Aliados

I got a chance to see "Bordertown" a few weeks back.  It wasn't the final edit, but I liked what I saw.  I think I was one of only two people who were in the small group of 30 who had actually done research and had worked with this issue on the past, but many people there got their first glimpse into the femicides that are going on in Juarez.  Below is an article sent to me from a friend at the El Paso Times, unfortunately I didn't get the authors name or original date so I can't properly source it, but I thought it was worth sharing with the rest of the Aliados.  Please, look for the film in your city shortly.

Jennifer Lopez's film "Bordertown" will open in El Paso Oct. 19th.

Those associated with the film are trying to arrange for Lopez to come to El Paso for a screening of the film, but nothing is planned as of yet.

"Bordertown," based on true events, is the story of one woman's passionate struggle for justice in a town gripped by fear. American journalist Lauren (Jennifer Lopez) arrives in Juárez determined to find out the truth about hundreds of murdered women.

The film, directed by Gregory Nava, also stars Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen and is expected to be shown in several theaters in El Paso.

"Since first hearing of these atrocities in 1998, when Gregory Nava came to me with this project, I desperately wanted to tell this story," Lopez has said about the film. "I began working to ensure we made this film in order to bring the attention of the world to this tragedy and to pressure the Mexican government to bring to justice those responsible for these horrible crimes." Lopez attended a special screening in July 2006 of the film in El Paso along with 25 mothers of the murdered victims, said Barbara Jitner-Martinez, one of the executive producers of the film.

The mothers spoke with Lopez and Nava, giving them their notes on the film. Their notes were incorporated into film the film and the mothers gave the film their blessing.

"The release was postponed a bit because Jennifer had another film, 'El Cantante,' and so the movies weren't competing against each other 'Bordertown' was pushed back," she said. "It will open in El Paso and Dallas. El Paso is obviously Ground Zero for this."

The film, to be distributed by ThinkFilm in the U.S., will likely have a staggered release, said Gabriel Reyes, president of Reyes Entertainment which is doing publicity for the film.

Lopez received the Amnesty International "Artists for Amnesty" award at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year in recognition of her work as producer and star of "Bordertown."

Jitner-Martinez said "Bordertown" opened in Europe and elsewhere worldwide earlier this year and did well.

"It was top 10 in Spain, Italy and the Philippines," she said.

According to a comprehensive analysis by Amnesty International, approximately 400 young women have been murdered or abducted in the cities of Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico since 1993.

Upcoming Jaguares Concerts

I will be traveling to Acoma, NM around the Albuquerque area next week to help coordinate the volunteers for the Jaguares show on Saturday, October 6th and again on October 27th in Cd. Juarez.  If you are near either city, please do what you can to make the show. 

 They currently have 5 other shows scheduled as of right now, for more on the other cities where the band will be playing, check out http://www.jaguaresmx.com/.

"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."
-Dolores Huerta

Thanks so much, Eleazar, for your post on the meaning of the term habeas corpus, which I'm sure many people found helpful.

I also wanted to address your comments regarding the general need for more information in Spanish. Unfortunately, as a non-profit organization, we simply do not have the resources to sustain a full website in Spanish, to completely mirror our English site. AIUSA is the largest Amnesty section, and we are constantly hard at work with the goal of giving our activists everything they may need to raise awareness of the many human rights atrocities and injustices that are occurring all over the world. Please forgive the inconvenience, but know that the shortage of information is simply due to a lack of resources and nothing more. It was in no way done intentionally nor was it out of neglect. Just for your reference, for additional materials in Spanish you can also access our IS site at www.amnesty.org and check out various world sites for every AI section available throughout Latin America.

The creation of this bilingual blog was actually in response to this dilemma. The idea behind the blog is to enrich our existing resources and material in both languages. With "Aliados con Amnesty" we are explicitly recognizing the importance of Latino Activists and seek to empower these activists to take action and recognize their fundamental human rights. As we broaden our audience, we have the opportunity to acquire more volunteers and activists and thus, increase our resources. Thanks so much to you and all our other volunteers for being a part of this exciting time of growth and development for AIUSA!

Recently I was trying to explain what stuff AI is working on to a fellow Mexican and I realized I didn't know what Habeas Corpus was. Much less how to explain the term in  Spanish. So I quickly went to my new favorite source for information: Wikipedia. I promptly found a detailed definition for Habeas en English and how its applied (or not applied), in the US. I still didn't understand.

English is not my first language but I am very fluent in it and yet sometimes I need to hear something explained or discussed in Spanish for me to understand it. For some reason I just connect with the words easier. Its so hard to express myself in Spanish sometimes so it is odd to me that in order to better understand the world, I really have to look at it from a Spanish prospective. Call me loco, but that's just how I am.

I looked for an online Spanish Language dictionary and for Wikipedia in Spanish and was about to put all of that information together when I realized. WAIT! AI USA has the En Espanol tab on their website. I am sure I will find all of the information from the English page translated into Spanish...I mean... Why else have a Spanish page anyway? Right? WRONG. There was some basic information but nothing resembling or containing the information that the English homepage includes. I understand fully the difficulties of translating everything on a page but I also believe that if you're going to take a step, take it in the right direction. I hope that as the organization moves forward we continue to recognize the importance of Latino Activists and are able to see us as a resource and the AIUSA site as a resource tool for people of different languages to learn and act on these important issues. Just my 2 centavos.

So back to the sources I have stumbled on before: 

hábeas corpus

nombre masculino

Procedimiento jurídico mediante el cual cualquier ciudadano puede comparecer inmediatamente ante el juez para que éste determine sobre la legalidad del arresto: un tribunal militar denegó ayer el recurso de hábeas corpus presentado por la defensa.
Source

El hábeas corpus es una acción constitucional que tutela los derechos fundamentales derivados de la vida y la libertad frente a cualquier acto u omisión de cualquier autoridad, funcionario o persona, que pueda vulnerar dichos derechos.

Este término proviene del latín hábeās corpus [ad subiiciendum] ‘que tengas [tu] cuerpo [para exponer]', siendo hábeās la segunda persona singular del presente del subjuntivo del verbo latino habēre (‘tener').
Source

I had to do a little more reading from some other sources, but these sites really helped me to come to an understanding of what Habeas. Its so much easier to fight for something when you have all your bases covered. I encourage all of us to do our research and find the way of understanding things in ways that work for us.

Now, back to the AI USA page I go to put my knowledge into action.

Peace.

Greetings Aliados!  This is my first post and I will like to take the time to introduce myself.  My name is Nayrobi and I am interning at Amnesty International this fall and currently working on a campaign to bring awareness to the inhumane working conditions of farmworkers in the United States. 

Did you know that tomato pickers in Florida are the worst treated in the whole nation? And did you also know that they are only paid 45 cents for every 32 pound bucket they pick? The tremendous pressure fast food chains put on their tomato suppliers causes some of the current hardships workers faced. Food chains like Burger King, demand lower prices for tomatoes in order to increase their profit margins while tomato suppliers pay their workers less.

I am glad to be working on this campaign.  I have learned a lot so far and hope to continue learning more about this issue and others in the next couple of months.

Keep on blogging!

(If you want to learn more about this issue feel free to contact me.)

Well Aliados, this is my first blog and what better way to introduce myself than with Spanish Rock legends, Jaguares!  September 16th marked the first of five concert dates in Southern California for the musical innovators.  The band is not only able to combine a set that is exciting and fun, but also convey a human rights message that involves empowering oneself and helping those who are in grave danger. 

Thanks to their amazing spirit and commitment to act, Jaguares has joined Amnesty International in their Stop Violence Against Women campaign for the women of Ciudad Juárez in Chihuahua, México.  Almost 400 women have died since 1993 and with the help of Jaguares, Amnesty International activists have sent thousands of petitions to the Mexican Government urging that they act now and put an end to this violence.  I encourage all of you to take action for the women of Juárez; a simple letter or a trip down to a Jaguares concert can make all the difference! 

To learn more about this issue and ways you can act today, click here!

"Entre los individuos como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" - Benito Juarez

How many superheroes do you know? Mexican photographer Dulce Pinzón highlights the feats of Mexican immigrant workers in New York in a serious yet light-hearted manner. Her photos make me wonder about all of the unnoticed heroes I encounter each day -- those who keep our economy and the economies of other countries running. Check out some of our heroes HERE.

José Rosendo de Jesús from the state of Guerrero works as a union organizer in New York. He sends 700 dollars a month. Photo: Dulce Pinzón

Un triunfo para la justicia en America Latina. Finalmente la justicia chilena ha fallado por la extradicion del ex presidente Peruano, Alberto Fujimori. Por primera vez en la region, un ex mandatario es extraditado para comparecer ante la justicia.

Las coberturas del caso en el periodico peruano El Comercio:  http://www.elcomercio.com.pe/ediciononline/onlineindex.html

O el chileno, El Mercurio:

http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=276129

Una vez, Felicitaciones a todos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Controversy continues around Ken Burns' upcoming World War II documentary. The story broke in March, after UT Austin scholar Maggie Rodriguez and several other Latino leaders discovered that the film excluded Latino veterans.

From baldocomics.com

PBS execs quickly realized their mistake and looked for a quick fix:
“Burns and PBS agreed to hire Hector Galan to add Hispanic voices. They then struck an agreement with the American GI Forum, a Hispanic veterans group, to include those in the film voices before the credits rolled.”

But is that enough?

Ken Burn’s disregard for the contributions of Latinos to WWII is unacceptable. But this is not just about Latinos or Ken Burns. It’s also about editing history. As a result, Ken Burn’s documentary—like most War World II documentaries--is not really based on US history, but on the narrative of one group where minority voices are ignored.

As long as the contributions of Latinos continue to be ignored in this country, we will continue to be looked at as not really being part of this country or its history.

Ken Burns, speaking at the National Press Club Wednesday, said they reached out to historical societies and veterans groups and no Hispanic groups or Hispanic veterans came forward; neither did Filipinos or women who served in Army and Navy units known as WACS or WAVES.

Burns added:
"We could not have told the story of the Second World War if we burdened ourselves with seeking every single group."

To that Mr. Burns, I would respond: the story of the Second War World can not be told without including the contributions of these groups, and even though trying to feature them as part of the story may be a burden to you, doing so would have turned your documentary into a piece of US History and not a piece of what you think US History should be.

In a few years, will Mr. Burn’s documentary be cited in history books as an example of exclusion and discrimination? Let’s hope so.

In the meantime, learn more about US Latinos & Latinas in WWII.

"Chile's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori must be extradited to face human rights and corruption charges in Peru.

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, outside his house in Chile in July, has been under house arrest.

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed."

-------------------------

"El presidente de la Segunda Sala de la Corte Suprema de Chile, Alberto Chaigneau, confirmó el viernes que el tribunal resolvió extraditar al ex presidente peruano Alberto Fujimori, para que enfrente a la justicia de su país por siete casos de abusos a los derechos humanos y corrupción."

Finalmente la Corte Suprema de Bolivia ha dado la aprobacion para que este pais pida la extradicion del ex presidente, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, quien como sabemos viven en Estados Unidos desde el 2003.  El ex presidente es requerido por la justicia boliviana para que se esclaresca la responsabilidad que le cabe en la muerte de aproximadamente 60 civiles producto de la represion militar. 

 La pregunta basica es si Sanchez de Lozada mando o no a aplicar la fuerza contra los miles de manifestantes que, primero se expresaban en contra del envio de gas natural a America del Norte por puerto Chileno. y que despues terminaron manifestandose masivamente en contra del gobierno de Sanchez de Lozada. 

 Para muchos en Bolivia, que Sanchez de Lozada sea enjuiciado tiene ademas de la importancia juridica, una simbolica ya que el sentir generalizado en la nacion sudamericana es que la justicia es solo para los con dinero, mientras que los crimenes contra la gente pobre quedan siempre en el el limbo de la impunidad.  

Tambien abra que ver cual sera la reaccion del gobierno o la justicia estadounidense ya que Sanchez de Lozada nunca fue notificado del caso que se le lleva en su contra porque el Departamento de Estado nunca llevo a cabo el tramite correspondiente. Los entendidos explican que el tramite de la notificacion solo lleva unos cuantos meses. 

El presidente boliviano, Evo Morales ha dicho  “Estados Unidos no debe extraditar a Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, debe expulsarlo de su país.”

Entonces, tomara Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada el viaje forzoso a su patria? Esta por verse.

Anne Milgram la Fiscal General del estado de Nueva Jersey dio la orden para que los policías investiguen el estatus legal de los arrestados. Esta nueva medida esta causando polémica porque podría ser utilizada para abusos contra inmigrantes inocentes según los defensores de inmigrantes.


Armando Bermúdez nos dice su opinión…
El Editor de Grupo El Nuevo (edición en español del Jersey Journal) que publica el Nuevo Hudson, Nuevo Essex, Nuevo Passaic y Nuevo Union.

Se ha levantado polvareda por la falta de comunicación entre los departamentos de policía del Estado de Nueva Jersey y el de Inmigración para sacar de las calles a los indocumentados criminales. El razonamiento de quienes piensan que el crimen de tres estudiantes en Newark y otros, es que se habrían evitado si los agentes de la "Migra" hubiesen detenido y luego deportado a estos matones. Es decir, no atisban en lo más mínimo a ver que el problema no es de estatus, ya que poco interesa si los criminales son ciudadanos, residentes o indocumentados o no, sino del sistema que otorga la libertad condicional a estos sujetos. Hoy, ésta se consigue fácilmente con fianzas mínimas, que pone a los criminales de todas las razas y diverso tipo de estatus nuevamente en las calles para que sigan cometiendo barbaridades. Con lo que acaba de firmar la fiscal general del estado de Nueva Jersey Anne Milgram por orden del Gobernador Jon Corzine lo que se vislumbra no es un ajuste de tuercas del sistema de justicia, sino una salida por la tangente: apretar la persecución contra un sector, los indocumentados. Creo que nadie en su sano juicio en nuestra comunidad está de acuerdo en que los maleantes indocumentados queden libres, sino que deben ser sancionados por los delitos que se les imputan y luego deportados. Pero, el peligro que existe en la decisión política del gobernador Corzine y su fiscal es que están "vendiendo" la falsa idea que los crímenes que están ocurriendo se solucionarán -es su espejismo- haciendo que la policía endurezca su actitud contra los miles de indocumentados en el Estado Jardín. El dilema no es si se captura y deporta o no a los indocumentados criminales, sino si se hace más duro o no las fianzas y libertades condicionales a presuntos criminales como José Lachira Carranza, acusado de violar a una menor de edad, hoy implicado en las muertes tipo ejecución de tres estudiantes. El gobernador Corzine debe dejar a un lado esta actitud que podría derivar fácilmente en conducta anti-inmigrante. La mayor parte de los alevosos crímenes cometidos en Newark y las principales ciudades de Nueva Jersey no son perpetuados por indocumentados.

Por Favor De Añadir Sus Comentarios. Gracias!!!!

Y como dije antes,  en el caso Fujimori no todo esta perdido y Amnistia International USA arremete. Me ha llegado esta Accion Urgente para asi presionar pacificamente a la justicia chilena a extraditar al ex presidente peruano, Alberto Fujimori. 

 Y quien va primero; FIRMAR Y ENVIAR.  

So yesterday was Labor Day. In taking that day off from work I was at home on my back porch preparing to enjoy some carne asada, elote and macaroni salad when I began to reflect on what the day really meant to me. I thought about the fact that I had this sunny day off with my fiance to hang out with the dog. But what about the folks who didn't have the day off? Those were working hard in the service industry, a day laborers, in sweatshops - those workers who are unseen and more often ignored? What about those who toil daily in silent dignity as this country remains embroiled in a mean spirted debate on whether or not they contribute anything to our society through their labor and production?

Labor Day is a holiday that was created in 1882 by the labor movement to honor ALL workers. It honors all workers regardless of their legal status. The holiday is mindful only of the fact that all workers deserve to basic rights to work with dignity, without discrimination, for equal pay, and the right to organize in order to form unions. Because the need for unions grew out of the struggle for social justice every single worker today should recognize that unions are critical for every single benefit that we as workers enjoy today. Things like a minimum wage, a controlled work week with overtime pay, family leave, compensation in case of injury, eliminating child labor, and rooting out discrimination.

Because of this, we must, recognize that unions seek to build our communities through ensuring benefits that benefit us even when we leave the workplace and we are safely at home. Labor rights have ensured the building of strong families and close communities.

Let's remember as well that it has been unions who have been turned to as well to defend the poor and defenseless. Today in America, those most in need of this protection are the immigrants who are in a constant state of persecution by hate mongering media and elected officials to be scapegoats for the myriad of our nations problems. It is up to all of us to push not only our unions and but to push other community activists and organizations to reach out to these immigrant populations in an effort to protect them through service and advocacy on their behalf.

Let's not sit back on our sunny porches and feel validated in our personal successes if we have not made sure that we are challenging ourselves to make sure all facets of our working society are faring just as well as we are. I would say that no worker wants hand out, they just want a fair chance. Are we seeking to make that happen? In our workplace and the places we shop at? Can we ask our families to be supportive of unions even if they don't belong to a union? Can we make sure our elected officials are mindful of supporting labor rights instead of the corporate interests? I think so, I am confident we can because the basic prinicipals of how labor unions work. A labor union find success in the solidarity of its membership and through strength in numbers. As Cesar Chavez said, "The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people." Let's remember that together, with faith, and with conviction that workers in solidarity will always win.

August 31, 2007

With this being my first blog, I will take this opportunity to introduce myself, and how I became involved with Amnesty International and subsequently with the Aliados Con Amnesty Network.

My name is Carlos, and I was born and raised in El Paso, TX.  Groing up on the border, I can recall numerous trips on a daily basis, back and forth into Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.  Having family on both sides, there were days when I would wake up in the U.S. and go to sleep in Mexico. 

My first real introduction into Human Rights came in 1998, when as a student in college, I was contacted to see if I wanted to help organize a bi-national march in El Paso and Juarez, to honor the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.  Shortly there after, I transfered to New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, NM.  It was there where I made my first true connection with Amnesty. 

Up until this time I had only been involved with MEChA, a chicano student organization, which focused mostly on the issues affecting chicano students in the U.S.  However, when I got to NMSU many of the Mechistas that were there before me had already been working with a group of professors who were heavily involved in helping the women of Juarez.  Starting in 1993, women were being kidnapped, brutaly raped and murdered in the deserts of Juarez.  The group of dedicated professors, students, and other people in and around Las Cruces were helping to raise awareness in the region which was largely ignoring what was going on in our sister city. 

While at NMSU, we the members of MEChA decided that we needed to do our part to continue to raise awareness amongst the student population.  Many of whom would drive down to Juarez to enjoy the nightlife that many of them weren't old enough to enjoy while still in the States.  In MEChA, we took it upon ourselves to organize a candle light vigil, to honor the memory of the women who had lost their lives.  We still thought that there was more that had to be done, and more that we could do to help spread the word about the atrocities that these young women faced in the final moments of their lives.  We then went to our regional meeting and proposed a regionwide candle light vigil, with every chapter hosting a candle light vigil at the same time.  With some hard work, we had over 20 high schools, community colleges and universities within Texas, New Mexico and Arizona participate. 

We asked that every chapter invite the entire campus but more importantly, contact every media outlet in thier city, and let them know that these events were taking place in three states in more than 10 cities.  Aside from that, we also helped organize food and clothing drives, with all donations going to Casa Amiga, a non-profit organization in Juarez that was helping the families of the women. 

In June 2005, I received a phone call asking if I would be interested in participating in organizing a group of volunteers to help sign people up at a Jaguares concert in Juarez.  Within a few hours I had 15 people interested in volunteering.  We helped Amnesty International in having many of the concert goers sign a letter to both the President of Mexico, and the Governor of Chihuahua, to help shed more light on the situation with the murdered women.  It was through this and other concerts and volunteers that Aliados came to be formed.  With your help, we can continue to help Aliados grow, but more importantly, we can continue to work to help bring these horrible tragedies to an end. 

I look forward to continuing my work with Amnesty and hope that you will continue to support it as well. 

Remeber the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."