Archive for May 15th, 2008
More Info on NYPD Shot Dogs than People
7:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Justice| New York City| crime| race · Comments Off
15 May 2008With Sean Bell fresh in the minds and hearts of people, and immigrants in Iowa being held in cattle yards, people of color have already gotten the message that we are viewed as animals or even as less than animals. So it should be no surprise that the New York City Police Department keeps better records on the dogs they shoot than the people they shoot.
Last week, the NYPD gave the City Council nine years’ worth of previously confidential detailed reports on the department’s shooting incidents.
But members of the council’s Public Safety Committee, which ostensibly oversees the NYPD, were barking up the wrong tree if they thought these long-sought-after Firearms Discharge Reports were going to reveal anything about the racial makeup of the people shot by New York’s cops.
On the other hand, among all the statistics and analyses were detailed breakdowns of the breeds of dogs shot by cops.
Venezuela to Colombia : A U.S. Base on the Border Means War
5:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Colombia| Ecuador| Venezuela · 1 Comment
15 May 2008
With the lease of the U.S. military base in Manta, Ecuador expiring next year and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa vowing not to renew, the United States Ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, suggested that the Ecuador base could be moved to La Guajira inside Colombia, who maintains friendly diplomatic relations with the U.S. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, not one to take a “wait and see” approach, said that placing a U.S. base in the region that spans northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, would equal nothing less than a threat of war.
“We will not allow the Colombian government to give La Guajira to the empire,” Chavez said, referring to the US during a speech to a packed auditorium of uniformed soldiers.
“Colombia is launching a threat of war at us.”
While Chavez certainly will be called out because he is the only one crying “war” , what would a U.S. military base on the Colombia/Venezuela border mean?
Via / Al Jazeera
Obama in ‘08 Tee : Curious or Straight Up Racist?
3:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Georgia| Politics| US Presidential Race 2008| race · 4 Comments
15 May 2008
A tavern owner in Georgia has been peddling the shirt with a picture of a happy Curious George eating a banana above the words “Obama in ’08.”
The tavern owner, who some have described as an “ultra-conservative,” has denied to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the T-shirt is racist. But protesters outside his tavern say the comparison of Obama, who is an African- American, to a monkey is an old racist stereotype.
Comparing a black man to a monkey is racist? Who would have thought?
California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban
3:07 pm By Maegan La Mala · California| Justice| society · Comments Off
15 May 2008
It’s a historic day in California. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel for the state’s LGBT couples:
The court’s 4-to-3 decision striking down state laws that had limited marriages to unions between a man and a woman makes California only the second state, after Massachusetts, to allow same-sex marriages. The decision, which becomes effective in 30 days, is certain to play a role in the presidential campaign.“In view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship,” Chief Justice Ronald M. George wrote of marriage for the majority, “the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.”
I didn’t think this day would come so soon, but it’s an extremely pleasant surprise, especially after having lived through all the drama in San Francisco after the marriages were declared null. Congrats to all those couples!
Via / The New York Times
Image via LA Times Getty Images
Brazilian Olympic Hopeful Suspended for Drugs
2:00 pm By Maegan La Mala · Brazil| Controversia| Sports · Comments Off
15 May 2008
Brazilian swimming star Rebeca Gusmao, widely expected to represent her country in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, has been suspended by the International Swimming Federation from the sport for two years for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Testosterone was apparently found in Gusmao’s system after a test at the Panamerican Games in November of last year, and her suspension is retroactive to that date. According to Venezuela’s El Universal, as a result, Gusmao has lost the 4 medals she won at the Rio Games, as well as 2 won for the 50 and 100 meter categories, which have been given to her Venezuelan competitor, Arlene Semeco.
Dubbed “the giant” because of her impressive body mass, it is believed that her particular body type and rapid change in appearance (that’s her before, check out her ‘after’ picture after the jump…if you dare) can be attributed to the use of testosterone. Just days ago, Gusmao said that she would go to Beijing and bring a medal back for Brazil, saying “No athlete is psychologically stronger than I am, and no athlete wants to win as much as me.”
Blog About Palestine Day : Palestinians in Chile
1:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Chile| Palestine · Comments Off
15 May 2008
Today is Blog About Palestine Day, because today is also the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, marking the beginning of the modern age Palestinian plight and suffering. This date is remembered annually on local, regional, and global levels. Tonight in the Southern Cone nation there is even an event: Transformar El Dolor en Amor: Mass Demonstration 6:30pm, Plaza De La Constitucion, in the capital of Santiago.
In Chile, there is a large population of Palestinians, that has been growing in recent months. Chile has the largest Palestinian community outside of the Arab world, making up about 5% of the overall population. This is the fourth largest Palestinian pressence in the world after those in Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
Incite! Women of Color Against Violence Launches New Website
11:17 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Internet| Justice| Women| race · Comments Off
15 May 2008
For Immediate Release, Please Forward Widely!
Contact: incite_national@yahoo.com, 484-932-2166
May 14, 2008
INCITE! LAUNCHES BEAUTIFUL NEW WEBSITE!
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence announces the exciting launch of our newly re-created website. Check it out:
http://incite-national.org/
Beautifully designed and engineered by Tumis (http://tumis.com/), a fantastic bilingual design studio dedicated to global social justice that is woman-owned and run by people of color, the new website features an overview of INCITE!’s history, analysis, news, and projects. The site also includes organizing resources, more detailed information about INCITE! chapters and affiliates, and ways to get involved in radical women of color organizing.
Additionally, an Organizing Toolkit To Stop Law Enforcement Violence Against Women of Color & Trans People of Color has been integrated into the new site. This toolkit provides critical organizing resources to address police brutality, immigration police violence, and militarism targeting women and trans people of color. Check it out here:
http://incite-national.org/index.php?s=52
In the coming months, we will develop additional elements in the site including:
* a blog to spark critical dialogue among women of color and our communities about news, events, and ideas
* more developed resources such as a bibliography of books, articles, and films, and a list of weblinks to fantastic organizations and centers of information
* more accessible organizing tools to support grassroots mobilization
Be sure to visit our site map to help navigate through the newly organized site:
http://incite-national.org/index.php?s=85
Thank you to the amazing INCITE! community and supporters, including the Funding Exchange Media Justice Fund, for providing the resources and support needed to create the new site. We still have more work to do to make the site truly dynamic and interactive and your financial support is vital for that project. Please visit our donation page to help sustain this work!
http://incite-national.org/index.php?s=67
To send feedback or questions about the site, please e-mail us at incite_national@yahoo.com.
THANK YOU!
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
PO Box 226
Redmond, WA 98073
phone: 484-932-3166
incite_national@yahoo.com
www.incite-national.org
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and their communities through direct action, critical dialogue and grassroots organizing.
Via / La Chola (Who is back you all!)
Latino Book Month, Jueves May 15 Pick : Sinasco
9:17 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Books| literature · Comments Off
15 May 2008
SINASCO stands for Sindicato de Astronautas Colombianos or the the Syndicate of Colombian Astronauts. Three Colombian poets in New York City gave themselves this name to describe their daring approach to Spanish language poetry but I also suspect that it has to do with a sense of “spacelessness” as immigrant voices on a crazy planet. This independently published book with poems from Nicolas Linares, Ricardo Leon Pena-Villa, and Diego “Liriko” Vargas, is a bilingual look through the eyes of word artists who feel that poetry is a way of life and a means of change.
What makes this collection unique is that while the three poets are linked, their voices are all so different.
Full disclosure : I am friends with the authors of the book and the book was dedicated to my younger daughter, but as a poet, I know good poetry when I see it and this new wave of poetry should be read, embraced, and allowed to fly as astronauts do.
If you would like to purchase the book contact Diego Vargas at llgante77@yahoo.com.
Obama Endorsed by John Edwards and NARAL
7:18 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
15 May 2008
Barack Obama had a good day yesterday. First he snagged the endorsement of the the U.S.’s foremost pro-choice organization, NARAL.
“There are few more tireless defenders of women’s rights in this country than NARAL Pro-Choice America and I’m proud to accept their support,” Sen. Obama said. “For decades, they have worked in the courthouse, in the legislature, and in the streets to make sure that women have the right to choose. This is a fundamental civil right that I’ve fought to protect in Illinois and in Washington, that’s being threatened by Senator McCain, and that I’ll be fighting in the months ahead to make secure today, tomorrow, and always.”
Then, former Democratic Candidate John Edwards threw his support behind Obama at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Hola!
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