Luis Miranda of Casa las Americas NYC Dies

Yesterday at 11:30am at St. Vincents Hospital in Manhattan, Luis Miranda, President of New York's "Casa De Las Americas" since 1987 passed. The Case de las Americas in NYC was founded in 1957, under the name Casa Cuba. It was a NYC base of support for the Cuban Revolution. From a 2003 Granma article:

Born in Havana in 1928 and resident in the United
States since 1948, Miranda affirms that the Cuban emigrant community, not by chance but with a thorough understanding, has defended the Revolution because it knows the Cuba of yesteryear where hunger, misery and prostitution were rife. "After the visit by Fidel and Juan Manuel, we began our struggle for the Revolution with the sale of bonds to fundraise and send money to Cuba," explains Miranda.

Casa has been at its current location, 14th St. and Sixth Avenue, for the last 34 years, after being forced to move a few times because of opposition to its presence and what it stands for. Miranda and Casa were often targeted by the U.S. Government and the anti-Castro Cuban exile community.

In 1960, an explosive device was planted in the Casa
that completely demolished the building. Another
exploded in the Casa de las Américas during the 26th
of July celebrations in 1978, breaking windows in
the entire block and causing major damage to the
building.
In 1983, a device placed inside the Musical Academy
on 14th St. was deactivated. Later came another that
could have blown up the entire block. However, just
a few hours before, the police caught two terrorists
some who confessed to the crime and a further
explosion was prevented.

In 1960 when Fidel came to New York, a group
attacked us with sticks and chains on 125th St. They
struck me in the face and I almost lost an eye. They have attacked us so many times with every possible
type of weapon that both my hands are scarred from
those encounters.
"In 1978, I was shot in the hip. I was coming out of
a meeting in the Casa and someone fired from a
nearby building. We couldn't go to the authorities
because of all the lengthy explanations this would
involve and so the wound became infected.
"In 1982, whilst I was leaving the Cuban diplomatic
mission – when it was located on 67th St. and Park
Avenue – there was a couple on the street and the
woman came running towards me, crying out to me to
help her, but then she grabbed my arms. The man then
stabbed me with a knife. I managed to ward off the
blow but I was still wounded close to my heart. They
fled and with a lot of effort, I managed to get
myself to the house of a friend of mine, a doctor,
who put three internal and three external stitches
on the left nipple."

On Friday there will be a wake for Miranda then Miranda will be sent home, to his beloved Cuba, to be buried, as he wished.