by
NARR
Walk east along 103rd street from 5th avenue, and you'll move quickly from the quiet dog walkers and top-hatted doormen of the Upper East side to Spanish Harlem, land of run-down buildings, abandoned lots and bright bodegas. Unlike Upper East Siders, Spanish Harlem's residents have had a very direct experience of the war in Iraq.
Isabelle Alfontina lives in El Bario, and she is fourteen years old. Her uncle, all of her siblings, and many of her cousins are either in Iraq or have served there. The list of relatives rolls off her tongue.
SOT (:17):
In-cue: Well, I have an uncle…
Out-cue: …both of my sisters.
NARR
The sacrifices made by Isabelle's family are part of a bigger pattern. Recently, with all the grim news coming out of Iraq, recruitment numbers are down. The army hopes to fix that by zeroing-in on the Hispanic population. That's why the Army plans to open a new recruitment center in Spanish Harlem. Not everyone in the neighborhood is willing to provide the ultimate sacrifice for the war.
SOT (:06): Desmond Finley
In-cue: The war?
Out-cue: …that's not good.
NARR
That's Desmond Finley, and he lives right near the 103rds st center. He's not only against the war, he's also opposed to the army setting up camp in his neighborhood. And he's not alone. Miguel Rosario is a community leader who has been covering the story extensively for El Barrio's local paper, Mi Zona.
SOT (:12):Miguel
In-cue: The consensus of the people…
Out-cue: ..an insult to them.
NARR
Hispanics make up the fastest-growing pool of military-age people in the United States, and according to a US Census Bureau report, the Hispanic population will account for 44% of the Nation's growth in the next twenty years. As a result, the army has started marketing specifically to Hispanics. Spanish-language advertisements flood the airwaves on Telemundo and Univision, the country's two largest Spanish-language stations. The Army's Spanish-language advertisement budget increased by at least $55 million over the past four years. Army officials declined to comment on either their new recruitment strategy or the 103rd street facility.
SOT (:20): Serrano
In-cue: You don't really see..
Out-cue: ….you just don't see it happening.
NARR ()
Senator Serrano, who represents Spanish Harlem in Albany, says the new policy is discriminatory.
SOT (:XX): Serrano
In-cue: They seem to target…
out of poverty, out of the neighborhood
NARR
Spanish Harlem is not unique. The army's efforts there are happening all over the country. President Bush signed an executive order in 2002 that permits legal residents in the military to apply for citizenship in one year instead of three. This year, the Army has expanded a pilot program which provides Latinos with English language classes so that they can pass Army qualification tests. Rosario, a community activist, is disturbed. In his view, it is no accident that the center, a funeral home and two churches are located on the same block in El Barrio.
SOT (:12): Rosario
In-cue: The center….
Out-cue: …to have all together, in one area.
NARR
But ask 14-yr old Isabelle why her older sister is happy to be in the Army, and she'll respond without hesitation.
SOT (:02)
In-cue: Cause she's fighting for our country and that represents us.
NARR
That's exactly the kind of patriotism that the Army is counting on when it opens a recruitment centers in places like Spanish Harlem. This is Giuliana Chamedes for Radio Gotham.