For immigrants, hands-on tips

In the midst of the roiling national immigration debate, said Franklin Dalembert of the Haitian Coalition, `` information is power."

With that in mind, his group set up a ``know your rights" workshop late last month aimed at immigrants, teaming with the Welcome Project and the Somerville Human Rights Commission. The setting was the Mystic housing development, home to a large immigrant population.

A sparse crowd of 20 or so showed up -- mostly organizational staff -- but activists hope some of the information dispensed will trickle down to those who need it.

The questions were definitely hands-on, as in what to do when the authorities put their hands on you.

If you believe that your rights -- or someone else's -- have been violated, said Jeff Thompson of the National Lawyers Guild, get witnesses and file a complaint.

Thompson also explained the ins and outs of ``reasonable suspicion," frisking, and home searches.

If police ``know you have a criminal record, you have a gang affiliation . . . by itself this isn't enough," for them to stop and question you, he said. Three translators murmured to people in the crowd.

Organizers provided the audience with bilingual cards expressing the intent to remain silent in such circumstances.

And what if your one phone call reaches an answering machine?

Not a problem if Somerville police officer John O'Connor were booking you, the crowd learned. In such cases, he volunteered, ``I would often let people make two, three, four calls."

Officer Michael Mulcahy explained that being accorded "protective custody"-- that is, sleeping it off in the drunk tank -- is not a criminal offense and will not affect your immigration status. According to Boston lawyer Jacques Dessin, neither will driving without a legal license. "You're not going to be deported for that," he said. But he stressed that an arrest can cause problems for immigrants, who should then promptly get expert advice to protect their status.

A better strategy? Become citizens, Dessin urged.

``What are you waiting for? Your green card will not protect you," said the lawyer, who left Haiti a quarter-century ago.

The question of protection from deportation looms large for immigrants considering whether to contact the police, Dalembert said in an interview.

``If the person doesn't have his green card, they will never, never come forward," he said.

He said he constantly hears about domestic violence cases where the abuser threatens to have the victim deported if she calls the police.

O'Connor urged the group not to shy from reporting domestic abuse, or any other violation.

``Tell your people never, ever, ever be afraid to come to us. You all have rights here," he said, whether here legally or illegally.

When several activists challenged the police to improve their dealings with immigrants, O'Connor said he believes the solution isn't more diversity training for police, but a more diverse police force.

``We need more Haitian officers . . . Creole speakers," he said. ``We want you."

Mulcahy agreed: ``There's nothing more dangerous than a communication barrier."

Even minor differences can cause misunderstandings, according to Aru Manrique , executive director of the city's Multicultural Commission.

In his native Venezuela, he said, when a police officer boards a bus, people often hunch their shoulders and look down in an effort not to be noticed.

In the United States, that behavior can seem suspicious. Both Manrique and Dessin sit on the Somerville police advisory board.

In an interview afterward, Mulcahy expressed his frustration that budget cuts have taken officers off the streets.

With more time in the neighborhoods, "people would come up to you," he said. Now, "we've kind of been cut off."

Dalembert agreed that community policing makes a difference.

Still, Dalembert said he has seen "a lot of positive change" since he moved here more than 16 years ago.

The workshop was another step in that direction, he said.

Mystic resident Kettelyne Gilles , 23, thought that "a lot of cultures and immigrants" do not understand how the US police system works.

She planned, she said, to pass her newfound information along.