Chattanooga police Chief Fred Fletcher talks to Adriana Ramirez, Jennifer Hernandez and Amaris Ramirez, from left, all students at East Side Elementary, before a community meeting held by the Chattanooga Police Department and La Paz Chattanooga at East Side Elementary on Tuesday. The meeting covered the Hispanic Citizens Police Academy.A communal fear of not being understood by police exists in Chattanooga's Spanish-speaking community, Lorenzo Juarex Maldonado said through a translator.
Maldonado, who has lived in Chattanooga since 2011, said people are more comfortable committing crimes against Hispanics because they are hesitant to talk to police.
Statistics back up Maldonado's claim as crime against Hispanics in Hamilton County rose by 22 percent between 2012 and 2013, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
On Tuesday night, "Platicando Con La Policia," which translates to "Talking with the Police," was held at Eastside Elementary School as a part of the city's ongoing effort to combat this problem.
The school's cafeteria was standing room only, as more than 200 members of Chattanooga's Hispanic community filled the blue-tiled room for the community meeting. The meeting, held in Spanish, was the result of a partnership between the Chattanooga Police Department, the city of Chattanooga and La Paz, a nonprofit that advocates for the local Latino community.
Before the meeting began families spoke in Spanish to each other around tables, as children were held on laps.
The room became attentive as James McKissic, director of Multicultural Affairs for the City of Chattanooga, told the crowd to be active and "let us know what we can do to make this a more inclusive Chattanooga for everyone."
Police Chief Fred Fletcher greeted the audience in Spanish and explained how this was one of several ongoing initiatives that the Police Department has started or reinstated to increase a community-first-style of policing in Chattanooga.
"It is a priority to me and my police department that everyone is safe and feels safe," Fletcher said. "I want everyone to feel like this is their police department."
Members from the Latino community spoke in the meeting about home invasions, robberies, a reluctance to call and report crimes because of fear, and the difficulty of being in the country illegally that existed in their communities.
"This meeting shows the Latino community who we are and what we are here to do. We are here to help, not just make arrests," said Neysa Gorgas-Rios, who is one of the police department's eight certified Spanish interpreters.
"People are saying that experiences in other countries are bad with police," Gorgas-Rios said. "People have that same fear here all the time. ... The Spanish-speaking community needs to know that we are here to help them."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.