For the town of East Haven, 2012 was a year of identity confusion and controversy. Federal authorities arrested four police officers accused of racial profiling and mistreating Latinos during traffic stops. That was followed by controversial remarks by Mayor Joe Maturo, who answered a reporters’ question about what he would do for the Latino community by saying, “I might go home and have tacos.” That, in turn, was followed by a pro-immigrant march.
In a time of divisiveness, East Haven attorney Michael Albis has been a unifying force. He and his wife have created a college scholarship fund for Latino students in hopes that it is one step toward helping counter-act the town’s anti-Latino reputation. The newly established East Haven Unity Fund will provide scholarships to deserving Latino seniors who graduate from East Haven High School which Albis attended and where his wife, Jacqueline, teaches.
