European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes july 1985 Houston Spanish accent gets More pronounced by Wayne King new York times Elmerc a do Del a 17acre shopping Center billed As the nations largest hispanic theme festival has opened in the Mercado Del which opened last advertises itself As a Short trip to mexi but it is not primarily a tourist it Aims at the fast growing Spanish speaking which has become a significant part of the social and political life of the fourth largest City in in Texas and the Southwest in the hispanic population is the trend holds not Only among mexican american but also among undocumented mexican nationals and Central american Refu gees flowing almost unimpeded across americas South Ern in both a real and a symbolic Houston now Speaks with a Spanish the same is True across much of Texas and indeed much of the Southern tier of the in Houston and surrounding Harris county for the number of residents of hispanic heritage is officially estimated at just Over a half Mil but other estimates put it at from to the total population of Houston is More than because of the difficulty of tabulating the number of aliens in the population perhaps to salvadorans no one is quite sure of the precise but everyone agrees the hispanic influence is growing in downtown office tenants who want to identify items they want cleaning Crews to discard Are instructed to Label them in English As trash but also in Spanish As the restaurant service trades Are becoming increasingly and Donald a researcher on immigration and labor patterns at hous tons Rice estimates that a third of the la borers on construction Crews Are undocumented hispanic illegal immigration is by no Means the Only Factor contributing to the surging hispanic population along the Southern rim of the most notably in South Ern California and which now have the nations highest concentrations of hispanic the birth rate among hispanic people is higher than that of White no hispanic and somewhat higher than that of Houston family relaxing at a downtown up photo because the birth rate among Whites is lower and population projections in areas like Houston and Harris county that have High concentrations of both Black and hispanic people foreshadow a time when the Whites could become a minority that is already the Case in for where 60 percent of the population is primarily and another on Quarter is Many projections Are based on 1980 census data and dont take into account the increases in illegal migration from Mexico since thus while the Texas department of health now puts the hispanic population of Harris county at about a Market analysis prepared for the developers of the new hispanic shopping Al Mercado Del observed that while the exact number of hispanics in the Houston areas is not various reason Able estimates place it Between and a Spanish language radio station in one of seven in the put the figure at the Houston Independent school District reports that of the cites Over 32 Are hispanic of them enrolled in the cites limited English proficiency an increasing number Are from Central and the school system has begun a staff program to develop awareness of Central american the police department has a special six member Chicano squad of Spanish speaking and a number of other officers Are taking departments on sorted Spanish a department spokesman said that a real problem exists among officers in the Field when confronted with a complainant or a suspect who Speaks Only suspects arrested must often be taken to the jail to be read their rights in hispanic people in Houston Wield far less Power than their numbers would in part be cause a Large number Are Here illegally and cannot and also because the hispanic turnout tends to be the result is that the hispanic minority is generally regarded As representing less than 10 percent of the vote in the Southwest voter registration project estimates hispanic people represent about percent of the registered or about out of an eligible population of which does not take into account the variously put at 1 million to 2 million in the whatever their True there is a Clear hispanic current in on Houston ave a main billboards in Spanish speak to the hispanic just South of the sign welcoming visitors to the Community of Woodland a curl haired Mountain climber looks out from a Savouring a Camel cigarette and proclaiming a world of flavor in Mundo de the surgeon generals health warn ing is also in other signs Tell the Spanish speaking population that Esta Bud is Para usted this Bud is for you and that using a new american Cyan amid pesticide called combat will spell the end of problems con Las Cuca Rachas problems with although the attitude of the no hispanic population to the growth in numbers and influence of hispanics is generally one of acceptance and some express resentment Over the influx of illegal and some say they fear frictions May increase if the situation continues Peter chairman of the studies of the future program at the University of Houston Clear which tries to envision the future 20 years hence and project a Public Agenda to Deal with what i suspect is that our society is changing More than we perceive it to be right now due to hispanic he went on to say that one possibility is that hispanic groups come Here and they contribute to the society and they Are accepted by that society and they grow and and Texas actually becomes a hispanic state and is proud of he added the other scenario is that it comes too fast or that our own society reacts in a rigid or fearful manner and that we Institute very Large Border programs and Start in Subtle ways to go Back to discriminatory labor practices and things like that is also