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Joseph Maturo, East Haven Mayor, Receives Hundreds Of Tacos After Insensitive Comments

Maturo Tacos Delivered

First Posted: 01/26/2012 7:16 pm Updated: 01/26/2012 9:20 pm

He wanted tacos? He got tacos. 2,000 of them.

An immigrants' rights group in East Haven delivered thousands of tacos to Mayor Jospeh Maturo's office the day after he made comments that many are calling insensitive.

After four East Haven police officers were arrested in a racial profiling case, Maturo said that he "might have tacos" for dinner in honor of the Latino community.

In response, Reform Immigration for America delivered more than two thousand tacos to his office along with a message:

"We just delivered 500 tacos to the mayor's office as a visual of all those across the country who are outraged by his careless remarks," the group posted on their website earlier this afternoon.

The group those who found the mayor's comments offensive to text TACO to an automated number in order to send a taco to Mayor Maturo's office this week. They say that as of this morning, they'd gotten more than 3,500 texts.





Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut called the comments "racially insensitive", "repugnant" and "unacceptable. The mayor later apologized for his statements, saying that he was tired after a long day.

But, Reform Immigration for America says that's not enough. They'll continue delivering a taco for every text they receive.

"But what's happening with the tacos!?," you may be wondering. The group said earlier today that they'd arranged for them to be donated to a local food pantry -- a plan that they say the mayor is now trying to take credit for.

In a press release published today, Maturo said, "Recognizing that there are many in need in our State, we have arranged for all of the tacos to be donated to local soup kitchens and pantries."

WATCH: Maturo "Might Have Tacos"



WATCH: POLITICIANS HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF SHOCKING LATINO CONSTITUENCIES:
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  • Herman Cain

    On his recent campaign stop in Miami, Herman Cain took some time to try some Latino cuisine, and offend a few Latinos along the way. After biting into a croqueta at Miami's famed Versailles Cafe, Cain asks, "How do you say delicious in Cuban?" Cuban, as many know, is not a language. In Spanish, however, delicious is <em>delicioso.</em>

  • Barack Obama

    "I was born in an island and I understand that food, gas and everything else, is more expensive. Puerto Rico has the right for a better future. My plan offers new incentives to restore the 40,000 job which have been lost and invests in the education of Puerto Rican kids. This coming July, it would be an honor to count with your vote." Obama is really pushing for the Puerto Rican vote. He visited the island in June of 2011. The first president to visit Puerto since John F. Kennedy in 1961,<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/us/politics/10rico.html?pagewanted=all" target="_hplink"> according to NYTimes. </a> Keep your eyes and ears open for the next spanish speech by Obama.

  • Jackie Kennedy

    "Dear Friends, this is the wife of John F. Kennedy, candidate in the U.S. presidential election... When world peace is threatened by communism, it's necessary to have a leader in The White House who is able to guide our destinies with a firm hand... Long Live Kennedy!" 1. No need for introduction. As if the entire world didn't know who Jackie Kennedy is. 2. It's nice to see she's friendly with latinos and 3. Given the Trade Embargo with Cuba has been firm since 1962, we're guessing that Miss Kennedy's spanish speech wasn't exactly detrimental to her husband's campaign.

  • El Bloombito

    Oh yes, that day Bloomberg so kindly "summarized for the spanish speaking audience" the city's plan to clean up after Irene and inspired one of the best twitter accounts of all times: @ElBloombito. The twitter account mocking Bloomberg's spanish has over 25,000 followers. The hilarious spanish-speaking alter ego was created by Rachel-Figuero Levin. "The Spanish is just so blatantly hilarious,"<a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/128711298.html" target="_hplink"> she said to NBC New York.</a> "It's the diction. It's the pronunciation. It's the accent." To @ElBloombito account, Bloomberg responded from his personal Twitter account "It's hard to learn a new language at age 69", according to NBC New York. Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ElBloombito" target="_hplink">@ElBloombito </a>here.

  • Hillary Clinton

    "Si Se PuedA!" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, got her protest chant a little mixed up. "Si Se Puede!" ("Yes It Can Be Done") was the motivating slogan first popularized by Cesar Chavez back in the 1960's when referring to social change for immigrant workers.

  • Jeb Bush

    "This diverse community with energy with, uh, uh, great potential and possibility of advancing our country, is going to be the one that decides the elections. And if we fall behind because we dont do the effort and or we're being irrespecutful, or whatever, then, that's lack of common sense." So, essentially, you need the latino vote Jeb?

  • Craig Romney

    In Mitt Romney's ninth spanish-language television ad, his son Craig spoke to Latino audiences about his father's beliefs and origins. "I would like to tell you how my father, Mitt Romney, thinks," <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/craig-romney-mitt-mexican-ad_n_1682238.html#slide=1165327" target="_hplink">Craig Romney says in the ad, translated to English by the campaign.</a> "He values very much that we are a nation of immigrants. My grandfather George was born in Mexico. For our family the greatness of the United States is how we respect and help each other, regardless of where we come from."

  • Barack Obama

    Just a week after announcing his decision to halt deportation for some undocumented young people, President Obama <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/obama-naleo-speech-immigration_n_1619126.html" target="_hplink">spoke at the NALEO conference</a> and schmoozed away with the Latino audience. "Que placer estar aqui con tanto amigos!" ("what a pleasure being here with all these friends") said Obama at the beginning of his speech.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST LATINO VOICES

He wanted tacos? He got tacos. 2,000 of them. An immigrants' rights group in East Haven delivered thousands of tacos to Mayor Jospeh Maturo's office the day after he made comments that many are cal...
He wanted tacos? He got tacos. 2,000 of them. An immigrants' rights group in East Haven delivered thousands of tacos to Mayor Jospeh Maturo's office the day after he made comments that many are cal...
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01:28 PM on 01/30/2012
The country is full of these dirty cops, just waiting to be able to abuse innocent minorities.
12:33 AM on 01/30/2012
oh please, when did the latino community start using the race card or food card whatever. if everyone will be walking in eggshells about this silly remarks. If this an irish or italian community they are talking about, you think the irish minds if Maturo says I guess I will have meat or potatoes tonight or to the Italians. I will have pizza or pasta tonight...nobody cares.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tblack
06:49 PM on 01/30/2012
Hall and Oats called.

They say you're
"out of touch"

See. It's a bit different with a community that for the most part has trouble assimilating simply by dying their hair,changing their given surname or dropping an accent. But hey. You don't "DO" reality anyway right?
09:26 PM on 01/30/2012
ohhhhh i get it, white guy, hall and oats, I guess you can you get away with making the insinuation that people who think this is out of proportion are lame, white folks who just just dont understand as well as you. Maybe just... your wrong? maybe people are being too sensitive. maybe this controversy misses the entire point of what the mayor was saying, which is how little substance there would be in making a statement about the discrimination case he felt was blown out of proportion. Considering your comment, where you're sort of nagging and trying to show off, I'd say he was right.
07:12 PM on 01/29/2012
I wish I could have seen his face
02:09 PM on 01/28/2012
Singing a petition to tell mayor Joseph Maturo to replace the chief of police in East Haven, CT.
Please take action, words are not enough..

http://immigration.change.org/
01:48 PM on 01/28/2012
if this mayor see that in his state are a lot of people in need or hungry why he does not donate a lot of " HAMBERGERS " from MCDONALD, OR tell his wife to cook for them. in the meanwhile yo quiero TACO BELL.. ummm
01:19 PM on 01/28/2012
I watched major Joseph Maturo's explanation interview just to be kind and give him the benefit of the doubt. Clearly, the man has no straight answer, or a legitimate explanation to the obvious level of bigotry against Latinos.

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” MLK
09:30 AM on 01/28/2012
Another bozo. They need to clean house in the town's PD and start over. The mayor should resign in the process.The cops need to go to jail and spend their whole time in the general population. There might or might not be smiles on their faces in the end.
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HymnsToSilence
so - you want to part as friends
07:25 PM on 01/27/2012
I was tired after a long day at work until I read this. Now I'm laughing so hard that I'm wide awake. Has Mr. Maturo, who is clearly not very mature, resigned yet? If not he should man up and eat every taco that is delivered to his office.
07:07 PM on 01/27/2012
These racicist,insensitive" comments are coming from the mouths of politicians more and more. In reality they are disrespectful to the people of amaerica that put them in office. Some could even be considered treasonous since they have often been made against the President of the United States. People like it or not that is the way it is! President Obama was voted in by the people of this counry. 2/3rds if I remember correctly, not all Black, not all white just like the food stamps. Polotitcl figures that make "insentifive racial comments should be fined, large! maybe then they will not let a long day cause them to show their true colors.
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HymnsToSilence
so - you want to part as friends
07:36 PM on 01/27/2012
Actually comments like these have been with us since the beginning of time. One group has always used them against the other, it is just that now we are hearing more about it. I guess that is an upside of technology. As to President Obama, it looks to me like he has an extremely powerful case for re-election. Mr. Maturo one the other hand, should resign.
12:38 AM on 01/30/2012
over a taco remark? te quiero taco?
12:35 AM on 01/30/2012
ewe*#**
03:27 PM on 01/27/2012
He will need Prilosec or Tums.Maturo hmm,not very mature.
03:26 PM on 01/27/2012
He takes credit for getting the food to the food bank.

Republican, through and through.
09:32 AM on 01/28/2012
You are probably correct............a Romney Republican to boot......
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Venus Louviere
Moving Forward
03:11 PM on 01/27/2012
I hope he was hungry!
03:04 PM on 01/27/2012
I wonder if the taco makers spit in them. That's a common thing in taco stands in Southern California.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
CrestedSparrow
03:55 PM on 01/29/2012
There is no end by some to the slander of Hispanics.
01:51 PM on 01/27/2012
I love tacos. Could I get a bunch sent over if I put some snide comments on the Huffington Post?

On the other hand, I could get the same treatment featured in "The Help"

I think I'll go to the taco stand for lunch instead.
02:46 PM on 01/27/2012
Life is so unfair. I would love to have 500 tacos delivered to my office.
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07:25 PM on 01/27/2012
I know huh? I'd have about 75 left over to share with my workmates.
12:37 AM on 01/30/2012
get real, those are only tortillas..no filling,
indyclem
looking for logic
01:24 PM on 01/27/2012
if i had known it was that easy to get free tacos i would have said the same thing