Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Immigration Law Affects Oklahoma City Hispanic Community

If you?ve never been here, the first thing you need to know about Capitol Hill is that it?s not actually anywhere near Oklahoma?s state capitol complex. In the middle of Oklahoma City, which often seems defined by wide streets, chain stores and strip malls, Capitol Hill is a compact little neighborhood with its own, unique character. Like any other neighborhood, there are churches, banks, stores and a movie theater, but most of the signs in their front windows are in Spanish.

(ACT 1/KING): Right now we?re on the corner of Southwest 25th and Harvey.
GURIAN: And is this kind of in the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood?
KING: Pretty much the heart of Capitol Hill. Yes ? I would say so.

Randy King is the Publisher of El Nacional, a local Spanish-language newspaper. He points across the street to Tortilleria Lupita, a tortilla factory and convenience store which supplies restaurants and meat markets throughout Central Oklahoma.

(ACT 2/KING): That?s a really popular place. They probably make the best tortillas in the city? maybe the state.

(AMBI 2/TORTILLERIA LUPITA AMBIENCE, fade in and hold underneath the following narration; then crossfade into ACT 3)

The walls inside are painted fluorescent lime green, and they?re covered with framed, sepia-toned photos of Pancho Villa and other Mexican revolutionaries. Owner Elias Pando says he?s been saying goodbye to some of the regulars lately.

(ACT 3/PANDO): There?s a couple customers that used to come here often. They told us before they left? they said, you know, ?It?s the last time coming here and buying from you.? A lot of people moved to Kansas.
GURIAN: Why Kansas?
PANDO: Cause they have family up there. They say the laws are less stricter up there.
GURIAN: But they can?t get tortillas like you make here?
PANDO: I don?t think so [laughs].

(AMBI 3/MAXPOLLO AMBIENCE, fade in and hold underneath and then crossfade into ACTS 4 and 5)

The story is similar at MaxPollo, a Mexican sports bar known for its seafood and grilled chicken. This place used to be extremely busy on the weekends, but owner Max Gaona says he?s seen a lot of empty tables recently.

(ACT 4/GAONA): A lot of people is not coming back to the restaurant no more. The last three months, four months, sales went down about 25, 30 percent.
(ACT 5/GAONA): They now believe the police are the immigration, so? We know it?s not that way but I mean not everybody knows.

[Crossfade back into AMBI 3/MAXPOLLO AMBIENCE, keep underneath]

Oklahoma?s new immigration measure just took effect November first, but many members of the Hispanic community started leaving as soon as it became inevitable it would become law. Critics claim its wording is vague and has led to some confusion and rumors about what it actually means. Gaona says that?s caused his customers to have all sorts of fears, whether or not they might be justified.

(Crossfade into AMBI 4/BUDGET FOODS AMBIENCE, keep underneath until ACT 7)

Those concerns have also affected the neighborhood?s discount grocery store down the street.

(ACT 6/GARNER): They did roadblocks just to check people out for their papers. They held one for about two hours right in front of my store. We were dead in here. Nothing! You know, it was just horrible!

Kay Garner has owned Budget Foods since 1985, and she?s never seen anything like this. She says her customers have pretty much stopped shopping during the days and started coming in the evenings, since they feel safer after dark. And there?s more bad news, she says.

(ACT 7/GARNER): With the bounced checks that I?ve gotten hit with, I?m either selling or I?m closing the doors. It?s hurt me that bad.
GURIAN: How soon do you think you?ll have to make that decision?
GARNER: I?m speaking to a man tomorrow about buying. I?ve talked to others and, you know, trying to find somebody. Otherwise, hopefully by the 22nd of December, I?ll be closed.

(AMBI 1/CAPITOL HILL STREET SOUND, face back in and hold underneath)

Not everyone?s hurting, though. El Nacional Publisher Randy King says his newspaper?s readership has actually gone up, as people are hungry for news about the state?s immigration law. He says Hispanics here do think something needed to be done about the influx of undocumented immigrants, but as for this new approach?

(ACT 8/KING): I think it?s misdirected, it?s misguided. And it was so emotionally-charged that I don?t think people thought about the long-lasting effects of how this was gonna affect the state.

(AMBI 1/CAPITOL HILL STREET SOUND, fade out)

But despite growing opposition from the business community and some legislators who say they want to repeal the law, its original author, State Representative Randy Terrill is not backing down. He says he feels vindicated by a judge?s recent decision to dismiss a second legal challenge. And he?s sponsoring bills for the upcoming session to allow authorities to seize property of those prosecuted under the law and make English the official state language.