http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2007/08/19/news/news/news06.txt

One ethnic group hit hardest by killings

Some see violence as product of culture

Community leaders wonder what can be done about recent violence in city.

By Matthew Leonido

ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITERBROCKTON — The bloodshed last weekend reminded Leny Monteiro of the week her brother, Larry, was murdered five years ago.

“It's kind of weird in a sense for me. He was killed on Saturday and the next Wednesday there was another Cape Verdean that was killed in Brockton,” Monteiro, 28, said.

Two people, Rosa Andrade, 39, and Claudio Montrond, 20, were killed last Sunday in separate attacks by people they had once been involved with, police said.

Carlita Chaney, 28, was shot to death early Thursday morning, the latest slaying that affected the growing Cape Verdean community in the city.

The recent rise of violence has community leaders wondering why it is happening and what can be done to stop it.

“You sit here trying to see what you can do to help the situation. It's not difficult to help, but it becomes harder and harder. Even if you've done a lot, it seems to just continue to happen,” Monteiro said.

The 2000 U.S. census has Brockton's Cape Verdean population at 8,844, which, according to the Cape Verdean Association of Brockton is too low.

Officials believe the actual Cape Verdean population in the city falls between 20,000 to 30,000.

The census reports Taunton's Cape Verdean population is 1,425, while Wareham's Cape Verdean population was 1,556. The total Cape Verdean population in the US is estimated to be over 400,000.

Aminah Pilgrim, vice president of the Cape Verdean Association of Brockton, sees the violence affecting local Cape Verdeans as a product of their socialization and how they perceive American cultural values.

“What we see is the result of the status of our society right now. When many people become acculturated into American society, they will be affected by the violence that the United States promotes. The American culture values material things and instant gratification more than it values people, and that's what leads to violent acts and people being desperate and getting involved in violence,” Pilgrim said.

Part of the problem may be how some members of the community view the American way of life — and how they can fit in, several people said.

“Cape Verdeans are more used to the family and looking out for each other. When they get over here, it isn't that way anymore,” said Barbara Burgo, a cultural anthropologist from Taunton.

Burgo is a third generation Cape Verdean American. She has visited Cape Verde many times, and saw how different the culture is from the US.

“On the island it seems that they have a history of nonviolence, even from their independence struggle in the '70s. (The violence) isn't coming from that culture, where there is a lot of acceptance of differences and less competition between socioeconomic status. Coming here, the competition for jobs is fierce and it surprises a lot of Cape Verdeans that our American dream isn't as easily attainable as one would think from the other side of the ocean,” Burgo said.

Working multiple jobs and difficulty learning English also contribute to parents losing track of what their children are doing.

“The parents sometimes don't know what the kids face when they are outside. With parents out working multiple jobs to get by, kids get left and just have too much time on their hands,” said Ambrizeth Lima, an educator who has studied Cape Verdeans.

Pilgrim, an African studies professor at UMass-Boston, said Cape Verdean values can be lost when families emigrate to the U.S.

“The values that Cape Verde is known for include peace, love of family and community, include working hard, valuing education, and valuing life itself. Most of the families that have been affected by violence have no history of violence or disruptive behavior until they came to the United States,” Pilgrim said.

The Rev. James Flavin, of St. Edith Stein Church, said more can be done throughout the community to combat the recent wave of violence.

“We are trying to bridge the gap between people coming here and trying to understand the American way. We as a community need to do a better job about the struggles teens go through and the dangers that can be out there,” Flavin said.

Last Sunday, hundreds of Cape Verdean parents and youths gathered at St. Edith Stein after the weekly Cape Verdean Mass to discuss ways to decrease youth violence in the city. Flavin believes the community is committed to ending the problem.

“We are working with the Cape Verdean Association, politicians, all groups in the city to end all violence,” Flavin said.

Lima's past studies of Cape Verdean men in this country have shown there is nothing inherently violent about that specific group.

“It's hard for me to categorize it as a problem within the Cape Verdean community. It is a problem we are facing everywhere,” Lima said.

One quarter of the men from her study said they had previous experiences with violence.

All of them blamed the surroundings for leading them to act violently.

“They come from Cape Verde and go to an environment where this is already happening. As one said, if somebody puts a gun to your head, you have to decide do you die or do you pull the trigger,” Lima said.

Pilgrim believes Montrond's death, her distant cousin, this past weekend had nothing to do with the fact that he is part of the Cape Verdean community.

“He represents the best of the Cape Verdean community. He was a college student and he worked full time to help support his family. Not every 20-something Cape Verdean man is a destructive force in society,” Pilgrim said.

Lima believes that if more funding was available for programs, there would be less violence.

“My study showed that engaging kids in certain activities did them good. We need to decide whether or not we are going to spend our money on those programs or on jail space. Its a no-brainer,” Lima said.

Matthew Leonido can be reached at mleonido@enterprisenews.com.