9:53 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Events| GLBT| Justice| Los Angeles| New York City| Philly| Washington DC| chicago · 2 Comments
19 Nov 2009
There are a number of vigils that will be happening this coming weekend across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico demanding justice and in memory of Jorge Steven . I will be at the one in NYC this coming Sunday (local VL’ers hit me up if you want to come with or meet up).
As soon as more information comes in I will update this post. If you have information about a vigil in your community please leave a comment or email us at info@vivirlatino.com
Chicago
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
4-6 pm
Humboldt Park
Los Angeles
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
8pm-9:30 pm
West Hollywood Corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente
New York City
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
7-9 pm
Christopher St. Piers (Tentative)
Philadelphia
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
7 pm
Love Park 15th and Arch
Washington D.C.
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
5-6:30pm
Dupont Circle, Washington D.C.
For more information contact Rayyan 410-530-6078.
People are also post vigil information from across the U.S on this facebook page.
9:54 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · GLBT| Puerto Rico| Violence| crime| youth · 5 Comments
17 Nov 2009
Just read this off of Pam’s House Blend and then read the original article off of Primera Hora.
A man was arrested in the early morning hours in Cayay, suspected in the death of 19 year old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado…an apparent homophobic hate crime…Sources say that the 28 year old man may have offered Lopez Mercado money for sex.
This case needs to be closely monitored for what may be the double victimization of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. There may be an attempt to paint this as a crime of passion, “gay panic”, and/or “prostitution gone bad” instead of the horrific act of hateful violence it was.
6:41 am By Maegan La Mala · GLBT| Puerto Rico| Violence| youth · No Comments
17 Nov 2009
Yesterday la Macha wrote about the horrific murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado in Puerto Rico.
Some organizations are calling for the intervention of the United States Department of Justice, especially in light of comments that the local police investigator on the case made in the media:
The local police investigator assigned to the case said to Univisión about the victim: “Someone like that, who does those kind of things, and goes out in public, knows full well that this might happen to him.”…Puerto Rico’s Civil Rights Commission and Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, a local activist organization, have asked the Puerto Rico Police Department to take disciplinary action against Rodriguez. The PRPD has removed the investigator from the case, but local activists plan to protest outside the territorial capital in San Juan on Thursday. They also plan to hold a vigil later this week.
The Puerto Rican government added sexual orientation to its hate crimes laws in 2002, but Serrano complained local police have not used it to prosecute those accused of anti-gay violence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced it will take jurisdiction over the case if local investigators conclude López’s killer or killers murdered him because of his sexual orientation.
9:13 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Culture| Puerto Rico| history · 4 Comments
14 Nov 2009When I was in 7th grade I had to do a project on an Indigenous community for school. I’m sure the project was assigned to me sometime between Columbus Day and Thanksgiving the way these projects tend to be. I chose the Tainos, the indigenous people of the Caribbean and specifically what is now Puerto Rico. I chose the Tainos not because I identified as Taina or even as Rican at the time but because growing up I can remember Puerto Rican coloring books telling me of my Indigenous heritage and I remember being told that my great great grandmother was a Taina. I remember feeling shocked and angry when in my research I read over and over how the Taino were extinct. How could that be? It didn’t make sense to me historically. I thought of stories I was told of people hiding from the Spanish in the mountains and intermarriage. Does intermarriage/mestisaje = extinction?
It would be for another 5 or 6 years until I really thought about it again. As I claimed my Puerto Rican identity and became an activist I wold come into contact with Ricans claiming Taino. My new found political identity made this complicated for me and now, settled nicely into my identity as Rican via Queens, NYC, it’s an issue I struggle with. There is a resurgent movement of Ricans claiming Taino. As the mother of an Indigenous daughter I think about self-identification and when it crosses the lines into appropriation. Can a colonized person appropriate from their own history/bloodline? I know I don’t feel comfortable claiming Indigenous Taina, even if I can pull the stereotypical great great grandmother that many people do.
I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this.
Via / Literanista
8:17 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Music| Politics| Puerto Rico · No Comments
28 Oct 2009I wasn’t a huge fan of the original song pero with these lyrics…..
…ok I could do without the chipmunk voice too and I feel bad for las putas cuz really even a puta wouldn’t want an hijo como el gov. de Puerto Rico.
Via / Cargas y Descargas
9:01 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Immigration| Media| Politics| Puerto Rico| economy · No Comments
26 Oct 2009I just finished listening to a really great report on Latino USA featuring two Puerto Rican experts, Juan Manuel García Passalacqua and Angelo Falcon. The two do a really good job, I thought, at explaining how migration from Puerto Rico has always been driven by economic crisis exacerbated by its colonial status. Given how badly things are going in Puerto Rico, Angelo Falcon and Juan Manuel García Passalacqua agree that a new wave of Rican immigration is happening and what exactly does that mean in a United States that has shown it’s anti-immigrant side especially when the haters, in the words of Angelo Falcon, don’t make distinctions among different Latin Americans and they certainly don’t ask to see papers when they unleash violence on our communities.
9:01 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Puerto Rico · No Comments
24 Oct 2009On Friday, tanks at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. facility in Bayamon, Puerto Rico exploded with the force of a small earthquake. As many as 15 tanks were ablaze causing immediate damage like blown out windows and longer term environmental damage like acid raid and ground water contamination. There are concerns about access to fuel and fuel prices as well as Caribbean Petroleum supplies much of the island’s fuel. But the governor said Puerto Rico has enough gas to last 24 days and 20 days’ worth of diesel.
Department of Consumer Affairs Secretary Luis Rivera Marin said 16 million gallons of gasoline were in transit to the island. He also froze prices at the level they were at 8:06 a.m.
This happens just days after massive protests on the island over pro-Statehood Governor Luis Fortuño’s handling of the economic situation including laying off about 25,000 public sector workers since the start of the year. The island nation presently has a 17% rate of unemployment with a substantial sector of the population living in poverty.
The cause of the explosions is being investigated but so far people are pointing to theories ranging from neglect to an accident to sabotage to “terrorism”.
6:50 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Activism| Labor| New York City| Puerto Rico · Comments Off
15 Oct 2009NYC LCLAA
JOIN!
UNITY LABOR RALLY!
&
PRESS EVENT!STAND UP IN SOLIDARITY!
TO STOP THE MASSIVE LAYOFFS
OF OUR UNION BROTHERS & SISTERS
IN PUERTO RICO!DEFEND PUERTO RICAN WORKERS RIGHTS!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2009
12 NOON
CITY HALL STEPSFor more information – NYC LCLAA – 212-701-9400
NCPRR NYC CHAPTER SPONSORED EVENT
Thursday October 15, 2009
TIME
5:00 PM
LOCATION
Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration
135 W 50Th St.
New York City
12:08 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Labor| Puerto Rico| economy · Comments Off
14 Oct 2009Puerto Rico has been feeling the effects of the global recession and its impact hits harder thanks to it’s colonial status. Record unemployment has been boosted thanks to pro-statehood governor Luis Fortuño laying off around 17,000 earlier this month, bringing the total number of people fired on the island close to 25,000. This has led to massive popular action in the streets of the isla del encanto and there is a general strike called for tomorrow, October 15th.
There are a number of solidarity events, especially here in NYC so stay tuned for updates.
Via / Global Voices
11:50 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Culture| Immigration| Latin America| Politics · 2 Comments
19 Sep 2009Apparently Citizenship Day came and went. The entire I pondered my citizenship: how I was born into it, how my parents were born into it, and how my abuelos, when they were toddlers, woke up with it one morning. My U.S. citizenship, with all it’s rights, privileges, and associations is held somewhat heavily along with my passport and other “proofs” that I “belong” here. When I level criticisms against the U.S. and it’s policies, I am told to go back where I came from. Leave. As a Puerto Rican U.S. Citizen living within the 50 states, I can vote. If I were to reside in Puerto Rico, I could fight wars in the name of the United States but suddenly would have no say in who the Commander in Chief of the U.S. armed forces should be. I have considered going Juan Mari Bras style: moving to Puerto Rico and renouncing my U.S. Citizenship, after all, to quote the poeta Mariposa, Yo no naci en Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico nacio en mi. Pero when people ask “what are you”, I stumble a bit. Sometimes I say Nuyorican, placing myself firmly in the city I love while holding on to who my family is. Sometimes I say straight up, Rican. Sometimes I say Latina. Pero I never, ever say “American”, at least not the way people want me to say it.
Read more…
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