NYC Police Capture a Murderer of Jose Sucuzhanay

In an incredible bit a slouthing, New York City police found and arrested Hakim Scott, one of two men believed to be the murderers in December of Jose Sucuzhanay. Hakim Scott, was charged with 2nd degree murder as a hate crime which took place in the Bushwick, Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the second murderer - Keith Phoenix - is still at large.

Anyone with information on the where abouts of asked to call the CrimeStoppers hotline at 1.800.577.TIPS.

The following video are the killers at a bridge toll 18 minutes later laughing it up:

Rosario and Isabel Lucero in Suffolk County: Seek Justice for Marcelo; Feel Sadness for the Mothers of the Killers

Rosario and Isabel Lucero are in town as legal proceedings commence in the tragic murder of Marcelo Lucero. Speaking from a court house in Suffolk County, Rosario had this to say:

"As a mother, I feel this pain of loss. The parents of these children must be feeling a sense of loss, too, seeing their children in these circumstances. We are all human beings, and it is not right to take anyone's life."

(BTW: Newsday's coverage of the Marcelo Lucero murder has been exemplary.)

Links:
Marcelo Lucero's mom faces two hate crime suspects
Photo series (80 images)

Corona Latinos

One and a half million in the four counties which comprise Long Island are of Latino heritage -- that's 1 in 5 residents, or 20%, and growing!

While Latinos reside in every community across Long Island, the heaviest concentrations are seen in immigrant-friendly locales, including Brentwood, Hempstead, Bushwick, Jackson Heights, Sunset Park, among others.

The community of Corona in Queens is also on that growing list. A one-time Italian enclave with a Little Harlem section, Corona is now home to a diverse population but dominated by people from throughout Latin America.

Shoehorned between the LIE and Flushing Meadow Park, Corona is now 71% Latino, 11% Asian, with the remainder comprised of nonLatino Blacks and Whites. Two-thirds of the residents are foreign-born, and there is wide diversity among the Latino population, the most populous being Dominicans, Mexicans, Ecuadoreans and Colombians.

Omar Minaya (Dominican), General Manager of the New York Mets, and movie actor and comedian John Leguizamo (Puerto Rican/Colombian), hail from Corona. Famous nonLatinos that lived in Corona include: Estée Lauder, Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie, Martin Scorcese and Madonna.

The NYTimes Real Estate section has a nice write-up on this most dynamic and ever changing community. Here's the link: Living In Corona, Queens: Where Every Day Is Moving Day

Links:
Corona, Queens - Wikipedia
City Living: Corona, Queens
Forgotten NY Neighborhoods: Corona
The Crown of Queens, Corona, New York - Right Off the Beaten Path
Changing Face of Corona - video
Corona: A Neighborhood Transformed - photos/audio

Julissa Ferreras vs Francisco Moya in Queens D21 Special Election

Corona, Queens is represented in state legislature by newly elected Senator Hiram Monserrate and Assemblyman José R. Peralta. The vacancy in the New York City Council created by the elevation of Monserrate will be filled in a special edlection next week, February 24th, 2009. Vying to fill the seat by two Latinos: Julissa Ferreras (endorsed by 1199SEIU) and Francisco Moya (endorsed by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez).

In addition to Corona, the district (21) includes East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights -- all communities with high concentrations of Latinos.

Related:
Corona candidate steps up to plate
Council Candidates Both Cite Early Service
Francisco Moya Endorsed by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez
Council Candidate Moya Gets the Obama Crowd

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Chats w/Mark Green

Mark Green talks policy with New York's junior senator Kirsten Gillibrand:

Here's the q&a on the economic stimulus and immigration:

GREEN: In your view, is the Stimulus/Recovery bill good enough for New York -- or, if you were on the Conference Committee, what would you have tried to get back in good for NY?

GILLIBRAND: Well, I would've been advocating for more funding for education. It's one of the areas that the senate took out. And those dollars would've been very, very valuable to New York state, because, obviously, education is the gateway for the American dream. And I think it's so important that we're investing in our kids by giving them, not only the resources to have the best education possible, but opportunities for early childhood education and for college tuition. So, having more of those dollars in education funding, I think, would've been a long term economic stimulative effect that really can't compare to anything else. Because when you educate a child, and you give them the opportunity to achieve their God given potential, that child will then excel and they will go on to high school and go on to college. And when you have a college education, you know, you can earn much more money. The average high school diploma earns you about $25K, but the average college diploma is closer to $45K. And that means you can provide more for your family and invest more in our economy. That's an effect that's long-term economic growth.

GREEN: If a version of the Kennedy/McCain bill came up on the Senate floor -- creating a "pathway to citizenship" by the payment of fines, learning English, waiting 12 years -- could you support a version of that, or would you continue to view it as "amnesty"?

GILLIBRAND: Well, the Senate bill had a lot of flaws. So, we need a lot of work on a comprehensive immigration strategy. One of the biggest flaws of the bill was that it accepted that, for family reunification, an eight year backlog was acceptable. To me, that's outrageous. Why would you say you're doing immigration reform and not solve that issue? What you should have is to hire the right number of lawyers and caseworkers, have infrastructure in place so you can get that backlog done within six months. Immigration is part of our nation's heritage. Our country was built on immigrants. We have so much richness in our culture and in our traditions because of our immigrant populations. Family reunification is a core value of America, and it's something that we should solve.

The second issue that I felt was very problematic was if we're going to have a guest worker program, then you need to have one that is going to work. Immigrant communities are very vibrant and essential for our economy and for many, many industries. I happen to know a lot about farming. So, in that regard, we need to right-size immigration. We need to know how many visas we need in this country and have the right number and have a system that actually allows for an immigration system that works, and works for everyone. So, I will work with the President on a comprehensive immigration plan... Whether it's similar to what the Senate bill had, whether it's learning English, paying back fines, paying back taxes, having a job training opportunity, whatever the President wants to do, I will work with him in that regard. I think we do need t o solve the problem in a comprehensive way so that we can have a system that works and works for everyone.

Obama’s Agenda for Remaking America: A Long Island Town Meeting - 2/19/09 @ Shelter Rock

OBAMA’S AGENDA FOR REMAKING AMERICA:
A LONG ISLAND TOWN MEETING

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009 @ 7:30 PM

At Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock,
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset

“[Obama] should figure out what is wrong with America and the world, honestly and directly communicate his findings to the public, do his best to fix things and then let the results speak for themselves. It’s a very simply prescription – but light-years away from anything that has been tried in the United States for a very long time.” Jonathan Shell, The Nation

PANEL I:
Matthis Chiroix, Iraq Veterans Against the War
Mary Dewar, LI Coalition for a National Health Plan
Tara Keenan-Thomson, Nassau New York Civil Liberties Union
Jean Kelly, Interfaith Nutrition Network
Michael LaFemina, Hofstra Progressive Students Union
Luis Valenzuela, LI Immigrant Alliance
Cheryl Wertz, Peace Action NYS

Panel II:
Sergio Argueta, STRONG
Mac Bica, LI Veterans for Peace
Ed Ciaccio, LI Alliance
Saajad Chowdhry, Islamic Center of LI
Moderator: Margaret Melkonian, LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives

Directions to UUCSR: From LIE, exit 35 north (from east) or 36 (from west). North 1 ½ miles on Shelter Rock Rd. Entrance on left by white fence. From Northern Blvd., go South ½ mile on Shelter Rock Rd. Entrance on right.

For information: Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City NY 11530 * 516-741-4360 * www.longislandpeace.org

Lydia Cacho's Los Demonios del Edén (The Demons of Eden) - The Documentary

Lydia Cacho: My Life Under the Gun - 3/11/09 @ Shelter Rock

Los Demonios del Edén (The Demons of Eden) is the story of Lydia Cacho, a courageous writer and feminist who is confronting powerful businessmen and politicians protecting a child pornography ring operating in Cancun and the United States.

Lydia narrates her confrontation with those powerful forces since she was kidnapped and incarcerated for a couple of days. She reveals her motivations and emotions, and the paradoxes that emerge when she investigates and publishes her book entitled Los Demonios del Edén.

The following is the Spanish language documentary companion to Lydia's book:

Segment 1


Segment 2


Segment 3


Segment 4


Segment 5


Segment 6


Segment 7


Segment 8

Lydia Cacho Ribeiro: My Life Under the Gun - 3/11/09 @ Shelter Rock

The UUCSR Shelter Rock Forum presents

MY LIFE UNDER THE GUN

Lydia Cacho

Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation
@ Shelter Rock
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset

Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, who also runs a shelter for battered women and children in Cancun, has exposed a web of business and political elites behind a child pornography ring there. She has been detained and harassed by authorities, received numerous death threats and survived to win international human rights prizes from Amnesty International, UNESCO and the U.S. State Department. Since her expose the list of her enemies has grown to include some of the most powerful men in Mexico. In the last eight years at least 21 reporters in Mexico have been killed. Her international visibility has kept Cacho alive.

Cacho is donating her speaking fee to her shelter for battered women and Children, CIAM Cancun (www.CIAMcancun.org/eng)

Suggested donation $5

Click here for directions

For more information: UUCSR Shelter Rock Forum 516-627-6560, ext 122

Co-Sponsors: UUCSR Women’s Group, UUCSR Men’s Group, Amnesty International USA Group 74, Great Neck SANE/Peace Action, LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives

Links:
The Demons of Eden/Los Demonios de Eden - The Documentary (see following post for the film)
los demonios del eden el documental's Flicker photostream
Mexico's Most Wanted Journalist - MotherJones
lydiacacho.net - Blog in Spanish
Lydia Cacho on LibertadLatina.org
lydiacacho - MexicoReporter.com
Lydia Cacho on the dangers for journalists in Mexico - MexicoReporter.com YouTube Interview
Horror Story: Lydia Cacho's Exposé of Pedophilia Has Her Critics Up in Arms -Washington Post
Attempted assassination of prominent Mexican human rights defender - Frontline
Honoring Lydia Cacho - Amnesty International
Defender of Women and Children against Trafficking - Every Human Has Rights

Worker Safety Protest Rally in Memory of Facundo Gonzalez - Southampton 2.8.09

Three dozen demonstrators rallied for immigrant workers' rights in memory of fallen construction worker Facundo Gonzalez, who died January 5 in Southampton Village at a job site. The video capture shows Suffolk County legislator Vivian Viloria-Fisher addressing the demonstrators.

Links:
Demonstrators rally for worker safety
Video of the Protest
Vigil & Rally To Protest the Death of Facundo Gonzalez - 2.8.09, 1pm, Southampton

Healing & Improv Theatre in Patchogue

To Heal in Patchogue: Having a Say and Seeing It Come to Life Playback Threatre Troup performed recently in the Village of Patchogue as part of an effort to promote better understanding between Latinos and non-Latinos in the area following the killing last November of Marcelo Lucero.

Vigil & Rally To Protest the Death of Facundo Gonzalez - 2.8.09, 1pm, Southampton

Vigil & Rally

To Protest the Death of Facundo Gonzalez

Sunday, February 8

1:PM

232 North Sea Road, Southampton

Facundo Gonzalez, killed on January 5 at a Southampton construction site, was the third worker killed on LI in several months. He is the second Long Island immigrant worker killed at work in two months.

Nationally, unsafe conditions or negligence kills 1,000 immigrant workers on the job each year. Over 5,800 U.S. workers die on the job yearly. Hundreds of thousands more are sickened or seriously injured.

Join Us To:

Remember Facundo Gonzalez and other workers who are killed, injured or made sick on the job.
Raise public awareness about this often hidden side of the sacrifices made by immigrant workers on Long Island.
For more information: 516-565-5377 or 631-435-1857.

Sponsored by: The Long Island Immigrant Alliance, The Immigrant Worker Occupational Health and Safety Committee of the Workplace Project, NYCOSH ( New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health), East Hampton Anti-Bias Task Force, Organizacion Latino Americano of Eastern Long Island, Jobs With Justice, and the Southampton Anti-Bias Task Force.

Film on Rights Struggle of Colombia's Indigenous - Huntington's Cinema Arts Centre 2/15/09

WE ARE RAISED WITH THE STAFF OF AUTHORITY IN HAND
Somos Alzados En Bastones De Mando

An award-winning documentary produced by the Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, about the resistance of the indigenous population of Colombia to repression.

Sunday, February 15

Brunch: 10:30am/Introduction, Film, Discussion: 11:30am

Speakers: Mario Murillo, host of WBAI's Wake Up Call and Assoc. Prof. of Communications, Hofstra Univ.; Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Lakota), Host of WBAI’s First Voices: Indigenous Radio

Help bring Colombian radio station Radio Payu-mat back on the air!

Tickets for this benefit: $25

Advance tickets available online, or call 800-838-3006 and ask for event 54041, or at CAC box office

CINEMA ARTS CENTRE - a not-for-profit film arts organization
423 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743 * 631-423-7611 * Fax: 631-423-5411 * For show times, call 631-423-FILM (3456).

Taino Roots on Native America Calling - 2.5.09

Before it was Puerto Rico, it was known to the Taino people as Borinquen – “land of the brave noble lord.” Many of today’s Puerto Ricans, both those born on the island and in the states, trace their indigenous roots to Taino ancestors.

One geneticist discovered 3 out of 5 native Puerto Ricans have remnants of Taino DNA streaming through their blood. As the legacy of the Taino people of the Caribbean is rediscovered, what is turning Puerto Ricans back to their Borinquen roots?

Native America Calling's Special Guest: Roberto Mukaro Agueibana Borrero, President and Chairman of the United Confederation of Taino People.

Thursday, February 5, 2009, 1-2pm EST

To participate: call 1-800-996-2848, that's 1-800-99-NATIVE

TO LISTEN ONLINE:

KNBA-FM 90.3 Anchorage, Alaska

NV1 Albuquerque, NM

KISU 91.1 FM Pocatello, Idaho

KUNM-FM 89.9 FM Albuquerque, New Mexico

KSJD 91.5 Cortez, Colorado

KSUT-FM 91.3 FM Ignacio, Colorado

KSFC 91.9 FM Spokane, Washington

WOJB-FM 88.9 FM Hayward, Wisconsin

KGVA-FM 88.1 Fort Belknap, Montana

Staff Sgt Edwin Gomez Surprises Angelica

“Daddy!”

Six-year-old Angelica Gomez looked up to see her father, Staff Sergeant Edwin Gomez, standing at the entrance of her kindergarten classroom. “I told ya,” she offered as an aside to her classmates as she rushed across the room and into her father’s arms.

Staff Sgt. Edwin Gomez reunites with his daughter Angelica in her kindergarten class at Southampton's Tuckahoe Common School.

Links:
Video
Photo series
Father reunites with his daughters after a year in Afghanistan - 27east