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  #1  
Old 12-26-2010, 11:25 AM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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Default Citing police abuse, Hispanics leaving Conn. town

Citing police abuse, Hispanics leaving Conn. town
EAST HAVEN, Conn. – Santiago Malave has worked law enforcement jobs in Connecticut for more than four decades, but as a Puerto Rican, he says he cannot drive through his own town without worrying about police harassing him.
Malave, a probation officer who works in New Haven, says the racial abuse is so bad that he only crosses the town line into East Haven to go home. He and his wife are now preparing to sell their house and move, joining an exodus of Hispanics who say police have hassled them with traffic stops, false arrests and even jailhouse beatings.
The Justice Department has started a civil rights investigation, and the FBI recently opened a criminal probe. But that has not changed things on Main Street, where restaurants and stores that cater to Hispanics are going out of business.
If the goal of police was to ruin East Haven's Hispanic community, some grudgingly say they have succeeded.
"We can't tolerate the town anymore," said Malave, 64. "For us to leave our beautiful home is something that hurts, but we can't deal with these people."
Racial profiling allegations began swirling about two years ago in East Haven, a predominantly Italian-American seaside suburb of about 28,000 people 70 miles northeast of New York City. Hispanics make up only about 7 percent of the population, but their numbers had been growing as the peaceful, small-town setting and thriving businesses attracted newcomers from Mexico and Ecuador.
Police Chief Leonard Gallo, who is on administrative leave, has denied the allegations. The office of acting Police Chief Gaetano Nappi referred calls to Town Attorney Patricia Cofrancesco, who did not respond to phone messages seeking comment.
Hispanic business owners say police made a practice of parking outside their shops and stopping any Latinos. Some who complained say they faced retaliation.
Luis Rodriguez, an immigrant from Ecuador who owns the Los Amigos Grocery, said he was arrested two months ago and jailed for five days after a woman pointed out to police that his 3-year-old son was unsupervised on the sidewalk outside the store. He said police were out for revenge because his wife had been videotaping them. He was charged with child neglect; the case is still pending.
Meanwhile, his store is up for sale. Ecuadoreans used to travel from as far as Massachusetts for jalapenos, Ecuadorean sodas and other specialty products. But Rodriguez said police have scared customers away by threatening to alert immigration authorities if they ever saw them in town again.
"If I had known the police in East Haven are so much trouble I never would have invested so much money here," said Rodriguez, 41, who has put more than $120,000 into the store.
The Justice Department's civil rights branch began investigating the police force in September 2009. It is still looking into alleged discriminatory policing, but it identified preliminary concerns in April over issues including outdated policies and a lack of clear guidance on the use of force.
The town's mayor, April Capone, revealed this month that the FBI was gathering evidence for potential criminal prosecutions of some of the officers. Her office declined to comment.
Dermot Lynch, a student intern with Yale Law School's Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, said the problem goes beyond a few rogue officers.
"This is a systemwide leadership failure. It's going to need widespread reform," said Lynch, whose group filed a lawsuit in October on behalf of nine immigrants who say East Haven police abused them with beatings and unwarranted use of a stun gun. It also quotes officers using ethnic slurs.
Until recently, East Haven was considered a refuge by Hispanics, a suburb with ample parking and less crime than New Haven.
Malave, who has lived here since 1977, said he never had problems before late 2008 when police responded to a report by his wife that some money was missing. The couple had begun to argue. Malave, who was asked his nationality, said police arrested him for disorderly conduct the minute he said he was born in Puerto Rico.
"I tried to talk to the sergeant, but he said, 'You spics don't have rights here,'" said Malave, a former New Haven police officer.
Hispanics in East Haven say more than half their population — estimated at 1,900 by the Census Bureau — has moved away.
Mario Marin, who was at work one recent afternoon in his family's empty restaurant, La Bamba, said two of his siblings moved to nearby Waterbury and another brother returned to Ecuador. He said one brother, like other Hispanic property owners, lost a house to foreclosure after his tenants moved away.
"They destroyed our future here," Marin said of police. He said even out-of-town diners have stopped coming since officers launched raids on the restaurant's parking lot, towing away any cars with out-of-state license plates.
Marin and others said run-ins with police have been less common since police came under federal scrutiny. But activist John Lugo of Latinos United in Action, who helped organize a march against racial profiling last year, said his group still advises Hispanics to steer clear of East Haven.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/26...#ixzz19FbAISFN
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  #2  
Old 12-26-2010, 01:29 PM
Don Don is offline
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Nice that police are taking side of Americans against foreignors for a change.
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Old 12-27-2010, 07:48 AM
Patriotic Army Mom Patriotic Army Mom is offline
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Put the road blocks up in California!
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Old 12-27-2010, 08:16 PM
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While Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential or congressional elections, they do vote on a representative in DC. In other words he is legal.
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Old 12-27-2010, 09:02 PM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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While Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential or congressional elections, they do vote on a representative in DC. In other words he is legal.
When I read that article I thought somewhat the same thing. Puerto Ricans are not illegals. Just about everyone knows that, and I would assume the police would know that too. So the first thought in my mind was that the guy was not actually telling the complete story of what happened to him. It often happens nowadays that Hispanics/Latinos will use the victim/race card to defend everything they do and make the evil LEO the bad guy. This is so questionable.
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Old 12-27-2010, 09:41 PM
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Ayatollahgondola Ayatollahgondola is offline
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The real story is:

Look how far north east they had to go to get a story about possible discrimination and mistreatment towards hispanics in America. Some small hamlet in connecticut where the population is about the same as the average ambient temperature. But they're going to extrapolate this into it being what happens everywhere, and as such no one should be able to arrest, deport, or even look sideways at a hispanic person to set the country straight again
Oh my! Am I even allowed to use that term? Set the country straight again...
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Old 12-28-2010, 09:24 AM
Twoller Twoller is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeanfromfillmore View Post
When I read that article I thought somewhat the same thing. Puerto Ricans are not illegals. Just about everyone knows that, and I would assume the police would know that too. So the first thought in my mind was that the guy was not actually telling the complete story of what happened to him. It often happens nowadays that Hispanics/Latinos will use the victim/race card to defend everything they do and make the evil LEO the bad guy. This is so questionable.
Yet another good reason to cut Puerto Rico and the rest of the US "territories" loose.

The race card is good only as much as anyone pays attention to it. There is absolutely no reason why race should be any kind of issue in enforcing against illegal immigration. Language is more important and language should not be the first point of enforcement either. But if you can't speak English, you cannot be a US citizen.
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Old 12-29-2010, 11:24 AM
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ilbegone ilbegone is offline
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I think the story is bullshit myself. If it's true, there are plenty of legal remedies to be applied, and this would be a classic example of something the ACLU would throw itself into. No need for the Justice Department to waste taxpayer dollars on something so many "immigration rights" attorneys would maybe do for free.

Quote:
But if you can't speak English, you cannot be a US citizen.
Tell that to the multitude of naturalized citizens who have been here for thirty years or so and can't put a sentence together in English.

The fact that they are non English speaking citizens is not their fault - that sin squarely lies on the English speaking American citizen "civil servants" who granted them citizenship.

What to fix illegal immigration? Make it painful for government employees to ignore immigration and naturalization law.

Otherwise all the bitching is merely a volume of hot air, nothing will change.
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Old 12-29-2010, 07:38 PM
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Jeanfromfillmore Jeanfromfillmore is offline
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Originally Posted by ilbegone View Post
I think the story is bullshit myself. If it's true, there are plenty of legal remedies to be applied, and this would be a classic example of something the ACLU would throw itself into. No need for the Justice Department to waste taxpayer dollars on something so many "immigration rights" attorneys would maybe do for free.



Tell that to the multitude of naturalized citizens who have been here for thirty years or so and can't put a sentence together in English.

The fact that they are non English speaking citizens is not their fault - that sin squarely lies on the English speaking American citizen "civil servants" who granted them citizenship.

What to fix illegal immigration? Make it painful for government employees to ignore immigration and naturalization law.

Otherwise all the bitching is merely a volume of hot air, nothing will change.
I have to disagree with you on whose fault it is that so many can't speak English. What I've found here in Fillmore and just about everywhere I go is that most who are bilingual, especially those that are bilingual in English and Spanish, will only speak English if they have to. So when speaking to others even if both are bilingual, they will speak in Spanish.
The question is "How do you learn a language?" The answer is "By being around it and using it." The problem is those that can teach others don't want the others to learn English, or don't really care if they learn it. They actually have an obligation to teach English to those around them to help them assimilate, yet they couldn't care less. Yes, I am of the opinion that it is their fault. They don't bother teaching the parents or their kids, so the kids start school and require extra effort by the teachers, which costs the taxpayer.

I can tell you that every day when I'm out and about, I see the same thing; people speaking Spanish to each other, but when they turn to address me, then and only then do they speak English. This goes for the bank tellers to the grocery clerks and everyone in between. They will only speak English if they have to. They really want to let everyone know they are "Their People".

Last edited by Jeanfromfillmore; 12-29-2010 at 07:41 PM.
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  #10  
Old 12-31-2010, 07:03 AM
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ilbegone ilbegone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeanfromfillmore View Post
I have to disagree with you on whose fault it is that so many can't speak English. What I've found here in Fillmore and just about everywhere I go is that most who are bilingual, especially those that are bilingual in English and Spanish, will only speak English if they have to. So when speaking to others even if both are bilingual, they will speak in Spanish.
The question is "How do you learn a language?" The answer is "By being around it and using it." The problem is those that can teach others don't want the others to learn English, or don't really care if they learn it. They actually have an obligation to teach English to those around them to help them assimilate, yet they couldn't care less. Yes, I am of the opinion that it is their fault. They don't bother teaching the parents or their kids, so the kids start school and require extra effort by the teachers, which costs the taxpayer.

I can tell you that every day when I'm out and about, I see the same thing; people speaking Spanish to each other, but when they turn to address me, then and only then do they speak English. This goes for the bank tellers to the grocery clerks and everyone in between. They will only speak English if they have to. They really want to let everyone know they are "Their People".
Most don't want to learn English, and generally will only learn enough to get by. That is their fault.

However it is the fault of American government employees to grant citizenship to people who can't communicate in English, as well as those American persons and institutions who cater to foreigners who refuse to learn the language.

The Germans, Italians, and many of the others were forced to learn English by American society in the past. Society is not now forcing English on foreigners from Latin America. Who's fault is that?

Here is the point:

Quote:
What to fix illegal immigration? Make it painful for government employees to ignore immigration and naturalization law.

Otherwise all the bitching is merely a volume of hot air, nothing will change.
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Don't drink and post.

"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." - Old New York Yiddish Saying

"You can observe a lot just by watching." Yogi Berra

Old journeyman commenting on young apprentices - "Think about it, these are their old days"

SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

Never, ever, wear a bright colored shirt to a stand up comedy show.


Last edited by ilbegone; 12-31-2010 at 07:27 AM.
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