Ford Idaho Center death highlights Hispanic community fears

NAMPA — Witnesses of a deadly fist fight at the Ford Idaho Center last month have been reluctant to share what they saw with Nampa Police.

Some witnesses told the Idaho Press in the days after the fight that they’re hesitant to come forward or speak on the record because of a fear of police.

Local leaders in Canyon County’s Hispanic community aren’t surprised by these fears or residents’ reluctance to speak about what they witnessed — good or bad.

“There definitely is not a good relationship,” said Margie Gonzalez, a Canyon County resident and the executive director of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs. “They don’t see law enforcement as an ally.”

A language barrier may play a role. Hispanic residents make up 25 percent of Canyon County’s population, but the representation of Spanish-speaking officers in local law enforcement agencies lags behind, at 8 to 11 percent.

Lt. Eric Skoglund, Nampa Police’s head of criminal investigations, found it difficult to identify the source of the local Hispanic community’s reported discomfort with law enforcement — though he said the national climate could play a role.

“It’s hard on law enforcement to try to eliminate bad impressions if we don’t understand where they’re coming from,” he said.

Over a month into Nampa Police’s investigation into the Ford Idaho Center fight, police have received few witness reports. Skoglund declined to specific how many, and he said most witnesses were contacted by police first, rather than coming forward with information.

The fight took place in the early morning hours of June 9, as a crowd was leaving a concert featuring Mexican bands. A 24-year-old, Pedro Fernandez-Ramirez, died hours later in the hospital.

Crowd members speculated online, often in Spanish, that Nampa police officers used a Taser on Fernandez-Ramirez, causing him to fall and suffer a head injury. The police department has maintained that it only deployed a Taser on a different man, an unidentified concertgoer who was not seriously injured. Using a Taser helped stop the fight, according to the police department.

As the investigation continues, no charges have been filed, and witness statements have dried up.

A ‘separation and disconnect’

Hispanics are Idaho’s largest minority group at roughly 12.5 percent of the population. Canyon County has the largest Hispanic community in Idaho, with 54,873 Hispanic residents, according to 2017 census data. Roughly 25 percent of Canyon County is Hispanic, compared to just 8 percent in Ada County.

Many members of Canyon County law enforcement cited some outreach efforts toward the minority group, whether through a monthly radio show or attending community events.

The Boise Police Department — serving a comparatively small Hispanic population — is the only local department that conducts that outreach through an official liaison to the Hispanic community, Officer Ed Moreno.

Gonzalez travels around Idaho in her role with the Hispanic Commission, setting up town halls for Hispanic communities and local leaders everywhere from Twin Falls to Coeur d’Alene to tiny communities in Central Idaho. She said such forums are crucial, because the disconnect is deeper than just fear of law enforcement and memories of decades-old immigration raids. Many Idaho Latinos, especially in rural areas, are isolated from the rest of the community and don’t know the names of their mayor or elected officials.

“There’s a real separation and disconnect between the Hispanic community and our elected officials.” Gonzalez said.

Cities are chosen based on a planned schedule, or after a request from a city council or law enforcement interested in connecting with their community. Although the commission is planning town halls in Canyon County this fall, Gonzalez said they have never received any request from Canyon County law enforcement or city officials. Instead, Gonzalez said most of their interactions with Canyon County law enforcement agencies are prompted by complaints.

Nampa Police Lt. Joe Ramirez participates in a monthly Spanish program on La Grande 106.3 FM, which he believes gives the Hispanic community a familiar name to go to. He told the Idaho Press he didn’t see a difference in how Nampa police interacts with Spanish-speakers and the rest of the community.

“I think it’s the same relationship that we have with any part of our community based on the contacts that we make with them,” Ramirez said. “We do the best job we can with the resources we’re provided.”

Skoglund and others in the Nampa Police Department also cited an understaffed department that doesn’t have as much time for community policing — where officers police the same area to become familiar with the locals — as they did in the past. A decade ago, Ramirez said, the department was more proactive, and bilingual officers were encouraged to attend Hispanic forums and events. Now, as population growth outpaces police hires, officers must focus more on responding to crimes than preventing them.

“We have good people down here that want to be involved in the community, but we are such a reactive department,” Nampa Police Chief Joe Huff said.

Nampa City Councilman Victor Rodriguez, who was part of the Nampa Police Department during its emphasis on community policing, agreed with Huff’s assessment. While he, too, is eager to know the results of the Ford Idaho Center investigation, he didn’t see the disconnect other Hispanic leaders mentioned.

“I think the Hispanic community, for the most part, does believe in law enforcement,” Rodriguez said. “Especially in Nampa.”

Canyon County

Caldwell Police Chief Frank Wyant said there would always be some discomfort or lack of trust toward police no matter what race, color or orientation a person was. That’s why Caldwell emphasizes community policing.

“The public will only trust you as much as they know you,” Wyant said.

Canyon County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Gilbert Longoria said he understands both sides of law enforcement and the Hispanic community, as he grew up in a Mexican-American home with Spanish as his first language and has been in law enforcement for about 28 years.

Law enforcement also needs the Hispanic community’s help in bridging the gap, Longoria said.

“I want that community to know they’re safe,” Longoria said. “We have people that will help you, but we are not always readily available to do that. So that’s why we need the help from them, as well.”

Both Gonzalez from the Hispanic Commission and Wilder City Councilwoman Elena Villanueva also said the disconnect likely wasn’t due to law enforcement actions alone. Gonzalez cited the tendency of unchecked rumors on forums like local Facebook groups spreading misinformation, while Villanueva wondered if it was general distrust of authority. She said some in the Wilder community have expressed they feel targeted by local law enforcement, but she said cultural differences might also play a role.

“Hispanic culture is all about the collective and family, and anyone who is not a part of that is an outsider,” Villanueva said. “But our police are part of our community, too.”

In Wilder, where a majority of the elected officials are Hispanic, Villanueva said local leaders encourage community members to be a part of the solution. But that can be difficult with continuing national hysteria over immigration policies. It’s easy for the community to associate local police with the same federal immigration officers who may try to deport their loved ones, Villanueva said.

Some of the mistrust, Longoria with the sheriff’s office said, can be from previous encounters with law enforcement. But he believes most of the disconnect can be tied to the language barrier. Longoria said the Hispanic community is less comfortable with officers who don’t speak Spanish because of the uncertainty they’re being understood. Officers who don’t have Spanish-language skills have the same concern, Longoria said.

“I know when I get to a scene and there’s an officer who doesn’t speak Spanish, I start speaking Spanish to them and let them know that,” Longoria said. “You can almost see the blood pressure go down.”

Language barrier

Nampa Police Sgt. Tim Riha said Nampa has just enough bilingual officers to get by, which also include officers fluent in Russian and Chinese. Riha said the department offers incentives for those who speak a second language. Bilingual officers get paid more and, as new officers, get higher testing points.

The Nampa Police Department has nine Spanish-speaking certified officers out of 117 officers, fewer than 8 percent. Riha said other officers, like himself, are able to speak a little bit of Spanish to communicate. About 18 percent, or three dispatchers out of 17, are bilingual. There is also one bilingual employee in the records department, an administrative assistant and a community service officer, Riha said.

The Caldwell Police Department has seven or eight sworn officers out of 67, roughly 11 percent, who speak Spanish.

Speaking Spanish is beneficial, Wyant said, but an officer has to have many other qualities to succeed. It can be hard to find someone who both qualifies for an officer position and is also bilingual, he said.

The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office has about four patrol deputies out of 43 who speak Spanish, or 9 percent. However, there are about 15 additional Spanish-speaking deputies who work in the jail, which includes medical staff, courts and transport. There are over 140 deputies employed with the office.

Canyon County Communications Manager Roxanne Wade said when she works in the dispatch center and someone does not speak English, a pause from the reporting party alerts her that they are worried they may have a harder time getting help. But the dispatch center has used a translation system called Language Line since at least 1991, which offers translation services in hundreds of languages.

“I think it is a big bridge for us,” Wade said. “For me it’s comforting to know that any language we need, they’re (Language Line) there to help us.”

Boise’s approach

The Boise Police Department learned a decade ago that effective community policing in Boise’s Hispanic community isn’t just about hiring more Spanish-speaking officers.

Officer Moreno, Boise Police’s Hispanic community liaison, said two incidents several years ago prompted him to rethink how their department should approach policing and outreach to Boise’s Hispanic community. The first was when a young man killed his roommate in 2007. Both were Mexican, and both families, witnesses and key figures in the case were Spanish-speakers. The second was a stabbing in 2013 at a Boise trailer park.

Moreno, as the first Spanish-speaking officer on the scene and one of the chief investigators of the case going forward, found himself spending a significant amount of time not just interviewing witnesses and victims in Spanish, but explaining how the entire process and system worked. Many victims were eager for police officers to find and arrest the offenders, but they weren’t providing witness statements or being involved in the investigation.

“After that incident, I knew I needed to do outreach and find some resources,” Moreno said. “I did research on the Hispanic leaders in our community.”

Moreno called on community leaders across the Treasure Valley for help, including the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs and Humberto Fuentes at the Hispanic Cultural Center in Nampa. He wrote safety articles for a Spanish newspaper and participated in Spanish radio shows, like Ramirez from the Nampa Police Department.

Fuentes said he values this consistent effort to stay connected with the Hispanic community through the cultural center — even though it’s in Nampa, not Boise. Although Fuentes said Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling has made connecting with Hispanic community leaders a priority, he hasn’t seen a similar effort from the police department or any other Canyon County law enforcement.

Moreno said he receives calls for help and advice from Spanish-speakers and Hispanic community members anywhere from Fruitland to Jerome to Ontario. He’s also attended community events in Canyon County, like a Cinco de Mayo festival in Caldwell. Moreno said he’s yet to work in tandem with Canyon County law enforcement agencies, though he’s reached out.

“People ask me, ‘Why isn’t Nampa doing what you’re doing?’ I can’t answer that question,” Moreno said. “Every department, it’s whatever they’re doing, whatever their philosophy is.”

Moreno said he also spends time educating members of the Hispanic community about the difference between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials. Idaho law enforcement officers do not enforce federal immigration laws — although Immigration and Customs Enforcement does have access to citizenship information about Idaho county jail inmates.

The distinction between local policing and federal immigration enforcement is crucial for community members to understand, Moreno said, if they are going to feel comfortable coming to police to report crimes. That trust only comes from a positive relationship with police.

“It’s advantageous for you and for us to come forward and report that crime,” Moreno said. “I always say your local police has nothing to do with ICE or your immigration status.”

Questions left at Ford Idaho Center

Following his death, Fernandez-Ramirez’s family set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for a funeral and to send his body back to his wife in Mexico.

The fight broke out as people were leaving the Banda el Recodo and Los Tucanes de Tijuana concert at the Ford Idaho Center, which was held June 8 and went past midnight.

In initial reports, Nampa Police, who were on site providing event security, said Fernandez-Ramirez was unconscious when they arrived on scene. Later, police amended this report, saying Fernandez-Ramirez fell and struck his head at the same time as police hit another man with a Taser, who fell beside him.

Fernandez-Ramirez was pronounced dead at a Saint Alphonsus hospital later that morning. Police said he was not hit with a Taser.

Nampa police released its first public statement on the fight nearly 50 hours afterward, and after reporters called for comment.

Lt. Skoglund said the department cares about getting information to the public after an incident. The fallout of this delay was a “lesson learned,” he said, as the department had underestimated the rumors that would spread before they issued their statement.

Skoglund said officers interviewed their last witness about a week after the fight, but it was not someone who willingly came forward. The lack of information, he said, is normal following the days and weeks after a case.

The Ada County Coroner’s Office denied a request for an autopsy report and toxicology reports because Fernandez-Ramirez’s death is still under investigation.

The family has declined to speak with the Idaho Press on the issue. Others who attended the Ford Idaho Center and witnessed portions of the fight and police response were similarly hesitant to speak with reporters and go on the record with comments.

Moving forward

Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling called the Ford Idaho Center incident unfortunate and said she felt deeply sorry for the pain of Fernandez-Ramirez’s family. She said strengthening Nampa’s relationship with the Hispanic community would be an important part of the city’s strategic plan moving forward.

“I have a heart for the Hispanic community,” she said. “We will absolutely put processes and opportunities in place to see what we can do to be more inclusive in our community and support our Hispanic community.”

Kling said that’s another reason she and Nampa City Council are working with the Mexican Consulate in Boise to revive their sister city agreement with Tizapan El Alto. Nampa and Tizapan El Alto, a city in the central Mexican state of Jalisco, signed a sister-city agreement in 2002 under then-Nampa Mayor Tom Dale. The relationship between the cities centered on tourism, trade, cultural activities and educational exchanges.

Longoria from the sheriff’s office said he would like to see some type of meet and greet where the Hispanic community can express concerns to law enforcement, “so we aren’t guessing or assuming what those problems are.”

Fuentes, president of the Hispanic Cultural Center in Nampa, echoed this hope for a regular community forum, such as the Latino advisory council that existed several years ago.

Ultimately, Gonzalez from the Hispanic commission said, Treasure Valley law enforcement officers shouldn’t use national fear as an excuse for the climate in their own neighborhoods. She said community members would feel comfortable reaching out to local police officers if they made an effort to be a part of the Hispanic community by attending celebrations like Día de los Niños, or doing “coffee with a cop” events in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods.

“Don’t just send your Latino cops,” Gonzalez said. “Send everyone. They need to break that disconnect.”