Faculty Publications
Publication Date
2003
Disciplines
Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Performance Studies | Social Influence and Political Communication | Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Abstract
This critical essay applies the concept of “presence” as a theoretical lens for explaining the rhetorical efficacy of protest events surrounding a contemporary debate about immigrants’ rights in a suburban New York township. Specifically, the protests surrounding the town board meetings regarding Brookhaven’s “Neighborhood Preservation Act,” a piece of legislation geared toward making rental laws more stringent, are examined. A group comprised largely of white, upper middle-class citizens voiced their support for the proposed legislation, while a group of day laborers and those sympathetic with their cause characterized the proposed legislation as a form of racial discrimination disguised as a rental law. This analysis focuses on the specific tactics used by protesters on both sides of this issue in their attempts to persuade members of the town board, the news media, and the citizens of Brookhaven township.
Document Type
Accepted Version
Rights
This is an electronic version of an article published in Communication Quarterly, volume 51, issue 1, 2003, pages 73-89. Communication Quarterly is available online at: doi:10.1080/01463370309370141
Original Citation
Jackson B. Miller
“Legal or illegal? Documented or undocumented?” The struggle over Brookhaven’s Neighborhood Preservation Act.
Communication Quarterly, 2003, volume 51, issue 1, pages 73-89
doi:10.1080/01463370309370141
DigitalCommons@Linfield Citation
Miller, Jackson B., "“Legal or Illegal? Documented or Undocumented?” The Struggle over Brookhaven’s Neighborhood Preservation Act" (2003). Faculty Publications. Accepted Version. Submission 6.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/commfac_pubs/6
Included in
Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons
Comments
This article is the author-created version that incorporates referee comments. It is the accepted-for-publication version. The content of this version may be identical to the published version (the version of record) save for value-added elements provided by the publisher (e.g., copy editing, layout changes, or branding consistent with the rest of the publication).