1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:01,840 Speaker 1: O La Latino USA. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 2: Listener, hope you're well, here's a show from the archives. 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 3: But I think in the back of my mind, really 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 3: I was more focused on where I was going to 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 3: live and where I was going to do once I 6 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 3: turned eighteen and ahed out, So I actually saw college 7 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 3: more as a way of secure housing for myself than 8 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 3: anything else. 9 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: From Puduromedia and PRX, It's Latino Usa. I'm Mariano Hosa today. 10 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: One woman's journey from foster care to the judicial bench. 11 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 2: In the early nineteen eighties, a civil war in El 12 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: Salvador was ravaging the country. Fearing for their lives, Syomara 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 2: Torres and her family fled in the United States. Her 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: family settled in East Los Angeles, but at the age 15 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 2: of thirteen she might have found herself in the foster 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 2: care system. She never lived with her parents again. Sumara 17 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: put herself through college and law school. She specialized in 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 2: family law, and in twenty seventeen, she was officially appointed 19 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 2: Circuit Court judge of Portland, Oregon. Siumarra Torres reflects on 20 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 2: growing up in foster care homes and her journey to 21 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 2: becoming a judge. 22 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: My name is Siamarra Torres. 23 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 3: I am a Molnama County's Circuit Court judge in Portland, Oregon. 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 3: My calling really was representing children in court, so it 25 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 3: seemed to somehow made my way back to that original 26 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 3: purpose in my childhood. I grew up in this town 27 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 3: called Paraiso, and it was the very beginning of the 28 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 3: Civil War Nol Salvador that ended in ninety two. I 29 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 3: didn't really understand what was going on, but I knew 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 3: that we were sent home a lot because soldiers would 31 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 3: show up to the school, so something was going on. 32 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 3: It's hard as a child to really understand what's going on. 33 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 3: My father worked for the government. One day I learned 34 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 3: my father had to leave the country, so I knew 35 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 3: he had to leave right away, and he did, and 36 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 3: then later we were to join him. And what I 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 3: remember is us packing up and we flew to Mexico 38 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 3: City first, and then from Mexico City we met with 39 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 3: the Coyotes there and they helped us into the country. 40 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 3: What I remember the most is arriving at a hotel 41 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 3: room in Tijuana. I think we waited maybe half a day, 42 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,640 Speaker 3: and then after that I think I was by myself 43 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 3: and not with the rest of my family, and we 44 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 3: were in a car with a couple, an American couple, 45 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 3: Cajun couple, who was going to drive the vehicle into 46 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 3: the border and cross the border. What I remember is 47 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 3: I wasn't supposed to talk, and so I was. I 48 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 3: was supposed to just be really quiet. I knew we were. 49 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 3: I went with strangers and they were helping me somehow, 50 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 3: and that I just wasn't supposed to say anything. 51 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: And that's how I entered the country. 52 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 3: And then once I was in the United States and 53 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 3: Los Angeles, I reunited with my siblings and my mother, 54 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 3: and we reunited with my father who had been here. 55 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 3: It felt comfortable in that it was a lot of 56 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 3: Latinos and so I heard Spanish a lot. This was 57 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 3: East Los Angeles, and so in that regard it felt 58 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 3: somewhat normal and home because of the Spanish. But once 59 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 3: I went to school, that was different because everything in 60 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 3: school was in English. In terms of who I made 61 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 3: friends with, I mostly made friends with people who spoke 62 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 3: Spanish because that's the only language I spoke. The difficulty 63 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 3: was trying to understand the teachers who were mostly English speaking, 64 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 3: trying to understand the subject matters. It was really hard 65 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 3: to understand what was going on, is what I remember. 66 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: I think when I look back. 67 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 3: Definitely, my parents really wanted us to assimilate, really wanted 68 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 3: us to speak the language. They really encouraged for my 69 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 3: siblings and I not to speak Spanish to each other 70 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 3: and really speak English and acquire the language as quickly 71 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 3: as possible. I did experience abuse a few years into 72 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,600 Speaker 3: coming into this country, and at the age of thirteen, 73 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 3: I told a really good friend of mine what was happening, 74 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 3: and she encouraged and her family to encourage me to 75 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 3: talk to the school counselor. And when I spoke to 76 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 3: this school counselor, who was a manager her reporter, apparently 77 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 3: the police were contacted, and so I was in a 78 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 3: police car shortly thereafter, and the police were picking up 79 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 3: my siblings at different schools. 80 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: I have two older siblings. 81 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 3: I was fortunate in that I had a very skilled 82 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 3: emergency foster home with support in that home as I 83 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 3: was maneuvering this new system. So this particular home that 84 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 3: I was in, they had their own children, and they 85 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 3: had been foster parents for long term placements, and they 86 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 3: had adopted one teenager. So they had the space to 87 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 3: take three girls for a short period of time, and 88 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 3: I think I was there maybe a month and a half, 89 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 3: maybe a month after that, I moved into a home 90 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 3: with foster parents, and they had another foster child in 91 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 3: the home, and my elder sister and I were in 92 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 3: that home together. I think it's very difficult when you're 93 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 3: in foster care too, because you don't have a lot 94 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 3: of information, and so I didn't really know most of 95 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 3: the time how my siblings were doing. You know, at 96 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 3: the time I was making allegations of sex abuse, and 97 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,040 Speaker 3: so they must have made an assessment and made decisions 98 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 3: about whether girls could go back home or not. 99 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: And I know that I. 100 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 3: For myself was specifically saying I didn't want to go 101 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 3: back home that certainly, as the court was looking at 102 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 3: reunification efforts with my family, they were hearing from me, 103 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 3: and so then it's the court trying to figure out 104 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 3: at what point you can, if possible, reunite children with 105 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 3: their families. In terms of aging out, I had seen 106 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,840 Speaker 3: my sister trying to figure out, my oldest sister trying 107 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 3: to figure out what she was going to do when 108 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 3: she turned eighteen, So I already knew that was in 109 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 3: my future, and I was trying to figure it out. 110 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 3: I had really studied a lot, so I was fortunate 111 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 3: enough to have really good grades because I sort of 112 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,280 Speaker 3: applied myself in school as a way to escape everything 113 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 3: else that I was going through. And so I received 114 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 3: a letter from Berkeley recruiting me to their school. But 115 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 3: I think in the back of my mind, really I 116 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 3: was more focused on where I was going to live 117 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 3: and where I was going what I was going to 118 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 3: do once I turned eighteen and aged out. So I 119 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 3: actually saw college more as a way of secure housing 120 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 3: for myself than anything else. But I think I was 121 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 3: feeling a sense of adventure and I wanted to explore, 122 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 3: and I think I probably inside I just was trying 123 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 3: to get as far away from my experience as possible. College, 124 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 3: I think is hard. But college for foster children forschvielle, 125 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 3: They don't, you know, we have such a low percentage 126 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 3: of foster children that attend college. But not having familial support, 127 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 3: particularly during the holidays, was really tough. I struggled towards 128 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 3: the second year. I dropped out for a few years, 129 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 3: and I didn't really know if I was going to 130 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 3: go back or not, but somehow I found my way 131 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 3: back and after about a three year break, finished up. 132 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: So I graduated from Berkeley and. 133 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 3: I worked at a law firm in downtown San Francisco 134 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 3: as I was trying to figure out what practice area 135 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 3: was going to be the best fit for me. The 136 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 3: organ Department of Justice is really the biggest law firm 137 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 3: for the state of Oregon, and I felt really fortunate 138 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 3: to work there, and particularly as a minority. I knew 139 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 3: it was a difficult position to get and it was 140 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 3: really important for me to work there because I really 141 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 3: felt that the Department of Justice needed to have lawyers 142 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 3: who looked like the community. I could see people looking 143 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 3: at me when I was coming in in a suit. 144 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 3: I had little carry ons with very large files. When 145 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 3: I was there to do trials, I got used to 146 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 3: people just looking. I knew that I stood out. I 147 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 3: think when I became a judge and I asked the 148 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 3: Governor's office in the press release, I told them it 149 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:09,080 Speaker 3: was really important for me to put in that I 150 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 3: was an immigrant and that I was a foster child. 151 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 3: Before that, a lot of people didn't know that I 152 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 3: was a foster child. 153 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: Growing up. 154 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:18,680 Speaker 3: It was a very private part of my life, and 155 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 3: so no one really knew. I think a lot of 156 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 3: people were very shocked to learn that I had been 157 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 3: in care. 158 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: One of the. 159 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 3: Things that I do see and have seen where I 160 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 3: can make an impact is I'm able when children show 161 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,680 Speaker 3: up to court. Sometimes they come to their court hearings 162 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 3: and seeing kids who are very quiet and don't really 163 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 3: want to talk about a possible new placement that they 164 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 3: just landed at. I do share with them that I 165 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 3: was in foster care and that I was in different placements, 166 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 3: so that they know that I understand what that new 167 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 3: environment is like for them and them readjusting. So that's 168 00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 3: sort of one way I get them to talk to 169 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 3: me about how things are going in their new placements. 170 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 3: And I think that's where I've seen a big difference 171 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 3: for me. I sort of look for certain things when 172 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 3: I'm reviewing cases. For example, I know that you very 173 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 3: rarely saw doctors as foster children, and so I'm always 174 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 3: looking to see when children last went for a checkup 175 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 3: or dental care. I'm looking at grades very carefully because 176 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:30,719 Speaker 3: I know that as you move around and children are 177 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 3: trying to readjust to schools, I know that it's very 178 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,319 Speaker 3: easy to fall behind in school. So I'm always looking 179 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 3: to see and so I'm looking at the things that 180 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,679 Speaker 3: I suspect maybe aren't getting the attention that they need 181 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 3: to get, and so I'm asking about those things in 182 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 3: my cases in my court, I as a community member, 183 00:10:54,720 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 3: have been attending theater Milagro Miracle Theater here for many years. 184 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 3: Over ten years I have taken my children there and 185 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 3: so when I took the bench, their artistic director, Danielle Milan, 186 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 3: had read a profile that the local paper had done 187 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 3: on me and decided she wanted to make a play. 188 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 3: So she reached out to me and asked me if 189 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 3: I would allow my story to be used for that. 190 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 3: As an incredible honor to have a play done about you, 191 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 3: it was also a very surreal experience for me to 192 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 3: have your life played out on stage. Being a foster 193 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 3: child is something that children are ashamed of and you 194 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 3: don't talk about. As I mentioned, I didn't really share 195 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 3: that with a lot of people, even as a grown up. 196 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: Only my closest friends knew. 197 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 3: So I think it's so important for children in school 198 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 3: to learn about the experience of a foster child. I'm 199 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 3: hoping they have a greater understanding of what that experience 200 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 3: is like, the adjustment, the estrangement from siblings, and so 201 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 3: I was really proud to see that on stage. And 202 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 3: I was also really proud to see a scene that 203 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 3: I hadn't seen before of siblings crossing the river and 204 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 3: entering this country. In terms of my future, I see 205 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:14,839 Speaker 3: myself on the bench for many years, and I want 206 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 3: to make sure that I'm the kind of judge that 207 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 3: the community feels they really are getting to know, because 208 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 3: that is such an important role to me. 209 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 2: That was Sillo Mara Torres, who is a family law 210 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 2: circuit court judge in Portland, Oregon. This episode was produced 211 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 2: by Lucas Southard and edited by Sophia Palisa car. 212 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: It was mixed by Stephanie Lebau. 213 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:59,199 Speaker 2: The Latino USA team also includes Victoria Estrada, Renaldo, j 214 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:04,319 Speaker 2: Andrea Robes, Grusado, Joori, mar Marguis, Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, 215 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 2: Norsaudi and Nancy Trujillo. Bennileei Ramirez is our co executive producer. 216 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,320 Speaker 2: Our senior engineer is Julia Grusso. Our marketing manager is 217 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 2: Luis Luna. Our theme music was composed by Zenia Rubinos, 218 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 2: I'm your host and executive producer Maria Jojosa join us 219 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 2: again on our next episode. In the meantime, look for 220 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 2: us on all of your social media. I'll see you 221 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 2: on Instagram, Yeah, I knows, memos Chao. 222 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 1: Funding for Latino USA is coverage of a culture of 223 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: health is made possible in part by a grant from 224 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 1: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Latino USA is made possible 225 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: in part by W. K. Kellogg Foundation, a partner with 226 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: Communities where Children Come First, and the Tao Foundation.