Nuestra Comunidad: Neighborhood group works to defend residents’ rights

Sebelia Chavero and her children underwent a scary ordeal last summer, when several police officers entered her apartment at Huntington Station without a search warrant, said Chavero in an interview with MundoHispánico. Although everything turned out O.K., the situation left her concerned.

“My children and I were frightened, because they came in the door without us opening it,” she explained.

According to Chavero, a native of Mexico, the experience was reason enough to attend the monthly meeting of a local group known as ‘Los Vecinos de Buford Highway’ (Buford Highway Neighbors). There, residents of different apartment complexes in the area meet once a month to discuss issues of concern, such as immigration, safety, and education.

“What we do is we talk to the people who live here, because we want to know their opinions, to find out what the community is talking about and see how we can guide them to resources,” said Marco Palma, one of the leaders of Los Vecinos de Buford Highway. “There are offices where they can give their opinions, but a lot of people don’t know how to navigate those buildings.”

Most of the meetings are about connecting residents with others who can help them, such as translators and social services.

Another member of the organization, Rebeca Cohen, welcomed attendees at the meeting.

“I love working in and being a part of this community. For me it’s special that my children are growing up with people from all over the world,” said Cohen, in reference to Buford Highway’s sizable Latino population.