2010 May | VivirLatino

Archive for May, 2010

Student Strikes at Universidad de Puerto Rico

5:53 pm By BiancaLaureano · Education|Puerto Rico|youth · 26 Comments

11 May 2010

I’ve been reading a bit about the student protests regarding the privatization of the University of Puerto Rico (among other things such as tuition increases). I’m very grateful for the posts by activist educator Marisol Lebron who writes at post pomo nuyorican homo that provides a useful and multi-media perspective of what is occuring.

Marisol writes:

In these videos Calle 13 (and a number of prominent Puerto Rican and Latin American artists through video message) support the struggles of of Puerto Rican students fighting against the privatization of the University of Puerto Rico and state divestment from education. This video was super powerful for me and really impressive.

Many scholars of neoliberalism are pointing to the ways in which Latin America is at the vanguard of anti-neoliberal struggles. This video reminds us that Puerto Rico IS also part of Latin America and is also at the forefront of crucial struggles for social justice.

Education is a right and the students at the University of Puerto Rico are reminding the world of that.

Here is one part of the video Marisol is discussing (all videos in Spanish only; please note the reaction by the crowd when Ricky Martin is speaking!):

Marisol also had a guest blogger, Claudia Sofia Garriga Lopez, write about the student protests that begain in mid-April and provide footage from some interactions and interviews. Claudia writes:

Last Monday, April 19th, the students at the University of Puerto Rico declared a strike. By Wednesday hundreds of students occupied the university and closed down all five entrances to the university. They are resisting the 100 million dollar budget cuts, the tuition hikes, and the privatization of the school, that has been put forward by the administration for next semester. These cuts are taking place in a university that is already marked by long lines in administrative buildings and students waiting for years to take classes that are required for graduation because they are often full to capacity. It means a freeze on all promotions, and new hires, as well as a salary reductions for faculty and staff. The tuition will increase but the quality of the services available will be seriously reduced.

Since the occupation, which has been called ocup(arte) the students have participated in street theater, as well as mass bench painting campaigns, puppet making workshops, poetry and music gatherings both inside and outside the university. The riot police has been stationed outside the university, but the students have remained non-violent. They have been assaulted mainly with pepper spray and tear gas, there have been several wounded but a surprisingly small amount of arrests. This is definitely a proud moment in student history for the University of Puerto Rico. The students inside the university have had so much support by their fellow students and other community members that they have had more than enough food, and have subsequently donated to food pantries. Classes have been canceled for the rest of the semester and the strike is indefinite. I will keep you posted as events continue to develop.

I encourage you to visit Marisol’s website for future updates as a recent post discusses a message from the Puerto Rican Studies Association about the student strike.

We Should Not Separate the Violence from the CIR Debate

7:00 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · arizona|Immigration|Politics|Seattle · 18 Comments

11 May 2010

With so many eyes on Arizona post the passing of SB1070 in Arizona, there is less talk about the possibility for comprehensive immigration reform and the violence, both from the State and it’s residents and how they are connected.

Take for example the recent beat down by Seattle police officers caught on tape, complete with anti-Mexican slurs.

Trigger warning : the video contains violence and slurs

The fact that the man beat up in the video had nothing to do with the crime reported (a robbery with Latinos involved) is besides the point. If the police had beat up and used anti-Mexican slurs against the “criminals” would we, those who consume media feel a little better about it, think somewhere in the back of our minds “well, they had it coming”?

The point is that laws like SB1070 and the current Comprehensive Immigration Reform framework put out there by Senator biometric Chuck Schumer works from the default position that immigrants, painted broadly as Latinos, painted broadly as Mexicans are criminals. It works from the framework that we need to prove ourselves worthy of humane treatment via speaking proper English, paying fines disguised as taxes, getting to the back of the line. Resistance to this, asking for legalization and/or basic human rights is seen as ungrateful and as an unwillingness to play the political game we asked to swallow in the name of political efficiency.

I am happy to see the boycotts and the civil disobedience in response to SB1070 just as I am happy to stand on a corner of my hood with my hija just talking to my vecinos about what this means for ALL of us. Pero I am bothered by the treatment of what happened to this man in Seattle, the disrespect towards the lives of our hermanos and hijas, and the accolades paid to Democrats for moving forward on a CIR plan that takes its lead from Arpaio. I am bothered that too many being credited with leading the movement talk about all of these things as if they are separate. As if one monster isn’t feeding the others and are all being led by the same master.

The other evening walking to casa mala, I saw four NYPD officers teasing and fucking with a Latino man who was visibly drunk pero really wasn’t bothering anyone. Of the busy crowd in Corona, NY only three people stood by to watch, not saying a word, just letting the police know we were watching. Those people were another Latino man, my three year old, and myself. When the cops finally had had enough fun and sent the man on his way, the other adult witness looked at me shaking his head saying in Spanish ” they have nothing better to do than harass those who are doing nothing but surviving”.

We need more witnesses and we need to do more than survive.

All 14 Participants Freed From Jail After Non-Violent Civil Disobedience to Protest Arizona’s SB 1070

8:26 pm By la Macha · Activism|arizona|Immigration|Los Angeles · 3 Comments

10 May 2010

I’ve been finding out about this latest protest through different social media groups (facebook, twitter, etc). Here is the latest update!

For Immediate Release:

May 10, 2010

Press Contacts:

Byron Jose

323.371.2194

byron@mactivism.com

Irina Contreras

619.307.2444

colaconcontra@gmail.com

All 14 Participants Freed From Jail After Non-Violent
Civil Disobedience to Protest Arizona’s SB 1070

Protestors Hail Action As A Victory and Call For Ongoing Resistance To Unjust Laws and criminalization of immigrant communities

LOS ANGELES – On Friday night, after more than 24 hours in jail, all 14 activists and community members who engaged in non-violent civil disobedience in protest of Arizona’s recently enacted SB1070 and other federal, state, and local immigration enforcement laws, were freed on their own recognizance. The activists face at least one misdemeanor charge of failing to disperse and possibly other misdemeanor charges including resisting arrest. Their court date is scheduled for June 4, 2010. After being taken into custody, the 14 protestors refused to provide identification documents or their names as an act of resistance to Arizona’s SB 1070’s requirement that the police verify immigration status of anyone they “reasonably suspect” to be undocumented.

Activists say Thursday’s action was successful in calling attention to the criminalization of immigrants in the U.S., and that there will be other local and national protests in coming weeks. “Being released from jail does not signify an end to this movement rooted in non violent civil disobedience, but signifies its birth,” said Paulina Gonzalez., one of the participants in Thursday’s action. “As Dr. King said, it is our moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. By not providing our name or answering questions about our immigration status we did just that,” added Gonzalez.

On Thursday more than a dozen activists were chained to each other, encircling the entrance to the facility where immigrants are processed for detainment and deportation. Those engaged in supporting the disobedience were joined by hundreds of community members and activists who protested for over five hours on Alameda Street, shutting down the Federal Detention Center, which included blocking incoming Department of Homeland Security detention buses from entering the building and three lanes of Downtown LA traffic with their bodies.

The activists sought to highlight the racist nature of immigration enforcement measures that terrorize

immigrant communities through a for-profit regime being carried out through Arizona’s SB1070, raids

by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and collaboration between ICE and local

police and sheriffs in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Costa Mesa, and in LA County jails.

The action includes a call for an immediate and unconditional regularization (legalization) of the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., the immediate repeal of SB 1070, an end to ICE and police collaboration, immigration raids, detentions and deportations and the criminalization of communities of color.

Some facts about the U.S. Detention and Deportation system from the Detention Watch Network:

* Immigrants in detention include families, both undocumented and documented immigrants, many who have been in the US for years and are now facing exile; survivors of torture; asylum seekers; and other vulnerable groups including pregnant women, children, and individuals who are seriously ill without proper medication or care.
* Being in violation of immigration laws is not a crime. It is a civil violation for which immigrants go through a process to determine whether they have a right to stay in the United States. Immigrants detained during this process are in non-criminal custody. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the agency responsible for detaining immigrants.
* Although DHS owns and operates its own detention centers, it also “buys” bed space from over 312 county and city prisons nationwide to hold the majority of those who are detained (over 67%). Immigrants detained in these local jails are intermixed with the local prison population .
* As a result of this surge in detention and deportation, immigrants are suffering poor conditions and abuse in detention facilities across the country and families are being separated—often for life—while the private prison industry and county jailers are reaping huge profits.

The protesters cited Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail as their inspiration. In the letter the great Civil Rights leader said:

“It is our moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

For more information: Facebook.com/WeAreAllArizona

Sunday School Teacher That Killed 8-year-old Pleads Guilty

2:53 pm By la Macha · children|crime|Violence · 12 Comments

10 May 2010

Vivir Latino has long covered the story of Sandra Cantu–the little girl brutally raped and murdered by a Sunday school teacher who happens to be white.

Well, I just found out that the woman who killed Sandra has made a plea.

A Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu entered a surprise guilty plea to first-degree murder on Monday, sparing her the death penalty.

Melissa Huckaby of Tracy is expected to be sentenced to life in prison. As part of her plea in a Stockton court, all other charges – including rape, lewd acts with a child and poisoning another child and a man – have been dropped.

This made me sick to read. Because the sexual violence Sandra experienced–sexual violence directed at her by a white woman, was not considered important in the plea. The charges were dropped.

Which, in essence, says sexual violence against little baby Latinas, is ok. Not that bad.

Sure, Huckaby got life–but that doesn’t mean anything. Usually in 20 years, lifer’s come eligible for parole. And that parole board will no look at her record of sexual assault and pedophilia when making the decision to let her go or not.

They will only see a white woman who was a Sunday School teacher who killed a little girl nobody wanted any damn way.

And that makes me sick.

Latino and Indigenous Science Organization Rejects Arizona as a Conference Choice

8:58 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · arizona|Immigration|Phoenix|science · 6 Comments

10 May 2010

SACNAS, a society of scientists dedicated to fostering the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists, formally withdrew Phoenix from consideration as a conference location. In a letter to Governor Brewer, the organization stated that SB1070 would guarantee attendees would be subject to harassment. SACNAS estimates that this represents a loss of in revenue to the local economy of $3 million.

From the organization’s press release:

The leadership of SACNAS strongly believes the immigration law SB1070 will make the state inhospitable to people of color, especially Hispanics,” says society president, Jose Dolores Garcia, PhD. “We have been seriously considering Phoenix as a site for our conference in 2012. However, we feel the passage of this law and the policies of Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio will lead to racial profiling of our students and faculty.

English Only Makes It’s Way to Spain Via Kohl’s

6:16 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Fashion|language|Shopping|Spain · 8 Comments

10 May 2010

VivirLatino reader, Gilbert Velasquez, went into his local Kohl’s when he came across a section with shirts that had the names of different countries across them. As he looked through them he saw a shirt for Spain that had the text “ESPANA” written across the front. They had incorrectly spelled “ESPANA” with an N.

Is this laziness on the part of the manufacturer? Did they think that people outside of Spain or that Spanish speakers wouldn’t notice? Could they not find the ñ?

What’s particularly funny to me is that it’s being marketed as a way to show pride- with a typo. On the Kohl’s website, where you can also buy the product (see here), in the product description it says:

“Espana” graphic offers national pride.

If there were such a country as “Espana”, maybe.

I reached out to Kohl’s customer service and Public Relations departments and will let you know what they say.

The difference between an n and an ñ is the difference between a year and an asshole (Spanish speakers/writers should figure that one out).

“The absence of justice in one case robs justice from the entire society”

7:13 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · GLBT|Immigration|Justice|New York City|Violence · 1 Comment

9 May 2010

Hakim Scott is no longer the alleged killer of Ecuadorian immigrant businessman José Sucuzhanay. Last Thursday, Hakim Scott was acquitted of a hate crime and murder but convicted of first-degree manslaughter and attempted assault. Tomorrow, Monday May 8, at the Kings County Criminal Court in Brooklyn, NY, the family of the second accused killer, Keith Phoenix and the family of José Sucuzhanay will await the verdict against phoenix who is facing assault, deadly weapon possession, and multiple murder convictions, including second-degree murder as a hate crime convictions.

Scott will be sentenced on June 9th and faces up to 40 years.

I asked Diego Sucuzhanay, José’s brother, via facebook last night , how the family felt about last week’s verdict. He wrote back saying that he felt the verdict showed that the justice system doesn’t work for everyone and how difficult the judicial process has been because it keeps reminding them of the moments right after José and his brother Romel were attacked, especially the first five days José was in the hospital and all the familia tried to be optimistic that he would pull through. The verdict last week was a bitter reminder that their brother will not survive, will never come back regardless of any verdict. But still they hoped that their would be justice which it seemed to me meant a hate crimes conviction. Diego wanted the message against intolerance, racism and xenophobia to be severe and clear to make sure that there are no more José’s. Diego Sucuzhanay said that we have been robbed of justice and by we, he means New York City and society at large hence the title of this post which is a direct quote of what Diego wrote to me.

I’m wondering, as a Latina coming from a more radical place, how do we negotiate the idea of justice in our communities. Last year I wrote about about concerns I had with how this case was being framed, especially with calls for high sentences against men from communities who already are targeted by the prison industrial complex.

There have been more deaths since José’s. There have been transphobic murders and horrific laws in Arizona. When will we link all of this together in a more cohesive way so that the answer to the cries for justice from mourning families doesn’t always end in a jail cell or not.

May: National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

8:37 am By BiancaLaureano · Uncategorized · 1 Comment

7 May 2010

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and for some reason, which I wish not to even begin to interrogate because I need my patience for grading final exams, the National Day To Prevent Teen Pregnancy was on May 5, Cinco de Mayo, which Mala wrote about.

I shared a wish list I had for professionals and people working specifically with Latin@ youth around pregnancy prevention. Below are the main points. Head over to my RH Reality Check post to read what I have to say about each point.

Expand y/our understanding of what and who Latin@s are.
Include ALL people who identify as boys and men into programming.
Do not introduce or mention the ideology of “machismo” unless/until the community you are working with introduces it to you.
Recognize, know, and act like you know not all your clients are heterosexual.
Recognize your clients who identify as transgender, queer, lesbian, gay, or bisexual need pregnancy prevention.
Honor the language that young Latin@s use to express themselves.
Include Latin@ youth who are currently parenting in pregnancy prevention efforts.
Rethink how assimilation is used, defined, and incorporated into pregnancy prevention targeting Latin@ youth.
Help youth find and use adjectives besides “hard” to describe what it’s like being a teen parent.
Commit and follow through with having the Latin@ youth you work with teach you something.

Chilean Emcee: Ana Tijoux

10:53 am By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Chile|Culture|Music · Comments Off

6 May 2010

My homeboy Hugo, who I call my musical mentor, interviewed Chilean emcee Ana Tijoux earlier in April for Deft Magazine. They discuss her new album “1977,” how she was attracted to the Hip-Hop genre, how Hip-Hop in Chile is received, her participation in Chile relief concerts and her hopes for herself and her musica. Here’s a taste of Hugo’s interview with Tijoux:

How did Hip Hop take hold in Chile? Where do you see yourself in this movement?

The Hip Hop scene, I have grown up so much in the 80’s, in the beginning of the 80’s. We were living at that time with a military dictatorship. So, Hip Hop was beginning, but the most important music was Rock or Folklore, you know? Not contestory music. The people at that time in Chile choose not to listen to American music. So some people began in Chile to listen to NWA and Public Enemy in the 80’s, like Los Panteras Negras (the Black Panthers). And the breakdancing began with the classic movies that arrived like Wildstyle, Stylewar, and all those movies. And then in the 90’s, after (the arrival) of democracy, a lot of people arrived like me, because I was born in France, and a lot of people came back, coming from France, or Germany, or I don’t know, Africa, Cuba, North America. So, I’m almost sure that makes something, made a plus in Chile, you know? Bringing new stuff, new kind of sound. And since ‘90 the scene has been very very very big….

Read more…

The Pinky Show: How To Solve Illegal Immigration

1:26 pm By BiancaLaureano · Immigration · 1 Comment

5 May 2010

My homegirl Bilen shared this video with me earlier today. When I watched it (as I’ve not been introduced to The Pinky Show on YouTube until today) I immediately thought of how accessible this video is about the “Immigration Debate” for younger listeners/viewers. I think this video could be useful for those of you who have younger people in your life, or are having a difficult time figuring out how to discuss what is occurring (or not occurring). There are some aspects of the video that I’m not a fan of, such as the use of the term “illegal” throughout the show. I’ll hold the rest of my critique for a discussion with VL readers.
The video synopsis reads:

Illegal Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in America today. Pinky asks Daisy for his take on what’s really going on. Added bonus: Daisy tells us how to solve the whole problem in 5 minutes.

Check out the video below. Do you think this could be a useful?

The Pinky Show states:

The Pinky Show is the original super lo-tech hand-drawn educational TV show. We focus on information & ideas that have been misrepresented, suppressed, ignored, or otherwise excluded from mainstream discussion. Pinky presents and analyzes the material in an informal, easy-to-understand way, with helpful illustrations that she draws herself. Episodes are available on the internet for free at www.PinkyShow.org.

VivirLatino

Archive for May, 2010

Student Strikes at Universidad de Puerto Rico

We Should Not Separate the Violence from the CIR Debate

All 14 Participants Freed From Jail After Non-Violent Civil Disobedience to Protest Arizona’s SB 1070

Sunday School Teacher That Killed 8-year-old Pleads Guilty

Latino and Indigenous Science Organization Rejects Arizona as a Conference Choice

English Only Makes It’s Way to Spain Via Kohl’s

“The absence of justice in one case robs justice from the entire society”

May: National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

Chilean Emcee: Ana Tijoux

The Pinky Show: How To Solve Illegal Immigration

Hola!

Get our RSS Feed!