Mark,

Quite the contrary, I am sure that everyone in the room knew about the 'Hispanic elephant' as you put it; however, they thought it would be in poor taste to say anything about it, especially in our culture of 'victimology', someone would be certain to misconstrue what was said and accuse everyone there of racism.

And while you are probably right that there aren't a lot of Spanish speakers at Council meetings, yo quiseira decirte que yo vivía quince años en Oak Cliff, bien vecino a Super Mercato Mexico Numero Uno...sí, sí, no numero cinco o diez, peró Numero Uno...(I'd like to tell you that I lived for 15 years in Oak Cliff, quite near Super Mercato Mexico Number One...yes, yes, not number 5 or 10, but Number One). This means that I have two perspectives: one, that I speak enough Spanish to get along with my Spanish speaking neighbors (like the 20+ young men who lived in the house next door for a while in Oak Cliff) and two, that I have lived in neighborhoods that have both gone down and up with mixed populations (the Winnetka Heights Historic District). I've even shopped at Fiesta Mart, although the one in Oak Cliff on Jefferson, not the one on Spring Valley.

To me, the problem is not ethnic, but class. If the residents of the apartments on Spring Valley were all middle class, college educated, white collar workers (from Mexico), homeowners wouldn't be nearly so worried - they'd complain about the traffic, not the ethnicity. But, since the large majority of recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America tends to be poor and lesser educated, it's easy to confuse concerns about class with concerns about ethnicity.

And without regard to ethnicity, this area is showing the same cycle that many places in the Dallas area (and the US) have shown: Apartments get built, eventually they age, maintenance costs become an issue, owners won't spend the money to restore properly, rents have to be lowered, poorer people move in, even less maintenance is done, local stores that catered to the middle class sell out to stores that cater to the new population, and so on. Eventually, apartment owners stop maintenance altogether because too many cities aren't serious about enforcing their own laws (frankly, state laws make this difficult) to the point of shutting down and seizing non-compliant properties, and, under the 'broken-window' theory, the whole place goes to pot and the rot starts to creep outwards.

It took exceptional effort in North Oak Cliff to turn this situation, and it would be in everyone's best interests if we never let it get that bad in the first place. There are a number of factors conspiring against effective action: state law, concerns for the rights of property owners, lack of municipal funding for dramatic improvements, multiple property owners, etc., but it's critical that we at least start to talk about it.

As for the joke about the police and the apartments, I was sitting across from the City Manager, and it's clear to me that he had no intention of making a joke - he was just stating that there is police activity in the apartments. Someone else started laughing and only then did Bill Keffler smile a little when he realized how some people might (mis)interpret what he said...but he certainly was not trying to say that 'those people' are all criminals or anything of the sort.

As for minority representation, actually, Richardson's largest 'minority' is probably Asian, not Hispanic. Note that 'Asian' is an umbrella term, just as 'Hispanic' is (i.e., not all 'Hispanics' are from Mexico - indeed a lot of 'Hispanics' would resent being called Mexican). And the City Council has repeatedly reached out to the Asian 'community' (or, more accurately, 'communities') to be more involved in the city, but for whatever reason, the 'Asians' have not done so to any great extent. This seems to be a free choice on their part, not any conspiracy to silence them. Ditto with any other group.

Indeed, if Richardson were full of white-sheet-wearing rednecks, it's unlikely that we would have elected a half Persian/half Palestinian Moslem Council member in the same year that the founders of our own Holy Land Foundation were given life sentences for supporting terrorism. No, for the most part, the people in Richardson are really pretty reasonable when it comes to other peoples and cultures; I believe it is fair to state that their concerns are more economic than ethnic.

Anyway, very long response (sorry)...just to let you know that while the people in charge are not as clueless as some think, this is a big, complicated, and sensitive issue that merits more discussion…

Bill