Cops/City being sued for not speaking spanish?

Question

A group of mexican immigrants are suing a surrounding city in my area for not having spanish speaking cops on the force. They say they are being targeted and deserve equal rights and a way to understand. The media ofcourse is eating this up. My question is arent you supposed to learn english before becoming a citizen of the USA?

I thought English was a requirement?

Answer 1

You are. It more of this political correct nonsense sweeping the nation that liberals have started to tear us down as a society. And, who does the media support? Liberals!

Answer 2

I dont think that speaking english is a requirement and I dont think it should be, but suing because someone doesnt is crazy. Although I think it would be a good idea to have some bilingual cops whatever language. When I was travelling to different countries it was understood that I should know some of the language I was in. Does this mean that gays can sue just because there are no gay cops working, or no women. Now if the city descriminated against hiring bilingual, gay or female then thats another story. If this is true now we add to the already over burdened police another obstacle. Now they have to have a force full of Spanish,French, German, Swahili, Farci, Chinese, Japanese, and lets not forget the 500 to 600 dialects of the Native American Languages. Kinda tough position for a police force of 100 or 200 officers.

Answer 3

If the official language(s) in your state do not include Spanish, then officers are not required to speak it. Most states have English as the official language. If you live in a state with a substantial Spanish speaking community, then it would make sense to have some people that can be used for translators.

If the Mexicans are legal immigrants, they may still be trying to learn English (at least one would hope so). If they are illegals, they should be deported.

Anyone who has traveled to other countries that are not English speaking does not expect everyone there to speak English. Why should Mexicans expect of us?

Answer 4

Does that mean I can sue the cops or city for not speaking Korean to me, because that's my background and I deserve to be spoken to in my native tongue?

How about I sue the state for discrimination because they turn around and make Spanish one of the official languages of the state (which is allowed under states rights, by the way), but ignore the multitude of Asian and European immigrants who don't speak Spanish? Did you know that Louisiana made French its official language? But how many Louisianans do you hear speaking French?

How about I sue the United States for failing to protect me as a citizen of this country? My safety is compromised by any undocumented inhabitant, who may or may not be a terrorist.

How about I sue Mexico for encouraging its citizens to break international law? If I went about encouraging Americans to go to Mexico and throw bricks at them, I'm sure they'd have fits about that.

How about I sue the United Nations for allowing Mexico to become so corrupt and economically shallow that their citizens can only find liveable work in the US?

Does anyone see how ridiculous this is yet?

Anyone will find any reason to sue someone. It's easy money, they'll settle and they get paid (as does the lawyer, who is the one who really makes out in all this).

Oh, and to answer your question, yes, as least rudimentary English is a requirement for becoming a US citizen if you are not native born. There's a test. I became a citizen when I was 4 years old, so I didn't read and write yet, so I got a pass on that. But adult immigrants seeking citizenship must be able to pass that test.

Answer 5

I even heard of one incident where an illegal was suing because no-one spoke an obscure Mexican tribal dialect. I think, as with so much of their efforts, they are taking this to insane extreems to "cater" to them. I see them trying to push everyone out of their jobs for not speaking Spanish and any native dialect from Mexico. It's a way to guarentee them employment and keep others out. There was a story about the court system in Florida, I think...where they wanted Spanish speakers for translations for court hearings. Problem is....every citizen who learned the language wasn't good enough....they kept complaining they couldn't understand them until they hired only hispanic translators. Now I'm having a bit of a problem with this. You can go to other English speaking countries and even across the US and hear English spoken a bit different but not to the point where you just don't understand them or can't ask a question to clarify things. I mean there's pronunciations that are different, accents, slang terms a bit different....but as long as they are speaking half-way clear....you get the drift. Even people who are learning English from other countries sometimes put words in the wrong position in the sentence or use discriptive words incorrectly but you understand what they are saying. If it's a police officer......I don't think I'd be that darned confused in understanding what a cop was indicationg if he said "stop" in any language and had a gun on me. I mean there is non-verbal communication to fill in the blanks as well. That was the case in one I read.....they didn't know they were saying "stop". I mean it just seems a natural instinct to put your hands up and stop if your being screamed at by an officer. They pretty much make it clear what "down" means and there might be some confusion as to whether you are to go to your knees or on your stomach.....but you get the drift. Sure...they may need a translator for all the legal jargon but even English speaking people need some legal help on that. They aren't as stupid as they'd have us all to beleive.

Here it's not good enough to have Spanish speaking....they hold open spaces for hispanic people only.

Now if you read the LaRaza plans for the take over....it says to get into the political system.....which they have...the law inforcement and legal system ....which they have.....but speaking Spanish and even being hispanic isn't enough, especially if you aren't a supporter. The border agents are a prime example. Hispanic, speak Spanish, doing their job.....and they go to prison without 1 outcry from the hispanic community. Elvira got more.

When I went to college I went to a college where alot of students were foreign. Most knew English....but they sure knew the "don't speak English" line anytime it looked like they might be in trouble for something. 99% of the time they were let go because it was too much grief to have an officer sent down for a minor traffic violation. They knew that and took advantage of it. Seems this is the same agenda and they aren't fighting for equal rights...they are suing for money. The police will find someone to translate for them so their "rights" aren't being violated. Equal rights isn't enough.....they want "special" rights. English is the official language of my state and it doesn't seem to matter for squat.

English is a requirement for citizenship.....which gives you a "heads up" as to their legal status.

Answer 6

Its sad you've worked for a company for twenty years speaking English and are only now being asked to learn another language. Sadder still that you know another language but not the right one. I dont think it's discrimination, though. Businesses have to move forward with the times, and as unfair as it might seem, we live in a time now where there are millions of Spanish speaking potential customers living among us. I would have done exactly as you, but keep an open mind and live as if you were to die tomorrow and learn as if you'd live forever! Good luck!

Answer 7

Since English is not the official language, but the accepted primary language its not a requirement. If the Mexican immigrants are legal they may want some of their young to join the force and work the community. If they are illegal aliens from Mexico who cares what they think.

Answer 8

We've had this type of situation in Canada for years - the country is officially bilingual. Police, government, etc must speak both English and French. All road signs/official notices must be in both languages. They also teach us both in primary school. Funny thing, though - I wouldn't qualify for a government job because I can't carry on a fluent French conversation enough to be called bilingual; but, someone who is French and can barely speak/understand English will get the job fine.

Answer 9

As I understand it, in Mexico it is a requirement to get a job that you speak fluent Spanish. That doesn't only mean legally resident Americans there have to speak fluent Spanish, it means their own indigenous Indians (so called ) do. I think a law like that here would take care of this problem really quick, don't you?

Answer 10

I think you should speak the language of your country. You should want to learn.

If I went to Japan and started screaming at people for not speaking English I'd just be laughed at; though, a lot of Japanese speak English, so that's a bad example...Ok, if I went to Mexico and didn't speak Spanish I couldn't sue their government, so it isn't fair.

Answer 11

Nope. English is not the official language of the U.S. Someone tried to propose that and it was shot down. Welcome to the new America - suburb of Mexico.

Soon, if you don't know Spanish, you won't be able to get a job, buy anything in the stores or get services. It is quickly overtaking English as the language of this country.