Recent police activity in New Haven, Connecticut forces Latinos to push for FBI investigations. Alleged conspiracies against Latinos in the town resulted in the arrest of four police officers and a shocking comment from Mayor Joseph Maturo.
The “Miller’s Boys”, or the convicted officers worked the 4-to-midnight shift, patrolling the largely working-class town of East Haven, Conn., including the small but growing Hispanic community that has spread out in recent years from New Haven. The Miller boys walked around stopping and detaining people, particularly immigrants, without reason, federal prosecutors said; often slapping, hitting or kicking the obtained while handcuffed, and once smashing a man’s head into a wall. They followed and arrested residents, including a local priest, who tried to document their behavior.
They also rooted throughout stores looking for damning security videotapes of how they treated some of their targets, described by one of them on a police radio as having “drifted to this country on rafts made of chicken wings.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Sgt. John Miller on January 24th, including three of his officers — David Cari, Dennis Spaulding and Jason Zullo on multiple charges. Those charges consist of false arrests, excessive force and obstruction of justice over what the indictment described as years of mistreatment of individuals, especially Hispanics with efforts to cover it up. facebook.com/pages/Joe-Maturo-Jr
Shockingly, when interviewed by reporter Mario Diaz, and asked what he is doing for the Latino community in response to the scandal, the mayor responded that “I might have tacos when I go home, I’m not quite sure yet…” and went on to speak about his trip to Puerto Rico. Not a response the general public, especially the Latinos of Conn. would expect from their mayor.
Well Mayor Maturo got what he wanted, plus more. On January 26th, he snuck out the back door of his office, right before the delivery of 500 tacos from immigration advocates. Reform Immigration America left one taco as a symbol for Mayor Maturo and donated the rest to a soup kitchen.
Maturo attempts to regain support from Haven:
“I apologize, again, for my insensitive comments yesterday and recognize that they are a hindrance to the progress that must be made in our community. I am dedicated to the principles of tolerance and acceptance of all and will do all that I can to foster those principles in the daily execution of my duties as mayor.”
Connecticut’s governor, Dannel P. Malloy reckons the mayor’s comments as “repugnant” and “unacceptable.” The residents of the Haven zone must agree as they formed a Facebook titled, “East Haven Taxpayers Calling For Mayor Maturo to Resign”, with over a thousand likes.
-Christina R. Trinidad
-Michael Kelliehan
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