Monday, April 18, 2011

Immigrant homeowners key to revival




Think of it as a cry from the past, meant to be heard here and now. Mohamed A. Mohamed came here from war-torn Somalia. He spent nearly two decades in Buffalo. He got a master’s degree from UB. He worked for the state. He knows our city, and he knows the hopes and dreams of the refugees who are resettling here in droves. In a bizarre twist of fate, Mohamed returned to Somalia last year to become its prime minister.
He is one of countless immigrants who came, put down roots and bettered himself—to the benefit of Buffalo. The Somalis, Iraqis, Burmese, Pakistanis, Nepalese and others who come by the hundreds each year are the silver lining for a city that is emptying out faster than you can say “Gone to Carolina.” Doing everything in our power to bring refugees in, and to keep them from leaving for greener (or warmer) pastures, should to my mind be on top of Byron Brown’s “To Do” list.
That is what Mohamed thought, as well.
He told the Buffalo News in a 2007 interview that the city should turn immigrants into homeowners: Show them how to establish credit, then help them—or lead them to community agencies—to get mortgages for houses in battered neighborhoods that might otherwise fall to the wrecking ball.
“If you [keep] those people, they become taxpayers,” said Mohamed. “There’s no system in . . . the city that will say, ‘How do we promote new immigrants to come to the city?’ There’s no planning or, if there is, immigrants are not part of it.”
Spoken like a future leader of his country.
The city has a glut of cheap, salvageable houses in hurting neighborhoods that, to many refugees, look like the American Dream. Tattered neighborhoods from the East Side to the West Side are teeming with folks walking the streets dressed in a chador, the flowing Muslim dress, or a lungi, the loose-fitting Burmese pant/skirt. The revival of Buffalo, to my mind, involves seeing a lot more of them. Immigrants are the seeds of the city’s regeneration.
There are growing Somali and Burmese communities on the West Side. An expanding Muslim enclave is reclaiming one of the East Side’s worst neighborhoods— starting schools, fixing houses, bringing back to barren streets the work ethic and values that built Buffalo. Some of the immigrants resettled here from New York City, which was too expensive.
“The apartment that [costs] $1,500 a month in New York,” said Abdul, a recent transplant, “here is $400 for the same thing.”
The problem is keeping recent arrivals here, given the tough weather and sketchy job market. Some Muslim husbands, I am told, work weekdays driving a cab in New York, and return to their families each weekend with a full wallet. Buying a house deepens their stake in Buffalo.
Molly Short runs Journey’s End, one of four local resettlement agencies. It last year funneled nearly 400 immigrants into the city.
“Homeownership is inexpensive here,” said Short. “It’s not uncommon for our refugees to [eventually] buy a home. Some buy a double, and get the rental income . . . They want to accomplish that American Dream.”
Short would like to work with the city, matching immigrant home-owning wannabes with available houses. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you if the mayor is interested in matching immigrants to its glut of vacant or battered housing. A City Hall spokesman did not return repeated calls for comment.
“Resettlement agencies and the city should work side-by-side,” said Short. “It’s a natural partnership.”
Mohamed A. Mohamed thought so. And look where he ended up.
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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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