http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs ... 020/NEWS04

Brewster parents object to 'racist' label
By DIANA BELLETTIERI
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: January 30, 2006)

BREWSTER — As the daughter of immigrant parents, Janette Lambert tries to preserve her Hispanic culture by speaking Spanish to her two young children and cooking ethnic foods.

But, at the same time, Lambert, whose mother is from Puerto Rico and father from Ecuador, laments that illegal Hispanic immigrants are overwhelming the village.

Because of her Hispanic heritage, Lambert said, she can voice such a concern without being condemned as a racist. Some of her neighbors, however, have not escaped that inflammatory charge.

"I feel Brewster is being portrayed as a racist community," said Lambert, 37, a stay-at-home mom. "I don't feel any racism at all from anyone here."

The charge that some Brewster residents are intolerant of Hispanics surfaced as residents pressured public officials to address issues involving the village's population of illegal immigrants. Concerns included school safety, public drunkenness, overcrowded rental apartments and off-the-books employment.

At a series of packed public meetings, officials promised vigilance. That promise was put to the test this month when eight men, all illegal immigrants from Guatemala, were charged with trespass after playing soccer at Garden Street Elementary School.

The school's parents are voicing support for the action, but they're doing so carefully. They say the men did not belong on school grounds when the children were there, and if they didn't know that, they should have.

Regardless, discussion of the arrests in this largely white community and the larger controversy over immigration in Brewster is now often prefaced by disclaimers — one of the most common being "I'm not a racist but...."

Victor Padilla, the unofficial liaison between the village and the Hispanic community, said he is sympathetic to parents' anxiety about school safety. But, he added, the immigrants feel they are being targeted because of the color of their skin and are worried about being deported.

"I tell them, 'You have to be careful,' " he said.

Kathi Meyerson of Brewster said that although parents deny racial or ethnic hostility, some "sure sound it." She described some speakers at a recent public meeting as having a very "us verses them" mentality.

"I felt like they were talking about 1940s Germany," said Meyerson, 53, a teacher with a son in eighth grade. "It's a sickening feeling."

Kim Buckley, whose oldest child is a kindergartner at Garden Street, said it is unfortunate that some people have formed such assumptions about the community. Personally, she said, she doesn't feel she needs to defend herself against claims of racism. And while she feels sorry for Juan Jiminez, one of the arrested immigrants who is facing deportation, she nevertheless said action had to be taken.

"Regardless of who you are or where you come from, the law is the law," said Buckley, 34, a teacher. "Just like I have to abide by them, so does everyone else."

Christine Zirkelbach, the mother of a third-grader at Garden Street, said immigration laws must be addressed at the federal level before any significant progress results. Locally, she said, day laborers are an integral part of the economy, and she empathizes with their struggle to make a better life for their families.

But, she added, the idea that men — of any race — were trespassing at an elementary school is disconcerting. She said she understands the government's action against Jiminez.

"With the pressure that the village was under," said Zirkelbach, 42, who owns Health Flavors in Brewster, "it was inevitable that this would happen."