'NO WONDER WE MUST STRUGGLE'

We have serious concerns about some of the claims made by Province reporter
Adrienne Tanner in her feature on Honduran kids selling drugs in Vancouver.

How did the estimated number of Honduran youths selling crack in Vancouver
double to 200 from 100 since she last wrote about them? Should we expect it
to triple by the time her next article appears? Is this a trend that can be
confirmed by police?

If these latest estimates and what she wrote is accurate, this would imply
that at least two per cent of the population of 4,000 of El Guantillo,
Honduras are selling drugs on the streets of Vancouver. She simply states
that she has learned this information from Canadian and U.S. authorities.
Based on the seriousness of the claim, we wonder which authorities she
learned this from.

We find her pre-conceived assumptions about the sources of wealth in El
Guantillo extremely dangerous. She vilifies and stereotypes immigrants from
this community. The title "Journey to the 'Wild West'" reveals drug wealth
in the midst of squalor and assumes that the Spanish-style brick buildings
have been built with drug money.

What Tanner chooses to ignore is that this is not the only rural community
in Central America in which the contrast between adobe and brick houses is
evident. Many rural communities in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua are
an example of this.

Hard-working immigrants, many of whom may be illegal workers, send money to
their communities and families in Central America to support them and
improve their living conditions. They have been doing this for decades. What
proof does Tanner have that this is not the case for the better-built houses
in El Guantillo?

No wonder immigrants of colour like myself and various groups must struggle
against discrimination and strive to change racist attitudes.

We do not have a problem with responsible journalism, not even with a bit of
sensationalism and voyeurism. We even support any initiatives that would
deport illegal individuals who are not willing to quit their criminal
drug-related activities and corrupt our youth.

Our real concerns are the cultural misconceptions, stereotyping and
inaccurate information that were conveyed and the affects these can have on
the general population and our communities.

Checked-by: Don Beck