Latinos protest 'Cartel' signs at Morristown home

MORRISTOWN Latinos representing several nations rallied on Speedwell Avenue Wednesday night outside the home of a man who filled his front yard with signs criticizing the town for failing to enforce stacking laws and encouraging people to "Vote 4 Trump."

Police directed Bruen on Tuesday to remove signs he also placed in the front yard of the house next door to his. That home, at 275 Speedwell Ave., had a sign on the door announcing it had been determined to be vacated and abandoned by mortgage holder Wells Fargo.

Before the scheduled protest, Bruen also removed a sign from his lawn referencing a "Colombian cartel." That sign, in particular, angered many Latinos, including Colombians who comprised a large percentage of the approximately 100 protesters Wednesday night.

"That's very discriminatory and makes a lot of assumptions about Colombians and Latins," said Lorena Heubelo of Budd Lake and Colombian descent. "That's insulting. We are parents, professionals, teachers, parents. We are not a cartel. We are citizens. I am a citizen. It's very insulting."

"He's saying a lot of bad things to the Spanish community, and wants the immigrants to get out of this country and this town, and that is why we are here to protest," said Jose Santos, who lives two doors down from Bruen in a house Bruen claims is owned by "the Genoveses," a reference to the New York organized crime family. "Whenever we do a picnic or barbecue, (American neighbors) they yell at us and scream at us."

Santos marched down the street holding a Honduran flag. Several protesters held flags representing Colombia.Others waved American flags.

"This guy is crazy," said Victor Guiterrez, who wore a T-shirt with a Donald Trump caricature that read "No to racism." "I'm an electrician. I pay taxes, everything good. This is very bad."

A dozen uniformed police officers were on the scene, directing heavy traffic while directing the protesters across the street, where they chanted, in Spanish, slogans including "No to racism" and "We're living it, we're feeling it, Colombia is present."

Wednesday afternoon, Bruen told the Daily Record he was not a racist and not anti-Latino, but was fed up with the stacking problem in the area that overflowed nearby homes with undocumented Latino immigrants.

"This is not about illegal immigration," said Bruen. "Morristown is allowing 80-year-old homes to be fire hazards. It's me against the world."

Bruen, who said he grew up on Speedwell Avenue in the home owned by his parents, teared up several times while lamenting what he saw as a deteriorating neighborhood where drugs and crimes were rampant.

"This home was sold to a Colombian Cartel," he said, pointing to the house next door and claiming the Secret Service asked him to monitor the property. "The reason why the Secret Service is involved is money laundering, because they're paying off 30-year mortgages in five years by stacking."

"My life has been threatened 20 times in the past 24 hours," he said. "I have a petition going around with all the neighbors who have been here 46 years, 50 years. And they're scared to death."

Some of his neighbors, while observing the protest from their properties, said they sympathized with Bruen.

"He's been threatened and he's upset, he can't get any sleep," said one woman who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal."He's not saying anything that ain't the truth. I've lived here for 49 years and I'm selling my home. I am a woman who is living here alone and I'm afraid. I found a hypodermic needle on my front lawn. I want to get out of here."

"He's not the only one whose frustrated," said another neighbor who also asked not to be identified by name. "We're all frustrated."

"This is a result of the political climate we're currently in because we have leaders who are saying and vocalizing anti-immigrant comments" said Jackie Zapata, civic participation coordinator for Wind of the Spirit, a nonprofit organization fighting for the rights of immigrants in Morristown. "That validates citizens here doing the same thing."

Zapata clarified the leader she spoke of as Donald Trump.

Mayor Timothy Dougherty said Bruen has brought many complaints before town authorities in the past but that "Any complaint brought by any citizen is investigated. They addressed every issue he brought to them."

But other than clearing signs from the property next door, there was little the town could do to prevent Bruen from expressing his opinions.

"They are disgraceful, they are hurtful, and I don't support it," Dougherty said of the signs. "But I can't stop it. People have a right to free speech."

"I saw some of the targeted remarks against Colombians were brought down, so we are happy that the police and mayor were able to do that, but we do see the stacking and other signs are targeted towards the Latino community, Zapata said.

Bruen, who said before the protest he would be observing from a home across the street, did not appear at the protest. He also said he was selling the home and moving out.

"And when I leave, they'll be 30 people living here," he said.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.