As I originally wrote in my previous blog I was going to
focus on the employment lifestyle of a migrant worker. One of the places I mentioned
some migrant workers gather around to look for employment is near hardware
stores; “Home Depot”. Dispite gaining low wages and few respect from different
public views virtually nothing can discourage the determination these migrant
workers have. Looking for work on “Home Depot” grounds can be tricky business.
An individual looking for work must know the consequences at hand. Anything can
happen, expect the unexpected; the two possible worse case scenerios that can
occur during these instances is: finishing up the job and not getting paid or
tricked in hopes getting a job and getting deported instead.
However, dispite
the fact that many migrant workers reside near hardware stores waiting for work
from anyone that’s willing to give, not all migrant workers wait around in
hopes that employment finds them. Other migrants decide to use a different
strategy, when attempting to sell your services doesn’t work, selling certain
goods might increase your chances of some form of income. Some migrants are
more fortunate than other in which some are able to aquire certain goods to
sell and become street vendors. The goods range from fruits/vegetables to
flower arrangements. These migrants are usually found in dense, traffic
infested areas where they march up and down the street advertising their goods
to stopped traffic in hopes of getting a quick dollar. However, as I further
dwell into the employment of a migrant worker there is one thing to note.
Migrants vary from each location, for instance, Los Angeles has a lot more “Home
Depots” than Arcata, therefore, it’s unlikely that migrants will be widely
dispersed in Arcata. The places I would like to go interview in Arcata would be
the nearest hardware store, ACE, and local vendors to see what the dispersal
variation is compared to a densely populated area like southern California.
I like where you are going with this idea, and the possibilities of things that can be written about with this idea. I believe that it is going to be very difficult to find illegal immigrants to interview here, which is my dilemma, but im sure you can find some. I would have liked to see you go more into detail in this blog, but it was very good.
ReplyDeleteYou packed a lot of interesting information in this blog post. I liked how you provided two possible negative outcomes of them trying to find a job at Home Depot. It would be cool to learn about who is hiring them, and how they gain stuff to sell. Also, do the illegal immigrants help grow pot up here? That would be a good question to ask at your interview, yah?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. It was thought provoking and easy to read.
what about the illegal immigrants that end up working illegally in the United States? I gather that they are a very marginalized group as well, and it might be interesting to hear about how that effects them? And what are the lifestyles like of those who have to try to find work at places like Home Depot?
ReplyDeleteBeing from Sacramento I'm pretty accustomed to seeing Vendors on the street selling food and stuff, (cotton candy, tamales, strawberries, etc.) but I've only been acquainted with this "home depot" image on television shows like family guy...
I'll look forward to seeing your interviews!
This is a great exploration of your topis, however I would have like to see more hard research. It may be hard to find workers to speak with up here, but there are plenty of resources you can pull secondary data from. You may want to do a quick library search, and check an article database to see if you can find resources. I really do like your research idea, you just need data.
ReplyDeleteNikki