This really makes me ill.....whatever happened to landing a job or contract because one is the most qualified applicant....how does demanding jobs and contracts because of one's ethnicity help anyone in this supposedly "post-racial" era? I don't think that's what MLK wanted is it? These people are an embarrassment to all Americans of Hispanic heritage.....shameful, arrogant and full of a misguided and false sense of entitlement. LL



CHICAGO (CBS) ―

Hispanic activists on Thursday demanded a bigger share of city jobs and contracts.


Hispanic activists on Thursday demanded a bigger share of city jobs and contracts.

Although they vowed to boycott city-sponsored leadership events, they accepted Mayor Richard M. Daley's invitation to discuss their grievances face-to-face.

CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports government jobs look more attractive with every announcement of new layoffs in the private sector. Not to mention the fact that those in top positions control policy and tax dollars.

The activists who convened in Humboldt Park said those are the stakes.

"The bottom line is here: When key decisions are made at City Hall Latinos are not in the room," Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus of New Covenant Church said.

Claiming to speak for 174 Hispanic clergy and thousands in their churches, the activists said their new political push is God's work.

"It's impossible to separate spirituality from politics if we're going to be effective and leave a legacy here in Chicago," one man said.

Then, they laid out their grievances. Census numbers show Chicago is at least 25 percent Hispanic, but the Hispanic share of city jobs, including police, school principals and teachers is far smaller.

"All we're saying is we want a fair share of the cake. We don't want crumbs," DeJesus said.

DeJesus and others talked about following the African-American civil rights model for achieving Latino empowerment. But no one talked, though, about the role of the ballt box.

Numbers at the Board of Election Commissioners give one clue to clout. In the predominantly Hispanic 12th Ward in last November's election, about 7,000 voters went to the polls. In the 8th Ward, predominantly African-American, about four times as many voters went to the polls to cast ballots. And in downtown's 42d Ward, majority white, about five times as many voters went to the polls as in the predominantly Hispanic 12th Ward. Now every politician in Chicago knows those numbers.

Why are there so few voters in the Hispanic neighborhoods?

DeJesus said, "I think right now, Hispanics, because of the morale, perhaps, people think we don't make a difference. Well, that's gonna change. We have voice and then our people come out to vote.

Mayor Daley declined to answer questions about any of this at his new conference Thursday, even though his spokesperson confirmed that Daley called Rev. DeJesus to set up a face-to-face meeting. She said Daley has nothing to apologize for on Hispanic hiring, but wants the city to do better.

New public schools' CEO Ron Huberman also invited DeJesus to meet next week.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/chicago.hi ... 28162.html