🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct7.045249.11119@sactoh0.sac.ca.us>, kberry@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Kim A. Berry) writes:
> I am concerned about the high dropout rate of hispanics, how that
> will impact all of us. I believe it is related to culture as much
> as economics or failings of the school. 

> I believe that drive-by shootings and other gang violence largely
> emerged from Latino culture. 

I let this pass at first, but I couldn't help coming back to it.
Kim is entitled to have her opinion, but it's an opinion which is
clearly not based in any reality. The statements above reflect a
complete absence of experience with Latino culture and values and
a lack of desire to understand.

I have spent time in Latino communities both here and in Central
America and my experience has been that most latinos are willing
to work hard to bring themselves up in the world and value
education highly. Yes, there are exceptions, but one finds them
in any group. Incidentally, illegal aliens tend to be the hardest
working and most educationally motivated of those I've
encountered.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Greg Boyle, a
Jesuit priest who was working in East L.A. with gang members. He
has said, with regard to the young people (almost exclusively
latino) that he works with that there isn't a single gang member
he's met who wouldn't give it all up for a good job. My
experience confirms this.

I realize that there's little hope of convincing Kim to try and
base her opinions in reality, but I couldn't let her statements
stand without some counterstatement.

-dh