Thursday, January 1, 2009

Guest Voz: The Indigenous Xicano - "Ignorance Unchecked"

In 2009, I am starting a new feature on my Blog, "The Guest Voz." The "Guest Voz" will feature an article from another PRO Blogger. I will be introducing another PRO voice to my viewers, adding their Blog to my Blog favorites and supporting the PRO Vision of "ONE PRO VOICE heard across the country and around the world."

My first "Guest Voz" is "The Indigenous Xicano." In this post, he shares some experiences from his childhood. It is an amazing story and I am very proud to share his story with you.

Guest Voz: The Indigenous Xicano
Ignorance Unchecked Turns Into Hate Turns Into Violence
The viaduct that separated the Blacks and the Browns 30 years ago. ->

It was a late summer night. Miholtz and I were sitting on "The Stairs," the popular hang out spot in front of the building where I lived during my teen-aged years in Pilsen. Miholtz and I were whittling the time away, awaiting until the night was reduced to nothing.
There was some kind of honor to be the last one standing every night. One never knew what kind of action might explode during the playing out of the theater that is the subterranean night life of inner-city Chicago. There was a rush to be part of this surreal existence where the craziest things often happen long after dark. For a 16 year-old kid this was the first taste of adulthood; the first step into the real world of pirates, hustlers, and junkies.
From the seams of the side streets appeared a Black man in his 20's. Not many Black people walked through this neighborhood, especially at night. The fortress like viaduct a few blocks north was an impenetrable wall of segregation keeping the Blacks on one side and the Browns on the other. Other than when the brothers came to Harrison Park to play ball or when the old people came to do their laundry or buy groceries, there was not a permissible time for Blacks to enter into our neighborhood, nor could we walk into their hood.
The crazy thing was that folks on both sides had friends from both sides. I played sports with the people from the "other side." I went to school with them. But some unwritten code at the time said that they could not walk alone in our neighborhood.
Miholtz spotted the man like how a dog would recognize a cat on the street. Miholtz yelled "get him" while already a few strides into his wild man pursuit towards the Black man. The Black man immediately recognized what was going down and broke into a mad dash to quickly put distance between himself and the mad Croatian kid chasing him. I was not sure why Miholtz was chasing him. Who was this man and why were we chasing him? I yelled at Miholtz "Why are we running after this guy?" and he replied "I dont want niggers in my neighborhood."
What? I never subscribed to the racist bull. I can remember actually walking under the viaduct of segregation and bravely venturing into the Black neighborhood when I was 14. It was mid-day in the winter. I walked down 14th Street in the forbidden city and nothing happened to me. It was different experience from what I expected. It looked like a scene from a war movie with boarded up buildings and a large empty lot where several men huddled near a garbage can that emitted flames. They did not pay me any attention. I saw no one else. I walked down negro streets at noon and did not get jumped. Friends treated me like a returning hero. I did not see what the big thing was about walking into the other side. Nothing happened. There were just old bums (we did not have the term 'homeless' yet) there trying to keep warm by a fire in a garbage can. I was moved by that short glimpse into that unique scene of poverty that made the poverty on our side look like luxury.
I was never taught to hate African-Americans. My mother belonged to an organization called WSO (West Side Organization.) It was a civil rights group. My mother may have been its only Mexican-American member. I can remember the night my mother came home and told us that she had played pool with the famous Martin Luther King. She made mention of what a flirt he was. I remember one day when I was about 7 or 8 years old and we had nothing to eat, which was about everyday, and a group of African-American men carried a large cardboard box bursting with left-over sandwiches from one of their meetings into our little two bedroom basement apartment where my mother was raising 7 kids. The sandwiches I ate that day are still some of the best tasting memories I have. We were rich with food. We did not have to ration arroz con leche for dinner that evening. Those men were heroes to me. They fed us for one lucky day. They also left a set of a children's encyclopedias. I read them back and forth and escaped to every corner of the world while I immersed myself with the books. When much of America was growing up with fear of the Black man I was growing up with an awe for the Black man. The only ones I knew were nice people who fed me and opened up the world to me. They were also brave men who marched for justice despite the risk of getting bricks bounced off their heads.
Now I was running alongside a crazed Croatian who wanted to beat a man up simply because of his skin color. I could not let that happen. Yet, words of logic do not work well in this situation. Logic has no room in crazy. I was the self-proclaimed fastest runner in my neighborhood. I took off after the man. I caught up to the exhausted man after about two blocks of pursuit down Wood Street and told him that it was dangerous to walk through there at night. He was relieved that I meant no harm. Luckily the Blue Island bus was rolling slowly down the street during its night owl schedule and I flagged it down and put the man on the bus. Miholtz slowly jogged up out of breath while the bus was pulling away. Miholtz expressed his disappointment that I let him get away. Hell, I would not have chased him if I didn't know why Miholtz was trying to catch him.
I had hate; I did not have his strain of hate. Miholtz was raised by a single dad who was habitually drunk. He was a racist red-neck who took out his frustrations by beating his sons with extension cords and wooden canes. Many kids in my neighborhood had similar stories. I was nurtured in a permeable bubble of violence. Although my violence was not fed by an ignorant prejudice of those of different skin color. It had different sources and, sadly and regrettably, victims. But "hate crimes" have been around as long as there has been a United States of America. We folk of color historically have been the target of many ignorant, hateful thugs for a few centuries. Others are just noticing it now as "hey, that's a f*cked up thing to do." There are still millions of Miholtz's in our midst, products of the divisions that have kept working people apart.
We are all working people trying to build a better life. If we take the time to just talk to one another we could see just how much alike we are.
There is a current fire of hate that is being fueled by the Talking Empty Heads on Hate radio, Hate Cable TV and Cyber Hate. Just as African-Americans were demonized during my youth as being criminals, rapists, drug dealers, lazy welfare scum, uneducated and unable to learn the "White" culture and live like civilized people, we are hearing the same exact thing now about the undocumented immigrant. Ratings are more important than truth.
The young White males who killed Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania on July 12, 2008 did not just wake the morning of the murder with a murderous hate. They had to learn it somewhere. The thugs who bashed in the brains of Jose Sucuzhanay did not personally invent the racist anti-Latino slurs that they hurled at Sucuzhanay as he lay dying from the blows of the metal baseball bat. The seven high school cowards who beat Marcello Lucero to death had to grow up in a cultural environment where "hunting beaners" was an acceptable thing to do.
No one is born a "hate criminal." Hatred is a learned thing. Hate is a learned thing best taught to the misinformed and ignorant. It does not matter if some of the attackers in Shenandoah or Long Island are honor students. Their collective ignorance was a fertile petri dish for the culture of hate to grow up ugly and unfettered from our common senses of decency.
The hatred behind the recent hate crimes have many different complex issues behind every individual involved. But they all have a common denominator-the hatred of the immigrant. The anti-immigrant hate speech produced by the Talking Heads on Hate Radio, TV and the internet helps to fuel the acts of violence against people who look like an immigrant.
We must fight the source that fuels the ignorance.We must do our best to redefine the message from one of hate to one of civil resolution. I believe that the majority of the American people are decent people willing to recognize and chose the better option between civility and hate. Hate will lose. We cannot afford to believe otherwise. Behavior is motivated by thought. We must think and believe that we can overcome the hate that is turning our youth into cold blooded killers. The morgue and the prison is not where our huddled masses belong.

27 comments:

. said...

But there seems to be no line when it come to the immigration discussion. Many other 'Pro's' treat immigration debate as they treat religion: off-limits to criticism.

It's hard to have a discussion when you are the only one talking.....

Dee said...

Az,
The ANTIs have critized and demonized the PROs from day 1.
Now that we are getting our One PRO Voice, the playing field is finally starting to become level.
That is extremely important in this discussion. We need to listen to ALL voices, and through the equal discussion, begin to develop solutions to these issues.

Dee said...

I am impressed by IX's story. Despite poverty, he found humanity and knowledge through mentors. His mother had so much strength. The Civil Rights advocates provided support, books and food. It is amazing what an adult can teach a child, even in short periods of time. Their generosity helped save a man.
Abusive adults also can turn a child. IX's friend prove that.

Love and Humanity can be taught.
So can Hate and Anger and Abuse.

. said...

Dee said...
"Az,
The ANTIs have critized and demonized the PROs from day 1."


That has worked both ways Dee. I'm not saying so much on this blog, but I've seen it around.
Especially here in Arizona.
Someone gets deported or arrested, they cry Racism. They want to build a fence, someone cries racism and crimes against humanity(?). A family gets arrested for being here illegally and, in accordance with the law, they are placed in a detention center pending deportation proceedings some cry racism and crimes against humanity.
This is why it will remain a broken system.
I'm becoming apathetic to the idea that there will ever be a consensus among the citizens as to what system will be in place to deal with these issues.
Ideological self-segregation at it's best(worst).

. said...

But yes, it was an interesting story. It emulates what many of us have gone thru.

Some of us have gone over the racism brink and returned reformed and better than when we went over as well. We saw how idiotic this ideology is to begin with. Why carry so much hate around in a suitcase, opening it whenever we think we need something?
Many of us put the suitcase down....

Anonymous said...

Who Killed Jose Sucuzhanay?

We, the Sucuzhanay family implore for your help. Lend us a hand to find JOSE O SUCUZHANAY murderers. To contact “the Sucuzhanay family” please send us an e-mail at:
Sucuzhanay@Gmail.com

HELP MY FAMILY FIND JUSTICE.
“The Sucuzhanay family” is working on structuring a Foundation to fight those who promote HATE and to find justice for our Son/Brother Jose Sucuzhanay. Your donation is greatly appreciated. It can be done at:

“CITI BANK” / TO: DIEGO SUCUZHANAY / ACOUNT NUMBER: 9947631252

My family is pleased for your support. Thank you; thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Diego Sucuzhanay and All the Sucuzhanay Family

“LET’S DO SOMETHING TO STOP HATE CRIMES IN NEW YORK; let’s work together”
NYC Immigrant Dies After Possible Hate Attack
$27,000 Reward For Info On Bushwick Bias

***********************************************************************************

¿Quién mató a José Sucuzhanay?

Nosotros, “La familia Sucuzhanay” imploramos por su ayuda. Ayúdenos a encontrar a los Asesinos de JOSE O SUCUZHANAY. Para contactarnos favor enviarnos un E-mail a:
Sucuzhanay@Gmail.com

AYUDE A MI FAMILIA HA ENCONTRAR LA JUSTICIA.
“La familia de Sucuzhanay” estamos trabajando en la estructuración de una fundación para luchar en contra quines promuevan ODIO y para encontrar justicia para nuestro hijo/hermano José O. Sucuzhanay. Agradecemos eternamente por su donación. Su donación puede hacer en:

“CITI BANK” / NOMBRE: DIEGO SUCUZHANAY / NÚMERO DE CUENTA: 9947631252

Agradecemos infinitamente por su apoyo. Gracias; gracias; muchas gracias.

Sinceramente,
Diego Sucuzhanay y toda la familia Sucuzhanay

“HAGAMOS ALGO PARA PARAR LOS CRÍMENES del ODIO EN NUEVA YORK; trabajemos juntos”
NYC Immigrant Dies After Possible Hate Attack
$27,000 Recompensa por Info de Ataque en Bushwick/Brooklyn

ultima said...

Xicano patronizes us by stating, "I believe that the majority of the American people are decent people willing to recognize and chose the better option between civility and hate." Of course they are, and to make this statement is to suggest that there is might be reason to think otherwise.

I also note that his mother raised 7 children in a two room apartment. I ask why is this? Why don't people with limited means have only the number of children they can support and educate without public assistance. This is one of the roots of the problems of poverty, an inability to limit one's family to a reasonable size. That's how other families get ahead. Why not all the others?

Arizona put it very well when he pointed out that not every element of the opposition to illegal immigration is based on hate. In fact, I would say none of the mainstream opposition is so motivated.

We remain like two trains passing in the night, unable to comprehend the other position because we are blinded by our own biases. The crimes against minorities whether they are illegal or not are heinous and deserve to be fully punished to the full extent of the law. We all can remember some of the things we did when we were young that thoughtless, ill-conceived, and reflective a brain that is not fully developed and functioning in a way that enables forethought before action. I know I did a number of such things as a child but none involved beating or physically abusing another human being. The more serious crimes committed by the young are often an offshoot of the bullying they have indulged with their own kind. Unfortunate but true.

I wish Ixico and other who don't think the term anti-America is closer to the mark than the so-called "Pro" would take the time to think carefully about all the valid reasons for stabilizing our population through tax and immigration policies that serve the national interest. Having given those reasons thoughtful consideration, perhaps he and others would be able to see the light and stop referring to all Pro-America individuals as forming some sort of hate-crazed group that in huge numbers are out on the streets looking for a "beaner" when in fact the huge majority are home doing school work, watching TV, or visiting peacefully with friends or relatives.

So what are these reasons for opposing illegal aliens and limiting our population? Among them are:
1. Finite natural resources including arable land and water
2. The rule of law the foundation of all civilized societies.
3. Culture shock. See the trashing of the American landscape by Mexican illegals in Arizona.
4. The preservation of English as our national language and the language of commerce throughout the world.
5. The changes in our country since the last wave of immigration ended in the early 1800s that places assimilation in grave jeopardy.
6. Dual citizenship and dual allegiance, an oxymoron.
7. The world and the U.S. cannot easily and comfortably accommodate an unlimited number of people at any desirable level of material, mental and civic well-being.
8. A beautiful quotation from the 1848 Principles of Political Economy of British philosopher John Stuart Mill, "There is room in the world, no doubt, and even in old countries, for a great increase in population, supposing the arts of life to go on improving, and capital to increase. But even if innocuous, I confess I see very little reason for desiring it. The density of population necessary to enable mankind to obtain, in the greatest degree, all the advantages both of cooperation and of social intercourse, has, in all the populous countries been attained.
9. Because immigrants, illegals, and their progeny from Mexico number as many as those from the next 10 countries of origin combined, diversity among immigrants is being reduced rather than increased.
10. Immigrants and illegals depress wages by their willingness to accept the toughest jobs at substandard wages.
11. Illegals and their progeny soak up, education, Medicaid, and welfare resources intended for citizens.
12. Illegals take jobs citizens would be willing to take in many cases if they were offered a living wage and a hiring preference.
13. Illegals ignore zoning regulations, living 11 to a trailer house, hot bedding, perhaps not unlike Ixcano's mother and her brood in two rooms.
Perhaps we shpuld abandon all zoning regulations and then we could begin immediately to look more like Mexico.
14. The trashing of the layups on Arizona is reflective of a cultural problem South of the Border (my daughter just returned from Mexico and was appalled at the filth and degradation of the landscape: all manner of trash, toilet paper, diapers, cans, bottles, paper waste littered the area where she stayed north of Monterey.)
15. The likelihood that illegals and immigrants will re-create the very conditions they fled their homelands to escape: joblessness, poverty, disease, and governments unable to take care of their own people. What a wonderful idea? Is it hateful to want something better for America?

I would welcome any thoughtful comments from Xicano or anyone else regarding the above and how that constitutes "hate" in the eyes of any reasonable person.

Dee said...

Ulty,
I dont think Xicano is being patronizing. I think he is opening up his heart to us.
You ask about the size of a family who is low income? That question goes across ethnicities and across income levels. Why do we procreate? Do we believe in abortion? Do we limit birth control due to our religious beliefs? There are so many questions to this question. Who are any of us to judge?

I also agree that PRO and ANTI are like two trains passing in the night. Many are unable to comprehend the other positioin because WE are ALL blinded by our own biases.

I also agree that ALL Hate Crimes are heinous and deserve to be FULLY punished to the Fullest extent of the law!

Like you, I wish all ANTI extremists would take the time to think carefully about all the valid reasons for being Humane and putting ourselves in the other person's shoes.

To deny that Latino HATE Crimes occur or Racism exists is living in a dream world.

In 2009, let us ALL pray for Peace and Good Will towards ALL Men and Women!

Dee said...

Ulty,
I believe these 2 comments are condescending.

14. The trashing of the layups on Arizona is reflective of a cultural problem South of the Border (my daughter just returned from Mexico and was appalled at the filth and degradation of the landscape: all manner of trash, toilet paper, diapers, cans, bottles, paper waste littered the area where she stayed north of Monterey.)
15. The likelihood that illegals and immigrants will re-create the very conditions they fled their homelands to escape: joblessness, poverty, disease, and governments unable to take care of their own people. What a wonderful idea? Is it hateful to want something better for America?

===============
14. I disagree.
Arizona has its own issues. They have NOTHING to do with Mexico.
In the US, Poverty is a large issues. Let's NOT confuse them.
Regarding your daughters vacation? Please provide urls and examples. I am sure I could provide you the same from downtown poverty levels USA.

15. We in America WILL be better as long as WE are willing to Work Together!!

ultima said...

dee wrote, "To deny that Latino HATE Crimes occur or Racism exists is living in a dream world."

It would be better to say that HATE crimes know no racial boundaries and racism exists within all races. We all know that Blacks, Whites, Browns and Asians, and Gays have all been victimized on a fairly regular basis. Let's leave it at that.

ultima said...

dee wrote, "Regarding your daughters vacation? Please provide urls and examples. I am sure I could provide you the same from downtown poverty levels USA."

This occurred near a little town called Hidalgo north of Monterey where international visitors come to climb a couple of mountains in the area. My daughter has been around the horn so to speak and is an international traveler who has seen poverty and downtown areas up close and personal. She was still appalled. I don't know what better URL I could provide other than personal observation. Do the areas where your relatives in South San Antone look like this?

Arizona may be special case but are you saying it does not reflect the culture of the poor Mexicans who are entering our country?

ultima said...

Dee wrote, "You ask about the size of a family who is low income?"

I think it is more a case of ignorance. It certainly was in my family of Protestants. My parents had no need to have eight children and in many respects if they had known how to avoid it and given it some thought, especially in the depths of the depression, they would have chosen otherwise. As a Catholic who chose to limit her family, you are in a better position to judge how strong the religious element is and how large the factor of ignorance looms. As you know there are many Catholics who have followed your example using whatever means were at their disposal. Very few means were available to my parents and in those days they were still of the conventional wisdom that big families were necessary to work the farm or whatever.

It is pure injustice when a person chooses to inflict hardship on children because of outmoded ancient religious doctrines. As I have said many times, the Pope could do more good to relieve poverty in the world with a stroke of the pen, than all the other humanitarian efforts put together. we will have to wait for another revelation both in the Vatican and in Salt Lake City.

Dee said...

Ulty,
Poverty or Wealth is in the eyes of the beholder.
Many people on the south side of SA do not think they are poor. In my family's neighborhood, most people own their own homes. Most are employed, many 2 income families. The houses are less expensive, mostly 3 bedroom ranch type homes. The people in the mcmansions would say they are poor. I know people in mcmansions that think they are poor or at least want much more. It is all relative.


Ultima said....
Do the areas where your relatives in South San Antone look like this?

Arizona may be special case but are you saying it does not reflect the culture of the poor Mexicans who are entering our country?

Dee said...

Ulty,
Back in our parents' day, few people used birth control.
My folks had 10 children. My dad worked in the factory. My mother stayed at home to raise us. We always had food on the table. My mother was very creative in making a dollar stretch. She had a garden and canned fresh vegetables. We were poor in comparison to other families. I didnt notice it until school, especially in Jr and Sr high. But in the scope of life, I would not want it any differently. I would not give up any family members for newer dresses or shoes. My siblings are all educated and have led productive lives, raising nice families.

I chose to use a form of birth control because my work required travel. If I had to do it over, I wish I had one more child. I miss not having a little girl.


Ultima said...My parents had no need to have eight children and in many respects if they had known how to avoid it and given it some thought, especially in the depths of the depression, they would have chosen otherwise.

ultima said...

dee wrote, "think carefully about all the valid reasons for being Humane and putting ourselves in the other person's shoes."

We all want to be humane but some want to stop short of giving up our country to do so. It is always well to listen or read empathetically, putting oneself in the other person's shoes. In some sense, this is easier to do with the illegals than it is with their supporters who don't seem to have the best interests of their country at heart. I understand the illegals desire to make a better life for their families and I can see why that tends to eclipse most other considerations of the rule of law or how their behavior might lead to a re-creation of the conditions they left behind. I have more difficulty understanding how American citizens can take that position, knowing perhaps better than the illegals what that portends for the future.

I want America to remain a place where people from all cultures and ethnicities can work, mingle, cooperate, mix, and share in a common dream and a common destiny without dispensing with the rule of law or accepting everyone who wishes to come here. There is an old expression: everything in moderation and nothing in excess. That is still good advice. That is what we had in the past and what we should be striving for in the future. This means a sufficient infusion of new immigrants and new talent to keep America vibrant and moving forward. This rather than a flood of legal immigrants and illegal aliens that threatens to undo the greatness, the individual freedoms, the prosperity, and the dream that is America.

ultima said...

Dee wrote, "We in America WILL be better as long as WE are willing to Work Together!!"

A truer word was never written but I see this as a charge to the present citizenry not as an open invitation to hordes of new immigrants or illegal aliens. If we did work together, we could make short work of the immigration impasse.

. said...

Actually, Ulty has a point: Anywhere here in the Valley(greater Phoenix area) that has a high Mexican National population looks very similar to Mexico slums. Not sure if it cause and effect though....

I'm not sure if that is just what they are use to, or if they are too lazy to clean up. It doesn't cost anything to pick up trash.....
It doesn't make sense to me honestly.

Dee said...

Ulty,
If this is how you feel, you are one large step up from the White Nationals and I applaud you for this.

Ultima said...
I want America to remain a place where people from all cultures and ethnicities can work, mingle, cooperate, mix, and share in a common dream and a common destiny without dispensing with the rule of law or accepting everyone who wishes to come here.

Dee said...

Ulty,
The problem your side always has is your short term memory of History, of the fact we have 12M here, they were hired and employed by our citizens, most have been here +5 years and have a family stake in the community with citizen children, they have been contributing for years. We cannot deny our culpability in what has happened and tell them to POOF just disappear. The vast majority of Americans DO NOT support mass deportation, even over 4 years. We need a feasible plan which we all agree upon for the 12M here.


ultima said...
Dee wrote, "We in America WILL be better as long as WE are willing to Work Together!!"

A truer word was never written but I see this as a charge to the present citizenry not as an open invitation to hordes of new immigrants or illegal aliens. If we did work together, we could make short work of the immigration impasse.

Dee said...

Az,
What you are referencing is inner city poverty and it occurs in every large city across the country, regardless of ethnicity.

I remember when I worked in downtown KC, or Detroit. There were many homeless people. Everyone left the city after 7. No one walked around at night. Shopping Cart people carrying loads of trash (?) and litter all over.
Your statement applies to many poverty stricken areas.

Also how do you know they are Mexican National and not Latino American or Native American or Middle Eastern or Asian Pacific Islander..or any other brown ethnicity?

It also sounds like inner city poverty affects some Mexico inner cities as well.


The Arizonian said...
Actually, Ulty has a point: Anywhere here in the Valley(greater Phoenix area) that has a high Mexican National population looks very similar to Mexico slums. Not sure if it cause and effect though....

I'm not sure if that is just what they are use to, or if they are too lazy to clean up. It doesn't cost anything to pick up trash.....
It doesn't make sense to me honestly.

. said...

Dee said...
"Az,
What you are referencing is inner city poverty and it occurs in every large city across the country, regardless of ethnicity."


First, I said anywhere in the greater Phoenix Area, not just the inner-city. This also seems to apply outside the city as well.

Second, I used the term Mexican National: Someone with Mexican citizenship, not because they happen to be more 'tanned'.

Third, I based this off the areas that have the highest amount of immigration arrests, and using demographic data.

Fourth, I live here. It isn't that hard to figure out where these people were from Dee. The nuances of language can usually give you away. America, while predominately speaking English, has these nuances or accents that differentiate people from different parts of the country.
Mexico and other Latin countries have the same phenomenon. Someone speaking Spanish from one part of Mexico (or the world for that matter) sounds different than someone from a different part of Mexico. There actually is an 'American' Spanish believe it or not. So even if you speak fluent Spanish, they would spot you as an American no matter where you go.

Dee said...

Az,
I live in Texas. The highest rate of Hispanics, according to the US Census:
The percentage of the Hispanic-origin population that lives in California or Texas. California is home to 12.4 million Hispanics, and Texas is home to 7.8 million.

I would venture to say San Antonio, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has more Hispanics than any city in Arizona. Dallas is another pretty town but not as pretty as S.A.

Regarding most Latino arrests, I would say that is largely due to one racial profiling sheriff with the initials J.A.

Dee said...

Also, of the Latinos in S.A. most have ethnic roots from Mexico.

Dee said...

My mom loved flowers and we used to love to go to the Sunken Gardens.


And occassionally we took across down the River in the Riverwalk. You should see the lights at night. So lovely.
Riverwalk

. said...

There you are trying to mix words again, I said Mexican Nationals, not Latinos.
There is a difference.
Similar to if I said Canadians, and you keep saying white people.

. said...

Dee said:
"Regarding most Latino arrests, I would say that is largely due to one racial profiling sheriff with the initials J.A."

Actually, I was talking about the Municipalities I.E.: The City Police Departments. They arrest people for all kind of things, and do record their Nationality (country of citizenship), but the cities typically don't arrest nor detain them for immigration violations. In Mesa for example, it is estimated that roughly 25-30% of crime is caused by people holding a foreign citizenship. Out of that number, 95+% hold a Mexico Citizenship.

But if you recall, I said I don't believe it is cause and effect. People coming here from Mexico would be poor in the first place, and would naturally be attracted to lower rent areas to begin with.
But it is an interesting 'coincidence'.....

Indigenous Xicano said...

Dee, Thanks for sharing this one moment of my life growing up in Chicago.

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