Thread: Florida communities seek end to violence against Mayan immig

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/ ... 785359.htm

Posted on Sat, Jun. 10, 2006

Florida communities seek end to violence against Mayan immigrants

LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Across the water from Palm Beach's dazzling mansions and pristine beaches lives one of the nation's largest groups of indigenous Guatemalans, most of whom fled their Mayan villages during their country's 36-year civil war.

Yet many of these immigrants once again are finding themselves targets of violence - victims of robberies and assaults so common that the local media coined the term "Guatbashing."

Ysidro Chavez, 19, of the Guatemalan state of Huehuetenango, said he was on his way home from a construction job recently when a group of robbers stole his watch and money. Police caught some of the suspects but didn't find his watch, he said.

"They punched me here," Chavez said lifting his cap and pointing to a bruise, as he and several other men waited for work along a main street in the nearby town of Lake Worth.

Civic and community leaders have tried to address the problem before with moderate success. Now they are seeking a new approach: Rather than simply beefing up law enforcement, they are working with Guatemalan community leaders, banks and even teens to stop the assaults.

"We tried a little outreach here, a little outreach there," said West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel. "But unless you do something that is more far reaching, it has no real impact."

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of Mayans villagers remade their lives in Palm Beach County, drawn to the region initially because of agricultural opportunities. Later, they found work as gardeners and in the booming construction industry in an area that is home to the wealthy and famous such as Donald Trump.

Today, local service agencies estimate between 25,000 and 40,000 Guatemalans live in the county. That would seem much greater than the figure indicated by 2002 Census data, which estimated a total of 49,000 Guatemalans in Florida, ranking the state behind only California and New York.

Police say hundreds of Guatemalans have been robbed or beaten in the last decade, with firm numbers difficult to come by because many of the immigrants are afraid to report the crimes.

Young, single men are particularly vulnerable, especially in the evenings or the weekends after they've had a few drinks, authorities said. Last winter, two Guatemalan men were fatally shot on local streets by would-be robbers in separate attacks.

There are a variety of reasons to explain the attacks.

Seeking help from law enforcement authorities is one of them. Most Mayan immigrants grew up speaking one of Guatemala's 23 indigenous languages and learned Spanish and English only later in life, making it a challenge for them to talk to officials. Many of the more recent ones, who followed relatives in search of agricultural jobs and cheap housing, are here illegally and fear deportation. Others simply fear the authorities because they were people to be feared back home.

"The Guatemalan is an easy target, especially those who have just arrived," said Polly Gaspar, a community leader who emigrated from Guatemala in the 1980s. "They can't keep their money under the mattress because they don't have a bed of their own. For the thieves, we are like pots of gold."

Some community groups say a desire to "clean up" neighborhoods for gentrification by developers may also play a role, though most say they are generally pleased with officials' concern.

The assailants tend to be poor, non-Hispanics, often involved with drugs, though a growing number are also second-generation Guatemalan-American teens, said Lake Worth community outreach police officer Oscar Cardenas.

The city, home to a mix of tourists, retirees, longtime Floridians and recent immigrants, began outreach several years ago and have made some inroads.

"I get calls from them now even when I'm off, at all hours of the night," Cardenas said.

Following the winter shootings, West Palm Beach also put more Spanish-speaking officers in the Guatemalan neighborhoods, though even they sometimes must call in Mayan translators, no easy task at 2 a.m. Last month, the department worked with Guatemalan witnesses to help win two convictions against a local man whom they say had been robbing immigrants in the area for years.

Local law enforcement and social service groups spent recent weeks working with the Guatemalan consulate to plan a two-day fair to help more Guatemalans and other immigrants sign up for bank accounts and receive health and safety information.

West Palm Beach is also organizing a mobile information vehicle to provide weekly updates on banking, legal rights, health and social service information. And it has sponsored town halls and discussion groups with Guatemalans, businesses and faith-based groups.

Meanwhile, to encourage more witnesses to come forward, the state attorney's office is working to spread the word that those who lose wages for testifying against their assailants in court may get payment for the lost work.

The communities, especially the Guatemalans themselves, are also beginning to look at the needs of the young generation, many of whom were born here.

The nonprofit Guatemalan-Maya Center Inc., which opened its doors in 1992, has slowly expanded its programs for children, adding after-school and summer camp programs where children get music and Mayan language classes in addition to academic support.

Another nonprofit, Toward a More Perfect Union, has set up two youth discussion groups for Guatemalans and is planning a multicultural group for the summer.

Meanwhile, the nonprofit Palm Beach Photographic Centre, is inaugurating a third photo show by a group of Guatemalan-American middle schoolers.

"We are making a difference, little by little," said Gaspar, who volunteers with the Guatemalan-Maya Center.

As they seek to make changes locally, officials are also hoping for change on a national level - immigration reform that would include a path to legal status for longtime residents.

"You would eliminate that fear factor that if I report a crime, I'm going to get myself in trouble," Frankel said. "You still have a cultural factor, but if you're here legally, and you can go into a bank and court, it might promote a safer environment."

Another problem of unchecked immigration....more problems and resulting crime and violence in our society. As usual with all government officials they spare no expense when it comes to protecting the "rights" of illegal aliens but if Americans were being assaulted and robbed by Guatamalans nothing would be done. Just the jaded part of me again.......

where children get music and Mayan language classes in addition to academic support.

I guess they need to learn their native language also. I hope they can speak English well. It's the "don't want to assimilate" idea.

Sort of makes you want to break into a rousing chorus of Guantanamera or something doesn't it.
If the second generation of these illegals are mugging them too maybe they just live in a bad neighborhood. In fact if they have been here long enough to have a 2nd generation it doesn't make sense that they have no place for their money other than on their persons. Don't know if Guatemala would welcome them back but maybe they'd be happier back home. INS will give them a free ride whenever they are ready.

ADIOS!! oh I forgot they don't speak Spanish either.............