ABSTRACT
To Latino civil rights advocates, the attacks are just some among many in a large and growing body of evidence that anti-Latino bigotry and discriminatory conduct has not been adequately addressed, and is in fact growing in the United States. When asked by a Latino reporter for a New York radio station for his reaction to the Justice Department’s findings, the mayor of East Haven replied, “I might have tacos when I go home; I’m not quite sure yet.” The Justice Department investigation resulted in an indictment of a number of East Haven officers. Four officers were eventually sentenced to prison terms of various lengths. This chapter considers civil rights with an effort to see the issues from the Latino perspective. It provides important information on civil rights and Latinos in the United States, addresses basic discrimination issues, turns to immigration-related issues, and considers linguistic discrimination.
