Archive for August, 2009
How nationalism overrides and hides violence against women
7:57 pm By la Macha · crime|Immigration|society|Violence · 2 Comments
11 Aug 2009I started reading this article about a Mexican man who attempted to set his wife on fire with a sense of horror in my guts. Not because I can’t believe any man would send set his wife on fire, but because Jesus CHRIST, how many times is this shit going to happen?
I was so pleased to read that the woman managed to escape that horrible fate (the man couldn’t find a way to set her on fire after he poured gasoline on her, so he left the house)–but then I got to this part of the article:
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was contacted. Police Chief James Horvath said he has been told by ICE that they only will become involved if the alien is being charged with a crime. He did not receive a response from ICE on Monday.
“We are finding more Mexicans living in the area,” Horvath said.
The arrest comes five years after North Strabane Township police arrested five Mexican nationals for assaulting a countryman. Three of those arrested also worked for Tatano Wire. The five did not face trial but were released to ICE.
Um…what? First off, what does “finding more Mexicans living in the area” have to do with spousal abuse? This could’ve been an article about how another woman was set on fire by a man claiming to care about her–but for the grace of god it’s not. But just because it’s not, that doesn’t mean that the spousal abuse then becomes not news worthy.
Secondly–since when do “non-biased” reporters use completely biased words like “countrymen?” That sentence very clearly assumes that all readers are “fellow countrymen” (aka good ol’ americans with good ol’ american birth certificates like you and me). Is that a valid assumption for reporters to have?
And if it is, why do I, a queer macha, have to be a countryman? Why can’t I be a cuntryboi?
All joking aside, this is what happens when people (more than likely men, although the author of that article was a woman), decide that “citizenship” and “questions of citizenship” are more important than understanding and dealing with violence against women. The women who are violated are completely erased from the story or become little more than the vessels that carry the more important story of “how are we going to catch us some alienz?”
article found via twitter
Made in LA Re-Airing Tonight
1:02 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Immigration|Movies|TV · Comments Off
11 Aug 2009Maybe President Obama should watch the film Made in L.A., which is being rebroadcast tonite (check your local listings here), so he can be reminded why we cannot wait till 2010 for immigration reform.
A Tragic Story of Continual Violence against Women of Color: Anyisah’s Mother’s Story, Angeline
7:48 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · children|Family|Justice|New York City|Women · Comments Off
11 Aug 2009
Earlier this month I wrote about how one mami is being kept from her daughter by a justice system that claims to think of the best interest of the child. As the next court date approaches and a mother and her supportive family struggle to garner support and attention from the community and media, many have asked for some background on the story of Anyisah.
Many people have emailed us asking, “How did Anyisah end up in family court system?”
Answer:
* Angeline separated from Aniysah’s father because he was physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive. Angeline has documentation of his abuse and the court orders forcing him to take anti-battering classes. Judge Fernando Camacho issued an Order of Protection for the father to stay away from Angeline and Aniysah, May of 2005.
* Even though Angeline separated from Aniysah’s father, he continued to harass and terrorize Angeline and Aniysah by fabricating lies to Child Protective Services (CPS) and filing for full custody of Aniysah. June 2005 — October 2006 Judge Morgenstern issued several Orders of Protection for the father to stay from Angeline.
* Judge Morgenstern granted the father unsupervised visits on the weekend with Aniysah at the father’s mother’s house. However, just as the unsupervised weekend visits begin, Aniysah begins to display unusual behaviors. She told the social worker that someone named “grandpa” touched her inappropriately. Aniysah developed a rash between her legs and Angeline takes her daughter to the doctor and the doctor reports the rash to CPS as a possible issue of child abuse. At this point, the doctor at the emergency room reported on the possibility of Aniysah being abused while in her father’s care.
La Mala is an Immigration Scholar and is Going to Netroots Nation to Prove It
6:52 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Netroots Nation|Pittsburgh · Comments Off
11 Aug 2009
National blogger conferences are always funny things to me.
I’ve been blogging for many years and not to give myself too many props, pero I was one of the earlier radical women of color blogging on personal issues as political issues and then branched out.
I have been fortunate enough to link my blogging to my history of activism and even to my poetic artistry.
And yet, for multiple reasons, I am not funded and most of what I do is a hustle inside of a hustle out of love for justice.
This means that national conferences that talk about how to talk about the issues and strategies and probably most importantly,
are places to network and share info, even conference held by orgs claiming to rep my interests, are out of my reach. I’m a single mami who makes justice centered media in various forms.
Pero this week I will be attending Netroots Nation this week gracias to a scholarship from America’s Voice that is bringing me and other pro-migrant bloggers to Pittsburgh.
I’m grateful and looking forward to this opportunity to share ideas, experiences and strategies.
PS: The scholarship covers my travel and my hotel. If you would like to donate to feed the Rican blogger click below. Gracias!
And meanwhile…
9:01 pm By la Macha · Immigration · 1 Comment
10 Aug 2009As Obama assured the world that the U.S. will continue to fund Mexico’s drug war, he reiterated that he would do nothing regarding immigration reform–at least not this year.
The president said he expects draft legislation and sponsors by the end of the year, but no action until 2010 because of more pressing issues, including health-care reform, energy legislation and financial regulatory changes.
“That’s a pretty big stack of bills,” he said.
Immigration is among the most controversial items on Obama’s legislative agenda, with critics opposing what they call an amnesty for illegal workers and businesses concerned about reductions in their labor force. President George W. Bush twice attempted immigration reform during his second term, without success.
As a member of a community that is actively being imprisoned, hunted down, ripped from families, and otherwise terrorized, I find this reasoning so hard to swallow. How is immigration NOT connected to health care? Or financial regulation for fuck’s sake?
The only good thing about this delay is that immigration groups can hopefully use that time to mobilize grassroot support for truly transformative and (maybe even radical?) change.
We’ll see.
The U.S. Supports Mexico’s War on Drugs
8:25 pm By la Macha · crime|Drugs|economy|U.S.-Mexico Border|Violence · 3 Comments
10 Aug 2009
Ok, remember how Mexico caught a whole bunch of drug traffickers a few weeks back? And how they were paraded in front of national Mexican television, and how it was the U.S. that basically funded the capture with money and weapons?
Well, the U.S. government doesn’t have a problem with any of that, and it wants us all to know that.
President Obama said Monday the United States remains Mexico’s partner in the fight against drug cartels, despite some calls in the United States to delay counter-narcotics aid because of alleged human rights violations by Mexican soldiers.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and human rights in his offensive against the cartels, Obama said.
Some $100 million in anti-drug aid, known as the Merida Initiative, could be delayed because of concerns about human rights violations, it was reported last week.
“We have been very supportive of the Merida Initiative, and we remain supportive,” Obama said.
Obama also said the United States would work to reduce demand for drugs and stop the illegal flow of weapons south to Mexico.
The remarks came at a summit of North American leaders in Guadalajara, Mexico.
As I said earlier, I don’t really see this “war” ending until there is 1. either drug legalization efforts and/or 2. a national policy in the U.S. enacted whereby drug addiction is recognized as a disease needing treatment rather than a crime needing imprisonment.
So it’s incredibly disappointing to see that Obama, the liberal almost communist dictator, declaring the U.S.’s continued support of military options to Mexico–while also speaking out of both sides of his mouth on “ending U.S. demands for drugs.” If Mexico’s drug trafficking is a matter of national security, why isn’t treatment here in the U.S.? If Mexico can get millions and millions of dollars for military supplies, why can’t your local rehab clinic get some new chairs and a computer?
Oh, I forget, we have to use that money to imprison drug users.
That’s Justice Sotomayor to You
8:36 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · history|Politics|Women · 1 Comment
10 Aug 2009
On Saturday, in a private ceremony, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the newest Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The oath was administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
Sonia Sotomayor’s mami, Celina Sotomayor, held the family Bible over which the oath was taken.
Via / Scoutus Blogy Matt Ortega
No Room at the Inn for Detained Immigrant Families
7:53 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · children|Family|Immigration · Comments Off
10 Aug 2009
Seems like there are problems with the closing of T. Don Hutto as an immigrant family detention center. Under the announced restructuring of oversight of immigrant detention centers, the controversial Hutto center will no longer be used for families with children and will only be used to house women immigrants. Families were to be transferred to another immigrant detention center, Berks Family Shelter Care Facility in Leesburg, Pennsylvania. Except no one checked with Berks, which apparently has no room for more immigrant families.
County Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt, who is chairman of the county prison board, said he was unaware of the move by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Kenneth A. Borkey Jr., executive director of the Bern Township facility, which houses families awaiting immigration hearings, said the center is at capacity.
La Cholita – Larger than life! VivirLatino Exclusive
6:46 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Arts|Culture|Los Angeles|Women · 8 Comments
10 Aug 2009
Image by Laura Byrnes
Makeup by Melissa Pizzamiglio
The following interview is a VivirLatino exclusive interview with the Latina Queen of Burlesque, la Cholita, by the Latina Queen of writing, Adele Nieves.
Adele Nieves: You’ve been described as the Latina Queen of Burlesque, and L.A.’s Premier Burlesque performer. How would you describe yourself?
la Cholita : I would definitely agree with both of those (laughs). I’m also extremely fiery and passionate. When I first started they used to say I was the “MVP” – most volatile performer – and “The Firecracker,” because my stage persona is very explosive. When I get up there it’s just larger than life. Every time I meet someone the first thing they say is “you’re so much shorter than I thought you’d be!” I have a very strong, over-the-top stage presence and it’s just kind of overwhelming, like “BAM!”
So I would definitely agree. And I would even say I’m the Queen of L.A., because why not?
A.N: What is it about burlesque that inspires your expression and performance? Also, how did you get started?
L.C: I always loved dressing up. I would put on my mom’s jewelry and lipstick, put on her bras and stuff them and try walking out of the house (laughs). I loved singing, dancing, and the theatre. I went to my first show, a burlesque convention, only about six years ago. It had women from all over the world, and legends like Dixie Evans, Tempest Storm, Isis Star, Satan’s Angel – these women were the O.G.s of burlesque, and they’re still up there and doing it better than a lot of the young ones. There was so much diversity, girls who in normal society wouldn’t be looked at twice or would be criticized for cellulite, and each one looked so cute, so charming, and so sexy, whether they were campy, glamorous, raunchy, or had big props. Every girl did her own thing, and for those few minutes each girl was on stage, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. Once I saw that, I was like “oh my goodness, this is what I need to do.”
Another reason I started was because I didn’t see anyone representing what I wanted to see. As a homegirl from Los Angeles, you’ve gotta represent, right? That’s a big part of me and my performance.
Prison Riot in California
3:34 pm By la Macha · California|Controversia|Violence · 2 Comments
9 Aug 2009
More than 250 inmates were injured in a riot that erupted overnight at the California Institution for Men in Chino, a spokesman said Sunday.
Flames leap from a housing unit at a prison in Chino, California, on Saturday night.
Fifty-five inmates were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries, said Lt. Mark Hargrove, prison spokesman.
None of the facility’s employees was hurt in the melee, which broke out at about 8:20 p.m. Saturday at the Reception Center West facility, Hargrove said. The situation was under control by 7 a.m. Sunday, he said.
The scene of the violence was the medium-security housing facility with seven units, each of which houses about 200 inmates, he said.
Some 80 officers responded to the riot, during which a housing unit was heavily damaged by fire, he said.
Guards used pepper spray, “less lethal force, and lethal force options” to regain control, Hargrove said in a written statement.
The institution was placed on lockdown pending an investigation of the cause of the fighting, and visiting privileges were suspended.
I have friends that are both prison guards and prisoners. So when I hear news like this I get very anxious. I want both the guards and the prisoners to be safe, and yet it always seems like it’s the prisoners that are subject to “lethal force options.”
I hope that all involved people, including the prisoners, are ok. That everybody survived with the least amount of trauma.
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter
blog advertising is good for you
blog advertising is good for you
- Karen: I don't want to be mean, but this can't go on. They are putting all of our rights at risk. If you wa [...]
- Maegan La Mala: Thank you! [...]
- Maegan La Mala: Gracias. Did you watch and what did you think? [...]
- whatsername: Sending good thoughts your way. Lots of love! [...]
- Rosa: Nice article, I will watch the funeral tonight. [...]
- What If H.B. 56 is Alabama & More?
- Happy Dia del Amor
- Whitney and More Missing from Tonight’s Grammy Awards
- Sexy Singing and Scary Primetime TV Latino Stereotypes : Glee & The River
- Explaining the Sudden Hiatus
- Eye on the Florida Primary : Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Most Anti-Immigrant of All?
- Live Blog/Tweet of Obama’s SOTU Address Tonight 8:45 EST
- Martes Media Minute : Roe v. Wade Anniversary, Medicaid Mama y Midwife Victory, Cervical Cancer Awareness month, & Mala’s Mami Closeup,
- VL Pelicula Giveaway!
- Today at 1 pm EST : Conversation on Latinas and Cervical Cancer
