As general readership newspapers struggle to keep their readers engaged, one paper knows the soul of its community and fights on its behalf when an injustice has been committed against it.
This kind of crusading journalism lives one flight above West Street in downtown Danbury in the office of the Tribuna newspaper and thrives on its pages.
The modest-size room can barely contain the zeal and fervor of the three women who not only work for the Tribuna, but are the Tribuna: Celia Bacelar, founder and publisher; her daughter, Executive Director/Editor Emanuela P. Lima; and Bacelar”™s niece, Managing Director/Reporter Angela Barbosa.
Dare to mention the words immigration or scams perpetrated on immigrants and their eyes turn fiery.
A few years back, in apparent retaliation for printing several articles exposing how an unscrupulous business preyed on unknowing immigrants in a document scam, Bacelar was struck by a dark pickup truck with its headlights off as she crossed a street.
Her daughter and niece readily attest that she weathered the attack and has not lost her feistiness.
The first issue of the Tribuna came out Feb. 1, 2000, built on Bacelar”™s premise that the Brazilian community needed a paper of its own to turn to for clarifying pertinent issues. Some felt that the city police were eying them with suspicion. Bacelar wanted to bridge that perceived gap, so she approached the police chief, Robert Paquette, and told him she intended to start a newspaper and wanted him to write a column addressing the concerns of the immigrant community. He gave no firm answer, but told her that he would consider it.
Bacelar then walked into the office of the mayor, Gene Enriquez, and asked if he too would consider writing a column. But with a bit of understated bravado, Bacelar added that “the police chief was going to do it, why not you?”
“Confidence is something she doesn”™t lack,” Lima said of her mother.
So driven more by passion than normal business structure, Bacelar had 3,000 papers printed up for that first run ”“ with columns by both the mayor and police chief included ”“ and handed them out personally on the streets of Danbury.
Since then, the trilingual paper ”“Â Portuguese, Spanish and English ”“ has grown to a 15,000 press run and the women are contemplating adding a fourth language ”“ Arabic ”“ to include a growing Lebanese population in the community.
Tribuna means “speaker of the people” or “where conversation occurs.”
An appropriate name for the paper, which over the past decade has initiated important community coverage, but also acted as a conduit for relevant issues.
In embracing advocacy journalism, Bacelar, Lima and Barbosa learned that in “not hiding what”™s going on in the community, you have to take the blow of the consequences,” Lima said.
Trouble began to bubble up in the community in 2006 when undercover police officers posing as general contractors went to a park to hire day laborers and turned the men over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for deportation if they did not have the proper documents. Dubbed the Danbury 11, the immigrant workers eventually filed a federal lawsuit charging they were the victims of racial profiling. The lawsuit remains in the court, with the most recent news being current Mayor Mark Boughton testifying in a deposition that he was unaware of the undercover sting.
The immigration issue came to a head in February 2008 when the Danbury Common Council was to act on a plan to let two city police officers undergo training that would enable them to enforce immigration law.
Bacelar wrote an editorial in opposition.
In part, she said: “After the city requested to deputize state troopers as immigration agents in 2005, Tribuna had several conversations with the Mayor of Danbury expressing its opposition to this plan. Eventually, the issue was set aside by the administration.
“Tribuna continued with its support of (Mark) Boughton in the last election, approving his overall plans for the city, such as the construction of a new elementary school, a new police station, and a new fire station for the West Side of the city, among others.
“But now his administration approved a partnership between local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Tribuna is a strong voice against this Common Council proposal to partner with ICE, since it knows that this plan represents a true threat of great harm to our community.”
She concluded by writing: “Of course, laws should be applied and enforced for undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.
“But Tribuna won”™t support an administration that would pass a plan that would deport immigrant workers who came to this country and don”™t have a green card because they are waiting for the conclusion of their legalization process.”
In addition to editorials in the weeks leading up to the vote, the Tribuna enlisted local businesses in creating a TV commercial calling for the rejection of the proposal.
The lawmakers passed the plan despite 1,000 people protesting outside.
Concern and fear began to course through the immigrant population. Many thought the law would result in racial profiling, arrests and deportation, Lima said. “Immigrants were afraid to send their kids to school.” They would call the newsroom and Lima, her mom and cousin would calm them down.
To quell the growing hysteria, the Tribuna called for a meeting with the police chief and religious leaders. The one stipulation Bacelar asked for was that the meeting would be recorded and the information gathered would be used in informational brochures.
There were 35 religious leaders at the meeting, Barbosa said. As a result, the Tribuna printed pamphlets in Portuguese, Spanish and English; “one for cops and one for the immigrants.” Four businesses pitched in for the printing costs.
Looking back at its relatively short history chock full of drama, Lima said, “we see ourselves as part of the catalyst for change. We can”™t do it alone.”
While the Tribuna might not be the daily newspaper, “we”™d be missed” if they weren”™t there, she said.
“If this began with a business plan, it wouldn”™t have survived. We”™re in a unique place in this community.”
