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Brooklyn Criminal Court celebrates its first Hispanic Month event

October 7, 2014 By Charisma L. Troiano, Esq. Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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As national Hispanic month continues, Brooklyn celebrated a milestone as the borough’s criminal court participated in its first Hispanic Month event on Friday.

Representatives from all aspects and areas of state and borough-wide government and judicial agencies were present for the event, including the Board of Elections, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson and New York state Assemblymember Félix W. Ortiz (D-Brooklyn).  

Many aspects of Hispanic heritage were celebrated at the event with food and treats from a variety of Hispanic locales and the welcome, given by Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Evelyn Laporte, was delivered first in Spanish followed by an English translation.  The court lobby livened with color and little-known facts as a parade of flags — one representing each of the Hispanic countries — played a part in the afternoon’s ceremony.

“This is a clear testament where the Hispanic community has managed to come,” Ortiz noted of the packed lobby at 120 Schermerhorn St., as well as the accomplishments made by many members of the Brooklyn Hispanic community.

Senior Court Clerk Tito A. Zayas, a longtime employee of the court system, is one such member. Zayas received the first-ever award for Hispanic Court Employee of the Year as presented by Antonio Diaz, chief clerk of Brooklyn criminal court.

Keynote speaker, Court of Appeals Judge Jenny Rivera, the second Latina to sit on New York’s high bench, spoke of the “long history” of Hispanics in America — a history that “has included periods of struggle for equality and access to justice.” 

Rivera made note of the “overrepresentation” of Latinos in the criminal justice system both as victims and as the accused with “less than half of Latinos expressing faith” in the fairness of the criminal justice system.  Fittingly, this fact was pointed out in the building that is the location for Brooklyn Central Booking — a holding facility for newly-arrested alleged criminal offenders

“Those perceptions of our justice system can be changed,” Rivera added.

“In addition to celebrating … the tremendous accomplishments of Latinos and Latinas in our criminal justice system, and of course this great Brooklyn criminal courthouse, we also have to remember that there are those that continue to yearn to share in these great and wonderful opportunities that this country and state offer,” said the higher court judge.

Ortiz charged the leaders in the audience to assist in the perception change by “[engaging] our youth and our people and [teaching] them that public services is a great thing to do in a lifetime.”

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