Unit 6: Latino/Hispanic Americans

HUMAN RELATIONS IN A

DIVERSE SOCIETY

Instructor:Laura Woodfall ,MS, MEE, MSW, LSW

Unit Outcomes

*About the demographics and diversity within this cultural group.

*About Latino/Hispanic immigrant history. *How to dispel myths and stereotypes about

Latino/Hispanic Americans. *About common nonverbal and verbal communication styles

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

• “Juan Vasquez worked in the maintenance department of one of the larger downtown hotels in southern California. While at work on his day shift, all “immigrant member” of his maintenance department were asked to go to personnel. When he arrived, he found himself (and others) questioned by several Immigrant Enforcement Officers, asking for identification and “paper,” Juan was asked if he was a an illegal and undocumented alien… Juan was a fourth-generation Mexican American. He was born and raised in Arizona, along with several generations of his family. Juan had a driver’s license, car insurance, and children in college. He was very offended by the assumption that he was not a citizen.”

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

Demographic History• Latino/Hispanic Americans are the fastest growing cultural

group in the US in terms of number of people.

• In 2004 there were approx. 41.3 million Latino/Hispanic American legal residents in the US

• With about 8 million undocumented immigrants

• One-third of Mexican Americans can trace their roots in the US back to mid 1800’s.

• Puerto Rico is still a US territory.

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

Myths and Stereotypes• They all speak Spanish

– Over 70% of Spanish speaking homes also speak English. – Those with family in America for multiple generations may not know any

Spanish at all.

• They are all illegal– Vast majority are legal residents or citizens.

• They are all Lazy and poor workers– How can you describe a group as lazy when they are willing to work as

laborers from dawn to dusk every single day of the year?

• They are all uneducated– While many immigrants are poor and uneducated, most legal residents and

citizens of the US are educated.

• Young ones are all gang members– While some may be in gangs, not every group of friends hanging out together

is a gang.

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

Family Matters

• La Familia- Family interdependence, unity, and loyalty are of primary importance

• Respecto- Respect to parents is expected

• Fathers are usually seen as head of house and the decision maker

• Mothers are emotional supports

• Extended family is usually very involved

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Communication Styles1. Strong family ties can cause more use of the word “we” rather than “I”. “Eye

checking” is very common to seek approval of other family members.

2. Speaking Spanish in the presence of officers should not be automatically determined as an attempt to hide information. It may be difficult to speak English during times of stress.

3. Officers need to take the time to get information when there is a language barrier.

4. Respect for officers and authority does not mean trust is established.

5. Understanding the context is very important. Officers need to explain who they are, why they are asking the information, and what they are going to do with it.

6. Eye contact may very, and avoiding strong eye contact can be a sign of respecting an authority figure.

7. Evasive behaviors may be caused by incredible fear of law enforcement, and the assumption that they will be mistreated.

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Key Issues for Police

• Latino/Hispanic Americans may have a intense distrust for law enforcement because:

1. Police are perceived as unresponsive.2. There is a perceived lack of familiarity in services.3. There is a perceived lack of effectiveness in services4. Police are still stereotyped as discriminatory

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

Recommendations• Organizations can utilize non-sworn, bilingual Community

Service Officers (CSOs) who can assist residents with information, referrals, education, and crime-reports.

• Use of outreach liaisons can also help bridge gaps.

• Use of interpreters

• Spanish- language training for officers

• Increase Community Based Policing efforts

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint

Resource:

• Multicultural Law EnforcementStrategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society, 4th Ed. Shusta, Levine, Wong, Olson, and Harris

CJ246 Unit 6 PowerPoint