Archive for September 17th, 2008
Struggling through Hurricane Ike
11:20 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Environment| Texas · Comments Off
17 Sep 2008
So it seems that Hurricane Katrina wasn’t enough practice for the government. Latest news on Hurricane Ike clean up is that FEMA is “struggling” with distribution issues. In other words, folks who are in desperate need of help, simply aren’t getting it:
“Where’s FEMA?” some evacuees have asked. Houston Mayor Bill White complained FEMA wasn’t bringing ice, water and meals fast enough, while the county administrator personally took over the coordination of efforts to hand out relief supplies.
According to (total jackass) Michael Chertoff (who runs FEMA), getting mad at FEMA now is just scapegoating FEMA for what is overall a difficult situation. I say, hand to the face Mr. Chertoff. Those who watched CNN for even ten minutes knew that there was a major storm brewing a week before it actually touched ground, in my humble non-official opinion, there should have been beds, warm soup etc set up within *hours* of the storm not days.
But who am I but some innocent blogger?
Constitutional Protections Not Applied to Ana Romero: Mujer, Madre, Trabajadora, Muerta
1:43 pm By Maegan La Mala · Activism| Immigration| Justice| Kentucky| Women · Comments Off
17 Sep 2008
Today marks the 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution so today is Constitution Day, apparently known also as Citizenship Day, and perhaps it was Ana Romero’s lack of citizenship, lack of “status” that made it ok for her, a domestic worker to die in a jail in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Ana Romero, a 44 year old mother of two, working cleaning houses to support her sons and elderly mother in El Salvador. Hers is the story of countless women but we know her name now because she is no longer here. Romero was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and incarcerated for eight months. During those eight months:
Ana was distraught and suffered from medical ailments, refusing to eat the food which she told family members “…stinks and there is something wrong with it.”
Shortly before her death, she was placed in solitary confinement. Her jailers have yet to explain why this was done.
Ana Romero died of asphyxiation by hanging.
What often happens in cases like this, where prisoners are found dead and the medical examiner labels the death a suicide, the case is closed. It is only through the pressure and presence of community that the questions left unanswered are dealt with.
The family of Ana Romero and the general public deserve answers.
What kind of treatment do persons awaiting deportation receive in jail?
Why was Ana Romero placed in solitary confinement?
What was the true cause of her death?
How can deaths such as these be avoided in the future?
I personally know of a few cases where a community paid for an independent autopsy that cast doubt upon the official cause of death, which far to often is “asphyxiation by hanging”. This way the victim is blamed, and the responsibility of community and a country who sells tickets to the “American Dream” is shirked.
Comunidad, take responsibility via a tiny step and sign a petition demanding answers. See after the jump for petition and instructions
Hip/Hop Artists Raise HIV/AIDS Awareness
1:33 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| GLBT · Comments Off
17 Sep 2008
Folks down in Texas were treated to an apparently awesome concert that was also a worthy cause. Mike Jones, David Banner and Day26 (among others) performed a “Hip Hop for HIV” concert to bring attention to the effect HIV/AIDS are having on the black and Latin@ communities. Concert goers received tickets for the concert by getting tested. And although the outreach targeted black and Latin@ communities, the testing was meant for everyone,
“We want to test across the board,” Mr. Jones said. “We don’t just want to reach out to the African-American and Hispanic communities but to everyone.”
I think it’s great that outreach like this is happening, especially given the homophobia that many times courses through mainstream Hip/Hop. I hope it means that the LGBT community is more accepted now, although the pessimistic me thinks it’s more likely that folks are thinking HIV/AIDS is “not just the gay disease anymore.”
Immigrant Bodies as Guinea Pigs for Vaccines
11:40 am By Maegan La Mala · Drugs| Health| Immigration| Women · Comments Off
17 Sep 2008
Questioning what the U.S. government has deemed healthy and required labels many parents and women as dangerous, careless, negligent and even criminal. But given the history of the U.S. of using women’s bodies, especially the bodies of women of color, as test subjects,as part of racist policy, usually without consent, the latest move by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services should remind us the value placed on our physical health.
In July, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services quietly amended its list of required vaccinations for immigrants applying to become citizens. One of the newest requirements? Gardasil, which vaccinates against the human papillomavirus (HPV). From the agency’s press release:
CDC’s revised Technical Instructions to Civil Surgeons for Vaccination Requirements require the following age-appropriate additional vaccinations to adjust status to legal permanent resident:
* Rotavirus
* Hepatitis A
* Meningococcal
* Human papillomavirus
* Zoster
NYPD Attacked Father Taking His Daughter to School and Now He Faces Charges
9:36 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism| Dominicans| Family| Justice| New York City| Politics| crime · 4 Comments
17 Sep 2008
Imagine you are walking your daughter to school. It’s a common scene. The last thing you expect is to be attacked. The last thing you expect is to be attacked by the New York City Police Department. Yet, that’s exactly what happened to Jesus Bracero.
In May 2007, 56-year-old Jesus Bracero was attacked in Washington Heights by NYPD officers while dropping his 15-year-old daughter off at school. The catalyst? Bracero not complying immediately when asked for id. This is where people will say to themselves, why did he not just follow the police order? The answer is simple. In the words of Bracero: “I had not done anything illegal.” This was enough to unleash the NYPD choking and beating him.
They dragged Bracero out of his car with a chokehold on his neck. Bracero says he was assaulted by many police, who handcuffed him and repeatedly banged his head on the ground.
National Rican Organization Challenges Presidential Candidates to Speak Address the Community
7:36 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism| Politics| Puerto Rico| US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
17 Sep 2008
The Latino vote is one of the most talked about target groups in this presidential election season. Everyone wants us to register, wants us to vote, but what is often forgotten is that Latino means many things, coming from many places. Puerto Ricans (yes there she goes again) have their own issues that demand attention along with other Latino groups, and one Rican organization is demanding that John McCain and Barack Obama respond to the specific interests of the Rican community.
The National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, a social justice organization, has written a letter inviting the candidates to collaborate with the NCPRR to develop a means for communication with the Puerto Rican community.
“We are willing to work with the candidates to creatively set up a discussion that will allow our community to understand the candidates’ positions. Our children are also dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we should know what the future will bring from these candidates.” said Vazquez-Hernandez, a professor of history at Miami Dade College, who is a Vietnam Era veteran and a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Full disclosure : The NCPRR was the formative entity in terms of my political upbringing.
Read the entire letter after the jump.
Hola!
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