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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums2,000 tacos delivered to 'I might have tacos' mayor
2,000 tacos delivered to 'I might have tacos' mayor
Jessica Hill / AP
Dixon Jimenez, right, delivers tacos to East Haven, Conn. Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., Jan. 26. Maturo has expressed remorse for saying he "might have tacos" to do something for his town's besieged Latino community - but he has no plans to step down.
By James Eng, msnbc.com
A Connecticut mayor who sparked a firestorm of criticism for quipping I might have tacos when interviewed by a TV reporter about the arrest of four town police officers accused of racially profiling and bullying Latino residents got more than he bargained for.
More than 2,000 tacos were delivered to the office of East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo on Thursday, ordered by people who found his comments insensitive racially offensive. The send-the-mayor-a-taco campaign, which took off via tweets, cellphone texts and social-media shares, was organized by Reform Immigration for America, a group that advocates comprehensive immigration reform.
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A bulk order of 500 tacos was hand-delivered to the mayors office by members of Junta for Progressive Action, a Latino nonprofit in New Haven, Conn. Others texted in individual orders.
In a letter accompanying the bulk delivery, Junta for Progressive Action said:
Your subsequent apology isnt enough to make up for allowing institutionalized racism in a police force and city government.
Maturo wasnt in the office when the delivery was made, the group said.
more...
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10246992-2000-tacos-delivered-to-i-might-have-tacos-mayor
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)I'm far too old-fashioned to have tacos for breakfast, though.
Fuzz
(8,827 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)Breakfast burrito it is.
Gracias, mi amigo! (I can't figure out how to do one of those upside down !, so forgive me, por favor)
Quantess
(27,630 posts)If I didn't know, I would have guessed it was the mayor's supporters who sent the tacos. How is that a smack-down at all, in the slightest? And what a waste of food!
babylonsister
(171,079 posts)Reform Immigration for America said it had already planned to donate the tacos to local soup kitchens and claimed the mayor falsely took credit for the idea.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)I would have hated to see all that yummy food go to waste.
Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)...that they were donated to the homeless. I think the action brought his sickening comment to the forefront, so I'm not complaining.
BumRushDaShow
(129,362 posts)and >43% of the town is Italian. Interesting. I can imagine if it were the reverse and what the outcry would have been with the litany of available Italian stereotypes - and well... I won't go there.
Stinky The Clown
(67,817 posts)What do a 43% Italian population and Italian stereotypes have to do with this story?
BumRushDaShow
(129,362 posts)the entanglements of 2 ethnic groups. This is "America" where sadly, it is quite common as each group moves up the ladder.
I.e., the article is about the Latino community protesting the oppression of their community, and such a dismissive response out of the Italian mayor - where it's obvious that he realized he made a faux pas and tried to soften it by continuing on to define people by the foods that certain communities purportedly eat. People were talking about police brutality.
All one has to do is go back in history to see when the shoe was on the other foot (which it was at the turn of the last century). I know here in Philly, there were horrible "riots" in the early - mid 20th century between the Irish and Italians.
Stinky The Clown
(67,817 posts)I was that shoe on the other foot. I grew up as that shoe. I was disabused of speaking Italian in public for fear it would mark me as different (in a community with Italian language radio and newspapers) in Southern Connecticut.
Many Italians in that area were, and probably still are, pretty intolerant, particularly of Hispanics. Your post seemed to encourage that, not tamp it down.
BumRushDaShow
(129,362 posts)being an African-American myself, I have experienced and have had my family experience generational abuse by every single ethnic group to come to these shores since the founding of this country. And it continues to this day.
The problem being the collective amnesia and lack of empathy as ethnic groups were divided/conquered by the ruling group, and then surviving that, they move up the ladder to do the same to others.
As an example, there are some pretty vicious struggles between Jamaicans and Haitians down in Florida, where the Haitians were the more recent ethnic group "at the bottom" being oppressed by a Jamaican "ruling" class- most notably in the hotel industry. The Jamaicans themselves had been oppressed by the Cubans in the same industry. Here in Philly, there are terrible struggles between SE Asians (descendants of Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia) and African Americans.
The whole thing is so sad.
Initech
(100,099 posts)"Ah this should provide adequate sustinance for the Dr. Who marathon..."
flvegan
(64,412 posts)former9thward
(32,066 posts)Who knows what was done to them. I sure they were just thrown out. They could have made their point in some way so the food was not wasted.
babylonsister
(171,079 posts)From the article...
Reform Immigration for America said it had already planned to donate the tacos to local soup kitchens and claimed the mayor falsely took credit for the idea.
former9thward
(32,066 posts)If they were delivered to the Mayor then they would have to have been in some office somewhere. How long were they in that condition before the soup kitchen got them? I would hate to have the liability in that one.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)gathered a crowd of homeless & hungry people outside the mayor's office, then told them to run in and help themselves to tacos.
Jello Biafra
(439 posts)"2012 out there....1950's in here...."
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)TheManInTheMac
(985 posts)Don't you think that's some information I might like to know? I like tacos...
You invited Eric? I though Eric gave you the creeps.