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No, the police chief resigned - not the Mayor.
The Mayor got in trouble this week for appointing a guy from PR to some commission. When asked why he didn't appoint an Ecuadoran since 10% of the residents are Ecuadorian, he said
“I picked a Latino. If there was a certain type of Latino I should have picked, well let someone write it down on paper that this is exactly what I want. I want a 5 foot 2. I want a certain sex. You tell me what you guys want. You want me to order it?” Maturo said. “Nobody that I know of has gone outside the phrase ‘Latinos.’ Everything that’s been on TV and that has been brought to my attention has been the word ‘Latinos,’ which is inclusive. And not picking a certain part. I mean you want to pick … You’re boxing me in. If I had to pick an Italian, do I pick a northern Italian? A southern Italian? We’re Italians. I picked a Latino. Did it have to come from a certain section of the country? You know what? I think that’s a foolish statement to make. And I feel bad that you made it.”
In the interview, Zaretsky repeatedly attempted to explain to Maturo that the Latino community in East Haven is predominantly Ecuadorean, and that the experience of an immigrant from another country and their contact with the police is very different than that of someone from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory whose residents are American citizens.
“It’s not the same country, it’s not the same culture ... They’re from a different continent,” Zaretsky said.
“Are they Latinos?” Maturo asked.
“Yeah, they’re Latinos,” Zaretsky said.
“OK,” Maturo said dismissively.
“I brought in a Latino,” Maturo went on to say. “Is he not dark enough for you, light enough for you? I don’t know, Mark … This is ridiculous, to be sitting here talking about the type of Latino. … I shouldn’t even be having the conversation.”
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