COMMUNITY : Many Latinos Have Not Applied for Riot Relief

Some blame it on fear of deportation, some on the language barrier. Others say that the government is insensitive to the needs of Latinos, or that members of the community are just plain cynical.

Whatever the reason, many Latinos still have not applied for the disaster assistance they are entitled to receive. With a July 15 deadline looming, community leaders fear that Latinos--among those hardest hit by the Los Angeles riots--may slip through the cracks of the relief effort.

“There’s a lack of understanding that the problem, the crisis, of Los Angeles didn’t affect just Afro-Americans, but also Latinos,” said Carlos Vaquerano, community relations and communications director of CARECEN, the Central American Refugee Center. “The agencies, be they federal or local, have put less effort (into) informing the affected Latino community.”

Community leaders estimate that at least 40% of the businesses damaged or destroyed in the riots were owned by Latinos. In addition, many Latinos lost housing or jobs.

Yet Latinos have been slow to come into agencies offering food, unemployment benefits and loans to riot victims.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t speak English, has a low education, and isn’t used to asking for handouts, it’s a huge bureaucracy,” Lourdes Saab, executive director of the Hispanic Women’s Council, said of the application procedure for disaster assistance. “It’s a big maze.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been accused of failing to reach Latinos. “They have closed minds,” Vaquerano said. “They don’t understand the problems of the Latino community.”

But FEMA officials defend their efforts, pointing out that their centers have bilingual staff and information, and they offer a bilingual telephone hot line. They said they have given presentations in the Mexican, Salvadoran and Guatemalan consulates, and handed out flyers in schools, churches, Laundromats, food banks and community centers.

In response to community pressure, FEMA opened a center in the Pico-Union district in early June, one of four centers in or near heavily Latino areas.

“I think the Pico-Union Disaster Assistance Center is a good example of our efforts,” said FEMA public information officer Andrea Booher, who is fluent in Spanish. “We are trying our hardest to get the message out and yet it’s frustrating. . . . We can’t take them by the hand and take them into the (center).”

Despite numerous newspaper, television and radio ads, many Latinos may not know what help is available, whether they qualify, or where to find assistance centers. Elena Jovel, an unemployed mother of two young boys whose house was damaged by fire in the riots, has been receiving food staples from CARECEN but was unaware of any FEMA programs when she was interviewed by Nuestro Tiempo.

Others who are aware of aid programs may still stay away. Although illegal immigrants are eligible for rent and mortgage loans and individual grants, among other aid, many fear that they will be deported if they apply for help.

Emilio Munoz Silva, 34, a father of four who was applying for a rent loan after losing his delivery job, said many Latinos had not come to FEMA “for (fear) that many agencies say they help but just want more information about the immigration aspect.” He added: “Thank God I have my papers in order . . . but many fear this.”

“They don’t see a distinction between the INS and FEMA,” FEMA’s Booher said. “It’s all federal.”

City Councilman Mike Hernandez is still angry about the deployment of INS Border Patrol agents in Pico-Union during the rioting, an action that he contends aggravated a mistrust of the government among segments of the Latino community.

In a departure from department policy, Los Angeles police turned over to the INS more than 200 illegal Latino immigrants who had been seized for riot-related incidents. They were among 1,081 eventually deported.

“They treated our community as a suspect class,” Hernandez said of the law enforcement response.

The mistrust of government manifests itself in various ways. Gabino Moncada, owner of the Arco Iris ice cream and juice parlor on Pico Boulevard, typifies a cynicism that inhibits many from seeking aid. Moncada said he and five other merchants defended their properties with shotguns and other weapons, and saved their stores from being looted. But with his electricity out for three days because of the rioting, Moncada said he lost his $3,000 inventory of ice cream and produce. Still, he refuses to ask the government for help.

“I know the agencies but I don’t know how they work,” he said. “But I haven’t reported anything. What for? They’re not going to pay me anything. Who’s going to pay me?”

Next door, Niky’s Sports No. 2 lost about $150,000 when its entire sporting goods inventory was ransacked. “The only thing we have left are debts,” said Alicia Martinez, an employee. Her boss decided not to ask the government for loans for fear of losing his home and car as collateral. Instead, he bought new merchandise on credit. In any case, Martinez contended, the available aid was “all promises, nothing more.”

Still, some Latinos have taken hold of the extended hand. Salvador Eduardo Borja, whose Zapateria Reyna suffered about $100,000 damage, applied for a loan through FEMA and attends community meetings with private banks that offer riot aid. “They haven’t said anything. Only promises, promises,” Borja said. “But I have faith that we’re going to get help.”

Booher of FEMA expects a snowball effect as people overcome their fears and learn about programs for which they qualify. “You know,” she said, “their neighbors came in and got help and nobody turned them in.”

Where to Apply for Assistance

The deadline for most state and federal assistance programs is July 15. To apply, those who suffered damage in the riots should go to the disaster assistance centers, where they can be attended by English- or Spanish-speaking staff. A free bilingual information hot line, 1 (800) 525-0321, has answers to questions about programs and center locations. Undocumented immigrants are eligible for many forms of aid.