One of the most recent publicized instances of racism towards Latinos in America has happened in Illinois. Mia Irizarry was minding her business when a man came up to her to make a comment about her shirt. It was a Puerto Rican flag and he told her that “wasn’t American”…even though Puerto Rico is a United States territory.
Irizarry recorded the exchange and posted it on Facebook. “You should not be wearing that in the United States of America,” the man said. “Are you a citizen? Are you a United States citizen?” Irizarry then educated the man that Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. and then asked an officer to help her. “I am renting this area and he’s harassing me about the shirt that I’m wearing,” she said.
She later pleaded with the officer again, “Officer, I feel entirely uncomfortable, can you remove…please officer.” He ended up walking away and didn’t help her. Meanwhile, Irizarry’s harasser continued to bother her, saying, “You’re not American, if you were American you wouldn’t wear that. You know that right?”
A female officer then stepped to tell the bigot about himself and warned him that he could be arrested “for not being compliant.” “You don’t come here harassing people,” the officer added. “People have just as much right to be here as you and when you’re drunk, you don’t belong here.”
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosello was disappointed by the incident and disturbed that the first officer did nothing. “Today a video surfaced of an undignified event in which a Puerto Rican woman was brutally harassed by a bigot while an officer did not interfere. I am appalled, shocked & disturbed by the officer’s behavior,” he tweeted Monday.
The Forest Preserves of Cook County tweeted on Monday that an investigation has been launched and that the officer who failed Irizarry has been assigned to desk duty. The drunk man was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on IG
Source: https://www.complex.com/life/2018/07/illinois-man-calls-womans-puerto-rican-flag-shirt-not-american
