With four police officers charged with violating the civil rights of Latino community members, through harassment, intimidation and physical violence, East Haven police chief Len Gallo has stepped down effective last Friday. The Courant reports that Mayor Joe Maturo, who famously said he "might have tacos" as a way to reach out to the Latino community, is forming a search committee for a replacement and called Gallo's resignation an "unselfish act." Well, is it really unselfish when Gallo is "an unnamed co-conspirator in last week's federal indictment"? more ›

Hey, Latinos, have you heard? Cheerios knows their regular old Cheerios aren't caliente enough for you. That's why they've made an all-new dulche de leche flavored Cheerio. Other options included dipping the Cheerios in salsa, but cereal technicians eventually decided the chunky tomato-milk combo wouldn't stand. more ›

According to a CDC report, nearly 15 percent of Hispanic female teenagers in NYC tried to commit suicide in 2008, compared with 10 percent of all city high school girls. In particular, Brooklyn had a 21 percent rate of suicide attempts among teen Latinas. Officials are now trying to figure out why exactly that is...but we're wondering why they're only trying to figure this out now. more ›

Earlier this year, more than a few New Yorkers were confused and upset why the 2010 Census form didn't offer a racial category for Hispanic or Latino (the Census offer a Hispanic question for ethnicity). Now, NY1 reports that NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein sent an email to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan saying that NYC school officials don't really want to classify students by race, per federal law, "[It] may well be problematic and confusing for many of our community members, particularly Hispanics, and could create a difficult public debate about the collection of this information." more ›

Police stopped and questioned more New Yorkers last year than ever before, and 87 percent of those stopped were black or Latino. The NYPD used the controversial policing technique to question 575,304 people in 2009—an uptick of 8 percent from the short-lived 2008 record of 531,159, according to the Daily News. more ›

A week after the city was found to be at fault for discriminating against blacks and Latinos who wanted to become firefighters, a Brooklyn federal judge ruled that the city must pay damages to thousands of black and Latino applicants, and give jobs and retroactive pay to 293 others. more ›

In an attempt to punish day laborers and those who employ them, the town of Oyster Bay had implemented a controversial law that immigrant rights activists say makes it illegal to "Wave While Latino." The new legislation imposes fines of $250 on people who solicit employment, which "includes, but is not limited to, shouting at cars, waving arms or signs, making hand signals, approaching motor vehicles or standing in public roads facing in the direction of oncoming traffic," according to the Times. more ›

It's no shocker that the vast majority of marijuana arrests in NYC ensnare blacks and Latinos. But what's really incredible is how, um, high the number of pot arrests have risen during Mayor Bloomberg's first two terms. The lowest-level marijuana arrests rose 50 percent since Giuliani time, according to a recent study [pdf] by Harry Levine, a sociology professor at Queens College. Last year, the NYPD made more low-level pot arrests "than in the 12 years of Mayor Koch, plus the four years of Mayor Dinkins, plus the first two years of Mayor Giuliani" combined. And all this happened under the Mayor who famously told New York, "You bet I did [smoke pot], and I enjoyed it." more ›

Yesterday, the Suffolk County DA's office said that a group of teens, already charged with fatally beating a Hispanic man to death last November, had been on a 13-month-long "hate spree," targeting and terrorizing Latinos. DA Thomas Spota said, "All of the defendants participated in what we consider to be a violent and racially driven pastime" and Newsday detailed some of the crimes:

Last July, at least two of the teens beat a Hispanic man unconscious, stealing his money and shoes. more ›

They’ll deny it, but most college students who write plays harbor some secret fantastic hope that their new opus will be hailed as the arrival of a fresh new voice and open on Broadway to triumphant acclaim. It obviously never happens, except when it does: 28-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda, originally from Washington Heights, conceived the musical In the Heights as a sophomore at Wesleyan. After graduating, the show, a hip hop and salsa-inflected homage to his old ‘hood, caught the eye of the producers behind RENT and Avenue Q. It opened Off Broadway last year to rave reviews, packed houses and far too many awards to schlep home on the A train. Now the Broadway incarnation is bounding through previews, having kept most of the original Off Broadway cast, which includes Miranda himself in one of the starring roles. The official opening night is March 9th; ticket prices vary. more ›

A study of data concerning NYPD stop and frisk practices was released by the Rand Corporation last Tuesday. Reactions to the report were so varied that it's difficult to say if Rand came to any conclusive findings whatsoever. The New York Times lede indicates that police are biased against blacks and Hispanics. "Whites and members of minorities have a roughly equal chance of being stopped by police officers and questioned on the street in New... more ›

We have to recommed reading the full feature, because it includes details on the hardships of families, teachers, and the school system that all eventually filter down to the kids that have to endure 13 years of public schooling, whether they like it or not, and how they respond to that period. Kindergarten Class 206 of PS 36 in Harlem did quite well for themselves. Congratulations kids. more ›

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Insieme, awards the restaurant two stars. Says, “When Isieme is good, it’s outstanding, and any serious food lover should head here fast…” He hates the atmosphere, though, and the salmon. Insieme is the second restaurant in midtown this year where he’s been “frustrated by the way some dazzling cooking is undercut not only by unevenness across the menu or inconsistency in the kitchen but also by atmospherics that don’t pull their weight and live up to the rest of the production.” more ›

Sen. Chuck Schumer appeared in Red Hook yesterday to support the plight of the vendors that serve the people who come to watch and play sports at the Red Hook ballfields. The vendors have been cooking up ethnic food that appeals to their mostly Hispanic clientele for several years under a series of temporary permits from the city. The Parks Dept. wants to put an official vending permit up for bidding, and the current vendors who sell relatively low-priced food to their customers are not assured of winning the contest over a business catering to newer and more well-heeled Red Hook residents. more ›

As we mentioned earlier this week, the vendors who set up shop at the Red Hook ballfields may be at risk for losing their permit. According to the New York Times, the vendors have operated for years under a series of temporary use permits, but now they will have to place a formal bid with the city in order to remain in the space. But the vendors are not guaranteed to win this bid, so the fans of this culinary community institution have rallied behind it. more ›

The city has agreed to pay $2 million to the parents of an unarmed Brooklyn teen who was fatally shot by a police officer three years ago. In January 2004, police officer Richard Neri was patrolling a Brooklyn rooftop with another officer at 1AM. Around the same time the other officer had opened a door to the stairwell, Timothy Stansbury and his friends were heading upstairs, to go to a party in another building in the Louis Armstrong Houses development by crossing over the roofs. But Neri had fired his gun and Stansbury died an hour and a half later. The NY Times has a particularly evocative illustration of the circumstances of the death. more ›

Over the past decade, Major League Baseball has experienced its largest shift in ethnicity since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Numbering about two in ten in the mid-1990s, Latin American players now constitute about 30% of the rosters in the big leagues, and nearly half of the 2006 All-Star players were Latin American. The trend should continue: a 2005 New York Times article stated that almost half of all minor leaguers are Latino. The growing Latin American presence in baseball is not confined to just the field. more ›

- Jim Leff has built a Google mash-up of his favorite “obscure street food in Easter Jackson Heights.” In related news, The Arepa Lady is on MySpace? Fake or real, you decide. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg signed a City Council bill that requires businesses with bicycle delivery workers to improve its bicycle safety measures into law. Read all about bill 24-A, which requires businesses to supply helmets, to make sure the delivery guys wear them, and to make sure the bikes are safe, as well as 58-A, which requires signs about bicycle safety and laws to posted in English, Spanish or whichever language is spoken at the business, here. City Councilman Alan Gerson initiated the bill in the fall of 2004 (why it took so long is unclear) and Mayor Bloomberg said about the legislation:

In addition to enhancing the safety of pedestrians traversing the City’s streets, these bills will help protect our City’s hard-working delivery personnel, many of whom are immigrants who speak a language other than English. Immigrants form the backbone of our City’s workforce and have helped re-energize our economy, and this bill will ensure that they are given additional protection.

As more restaurants are being closed as the city's health department tries to improve its inspection procedures, questions remain. more ›

DISCUSSION: What is the future of alternative journalism? Find out tonight as experts Elizabeth Spiers, Jeff Koyen, Bob Cox and Roxanne Cooper tell you all about what they foresee. If you don't know who those people are, then you probably don't care about the future of alt media anyway. more ›

For decades East Harlem has been the center of New York's Puerto Rican community. Over the years many Mexican and Dominican immigrants have also made East Harlem their home. Now, as the squeeze of affordable housing gets tighter and tighter in Manhattan, more middle-class professionals are moving to the neighborhood. In a tale almost as old as New York itself, the changes have long-time residents worried about the loss of community. more ›

Today, the Reverend Al Sharpton and and the Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke to the press, alongside family members and the fiancee of Sean Bell, who was killed during a Saturday morning police shooting. At a memorial near the club where the shooting occurred, Sharpton said, "We come this morning with the family in their hour of grief. We're all family now. Not a black family, not a white family, not a Latino family, a human family." more ›

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, however you may spend the day, whether it's on a cold, wet corner waiting to see the parade balloon and floats, traveling to your family's for a big meal, or staying in and watching football. It's our favorite holiday because it's about gathering - without any worry about gifts (maybe some worry about the sweet potatoes, though). Remember to give thanks - we're all very lucky. Here are Thanksgiving editorials from the Daily News, Post, NY Times, NY Sun and Newsday, which reminds us that on a day when food is bountiful, we should remember to give to food banks. more ›

Parents and critics are railing against various research projects at schools, studies which were approved by the Department of Education. While children are included in the studies with parental consent, the Post reports that there are "'modest cash payments' to parents and teachers and gift certificates for kids," leading one parent to say, "We have a laboratory of guinea pigs. The Department of Education markets our kids like they're a piece of meat." more ›

At the first Latin Grammys held in New York City, Shakira swept the top categories, winning album of the year, best female pop vocal album, song of the year, and record of the year. The Colombian singer dedicated one award to Latin immigrants and said, "I hope soon they will receive they recognition they deserve from the government." more ›

Before the house lights dim, ¡El Conquistador! begins with a breezy prologue by the play’s sole live performer, Thaddeus Phillips, who introduces the audience to the quirky world they are about to visit. His story is set in an upscale condo in Bogota, where apartment dwellers are never issued keys to their buildings. Phillips tells us that for security reasons, metropolitan Columbians are usually at the mercy of their doormen who, in ¡El Conquistador! at least, find work to be a constant distraction from their telenovela TV shows. more ›

Of course the big news in New York movies this weekend is the New York Film Festival which kicks off tomorrow at Lincoln Center. However, in an attempt reserve our NYFF excitement for a full post tomorrow, let's just focus on the regular releases. Here we go. more ›

This morning, the City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus protested the upcoming season of CBS reality stalwart, Survivor, which has split its four tribes up by race - Asian, black, Hispanic, and white. City Councilman Robert Jackson, the caucus' chairman, said, "We are going to call on CBS to pull the plug on this... I'm hoping that the experiment fails so they know that the people of this great country are above this race-baiting-type situation." Fat chance CBS will take it off the air, as the gimmick controversy will only give them higher ratings and an even bigger lead-in for CSI on Thursday nights. Hell, we're even back to being interested in Survivor now. And City Councilman John "Media Minute" Liu said, "The idea of having a battle of the races is preposterous. How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?" Um, it's called "I Can't Believe Fox Has the Number 1 Reality Show," we think - that Mark Burnett is always out for blood! more ›