Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia addresses crowd at Berwyn Town Hall. (photo by Jacqueline Serrato)

By Jacqueline Serrato, guest writer

In a town hall meeting that Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-4) recently held in Berwyn to discuss his work in the 4th Congressional District, he inferred that suburban residents should demand Spanish-language materials and translation services for their growing Mexican populations.

The town hall took place in City Hall a day after Berwyn Mayor J. Lovero shut down homeowner, Luz Chavez, during an open forum at City Council in which she inquired about bilingual services that could benefit immigrant families like hers. Chavez asked the mayor what the next steps would be and a timeline for implementation of Spanish-language municipal communications.

“I’m not gonna give you a date that I will follow up with you because it’s insisting that you guys normally do [sic], which is not the way the government works,” Mayor Lovero responded visibly upset. “However… in several meetings I’ve had with you, it’s always ‘when, when, when?’ Government doesn't work that way so I’m not gonna give you a date, okay? I’m not gonna debate this...”

The exchange was captured on video and posted online.

Chavez disputes having had any meetings with the mayor that addressed bilingual communications, except for one meeting she attended through the group Berwyn Comunidad en Acción (BCA) that specifically pertained to police racial profiling.

She has, however, brought up the issue at other open forums and submitted a letter to City Council. “This leaves a significant portion of the population in the dark about issues affecting their everyday lives, and it cuts them out of the decision-making process for addressing those issues… The city must implement a comprehensive bilingual communications plan. This is the only way to ensure that the city is transparent, inclusive, and democratic,” she wrote August 27.

Chavez says she has talked to former Ald. Edgar Garcia, Ald. José Ramirez, Ald. Rafael Avila, and Ald. Scott Lennon. Last October, Ald. Alicia Ruiz made a motion about translation in citywide meetings and documents, according to meeting minutes. It moved to the Outreach Committee and the matter was discussed in November, but apparently no further action was taken.

Mayor Lovaro did not respond to requests for comment.

This reporter mentioned the Chavez-Lovero incident to Rep. Garcia in the town hall meeting and asked what residents should do to influence or pressure suburban elected officials to make their towns truly welcoming to immigrant residents.

“This is the first that I hear of the incident that you are referring to, so it’s news to me. I wish I had heard about it beforehand so that we could take it up in the conversation that we had [with the mayor] earlier,” Rep. Garcia said in the packed chambers. “I think communities need to exert themselves, they need to ensure that government is responsive to the needs of everyone in a community. That happens when people get organized, when people speak up, when people engage. Sometimes things don’t happen as we would like them to happen, you have to make yourself heard.”

Berwyn’s population is made up of 63 percent Latinos. The adjacent Town of Cicero, headed by President Larry Dominick, has a population made up of 89 percent Latinos, according to the U.S. Census, and it also lacks Spanish language resources for the Town website, board meetings, agendas and minutes. Both suburbs are located right outside Chicago.

Rep. Garcia continued: “So in terms of bilingual materials and interpreters and that, those are things that I have historically supported in all the positions that I’ve held, whether it’s a member of the city council, the state senate, or Cook County, because it makes good sense and it ensures that everyone in a community is inclusive. So if there’s any merit to what is alleged here, people need to come forth and there are venues for people to make themselves heard and people should avail themselves of it.”

A week later, Ald. Lennon made a recommendation to the City Council to begin translating all meetings and minutes to Spanish and to coordinate with their IT department to make the city website bilingual. He also called on the Outreach Committee to “further investigate other translation services deemed most important to our residents.”

While Berwyn officials get their act together, Chavez launched her own Facebook page, “Yo Soy Berwyn”, for Spanish-speaking Berwynites to find local information in their language. Nevertheless, she’s determined to help institutionalize inclusive measures to ensure a truly Welcoming City to immigrants.

Correction: The original article claimed that the Town of Cicero lacks Spanish services. It has been revised to reflect that it is the Town website, board agendas, minutes, and meetings that are not available in Spanish.