[Come fix our city, but] HOLD THE TACOS, New Orleans says

This is a couple of days old, but I really wanted to bring some attention to this article. It does a very good job of flushing out the undercurrent of pointedly anti-Hispanic intentions that have been the fuel and fodder for some of this nations most recent debates, laws, and political agendas. It was no more than two inches away from another article about a “Virginia resolution that the county's Board of Supervisors unanimously passed this week that aims to ban illegal immigrants from receiving most government-funded services, as well as increase enforcement of immigration laws at a local level.”

Both articles were strung together by phases like "How do the tacos help gumbo?" (New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas), "...taking back our community." (Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr.), and “If we turn our heads and permit illegal entry into our county … we are saying our language, our culture, our Constitution, our neighborhoods and our flag are inconsequential. It is a price I do not care to pay.” (City Member Sue Fleming) Statements like these beg the questions:

Who’s culture, community, and language are we losing? Legalities aside, do we want or need legislative bodies to govern these aspects of life? Doesn't this fear of the "Hispanicization" smack of the same lip-curling resentment that plagued the Irish and Polish immigrants of the 1800-1900s?

You may agree with me, and you may not, but being Hispanic and living in a border city has made my sensitivities to this type of rhetoric a bit more acute.

About Photo:

Jefferson
Parish politicians outlawed the rolling Mexican-food kitchens, a more
common sight after Katrina. “How do the tacos help gumbo?” one official
asked. Some say the move is racist.

(John McCusker / Times-Picayune)