The Mexican American Experience, a radio program produced by the Longhorn Radio Network, includes interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Program summary: Linda Fregoso speaks with Juan Hinojosa, Vicente Gonzalez and Larry Trujillo about police brutality in Chicano communities. Larry Trujillo, a professor of Chicano Studies, explains that historically the Chicano community has perceived the police as both a repressive and protective force. The increasing incidences of police brutality in Chicano communities is part of a larger history in which private police sought to keep Mexicans and the working class in their place, and Trujillo explains that police crime is often an issue of both race and class. State Representative Juan Hinojosa then discusses the video of police officers beating prisoners in McAllen, Texas. He explains that for years the city ignored the issue of police brutality, but now successful suits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union have demanded officials address the problem. Vicente Gonzalez of the San Antonio Civil Rights Litigation Center then explores the case of Hector Santos Coy, who was killed by a police officer. Gonzalez describes some of the corruption that has marked the case and argues that we need to change the police training system and their interactions with minorities. The episode concludes with other suggestions for ways to curtail police brutality, such as increasing the use of stun weapons and addressing unemployment and the lack of educational opportunities. Keywords: Alma Diaz, Alternative Solutions to Crime, American Civil Liberties Union, Border, Border Policing, Border Violence, Brownsville, Castroville, Chicano Perceptions of the Police, Civil Rights Commission, Civil Rights Litigation Center in San Antonio, Class, Dallas, Deadly Weapons, Discrimination, Dropout Rates, Education, Hector Santos Coy, Houston, J. Edgar Hoover, James Deanda, Jose Campos Torres, Juan Hinojosa, King Ranch, McAllen, Texas, Mexican American Police Officers, Minorities, Parks and Recreation, Police Brutality, Police Crime, Police impunity, Police Training, Policing the Border, Private Police, Ricardo Morales, San Antonio, Santos Rodriguez, School of Criminology, Sheriff, Texas Rangers, Unemployment, University of California-Berkeley, Urban Crisis, Working Class. Broadcast date: 1981-05-07.
Creator/Contributor:
Longhorn Radio Network (creator), Fregoso, Rosa Linda. (host), Hinojosa, Juan (interviewee), Larry Trujillo (interviewee), and Gonzales, Vicente (interviewee)
Date Created/Date Issued:
1981-05
Owning Repository:
Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin