Sunday, September 30, 2007

Stop UT Fraternity From Hosting "Cholo/Ghetto Mexican" Rush Event!!!

Attn Compas/os –

A UT Austin fraternity is planning to have a “Cholo/Ghetto Mexican” Rush Event where participants are to dress up and act as “Cholos” or “Ghetto Mexicans.”

(Click here to read the article in UT’s newspaper, the Daily Texan.)

This will be the second racist party hosted by a UT fraternity in a year!!! Last year, UT made national headlines when UT Law students hosted a “Ghetto Fabulous” party where participants were to dress in black-face. It is apparent that race relations are an issue on the UT Austin campus and that UT administration has failed to address the issue of tolerance and race relations.

Last year, the Black community and many others united to voice their opposition to the racist event and were able to get national attention to the issue. This year, evidently, it is our turn.

Please join us and UT Austin MEChA in taking a stance!!! Please sign onto the online petition to let UT President William Powers, the Office of Diversity, the Dean of Students, and the Office of Student Affairs know that such racist events against our communities are UNACCEPTABLE.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION!!!
http://www.larazaunida.com/action_ut_raza.htm

We thank you for your support. Together we can make a difference!

Please post this on MySpace and Facebook!!!
Please forward this email widely!!!

--
In Solidarity,

Íris
tejaztlana@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/tejaztlana

activISM web jefa

La Nueva Raza News www.lanuevaraza.org
Mission Texas Coalition www.mission-texas.com
Movimiento Estudiantil Xicana/o de Aztlan/Tejaztlan
www.soymechista.org

Call for Zine Submissions out of San Anto 2

Call for Zine Submissions out of San Anto

SAN ANTO: March - Oct 12 - Todos Somos Elvira



Saturday, September 29, 2007

Seeking Articles and Pictures on Your Movimiento

Attn Compas/os -

As part of La Nueva Raza Newspaper, I want to seek your involvement in documenting our recent history in print and online.

As you may already know, one of my projects is La Nueva Raza Newspaper, which is a free publication (online and in print) that covers stories about our community and the movimiento. Right now, we publish issues quarterly and are a volunteer project. We are currently in need of reports/articles/photos of actions from the following regions:

--Austin/San Anto
--Rio Grande Valley
--El Paso
--DFW
--Any other regions not listed above in and out of Texas (except for Houston, which is already covered)

The reports/articles can range in length. If you can send them in English and Spanish, that would be GREAT but it is not necessary.

The goal is to spread the word about the group's involvement and actions, as well as let the general public across other parts of the U.S. know that the movimiento in your area is alive and well.

Please forward your articles and pics to me at tejaztlana@gmail.com as soon as possible, as I have already begun the layout of this quarter's issue. Let me know if I can help answer any other questions. Feel free to pass this along.

--
In the understanding that we represent the technological revolution of this generation's movimiento
and in solidarity,

Íris
tejaztlana@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/tejaztlana

La Nueva Raza News www.lanuevaraza.org
Mission Texas Coalition www.mission-texas.com
Movimiento Estudiantil Xicana/o de Aztlan/Tejaztlan www.soymechista.org

Friday, September 28, 2007

UT Brownsville Students Walkout to Protest Border Wall

Click here to view the video from the Brownsville Herald (TX)

Sign On to Oppose the Border Wall!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oppose-the-border-wall

We oppose the construction of a solid wall along more than 700 miles of the United States / Mexico border. A wall that tears through border communities will cause terrible economic damage, impacting agriculture, ecotourism, retail sales, and private property. It will cause grave social harm, separating families and sending a terrible message to our neighbors. The route specified by the Secure Fence Act of 2006 will take it through National Wildlife Refuges, other parks, and riparian habitat critical for the survival of migrating birds as well as threatened and endangered species. The border wall will cost billions of dollars and even the Department of Homeland Security has said that it will only slow down, not stop, people who cross the border illegally.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

National Student Walk-Out THIS MONDAY to Support JENA 6

---------- Forwarded message ----------


We All Live in Jena!
National Call to Action!
Monday, October 1, 2007
12:00 Noon, Central Time

Artist/ Activist Mos Def along with M1, Talib Kweli , Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Sankofa Community Empowerment, Change the Game, National Hip Hop Political Convention, Hip Hop Association, and student leaders from 50 campuses call for a National Student Walk-Out to rally and show support for the Jena 6, who are being denied their human rights by the Louisiana criminal justice system.

The Case of the Jena 6

Last fall, when two Black high school students sat under the "white"
tree on their campus, white students responded by hanging nooses from the tree. When Black students protested the light punishment for the students who hung the nooses, District Attorney Reed Walters came to the school and told the students he could "take [their] lives away with a stroke of [his] pen." Racial tension continued to mount in Jena, and the District Attorney did nothing in response to several egregious cases of violence and threats against black students. But when a white student--who had been a vocal supporter of the student's who hung the nooses, taunted a black student, called several black students "nigger"--sustained minor injuries from a school fight, six black students were charged with second-degree attempted murder. Last month, the first young man to be tried, Mychal Bell, was convicted. He faced up to 22 years in prison for a school fight until the Black people began to organize and his conviction was thrown out because he was tried as an adult. However, the DA and the Judge still refuse to set a reasonable bail or to drop the charges in this case and Mychal is still in jail!!

Mos Def is asking students worldwide to assist in the fight against racial injustice and show solidarity for these young people, who have been treated unequally by the law. The prosecution of these young men symbolizes a terrible miscarriage of justice, by punishing students who opposed segregation in their schools and disregarding the threatening acts of others who advocate it.

As students and activists we say enough is enough! What is happening in Jena is happening all over this country. From Sean Bell to Mychal Bell, the criminal justice system is killing and incarcerating us. We will not be silent!

Demands
Judge J.P. Mauffray and District Attorney Reed Walters have engaged in a string of egregious actions, the most recent of which was the denial of bail for Bell on Friday. We call for:

All charges against the Jena 6 be dropped; The immediate release of Mychal Bell; The United States Department of Justice to convene an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrests and prosecutions of the Jena 6; Judge Mauffray to be recused from presiding over Bell 's juvenile court hearings or other proceedings; The Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel to investigate Reed Walters for unethical and possibly illegal conduct; The Louisiana Judiciary Commission investigate Judge Mauffray for unethical conduct; and The Jena School District superintendent to be removed from office.

For more info contact info@mxgm.org.
To add your school to the list, email
assata@pitt.edu or spjlewis@hotmail.com

FORWARD THIS!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Houston Screening of "EL MACHETE"

- please forward -


Houston Indymedia Proudly Presents a screening of:

El Machete: La Lucha por el Poder Popular
Produced by: Proyecto Autogestion (2007 : 55 mins)
Presented by: Simon Sedillo

Wednesday, September 26th : 8 p.m.
At Rice Cinema

Discussion with filmmaker Simón Sedillo on neoliberalism and resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico at the screening.


“El Machete: La Lucha por El Poder Popular” is Proyecto Autogestion’s debut film project. All the camera persons are indigenous community
members, mostly women and youth, organizing under the auspices of the Committee Organized in Defense of the People’s Rights (CODEP).
The editing was completed through collective media arts workshops, which now, along with donated equipment, have contributed to the ability
of CODEP to edit its own film projects. Proyecto Autogestion is the fusion of http://www.elenemigocomun.net/ and Palenque Urbana in an attempt to challenge models of international solidarity.

Simón Sedillo is a community based human rights film-maker whose work has centered on placing skills, cameras and editing equipment in the hands of communities in resistance so that they may be able to document their own histories and human rights situation. Sedillo has spent the last 6 years documenting and teaching community based video documentation in indigenous communities in Oaxaca, in immigrant communities in the US, and with youth of color across the US.

In Oaxaca, Sedillo has been working with The Committee Organized in Defense of the People’s Rights (CODEP), and The Oaxacan Popular Magonista Antineoliberal Coordination (COMPA), both predecessors of APPO (the Oaxacan People's Popular Assembly). Sedillo collaborated with the Austin Independent Media Center and COMPA on the 2005 production of "El Enemigo Comun", which documents the birth of COMPA and its resistance to paramilitary activity in Oaxaca from 2001 - 2005. In March of 2007, Sedillo facilitated the co-production of "El Machete- La Lucha por el Poder Popular" a documentary showing the day to day struggles for land, water, crops and transportation, filmed and edited by indigenous women and youth from Oaxaca. Sedillo’s work in Oaxaca has contributed to the liberation of 21 political prisoners, and has continued to support several international human rights campaigns.


Rice Cinema is located on the Rice University Campus at entrance #8: Univeristy Blvd. and Stockton Dr. ricecinema.rice.edu
For more information see houston.indymedia.org
Or email houston@indymedia.org

Fiscal sponsorship for Houston indymedia provided by the SouthWest Alternate Media Project http://www.swamp.org/.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Help Us Send A Message To PBS - WWII Documentary The War Should Not Dismiss Latino Veterans!!!


Estimados companeras/os -

We need your help. A PBS documentary on WWII by Ken Burns called "The War" has been the focus of controversy for the past few months as it has negated the participation of Latinos in WWII. As you may recall, Latino veterans of WWII who proudly joined the ranks returned home after the war only to find continued racism and hostility, even though they had risked their lives (or lost their lives) while fighting for the U.S.

In solidarity with DefendTheHonor.org's movement to include the Latino experience in the documentary, La Nueva Raza has set up an online petition at: http://www.larazaunida.com/action_wwii.htm

Emails from this petition will be sent to PBS stations all over the U.S. as well as to financial contributors of the project.

For generations, the experiences and history our community has been left out of the history books and mainstream historical archives. Join us in taking a stand against the longstanding negation of our contribution to this country and society by signing onto the petition and forwarding this information to your contacts!!!


Click here to sign on!!!
http://www.larazaunida.com/action_wwii.htm

Please join us in this movement. An exerpt from DefendTheHonor.org is at the end of this email.

In Solidarity,



Íris
tejaztlana@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/tejaztlana

La Nueva Raza http://www.lanuevaraza.org/
Mission Texas Coalition http://www.mission-texas.com/
Movimiento Estudiantil Xicana/o de Aztlan/Tejaztlan http://www.soymechista.org/

--

Extracted from DefendTheHonor.org:

Why are we doing this?
The Story Must Be Told and The History Preserved





A 15-hour "documentary" about Americans and World War II, to be broadcast by PBS in September 2007, initially excluded any mention of Latino heroes who fought to defend the United States from its enemies. After much public pressure, producer Ken Burns agreed to include interviews with Latinos and hired a Latino documentary producer. Subsequently, the new material added up to interviews with two Latino WWII Marines, and one Native American WWII veteran -- a total of 28 minutes.


But will it be meaningful? Defend the Honor is concerned that the new material was added simply to silence critics, and does not address the unique WWII Latino experience. For instance, in a major national meeting with the Television Critics Association on July 18, the critics were provided, in advance, boxed DVDs of the series -- minus the new material on Latinos and a Native American. Without access to the new material, television critics could not evaluate it and ask questions in open forum at their meeting with Ken Burns, associate producer Lynn Novick and PBS CEO and President Paula Kerger. Burns comments, as reported throughout the country, indicated he saw the issue of Latinos being omitted from the documentary as a "political" issue which he was able to "rise above."


PBS and the corporate and foundation sponsors of this “documentary” need to know you object to the arrogant attitude toward Latinos! You need to tell them. Show your support by signing onto this petition and look for contact information at Get Involved - to share your concerns.
This website is dedicated to supporting efforts of individuals and organizations to ensure that WWII-era Latinos and Latinas are included in today's general historical narratives. Currently, the focus of this effort is the scheduled September 2007 airing of The War. The stories of the Latino WWII generation are significant and should be included. The story of our country's wartime experiences are incomplete without including the telling of what happened to Latinos.


Taken from "La Cucaracha" by Lalo Alcaraz

You can find out more about the movement at: www.defendthehonor.

Lobby Day for American Families United

Please spread the word:American Families United is having its annual Lobby Day in Washington DC, and we are looking for some Texas representation! US Citizens for United Families (Houston-based) merged with AFU this summer.

Feel free to contact me ibbybiby@aol.com if you have any questions, or if you know of anyone who will be in DC Oct 1.

Thanks,
Elizabeth "Ibby" Biby Bandercan
Houston, TX

Title:
LOBBY DAY

Date:
Monday October 1, 2007

Time:
8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Location:
Washington DC

Phone:
919-247-7804

Notes:
Meet at Center Cafe Union Station for Lobby Day briefing spend the day meeting with Congressional and Senatorial Representatives. Sign up for Lobby Day at

http://www.americanfamiliesunited.org/

Call for New 9/11 Investigation

Dear 9/11 Truth Friends & Concerned Citizens,

See below that over the last 8 weeks a world renowned scientist, a world renowned journalist, a Navy pilot, and three nationally recognized engineers have called for a new investigation of 9/11, yet none of these have been reported in the mainstream media.Let's be the media!

Forward this to your contacts! Breaking News!

We learned today, Sept. 15, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! after 6 years of a cool reception to 9/11 truth, is on record saying we need a new 9/11 investigation! Thanks to the very new group, WeAreChangeColorado.org, http://wearechangecolorado.org/ for this recorded interview with Amy. In a day or two you will be able to see this video on YouTube.com http://youtube.com/ under the title, "Amy Goodman Supports New Independent 9/11 Investigation.

"Sept. 10, Commander Ralph Kolstad, U.S. Navy 'Top Gun' pilot, questioned the official account of 9/11 and called for a new investigation. "When one starts using his own mind, and not what one was told, there is very little to believe in the official story."

Sept. 4, Joel S. Hirschhorn, Ph.D., who served for 12 years as a Senior Staff Member of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and later as Director of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources for the National Governors Association, called for a new investigation of 9/11, saying "First, let the technical truth emerge. Then, if necessary, cope with the inevitable political, conspiracy and other questions."

On Aug. 27, Lynn Margulis, Ph.D., member of the National Academy of Sciences and world renowned scientist, characterized the official account of 9/11 as "a fraud" and called for a new investigation, "I suggest that those of us aware and concerned demand that the glaringly erroneous official account of 9/11 be dismissed as a fraud and a new, thorough, and impartial investigation be undertaken."

An Aug. 21 article reported that James Quintiere, Ph.D., former Chief of NIST's Fire Science Division, called for an independent review of the World Trade Center Twin Tower collapse investigation. "I wish that there would be a peer review of this," he said, referring to the NIST investigation. "I think all the records that NIST has assembled should be archived. I would really like to see someone else take a look at what they've done; both structurally and from a fire point of view. ... I think the official conclusion that NIST arrived at is questionable."

On July 16, J. Marx Ayres, former member of the National Institute of Sciences Building Safety Council and former member of the California Seismic Safety Commission called for a new investigation of 9/11, "Steven Jones' call for a serious investigation of the hypothesis that the WTC 7 and the Twin Towers were brought down, not just by impact damage and fire, but through the use of pre-positioned 'cutter-charges' must be the rallying cry for all building design experts to speak out."


See www.PatriotsQuestion911.com
http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/ for additional professional supportive of a new investigation.

See http://www.911truthgroups.org/GrandJunction for links to online viewable 9/11 Truth documentaries.

Indymedia from Oaxaca and Cameroon: Two Film Makers at Rice Cinema (Houston)

This week, Houston Indymedia is proud to present two screenings of indymedia documentary films about social justice movements in Latin America and Africa, and host the filmmakers to facilitate disscusion around the issues of media production to protect and promote human rights and dignity.

Both Screenings will take place at Rice Cinema (directions below) as part of our Monthly Filmseries.

LISTEN UP to the Houston Indymedia radio show tonight at 7:30pm on KPFT 90.1fm to hear interviews with these visiting film makers.

Houston Indymedia Proudly Presents screenings of:

EL MACHETE: La Lucha por el Poder Popular
Produced by: Proyecto Autogestion (2007 : 55 mins, Mexico)
Presented by: Simon Sedillo
Wednesday, September 26th : 8 p.m.
At Rice Cinema

AND

STANDING WITH THE STUDENTS: Resisting for Basic Rights
Produced by: Ambazonia Indymedia (2006 : 60 mins, Cameroon/Ambazonia)
Presented by: Valentine Eben
Friday, September 28th: 8 p.m.
At Rice Cinema

EL MACHETE: La Lucha por el Poder Popular
Discussion with filmmaker Simón Sedillo on neoliberalism and resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico at the screening.

"El Machete: La Lucha por El Poder Popular" is Proyecto Autogestion's debut film project. All the camera persons are indigenous community members, mostly women and youth, organizing under the auspices of the Committee Organized in Defense of the People's Rights (CODEP). The editing was completed through collective media arts workshops, which now, along with donated equipment, have contributed to the ability of CODEP to edit its own film projects. Proyecto Autogestion is the fusion of www.elenemigocomun.net and Palenque Urbana in an attempt to challenge models of international solidarity.

Simón Sedillo is a community based human rights film-maker whose work has centered on placing skills, cameras and editing equipment in the hands of communities in resistance so that they may be able to document their own histories and human rights situation. Sedillo has spent the last 6 years documenting and teaching community based video documentation in indigenous communities in Oaxaca, in immigrant communities in the US, and with youth of color across the US.

In Oaxaca, Sedillo has been working with The Committee Organized in Defense of the People's Rights (CODEP), and The Oaxacan Popular Magonista Antineoliberal Coordination (COMPA), both predecessors of APPO (the Oaxacan People's Popular Assembly). Sedillo collaborated with the Austin Independent Media Center and COMPA on the 2005 production of "El Enemigo Comun", which documents the birth of COMPA and its resistance to paramilitary activity in Oaxaca from 2001 - 2005.

In March of 2007, Sedillo facilitated the co-production of "El Machete- La Lucha por el Poder Popular" a documentary showing the day to day struggles for land, water, crops and transportation, filmed and edited by indigenous women and youth from Oaxaca. Sedillo's work in Oaxaca has contributed to the liberation of 21 political prisoners, and has continued to support several international human rights campaigns.

--

STANDING WITH THE STUDENTS: Resisting for Basic Rights
Standing with the Students tells the story of the struggle of students in the University of Buea in the Central African Republic of Cameroon. In response to a proposed 100% hike in tuition in the 2005 academic year, the students went on strike, with the demands to stop the tuition raise; the construction of toilets and water fountains, and new books for the library. The government responded with repression, and to date six students have been killed by government forces during peaceful protests.

The documentary uses the student movement as a jumping off point to examine the legacies of colonialism and neocolonialism in Africa, the impact of economic globalization and the subjugation of the English speaking Ambazonia region by the French neocolonial Cameroon Regime.

This documentary is the first film of director Valentine Eben, a member of the Ambazonia Independent Media Center, who will be joining us to present his film and facilitate a discussion afterwards. standingwiththestudents.org has more information about the campaign for justice in Ambazonia.

The screening is one in an ongoing series of progressive films presented by Houston Independent Media Center on a monthly basis, designed to raise awareness on a variety of important social and political issues. The Houston Independent Media Center is a community-based organization committed to using media production and distribution as a tool for promoting social and economic justice.

Rice Cinema is located on the Rice University Campus at entrance #8:
Univeristy Blvd. and Stockton Dr.
www.ricecinema.rice.edu

For more information see houston.indymedia.org
Or email houston@indymedia.org

Fiscal sponsorship for Houston indymedia provided by the SouthWest Alternate Media Project www.swamp.org.

Sign-On Letter in Response to Victoria Arellano's Death in ICE Custody

By now, most of you have no doubt heard about Victoria Arellano's death in ICE custody. Victoria, an HIV+ transwoman who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, was refused medication and medical care and died shackled to a bed on July 20th.

Below is a sign-on letter to ICE, which outlines the details of the case and a list of recommendations to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. This letter will be shared with administrators, elected officials and the press. If your organization would like to sign on please contact, Nancy Ordover, Assistant Director, Research and Federal Affairs at Gay Men's Health Crisis by COB Friday, September 14th: 212.367.1240 or nancyo@gmhc.org .

---

Julie L. Myers
Assistant Secretary
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
425 Eye Street, NW
Washington, DC 20536

Re: Victoria (a.k.a. Víctor) Arellano [A: 77991267]

Dear Ms. Myers,

We, the undersigned organizations, write to you today to express our outrage over the July 20, 2007 death of Victoria (a.k.a. Victor) Arellano in the San Pedro detention center. Victoria 's death was excruciating and needless. Her requests for her AIDS medication were deliberately and repeatedly denied, as were her fellow detainees' increasingly desperate pleas to staff to take her to the hospital.

When Victoria was sent to San Pedro in May, she was taking the antibiotic dapasone to prevent pulmonary infections from developing into pneumonia. At San Pedro, she was denied the medication despite the known consequences of discontinuing this antibiotic: the onset of treatment-resistant pneumonia within a few weeks. Indeed, Victoria's health deteriorated rapidly to the point where the pain was so great, she would scream if anyone tried to move her.

She complained of severe nausea, headaches, cramps, and back pain. She was vomiting and suffering from diarrhea Her care was left to the men detained with her. They administered cold compresses to bring down her fever and took turns taking her to the bathroom when she was too weak to get there by herself. Seventy of them signed a petition appealing for medical care for Victoria.

A week before her death, she was taken to the infirmary and given amoxicillin. Again, the standard of care for people living with AIDS was ignored Amoxicillin is ineffective against meningitis and AIDS-related lung infections. When Victoria returned from the infirmary, she began vomiting blood. Once again, her fellow detainees put themselves on the line to demand medical attention for Victoria. She was finally taken to a hospital, but was returned to the detention center less than 24 hours later. By the time she was taken to another hospital, it was too late. She died shackled to her bed in the ICU. Her mother reports her body was wracked by pneumonia and meningitis.

With everything to lose - with their own futures uncertain - the men detained with Victoria Arellano met the brutality and the calculated negligence of ICE with profound humanity. They cared for her; they advocated for her; they even consoled her mother when she lost her child. We have credible information that some of these men have been transferred out of San Pedro, possibly to prevent them from participating in an investigation and/or in retaliation for their role in trying to save Victoria .

Although she was born male, Victoria had been living and identifying as a woman for years. It is not appropriate to house women, such as Victoria, in a male dormitory. ICE must revise its policies to ensure that transgender women are placed with other women in female facilities.

While we aregrateful for the care given to her by the men she was housed with, other transgender women have not been so lucky. It is widely known that they are at increased risk of assault when placed with the male population. In Victoria's case, it was the guards who harassed her. Further, another transgender testified at the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission in Los Angeles in December 2006 that she had been raped by an official at San Pedro.
Victoria's was not the only foreseeable, preventable death to have occurred in ICE detention.

Hers wasn't even the first in San Pedro. Media reports indicate that since 2004, at least 65 people have died in ICE detention. The guidelines for medical care contained in the Department of Homeland Security's Detention Operations Manual (DOM) are insufficient and unenforceable. Far from providing a recognized standard of care, ICE fails to meet even its own standards of providing "primary medical care, and emergency care." Facilities the size of San Pedro are required to make medical personnel available to see detainees who request medical services in a clinical setting at least five days per week. Victoria, like many others,was not given this access and had to wait much too long before she received any care.

The DOM further states that following a clinical evaluation, if an HIV-positive person in detention "manifests symptoms requiring treatment beyond the facility's capability, the provider will recommend the detainee be transferred to a hospital, or other appropriate facility for further medical testing, final diagnosis, and acute treatment as needed. HIV positive detainees should be hospitalized until any acute treatment deemed necessary is completed."

In response to the glaring violations of current DHS/ICE guidelines and of Victoria Arellano's human rights, we seek the implementation of new policies that meet appropriate standards of care and that are reviewable and transparent to the public.

We, the undersigned organizations, call on the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to:

* Implement revised standards that are enforceable and legally binding in all ICE/DHS detention facilities, regardless of whether said facilities are operated by the federal government, private companies, or state/county/local agencies. Detainees, their families, and their representatives must have legal recourse when these standards are violated.

* Provide effective internal and external oversight of detention conditions and treatment of detainees. This would include the establishment of an ombudsman, ongoing monitoring and frequent inspections with subsequent reports released to Congress and made available to the public.

* Immediately rectify any and all breaches of detention standards, including denial of medical care.

* Increase the availability of medical personnel to see detained individuals who are in need of care, regardless of whether or not a detainee has made a formal request for care. Currently, facilities with over 200 detainees are only required to schedule "sick calls" five days a week, while facilities with fewer than 50 detainees need only provide access to medical personnel one day a week. This is grossly insufficient.

* Strengthen the DHS/ICE national detention standards to comply with human rights principles.

* Ensure that treatment regimens, including medication for HIV/AIDS and related infections and hormone therapy for transgender detainees are not interrupted.

* Adhere to international covenants and treaties mandating the humane treatment of all detainees, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

* Pursue non-custodial alternatives (e.g., parole, supervised release to family members, regular reporting requirements, bond options) for immigration detainees, particularly for those individuals whose health or personal safety would be imperiled by detention.

* End the practice of prolonged and indefinite detention, which is a violation of both international and U.S. law.

* Publicly report all deaths that occur in ICE custody, refer them immediately to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation, and make the results of each inquiry available to the public as soon as it is complete.

* End the practice of placing immigration detainees with the general inmate population.

* Ensure that the safety of detainees, particularly transgender detainees is the paramount consideration when deciding whether to place an individual with the male or female population. Solitary confinement must not be considered a viable option.

* Grant transgender detainees the right to choose to be housed in a facility that corresponds with their gender identity, regardless of which sex is listed on their legal documents and/or regardless of their birth-sex.

* Revise the DOM to address the particular needs of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender men and women, including health and safety issues.

* Train all staff in all facilities where ICE detainees are held to comply with these standards and safeguard the inherent dignity of all persons.

We are bringing this matter to the attention of our elected officials and we urge you to take prompt and necessary action to prevent further threats to health and loss of life among immigrants in ICE detention.

Sincerely,
African Services Committee
AIDS Action Council
amfAR
Bienestar
Gay Men's Health Crisis
Immigration Equality
Latino Commission on AIDS
Less AIDS Lesotho
National Association of People With AIDS
National Center for Lesbian Rights
New York Immigration Coalition
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Transgender Law Center

Cc: Secretary Chertoff, Warden Rudolph Garcia, John P. Torres, Representative Zoe Lofgren, Representative Henry Waxman, Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Representative John Conyers, Jr., Linda Sanchez, Xavier Becerra, Luis Gutierrez, Raul Grijalva, Charlie Gonzalez, Hilda Solis, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Berman, Maxine Waters, Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Jerry Nadler, Lucille Royball-Allard

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Growing Church Sanctuary Movement Has A New Face





by Mexica Movement


Tuesday, Jul. 31, 2007 at 12:20 AM




(323) 981-0352



Minuteman protest against church draws over 100 supporters for new Church Sanctuary resident.


Attention is drawn to racist U.S. Visa Waiver Program.



LINK: indymedia_lilliana_sanctuar.jpgqcwlvx.jpg, image/jpeg, 500x400



She is a prisoner, but she is not a criminal. She is a devoted mother, wife, and daughter. She had a full-time job, a driver's license, and paid her taxes. But for the last two months, Liliana (last name withheld) has taken on a new role. She is taking sanctuary within Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Long Beach . Liliana has been made a prisoner within an inhumane cage of U.S. migration laws. Despite having a husband who is an American citizen and three children who are also U.S. citizens, ICE officers entered her home in May and attempted to take her away. Like a scene out of "Schindler's List," the storm troopers had declared her "an undesirable" and were subjecting her to forced removal. Terrified and terrorized, Liliana thought of her three children (U.S. citizens), her husband ( U.S. citizen), her brothers and mother who also reside near her.




ICE was demanding to tear her family apart and take away everything she had worked so hard for. By a stroke of luck and persuasion on the part of her husband, Liliana was given five days to turn herself in for deportation. She used that time to find a way to fight back. "I will stay and fight" Those counter-protestors who stayed after the Minuteman protest on Saturday morning met the new face of the Church Sanctuary Movement. Inside the church, a potluck dinner was held for Lilliana and her supporters. Liliana is well-spoken and exudes a quiet strength. She handles television media questions calmly and intelligently. But her pain is never far from the surface. Instead of cowering in fear, she said, she decided to stay and fight ( SEE VIDEO LINKS BELOW). Allowing herself to be deported was unacceptable for her and her family. She has rights and she knows that Washington D.C. is wrestling with changing the laws that imprison her --and her family.




Her Only Crime


Liliana's only "crime" was that she was not born a European.


She was born a Mexican woman, a person of Indigenous descent on this continent. But she was not born in England, Italy , or Germany—three of the 25 European-descent countries which enjoy the privileged U.S.Visa Waiver Program. Other Visa Waiver Program countries include (but are not limited to): Canada, Sweden , Finland, Norway , Denmark, France, Austria, Switzerland, Spain , Portugal, Scotland , Wales, The Netherlands, and Ireland.




Liliana recounts a story of meeting an Italian who boasted to her that he was here without an Immigration Visa: he was an Italian national and therefore only needed to flash a simple passport at any U.S. port of entry. No questions asked. Liliana said, "They say that this country isn't racist. So why don't they demand that the Europeans get visas to enter the country? Is it about skin color?"




The Fight Forward


Because she is Mexican, Lilliana is being held to a standard unthinkable of enacting against Europeans. Because she is Mexican, she is now being held in sanctuary, a prisoner of racism. Lilliana never had the "instant amnesty" of being born a Canadian, German, or Australian. And that is why she --and several others-- are fighting for their rights.




GET INVOLVED. SUPPORT LILIANA AND HER FAMILY:




Or contact Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Long Beach.


Jena 6 phone calling tool available now! please call!

The Jena 6 Day of Action is today!

Thank you for signing up to make calls to key officials in Louisiana. The tool is now available for your use at the following:
http://colorofchange.org/jena_calls2/?id=1957-188615


You can make as many calls as you want--one, two, or even ten. After each call, you'll be given an opportunity to make more. You can also come back later and make more calls, starting from where you left off. If you have any questions, please send an email to calls@colorofchange.org.

Thanks again for doing what you can to help get the word out and achieve justice for the Jena 6.

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team September 19th, 2007

Border Summit (Rio Grande Valley)

SAVE THE DATE !

Border Summit (Rio Grande Valley)
October 26-27, 2007
Holy Familiy Catholic Church
Edinburg, Texas

1ST BORDER SUMMIT BEING ORGANIZED IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF SOUTH TEXAS

INVITING ALL BORDER ORGANIZATIONS TO ATTEND THIS VERY IMPORTANT EVENT!

Contact:
210.378.5699 & 956.490.9825 Rubén Solís, grulla@swunion.org
956.459.3205 Elizabeth García,
956.425.9552 Rogelio Núñez,
956.702.3307 Ann Cass
956.968.3900 Elizabeth Valdez

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Support Bohemeos!

Hello all,

Just wanted to send out a quick message encouraging everyone to support Bohemeo's- a coffee shop/ art gallery in the East End. Bohemeo's owners, Lupe and Sid Olivares, are long time residents of the East End and strong supporters of progressive and grassroots politics.

They are also heavily involved in Houston's vibrant Latino/ progressive arts community. As a small business, they need community support to stay afloat, so please help! They have regularly scheduled community music and arts events throughout the week, and they welcome meetings of grassroots organizations and local political and cultural events, so please consider hosting your next gathering there.

In addition to coffee, snacks, and pastries, they also have a great entree menu of homemade food by Lupe and Sid themselves.

Bohemeo's

708 Telephone Rd.

Houston, Tx. 77023

COME OUT AND SUPPORT THIS IMPORTANT COMMUNITY ESTABLISHMENT!

SI SE PUEDE!

Mike Espinoza

Political & Community Outreach Coordinator

Houston Justice for Janitors Campaign

Service Employees International Union

www.houstonjanitors.org

Monday, September 17, 2007

The Iraq Moratorium, Beginning Everywhere on Friday, September 21

This coming Friday, September 21st will mark the first observance of a monthly day of action called the Iraq Moratorium, with activities occurring in communities, neighborhoods, cities and towns across the country. Protests will be held across the country on the third Friday of every month, from now until the war in Iraq is ended.

These protests can take the form of:
There are a number of upcoming events and activities that will be taking place across the country over the next month or two focusing local attention on the war in Iraq and the urgent need to bring it to an end. One of these is the Iraq Moratorium.

individuals wearing armbands or buttons that day as they go about their daily activities; or a group of people choosing not to buy anything other than necessities that day; or demonstrations in front of or inside Congressional offices; or a group of people choosing to stay home from work that day and devote the day to activities aimed at ending the war; or any number of other activities.

Whatever form the Iraq Moratorium takes, the point is the same: no more "business as usual" while an unjust and unjustifiable war continues to take the lives of our troops and Iraqi children, women and men. People who object to the war will be able to do more than go to periodic national demonstrations - the demonstrations will be brought home to communities across the country, allowing more and more people to become involved in actively opposing the war.

Individuals, groups and organizations are planning ways of observing this day of action. MFSO has endorsed the Iraq Moratorium, and we encourage all MFSO members to find ways to participate and bring our special voice as military families who can attest to the personal impacts of this war. MFSO Chapters in your area may be participating already, or may be interested in working together to take part. For more information about MFSO chapters and activities write to us at mfso@mfso.org or go here for the list of chapters.

To view some of the coordinated Iraq Moratorium events occurring around the country or to view some of the ways to participate in the Iraq Moratorium even if there is not a group effort in your area, click here. MFSO members can add to and strengthen this campaign on the third Friday of every month by wearing MFSO t-shirts (to purchase MFSO materials go here), bringing photos of our loved ones to events and demonstrations, and bringing the message that funding the war is killing our troops! Fully fund a safe and orderly withdrawal, and the care our troops need when they come home.

In Peace and Solidarity,
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson
Co-Founders, Military Families Speak Out
mfso@mfso.orgwww.mfso.org

HIDALGO COUNTY EMPLOYEES HOLD RALLY FOR WORKING FAMILIESURGE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO IMPROVE SICK LEAVE POLICY AND DISTRIBUTION OF RAISES

PRESS RELEASE
Friday, September 14, 2007

CONTACT:
Nathan Selzer, Political Director
(956) 522-1718
(mobile)nselzer@seiutx.org


HIDALGO COUNTY EMPLOYEES HOLD RALLY FOR WORKING FAMILIE SURGE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO IMPROVE SICK LEAVE POLICY AND DISTRIBUTION OF RAISES

WHAT:
Hidalgo County members of the Service Employees International Union and supporters will hold a rally at the Hidalgo County Courthouse plaza to raise awareness to the plight of working families. At issue are current policies which prohibit employees from using sick leave to care for ill family members and the proposed 2008 cost of living adjustment.

“We have worked with County representatives to develop a common sense sick leave policy that doesn’t cost tax-payers a dime and will enable us to use our sick leave to care for our children when they get sick,” stated Daisy Perez, an Hidalgo County Auto License Department employee and member of the SEIU Consultation Committee. “Now, it’s just up to the Commissioners Court to make the proposed policy a reality on Tuesday.”

The proposed policy changes also include provisions that will ensure that employees suspected of abusing sick leave are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and encourage those who leave the County to donate their unused sick leave hours to the County Sick Leave Pool to be used by employees in case of catastrophic illness.

“One point that we don’t agree with is a proposed annual 3-day limit to the sick leave time we can use to care for our families,” said Nidia Torres, an Hidalgo County Precinct 2 employee and mother of two. “Unfortunately, my kids don’t just get sick three days a year. I’ve already earned the sick leave. I just want to be able to use it when my kids need me to be by their side.”

SEIU is also proposing to save the County money – by distributing raises more fairly in a flat $1,250 increase for all County employees, instead of a 4% increase. “The $1,250 increase is a win-win for the County,” stated Mike Janssen, an Hidalgo County Precinct 1 employee. “It will save several hundred thousand dollars as compared to the proposed 4% increase, enable the County to start 2008 with a true, balanced budget, bring the County’s Fund Balance up to 10% for a better credit rating, and do the right thing for the lowest paid employees.”

WHERE:
Hidalgo County Courthouse plaza, corner of Cano and Closner, Edinburg, Texas (Across the street from the Courthouse in Edinburg).

WHEN:
Monday, September 17, 2007 - 5:30 p.m.

WHO:
Sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, Local 5. SEIU’s mission is to improve the lives of working people and their families and lead the way to a more just and humane society.

###

SENATE LIKELY TO VOTE ON DREAM ACT THIS WEEK!


SENATE LIKELY TO VOTE ON DREAM ACT THIS WEEK!
***IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED***

Monday, September 17, 2007

Today, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) will introduce the DREAM Act as an amendment to H.R. 1585, the Department of Defense authorization bill, which returns to the Senate floor for debate this morning. You may remember that the Department of Defense authorization bill was debated in mid-July but was pulled for reasons unrelated to the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act would provide a 6-year path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship for individuals brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented children if they graduate from high school and continue on to college or military service.

This may be the best chance this year for the DREAM Act to become law (although most likely it will not be the last opportunity). If the amendment passes, the DREAM Act would stand an excellent chance of becoming law this year. The amendment will need 60 votes to pass.

We do not yet know when the vote will be, and it is possible that procedural obstacles could prevent one from occurring at all. But regardless, it is imperative for all DREAM Act supporters to call your Senators and click here to send an e-mail message to them today, and again tomorrow, and again every day until the vote occurs. You can find your Senators' phone numbers here.

This time, even more than the last time the amendment was set for consideration, anti-immigrant groups have come out swinging by spreading falsehoods about the DREAM Act in an attempt to inflame their base to intimidate Senators like they did in the Senate debate about immigration reform. But DREAM Act supporters are passionate too. We can and must fight back and match their intensity.

CALL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS AND TELL THEM
"PLEASE VOTE FOR THE DURBIN-HAGEL-LUGAR DREAM ACT AMENDMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILLSO THAT IMMIGRANT STUDENTS BROUGHT HERE AS CHILDRENCAN REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL"

Your Senators' phone numbers are online at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To send an e-mail message to your Senators please go to:http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/NILC/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12129

What else you can do:
Forward this message to every listserv and everyone you know

Post it on blogs, MySpace, Facebook, or other on-line networking tools
Call in to C-SPAN or other radio or television shows where there is some hope of a sympathetic audience (not anti-immigrant propaganda sites)

The DREAM Act in Brief:

The DREAM Act is narrowly tailored
It would apply only to individuals brought to the U.S. at least 5 years ago as children, who have grown up here, and who have remained in school and out of trouble. They could get a green card 6 years after graduating from high school if during that time they continue on to college or serve in the military.

The DREAM Act is not a "mini-amnesty"
At its core, amnesty is forgiveness for wrongdoing. That does not apply to DREAM Act students who were all brought here years ago as children. The DREAM Act rewards them for staying in school or serving our country.

The DREAM Act would benefit taxpayers
The DREAM Act would provide hope to immigrant students and lead many more of them to remain in school. As an example of the fiscal benefits of this, a RAND study showed that a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman who graduates from college will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost $3,900 less in government expenses each year than if she had dropped out of high school. This amounts to an annual fiscal benefit of over $9,000 per person every year, money that can be used to pay for the education of other children. State and local taxpayers have already invested in the education of these children in elementary and secondary school and deserve to get a return on their investment

You can find more information about the DREAM Act here.

To subscribe to the DREAM listserv, please email vargas@nilc-dc.org with "subscribe to DREAM listserv" in the subject line and include your contact information in the text of the email.

HOUSTON - FORO PARA LA MUJER IMIGRANTE/IMMIGRANT WOMEN FORUM 9/22/07


DATE: 9/22/07
LOCATION: LATINO LEARNING CENTER, 3522 POLK, HOUSTON, TX

PUBLIC IS INVITED TO THIS FREE EVENT!FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND CONTACT SYLVIA GONZALEZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR WOMEN AT 713-695-5980


Dont forget to invite some women that may benefit from this workshop.

FORO PARA LA MUJER IMIGRANTE

MUJER EN CRISIS
ABANDONO; ABUSO FISICO, MENTAL y VERBAL
CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS

22 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2007 11:00 AM

LATINO LEARNING CENTER
3522 POLK
(Esquina con Calle Scott)

Dra. Esperanza Fernández
(Hablara de la Mujer Abusada y el Estado Mental)

Ramona Vargas, YMCA Internacional
Los Derechos de la Mujer

Concepcion Miranda de
Centro de Mujeres de Houston

Teresa Gutiérrez, Casa La Rosa:
Casa de Refugio para Mujeres Abusadas
Patrocinado por la División de Mujeres,
Distrito VIII de LULAC
Para Inscripción e Informes llame al 713-695-5980

Gratis al Público

BROWNSVILLE PACHANGA IN THE PARK TO PROTEST THE BORDER WALL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BROWNSVILLE PACHANGA IN THE PARK TO PROTEST THE BORDER WALL

What: A community barbecue and rally opposing the building of a border wall on the Texas/Mexico Border

When: Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 5:00 pm

Where: Dean Porter Park in Brownsville, Texas

Everyone is invited to the Brownsville No Border Wall Pachanga in the Park on Saturday, September 29. This is the latest in a series of community rallies to oppose the building of a wall along the Texas-Mexico border sponsored by the No Border Wall coalition. It will begin at 5:00 pm at Dean Porter Park in Brownsville.

This festive, family event will highlight the culture and community spirit of Brownsville. Participants hope to show the nation just what is at risk if a wall is built through the city of Brownsville and along the rest of the border. It will feature a variety of food booths, including that South Texas staple, fajitas. Community leaders, including state representatives Eddie Lucio III and Juan Escobar, will voice the concerns of their constituents, and local experts will discuss the negative impact a wall could have on our communities, historical landmarks, farms, and natural areas. While the children fly specially-made kites and smash a wall-shaped piñata, adults can listen and dance to live South Texas music into the evening.

Building a border wall along the Rio Grande will cut a wide swath through the city of Brownsville. Maps to date have shown the proposed wall following the flood control levee that runs through the city, rather than the river itself. Parts of the downtown area, with its rich history and charming old buildings, are at risk for demolition because they lie so close to this levee. The University of Texas at Brownsville’s International Technology, Education and Commerce Campus could be cut off entirely by the wall, since it lies to the south of the levee. A border wall could also threaten the close economic and social ties between Brownsville and its sister city Matamoros. Outside the city, landowners and farmers could lose land and critical access to river water for irrigation. A double-layered wall and Border Patrol road could also cut through nearby natural areas such as the Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary and the Nature Conservancy’s Lennox Foundation Southmost Preserve. University of Texas at Brownsville Vice President of External Affairs Dr. Tony Zavaleta said, “In my forty odd years of studying the U.S.-Mexico border I have never seen anything suggested by either government that is so wrong headed and destructive to our communities and our people as this border wall.”

No Border Wall is a grassroots coalition of groups and individuals united in the belief that a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border will do irreparable harm to the borderlands and to the country as a whole. No Border Wall is opposed to the construction of a border wall because of the devastating consequences such a wall would have on border economies, on the environment, on human rights, and on the U.S. relationship with Mexico and the rest of the world.
To get to Dean Porter Park, exit 6th Street from Expressway 77/83. Turn right on 6th and take another right at the first light, Ringgold Street. Turn right again onto Dean Porter Park Street. The park entrance will be on the left. For more information or to volunteer contact Stefanie at noborderwall@yahoo.com or 956-453-0754, or visit www.notexasborderwall.com.

Popcorn N Lemonade Film Festival

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Image Hosting by Picoodle.com



The film festival is an extension of the film series that we presently host in the Honors College on campus entitled: pOpCoRn N LeMonAde.Films presented by Songhai News. The newspaper is distributed monthly on campus and the film screenings are every 3rd Thursday.We are in need of monetary, media relations, and in-kind sponsors.

Should you be interested in supporting Songhai News with a sponsorship or media support we would like for you to send your logo to our email address as soon as possible at songhainews@gmail.com . The new flyers for the event will go out on the 1st of October.

In addition, a brief description of your organization in a word.doc would be appreciated to go on our news website which you can view the current issue in rotation at: http://songhainews.iblog365.com/.

I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions feel free to contact me on my cell phone directly: 832-483-7907. FYI: Read the latest news about Songhai receiving a grant from Campus Progress.org

kYmberly Keeton
Founding Editor N Chief/Publisher
Songhai News: The Black Collegiate Voice @ the University of Houston (main campus)
songhaieditornchief@gmail.com
Contact Songhai News: 832-632-4853
Newspaper online:http://songhainews.iblog365.com/
Story Ideas/Suggestions: mailto:songhainews@netzero.net


--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: campusprogress.org
September 12, 2007

NEW CAMPUS PUBLICATION HOPES TO BECOME VOICE FOR MINORITY STUDENTS


HOUSTON—Campus Progress, the youth organizing arm of the Center for American Progress, today announced Songhai News: The Black Collegiate Voice, a publication based at the University of Houston, as the most recent addition to the Campus Progress Student Publications Network. As a member of the network, Songhai News will receive journalism training from notable experts, as well as funding to increase the print quality and visual appeal of the publication.

Songhai News was founded with the hope of becoming the voice for minority students on campus, who have been underrepresented by other forms of campus media. "We fill the void left by the University-funded newspaper, the Daily Cougar" said Editor-in-Chief Kymberly Keeton. The latest issue of Songhai News is being distributed on campus now.

Currently, Campus Progress supports a growing and diverse network of 43 student progressive publications on 38 college campuses in 23 states and the District of Columbia with a combined circulation per issue above 85,000. Campus Progress, launched in February 2005 at the Center for American Progress, is a comprehensive effort to help young people make their voices heard on issues that matter.

Campus Progress runs a daily web magazine, CampusProgress.org; supports student publications on close to 50 campuses; supports local and national student issue campaigns; and has held over 350 event and film screenings.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Immigration Raids Echo History of African Americans

Immigration Raids Echo History of African Americans

New America Media, Commentary

Jean Damu, Posted: Sep 13, 2007

Editor’s Note: Raids on undocumented workers today are nothing new for African Americans, who saw raids on their own population more than 150 years ago.

In August local law enforcement and immigration officials in a small Pennsylvania town began receiving reports that undocumented immigrants were being offered sanctuary at a nearby residence. Furthermore, the reports went on to say, during the daytime hours, the immigrants were blending into portions of the local population and working in one of the city’s factories.

After several weeks of investigation, the authorities determined that, in fact, the reports of the undocumented immigrants’ activities were true.

In response to this perceived emergency, an interagency task force of immigration and local police personnel was organized. It was decided that an early morning raid would be the quickest and safest way to take the immigrants into custody and to prepare them for deportation.

The raid was carried out in September. After a brief struggle, the undocumented were overpowered, handcuffed and taken to jail, where they were told to prepare themselves for hearings to determine their eligibility for deportation.

The above incident is not unusual. It has played out countless times, in countless cities across the nation, as the United States struggles to come to grips with a moral question that is rooted in economics – the issue of undocumented workers.

The unusual aspect of the story, however, is that it did not take place in 2007 or 2006. It took place in the town of Christiana, Pa. And it took place in 1850.

In 1850, it was not the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that conducted the early morning raid, but rather an office of the U.S. Marshal and Deputy Marshal. And in 1850, the undocumented that were being rounded up were not Latinos or Asians but rather fugitive enslaved Africans who had crossed into Pennsylvania from Delaware in an attempt to escape slavery.

The fugitives were given sanctuary by members of the Black Self-Help Society, an armed organization that was formed many decades before the African Blood Brotherhood and the Black Panther Party. The group foreshadowed by only a few years the entry by massive numbers of blacks into the Union armies to fight the formerly officially endorsed “slavocracy.”

The right-wing political powers of the 21st century that re-configured the Immigration and Naturalization Service into ICE – the agency that is currently conducting raids against “illegal immigrants” as a response to the so-called “war on terrorism” – are direct descendants of those who created the U.S. Marshals and Deputy Marshals to enforce the fugitive slave legislations of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the case of the Federal Marshals, the enforcement of immigration laws was fueled by politicians’ pandering to the political forces that would deliver free labor to the agrarian south and keep the United States a white man’s country. This objective was eloquently articulated in America’s first immigration legislation adopted in 1789 as part of the establishment of the federal government and the year the U.S. Marshal’s office was brought into being.

Though the conditions of life are vastly more complicated today than when the first immigration laws were enacted, one can easily come to the conclusion that one of ICE’s unstated missions is to help maintain white supremacy. If this is not true, then why does no one discuss the issue of undocumented white workers who enter the country from Europe and Canada?

It is tempting to argue that the immigration movement is completely analogous to the abolitionist movement. That would be a mistake. After all, who would want to claim that deporting someone to Mexico is the same as returning them to slavery? But the similarities are powerful enough to convince many African Americans that it is in their best interest to support those who struggle against black people’s historic enemies.

It took decades of abolitionist work and unprecedented armed struggle to wrest the practice of slavery from the breast of America. Similar decades of educational work and political organizing were required to convince the majority of Americans that legalized discrimination in the form of the Jim Crow laws was also wrong. That struggle continues to this day.

Today there is much misunderstanding and confusion over immigration: some say the issue is too complicated, that there are too many global economic forces at work for the lay person to fully grasp. This is no different from earlier times when much confusion and misunderstanding existed in regards to slavery. In both cases, racism and unbridled white supremacy joined hands to generate the confusion.

Though the issue of immigration has been around since the birth of this nation, the current immigration movement is still in its early stages. If it is to achieve the perceived successes of the civil rights movement, it must do a better job of uniting with that sector of the U.S. population that so clearly participated in and benefited to a significant degree from the civil rights movement: Black America. On the other hand, African Americans should be sensitive to the current conditions in which many immigrants find themselves. These conditions, after all, are not unfamiliar to us.

Jean Damu is a member of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

9/20 National Protest for the Jena 6


The Republicans Flunk Spanish

Check out the Time Magazine article at the link below:

The Republicans Flunk Spanish*

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

"El Machete" Screening

Please join independent filmmaker Simon Sedillo for a screening of "el machete: la lucha por el poder popular” and a discussion on neoliberalism and resistance in Oaxaca, Mexico.

There are three upcoming Austin events:

Tuesday, Sept. 18th @ Resistencia Bookstore - 7pm
1801-A South First St. 512-416-8885

Thursday, Sept. 20th @ Univ. of Texas GRG 102 - 7pm
Corner of 24th & Whitis

Friday, Sept. 21st @ Monkeywrench Bookstore - 7pm
110 E. North Loop 512-407-6925

“el machete: la lucha por el poder popular” is Proyecto Autogestion’s debut film project. All the camera persons are indigenous community members, mostly women and youth, organizing under the auspices of the Committee Organized in Defense of the People’s Rights (CODEP).

The editing was completed through collective media arts workshops, which now, along with donated equipment, have contributed to the ability of CODEP to edit its own film projects. Proyecto Autogestion is the fusion of http://www.elenemigocomun.net/ and Palenque Urbana in an attempt to challenge models of international solidarity with communities in resistance by contributing to their self-empowerment through media workshops and equipment.

Simón Sedillo is a community-based human rights filmmaker. Sedillo has spent the last 6 years documenting and teaching community based video documentation in indigenous communities in Oaxaca, in immigrant communities in the US, and with youth of color across the US.

In Oaxaca, Sedillo has been working with CODEP and the Oaxacan Popular Magonista Antineoliberal Coordination (COMPA), both predecessors of the Oaxacan People’s Popular Assembly (APPO). Sedillo collaborated with the Austin Independent Media Center (http://www.austin.indymedia.org/) and COMPA on the 2005 production of “El Enemigo Común”, which documents the birth of COMPA and its resistance to paramilitary activity in Oaxaca from 2001-2005.

To view trailer for "el machete: la lucha por el poder popular": http://elenemigocomun.net/videos/el-machete-trailer

Event sponsored by: UT MEChA & Student/Farmworker Alliance - ATX

New Online Petition for LA CUCARACHA!!! Need Your Support!!!

Saludos compas -

As many of you may already know, the Houston Chronicle has removed the only pro-Latino comic strip in the U.S., LA CUCARACHA from print.

In an effort to have LA CUCARACHA put back into the Houston Chronicle, La Nueva Raza (Houston) has created an online petition on their website (www.larazaunida.com).

Please visit the online petition at: http://www.larazaunida.com/actionlacucaracha.htm and sign on!!!

Join us in supporting Lalo and LA CUCARACHA by signing the petition and forwarding this email to your contacts.

Here is a message from Lalo, as posted on Dos Centavos blog:

"HELP La Cucaracha get reinstated in HOUSTON CHRONICLE

To all my MySpace Friends and la cucaracha fans everywhere but esp. in HOUSTON, Tejas: (You can take action by emailing the Houston Chron below, but read on).

The Houston Chronicle has dropped the ONLY COMIC STRIP IN THE UNITED STATES that regularly supports Latino immigrant rights and explores Chicano/Latino/Mexicano political and social issues- "la cucaracha," by me, Lalo Alcaraz, and has replaced it with a PENGUIN-themed comic strip by a New Zealand cartoonist!

You can help me get "la cucaracha" back in to the paper. It can happen, as in March I was dropped WITHOUT NOTICE by the LA Times and reader response was so OVERWHELMING they brought La Cucaracha back in 36 hours!

gracias
Lalo Alcaraz
creator of "La Cucaracha"
laloalcaraz@yahoo.com
http://www.myspace.com/laloalcaraz"

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Houston National Day of Action

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION:

A CALL FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTION OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

Local immigrant activists call on Congress to Act Now to Protect the Rights of Immigrants and Their Families

(Houston) On Wednesday, Sept 12, from 6 pm to 9 pm, in a vigil in front of the Mickey Leland Federal Building (1919 Smith), CRECEN joins Elvira Arellano, Saulito and other people of faith nationwide in a call for a Temporary Protected Status of the 12 million undocumented immigrants and their families.

Increased raids, detentions, deportations and the firings by many employers of employees with invalid Social Security numbers have created a crisis in the immigrant community. Now is the time for Congress and the President to take a definite stand in alleviating the hardship of broken immigration policies on millions of families.

Now is the time to demonstrate commitment to people who contribute daily to the well-being of the nation--the millions of immigrant workers and thier families. Events will be held throughout the nation on this day.

Se Fue LA CUCARACHA...Please Email the Houston Chronicle!!!

FORWARDED MESSAGE:

http://dos-centavos.blogspot.com/2007/09/whered-la-cucaracha-go-bring-it-backnow.html

Lalo Alcaraz's la cucaracha was taken off of the printed Houston Chronicle.

Lalo is trying to get it reinstated and needs the help of the blogosphere and activists everywhere.

Please help!

-- A.S. (Stace) Medellín, MSBloguero, DosCentavos.net

Monday, September 10, 2007

Mission Texas Coalition

Learn more about the Mission community's struggle for environmental justice at:

WWW.MISSION-TEXAS.COM

Sunday, September 9, 2007

One Day As I Was Driving This Is What I Saw


McAllen 9-11 Truth Film Festival

Beginning at 6 PM Sunday Sept. 9 Cine El Rey will host the FREE 9-11 Truth Film Festival.

Find out what people think about what really happened on Sept. 11, 2001 when the Neocons began their campaign to take over the world.

In McAllen, 311 S 17th Ave.

Go to: cineelrey.com for more details.

Call to Action from Tucson / Llamada Para el Campamento Desde Tucson

-en español abajo-
For a PDF version of the callout visit /

Para una versión en PDF de la llamada visite a:
http://www.sonoranstyle.net/nbc/NBC%20Tucson%20Callout.pdf

Toward a World Without Borders
Borderlands Autonomist Collective
Tucson, AZ

Schedule of Days of Action:

Monday and Tuesday 11.5 & 11.6
Convergence

Wednesday 11.7
Camp begins, Forums

Thursday 11.8
Day of action against capitalism and for mutual aid and respect

Friday 11.9
Day of action against detention and for freedom of movement

Saturday 11.10 Day of action against the wall and for a world without borders

Sunday 11.11 Solidarity events and day of artistic expression

Hacía un Mundo Sin Fronteras
Colectivo Autónomo de las Tierras Fronterizas
Tucson, AZ

Calendario
Lúnes y Martes 11.5 & 11.6
Movilización

Miércoles 11.7
El campamento empieza, Fóros

Jueves 11.8
Día de acción contra capitalismo y por autogestión y respeto

Viernes 11.9
Dia de acción en contra de las detenciónes y por el movimiento libre

Sábado 11.10 Dia de acción en contra del muro y por un mundo sin fronteras

Domingo 11.11 Eventos de solidaridad y un día de expresiones artísticas

más información: http://www.blogger.com/www.noborderscamp.org/es

versión en PDF: http://www.sonoranstyle.net/nbc/NBC%20Tucson%20Callout.pdf

Hunger Strike in ICE Arizona Contract Jail?

courtesy - http://www.bibdaily.com/

Hunger Strike in ICE Arizona Contract Jail?
Disturbing news from Raha Jorjani, University of California, Davis, School of Law Clinical Programs, Sept. 7, 2007
.

http://www.bibdaily.com/pdfs/Pinal%209-7-07.pdf

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U.S.
Deports Parents of Dead Soldiers

http://www.alternet.org/rights/61729

================

Immigration wars squeeze Iowa town - USATODAY.com

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-01-immigration_N.htm?POE=click-refe

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/nyregion/07arrest.html

The New York Times

NEW YORK REGION September 7, 2007
Police Officer Is Charged in Death of Immigrant
By LISA W. FODERARO
George Bubaris was charged on Thursday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a homeless Guatemalan immigrant four months ago.



McAllen Protest for Peace


Brownsville Protest for Peace




Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Welcome to the blog for La Nueva Raza!

Welcome to the blog for La Nueva Raza!