Chicago’s Latino community must acknowledge the existence of a drinking problem. A recent study on DUIs among the Latino community is alarming. Latinos account for nearly 40 percent of arrests for drunken driving in Chicago. This is a concern that we as a community should not ignore.
We must confront it head-on with courage and conviction. The pain of admitting the problem and the strength to address it lies within ourselves. Only by first admitting that the drinking problem exists can we then boldly take the first steps forward to resolve it. No one will help us if we don’t help ourselves.
We of the Latin American Bar Association know all too well that the problem exists. We frequently see it in court as we prosecute and defend DUIs, and as we represent the victims of DUIs. We know that it drains our community of vital resources.
Some people argue that the police are targeting the Latino community. However, when we as attorneys step before a judge the facts do not change. We see that the person convicted of DUI was indeed driving under the influence. We see that the victims of DUI were indeed injured or killed. We see that damage done to public or private property was indeed real.
The Latin American Bar Association feels that one of the best ways to attack this problem is through education. This should begin with the children in our schools and continue through adulthood. We must vigorously emphasize that one should not drink and drive. The high rate of Latino DUI can be attributed to cultural attitudes. We must educate our community to this country’s attitudes and social norms toward drinking. We must sensitize those most susceptible to DUI-young, single, Latino males-to the cost of human life, suffering and property that are a result. We must educate our community to the legal consequences of DUI.
For example, a DUI arrest or conviction may become problematic for many who want to legalize their status or wish to obtain their citizenship. Undocumented aliens arrested or convicted of DUI will serve the sentence imposed and thereafter may be turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for deportation. Those who are the beneficiaries of a petition for permanent residency must fully disclose judicial or criminal proceedings they may have had, including arrests, when they are interviewed by the department of immigration or the American consulate in their home country. Those permanent residents seeking citizenship must disclose whether they have ever been arrested, regardless if they have been convicted. This may include DUIs.
To that end, the Latin American Bar Association will be shortly initiating workshops in conjunction with community and political leaders to address this serious issue. However, we cannot do it alone. We encourage our community to attack this issue. We urge other Latino professional groups, learning institutions, political organizations, youth centers, the Latino medical community and religious and political leaders, to address and combat our drinking problem. Together we can find the strength to effectively defeat this.
