“Legal or illegal? Documented or undocumented?” The struggle over Brookhaven's neighborhood preservation act

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.

Key concepts:

• presence
• protest and reform rhetoric
• day laborers
• cultural identity
• performance