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11.02.09 - 6:38 PM
The Cops Don't Need You
Ernestina Valdez Mondragon. AP Photo
In Dallas, where Latinos make up 44 percent of the city's million residents, police have issued at least 39 citations to drivers for the non-existent infraction of being "a non-English-speaking driver." The latest perpetrator is Ernestina Mondragon, who got ticketed by a rookie cop after she made an improper U-turn while taking her daughter to school, and was then able to summon only the criminally few English phrases she knows. Mondragon was so upset her family took her to the E.R. Police are investigating.
"I felt humiliated," Mondragon said in Spanish. "I wanted to cry but I couldn't. The anger wouldn't let me."
41 Comments so far
Show AllThe sad thing is that most Latino immigrants would love to learn English. Their opportunities are becoming fewer and farther between because of budget cuts in education for children and adults. The racism of many USAns (including some on this site) don't make it any easier.
As someone who lives in a border state, I know that most immigrants make an effort and do a pretty good job considering what they're up against.
For greater story clarity and efficacy, why not publish it entirely in Spanish?
I think Spanish is a beautiful language, among others...I don't speak it as well as I will one day, and listening to a rapid speaker can still get my head spinning, but my comprehension and vocabulary are growing all the time, so I can get along pretty well reading it...went to Spain a couple of years back, and was pleased at how much I could understand...
So many facets of our lives handed to us at birth, and never questioned...
since it is racist and xenophobic to simply want our immigration laws enforced and identity theft laws enforced (when illegals use false ID cards) lets just make the whole world US Citizens. Everyone can come in, right now if they want. Don't want to be called a racist!
When the President of the United States (this one and previous ones) and Wall Street start following our laws, then I'll start demanding the poorest people in the world that we've been screwing for generations follow all our laws too. Deal?
Rockerbabe1 (11/3, 1:32PM) writes:
"Now, wouldn't it be wonderful, if the Hispanics, the Asians, the Africans, etc. in our mist actually showed some respect for the citizens of our country and learn about our laws, customs and the speaking of English." (no question mark and no coordination of the verb tenses in the subordinate clause)
I wonder whether Rocker ever wrote this (during the Bush years, especially): "Now, wouldn't it be wonderful if Congress and the White House actually showed some respect for the citizens of our country and learned about our laws, customs and the speaking of English?"
I didn't know I was dealing with an arogant English "professor"! Respect is a two way street; I try my best not to offend the host wherever I go; I do not enter a another's country without permission. I follow the traffic laws and since most of the traffic laws are now using approved international symbols, making an illegal u-turn is a moving violation - she should have been ticketed for that, if nothing else. If one cannot or will not follow the laws of the host country in which one finds oneself, then, maybe you do not need to be there, irrespective of the language you speak.
You are just digging yourself in deeper and deeper. "arogant"?
[M]aking an illegal u-turn is a moving violation - she should have been ticketed for that, if nothing else. If one cannot or will not follow the laws of the host country in which one finds oneself, then, maybe you do not need to be there, irrespective of the language you speak."
That seems pretty arrogant to me (note the double "r"). You have never violated any traffic laws in your life? Never slipped above the speed limit even once? Perhaps you should be exiled for that, just to be consistent, no?
Oh sure I have and on occasion, I have gotten caught and paid the fine on the ticket. I did not however, go to the ER because I was upset and then complain because I got caught. As far as exile - I don't think so; my family was here when ALL of you got off the boats from wherever it is you came. And I will gladly see you off the docks when YOU choose to leave and go back to the place from whence your ancestors came.
Wow, I sure hit the nail on the damn head with the arrogance observation.
First off, congratulations on being such a robust person that you never become distraught to the point of needing to see a doctor. Forget the nonsense about all people being equal, that truly makes you a superior being! I, for one, am impressed and humbled. No wishy-washy compassion for others for you! No sir... I mean ma'am!
Secondly, your family was here before the arrival of the indigenous population (unless you believe the land bridge theory, which is becoming increasingly implausible as new discoveries are made in archeology and climatology)? And if so, that makes anyone else illegitimate? And I don't know how far it is that I am supposed to trace my ancestors back, because they are ultimately from Africa, as are yours. At any rate, you won't be seeing me off because we do not in the same country.
But it is, again, pretty damn arrogant of you to imply that you have some right to be in your country whereas I have no right to be in mine. Damn arrogant indeed. Perhaps you might be more comfortable at Free Republic or Little Green Fascists?
170 lb monkeys steering 2-ton blocks of metal down only-visually divided lanes at a mile-a-minute, frequently only inches from one another, and often barely passing in opposite directions that way...
insanity...
we will all be better off having moved on from the auto world...
Looking at the (partial) image of the citation, it appears to me that this driver was also cited because she "ignoard traffic control device", which would bring into question whether the citing officer was, himself, an English-speaking driver.
Oughtta pick up a few of those few OLD remaining Polacks and Honyocks on the East Side of Buffalo who never learned English.
Speak English!!
Nothing but riff-raff since my English forebears arrived in 1634--Micks and Spics and Squareheads and Krauts and Dagoes and Polacks and....
What's a Honyock? Is that what we in Pittsburgh call a Bohunk?
Hungarian
"a non-english speaking driver." So, I could speak english, but if I speak anything else, I would be a non-english speaking driver. That's the way I'm interpreting this.
So, I clicked on the "infraction" link and got to the story from the Dallas News article, and this is what it said:
Dallas police gave 38 improper no-English tickets
10/23/2009
By ANABELLE GARAY / Associated Press
Police officials say they have uncovered 38 cases where Dallas officers improperly cited drivers for not being able to speak English.
Chief David Kunkle said Friday the discovery came after a woman was pulled over earlier this month for making an illegal U-turn and was given a ticket for being a "non-English speaking driver."
Kunkle said his department's computer system for citations has a pull-down menu that includes a law requiring drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English.
The chief said it was a federal law that was misapplied to local drivers of private vehicles.
Kunkle says at least six officers wrote the citations. He said the officers and their commanders are under investigation.
This article makes me wonder about the officers writing the tickets, and I'm glad that there is an investigation underway. I personally speak no other language than American English and think that people that live in the US should all be proficient in it, but that's not what this is about. It's about the cops who are "misapplying" the rules. Get with it, Dallas!
Hi Jonelyea--
The most significant part of this story isn't the hubris of imagining that people must speak English to live and drive in Texas, it isn't that the citing officer decided to add insult to the valid citation he gave, it isn't even that the lady in this case did violate the motor vehicle code and got the citation she deserved for that violation, it is that Dallas officers have fabricated a motor vehicle code violation that doesn't even exist.
The citing officer should be reprimanded for this and (if the lady chooses to challenge this--the fabricatuion of an imaginary violation--in court) the judge ought to give her a pass on the actual violation and throw it out of court as a signal to the Dallas traffic officers to behave in a more professional manner while interacting with non-English speaking drivers.
Poet
I hear ya, Poet! You summed it up neatly: "... it is that Dallas officers have fabricated a motor vehicle code violation that doesn't even exist." Like I said, I really wonder about the officers that were guilty of "misapplying" the rules and I'm glad it's under investigation.
Does Ernestina have a valid Drivers license or not ?
If she does, that means Texas must have taken it upon themselves to make every single traffic sign bilingual, because a person who cannot read the traffic signs is a dangerous driver.
Also, even is *Texas* allows Spanish-speakers-only to drive, I hope Ernestina doesn't come around MY neighborhood driving, because our signs are all in English. Aren't all US Drivers Licenses good in every State ? I hope Texas licences are properly tested (I realize they have little tax money to do "guvmint stuff", but I don't want deadly Texas drivers killing people in other states).
Whether Ernestina is an illegal or not, driving is a privilege that one must earn by passing the tests involved (written test, driving test, vision test). If Ernestina has NOT done that, then the police SHOULD ticket her - but for the proper crime (especially when they see her make an improper U turn. I've had relatives killed by bad drivers, its no trivial matter). If she has memorized just "driving English", words like yield, stop, merge, no turn on red, etc, enough to get a legal Drivers license but can't carry a conversation in English, then the cop should just ticket her for the U-turn. If she doesn't have a license, then its a big deal.
If she didn't have a valid drivers license I'm sure the officer would have impounded the vehicle and the offense would have been driving without a valid license instead of the made-up violation of being a non-English speaking driver.
I hope you don't drive in a foreign country if you don't speak the language since you wouldn't know what the traffic signs say (even though most traffic signs follow an international standard). I guess that would make you a dangerous driver, wouldn't it? Has your "licenses been properly tested"? Did you even graduate from high school.
WTF?
Gee. I hope illiterates don't come around MY neighborhood driving, because our signs are all written legibly....
Read the article again:
"she made an improper U-turn while taking her daughter to school"
It's not like she was lost in a neighborhood that she didn't know. Even if her daughter just started at a new school, she's had over a month to learn the route.
"...and those who refuse to learn English hurt no one but themselves"
Not if they hit pedestrians or cause a car crash.
Quick, imagine you know no English, or just enough for simple signs like "Stop" and "Yield".
You're driving along, looking for a street sign, your daughter is complaining, it's raining out, and the sign says:
------------------------------------
Yield to Peds
Wrong Way
Use Shoulder Only
Use Ped Signal
Road Construction Ahead
Right Lane Ends
Speed Limit 10
Fire Access Lane
Do Not Enter
You have 1/2 second to read it and decide if it applies to you...
Look at these signs:
http://www.signmakersguam.com/trafficsafe.html
http://www.signxpress.com/07_trafficSigns.htm
http://www.freshfreestuff.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/road-signs-and-traffic-light.png
http://www.freshfreestuff.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/road-signs-and-traffic-light.png
http://mahjongg.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/traffic-signs1.jpg
Damn straight, I wouldn't drive in a country whose language I wasn't fluent in. And don't they have SCHOOL BUSES in Texas ? When I was growing up, I either made the bus, or walked 3 miles.
And yes, I've been in Germany, France, Taiwan, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada (Montreal, not Quebec), Austria, Japan and Switzerland. And no, I didn't drive in any of those countries, I took taxis, buses, trains or walked if I had to get around (except Montreal, which is bi-lingual). If I lived there, I would make sure I became fluent in their language ASAP. (and yes, I learned French for 4 years, I could tell East from West, but not signs like those I mentioned above, not in a split second, at night, in the rain.)
Geez, I hope you clowns don't kill people when you visit other countries. Take a taxi.
Interpretation (spoken language translation) and translation (written word) translation of a language are two separate skills.
I am fluent as a writer translating from one source language into my native tongue of English. Conversationally, I would need to live on a daily basis to become an interpreter.
I would not not be at all surprised if this woman is fully fluent in reading and as noted by another poster, not having the opportunity to study. Given the situation of being struck speechless by frustration - which I have experienced - please do not be quick to judge.
My heart goes out to this person. You need to have lived in another country as a person without social privelege to have a sense of what it feels like to experience injustices/prejudice in a language being acquired as an adult under stress. The pain is excruciating and frustrating.
I hope Herotodus either speaks French or never travels to Quebec. He could get into a lot of trouble if he doesn't know the difference between oest and est. The government in Quebec does not use in the words 'east' and 'west' to label their highways or translate their construction signs into any language besides French.
In Peace,
Sol
Ouest, not oest. Sorry, but I had to correct that - I am Canadian French living in Montreal.
Many people I know here speak English, French and Spanish. Trilingualism is not unusual so what is the big deal?
"Mondragon was so upset her family took her to the E.R"
I wonder if she had medical insurance :)
Joking aside, i don't really understand how someone living for so long in a country did not learn the language.
I speak three kinds of "non-english" myself but I would find it hard to function in a country without speaking the language.
"i don't really understand how someone living for so long in a country did not learn the language." - Chameleon, just talk to your grandma, she might explain it to you.
Actually my grandma never left her native country. My grandpa did. And he learned the language of the country he lived in for a few years, and later on in his life, he taught it to me. Thanks, grandpa.
If you look at the history of immigrants who come to this country, it ALWAYS goes like this: The generation that comes here tends to stay to itself, forming it's own little enclaves where ever they end up. The next generation most likely was born there, and came here at an early age. They tend to learn both languages, and move more into the "regular" community. Their kids tend to not know ANY of their grandparent's language, and are as "American" as anyone out there.
This woman fits right into the situation, just like damn near everyone else does. Oh, and for the record, talk to anyone who served in the military in a foreign country and ask them if they speak that language. Or anyone who works for a company doing business in a foreign country. Americans are among the absolute WORST when it comes to learning another language. We have this idiot idea that anyone can understand English if you speak it slowly and clearly enough.
This is nothing but pure, unadulterated bigotry. Every freaking PIG who issued such a ticket should be immediately canned. And any head of the branch who approved of such a thing should be made immediately homeless. There is NO excuse for such illegality. There is NO law that makes it illegal to NOT speak English.
maybe she is a single GRANDMOTHER who works 12hrs a day as a janitor getting paid $7.25.
because of that she cannot afford the time or money to learn the language.
let us also assume that she lives in a latino household and community and it is not totally necessary for her to speak english.
furthermore, latinos learn english as quick if not quicker than their european counterparts from the 1900's migration.
Well, after all, the poor woman made an "illegal U-turn".
So that makes her an "illegal", QED.
And if there's one thing we learn in these comments thread, it's that Texans don't hold with "illegals".
· Yr Obd't Servant
Given the relative level of (non)education and abysmal language skills so frequently displayed in the US, I would hazard to say many Americans do not speak 'English' either.
And it is blatant, institutional racism. Much like the racial profiling done to non-white drivers who are stopped for the urban legendary (but none the less real) DWB, or 'Driving While Black'.
Jesus, that cop's handwriting is worse than mine.
"Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the shadow"
It would be interesting to know how many of the one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico do speak Spanish.
Not only that, but what about all those pesky gringo tourists. When I go down to Mexico, I make sure I speak perfect Spanish before crossing the border. Those Mexicans are so intolerant.
Haha nice.
That's pretty blatant racism.
Not only racism, but absolute arrogance--considering the Hispanic history of Texas, that is.
Interestingly, the most virulent diatribe concerning "illegal" immigrants I have ever heard was from a Tejano medical technician who had me as a captive audience for a half hour. The minutemen haven't said anything worse. For those who are not familiar with the term Tejano, it refers to the Spanish speaking people living in Texas before English speaking settlers arrived en masse. They fought alongside the "Texians" for independence from Mexico.