Compton : Latino Protesters Cite Cases of Bias at Whaley School
About 100 Latino demonstrators marched outside Whaley Middle School in Compton on Wednesday to protest what they called discrimination against Latinos, a lack of bilingual teachers and abusive treatment by teachers and school police. The demonstration was organized by FOCUS (Friends of Compton Unified Students), a new Latino group.
Among the adult demonstrators was 13-year-old Julio Arreguin, who left Whaley, he said, after being roughed up by school police. Fred Easter, assistant to the superintendent, said he spoke with the boy and his mother about transferring to another school but that they did not complain about abuse from police.
Another marcher, Maria Elena Guerrero, said five of her children had attended Whaley and suffered discrimination and verbal abuse from the overwhelmingly black staff. She said there was no PTA for Latino parents, only for black parents.
Latinos are now the majority in Compton schools and they have become increasingly vocal over the past two years, demanding affirmative action hiring policies and more sensitivity from blacks.
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