DETROIT (WXYZ) — Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off on Sunday and for the next month, we are going to be highlighting the history, culture and contributions of people with Hispanic roots.

On Monday, we spoke with an organization about its ongoing mission to connect youth, stakeholders and residents in Southwest Detroit.

Congress of Communities is a small nonprofit making big changes in a neighborhood that’s also known as Mexicantown for its rich Hispanic culture.

Lisa Gonzalez says her 15-year-old daughter has been able to learn about her Hispanic heritage through the youth program offered at CoC.

“It boosted my self-confidence, like oh wow, I’m actually doing great as a mom getting her into these programs,” Gonzalez said. “This morning, she woke up and said ‘¡Feliz día de la independencía de Mexico, mom!’”

“It’s like happy Independence Day, like you know, we celebrate our Fourth of July here in American. And in Mexico, they celebrate their independence on the 15th of September,” Gonzalez continued.

CoC program manager Flor Rivera Hernandez told us the organization welcomes everyone who lives in Southwest Detroit.

“It really is a cultural melting pot,” Rivera Hernandez said. “One individual cannot change the entire world but if you have a group of people who share the same beliefs and same values and want to be able to see their community succeed, and you’re able to create spaces like Congress of Communities does to empower youth and young adults and the next generations of leaders and doers and dreamers.”

CoC member Elizabeth Amezcua-Tepehua is one of those dreamers.

“There’s a lot of passions within just being Hispanic, Mexican or any other Latin origin,” Amezcua-Tepehua said.

We asked everyone we spoke with what Hispanic Heritage Month meant to them.

“It’s great to be able to celebrate openly and freely,” Amezcua-Tepehua said.

“It’s a really beautiful mixture of different backgrounds and just being able to celebrate that openly and freely,” Rivera Hernandez said.

“She loves being Mexican American, and that’s something we have a really big passion for,” Gonzalez said.

CoC is almost always putting on a fundraiser or event. If you are interested in what’s coming up next for Coc, visit congressofcommunities.com.

Milwaukee police are asking the public’s help in locating the parents or guardians of two girls, approximately ages 4 and 7.

The girls are minimally verbal and were found on foot in the 500 block of East Erie Street at about 6:15 p.m. Monday, according to police, adding that their parents or guardian have not been located.

Police describe the girls as Black. One child, a 7-year-old, is wearing a yellow T-shirt, blue pants and multicolored sandals. The other girl, 4, is wearing barrettes in her hair, a light blue T-shirt, blue shorts and multi-colored sandals.

If anyone has any information regarding the identity of these two children, call the police district 1 at 414-935-7212.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A report released last week outlines the plan for policing reforms for the Minneapolis Police Department after an investigation in the wake of the killing of George Floyd found a pattern of racial discrimination by the department.

Background

In 2023, a court approved a consent decree order between the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the City of Minneapolis after an investigation following the murder of George Floyd. A consent decree is an agreement between two parties that is enforced by a court. In this case, the two parties are the state and the city.

The decree laid out the framework for a plan for the Minneapolis Police Department after an investigation found a “pattern or practice of race discrimination” within the department.

The consent decree laid out the goals for the department. The new progress report released last week looks at where things stand and outlines the path moving forward.

What’s new?

On Friday, the independent evaluator (Effective Law Enforcement For All) was hired to oversee the consent decree process for Minneapolis released its plan to implement changes.

The report shows the goals for the next four years. The first two years will focus mostly on implementing changes and the second two years will focus mostly on evaluating the progress of the new programs and their effectiveness.

• Year 1 (Mar. 2024 to Mar. 2025):Review and update policies for body-worn camerasPolicy and training updatesRevamp the accountability systemIncrease support for officers and officer wellness servicesBrief supervisors on their new dutiesCreate a data systems plan and map of community resources
• Review and update policies for body-worn cameras
• Policy and training updates
• Revamp the accountability system
• Increase support for officers and officer wellness services
• Brief supervisors on their new duties
• Create a data systems plan and map of community resources
• Year 2 (Mar. 2025 to Mar. 2026):Complete policy changesEnact data systems planEvaluate officer wellness progressEnhance coordination with crisis intervention teamsConduct audits on plan progress
• Complete policy changes
• Enact data systems plan
• Evaluate officer wellness progress
• Enhance coordination with crisis intervention teams
• Conduct audits on plan progress
• Year 3 and 4 (Mar. 2026 to Mar. 2029):Continue to assess the progress of the evaluator’s plan; receive public inputBegin annual policy reviews to determine if implemented policies are effective in moving forward with decree goalsOfficer wellness and data system plans should be fully enacted.
• Continue to assess the progress of the evaluator’s plan; receive public input
• Begin annual policy reviews to determine if implemented policies are effective in moving forward with decree goals
• Officer wellness and data system plans should be fully enacted.

Read more

The full report is available online and below: