more than 700,000 young people brought to the U.S. as children — all in part because of John Lennon.
Today we once more remember John Lennon – musician, song-writer, cultural icon, and revered political activist. Thank you, you dreamer. You truly changed our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment