Hearings captivate nominee’s ex-neighbors

NEW YORK (AP) — Hilda Maldonado is proud that Sonia Sotomayor rose to national prominence “like a phoenix from the ashes” of a burned-out Bronx.

But the Puerto Rican-born Bronx resident says Sotomayor now faces the “racial discomfort” of mostly white lawmakers grilling an accomplished Hispanic woman.

Sotomayor has lived in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village for the past two decades, but her ties to the Bronx tug at still-painful social realities, according to Bronx residents watching the proceedings live on both English and Spanish networks.

“They don’t want to be too obvious, so they’re going about it as if they’re trying to protect the Constitution, not attacking her,” Maldonado said.

“But they are attacking her,” said the 75-year-old retired secretary, referring to several senators’ demands that the U.S. Supreme Court nominee explain her remarks suggesting that a “wise Latina woman” might reach a better legal conclusion than a white male.

Maldonado watched the second day of the Senate hearings at a senior-citizen center in the Soundview neighborhood, a short walk from the housing project where Sotomayor lived as a child.

The neighborhood has remained a hub of drug gangs, car thefts and urban violence years after the urban blight of the 1970s.

Residents’ views vary on issues, discussed by Sotomayor and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that affect life in the Bronx — including the right to bear arms.

“I believe that people should have protection,” said John Torres, 20, who watched the hearings at Joe’s Place, a restaurant owned by his father. “Around here, they’re sticking you up for nothing.”

When questioned by Sen. Patrick Leahy about cases involving gun rights, Sotomayor said she understands “how important the right to bear arms is to many, many Americans.”

“In fact, one of my godchildren is a member of the NRA, and I have friends who hunt,” she said, adding she would have an open mind.

Torres said he wasn’t sure how Sotomayor might rule in cases involving firearms, saying, “We’ve got to wait and see.”

Maldonado said that despite her admiration for Sotomayor’s accomplishments, she also must hear more to fully assess the nominee. “I haven’t formed an opinion about her, but from what I’ve heard so far, she’s very qualified for the Supreme Court.”

Without exception, Bronx residents all agreed that Sotomayor is a positive role model for a community whose members “are more often seen on TV as running around with knives and guns,” Torres said. “It’s very rare that you see a Hispanic person who’s accomplished something, on TV.”

But on Tuesday, the community of Sotomayor’s youth saw themselves in the lively, red-clothed woman on TV screens around the Bronx.

The director of the Rain Parkchester Senior Center, Jose Martinez, said success is in itself a challenge for a minority American — stuck between two worlds.

“Everyone is equal, if you ask me, but if you’re in a higher position, some people in your own community act as if you think you’re better then they are,” said Martinez, who has two master’s degrees. “And then, you have to prove to the mainstream that you’re good enough.”