MERIDEN—A number of elected officials, included Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati, have received criticism from local Spanish speakers for lack of communication surrounding the move of the fields from MidState hospital to Columbus Park.
Critics say the response has called into question the mixed experiences of many Meriden Spanish speakers when interacting with city government.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that nearly a third of Meriden residents over the age of 5 spoke another language in 2022. Most of them spoke Spanish — about 15,000 residents, or 26% of the city’s population. About 60% of Spanish-speakers spoke English very well, but the remaining 6,000 residents are considered Limited English Proficient.
Alejandro González of the Mexican Soccer League has been one of the city’s most vocal critics. He has been leading the league 13 years and participated public comment of the City Council’s meeting of June 17. González spoke in Spanish and brought strongly-worded comments against Scarpati, who has led the initiative to approve the relocation of soccer fields at MidState hospital.
Read the full story by the Record-Journal’s Latino Communities Lab at:
https://www.ctinsider.com/recordjournal
Publisher’s Note: CTLatinoNews partners with the Latino Communities Reporting Lab in best serving the Hispanic-Latino communities of Connecticut.
