By NICHOLAS BRANNON — SANTA ROSA, Calif. — On a Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m., 13-year-old Andy Lopez was walking down the street from his home to a friend’s house, carrying a BB gun that his friend had left at his house, when two Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies saw him while driving around on patrol. … Continue reading Protesters demand justice for Andy Lopez
Category: Latino Civil Liberties
May Day celebrated around the world
By LISA LUINENBURG International Workers’ Day, May 1, commemorates the anniversary of the Haymarket riots in Chicago. When workers struck for an eight-hour day in 1886, an unknown person (likely a police provocateur) threw a bomb into the peaceful crowd, killing several people and provoking a riot. Over 100 years later, with austerity measures and … Continue reading May Day celebrated around the world
Immigrants need legalization without chains
By LISA LUINENBURG Millions of undocumented immigrants and their families, friends, and allies waited with bated breath for the unveiling of the new proposal for Comprehensive Immigration Reform on Tuesday, April 16. Despite high hopes, the new bill includes many draconian provisions, such as more militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, new guest-worker programs and biometric … Continue reading Immigrants need legalization without chains
Local officials join crackdown on immigrants
By DANIEL ADAM HARTFORD—Josemaria Islas is facing deportation. A resident of New Haven, Conn., Islas was arrested last July 2 for attempted bicycle theft. There was absolutely no evidence for the charge. The accuser could not identify Islas, and never lost possession of his bike. Islas’ defense even produced evidence that he was at work and … Continue reading Local officials join crackdown on immigrants
Obama plan: no real immigrant ‘reforms’
By LISA LUINENBURG The Los Angeles Times recently reported that President Obama is planning a major push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in early 2013. Early reports state that the proposed bill would likely include provisions for increased border militarization, more employer sanctions (which could include increased use of programs like E-verify), and special work visas … Continue reading Obama plan: no real immigrant ‘reforms’
Blacks, Latinos hit by recession
The reasons for mass support for OWS are not hard to understand. According to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, the median or average income in 2010 was down 6.4% from pre-recession levels and even lower than the average worker’s buying power back in 1978. Poverty rose to 15.1% in 2010.Those who have … Continue reading Blacks, Latinos hit by recession
Gunfire in Tucson
by George ShriverTUCSON, Ariz. —This state has become a symbol of hatred, intolerance, bigotry, and violence—especially after the signing of the Arizona Senate Bill SB 1070 last April, which in effect authorized racial profiling. That law is now going through a lengthy process of court challenges and appeals. And harsh new laws are being prepared … Continue reading Gunfire in Tucson
Interview with Roger Calero Part II
Interview with Roger Calero Part I
Farmworker Protest Hits Burger King’s Greed
by Marty GoodmanMIAMI - A November 30th demonstration of more than 1500 farmworkers and supporters marched in Miami to the national headquarters of the giant Burger King corporation to demand that it pay farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida one more penny a pound to pick tomatoes and improve working conditions. Observers have called conditions in this … Continue reading Farmworker Protest Hits Burger King’s Greed
In Memory of Chicano Leader Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzalez
by Marc Rome / May 2005 Urban civil rights and Chicano cultural movement leader Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez died from complications of congestive heart failure at the age of 76 on April 12, 2005, at his home in Denver. Many know Gonzalez best as the author of the 1965 epic poem about the Mexican … Continue reading In Memory of Chicano Leader Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzalez
Zapatista Supporters Ambushed
By GERRY FOLEY Murderous attacks and threats against supporters of the Zapatista National Liberation Movement in the state of Chiapas have been reported in the Mexico City daily La Jornada. In its Aug. 27 issue, Herman Bellinghausen, the paper's correspondent in Chiapas, reported that paramilitaries organized by the PRI, the former ruling party in Mexico, killed … Continue reading Zapatista Supporters Ambushed
Body Count Rises Along the Border
By MIKE SCHWARTZ Mario Castillo and Raymundo Berreda were two of the 14 immigrant workers who were found dead in the Arizona desert in late May. Every day thousands of people leave Mexico with the hope of finding a decent paying job in the United States. This situation arises out of the massive poverty that … Continue reading Body Count Rises Along the Border
Puerto Rican Political Prisoners Accept Clemency
By GERRY FOLEY President Clinton's decision to grant clemency to a group of Puerto Rican nationalist prisoners who have already served more than 10 years in prison on political charges has become a major political issue in the United States. That is indicated, among other things, by the editorial in the Sept. 23 New … Continue reading Puerto Rican Political Prisoners Accept Clemency