(Kevin Dean) More than one-quarter of Chicago's population is Latino, and three-quarters of that population is Mexican.
(Dean) The influence of Chicago's Mexican community is everywhere: in its art, entertainment, and food; in its traditions of faith, family, enterprise, and ethnic pride.
(Dean) Hello, I'm Chaplain Dean with the Chicago Police Department.
(Dean) This is the latest in a series of videos to expand your knowledge and understanding of the many diverse communities within our city.
(Dean) Having even a basic knowledge of a person's customs and culture enables police officers to conduct their duties in a more efficient and respectful manner.
(Dean) Today, we explore Chicago's Mexican community.
(Refugio Gonzalez) That's all part of Chicago, and that's what makes Chicago very unique, because you have all of these different groups, and these groups do have their pride, and they want to exemplify their contributions to the city.
(Dean) The first major wave of Mexican immigrants surged into Chicago in the early 1900's.
(Gonzalez) The Latinos in the city of Chicago it is an old community and it's a new community.
(Gonzalez) The old community is that we have an old community in south Chicago, where because of the steel mills, a lot of Latinos, mostly Mexicans, lived in the South Side.
(Gonzalez) Then we have the Pilsen community, another import location where a lot of immigrants
came from Mexico to reside in Pilsen.
(Gonzalez) That became now a springboard to a little village community, another large
Latino population there.
(Juan Mora-Torres) The old jobs that once existed, like in the meat-packing, and steel, are no longer there.
(Mora-Torres) But now it's more service-oriented work: working in restaurants, janitorial services, landscaping.
(Alvaro Obregon) In Pilsen, you'll actually find a very low unemployment rate, because people will work, whether it's in a factory, whether it is selling popsicles in the summertime, they will find, they will create work for themselves, because that's what they come for.
(Dean) They come for work, and to be close to family and friends already living in Chicago.
(Obregon) A lot of times, people will send money back to Mexico, but at the same time, when the people from Mexico come here, you're expected to take care of them.
(Obregon) So you will find, many times, two families living in one apartment.
(Maria Del Socorro Pesqueira) What is happening is that you find one or two nuclear families living together to make ends meet.
(Pesqueira) And that is something to take into consideration; when a police officer might go into a home and find that that two families are living there, along with an extended family.
(Dean) New immigrants may not speak or read English.
(Dean) This can be frustrating for both police and the Spanish-speaking public trying to communicate with police.
(Pesqueira) Well, certainly, first of all, the tone of voice is very important when a police officer speaks to someone who doesn't understand the language.
(Pesqueira) Sometimes, when one speaks to somebody in which language might be the barrier, we assume that they're deaf, as opposed to just not understanding what you're saying.
(Dean) And then there's the fear of police that many Mexicans bring with them from their homeland.
(Selene Barcelo) One of the main problems again is fear of police, particularly when they are not even able to say anything for them; they are not able to talk for themselves; they are not able to say that they want to contact the consulate general.
(Dean) New immigrants, regardless of their legal status, have the right to contact their consulate if they are detained by police.
(Barcelo) The first right they have is to call their consulate, or their embassy, so the embassy can help them out with their rights that they do have in any foreign country.
Dean) Fear of police and fear of deportation may prevent new immigrants from reporting crime.
(Pesqueira) Many times, in our community, it's the issue of language, it's the issue of culture, that are two major barriers, and obviously, to some extent, the barriers of immigration, even if you're here documented in this country, and you have a legal residence, you might not be a U.S. citizen yet, and you might wonder, "Will this kind of attention affect my opportunity to become a U.S. citizen down the line?"
(Dean) The majority of Mexicans who come to Chicago are Catholic.
(Dean) Every year thousands gather in the Pilsen community to reenact the crucifixion of Christ.
(Dean) There is also great respect for the dead.
(Dean) Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead.
(Mora-Torres) The day of the dead, which is November 1 and November 2, in many homes,
they built altars for the deceased, in memory of the deceased.
(Dean) Altars may be erected outside, in cases of violent or accidental deaths.
(Obregon) A lot of times, especially in the Roman-Catholic faith, they will have a [novina], which will be nine days of prayer.
(Obregon) So you may see an altar somewhere, and have people there for nine days gathering,
whether at the site or in people's homes or in the church, or in all three.
(Dean) The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is of special significance to Mexicans.
(Pesqueira) One of the strongest cultural icons in the Mexican community is definitely the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
(Mora-Torres) You go to a Catholic Mexican home, you're going to find the image of Guadalupe there.
(Mora-Torres) It is an icon and an important symbol of Mexican identity.
(Dean) Medals of the virgin of Guadalupe or other saints are often worn, and should be treated with respect.
(Dean) Some Mexican Catholics also wear an article of faith called a scapula.
(Pesqueira) There are individuals who have made certain -- who will do what is called a [mondat], or sort of a promise, to wear a certain image, and that includes the seculars -- the brown, many times they will wear them permanently.
(Pesqueira) And so to remove them is very disrespectful.
(Dean) Whether on the body, in the home, or even in a car, religious icons should be handled with respect.
(Obregon) A lot of these things have been blessed, and for them to be blessed by a priest is very big and very important to the Latino community, because religion is such an important piece.
(Dean) The Mexican culture holds its elders in high regard, and expects others to do the same.
(Gonzalez) We do have a family orientation; the elderly are respected in our community, and if
an officer is disrespecting the elderly, I think that would cause some problems.
(Dean) Showing respect is as simple as acknowledging an older person with a polite "Hello."
(Pesqueira) If you're walking through the neighborhood, and you just kind of wave and say hello
to people that you normally see, it's a good thing, especially to our elders, and to some of
the adults in our community; it's very important that you do acknowledge elders in our community.
(Pesqueira) It's considered a form of respect.
(Dean) Young people like to be respected too, and not judged by the clothes they wear.
(Mora-Torres) Most Mexican kids are obviously influenced by youth culture in this country,
especially the rap music and the hip-hop look, and oftentimes that look is associated
with gang designs and decor, but it's not; it's just the style those kids are influenced by.
(Dean) As is the custom in Mexico, groups of people gather outside to socialize, especially
during warmer weather.
(Obregon) People of the Latino culture love to hang out.
(Obregon) We love to hang out, and we love to be amongst family, and we love to be in big groups.
(Obregon) That's just our nature; that's what we like to do.
(Dean) And when possible, police officers are invited to stop and say hello to people they see socializing on the streets.
(Gonzalez) A police officer's just in the car, and that's all you see, is him in a car -- there's no interaction; you'll never get to know that person.
(Barcelo) I think one of the things would be to approach them with a few very simple words in Spanish.
(Pesqueira) It would be nice to say buenos dias and buenas tardes, or buenas noches, which is
good morning, good afternoon, or good evening.
(Pesqueira) There's something warm about hearing a hello in your native tongue.
(Obregon) We're a very open culture, and I think that we're ready, we're willing to make inroads,
in terms of our relationship with the police officers and the police department.
(Obregon) But again, we need to take risks, and it's on both sides; we need to create relationships
and we need to take those risks and build something.
(Dean) All of the people we encounter on a daily basis expect to be treated with dignity and respect.
(Dean) Mexicans are no exception.
(Dean) It is our hope that this video will serve to enlighten and foster a new awareness
and understanding.
(Dean) Thanks for watching, and as always, stay safe.