Latina Lista: One sheriff empathizes with his constituents, the other calls Mexicans “trashy”

Latina Lista

One sheriff empathizes with his constituents, the other calls Mexicans “trashy”

Here’s a tale about two sheriffs with two very different views of the communities they serve. One saw the hurt and panic of his constituents and made a bold stand. The other sees the hurt and panic of his constituents and feeds it with callous and inflammatory remarks.

Some will argue that any comparison between the two is like comparing apples and oranges. But in highlighting the differences in how both of these men treat their constituents, it underscores the fact that there are times when humanity takes precedence over rule of law. And it’s an official who can see the bigger picture that understands when that must happen.

Illinois Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart has taken the bold stand of refusing to evict anymore people from their homes in Cook County, which also includes the city of Chicago.

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North Carolina’s Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell doesn’t hold any empathy for the Latino, or as he says, Mexican, residents of his community. In an interview with a local reporter last month, Sheriff Bizzell expressed his frustration with the local Latino community in no uncertain terms.

In private conversations, Bizzell reveals that his deeper concerns, and those of his constituents, are as much about changing demographics as about crime.”How long is it going to be until we’re the minority?” he said one night in August, as he drove the darkened streets of Smithfield.

 

Because of this fear of change, Bizzell didn’t mind being quoted in the same article saying “Mexicans are trashy,” or that they are “breeding like rabbits.”

He resents how some of the men get drunk and end up fighting with one another, never taking into consideration that anyone who is miles from home and family and whose days are spent working from dawn till dusk will take advantage of any outlet to ease their loneliness.

No, to Sheriff Bizzell Latinos disrespect him and his officers. How does he know this?

He demonstrated his point by waving, from inside his cruiser, to a man walking through a trailer park. When the man gave a blank stare, Bizzell said smugly, “See. They hardly ever wave back. It’s like you’re the enemy.”