FrontPage Stories

Organizing: the Key to Nonviolence Training

By Mark R. Day

Everything was going well at the May 5 “Nonviolence Workshop for Activists” at Oceanside’s San Luis Rey Mission, that is, until after lunch when the “Minutemen” showed up to harass the participants, many of whom were Latino students. The intervention took place along an archway outside the mission’s dining room.

Yolanda Rios and friends. Photo by Carlos Vonson.

It was all too real: three young white guys and a blonde woman, just the kind of people you might expect at a Minuteman rally. The woman kept waving an American flag at an exit sign, saying: “It’s time to go, illegals. It’s time to go back to Mexico.” One of the white guys was pretty obnoxious, too. His sign read: “America is for Americans, not for Illegals!”

The catch was that these were not real Minutemen “anti-inmigrantes,” but actors recruited to play the part of the super patriots. Only the conferees didn’t know that and were thrown off guard. A Chicana, outraged at the picket sign, stared down the “Minuteman” and said forcefully, “America is not a country, it’s a continent!”

More harsh words were exchanged, and when a male student grabbed the picket sign and tore it in half, the “Minuteman” had his moment of glory. “Look how violent they are,” he said, smugly. “They ought to be thrown in jail for this.”

The incident was later unpacked at the workshop. Feelings ran deep. The anger subsided, and a few tears were brushed away. The actors were introduced and the students assessed their reactions. Under the circumstances, a few had not done very well, especially since they had just viewed the documentary “A Force More Powerful” showing how African American students desegregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tenn in the 1960s.

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LAPD Opens Dangerous Front in Immigrant Movement
By Roberto Lovato
LOS ANGELES — After participating in more than 50 small and large immigration vigils and marches in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park, little of what happens there surprises me. The many acts of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) violence I witnessed – the choke-holds on 50-year-old female street vendors, the blood of marchers spilled on grass by baton-wielding cops, and me myself being hit – never really scared me. That is, until now.

Mexican Journalist Risks Life to Expose Child Sex Rings
By R.M. Arrieta
SAN FRANCISCO — The pristine, sandy beaches of Cancun draw more than just visitors looking for a little fun and sun. Those with a penchant for little girls as young as four, have found their way to this region.

Leading Journalist’s Car Sabotaged Four Days After Gruesome “Narco-Message”
Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today about gruesome threatening messages aimed at journalists and the fact that one of the latest messages, which are being blamed on drug traffickers, was followed four days later by an apparent attempt to kill a leading investigative journalist by sabotaging her car.

Periodísta mexicana arriesga su vida por revelar abuso infantil
Por R.M. Arrieta
SAN FRANCISCO — Las playas vírgenes y arenosas de Cancún atraen más que sólo turistas que buscan un poco de sol y diversión. Aquellos que gustan de niñas de incluso 4 años han llegado a esta region.

Mensajes Inquietantes Dirigidos A La Prensa
El 3 de mayo de 2007, Día Internacionmal de la Libertad de Prensa, en la vía pública de Veracruz (este) depositaron la cabeza de un cadáver con un mensaje dirigido a la atención de los periodistas: “Este es un regalo para los periodistas, van a rodar más cabezas y Milo Vela lo sabe muy bien.” Cuatro días después las amenazas se concretaron en la periodista independiente Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, cuyo vehículo fue saboteado.

Stories

Latinos Dominate Statewide Gathering of Democrats
By E.A. Barrera
One by one, the candidates who would be the next American president came to San Diego and spoke to Democrats who are desperate to change the national political landscape.

First Person:
A Student’s Foray Into State Politics
By Zachary Warma
My name is Zachary Warma, and I am an eighteen-year old San Diego native. I am currently a senior at University City High School, and I will be attending Stanford University in the fall, where I hope to double major in History and Political Science.

Interfaith Community Provides Spiritual Sanctuary for Undocumented
By Raymond R. Beltran
Edgar Hopida sat in the midst of rabbis, reverends and pastors while at the Christian-based Plymouth Congregational Church, where an interfaith congregation practiced the Jewish ceremony ‘chupah’ that is usually supposed to unite Jewish people in marriage.

Seven Year Boycott of San Diego’s Centro Cultural de la Raza Ends
The seven-year-old boycott of the Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego’s historic Chicano/a community arts center, has ended after the adoption by popular vote of a comprehensive and dynamic boycott resolution agreement.

El gran hermano te observa: Cientos de cámaras de video vigilan la vida de los tijuanenses
Por Luis Alonso Pérez
Las calles de Tijuana son el testigo silencioso de la incontenible delincuencia que diariamente despoja a cientos de personas de sus pertenencias, su patrimonio y lo más importante, de su tranquilidad.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por Marcos Nelson Suarez
El futuro de sus hijos está en sus manos
Encuesta tras encuesta ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de que los padres se envuelvan activamente en la educación de sus hijos para que estos puedan ser exitosos. Lamentablemente muchos factores contribuyen a que los padres pierdan de vista esta necesidad imperiosa. Las excusas son muchas y en la mayoría de los casos inaceptables y van desde “no tengo tiempo” hasta “no sé inglés”.

Think of Your Health on Mother’s Day
By Douglas W. Laube, MD, MEd,
On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the special women in our lives —mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends— and all that they do for us. But it is also a time when women should focus on their health, for their benefit and for those they love.

Mexican-American twins needed for clinical trial
By Pablo Jaime Sáinz
Ana and Marisela Flores are a pair of 46-year-old twins that have a lot in common: Both are widows, both share many of the same tastes ranging from music to food, and both live together in San Diego.

Se necesitan gemelos mexicanos para estudio clínico
Por Pablo Jaime Sáinz
Ana y Marisela Flores son un par de gemelas de 46 años que tienen mucho en común: ambas son viudas, ambas comparten muchos de los mismos gustos desde la música hasta la comida, y ambas viven juntas en San Diego.

Amanda Nuñez Keeps Her Cool in a Hot Kitchen
The Art Institutes Names Best Teen Chef 2007
A San Diego teenager made her first mark on the culinary world today, emerging from the heat of the kitchens at The Art Institute of Dallas as the “Best Teen Chef 2007.” Amanda Nuñez of Rancho Bernardo, Calif. won the national competition, hosted by The Art Institutes, becoming the eighth student to lay claim to the title since the inaugural competition in 2000. Alex Konopacky of Plover, Wisc. and Lara Pullin of Fate, Texas earned second- and third-place honors.

ROP Fair Reminds Students That All Careers Are Possible
‘Open House’ broadens outlook on variety of occupations and industries
Parent Alda Infante stepped into a full-sized, brightly colored immersion suit to help illustrate a classroom speaker’s presentation about life aboard merchant ships. The suit, she and the others were told, will keep someone alive and afloat in an emergency in up to 30-foot seas.

Community Notes:
Northwest Civic Association. General Meeting at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library Auditorium (4th & F Streets), Monday, May 14th at 6:00 p.m. Topic: Turning Green—What Leadership Role Can Chula Vista Play in Environmental Sustainability?

Editorial and Commentary

Editorial:
Hispanic communities under attack…
immigration will be discussed under a dark cloud
The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in Hispanic communities; the recent Justice Department report that Hispanics are subjected to excessive force by the police; the constant anti-Hispanic drum beat from the rightwing media; the Minutemen; loss of Constitutional and Human Rights; biased laws being drafted by municipalities; and finally the Gestapo-like attack by the Los Angeles police against a peaceful group of May 1 marchers and media at MacArthur Park; the Hispanic community is under attack. It is under these circumstances that, next week, the U.S. Senate will begin the debate on a comprehensive immigration reform.

Editorial:
Celebrating Mothers Day
We celebrate Mothers Day this Sunday. We like to think that we celebrate our mothers not only on this day but throughout the year! Mothers are the core of the family. They are what keeps a family together and they make a home, well, a home.

Commentary:
On Mother’s Day Top Health Care A Priority of Congress this Year
By Bob Filner, Congressman
The best way to honor mothers this Mother’s Day is to work to expand health care coverage for America’s children. I am proud that the top health care priority of this new Congress is to dramatically reduce the number of children in America who have no health insurance.

Comentario:
El Horario de Verano en México
Por Dagoberto Márquez
Estimado lector, Fina lectora, desde 1996 y porque al entonces presidente Ernesto Zedillo le convencieron de las “bondades” de ese huso, el horario de verano se impuso por simple decreto aquí en México, no obstante que la ley obligaba a respetar esa facultad en las responsabilidades del Congreso, quien sólo de manera republicana y a través de un gran acuerdo podía autorizar al Presidente de la República la modificación en su uso. El responsable de asesorar de esa forma al ex presidente fue el entonces secretario de Energía, Luis Téllez Kuenzler, el “brillante” Luis Téllez. Como era de esperarse y como fue de bote pronto, la sociedad, absorta como estaba, no protestó aunque sí atinara a hacerlo posteriormente. Ahora bien, el horario de verano aunque no forma parte de nuestras costumbres sí encaja en lo que dicta la Ley Federal de Husos Horarios.

Comentario:
No Estamos Arrodillados Pidiendo Limosnas, Estamos de Pie Exigiendo Justicia
Por: Gilberto Acevedo, M.A
Los hechos de atropellos policiales (especialmente ocurridos en Los Ángeles y Nueva York) este pasado primero de mayo, indican una tirria ante-latina entre las filas de las autoridades. Lo que convenientemente muchos prefieren llamar “brutalidad policial” no es sino crimen estatal. Y no se trata de actos espontáneos cometidos por individuos apáticos a los hispanos, sino resultados de sentimientos arraigados desde las altas jefaturas. Es lógico, pues, pensar que esos agentes se sienten respaldados por sus jefes u otros oficiales gubernamentales. De otra manera, no puedo imaginar al policía más imbécil cometiendo crímenes de esa índole delante de tantas cámaras.

Comentario:
El Banco Mundial huele a azufre
Por Humberto Caspa, Ph.D
El Banco Mundial está en crisis. La inestabilidad de esta institución no se debe a que los países de América Latina y otros en desarrollo decidieron no pagar los intereses de sus deudas ni los principales de los mismos, sino que los problemas se originan a causa de cuestiones de ética. Su jefe máximo ha sido acusado por actos de corrupción.

Etc. Etc. Etc.
Entertainment, Reviews, Sporting news, and other tid bits

¡ASK A MEXICAN!
Dear Mexican: I have no problem with immigrants. My grandparents were Dutch on one side and Irish on the other—but they came here legally, through Ellis Island. What I can’t stand are a bunch of fence-hopping, river-wading illegals telling me I owe them a free education, free healthcare, free transportation, and then making me speak Spanish at every restaurant, car wash and public school in the county. Making these people citizens simply because they’re here is like letting someone keep my car just because he already stole it.

First Person
QUIT CLOWNING
By Al Carlos Hernandez
The other day I was watching a commercial for the Circus coming to town, then remembered a hamburger commercial about a Latino looking Dad who was trying to make his little daughter laugh, to no avail. Suddenly, the little girl starts smiling and laughing, Pop is happy he cheered his baby up, but the baby wasn’t laughing at him, she was laughing at that pasty faced synthetically happy guy with red hair Ronald Reagan. I mean McDonald standing behind him. Whoa, never really gotten over the 80s.

Representan la Obra Teatral “Eco en la Obscuridad” de Claudia Bermúdez
“Temática relacionada con el consumo de drogas”
Por: Paco Zavala
En las instalaciones del Café Foro de la Casa de la Cultura Altamira, el pasado viernes 4 de mayo a las 6:00 pm. se representó la obra teatral, “Eco en la obscuridad”, escrita por la tijuanense Claudia Bermúdez (en el foto) y montada por el grupo teatral “Telón Arriba”, grupo teatral fundado y dirigido por la misma escritora Claudia Bermúdez.

Entrevista:
Historia Conmovedora de Amor, Afición, Determinación y Deseos de Progreso
Claman dos niños tijuanenses ¡¡Necesitamos Una Flauta Transversal y un Corno Francés!!
Por: Paco Zavala
La historia que narraremos a continuacón, es una historia contemporánea, conmovedora, con una carga de ternura y de sentimientos que esperamos conmueva a algún o algunos lectores con comodidades o sin ellas, músicos o no músicos, que deseen apoyar a un par de niños tijuanenses: Emmanuel de13 años y Alfonso Sánchez Betanzo de 10 años respectivamente y su señora madre la Maestra de Jardín de Niños, Elizabeth Sánchez Betanzo.

Tic Tac Tiempo!
A Chicana Artist Struggling with the Medical Bills? Local Artists Ain't Having That
By Raymond R. Beltran
You got to hand it to the Chicano community.

¡
Boxing missed a “Golden” opportunity
Floyd-Oscar fails to deliver to targeted mainstream audience
By Mike Indri
When all the HBO Pay-Per-View numbers are officially announced, this past Saturday night’s fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather will further confirm the fact that boxing is not dead; or at least not the business of boxing.

Tijuana Bullfight Season Opener Was Successful in Spite of the Bulls
Bullfight World
It was a perfect spring day. The May 6 opening card of the 2007 Tijuana bullfight season in “the beautiful bullring by the sea” was spectacular. It would have filled most other plazas de toros. Yet, only a meager crowd of an estimated 8,000 turned out to see six bulls of Montecristo presented to two fine Mexican matadors—Fernando Ochoa and Alejandro Amaya—plus the debut of one of the hottest toreros in the world, French Matador Sebastian Castella.

Trojans Thriving Despite Obstacles
By John Philip Wyllie
Castle Park High is not going to win a South Bay League volleyball championship this season. In fact, if they reach .500 it would be a major accomplishment given the fact that their coach, Aaron Partch, was appointed at the last moment and they have played not a single match outside of those already on their league schedule.

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