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Mon 26 Oct, 2009 08:03 am
TAOS, N.M. " Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel.
The tough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Among them, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thought they'd be talking about him), and ordered some to Anglicize their names.
No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark.
Whitten's management style had worked for him as he's turned around other distressed hotels he bought in recent years across the country.
The 63-year-old Texan, however, wasn't prepared for what followed.
His rules and his firing of several Hispanic employees angered his employees and many in this liberal enclave of 5,000 residents at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where the most alternative of lifestyles can find a home and where Spanish language, culture and traditions have a long and revered history.
"I came into this landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody up here. I'm just doing what I've always done," he says.
Former workers, their relatives and some town residents picketed across the street from the hotel.
"I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong," says protester Juanito Burns Jr., who identified himself as prime minister of an activist group called Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico.
The guy comes from Texas, what do you expect? Look what else they do in
Texas:
Dallas Police ticketed 39 drivers for not speaking English
(click the link above)
Aren't you glad they found the injustice before executing them?
@CalamityJane,
The case that led to the discovery of all the others occurred Oct. 2, when Ernestina Mondragon was stopped for making an illegal U-turn in the White Rock area.
Rookie Officer Gary Bromley cited Mondragon for three violations: disregarding a traffic control device, failure to present a driver's license and "non-English speaking driver."
In that case and perhaps the others, officials said, the officer was confused by a pull-down menu on his in-car computer that listed the charge as an option. But the law the computer referred to is a federal statute regarding commercial drivers that Kunkle said his department does not enforce.
The police officer was a rookie in training, cut him some slack.
The fact the sargeant signed off on it is another matter.
As far as the the NM guy......Chinga
54% of the population of Taos is hispanic. anglos are a definite minority.
It's amazing to me that anyone as ignorant of basic human relations skills as this yahoo ex-Gyrene could have been plying his trade as long as he has.
countdown until hawkeye comes in ranting about how we're trying to stomp on this man's freedom of speech or trying to run his business.
T
K
O
I work with two guys that have Spanish for their native tongue. We converse in English, but often they will engage one another in Spanish, in my presence. I realize that English is not that easy for them. It does not hurt me to let them have these moments. I go about my business until they are finished.
@Diest TKO,
Hawkeye is not going to come into a thread about Romans!
@engineer,
bet.
wherever the opportunity to play the victim presents itself...
@Rockhead,
He's posted since this thread has been active, but maybe he's saving up.
This is so stupid. In most hotels, they would bend over backwards to have a multi-lingual staff.
@dyslexia,
Quote:"I came into this landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody up here. I'm just doing what I've always done," he says.
Former workers, their relatives and some town residents picketed across the street from the hotel.
Sounds like things have changed in Taos, N.M.
He might just have to find another way of doing business.
And about time, too.
@Rockhead,
I'm going to claim the bet! Hawk clearly missed his chance here.
Employers may generally require their employees to have a certain level of language proficiency in order to perform their job. This includes requiring a certain level of language-speaking proficiency. However, the EEOC pays very close attention to workplace language policies. The EEOC's general position is that English-only rules constitute national origin discrimination in violation of Title VII because they create an atmosphere of intimidation, inferiority, and isolation in the workplace for those non-English speakers. The EEOC recognizes that employers may have a limited English-only policy for the conducting of business, but the employer must be able to show that the policy is solely for business purposes. For example, any policy that has prohibitions against speaking non-English languages during lunch, breaks, and other personal time will be considered to be discriminatory. Therefore, employers who wish to institute a language policy in the workplace must be sure that every aspect of the policy can be defended with a legitimate business reason if the employer hopes to avoid the wrath of the EEOC.
Source
At the very least, Whitten might want to learn what pinche culero means.
I thought this was gonna be a Latin thread.
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