The Jersey Guys

Last Thursday, I traveled to Newark (known affectionately as “Brick City”) to attend a press conference called by New Jersey State Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo. Caraballo, who along with other Hispanic members of the New Jersey Assembly, is calling for the end of “La Cuca Gotcha,” a promotion by the Jersey Guys that asks listeners to report undocumented residents to the radio station, imagine that, or federal authorities.

The name of the campaign plays off the Spanish word for cockroach, mention of the campaign is often accompanied by Mexican music, and it is scheduled to end on one of Mexico’s most important holidays, Cinco de Mayo.

As would be expected by most reasonable people, Hispanic leaders like Assemblyman Caraballo are incensed by the program’s intent and name. I mean, really, how does anyone look at someone and know if they are undocumented?

After the press conference, which was attended by a diverse array of English and Spanish language media (from small Spanish newspapers to CNN), I listened to “The Jersey Guys” on the ride back home. Several things struck me as they defended themselves from “La Cuca Gotcha” critics. First, it was amazing to hear the Jersey Guys act surprised that Hispanic leaders and other Latinos who are legal and speak English would come to the defense of immigrants. It also amazed me that they sounded pretty genuine. The Jersey Guys do not see Latinos as we see ourselves: as a family. The great immigration debate over the last few years makes it clear that a lot of Latino citizens feel a part of the same community as recently arrived immigrants, even if they have lived very different experiences in this country.

Another thing that surprised me was that the more I listened to “The Jersey Guys,” the more I understood that they are not card carrying racists. This makes “La Cuca Gotcha” even more maddening. The Jersey Guys think so little of their audience and Hispanic immigrants that they think playing to the lowest common denominators of discrimination and classism will make for good ratings at the expense of people who cannot fight back.
I am happy to report from New Jersey that the Hispanic community is putting The Jersey Guys and everyone in the Garden State on notice that we will not tolerate attacks on the defenseless and certainly will not let others define our familia.

Rafael Collazo