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VivirLatino’s Maegan la Mala On the Road to the Reform Immigration for America Summit

6:00 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Immigration|VivirLatino|Washington DC · Comments Off

3 Jun 2009

image_preview As you read this I’m on an Amtrak train with one child in tow, headed to D.C. for the Reform Immigration for America Summit. Mil gracias to the people at the Center for Community Change, I will attending the largest convening of pro-immigrant organizers and allies this year.

I’m really excited to meet some organizers, activists and advocacy peeps that I have thus far only known through the internet and hopefully have some real discussions as to what needs to happen with the current immigration system in the U.S.

Torture Sqads in Gitmo

21 May 2009

Several things have amused me (in a horribly ironic way) in the recent discussions about “Where will the Gitmo Detainees Stay? Not in My Back Yard!“–not the least of which includes the assumption that Cubans really want a bunch of detainees that hate the U.S. in *their* backyards.

But finding out about the torture thug group, The Immediate Reaction Force, has really topped everything. Democracy Now! has an excellent report up about the IRF’s–including descriptions of how these forces have gang beaten men for infractions like having two Styrofoam cups in their cells instead of one.

And while much of the focus has been on the tactical use of torture at Guantanamo, almost no attention had been paid to a parallel force that was torturing prisoners in a variety of ways, including waterboarding them, and that is this riot squad of sorts that you referred to called the Immediate Reaction Force. The prisoners and their lawyers at Guantanamo call it the “Extreme Repression Force.” Read more…

Wanda Sykes Offends Delicate D.C. Sensibility

11 May 2009

I must say upfront that don’t find Wanda Sykes particularly funny. I think she’s a ground breaking comedienne, and I would never take away from her the work that she’s done breaking ground for black/lesbian women to declare themselves and be judged based on their skills rather than who they are. But I don’t find her that funny.

Having said that–I found very little in her skit at the White House Correspondents Dinner to be outraged at.
There was some very funny parts, there was mostly stuff that wasn’t that funny–but material that would cause outrage? Meh.

I personally would’ve been more offended at Stephen Colbert, who I think is a much more skillful comedian, and who, frankly, completely demasculated the entire Republican party and the president. But whatever. That’s just me.

What do you think? Do you think jokes about kidney failure and “pulling out” are worth the outrage? Do you think they’re too crass for the people of D.C. who have made and defended “jokes” about Barak the Magic Negro?

Latino Civil Disobediance : Mexicans in NY, Ricans in DC

7 May 2009

mmedidiororr The past few days have been busy for activists around the issues of Puerto Rico’s colonial status and Mexican political prisoners.And yet, I can’t seem to find much information about either act of civil disobedience in the mainstream news media.

From Narco News:

Today, May 4, 2009, the Other Campaign New York took over the Mexican Consulate in New York to demand the liberation of the 12 political prisoners who have been brutally repressed for resisting neoliberal urbanization projects that are destructive to human life and culture, specifically the construction of an airport in Atenco, and for protecting displaced flower vendors in Texcoco.

Today, on this third anniversary of the repression, the arrests, the violations, the torture, and the breaking and entering made by the military police in Atenco, a delegation of members of Movement for Justice in El Barrio succeeded in entering the offices of the Consulate of Mexico in New York despite the fact that these offices have been under strict and tightened security since precisely 3 years ago when Mexicans of The Other Campaign New York with real heart and memory, demanded the liberation of the political prisoners of Atenco. We succeeded in entering the offices to hold a non-violent protest demanding the immediate release of the prisoners of Atenco.

Once inside, the compañer@s of the Other Campaign New York, amongst the clamor of: “Freedom for political prisoners (Presos politicos, libertad)!, Liberty, liberty, to those prisoners for fighting (Libertad, libertad, a los presos por luchar)!, We are all Atenco (Todos Somos Atenco)!”, along with other chants, and with our signs, some with prison bars to look like a cell, and also with bandanas, gave out to our fellow country men and women at the Consulate DVD’s of the video “Breaking the Siege”, about the repression in Atenco, and informational flyers where we explain our main demands.

Later, we demanded to speak with the consul Ruben Beltran in order to give him a letter of demands. First, they told us that he was not there because he was in Mexico, but we knew that this was a lie, since the day before the consul was in El Barrio at an event proselytizing for PAN during the imposed Cinco de Mayo celebration.

After a while, the authorities of the Consulate told us that the Consul was in New York but that he could not be found in the Consulate, and they closed consular services to the public, asking all of their clients to abandon the offices. By the end of our action, the consul arrived. We gave him a giant size letter on a poster-board with the following
demands:

1. Liberty for the political prisoners in Atenco.

2. Cancel the arrest warrants for those 2 who are being persecuted.

3. Revoke and appeal the sentences.

4. Complete respect for the human rights of the detained and the persecuted.

5. Punishment for those responsible for the violations of human rights.

The consul, Rubén Beltrán, first told us that he was open to engage in dialogue with all Mexican people in New York and listen to all opinions, but then blamed us – and our cause, the liberation of the prisoners in Atenco – for having closed the services of the Consulate and for having left so many people unattended.

Protests at the G-20

1 Apr 2009

As expected, protests at the G20 have gotten violent. Tonight it is being reported by several news sources that a man is dead as a result of the protests. I haven’t been able to find out yet if it was accidental, police induced, or stupid protestor induced–usually when there is little or no information, it is accidental (as in had a heart attack or got too dehydrated or something). But we’ll have to wait and see, I guess.

Here is what MSNBC is saying about the protests:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I tend to be very conflicted by protests. On the one had, I am your basic scary frightening anti-capitalist and support the right of any human being (including conservatives!) to protest the government that they live under. On the other hand, I’ve tended to notice through the years of going to protests and/or documenting them, that a very large portion of the violence starts with young men. Which, to me, speaks volumes about how protests become gendered and disconnected from anti-violence movements.

What do these protests hope to achieve (outside of the death of capitalism?)? And has a protest ever led to the down fall of a structure of living? Or has building a new structure to replace the old had to happen first?

Although I am critical–I hope that everybody is ok–and that the man who is dead was not murdered. I also hope that somewhere there is a world leader that is paying attention to what *the people* are saying is important to them.

“We Are One” Obama Concert (Unless You Don’t Have Cable or a Computer)

9:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Music|Obama inauguration|Politics|Washington DC · 7 Comments

19 Jan 2009

Yesterday, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, was the biggest celebObama fest, the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial concert.

If you couldn’t get down to D.C., you had to have cable or internet access to see the patriotic sing along. I watched it streaming online.

The Obama familia looked fabulous and Malia Obama, the older of the two girls could be seen snapping pictures with her digital camera throughout.

To many of my twitter friends, it seemed like every celeb of color was invited to the event (although not many Asians and were there any disabled people) and well lots of celebs in general. A very unshaven Denzel Washington gave an introductory speech. Mary J. Blige, wearing winter white, sang “Lean On Me.” Jamie Foxx spoke. Betty LaVette duetted with Jon Bon Jovi. Marisa Tomei quoted Ronald Reagan. James Taylor, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles performed a song together.

Have an extra $200? You Can Go to Latino Inaugural Ball in D.C.

8:15 am By Maegan La Mala · Events|Politics|Washington DC · Comments Off

30 Dec 2008

Our friends at Voto Latino are hosting the Latino Inaugural Gala in Union Station in Washington D.C. on January 18.

The price to attend isn’t cheap ($200 a ticket), pero proceeds benefit the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.

Other hosts include Latino orgs like National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI).

For more information click here.

Obama Picks Latino as Secretary of the Interior : Ken Salazar

7:57 am By Maegan La Mala · Politics|Washington DC · Comments Off

16 Dec 2008

Colorado Senator Ken Salazar has reportedly agreed to be Obama’s pick for Secretary of the Interior. All that’s left for the former director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources is to pass a background check.

Pero the question always remains: Is having a Latino in the cabinet more important than having a progressive in there?

Tomorrow in Washington DC : Protest for the Cuban 5

11:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Cuba|Washington DC · Comments Off

12 Sep 2008

The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prisons, serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being arrested in September 1998 and wrongly convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami in 2001.

They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González. They were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and related charges.

But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were fighting terrorism — they were monitoring the actions of CIA-backed Miami-based terrorist groups, in order to prevent attacks on Cuba.
The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S.government. They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any weapons while in the United States.

Saturday, September 13, Washington, DC

* 10 am: Morning Rally at Malcolm X Park, 15th St. & Euclid NW.
* 12 noon: March to the White House
* 2:30 pm: Indoor Rally at SEIU Building
1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 1st Floor Auditorium, by Dupont Circle

For more information visit The Cuban 5 official website.

Republicans Speak but the Community Screams About ICE Raids

10:25 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Immigration|Politics|RNC08|Washington DC · 1 Comment

3 Sep 2008

Last night’s theme of the RNC was “Country First” and it is clear current policy is not people first especially when it comes to the immigrant community. So while there are more speeches tonight and VP pick Palin will talk about her role as a woman and as a mother, there will be no talk of immigrant mothers and their issues. As Palin’s teen daughter moves forward with her now very public pregnancy, there will be no talk of immigrant women giving birth in chains.

Wednesday, September 3rd, 4pm

Offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

425 “Eye” St. NW Washington D.C.

Sponsored by the D.C. Alliance for Immigrant Justice and the Metro D.C. Interfaith Sanctuary Network

On August 25, agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) descended on Howard Industries in the small town of Laurel, Mississippi. Agents arrested 595 workers in the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. Workers have been separated from their families and the local immigrant community has been terrorized. The superintendent of the county school district reported that half of the 160 Latino students were absent from school the next day.

“Basically, they create a major humanitarian crisis for families and spouses and children,” Bill Chandler of the Jackson-based Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA) told the Hattiesburg American. In some cases, he said, both parents were now gone in the raid, leaving their families totally alone.

The ACLU is investigating cases of civil rights abuses that took place during the raid. “We are deeply concerned by reports that workers at the factory where the raid occurred were segregated by race or ethnicity and interrogated, the factory was locked down for several hours, workers were denied access to counsel, and ICE failed to inform family members and lawyers following the raid where the workers were being jailed,” Mónica Ramírez, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project who is meeting with family members, said in a statement.

At this rally and press conference, activists from the Washington area immigrant rights movement will gather to speak out against this raid and demand an end to raids and deportations. The Mississippi raid comes shortly after a devastating raid at Dulles Airport and a smaller action in suburban Maryland just this week.

Via / Upset the Setup

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