‘Beans In A Jar’ Analogy Bristles Hispanics In Farmers Branch
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (AP) – A city attorney who likened counting Hispanic voters to guessing the number of “beans in a jar” has apologized for the analogy that some Hispanics deemed offensive.
Hispanics noted that “beaner” is a derogatory term for people of Mexican descent. Attorney C. Robert Heath used the analogy in a response to a voting rights lawsuit filed by several Hispanic voters last year in the Dallas suburb, which has become known for passing tough laws cracking down on illegal immigration.
“It was just an analogy, and obviously it was ill chosen because it was offensive to some persons,” Heath said.
“That was entirely unintentional, and I apologize for it.” The lawsuit seeks to force election of city council members by single-member districts.
The Hispanic plaintiffs say the new system would allow the creation of a Hispanic-voter majority, increasing the chances that a Hispanic could be elected.
The city maintains that its count shows the proposed district would not have a Hispanic-voter majority.
In court papers, plaintiffs attorneys substituted the phrase “pebbles in a jar.” In a footnote, they said they would “assume that the defendants’ reference to ‘beans in a jar’ was not an indirect racial slur … but simply a manifestation of the lack of sensitivity that exists in the Farmers Branch community.”
Heath said he was thinking of accountants, often called “bean counters,” when he was writing the brief. City officials have denied racism as motivation in their continued attempts to crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The city has passed laws recently that would bar landlords from renting apartments and houses to most illegal immigrants. Under Farmers Branch’s latest ordinance, the city would forward information collected for the rental license to the federal government.
Anyone deemed an illegal immigrant would have their rental license revoked, banning them from leasing in the city.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
