The Asheville Police Department announced today that it has established a phone line for use by Ashevilleans who speak Spanish as their first language.
The phone line, 271-6140, is currently in operation and “may be used by victims, witnesses or any Spanish speaker who may need to contact the APD’s Criminal Investigations Division,” according to a release from spokesperson Melissa Williams.
However, the release also notes that in emergencies, anyone should still dial 911.
The announcement, in Spanish, is as follows:
La policía de Asheville ha instalado una línea telefónica para hablar con personas que hablan español.
El número de teléfono, (828) 271-6140, puede ser utilizado por víctimas, testigos, o cualquier hispano parlante que necesite contactar a la División de Investigaciones Criminales de la Policía de Asheville.
— David Forbes, staff writer
Press “one” for Spanish?
El inglés es la lengua que hablamos en los Estados Unidos de América. Si usted desea vivir aquí, APRENDA que tiene gusto de cada inmigrante antes de usted. Y si usted ha roto nuestros leyes y ha entrado en nuestro país ilegal, usted necesita volver a casa y aplicarse para immigrate legalmente aquí, como cada uno . Los inmigrantes legales son agradables. Y esperan aprender nuestros languae y aprender sobre nuestra historia y costumbres.
Pues, me parece que es necesario, y que muchas personas que no se hablan Ingles van usar esta. Pero yo creo que hay muchas otras personas que no les gustan, porque es para ellos de otras paises.
To Nam Vet: Estoy de acuerdo con lo que escrite; yo creo que todos las personas de otras paises que vengan a los Estado Unidos deben aprender el ingles, aprender nuestra historia y nuestra leyes. Claro, todos que vienen aqui para vivir o trabajar deben estar aqui legalamente.
Estoy alegre usted estoy en el acuerdo Dionysis. He resuelto muchos inmigrante ilegal y para la mayor parte los he encontrado buena gente de trabajo dura. Pero, hay tan muchos que si ahora no hacemos algo, nuestra nación se hundirán. ¿Con una lengua para atarnos, qué tenemos? Para no mencionar los papeles abrumadores del bienestar el contribuyente tendrá que financiar. ¡Los Inmigrantes, CONSIGUEN LEGALES!
I believe what Nam Vet is trying to say is that he likes Spanish speaking people, yet he’s afraid that they will steal our white women with their enchanting mix of hard work and raw sexuality. Imagine Patrick Dempsey wearing dirty blue jeans, and you’ll get the right image.
Why, exactly do we need to a Spanish hotline number?
There is a large community of folks from Ukraine in Asheville as well, do we have a special number for them to call?
“he’s afraid that they will steal our white women”
This might make some sense, in a derisive, joking kind of way IF all Spanish speakers were dark, swarthy brownskin types. It would appear you’ve never been to Spain, Argentina or any of several Spanish-speaking countries where there are Caucasians galore. But, it’s an easy stereotype.
joke (j?k)
n.
1. Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.
I get the joke. The notion of mojados morenos (brown skinned wetbacks) lusting after all those dainty, lilly-white southern belles is a hoot, for sure.
Jason, they are your fears, not mine. I do think we should have a common language. Let’s see…maybe we should stay with English since it’s served us well these last 221 years? :) And “legal” immigrant does have a good sound to it. Those that have broken our laws need to go back and enter our country legally. I personally am in favor of temporary work visas. Canada has a good system in this area. In the meantime, perhaps you Jason should hold some ESL classes to help those who cannot speak English. There is nothing like volunteerism to address real problems…and make a fellow feel good about himself.
Nam Vet, you are the one who has a problem with immigrants, not me. I think you’re problem has less to do with the legality of them being here and more to do with the contrast in cultures. If that’s the case, just say so.
No immigrant group has ever just “assimilated” automatically like you and your ilk would have us think. The Irish, the Italians, the Poles, the Swedes, all came to our country in droves and lived in relatively isolated little communities. They faced the same criticisms that immigrants are facing today. It was not the immigrants that assimilated, it will be their children.
But nobody mentions this, instead they mention how destructive this will be to a God and country that work better as an idea or rhetoric than in real life.
I say bring them on. I have no problem with anyone’s legality as a citizen, or lack thereof.
Something tells me that if these people were white and coming to America in droves, simple minded people like yourself wouldn’t worry about it as much.
Just relax. You liked Zorro when you were a kid, didn’t you?
Jason, again you are broadcasting your own prejudices. You don’t know me and I have not said anything that would make a reasonable person think I am bigoted towards Hispanics. I am not. But since you seem so ready to pitch that label around, I would say you are projecting your own hidden fears and zenophobia here. I have nothing against immigrants. But I do want them to be legal whether they are from Canada or Mexico. And I want a common language to bind us together in this melting pot. How about pitching some of your own ideas on solving the problems of illegal immigration rather than call people names? And I think you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself Jason. You can overcome your bigotry to other cultures. You can do it. Try church this Sunday. :)
Although they are not here for me to ask, I don’t believe my grandparents applied for admission to this country when they came here from eastern Europe in the early 1900’s. They just showed up and were “legalized” when they hit Ellis Island.
The fact is that for many, perhaps most, of the hispanic immigrants who are here now, applying from their home country was too expensive and too time-consuming to be a realistic option. They needed work immediately so they came and found work. Just like my grandparents did, and just like you or I would probably do in the same situation.
I agree with Sr. Bugg that a lot of the recent anti-immigrant sentiment is blatantly racist. Check the Citizen-Times blogs for many examples of this.
Y Sr. Vet, aunque no soy de acuerdo con todo de su comentario, me impresiona mucho su poder con el idioma. Claro que Ud. sabe bien que aprender un idioma nuevo es un trabajo de anos. Favor de tener paciencia!
Curmudgeon, if you do some research, you’ll find that immigrants in the early 1900s had to at least have a physical to see if they were disease carriers. Also, if they had a criminal background, they were sent back.
Want to turn off debate about immigration? Just label those who favor solutions to the illegal immigrant problem as “racists”. Now that is fascist. Leftwing fascist. I have laid out a reasonable approach to solving this problem. And a problem it is. Maybe not here in North Carolina yet, but it will if left unchecked. In California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, illegal immigration from Mexico is a tremendous problem. Emergency rooms are bankrupt from all the “free” medical care given to illegals. Welfare rolls are strained. Schools are strained with loads of kids who cannot speak the language of the land. Teachers are hired and paid IF they can also speak Spanish. If you cannot, sorry no job as a teacher. American citizens cannot get jobs in construction,unless they are willing to work for $6 an hour, 60 hours a week.
Then the biggest problem of all,having so many people cross the border illegally, with NO medical screening or background checks to keep out terrorists. We have an enormous under-the-radar group of people living here in the shadows. Some of them have hepatitis and TB. Last year in Asheville, many restaurant patrons were sickened with hep “A”. At more than one restaurant. I suspect some illegal workers were infected and unknowingly passed it on to the diners. The AC-T did not mention this, as it is not p.c. But likely the cause. Just one example. In California, TB is on the rise again after having been pretty much irradicated years ago. This coincides with a massive wave of illegal immigration the last 15 years. Coincidence? Then there is the terrorist problem. How easy would it be for terorists to sneak across our southern border with Mexico then detonate a dirty bomb in Phoenix, AZ? Very easy. Hopefully it won’t be on the 11 o’clock news.
I think we need to do this to correct the illegal immigration problem. 1) Seal our borders TIGHT. 2) Hold employees responsible for their employees legal status. 3) Humanely re-patriot those here illegally. 4) Set up a temporary visa program where these folks can re-enter the country (after medical screening and background checks) and work for a period of time,say 6 months or 1 year, then retrn home to re-apply. This way we will know who is within our borders. We will have control of our borders. We will put a stop to foreign-born infectious diseases. WE will be much more secure from terrorism. We will continue as a society with one national language that binds our melting pot nation together.
I am the descendant of a legal immigrant. I am all in favor of legal immigration, it has made our country great. But unchecked illegal immigration will eventually sink us.
Now I imagine the name-callers here will split a gasket re-calling me names. I challenge these people to give concrete points of their own to solve this problem. Stretch yourself Jason and Curddles. You can turn off your knee-jerk emotions and come up with reasoned points of your own. I know you can if you try. Or, you can agree with mine. :)
Jason,
Your problem here is that you are trying to have a rational conversation with someone who is irrational. I praise your effort, and wish you good luck.
A.P.D. Spanish Hotline by Molton
Nam Vet- My fears and xenophobia are anything but hidden. In fact, they are my bread and butter.
Also- I’d rather not go to church, I’ve been suckered in by pyramid scams such as Amway before, and I’d rather not go down that route again.
I say build the fence not just 800 miles but the whole boarder…and as far as the Spanish speaking line that’s fine but if they are going to stay in this country they have to learn to speak English and start speaking it and I think it ought to be a law.