Thread: Latino Cops, MALDEF Sue California Police Department

Latino Cops, MALDEF Sue California Police Department
Published March 03, 2011





Several Hispanic police officers are jointly suing the police department in Westminster, California, for discrimination and violating their labor rights.
Via the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, three policemen are contending that they were denied promotions and access to special assignments because they are Latino.
"We want the police department's manner of promotion to change, we want promotions to be given to people who deserve them and for there to be no discrimination," the plaintiffs' attorney, MALDEF national senior counsel Victor Viramontes, told Efe.

Viramontes said that the lawsuit, although it was presented in federal court in Los Angeles, is directed against the police department in Westminster, a town in neighboring Orange County.
Jose Flores has been a police officer for 18 years, 10 of them with the Westminster force. Among the numerous awards and distinctions that he has received is an award from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization.
"Since 2005, I've aspired four times for promotions but each time they were given to other people," Flores told Efe.

"When I asked why and what criteria were used to give (the promotion) to others, they didn't want to answer me," said the officer, adding that on one of those occasions, the promotion was given to a white officer "who I had trained and who had only one year of experience."
Another of the plaintiffs, Brian Pérez, is also a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, while the third, Ryan Reyes, was the Westminster Police Department's rookie of the year in 1999.

"More than one in every five residents of Westminster is Latino," MALDEF President Thomas A. Sáenz said at Wednesday's press conference. "It's particularly troubling when the discriminator is a police department, a department that has a sacred public trust to serve the entire community and to enforce the laws."
The lawsuit also asks for monetary compensation for the Hispanic officers who were denied promotions as well as the possibility of special damages, the amount of which will be determined during the trial.
By means of the lawsuit, MALDEF is seeking to force the Westminster Police Department, "a public institution that must protect and serve the entire diverse community well," to institute fairer promotion practices and policies. According to Viramontes, about 10 percent of the Westminster police officers are Hispanic.

"Through individual accountability, excellent teamwork and commitment to quality service, the men and women of the Westminster Police Department work with our diverse community to make the City of Westminster a safer place," the WPD says in its mission statement.

The complaint is also directed against the Westminster city government and two former police chiefs.

"I was qualified for all those positions (for which I applied), but they were given to Anglos who were less qualified than me," Flores said.


Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2 ... z1Fc4kbENN

I'M TELLING YOU, THESE LATINOS ARE REALLY SOME DEMANDING PEOPLE. THE MORE YOU GIVE THEM, THE MORE THEY WANT. WHY DO THEY THINK THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE ENTITLED TO THIS AND THAT MORE THAN ANY OTHER RACE I FOR ONE AM SICK OF READING ABOUT LATINO THIS AND LATINO THAT. THEN THEY WONDER WHY THEY ARE BEING SINGLED OUT. WELL I CAN TELL THEM WHY, BECAUSE THEY PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE THATS WHY. THEY ARE PROFILING THEMSELVES AND, THEN THEY BLAME OTHERS FOR WHAT THEY THEMSELVES ARE DOING.

"More than one in every five residents of Westminster is Latino," MALDEF President Thomas A. Sáenz said at Wednesday's press conference. "It's particularly troubling when the discriminator is a police department, a department that has a sacred public trust to serve the entire community and to enforce the laws."

Funny, that quote coming from MALDEF. They want those officers to ignore the law when it comes to illegal invaders, and out of the other side of their mouth they're using those same laws to blackmail the PD! Talk about hypocrisy!!!!

"I was qualified for all those positions (for which I applied), but they were given to Anglos who were less qualified than me," Flores said.

What makes you so sure they were less qualified? They may have had better educations, better service records, better cops in general. They admit 10% of the force are Hispanic, I would think at least one of the decision makers was Hispanic then... why promote someone less qualified over a "homie"? Sounds like sour grapes to me, and MALDEF making a mountain over "discrimination".

When a similar suit was launched in New England, it turned out that Hispanics - and blacks, too, I think - routinely scored lower on written tests. MALDEF & Co. wants a quota system, pure and simple. X number of Latinos sneak into this country, then jobs have to be allocated according to the new numbers. No need to raise your level of proficiency.

Wasn't there a case a couple of years ago whereby white firefighters were discriminated against in favor of Latinos for promotions? What's the matter, they don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot? Arrogant, hypocrites!

If they cannot meet the requirements then they should not get promoted. I am not saying that in almost every workplace there is some form of discrimination but to say its because they are latino is just wrong. Whay should the standards be lowered to meet the needs of one group? It only put the general public at greater risk of being harmed. Maybe they need to ask these officers if they will enforce all of the immigration laws that are onthe books. If they say no or have reservations then they don't get hired or promoted.

They always make it about race.

They all got spoiled by Affirmative Action. There was a time here in California that know matter who was best qualified all promotions etc. went to the minorities.