Under-the-Radar: Clarkston Overwhelmed by Refugees Two of Four “Open World Schools” Piloted in U.S
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, August 9, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. Nestled between Tucker and Decatur in DeKalb County, is Clarkston, a typical southern town until the late ’80s and early ’90s, when outside forces quietly began resettling it with refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, Liberia, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. During the five years between 1996 and 2001, over 19,000 refugees were resettled in Georgia, many in or near Clarkston.
Now, Clarkston’s 1.1 square miles is home to over a hundred nationalities receiving free public benefits through local offices of World Relief and the International Rescue Committee, whose focus is global, not national. By 2000, such agencies had transformed Clarkston’s population drastically, so drastically that it was one-third foreign-born. Now, of all U.S. locations, Clarkston has the highest percentage of refugees from Somalia.
Public records show that Clarkston was the destination of nearly 15 percent of all refugees resettled in Georgia since 2007. In a relatively short time, Clarkston completely changed, without permission from or notification of long-time residents. People from 145 countries and 761 ethnic groups live in Clarkston, sent there by the U.N. and the federal government, that continue to send 2,500 more into that tiny town every year. As a result, Clarkston High School has students speaking 47 different languages from 54 countries.
After the 2012 annual refugee placement proposal was released, the Georgia Department of Human Services asked the U.S. State Department for a 50-percent reduction in refugee resettlement here. However, that 50-percent request was morphed into a so-called 20-percent “reduction” that was actually an 8 percent increase over the 2,582 refugees resettled in Georgia the year before.
In his May 18th Republican Convention speech, Governor Deal said, “We are the 10th largest state, but according to … 2011 figures, our state had the 6th highest number of refugees of any state in the country.…69 percent [of those] sent to Georgia wind up in DeKalb County … 28 percent … go to the one little city of Clarkston. Folks, there’s something wrong with that picture.”
One major wrong is allowing outside forces to dilute U.S. culture. A southern gentleman long-time Clarkston resident said, “The city didn’t realize that we were being inundated with people coming in, because it was a gradual thing. Nobody understood.” So, Clarkston’s southern flavor disappeared years ago, along with the many residents that left. Call 404 656-1776* and ask the governor to use his authority to limit where, when and how many refugees can be accommodated in Georgia. To do that, Governor Deal could stand firmly on Georgia’s constitutional right to govern as a sovereign state. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.