Yale Law Students Sue Local Police Over Racial Profiling

One of the original ideas behind the NewsTaco is the ability to keep track of national and international news and trends relating to the Latino community. The fact is that there is no news too small if we can shine a light on it and bring it to you so that you can form your own conclusions.

So expect news from the hidden corners of the country, where Latinos have settled and sprouted roots, where the story of the Latino community unfolds and we can be witnesses of it.

In that spirit, this item called my attention. The City of East Haven, Connecticut, is in the cross hairs of the Justice Department becasue its police department is accused of racial profiling. According to the Daily Yale News “In an April 2010 report, the Department of Justice released a report that accused the EHPD of ‘outdated policies and procedures,’ ‘insufficient guidance on the use of force,’ ‘limited training,’ and ‘fragmented community engagement.’”

The New York times recently reported on the story as well.

The East Haven Police Chief, Leonard Gallo, has been placed on administrative leave pending a final Justice department report. But a group of Yale students isn’t waiting. Members of the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School have announced that they will sue the East Haven Police Department for “a citywide failure to stop a pattern of police brutality and anti-Latino racial profiling.” Orale!

It’s on! According to the group “More than 60 percent of traffic tickets were issued in East Haven to drivers with “Latino-sounding names.” East Haven has 1,671 Latino residents.

Pero no por pocos son olvidados.

We’ll keep you updated.