Watsonville police meet with farm workers to build trust
They were breaking bread in a Watsonville farm field, Tuesday – a barbeque to break down the complicated relationships police often have with undocumented individuals.
“If we are not legal in this county, or we don’t have a driver’s license, or, for whatever reason, sometimes we are afraid to speak to the officers or report a crime,” farm worker Anna Veronica Carrillo tells KION.
That’s what is at the center of Tuesday’s “agua con la chota” – “water with a cop.” These farm workers or others without legal status might not speak up when they see a crime, or are in danger themselves, for fear of deportation.
“It’s been difficult, especially when it comes to reporting any types of crimes or trying to get any witnesses for crimes that have been committed,” said Watsonville Police Sergeant Tony Figueroa.
Sharing a lunch was Watsonville’s way to remove the barrier. Smokey barbeque right in the middle of a farm owned by “Rancho Alitos.”
“Officers that you see here in the professional staff have worked in the fields. They all speak Spanish,” said Watsonville Police Captain Jorge Zamora.
This includes Figueroa, who tells KION he is a Watsonville native and worked full days in the fields with his father, who was a farm worker.
“Once we tell him our life experiences, where we grew up, where we came from. Like my story for example. They relate to it. You can see their body language really change. And that’s where they start to communicate with us.”
This is a needed relationship. Everyone there Tuesday says the tough immigration talk from the Trump Administration is making people even less likely to speak with police.
“Creating a panic in the community, so we have seen a decrease in their animus to come forward,” said Rodrigo Navarro, an official with the Consulate General of Mexico in San Jose.
And the Watsonville Police Department also says there is a difference between them and immigration enforcement. Watsonville is a sanctuary city and California is a sanctuary state.
“We’re not driven by deportation or immigration laws. We don’t enforcement those” Zamora said.
