in 1991, in the rapidly changing immigrant community of Corona, Queens, NYC 19 year old son of Dominican immigrants, Manny Mayi Jr. was beaten to death.
Last year, Marcelo Lucero was killed.
At the start of the new year Wilter Sanchez was nearly killed.
In February of this year Jose Sucuzhañay, an Ecuadorian immigrant was beaten to death.
Speaking Spanish can get you beaten.
And most recently, Luis Ramirez was beaten and killed and those accused got away with murder.
I could go through recent and not so recent history and clearly see a pattern and practice of hate that has been growing. A pattern and practice of racism, nativism, fueled by the media and government, eaten up by the mainstream public.
People in Shenandoah celebrated, went out into the streets and rejoiced after an all-white jury found Brandon J. Piekarsky, 17, and Derrick M. Donchak, 19, guilty of lesser charges and acquitted them of criminal homicide and aggravated assault.
And then people have the nerve to ask why are more Latinos not more active in the fight for immigration change?
This is not just about laws, this about lives.
So what do we as a community do?
In the case of Marcelo Lucero, the Feds have stepped in to investigate a pattern and practice of hate crimes against Latinos while local law enforcement did nothing.
The Feds are considering opening an investigation into the 18 year old killing of Manny Mayi jr.
18 fucking years.
Federal investigations and federal hate crimes legislation will not bring sons and daughters like Angie Zapata back. Civil rights statutes do not equal justice against individuals and a society that sends the message that our lives are worth less because of what we look like, how we speak, and where we come from. Pero, they are weapons people can get behind in addition to other strategies.
MALDEF has a petition that all people should get behind. It asks that the United States Department of Justice to intervene and conduct an independent and comprehensive investigation of the brutal murder of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.
It is not the answer. It will not save our lives and the lives of our children. That HAS to happen on multiple fronts that include direct action, legal action, media strategies and education.
Think of all the mothers without their children this coming Sunday, Mother's Day.
Sign the petition . Our lives cannot wait.
One of the things that we all can do is to participate in Politics. Even if we are very humble ants.
ReplyDeletePerhaps by electing the right people ( And I like Obama and the Democrats ) we can work for a better World, without these horrible Injustices, this acquittal of such horrible crime claims to Heaven for Intervention.
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Primary Election in California to replace Hilda Solis in the House of Representatives.
Hilda Solis served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Now that she is the Secretary of Labor of Obama, there is a special election to fill the void in the House of Representatives.
May 19th - Election Day !
Emanuel Pleitez - A new Millennial Latino for the U. S. Congress - Special Election replacing Hilda Solis of California, the New Secretary of Labor
Huffington Post
Eric Greenberg
Eric Greenberg sponsored a major research survey into the values and attitudes of the Millennial generation - www.gen-we.com. He and Karl Weber are authors of the book Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking Over America and Changing Our World Forever.
March 17, 2009
The Pleitez Promise--A Millennial Breeze Begins To Blow in Washington
Some excerpts :
One of the first young Americans to bring the Millennial sensibility to Washington may come from California's 32nd Congressional District, where there will be a special election for the seat recently vacated by Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis. Democratic candidate Emanuel Pleitez is a 26-year-old who hopes to become the second member of his generation to serve in Congress. In many ways, Pleitez (pronounced PLAY-tez) represents a vivid template of the kind of leadership this new generation is poised in bring from America's neighborhoods to Washington.
Like many in his district, Pleitez is a Latino who has climbed the ladder of the American dream from its lowest rungs. His single mom, a cafeteria worker, immigrated from Mexico and struggled to raise her family on the east side of L.A. Before he reached the age of ten, Emanuel and his family had moved ten times, often finding shelter in back rooms or garages. And like millions before him, Pleitez seized the opportunities offered by education to improve his lot. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in El Sereno and went on to graduate from Stanford University.
Pleitez served on the staff of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and briefly worked on the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee. Then he moved to the private sector, working as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. This experience helped qualify him to serve on the Treasury Department Transition Team for the new Obama administration.
It's a varied and interesting background, once that equips Pleitez to be an energetic and informed advocate of progressive policies, especially regarding the economy. But what interests us most about Pleitez is his role as a harbinger of a coming generational shift, one of the first young Americans to bring the Millennial sensibility to Washington.
Many Videos of Emanuel Pleitez in Electoral Campaign :
Milenials.com
Vicente Duque
Though I voted enthusiastically for Obama the Democrats have conspired (like the GOP) to make it more difficult for comprehensive and fair immigration reform to be enacted. For instance, Bob Melendez helped kibosh the most recent reform bill by trying to amend it at the last second. The White House has so far waffled on the issue of immigration for the most part.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP has, unfortunately, become a mess in the past few years and it'll most likely take a long time for them to return to prominence. Yet the Democrats have not fared that much better. Sad but true.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform could be Kryptonite for Super Obama.
ReplyDeleteThat could be the issue that unifies Republicans and brings them out of the coffin ( like Dracula )
The Task Number One for America is Economic Recovery. Everything else is secondary.
For the Good of America and the World Obama should be Prudent, Cautious, Moderate, Cerebral and Shy, not leaning to the left or to liberalism.
Enemies could eat Mr Obama alive with Immigration. Please be thoughtful and careful Mr Obama !!
If Obama wants to do something for Latinos, then perhaps the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be a Great Achievement and not so dangerous as Immigration Reform.
I do not want to pontificate, there are more knowledgeable people than me. I may be utterly wrong.
I only wanted to bring up the dangerous subject of Immigration Reform.
I may be mistaken. I worry very much for Mr Obama.
Milenials.com
Vicente Duque