July 22, 2002 Meeting
Cooper/Howard Hispanic/Latino Group
Rankin Mill Community Center
Homeless Shelter--Virgil and Marsha Gooding, Harvest House managers and managers of the Rabbit Hutch clothing supply on Main Street, attended and Tim Fairley, Harvest House president.
Harvest House--At
issue had been how to admit people to Harvest House who were Latino. There have
been some instances of vehicle accidents and breakdowns and having to find a
motel.
Essentially, the Harvest House unlisted number was provided to emergency
preparedness. Admittance does require a law enforcement check. There is no
requirement for a Social Security number. There is a requirement for a photo
identification. But Harvest House is willing to work with local authorities .
The house basically has three and 30 day stays. Vehicle breakdowns, etc... would
fall under the short term emergency assistance. The Goodins also noted that if
clothing was a need--or other items--they could tap the Rabbit Hutch or other
community services.
Harvest House also was made aware of the monthly
interagency council meetings the second Tuesday at noon at the Boonslick Senior
Center.
Many organizations have rapid turnover of employees and volunteers and that
oftentimes impedes the ability to maintain a viable network. The interagency
council may be a critical component.
Gaming--Mike Lynch, senior marketing
manager, is aware of the situation brought up in the first meeting of a Latino
arrested at the Isle. However, there was much disinformation associated with
this that he addressed:
The reason gaming officials were contacted was that the employee saw the card
presented as identification was not familiar with it. That employee did not know
whether it was acceptable, called a superior , which resulted in the gaming
commission agent being contacted. Because of our closeness to colleges and a
strong market for false I.D.s, the casino is particularly cautious. It is liable
if an underage person gets on the casino floor.Mike noted one incident at
another casino in Kansas City where an eight-year-old ran onto the casino floor
and the casino was fined $15,000.The casino does not make felony background
checks when people apply for a casino card; it does not make a check if the
person has a court order or is behind in child support; it does not require
social security numbers.
In general, what triggers a check into other data bases is winning $1500 or
more. There are IRS requirements that this triggers plus state agency
information. (Of course with today's economic climate, it probably is more
likely that a person will win $1500 than see a stock increase on the Dow-Jones!
That is just a joke.)
I also hope Mike can attend a future meeting so we can learn about what
entertainment he has lined up ad so we can make further suggestions.
Census--According to
the 2000 Census, 143 have Hispanic ethnicity in Cooper County. Just this past
month a second wave of new social profiles has come out. This second wave
includes long and short form. (The short form was a sample. The long form a 100%
count.) In the new data, we learn that of those over age 5 in which Spanish is
spoken in the home, 68 Cooper County residents report that they do not speak
English very well. In Howard County the numbers are 88 and 48.
Employment:
Fuqua now has 17 Hispanic employees. So, it seems we are seeing a trickling of
people of Hispanic ethnicity.
Virgil has had only one family of Hispanic origin that has used the Rabbit Hutch
clothing outlet.
Translators: Here is the list we currently
have of individuals fluent in Spanish
1 8/8/02 Chris Angelo "1300 Eleventh Street, Boonville, MO 65233"
660/882-5242 660/882-5242 Anytime.
2 8/9/02 Candi Culberson "421 West Spring, Boonville, MO 65233"
660/882-6018 same Anytime if she's available when called. She works @ the casino
and works irregular hours.
3 8/12/02 Ronald Campos "506 North Linn, Fayette, MO 65248" 660/248-5252
660/248-5252 Anytime except probably not on Sundays -- depending on his job.
4 8/13/02 Silver Bonilla 402 Center Street Boonville, MO. 65233 660/882-9147
660-443-1433 Works in Tipton 3:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday. 5
8/20/02 Beam Gu-Ree 660/882-6449 660/882-6449 Anytime