Episode 15: Conozca Sus Derechos (Know Your Rights)

Officer Young, the only bilingual officer in her police department, shares insights into the challenges faced by non-English speakers in the United States. She discusses her background, being raised in a bilingual household with Spanish as her mother's tongue. She also talks about the importance of language in her work, highlighting a situation where her ability to speak Spanish was crucial in gathering information from witnesses. Officer Young also addresses the challenges of being a female in a male-dominated profession, including the need to address derogatory language. Overall, she emphasizes the positive impact she aims to have on her community and police force. We have no weapons. We only have pots and pans. We have no power. We only have pots and pans. Beat the pots. Bang the pans. This is our revolution. Welcome to the Pots, Pans, and Gritos podcast, a voice for the English learner. I'm your host, Nolan Shigley. Imagine you're pulled over while driving a vehicle in a foreign nation. You don't speak the local language, and so how do you communicate? What is expected of you? Do you panic? What are your rights? Well, in this week's episode, we explore these questions from the point of view of a newly arrived immigrant in the United States. And assisting us is one of Salem Police Department's greatest resources. Officer Young is the only bilingual officer in her police department. Her ability to speak Spanish has allowed effective communication and assistance for our growing Hispanic community. And today, she shares insight into complicated situations a non-English speaker may encounter. Along with this conversation, we once again blend Appalachian and Latino culture in the form of music with the band Larry and Joe. Larry Bayorin is an asylum seeker from Venezuela who met his fellow band member, Joe Troop, in North Carolina. Both are brilliant artists who play multiple instruments, and their relationship has created a diffusion of continents, and their stories are as fascinating as their sound. Be sure to check out both in our links today under our episode description. As always, our mission is to create an archive of meaningful accounts while sharing artists with similar experiences and cultural backgrounds. And now, here are their stories. [♪ music playing ♪ So when you introduce yourself as a police officer, not obviously when you're wearing a uniform, but when you're wearing street clothes and maybe you're at a social gathering, what is the response? It depends on the crowd. Sometimes they're like, oh my goodness, thank you so much for your service, which I don't know how to respond to that. I'm always like, oh, thank you. But then there's other crowds I hang out with, of course, that I'm like, hey, maybe don't tell them that I'm a police officer. And when they do find out, they're like, oh. So either way is awkward? Yeah, either way is awkward. I get something similar whenever I tell someone that I teach English as a second language. Sometimes I get, oh, that's cool. And you can kind of tell they have no idea what I do. But then some are really confused. They're like, English as a second language. But then it always evolves into a pretty deep conversation. Officer Young, can you introduce yourself? Yes. So like you just said, I'm Officer Young. I work for the Salem Police Department. I've been there for two and a half years, I think. I'm originally from Fairfax, Virginia. Not born there. I was born in England, but that's kind of a long story. My dad is from California. My mom is from Spain. And I went to Virginia Tech, and that's kind of how I ended up here. And so that segues into this. Your Hispanic heritage, obviously it's on your mother's side. Where was she born and raised, and how did you come about being bilingual? My mom was born in the town of Orvitia in Spain. It's in the Basque Country. Her entire family is over there. Her mom is actually from the south of Spain, but they ended up in the north. She came here to Minnesota as an exchange student. A very similar climate to Spain. Yeah, for sure. No, freezing cold over there, but she loved it. And then my dad actually went to Spain. They both went to the University of Granada in the south of Spain. I've been to Granada. Oh, have you? It's spectacular. It's great. And that's how they met. So then they moved to L.A. for a little bit and then somehow ended up in Virginia. When I was a kid, I used to visit Spain every year for a month. Very nice. Yes, we would do the town festival, all that fun stuff, see family. I have my own friends over there. It's great. Very cool, very cool. You were born in England, though. Yes, my dad is an engineer. He went over there for about five years, so me and my brother were both born there, and then they came back. You weren't really raised in England? No, we were there for five years before we moved back. So you don't use any of the mother tongue vocabulary? I write gray with an E. I used to write color with a U just to be fancy, but now I write like an American. Do you wear a jumper in the winter? I don't. I wear sweaters. Okay. That's what I was thinking. Yes. But your Spanish was Spain Spanish, correct? Yes, it is. Or Castilian. There are obviously differences between Castilian Spanish and our Latino Spanish. Does that ever catch you off guard? It used to. When I started and I would be talking to people, I would ask them for their carnet de conducir, and they were like, mi licencia? Mi licencia. Yeah, I was like, yes, that. So I've had to adapt my Spanish to when I'm talking on the job. Is there really that much vocabulary that is different from Spain and from Central America or Latin America? It's pretty similar. For the most part, it's just some slang differences, but for the most part you can figure out what people are saying based on context. And as a police officer, I'm guessing your slang game is pretty strong by now? No, it's very, very minimal still. Yeah. We don't use a lot of slang when talking to people on the street, and they don't use it back. Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay, that makes sense. So let's talk about this relationship with your culture. Do you still visit Spain? Yes. I didn't go for four years in college. Last year I went back for a week, I think, and I loved it. I've been losing a little bit of my Spanish since I haven't been using it at home. I still talk to my mom in Spanish, of course, but when I went over there, they were like, wow, I'm really impressed how much Spanish you still have, not having been here for so long. Is your father bilingual? He is, yeah. He took Spanish in high school, went abroad for that semester in college. Magical semester. Magical semester. It changed his whole life and mine. So when we were kids, my mom would talk to us in Spanish, and my dad would talk to us in English. And I don't know how it works, but, like, children's brains, and even now, switch just like that. It's so interesting to me how you can switch from one language to the next within seconds without thinking about it when you grow up bilingual. That's the key, because when you get to my age, learning another language is a little bit harder. A question. Yeah. You shared a story with me earlier today. So you found yourself in a unique situation where your talent was extremely valuable. So a couple of months ago, there was a shooting. It was actually two cars across from each other on Main Street. It was outside of a Hispanic church. So while other people went to, you know, find the shooters and do all that stuff, I went to talk to the witnesses, because I'm the only officer in Salem who speaks Spanish. You're the only officer in our little town. Yes, the only one. And the witnesses, there were, like, 15 of them, only spoke Spanish. So, of course, I had to take all of the notes and everything, had to translate it to English for the report. And I still see one of the men who I interviewed that day from time to time. He waves at me. He's like, hey, Dr. Young, how are you? It's really fun. Yes, I was actually surprised by how valuable Spanish really is. And I think people are more and more surprised how important this skill is, especially in Salem, Virginia, here. Our population is certainly shifting. But are there challenges of being a female in a rather male-dominated profession? There are. I'm one of two female police officers in Salem. We are on different shifts, so I only see her at shift change. It's interesting because I've never been in such a male-dominated environment, and men talk differently behind closed doors, as everybody knows. And not to slip this in there, but I'm gay, so they feel like, you know, you like women, we like women, we can talk about women freely in kind of, I don't want to say derogatory ways, but they would never say it to a woman. Yes. So do you feel like they're more accepted because of that? In some ways, yes, actually, because they feel like they can talk to me like I'm one of the boys, almost. But in other ways, of course, I am a woman, and I know how it feels to be a woman and be talked about like the way they're talking about women. And I have to speak up and say, hey, think about what you just said, maybe don't. And I think that it has impacted the ways that they speak and they think in a good way. So you continuously are having a positive impact on our community, but also on our police force. I'm trying my best. That's tough. Yeah, it's a little tough. Of course, I'm very good friends with all of them. So it is more of a peer-to-peer, hey, you're a really good guy. I hate to see you acting this way. And them saying, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize because a lot of the times they don't realize what they're saying. In our class, which is heavily Latino, and so we talk about machismo on a regular basis. And I don't know how strong that was a part of your culture from Spain, but I feel like in Central America and Latin America, it's certainly a topic that comes up quite often, especially in our literature and just kind of our daily discussions in class. So we talked about the challenges of being a female, but you had mentioned that there are actually benefits of being female in a male-dominated profession. Explain. Yes. So when people think police officer, they think, oh, big, burly man, very authoritative. And then I show up on the call and people are like, oh, a tiny woman. I feel like they don't feel like they need to puff up at me as much. Women have more of a reputation of empathy and compassion, and they feel like they can talk to me a little bit more. And honestly, like I'm less afraid that they're going to beat me up because I can see them relax when I show up. [♪ singing in Spanish ♪]. When was the last time you had an opportunity to use your Spanish? I guess the shooting outside the church happened a couple months ago, you were saying. How often do you use your Spanish? Sometimes it's three times in one shift, and other times I'll go two weeks without talking to someone in Spanish. Really? Yes. How do you keep sharp? I talk to my mom a lot, sometimes in my head. I'll just talk to myself in Spanish. I listen to some Spanish music. I like reggaeton and stuff like that. So, yeah, just keeping a date with that. Very cool. And if you can understand Bad Bunny. If you can understand Bad Bunny, then you're good. You're good to go. Okay, so let's try this. I'll ask a question in English, you answer in English, and then provide a short translation, if you would, in Spanish. I will try, sure. All right, and these are student questions. Are there more opportunities in the police force for multilingual individuals? Yes, there's always a need for more multilingual individuals. There's been calls that, you know, I don't speak that language, like Arabic, or we could always use more Spanish-speaking officers because I'm one person and we have four shifts. So to add on to that, and this is just me adding on to that, would you say the police force is not a very diverse profession, or at least in our valley? It's very male-dominated, majority white, but we have several black officers. We have a Hispanic detective. I don't think we have any Hispanic officers besides me, of course. I don't know about the rest of the valley. I think it's mostly white, but there is a little bit of diversity. Now in Spanish. Okay. I think there are opportunities for people who speak other languages. There are times when there are calls that I don't speak that language, like Arabic, and, of course, we need more officers who speak Spanish because I'm just one person and we have four shifts, you know. In Salem, there are almost all men. The majority are white, but there are some blacks. We have a Hispanic detective. I'm also Hispanic, but I'm also white. Does the police force actively recruit Latinos or recruit non-Caucasian officers? I don't think they have any specific strategies geared towards any one specific population. It's just whoever comes to the table, we try to recruit them. Okay. Yeah. Here's another student question. What motivated you to become a police officer? It's odd because none of my family, nor extended family, is in public service except for teachers. I think it's mainly I saw my mom helping people a lot growing up, and I was like, oh, I want to help people. That's what I want to do, and, you know, being a police officer, helping isn't really the first thing you think of, but I think it's a super, super important part of the job is to be able to help people, and even when you're arresting them, being compassionate and helping them in the smallest ways you can, like, oh, do you need to go to the bathroom? Do you need this and that? And just being kind. Now in Spanish, please. Of course. My family isn't firefighters, they're not police officers. We don't have anyone in the military. There are a couple of teachers, but I don't know. My mom always helps people, and I grew up watching that. And, I don't know, I think being a police officer was my version of helping, and I know that, you know, being a police officer, the first thing you think of is not helping, but it's something super important when you're working with the public. It's, you know, being compassionate and helping and saying, what do you need today? My younger self first would be intimidated by you because you're a police officer, but my younger self would be shocked to find out that I became a teacher. What would your younger self, how would your younger self respond finding out that you became a police officer? I think she would not be shocked, but she probably would be like, I thought I would end up in, like, advocacy or something else, not like a paramilitary organization kind of thing, you know. But I think she'd be okay with where I am. Very cool. Yeah. Another student question. What translation services do you have at the police station for a person who speaks no English and is probably detained? We use a language line. We have a phone number that we call and we say, hello, I have someone who speaks Spanish with me, and then they will get an interpreter who speaks Spanish on the line and they will translate word for word everything that the officer says and everything that the detainee says. And we do the same thing here at the high school. Okay. So how does a non-multilingual police officer communicate with someone who does not speak English? Let's say at a traffic stop. How does a non-multilingual police officer communicate with someone who does not speak English? How does a non-multilingual police officer communicate with someone who does not speak English? So how does a non-multilingual police officer communicate with someone who does not speak English, let's say at a traffic stop? Because if you are saying you're the only bilingual police officer out on the streets, what happens when an American police officer pulls someone over? Well, ideally, I would be working and they would call me. But a lot of the times it's really just pulling out their phone and using Google Translate. If it's a longer traffic stop, they'll also call the language line and make sure it's like word for word interpreted. Excellent. Or en Español. Gracias. Si estoy trabajando, claro que me llamarían a mí para poder traducir. Pero si no, usan el móvil con Google Translate. No sé cómo decir eso en Español. O llaman a la línea de lenguaje. So how do you say traffic stop? How would you say that? I just wanted to explain the situation in Spanish there. Parada de auto. Parada de tráfico. En el caso tenemos una persona que no puede hablar Inglés. Sí. What happens, and we're going to dive a little deeper here, what happens to a person if she's pulled over with no identification and is assumed to be undocumented? The nice thing is that we have a system where you can look up by name and date of birth or by social is the best way. So the officer would just ask, hey, do you have your license? No. Okay, what's your social? If you don't have a social, what's your name, date of birth, and where are you from? Okay. So can you kind of explain the situation I just gave you in Spanish as you answer it? Of course. I'm so demanding. No, that's okay. Sometimes I forget words, so if I have to slow down. Oh, no worries, no worries. One time I forgot the word for tow truck when I was like, I have to call the – Well, what the heck is tow truck in Español? Grúa. Grúa? Grúa. I've never learned that word. Well, now you know it. Now I know it. Yes. And just to clarify, in that situation, it is not your job to catch people. No, absolutely not. We're local law enforcement. We don't work with ICE only in very extreme situations like you murdered somebody in that case. We probably get ICE involved, but if it's just a routine traffic stop, absolutely not. Okay, can you explain that in Spanish, please? Yes. Si paramos a alguien o estamos hablando con alguien que no tiene documentos de este país, no hablamos con ICE. Somos autoridades locales. No tenemos nada que ver con eso, solo si es un delito súper grande como si has matado a alguien, you know? Ya sabes. What happens to an undocumented immigrant if he is arrested? It's the same as anybody else who is arrested. Like I just said, we don't really talk to ICE very often. Si alguien está arrestado o detenido, nosotros no hablamos con ICE. Solo si es un delito súper grande. So I thought this next question was really good. How can families access emergency services if they don't speak English? You mean like fire, EMS, police? I think that's what this student meant. Sure. It would be the same. You would either call 911 or call the non-emergency number based on what's going on, and then you really would just have to be like, I don't speak English. If you say it in Spanish, they'll catch on that you don't speak English, and they'll get you a language line as soon as they can. Yeah, okay. En Español? En Español. Si tiene que llamar a servicios de emergencia, llaman al 911 o al número de no es emergencia, ya sabes, y simplemente dices, no hablo Inglés, o empiezas a hablar en Español y encontrarán a alguien que habla Español. Perfecto, perfecto. Okay, our last student question of this session. You've been amazing. Thank you. Oh, thank you. What should a person do if she does not understand what an officer is saying at a traffic stop? Because I would imagine this would be, you know, if I were to get pulled over, I'd be like, oh, my God, what do I say? What do I do? What does a person that is in a foreign country and does not speak the language do if he or she does not understand what you are saying? Well, first is stay in the car. Keep your hands probably on the steering wheel or somewhere visible, and I guess just keep shaking your head or shrugging, you know, pointing to your ear and kind of being like, I don't understand, just the universal, I don't understand gestures, and hopefully they'll catch on to what language you speak. And then, of course, the language line will be faster than this. Yes, yes. Okay, fantastic. En Español. Si no entiende lo que está diciendo un oficial, primero quedes en el carro o auto, mantenga las manos donde pueda ver el oficial, y simplemente empieza a usar las manos diciendo, you know, apuntando a su oído y negando con la cabeza. Entonces dice, no hablo. No hablo Inglés. A lo mejor entienden eso, pero... Entonces la línea de lenguaje, ¿sí? Sí, llamaría a alguien. Can you think of a situation or information we should provide to our Hispanic or overall our immigrant non-English speaking population? When you see the police, we are not your enemies. We are typically always, we're always trying to help someone in one way or the other. So I know it's very daunting to see the police uniform, but if we try to talk to you, we're just trying to get information to help somebody. Please don't run away. Please talk to us. You don't have to. That's your right. You don't have to talk to us. But, you know, we're not here to make you afraid. That's not our job. You should all become police officers. We need you. The community needs you. And Spanish speakers need you. And you know what? And I've said this on the podcast and my kids are probably sick of hearing me say it, but if you want to see people in the community, leaders in the community that represent you and your culture, then maybe you have to be the first one. I completely agree with that. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, you look at my profession, teaching, and it's predominantly white. You know, that doesn't accurately represent the diversity in America's classrooms. In a society that continues to become more and more diverse, professions that serve the public, such as education and law enforcement, must adapt. Unfortunately, neither truly represents the growing diversity in most communities. Luckily, individuals such as Officer Young have taken the initiative to represent their culture and assist the increasing non-English speaking population. Hopefully, we'll begin to see a trend of more Latinos and non-white individuals joining the police force and becoming teachers. Thank you, Officer Young, for protecting our community and acting as a bridge to our Latino population. We're also grateful for your time and the relevant information you shared in both languages today. Thank you, Larry and Joe, for providing this week's soundtrack with your unique Appalachian fusion. Be sure to check out their story in the links found within our episode description. And thank you, listeners, for joining us on another episode of Pots, Pans, and Gritos. But as always, thank you for being an ally to English learners everywhere. Thank you. Thank you.