Sunday, January 23, 2011

21st Annual HCCW Banquet Pays Tribute To Latino Milwaukee Police Officers

(L-R) Manuel "Manny" Perez, Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development, Governor Scott Walker and H. Nelson Goodson. Goodson a foremost respected immigration rights and reform journalist told Governor Walker, that he could become a successful governor in Wisconsin, if he would stay away from supporting a similar Arizona SB 1070 anti-immigrant law. Will Governor Walker listen?  Photo by Gilberto Gonzalez

Governor Scott Walker (R) participates in award presentations at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Wisconsin.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 23, 2010

Milwaukee - On Saturday, Governor Scott Walker attended the 21st. Annual Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin (HCCW) banquet at Potawatomi Casino Expo Center and told the banquet attendees that Wisconsin was opened of business in both Spanish and English. Walker said, he is working to bring more than 250,000 jobs into the state and had appointed Manuel "Manny" Perez as the new Secretary of the Department and Workforce Development to work with him in increasing jobs. He recognized the efforts by Maria Monreal-Cameron, the HCCW President and CEO for supporting job and small business growth in the predominately South side.
Walker did not mention or none of the other speakers brought up the current agreement between Wisconsin 72 County Sheriff Departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Secure Communities program which shares arrest data and fingerprinting of undocumented immigrants that are processed for minor violations and other crimes. Nor did anyone focus on the proposed similar Arizona SB 1070 anti-immigrant law making its way to the legislature and Governor Walker's promised to sign it into law. The anti-immigrant law being proposed by Representative Donald Pridemore (R) and the Secure Communites program will have a major effect with Hispanic business growth and the community at large because it creates division, hatred and could lead into racial profiling targeting Hispanics.
Governor Walker managed to stay through the duration of the banquet. Walker for the first time handed out HCCW awards to the 2010 Hispanic Buisnesses, Acevedo PC Services LLC, owner Enrique Acevedo and HUSCO International Inc., Agustin "Gus" Ramirez, Chairman and CEO. The 2010 Corporation Award went to Walgreen Company, the 2010 Bravo Award went to Robert A. Wild SJ, President Marquette University and the 2010 CW18/My24 Mi Comunidad was awarded to Virginia Zerpa-Uniona, Milwaukee Latino Health Coalition.
The HCCW Philip Arreola Scholarship Program has given out about $500,000 in scholarships to students, said Jill Geisler, from the Poynter Institute during the event.
Other speakers included, Milwaukee Mayor John Barrett who talked about jobs and praised the Latino Milwaukee Police Officers for keeping the city safe and reducing crime. Congresswoman Gwendolyn Moore spoke about creating manufacturing jobs and bringing the community and businesses together inorder to achieve job creation. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm spoke about crime fighting and reducing crime in the county.
State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa from the 8th Assembly District spoke about small business growth and jobs creation as the rest of the guest speakers. Zamarripa became the first Latina woman elected to the district.

(L-R) Milwaukee Police Officer Alex Arce, Unidentified, Officer Juan Lopez and Lieutenant Alfonso Morales. Photo by HNG

HCCW paid a special tribute to the women and men in blue, including Hispanic Milwaukee Police Officers for their valor and heroism who were injured in the line of duty. The following Latino officers were recognized for injuries acquired while in the line of duty or have served above and beyond the call of duty. Each officer received a recognition award by the HCCW. They were Officers, Rodolfo Alvarado, Jose Lopez, Alex Arce, Vidal Colon, Jeremy Gonzalez, David Martinez, and Detective Gilbert Carrasco and Sergeant Gregory Flores. The following police officers were recognized for their valor and recent military combat duty, Officers Jose R. Rivera, Juan Lopez, Paul Cervera, Anthony Rivera, Hector Claudio and Danilo Cardenas.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn was absent from the banquet due to a prior commitment, but designated Deputy Inspector Ramon Galaviz to represent the department.
Former Milwaukee Police Chief Philip Arreola praised and honored the officers for their commitment in serving and protecting the community. He also talked about the need to provide educational opportunities to Latino students otherwise not available to them. Arreola became the first Hispanic Milwaukee Police Chief when he was appointed in 1989 and later resigned in 1996 to work for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Today in the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), the highest Hispanic ranking officer is Assistant Chief James Harpole, next in line is Deputy Inspector Ramon Galaviz, and Captain Kurt R. Liebold is the only Latino ranking captain in the department. At least four Lieutenants were named as ranking officers, they are Ruben Burgos, Alfonso Morales, Alexander Ramirez and David Salazar.
There are only 14 Latino Sergeants, including three women, Lisa M. Gagliano, Vickie Gagliano and Elizabeth I. Ibarra, 17 Detectives, and three Latino Identification Technicians, which two are Latinas, Yvette P. Benitez and Sylvia M. Castro.
There are about 146 Hispanic officers in the department, including 24 Latinas, and at least 37 ranking and officers, including two Latinas serving in the military.
The high ranking Latino officer positions are disproportionate compared to more than 2,000 sworn police officers, including high ranking in the entire department, also more than 700 non-sworn personnel, according to the MPD statistics.
Brief history, in the early 1970's only one Latino Police Officer was in the Milwaukee Police Department. The officer was Procopio Sandoval who retired as a Detective in 1993. The height requirement of 5' 7" (est. 1885) and 5' 9" for hiring a police officer under police Chief Harold A. Breier kept many Hispanics from being appointed as police officers by the Fire and Police Commission. 
Members of the Latino community led by Jesus Salas, Marla O. Anderson and others in the early 1970's protested the height requirement in front of Chief Breier's office claiming it was discriminatory. The Fire and Police Commission height requirement kept most Hispanics from joining the police and fire department, which Salas and Anderson claimed it discriminated Latinos because of their height. The Hispanic community was being defranchised and unable to have members from the community appointed to the department in order to serve their community, according to the protesters.
After several protests, the Commission lowered the height requirement, thus paving the way for Hispanics to join both the Milwaukee Fire and Police Departments.
Statistics: The City of Milwaukee has a population of 605,013, with more than 100,000 Hispanics residing within the city limits. They are 299,035 Latinos living statewide in Wisconsin, according to U.S. Census 2009 report. An increase of 100,000 Hispanics within the last decade.
A city economic study reported that the South side households in the predominately Latino community located inside Postal Zip Code 53204 in Milwaukee spend more than $91 million annually in retail goods according to the 2006 Department of City Development statistics. In one day, they spent approximately $249,315.06. The biggest tax-generating base for the city comes solely from the South side.
In Milwaukee, over 850 Hispanic owned businesses generate more than $225 million in annual sales. It is abundantly clear that the immigration of Hispanics and undocumented immigrants to Southeastern Wisconsin is tied to a large degree to the available resources that Hispanics have in the area.
In Wisconsin, over 3,000 Hispanic owned businesses generate more than $800 million in annual sales, creation of jobs and available employment resulting in population growth as well as business growth. The Hispanic population increased by more than 4%, greater than the national Hispanic growth rate, and more than 271,000 Hispanics lived in Wisconsin in 2007. The population of Hispanics has grown by 40% since 2000, according to the U.S. Census report.

Deputy Inspector Ramon Galaviz

Detective Gilbert Carrasco, Unidentified and Officer Jose Lazo

Officer Vidal Colon

(L-R) Gilberto Gonzalez, Manager of WJTI 1460 AM Radio, Maria Watts, Jose Rauno and JoCasta Zamarripa, 8th Assembly District State Representative in Wisconsin. Photos by HNG

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