Breaking the language barrier

An Island native and son of Brazilian immigrants, Gabriel Brito grew up navigating between American and Brazilian culture. Sworn in as Edgartown’s first Portuguese-speaking police officer in June, he brings a unique perspective to the table, and bridges the gap between the Brazilian immigrant community and the Island at large.

He said that one of the main cultural differences between Brazil and the U.S. is communication styles.

“For Brazilian culture, they’re more affectionate and outgoing. I feel like they’re a little happier,” he said. “When we hug [in Brazil], it’s a little hug and a kiss, and [in the U.S.,] it’s not really that.”

Despite having to adjust some of his own habits to better fit in, Brito said, his background as a Brazilian American has taught him to be tolerant toward other customs and beliefs. “I tend to understand that people have different views, and their upbringing is a little bit different,” he said.

Brito’s mother, a housecleaner from Minas Gerais, and his father, a drywaller from Espírito Santo, immigrated to the Island during the ’90s. Brito, who was born on-Island, returned to Brazil when he was 2 years old, and lived in both Brazilian states for roughly three years.

It was during this time that he witnessed people’s general distrust toward law enforcement in Brazil, a fear that seems to be surfacing through the Island today amid raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.). 

“I saw that people feared police officers there a lot,” he said, referring to Brazil. “I hated that people didn’t go to them for help.” 

When he and his family returned to the Island and settled in Edgartown, Brito felt more welcomed by the local police, further inspiring him to join law enforcement. “Once I moved [to the Island], they were a lot different. They came with their arms open,” he said. “I want everybody to feel safe and not scared of the police.”

His dream stuck with him throughout his childhood, documented in a letter he wrote to his future self in elementary school, and as his goal in his eighth-grade yearbook. He joked that he ended up with one of his dream jobs: “It was either basketball player or police officer, and I got police officer.”

Brito became a community service officer (CSO) in Edgartown, directing cars and pedestrians, and getting to know passersby on downtown’s bustling Main Street. Working under seasoned police officers, he felt encouraged to continue in law enforcement.

“I saw how professional they were, and how good they were to the community. It inspired me to keep pushing toward this goal,” he said.

Brito also enjoyed the social nature of the job, even during the more heated interactions.

“I had some moments where people are yelling at me, but at the end of the day, it’s OK,” he said. “You can vent to me. It’s better to do that than go do something stupid.”

During the three summers that he worked as a CSO, Brito admired how his supervising officers focused on restorative justice, rather than punishment, which helped to shape his own philosophy.

“They didn’t look to punish them. It was more to educate them,” he said. “Policing is about punishing people for what they do sometimes, but if you give them a break and teach them a lesson, that’s more important.”

After graduating from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in 2022, Brito attended Suffolk University, Johnson & Wales University, and Emmanuel College. He’s hoping to finish his degree in criminal justice online. He paused his education in January to train at the East Falmouth Police Academy, and was sponsored through the Edgartown Police Department.

Edgartown Police Chief Chris Dolby told The Times that he admires Brito’s work ethic and his receptiveness to feedback. “He takes a lot of pride in what he does, and that’s the bedrock of [being an Edgartown Police officer],” Dolby said. “You learn something new every day, and you have to be open to that. I see a lot of that in Gabe, and I’m very happy with the progress he’s making.”

Dolby said that his department, which currently employs four Brazilian CSOs and one female police officer, is trying to have its police force be more representative of Edgartown’s population. One of Dolby’s strategies is increasing school outreach efforts to promote the CSO position. “In any police department, the makeup of your department should, in some ways, resemble the community that you’re serving,” he said.

Brito said that many Brazilians in the Island community are afraid to approach the local police due to the language barrier, and possibly their own immigration status. As a Portuguese speaker, he hopes to improve the communication between the two groups:

“If they go to report something, there’s not this fear that they might not understand.”

Community leaders are also aware of the strained relationship. Ricardo Duarte is the head pastor at the Lagoinha MV church in Vineyard Haven. For many Brazilian immigrants coming to the U.S., Duarte said that the biggest changes are the climate, the food, and the language.

He attributes Brazilian law enforcement’s lack of effectiveness to various factors, such as a lack of government support, low salaries for officers, and high crime rates in Brazil’s low-income neighborhoods, known as favelas. Duarte thinks that the presence of Portuguese-speaking police officers will prevent misunderstandings, like during traffic stops.

“If there is [a police officer] speaking Portuguese, you would know it is nothing major, and that they are just asking for your driver’s license or [documentation] that is related to the car,” he said.

However, Pastor Duarte also strongly suggests that incoming immigrants should make an effort to learn English. “If you don’t understand, you can think a lot of things, and feel unwelcome on this land, and even get in trouble because you didn’t understand the simple command from the police officer,” he said.

Duarte, who previously lived in the U.K. for roughly 20 years, was surprised at the abundance of Portuguese translators in the schools and hospital when he first came to the Island two years ago. He said that these efforts, along with having more Portuguese speakers in the police departments, help the Brazilian community feel accepted on-Island: “When you get to Martha’s Vineyard and you see that the [Island] community and the Americans are trying everything to help the Brazilian community, you feel welcome.”

Currently, Brito is serving a probationary period, where he shadows and receives mentorship from field training officers (FTO). The FTOs make sure that he’s meeting department standards, and prepared to respond to a myriad of situations.

As much as Brito feels rewarded by his job, he has also learned the importance of prioritizing his mental health through spending time with friends outside of work, and exercising: “Do whatever makes you happy that gets your mind off this job, because if you’re constantly thinking about it, this job will consume you.”

Although Brito just started, he already feels at home.

“I’m finally accomplishing my dream, and being surrounded with good guys,” he said. “They all came to me with open arms, and I feel very welcome here.”