By Anita Wadhwani, The Tennessean
Organizers of ‘listening forums’ want law enforcement, community to understand each other better
Nicolas Saucedo and his family have had their share of encounters with Metro police.
Several years ago, police ordered Saucedo’s teenage son out of his car. After a few tense minutes lying face-down on the pavement, the son was released by the officer, who called it a case of mistaken identity.
Saucedo himself was pulled over 12 years ago in Nashville on DUI charges. As a result, he was ordered to have a breathalyzer installed on his vehicle that would not let him start it if he had been drinking.
But because of his limited English, Saucedo, 58, couldn’t explain to police that the breathalyzer they were installing was being put in the family van, not in his own car.
With half of all immigrants over age 5 in the Midstate speaking little or no English, misunderstandings like these are an everyday occurrence, Hispanic advocates and police say.
On Monday, Hispanic groups, police and Metro agencies hope that residents from heavily Hispanic south Nashville will join police for the first of two “listening forums” at Glencliff High School.
Saucedo, who operates a tailor shop in Harding Mall, said he plans to be there.
“It’s a perfect opportunity - without threat or fear - to talk to the police,” said Kim Johnson, Diversity in Dialogue program coordinator for the Scarritt-Bennett Center, which organized the event with the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish-language newspaper La Noticia, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods, the Metro Human Relations Commission and the Police Department.
Metro officers say it’s in their interest to have a better relationship with all people who speak limited English, including those in the Hispanic community.
“You’ve got to meet people halfway,” said E.T. Davenport, a patrol officer in his third decade on the force. “People can be fearful of the police,” especially those from countries where the police routinely abuse power, he said. “When you get fearful, certain things kick in. You may not cooperate. That makes the situation harder.
“A lot of times, what we do as police officers depends on what we can mediate. If you can mediate, you can reach some resolution, whether it’s issuing a citation or something else. But you’ve got to be able to communicate.”
Davenport said police need to make the effort to learn other languages and not act intimidating. At the same time, the uncertainty of police work makes that challenging.
“It’s a difficult task for police, because you don’t know who you are pulling over. Is it a bank robber? Is he a murderer, or was he just running a red light?”
Even with friendly overtures, Hispanic residents are often suspicious of police, said Yuri Cunza, publisher of La Noticia.
“It’s going to take a while for the effects we want, to have a closer relationship with law enforcement and to make members of the Hispanic and other immigrant communities feel like they have a friend to rely on and trust.”
Meanwhile, police said they have been working to meet the challenges of providing safety and security to a community that now includes dozens of languages, Spanish chief among them.
The Police Department has translated materials into Spanish and puts officers through Spanish language training.
Those efforts are helpful, but what the force really needs most are more Spanish-speaking officers, Ulysses Hernandez said. He is among a handful of Metro officers who are native Spanish speakers and who are called on to translate for other officers.
Even Saucedo said he has been asked several times to help police translate in the Nolensville Road area.
Organizers of the forum, which will be repeated April 19, hope to enlist participants to be part of “study circles.” Beginning in August, those small groups will be examining other issues facing south Nashvillians.