Admittance was not the issue
Kristine M. Rosario
senior
I would like to respond to the issues that Ms. Donnelly presented in her Feb. 12 response to my letter in The Observer about the discrimination I encountered at Heartland. The purpose of my letter a week ago was to educate and inform the Notre Dame community, but now I must write to defend myself and respond to the insinuations from Donnelly that my letter to Viewpoint was only an ill-fated attempt to discredit Heartland.
If Donnelly had read my article a bit more carefully, she would have understood that the bouncer asking for my passport to verify my ID was never an issue. I clearly stated at the end of my letter, "I accepted the fact that they had to be more stringent on admittance." What I wanted to point out in my letter were the ignorant remarks made by the bouncer when he learned that I did not carry my passport.
To refresh your memory, he said, "Well don't you need your passport to get into this country." These remarks were completely ignorant given my explanation of the common knowledge that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, in which we do not need any passports or visas to enter the country. This exchange of information happened between the 35 to 45 seconds of conversation Donnelly allegedly saw on the tape. My regret is that the tape could not record his comment as I turned away: "We don't want Puerto Ricans here anyway."
Donnelly also stated that most of my friends could not have heard the comments that were spoken to me as I turned away from the bouncer. I, however, would like to invite her to ask my friends personally, friends who were present during my discussion with the bouncer and who clearly witnessed the situation. Several of them, including Ysmael Fonseca, who heard the comments, and Crystal Martinez, who was right beside me, distinctively recall the bouncer saying, "We don't want Puerto Ricans here anyway."
Yes, some of the people in my party were already inside, but all of them huddled around me to see why I wasn't being let in. My friends witnessed what happened and, as you can probably see in the surveillance tape, they left with me after the incident. Furthermore, I think it's obvious that no Heartland employee would admit hearing those comments since such conduct could result in losing their jobs, but that's fine because the people around me can verify my claims.
What infuriates me the most, however, is the lack of tact and gross insinuation in Donnelly's statement, "However, at the moment, it seems that Rosario, in her frustration of already being refused, may be mistaken in what she claims she heard." Your statement, Ms. Donnelly, attacks my character and reputation.
I in no way misinterpreted or misheard the bouncer's comments, and my friends can attest to that claim. Apparently, Donnelly has never been discriminated against, because when it happens to you and you hear those gut-wrenching, ignorant comments, they stick with you for life and you never forget. Ms. Donnelly cannot accurately predict a response to discrimination; no one can unless they've been confronted by it.
I completely understand that this is all hearsay, but this is not meant to be a court case. For your information, Donnelly, not only did I call management personally, but also many of my friends that were present that evening.
When I called management to complain about the incident that occurred to me that night, I described the bouncer to the best of my ability. The manager I spoke to knew exactly who I was talking about, given that complaints had preceded mine. That bouncer apparently was already confronted about the situation, given that he told the manager that I was apparently being rude to him, which is false. So the manager knew exactly who I was talking about.
If someone else could not adequately identify the bouncer, it does not undermine my claim. I cannot speak for the other callers, but I can assure you that when I called, I told the story to the manager the way it happened and discussed my anger with the situation.
My letter, as well as Kiflin Turner's Feb. 5 Inside Column, is true and an accurate account of that night. I am proud that people want to take my letter and use it as a means to communicate to the larger community and to show the continuing problems of discrimination. I have people who support me and people who witnessed what happened, and if anyone shall refute my claims again, I'm sure many would jump at the chance to show their support. I advise you, Ms. Donnelly, to follow your own advice and, before you make comments about delicate situations, get the facts straight.
Kristine M. Rosario
senior
Lyons Hall
Feb. 12
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, February 13, 2003
