Axios Latino: Latina cops say they were sexually harassed on the job

Racism may be breaking Latinos' hearts | Thursday, May 27, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Bank of America   Axios Latino By Marina E. Franco (Noticias Telemundo) and Russell Contreras (Axios) ·May 27, 2021 ¡Muy buen jueves! This week's Axios Latino newsletter is 1,263 words, about a 5-minute read. ✈️ Situational awareness: U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken travels to Costa Rica next week to meet with senior Central American and Mexican representatives on immigration and climate change, among other issues. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is meeting today with a dozen companies to promote investment in Central America's Northern Triangle. Among the expected announcements are pledges from Microsoft to expand internet access and from Nespresso to buy coffee beans from area farms. Send us your feedback (chismes also welcome) by replying to this email. And if you are not already subscribed, sign up here. Read the Spanish version here.     1 big thing: COVID and crime top U.S. Latinos' concerns Data: Axios-Ipsos Hard Truth Civil Rights Poll; Note: ±2.8% margin of error; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios An Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd's murder shows that COVID-19, gun violence, and racial discrimination are the top concerns among Hispanics in the U.S. Why it matters: The poll suggested that after a year of the pandemic and social justice demonstrations, Hispanics are less optimistic than white Americans but less pessimistic than their Black neighbors. By the numbers: Four out of 10 Hispanic respondents ranked the novel coronavirus as the topic they found most worrisome. Only 23% of white non-Hispanics felt the same. Around 32% of Hispanics said they were more worried about crime or gun violence compared to 28% of white non-Hispanics and 43% of Black Americans. Nearly three out of 10 Hispanics polled ranked racial injustice and discrimination as their top concern compared to 59% of Black Americans. Barely 17% of their white neighbors felt the same. The intrigue: Just 21% of Hispanic respondents listed immigration as their top concern — tied with climate change for the fifth spot. Read more.     2. Latina officers sue over sexual harassment on the job The plaintiffs during a press conference in Houston, May 24. Photo: Noticias Telemundo   Female law enforcement officers in Harris County, Texas, say they were sexually harassed and traumatized when trying to do their jobs, after supervisors in the Police Constable First Precinct created a "booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation." Details: A civil rights lawsuit accuses high-level officers of recruiting young Latina cops to take part in undercover vice stings they were untrained for, under the guise of combatting human trafficking. Among the allegations: The women were ordered to allow a suspected rapist to sexually abuse one of them in order to arrest him, made to try on dresses in chief deputy Chris Gore's office, and molested by colleagues posing as johns. One of the plaintiffs says she was fired when she tried to report the abuse to internal affairs and the district attorney's office. The big picture: Although diverse police workforces have been shown to strengthen the relationship between communities and police, women, especially of color, are still underrepresented in law enforcement across the U.S. Department of Justice surveys show they continuously face barriers like hostile work environments, explicit and subtle harassment, and sexism. The other side: Constable Alan Rosen claims the lawsuit "is an effort to impugn the good reputation of the hard-working men and women" of the precinct.     3. Mexico's deadly campaign trail comes to a close The armored campaign car of Guillermo Valencia, who is running for mayor of Morelia, Michoacán, was shot up. Valencia survived the May 8 attempt on his life. Photo: Enrique Castro/AFP via Getty Images   At least 88 politicians have been killed in Mexico and more than 100 report they've been threatened or kidnapped in the run-up to next week's midterm elections. A municipal candidate, Alma Barragán, was assassinated this past Tuesday during a campaign stop. Why it matters: This Mexican election cycle is already the second bloodiest ever. In 2018, about 140 people involved in politics were murdered. Electoral violence, according to experts, comes from organized crime trying to eliminate candidates they think will challenge them or their business, and from politicians trying to get rid of rivals. By the numbers: 75% of the assassinated politicians were opposition candidates running for state-level office, according to risk analysis firm Etellekt. It's been estimated that a politician in Mexico is twice as likely as a civilian to be killed, in a country where the murder rate is among the highest in the world. Around 94% of crimes in Mexico aren't reported to authorities, per the public statistics agency, and of those that are, only 0.9% get solved, according to analyses. The big picture: There are 21,000 local, state and federal offices in play on June 6, including the entire lower chamber of the federal Congress, the highest number ever in Mexico.     A message from Bank of America Why affordable housing is more crucial than ever     Millions of Americans struggle with high housing costs, or, worse, find themselves at risk of losing their homes altogether. With COVID-19 leaving more Americans struggling to afford a home, these nonprofits are working to provide housing in their communities with support from Bank of America.     4. Home health aides want respect as essential workers Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   Home caretakers and personal aides, who are overwhelmingly Latinas and Black women, are among the worst-paid workers in the U.S., even as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the value of their care. Why it matters: Most home health aides have no benefits, like Medicaid, and earn $10 to $13 an hour on average, which they say barely covers the cost of traveling to and from their house calls. The Biden administration's jobs plan would raise wages for these workers, who "have been underpaid and undervalued for too long." What they're saying: "We are part of the healthcare system, but by name only, not based on our access to rights," health aide Orbelina del Carmen tells Noticias Telemundo. Del Carmen has no health coverage and got COVID-19 while on her job.     5. Lobbyists take Puerto Rico's fight for statehood to Congress Signs in favor of statehood before a referendum in 2017, one of several nonbinding votes related to Puerto Rico's status. Photo: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images   Puerto Ricans have chosen the six people who will try to sway Congress during its debates on the island's status. Why it matters: Two competing measures that aim to resolve Puerto Rico's status are before Congress, putting the territory as close as it has ever been to settling a question that has persisted for more than a century. One measure, from Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and cosponsored by Puerto Rican delegate Jennifer González Colón, would emulate Hawaii's statehood process, and the other, pushed by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) in the House and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), would have delegates from the island resolve its status through "a self-determination convention." Puerto Ricans in the last decade have held three nonbinding referendums that favored statehood. But Congress has the final say. The boricua lobbyists hope to convince House lawmakers to vote in favor of statehood as they have twice done for D.C. For reference: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens but lack many political rights, such as participating in presidential elections or having a voting representative in Congress. A financial oversight board whose members are chosen by the U.S. president and congressional leadership has control over P.R.'s budget. The island is mired in debt and hit hard by natural disasters.     6. Racism may be breaking Latinos' hearts A check-up on a patient in Oakland, Calif. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Feeling stigmatized, threatened or discriminated against correlates with structural heart abnormalities in Latinos, according to a preliminary study. Why it matters: Experts increasingly recognize the negative effects of discrimination on physical wellbeing, and the American Medical Association has identified racism as a public health threat. The study measured the left ventricle and atrial health of over 1,800 Latinos—including Hispanics born outside the U.S. or who predominantly speak Spanish—living in the Bronx, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego. People with an enlarged left atrium or ventricle usually suffer from conditions like high blood pressure and are more prone to have strokes. What they're saying: "We need to look at discrimination as a stressor and a risk factor so we can identify individuals who are higher risk" of cardiovascular disease, one of the study's authors, Jonathan Oxman, told the American Heart Association this week.     7. 💈 1 smile to go: Breaking barriers as a barber Pérez also does house calls with the help of her motorbike and shares her detailed shave designs on social media. Credit: Noticias Telemundo Guatemalan Éricka Pérez, who goes by "Lady Barber," is making a name for herself in a male-dominated industry with her intricate and freehand designs on men's close-shaved hair. Details: Pérez says she has felt discrimination. Tradition in her hometown of Olintepeque Quetzaltenango discouraged women from cutting men's hair. But, but, but: She is slowly turning things around. Pérez has even participated in the international "Barber Grammy Awards," a trade event. She does it all while wearing her traditional Mayan garb. Hasta la próxima semana, have a safe one.     A message from Bank of America Revitalizing an iconic Los Angeles neighborhood     Jordan Downs, a 1950's-era public housing project in the Watts neighborhood of LA, needed critical updates to support its residents. An innovative partnership and financing from Bank of America is building 1,400 new affordable homes, shops, green spaces and more.   👩🏽‍💻 Join Axios' Erica Pandey and Bryan Walsh tomorrow at 12:30pm ET for a virtual event on higher education's role in creating pathways for the future of work. Guests include Handshake CEO and co-founder Garrett Lord and Ford Foundation "Future of Work(ers)" director Sarita Gupta. Register here.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: