Latino biz owners, Lynn police join in discussion

LYNN – Latino business owners and Lynn Police officials are working to improve communication between the two groups after several of the owners felt they were being unfairly targeted by police.?If a crime happens near my restaurant, why assume they came out of my business?” North Shore Latino Business Association Executive Director Frances Martinez said. “They are in business so they want to stay in business.”Association members recently met with the Lynn Police Department to discuss mutual concerns and clear up any misunderstandings.?We understand their right to make a living and respect that,” Lt. Peter Holey said. “We are just a buffer between the bars, restaurants and the community.”Local business owners requested the meeting to find out more about the laws and regulations that are enforced by the police department. More than 60 business owners attended the meeting.?It was a great opportunity to have an open dialogue,” Holey said. “We cleared up a lot of misconceptions about what we do.”Both parties believed that communicating clearly is important.?This meeting was to break the ice and letting them know we want to work with you and we want to support you,” Martinez said. “We are a voice for a community. People share news at their neighborhood stores. If you want people to know certain things, let us know first. We can be a sort of crime watch for the neighborhood.”Association member Juan De Jesus called the first meeting a success.?Overall, it was a really good meeting,” he said. “They want our help as much as we want theirs.”Business owner Ruben Nieves also felt the meeting went well.?The police were excellent. They were short and sweet when answering our questions,” he said. “They answered everything in good taste.”Business owners also raised questions about people using fake identification to illegally buy liquor from their stores, along with a program run by Girls Inc., of Lynn that trains teenagers to go into liquor stores and nightclubs to see if business owners will sell to minors.?We are not against this. We want to contribute any good we can,” Martinez said. “We would just love to know when it is going to happen and what we can do to help.”Business owners also want people who actually use fake IDs to also be penalized.?They feel they are only ones that get the blame. Why only us?,” Martinez said. “They should also be in trouble if they use a fake ID.”Business owners are planning to post regulations in their stores stating that if anyone uses a fake ID they will be held responsible.?I think it is fair,” Martinez said. “If you know the rules and break them, it is your own fault.”Association members also raised concerns about the language barrier between the police officers and Latino business owners who only spoke Spanish.Business owners would like to see more bi-lingual officers working for the police department.?I believe it is a good idea,” Martinez said..?There is a language barrier on both sides,” Nieves said. “We also encourage Latino business owners to improve their English as well.”Nieves would also like to the city of Lynn to have more diversity when it comes to government officials.?There should be more representation of the Latino community in City Hall,” Nieves said. “We don?t have enough people dealing with the changes in the demographics in Lynn.”However, for Latino business owners, getting more Latino cops is their main concern. “They need to put on more Latino cops,” De Jesus said. “That definitely irritates a lot of people. Even when I am trying to translate Spanish to English I get aggravated becomes it doesn?t always translate correctly.”De Jesus feels that Spanish business owners feel more comfortable speaking to Spanish-speaking cops.?Spanish owners get intimidated when a white police officer walks into their store. They don?t speak that good of English and don?t know why they are there,” De Jesus said. “Until there are more Spanish officers, there is going to be a barrier. Spanish-speaking peop