Latinos living in East Haven, Connecticut, say they have been harassed and bullied by city police officers for years. “Many people are scared,” one told the New York Times. The officers reportedly beat some of the people they stopped and detained, and arrested people who tried to gather evidence of what the officers were doing.
Yesterday morning**, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested four East Haven policemen and accused them of conspiring to deprive residents of the constitutional rights. Asked by a WPIX reporter from New York what he would do for the Latino community, East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said:
“I might have tacos when I go home, I’m not quite sure yet.”
The East Haven Patch has more, including the rebuke from Governor Dannel Malloy. Video’s after the jump, along with Mayor Maturo’s apology. (**Corrected.)
Mayor Matuor’s statement, by way of Daily Intel:
“My sincerest apologies go out to the East Haven community and, in particular, the Latino community for the insensitive and off-collar [sic] comment that I made to WPIX reporter Mario Diaz yesterday regarding the recent events affecting our community and our police department,” says the official repentance. “Unfortunately, I let the stress of the situation get the best of me and inflamed what is already a serious and unfortunate situation. I regret my insensitive comment and realize that it is my job to lead by example.”
The place for in-depth analysis, commentary and informed perspectives.