NEWS: Chamber hosting candidate forum for Port Royal elections. PAGE A3
OCTOBER 24 - 30, 2019 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Protesters face off over Trump impeachment inquiry Supporters of Donald Trump lined Boundary Street and chanted “four more years” while their counterparts lined the other side denouncing President Trump. Some protesters were friends with those across the street and walked across to chat before returning to their own ranks. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
By Mindy Lucas Those who turned out for a recent protest and counter-protest in downtown Beaufort were as divided on the Trump impeachment inquiry as the street that ran between them. Held in front of Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham’s Beaufort office on Boundary Street on Thursday, Oct. 17,
the groups lined opposite sides of the road where they faced each other and waved signs at passing traffic. Organized by the local chapter of Women for Trump and Engage the Right, the protest drew about 45 people who said they there to show support of the President. The counter-protest drew about 30 individuals.
The event was held the same day as a national “March for Trump” event calling for an end to the House’s impeachment inquiry held at the nation’s capitol. Despite some obscenities yelled by passing motorists and loud shouting from a man walking a dog along the road, the event was relatively peaceful.
Diane Ivey, a Beaufort resident and self-described active Republican said she wasn’t so much against impeachment inquiries in general, as the need for such hearings to be open and fair. “Impeachment hearings in the past have been fair. They’ve been open. Openness
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CELEBRATE CITIZENSHIP
Becoming American
Naturalized citizens recall emotionally powerful experience
DAVIS FOLSOM
By Mindy Lucas
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Why celebrate citizenship in Beaufort?
abi Kryeziu remembers the first time he saw Beaufort. He was on a trip visiting friends in the Lowcountry but wouldn’t return to what would eventually become his home for another couple of years. “It was beautiful,” Kryeziu said, recalling a walking tour of Beaufort’s downtown and historic neighborhoods. He also remembers seeing the Shrimp Festival and Waterfont Park, which left a big impression on the then 27-year-old. “That was really cool,” he said. Kryeziu’s early youth, spent as a refugee from Kosovo, was very different from the life he would go on to lead as a young man in the United States. Plagued with war and ethnic cleansing in the 1990s-era conflict, much of Kosovo had been burned or destroyed, its residents devastated. Kryeziu’s teen years were filled with “suffering, civilian massacres, Go online the sound of enemy Visit our website for a list jets, tanks and guns of citizenship in distant villages,” resources he said. in Beaufort. yourislandnews. Now, nearly 10 com years after the first time he stepped foot in the United States, Kryeziu will join hundreds of others celebrating their status as new Americans in a public celebration coming up this weekend in Beaufort. Celebrate Citizenship will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at Beaufort’s Waterfront Park Pavilion.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
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s the famous Statue of Liberty quote by Emma Lazarus suggests, the United States has long offered hope and opportunity to people from other nations. Yet, the latest Census data shows that, in the last decade, without legal immigrants, the U.S. population would have declined. Even with immigration, half the counties in our country had declining population. Want to see what declining communities look like? You do not need to go far. We moved here 20 years ago from Aiken and have driven the backroads to and from there many times. In the last 20 years, from Yemassee to New Ellington, there may have been 10 new buildings constructed. It’s impossible not to notice abandoned plants and boarded-up downtown stores. Even schools have closed. Occasionally, we read stories of dying towns willing to sell themselves to anyone who will come. Often, immigrants move there finding opportunity and providing
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Labi Kryeziu celebrates his citizenship in 2018. Photo provided. Saturday’s event is important in raising awareness, Kryeziu and others said, not only of those who have immigrated and made significant contributions to their communities, but also as a reminder to those who take their freedom for granted. “Freedom isn’t free,” said Kryeziu, who now lives in Beaufort with his wife, Lycia. If anyone knows that, it would be Kryeziu.
War comes to Kosovo When Kryeziu was just 13, he and his family – including his mother, grandparents, sister and two younger brothers – were forced to flee their village in Kosovo. Paramilitary forces from Serbia had begun pushing into the country in Southeastern Europe and had gone from village to village
WANT TO GO? What: Celebrate Citizenship When: 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 Where: Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort About: A celebration to honor and welcome all of Beaufort’s naturalized citizens. There will be refreshments and live music. Bring a chair!
Beaufort’s only LUXURY community SEE AMERICAN PAGE A5
Test provides potential U.S. citizens with unique challenge By David Folsom If there’s one aspect of becoming a U.S. citizen that it seems everyone at least believes they are familiar with, it’s “the test.” As one recently naturalized citizen described it, the
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Customs and Immigration Service officer “randomly drew 10 questions from the civics test bank and slowly read them to me.” “Who was the first President of the United States? What oceans are on the east
coast and west coast of the United States? What did President Lincoln do? Who is your Congressional Representative?” “I knew I had to answer six out of the 10 questions correctly, and when I got the
The test bank includes 100 questions about American history, geography, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our principles and system of government.
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INSIDE
Developers of proposed Bay Point resort hear from a skeptical public.
Beaufort High Eagles stun Sharks for 2nd straight win.
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first six , that part of the citizenship exam was over.” This questioning, along with answering questions about their application (N400 form) confirms applicants’ ability to understand and communicate in English.
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