{"id":5093941,"date":"2024-07-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5093941"},"modified":"2024-07-25T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T11:00:00","slug":"midstate-soccer-fields-controversy-highlights-mixed-language-accessibility-in-meriden-city-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2024\/07\/25\/midstate-soccer-fields-controversy-highlights-mixed-language-accessibility-in-meriden-city-government\/","title":{"rendered":"MidState soccer fields controversy highlights mixed language accessibility in Meriden city government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MERIDEN\u2014A number of elected officials, included Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati, have received criticism from local Spanish speakers for lack of communication <\/a>surrounding the move of the fields from MidState hospital to Columbus Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics say the response has called into question the mixed experiences of many Meriden Spanish speakers when interacting with city government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated<\/a> 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\u2019s population. About 60% of Spanish-speakers spoke English very well, but the remaining 6,000 residents are considered Limited English Proficient.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez of the Mexican Soccer League has been one of the city\u2019s most vocal critics. He has been leading the league 13 years and participated public comment of the City Council\u2019s meeting of June 17. Gonz\u00e1lez 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story by the Record-Journal\u2019s Latino Communities Lab at:<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/recordjournal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Publisher\u2019s Note:<\/em><\/strong> CTLatinoNews partners with the Latino Communities Reporting Lab in best serving the Hispanic-Latino communities of Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MERIDEN\u2014A number of elected officials, included Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati, have received criticism from local Spanish speakers for lack of 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