Jackson Heights

The recession has slammed New Yorkers, especially working-class folks without a lot of savings to cushion the blow of sudden unemployment or a reduction in work hours.

Latino immigrants, who are predominately employed in the ailing construction, manufacturing and hospitality industries, are among the groups hardest hit by the downturn. A recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington found the unemployment rate for foreign-born Latinos rose over the past year, with about 35 percent of working-age people unemployed.

Behind the statistics are people, like the days laborers who congregate  in the shadow of the elevated No. 7 line tracks in Jackson Heights. They aren’t only undocumented immigrants. Many have green cards and even U.S. passports. Some are college educated, and have spent decades in the United States.

Some are so frustrated by the lack of jobs, they’re planning to return to their home countries. Others believe the opportunities offered by the U.S. are still much greater than they would ever get at home.

The run-up to the presidential election was a roaring, thundering event, with television networks, blogs and other news outlets analyzing every aspect of the campaign.

But to 18-year-old Najia Elyoumni-Pinedo, it was a much quieter affair. In fact, she was shielded from much of the buzz for one reason: she is deaf.

Still, Elyoumni-Pinedo, a Jackson Heights resident, wanted to be involved. So she created her own way of understanding.

No Doubts

She watched the candidates on TV, to learn their stances on health care, the war in Iraq and the economy. She studied both Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s body language until there was no doubt in her mind about whom she would be supporting.

“I can see that Obama is very calm,” signed Elyoumni-Pinedo, through her mother, Esther Pinedo, while waiting to cast her first vote at P.S. 222 in Queens. “McCain is very aggressive and won’t be able to get along with other countries…Obama will spread the wealth and stop the war. It’s time for America to change.”

A growing number of real estate concerns in Corona and Jackson Heights are marketing South American homes to Latino immigrants, who are considering moving home to look for the American dream of property ownership that eluded them here.

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Two dollars per dance add up over the course of a night, especially when the DJ blends several songs together in a matter of minutes. However, as long as customers have the cash on hand to pay, a house of 20 to 30 women — nearly all South American and Caribbean — awaits them at The Flamingo Club in Jackson Heights.

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