Louisiana

The stops and starts of the post-Katrina rebuilding effort, often due to bureaucratic delays in funding, still provided plenty of work to rebuild homes and businesses. But reconstruction work has slowed as projects are completed or transition to phases requiring highly specialized skills.

“In the immediate aftermath, labor demand was huge and few workers were willing to accept the labor and residential conditions that prevailed in the city,” said Elizabeth Fussell, a Washington State University professor who studied immigration after Katrina.

“Now there is less demand, and it is for workers with more skills and perhaps certification by the state. This translates to less demand for low-skill, undocumented workers.”"*

Knowingly transporting an illegal immigrant in Louisiana would be a state crime punishable by up to a year in jail, under legislation approved Wednesday by the House Criminal Justice Committee.

Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, included language in his bill providing a possible defense: Those arrested for the crime could argue that they were helping someone who may have lost a visa or was in the process of renewing or obtaining a visa. That was an effort aimed at blunting opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and other entities that help immigrants regardless of their legal status.”*

President Felipe Calderón on Monday called attention to the growing role of Mexican immigrants in the rebuilding of New Orleans, raising a theme he’s likely to bring up today when he visits Dallas.

Mr. Calderón and his host, President Bush – in New Orleans with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the North American Leaders’ Summit – jointly reopened the Mexican Consulate there. The office shut down in 2002 as a cost-cutting measure.”*

*From: http://www.dallasnews.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Hablo español. That is to say, I speak Spanish. Like having the choice of friends despite being stuck with your family, learning a foreign language is the same situation. You can’t pick what you’ll speak at birth, but you’ve got a choice as to what you’ll learn second. I chose Spanish.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States.

But its usefulness wasn’t why I chose to learn it. That choice stemmed from watching “The Mask of Zorro” in middle school and an infatuation with Antonio Banderas.”*

*From: http://www.shreveporttimes.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Thirty men from Mexico who came to pick strawberries in Louisiana and found themselves in “slave-like” conditions ended up approaching some African-American activists for help. Gerald Lenoir is coordinator for Black Alliance for Just Immigration. Ted Quant is a labor activist and teacher in New Orleans. Damien Ramos is an organizer in the homeless community of New Orleans. Immigration Matters regularly features the views of the nation’s leading immigrant rights advocates.”*

*From: http://news.ncmonline.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Ouachita Parish Sheriff Richard Fewell has placed some of his employees in a six-week Spanish class to better communicate with Hispanic citizens in the area.

Officials selected patrol deputies, radio operators, the K-9 Unit and several members of the Special Crime Apprehension Team to participate in the class. Ruth Smith, head of the foreign language department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, teaches the class to more than 20 sheriff’s employees.”*

*From: http://www.nola.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The recently refurbished Mid-City strip shopping center that is home to Rock ‘n’ Bowl is about to get another unique tenant: an “all Latino” credit union office where every employee speaks Spanish and English and all documents are printed in both languages.

The first venture of its kind in the state, the ASI Federal Credit Union office expected to open early this summer near the busy intersection of Tulane and Carrollton avenues is aimed at meeting the financial needs of the area’s growing Hispanic population, its officials say.”*

*From: http://www.nola.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

New Orleans is still struggling to rebuild after Katrina, but the city’s hurricane survivors and newcomers alike are showing a remarkable spirit of perseverance. NAM Contributor Christine Senteno talked to ethnic media in New Orleans.”*

*From: http://news.ncmonline.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

What’s billed as the only full-power Spanish-language broadcast television station here launched Friday, further underscoring the boom in the region’s Hispanic population since Hurricane Katrina.

The Telemundo affiliate has been carried recently on some cable and satellite systems and is expected to be on more next month, said Ernesto Schweikert III, general manager of KGLA-TV Channel 42. The launch was marked by a luncheon attended by Telemundo hosts Candela Ferro and Alejandro Blanco.”*

Suddenly, two masked gunmen burst in, demanding money. And the workers watched in horror as Martinez-Carpio was fatally shot three times by the intruders, who then shot at the witnesses and fled empty-handed.

For the six remaining migrant workers — from El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico — their nightmare had just begun.

Because they were illegal immigrants as well as material witnesses to the April 29 crime, the men were immediately taken into custody and have remained in jail for the past seven months: first in St. Tammany, then in federal custody, then back to the north shore. For the first six months, they didn’t have an attorney.”*

Mexican nationals residing in Lafayette will soon have access to an identification card that will allow them the chance to open bank accounts.

Officials with the Mexican consulate based in Houston will be in Lafayette on Nov. 17 and 18 to assist the growing Mexican population in the area, they said. One way they plan to do this is by offering Mexican nationals the opportunity to receive a matricula consular card, a Mexican government-issued form of identification that can serve as official ID in lieu of U.S.-issued ID, said Adhemir Olguin, press officer for the Consulate General of Mexico.”*

“On Monday health officials will be bringing the message “Wake up! Take Control! Take the HIV Test!” to Latino communities throughout the state as a part of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

The Latino population in Louisiana since hurricanes Katrina and Rita is estimated to have swelled from 120,000 people to more than 175,000. Since this group has a historically low rate of HIV testing within their community, the state Office of Public Health’s HIV/AIDS Program is joining forces with community-based organizations around the state to encourage HIV testing on this day.

In the Shreveport area the Brotherhood Taskforce of NW Louisiana will be offering free rapid HIV-testing and information on hepatitis A, B and C from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the McAdoo Hotel, 1002 Texas Ave., Shreveport. “*

“The Acadiana region is growing more diverse by the day, fueled mostly by a job market parched for bodies and Latino immigrants eager to work.

The Hispanic and Latino population has grown 14 percent in Louisiana and 17 percent in Acadiana from 2000 to 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The biggest boost has been from Mexicans, whose population has grown 55 percent in Louisiana and 68 percent in Acadiana during that time.”

“The nationally-acclaimed Ballet Hispanico will come to town to open the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s 2007-2008 season.

The company’s Thursday, Oct. 4 performance will offer works by the foremost Latino choreographers of today representing Hispanic culture in the United States. The company, under artistic director Tina Ramirez, has danced in diverse venues including the Kennedy Center, the Chicago Theatre and Shea Stadium. “

“A few months ago the local painters union began using salts such as Madrid, who on Aug. 2 filed a “collective-action” lawsuit that could include all other employees who say they share Madrids alleged underpayment experience.

The filing, made in U.S. District Court, says Madrid was stiffed on time-and-a-half pay for overtime hours by two parties: Catastrophe Services International, the lead contractor on the deal, and Carlos Rodriquez, the owner of a Plano, Texas, subcontractor, SPM Painting Co. Madrid asked the court that he and other employees be properly compensated and that the contractors also pay federal unemployment insurance and Social Security payroll taxes on their behalf.”

“Perkins is one of three United Neighborhood Organization UNO Charter School employees who have relocated to New Orleans in order to set up the Esperanza Charter School, which, when it opens Aug. 20, will have the largest concentration of Latino students in the city.

They’ll work hand in hand with former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who is coming off a five-year stint as the top schools administrator in Philadelphia, and ex-Police Supt. Terry Hillard. Hillards firm Hillard Heintze LLC has been brought in to help evaluate the security systems for the struggling Recovery School District.

Esperanza — it means “hope” in Spanish — with nearly 300 enrolled students, will be offering the same curriculum UNO offers charter school students in Chicago.”

“Concerned about a perceived lack of financial literacy among New Orleans growing Hispanic population, a group of activists has joined forces to educate that community about money management.

Led by Louisiana Appleseed, a nonprofit comprised of volunteer lawyers, a new Financial Access Program aims to study how Louisiana banking institutions are reaching out to Hispanics, low-income earners and other groups considered underserved by the financial sector. The program also plans to offer free financial classes, many of which will be taught in Spanish.”

“Enforcement of the fiercely debated crackdown on taqueria trucks in Jefferson Parish has been slowed by a backlog of other code issues, a parish official said Tuesday, but some vendors have started pulling out anyway.

Restrictions pushing the mobile food vendors from locations along major streets and requiring them to provide permanent rest rooms went into force July 1. Parish officials said at the time that they would send violation notices to property owners where the trucks were parked during the first week of the month, but they are only now mailing the notices.”

“As New Orleans’ Hispanic population swelled to more than twice its pre-Katrina size by most estimates, so has the demand for Spanish speakers and instruction. Martin Gutierrez, director of the Catholic Diocese’s Hispanic Apostolate, estimated as many as 150,000 Hispanics now live in the metro region, up from about 60,000 pre-Katrina.

The increased Hispanic market has businesses scrambling to language classes and translation services.”

“The Jefferson Parish City Council enacted an ordinance that placed a ban on those taco trucks or “temporary facilities” that sell food on curbsides and neutral grounds. “¿Por Que?” You ask. The council would have you believe the move promotes public safety and market equity. However, this unpalatable rationale makes me lose my appetite.

The new law restricts selling those hot, mouth-watering tacos to industrial parks and large commercial spaces - much too far away for my satisfaction. The law also requires the vehicles to provide at least one bathroom if the mobile eatery serves food in one space for more than 30 minutes. Thats as appealing as port-a-potties to the rear of tour buses.”

“Since Hurricane Katrina, mobile taquerias catering to the mostly Mexican recovery workers have become a feature of the New Orleans area landscape. Except in white-bread Republican Jefferson Parish, whose council recently voted to effectively ban the taco trucks while leaving similar businesses untouched”

“New Orleans first full-power Spanish-language TV station is on the air, but not all TVs can pick up the signal, and none of the local cable lineups currently carries the channel.

Spearheaded by KGLA AM-1540 owner Ernesto Schweikert, WHMM is digital-only. So unless you have a new set equipped to receive and display over-the-air digital signals, you wont get it. If youve got the gear, its at Channel 42.”

“When local businesses needed help communicating with Spanish-speaking employees theyd sometimes call the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerces Hispanic Business Council looking for assistance.

Now the council has something to offer.

The council is partnering with the Learning Guide LLC, a new education and consulting company run by Vincent Perez, to bridge the gap between English and Spanish speakers in response to the growing demand for Spanish language services in the area.”

“In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has seen a rising influx of Hispanic immigrants willing to take on the task of cleaning up the flooded city.

NBC Us Telemundo has followed by expanding its coverage through a deal with affiliate WHMM New Orleans. Its signed a similar deal with KKIC Boise, Idaho.”

“In response to the growing Spanish-speaking population in Acadiana, Louisiana Technical College and South Louisiana Community College will offer Spanish language training courses.

The programs do not focus on grammar but teach occupation-specific phrases.”