LATINO COMMUNITIES ARE FACING.
>> PARIS, CHICAGO'S LATINO
COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY
AFFECTED BY THE EVENTS OF THE
PAST YEAR.
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED
LATINO RESIDENTS AND MOST
RECENTLY THE COMMUNITY HAS FACED
THE FATAL POLICE SHOOTINGS OF
TWO YOUNG PEOPLE, ADAM TOLEDO
AND ANTHONY ALVAREZ.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS KEY ISSUES
FOR ILLINOIS' LATINO COMMUNITY
IS STATE SENATOR CELINE
VILLANUEVA WHOSE DISTRICT
INCLUDES PARTS OF CHICAGO'S
SOUTHWEST SIDE AND SYLVIA PUENTE
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
FIRST TODAY WE KNOW IT IS LATINO
UNITY DAY.
SYLVIA COULD YOU REMIND US WHAT
THAT DAY IS AND HOW IT STARTED?
>> SURE.
IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 10
YEARS.
BUT IT'S BASICALLY, A DAY LONG
EVENT THAT IS PUT ON BY A NUMBER
OF LATINO LED NONPROFITS TO SHOW
THAT WE CARE OUR INTERESTED IN
AND WANT A VOICE TO WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN SPRINGFIELD.
WE TYPICALLY BRING 300 FOLKS TO
SPRINGFIELD TO TALK TO THE
GOVERNOR, OUR LEGISLATORS, BUT
ALSO BASICALLY, AS WE SAY TO
HAVE A SHOW OF LATINO UNITY THAT
WE DO HAVE A COHESIVE LATINO
COMMUNITY THAT HAS AN INTEREST
IN ISSUES OF REDISTRICTING,
EDUCATION, HEALTH AND HOW OUR
STATE RESPONDS TO OUR LATINO
COMMUNITY.
>> AND WE WILL GET TO A COUPLE
OF THOSE.
TODAY IS CINCO DE MAYO.
REMIND US OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THAT DAY AND WHAT IT MEANS AFTER
WHAT THIS LAST YEAR HAS BEEN?
>> THERE IS THIS MISCONCEPTION
PEOPLE THINK THAT CINCO DE MAYO
IS INDEPENDENCE DAY IT'S ABOUT
REMEMBERING THE FIGHT FOR
JUSTICE FOR FREEDOM FOR
INDEPENDENCE FOR PEOPLE THE
PEOPLE IN MEXICO.
AND I THINK FOR ME AND
ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS IN THE
COUNTRY IT IS A DAY TO CELEBRATE
OUR MEXICAN HERITAGE WHICH SOME
OF US DO IT ALL THE TIME.
BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT
OF THE PANDEMIC IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR US TO TAKE THE
MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT THE
IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC AND
OTHER THINGS HAVE HAD ON OUR
COMMUNITIES PARTICULARLY NOT
JUST MEXICAN BUT LATINO AND
LATINX COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE
OF ILLINOIS.
>> AND AS YOU MENTIONED NOT
ENOUGH PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE
TRUE MEANING OF CINCO DE MAYO.
>> SYLVIA WE KNOW COVID HAS
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED THE
LATINO COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A CHART THAT SHOWS FOR
EVERY 100,000 RESIDENTS IN
ILLINOIS THE LATINO COMMUNITY
SAW MORE THAN 10,000 CASES OF
COVID.
THAT IS COMPARED TO 6400 FOR
WHITE RESIDENTS, 6300 FOR BLACK
RESIDENTS AND 3800 FOR ASIAN
RESIDENTS.
IS COVID AND IMPACT ON THE
LATINO COMMUNITY A KEY CONCERN
ON LATINO UNITY DAY?
>> OF COURSE, OF COURSE IT IS
HOW WE ADDRESS THE HEALTH AND
THE ESCALATING IMPACT OF COVID
IS TREMENDOUS.
TO CLARIFY IT'S FOR EVERY
100,000 OF THAT RACIAL ETHNIC
GROUP THAT MEANS FOR EVERY
100,000 LATINOS OVER 10,000 HAVE
HAD COVID MORE THAN 10% OF THE
LATINO COMMUNITY.
AND WITH THAT WE ARE THE LOWEST
TESTED.
SO WE REALLY FEEL THAT 10,000
PER EVERY 100,000 IS UNDER
REPORTED.
AND AS YOU'VE NOTED
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR ANY
OTHER COMMUNITY IN THE STATE.
AND WHAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE
AND HEAR ABOUT THE IMPACT OF
LONG-HAULERS AND BEGINNING TO
SEE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF COVID ON
THEFTS BECAUSE --
O'DETTES BECAUSE LATINOS OF
WORKING AGE ARE THE HIGHEST
GROUPS OF DEATHS.
AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR LITERALLY
WHAT I CONTINUE TO CALL AN
ECONOMIC, HEALTHCARE AND
EDUCATION TSUNAMI FOR THE LATINO
COMMUNITY.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A COALITION
WHICH IS AN AMAZING EFFORT TO
COME UP WITH POLICY SOLUTIONS.
BUT ALSO TO PUT NEEDLES IN
PEOPLE'S ARMS SO THEY ARE
GETTING VACCINATED
>> ASIDE FROM COVID'S IMPACT,
CHICAGO'S LATINO COMMUNITY HAS
FELT THE IMPACT OF TWO FATAL
POLICE SHOOTINGS, ADAM TOLEDO
AND ANTHONY ALVAREZ.
THE POLICY FORUM IS A PART OF A
COALITION CALLING FOR A
MORATORIUM ON FOOT PURSUITS IN
THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT.
KA RINNA SPOKE ABOUT THIS AT A
PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY.
>> WE ARE ON A COURSE THAT IS
HEADED RIGHT TO DISASTER WHEN
YOU HAVE ESCALATED ISSUES ON
FOOT PURSUITS, THAT ARE IN AN
INEVITABLE HEATED SITUATION WITH
NO DUE PROCESS.
>> SENATOR, YOUR DISTRICT
INCLUDES PART OF LITTLE VILLAGE
AND YOU ARE A RESIDENT THERE HOW
HAVE THE SHOOTINGS AND THE
VIDEOS IMPACTED PUBLIC SAFETY
AND POLICING FOR THE LATINO
COMMUNITY?
>> I WANT TO SAY THIS.
HERE IS THE THING...
ISSUES OF VIOLENCE IN LATINO AND
LATINX COMMUNITIES ON THE
SOUTHWEST SIDE AND LITTLE
VILLAGE HAVE BEEN EXISTENCE AND
THERE HAVE BEEN ORGANIZATIONS
AND ORGANIZERS TRYING TO DO THE
INTERVENTIONAL WORK FOR A
LONGTIME.
SYSTEMIC ISSUES AND SYSTEMIC
DISINVESTMENT HAS LED TO
OBVIOUSLY EITHER LACK OF GRANT
FUNDING OR LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES
FOR US TO BE ABLE TO BRING THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR
COMMUNITIES.
SO THE REALITY IS THIS...
THE VIDEOS ARE VERY, VERY
DIFFICULT TO WATCH.
I GOT VERY EMOTIONAL AND AGAIN
IT HIT ME TO THE CORE THE SAME
WAY THAT THE VIDEOS OF LAQUAN
McDONALD AND SO MANY COUNTLESS
OTHERS HAVE COME OUT AND WE'VE
HAD TO SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT THE REALITY IS THIS...
CYCLES OF POVERTY, SYSTEMIC
DISINVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES
HAVE BEEN LONG IN EXISTENCE.
THESE ARE MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR
FACTORS WHAT IS HAPPENING AND
WHAT IS GOING ON.
AND AGAIN, LIKE MY PUSH AND
CONTINUOUS PUSH AS A FORMER
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ORGANIZER
COMING FROM ORGANIZING
COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZING
FAMILY AND NOW BEING A
LEGISLATOR IS TO FIGHT TO
CONTINUE TO GET FURTHER
INVESTMENT WHETHER IT'S STATE
FUNDING, WHETHER IT'S DIFFERENT
TYPES OF FUNDING, WHETHER IT'S
BUSINESS REVITALIZATION HELPING
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS BEING
ABLE TO ACCESS HEALTHCARE
BENEFITS.
THE REALITY IS THIS...
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE IN DESPERATE
NEED OF RESOURCES AND THAT IS
WHAT WE NEED TO BREAK THE CYCLES
OF POVERTY.