|
M.E.Ch.A. in the News
M.E.Ch.A. article in Granlimon
Magazine May 2006 issue.
¿Qué es MEChA?
M.E.Ch.A o Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan es una organización
compuesta de estudiantes Chicano/as dedicados a promover la educación y historia
sobre nuestra raza. Esta organización ofrece oportunidades para los jóvenes a
desarrollar liderazgo, servicio comunitario, activismo político, conciencia
sobre la cultural y educación y al mismo tiempo a fundar la identidad.
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) es una de las pocas
organizaciones contemperarías de estudiantes que pueden retroceder su pasado ala
historia de los movimientos chicanos. MEChA fue instrumental en el desarrollo de
programas y currículos para Estudios Chicana/os en las Universidades por medio
de activismo político y social. La meta de MEChA es proveer a los Chicano/a
recursos y guía para continua y terminar una profesión. Por ultimo que el
estudiante regrese a su comunidad y usar su especialidad para a progresar su
comunidad. Con nuestra filosofía sobre la nacionalidad de Chicano/a, MEChA sigue
su meta buscando igualdad y control de las Universidades para nuestra gente.
Seguimos progresando a nivel nacional para mantener nuestras voces fuerte para y
con el público.
¿Qué es Chicano/a?
La idea céntrica es que la palabra Chicano es solamente usada para mexicanos.
Pero la realidad es otra la palabra Chicano deviene la palabra Mexica. Que
refiere a toda raza indígena, en término corto quiere decir gente de la tierra.
La significación Chicana de MEChA
De acuerdo a la filosofía de MEChA, el termino Chicano/a es un termino basado en
la conciencia sobre cultura, la sociedad, y política. Por eso mismo el término
chicano nació de la filosofía de MEChA, y no es basado en la nacionalidad.
Chicano/as no es una raza étnica, pero si una creencia de mente. Para Mechistas
un Chicano es cualquier persona que adopte el término por razones políticas,
quien tiene conciencia y busca cambio social bajo la identidad propia. Chicano/a
son Guatemaltecos, Puerto Riquenos, Mexicanos, Peruanos, Hondureños y muchos mas.
Al usar el término Chicano quiere decir orgullo, dignidad, respeto a aquellos
que sacrificaron sus vidas para que nuestra generación no sufriera más
esclavitud.
¿Qué significa ser Chicano/Chicana?
Chicano/a no es un término étnico. Es un término nacional. Chicano/a es un
termino político y más importante un cambio de mente. Chicano/a es un termino
que se aplica a un grupo de gente. ¿Quiénes somos? Somos descendientes de la
raza Indígena y sus naciones, quienes fueron oprimidos y colonizados por las
fuerzas Europeas (España). Mientras estos invasores lograron superarse y
destruyeron nuestras culturas, raíces indígenas y nuestra religión no se
imaginaron los resultados. Una nueva raza había nacido, la raza Mestizo/a.
Después de tantos anos la revolución de los mestizo nació, para luego ser robada
de descendientes Europeos y los Estados Unidos. Desde 1598 los Chicanos habían
estado en la región del Suroeste.
¿Cuánto tiempo lleva MEChA?
MEChA fue creado después de dos conferencias en 1969. La primera conferencia fue
en Denver, Colorado. Esta fue la primera conferencia Nacional sobre Chicanos/as
y la elevación de Jóvenes, fue cuando El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan fue
ratificado. La segunda conferencia fue en la Universidad de California, Santa
Bárbara, un mes después, en Abril del 1969. Después de esto fue creado el
documento El Plan de Santa Bárbara.
MEChA es una organización que busca
promover conciencia sobre la historia de los Chicanos por medio de educación,
acción y política. Los miembros de MEChA buscan un solo propósito; de educar a
nuestros jóvenes por medio de las universidades, preparándolos con cursos para
el colegio MEChA en la Universidad Estatal de Pórtland trabaja cada término en
diferentes eventos. El mes más ocupado es en Marzo.
Marzo es dedicado al nuestro raza Chicano/Latino, en donde el enfoque es
educación, cultura y temas políticos. Este año MEChA tuvo talleres sobre
educación, salud, temas políticos como el tema de drogas, y temas como las
Mujeres de Juárez. Nuestra responsabilidad como estudiantes es traer conciencia
a la comunidad sobre temas que son importantes.
Cada año PSU MEChA reali za una conferencia para estudiantes llamado “Edúcate”
en donde el enfoque son jóvenes de las escuelas públicas de Oregon. Nuestro
objetivo es despertar conciencia sobre la importancia de seguir los estudios
después de la preparatoria y como hacerlo. El año pasado tuvimos a más de 300
estudiantes con ganas de aprender sobre ellos mismos, su cultura y el como
acceder al colegio. Nuestros jóvenes nos necesitan, por esa misma razón trab
ajam os con dife rent es escu elas y organizaciones en ayudar a reducir el
número de estudiantes que abandonan las escuelas. 2005, fue el Segundo año anual
en poner la conferencia “Edúcate” La meta es que los jóvenes aspiren a seguir su
educación y darles los recursos necesario para seguir.
Además de trabajar en nuestra Universidad, también trabajamos y tenemos juntas
con las otras universidades de Oregon. Cada Año tenemos La Conferencia de la
Región en donde nuevos temas son parte de la agenda y luego son usados para
conferencia nacional. La conferencia de la región se llevó a cabo en la
Universidad de Oregon en Eugene y la Nacional en Flagstaff, Arizona. Cada
conferencia busca un sólo propósito de hacer y buscar cambios sociales y
políticos. ~Ale Felipe
Latinos Unidos Siempre (L.U.S.) Comunidad Latina contra Grupos Anti-Inmigrante!!!
Aunque muchos piensen que nunca sucede nada interesante en Oregon, la realidad
es otra. Como en muchos otros estados, comunidades en Oregon se han vuelto
blancos de ataques de un creciente número de grupos anti-inmigrantes. El grupo
Minute Men, como se les conoce en otros estados, se conocen en Oregon como
Oregonians for Immigration Reform. Usando dicho nombre, han hecho uso de
estrategias de intimidación en contra los inmigrantes desde el año 2005. Su
ataque se concentra en los Consulados que sirven a estos inmigrantes, el
principal de ellos siendo el Consulado de México en la ciudad de Pórtland.
Dicho consu lado opera un servi cio conocido como Consulado Móvil, el cual viaja
a distintas comunidades en el estado de Oregon, ofreciendo documentación como la
MatriculaConsular.
Este grupo anti -inmigrante se ha presentado en cada evento organizado por el
Consulado Mexicano con gente que los apoya a ellos; una vez, se dedican a
protestar, vituperar, fotografiar e intimidar a toda persona que busca recibir
servicios del Consulado. Miembros de la comunidad, en coordinación con
organizaciones comunitarias , han hecho contra movilizaciones en respuesta a
estos grupos anti-inmigrantes, como por ejemplo en la ciudad de Woodburn,
Oregon, el pasado 3 de Diciembre, del año 2005. Gracias a los esfuerzos de estas
organizaciones hermanas, aproximadamente 400 personas que apoyan a la comunidad
inmigrante se presentó en Woodburn para ofrecer apoyo moral y ser vic ios de seg
uri dad par a aqu ell os buscando recibir servicios consulares. El gru po ant
i-inmigra nte solamente pud o movilizar 15 personas que los apoyaban. Una
situación similar tuvo lugar entre el 10 y el 12 de Febrero, del año 2006
durante la Conferencia Regional de la organización estudiantil MEChA, en la
ciudad de Eugene, Oregon. Durante estas fechas, el Consulado Móvil se presentó
en dicha ciudad y la comunidad pudo demostrar su apoyo a los inmigr antes,
inclus ive contando con lapresencia de la Señora Dolores Huerta, gran líder
campesina y antigua compañera de la lucha con Cesar Chávez, en el United Farm
Workers (UFW), sindicato campesino activo en California y otras partes del país.
Las más recientes acciones tomaron lugar en la ciudad de Pórtland, Oregon, el
pasado 4 de Marzo. En dicha fecha se llevó a cabo una demostración en contra de
una propuesta de ley anti -inmigrante conocida como Sensenbrenner-King HR 4437.
Organizaciones comunitarias en Oregon fueron bien representadas por sus miembros,
quienes ayudaron a proveer seguridad para el evento y apoyo en general para
estas comunidades, demostrando su desapruebo de la propuesta HR 4437. Nuestro
trabajo en esta región continúa y seguiremos movilizando para demostrar nuestro
apoyo por la Raza cuando sea necesario.
“Una vez mechista, para siempre mechista.”
PAZ- Sandoval, J.J.
PSU choice of DeFazio as a speaker riles students
Graduation - Seven Latino and
non-Latino students object to the congressman's stand on an immigration bill
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
SHELBY OPPEL WOOD
A group of Portland State University
students has protested the school's choice of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.,
as spring commencement speaker because of his support for a House bill that
would make felons out of illegal immigrants and those who help them.
Seven students, both Latinos and
non-Latinos, met Monday with PSU President Daniel Bernstine. Their aim was to
persuade him to rescind DeFazio's invitation or sponsor an alternative ceremony
for students who object to his stand on the bill.
Jessica Torres, a senior, said
DeFazio's yes vote in December for House Resolution 4437, often called the
Sensenbrenner bill, makes him an inappropriate graduation speaker for a school
that celebrates diversity. Graduates who are immigrants or their family members
may feel alienated by DeFazio's presence, she said. Torres' father, who
immigrated from Mexico and is a U.S. citizen, is among a dozen of her relatives
planning to attend the June 17 ceremony.
" I wish somebody had been chosen who
is more representative of who I am or at least more sensitive to the diversity
at Portland State and the people who will be there," she said. "I feel by
(DeFazio's) vote, he won't be."
In an interview Tuesday, DeFazio, a
populist who is sometimes at odds with his party, said he supported the bill
because it would require employers to do more to verify that job applicants are
eligible for legal employment and crack down on those who exploit illegal
immigrants. He said he doesn't support the provision that would make illegal
immigration a felony and will vote against the bill if that is part of the final
legislation.
Yet, he said, "everybody knew from
Day 1 that was a dead letter and, in fact, the Republicans have announced it's
coming out of the bill."
Deborah Murdock, a top deputy to
Bernstine and PSU's chief lobbyist, said the university is on record opposing HR
4437 -- but the invitation stands. DeFazio was invited because of his service to
Oregon and commitment to increasing access to higher education, she said. She
noted his support for federal programs that help minority and disadvantaged
students and his successful effort to secure funding for a transportation
research center at PSU, one of 10 such centers in the nation.
Angie Mejia, 27, a PSU graduate who
will start a master's program there this fall, requested the meeting with
Bernstine. She and her parents immigrated from Honduras and are now U.S.
citizens. She said most students who are upset about DeFazio still plan to
attend commencement.
"They just want to go ahead and make
their families proud," she said.
Shelby Oppel Wood: 503-221-5368 or
shelbyoppel@news.oregonian.com
Taking issue: Students (left to right) Brad Vehafric, Anjie Mejia-Glass, Dan
Moore, Jessica Torres, Chelsea Varnum, Darren Brightenbec and Anne Olivia
met with President Daniel Bernstine (foreground) Monday, requesting that
Representative Peter DeFazio not be allowed to give the commencement speech
for the 2006 graduation ceremony. |
Students say no to DeFazio
Students concerned about
commencement speaker’s position on illegal immigration bill
By Leathan Graves-Highsmith
May 09, 2006
Seven students met with
Portland State President Daniel Bernstine Monday to demand that the
administration remove Peter DeFazio as this year’s graduation commencement
speaker, saying that because he recently voted for a controversial immigration
bill, his presence at the ceremony would alienate a significant portion of the
student population.
Defazio voted in favor of
H.R. 4437, called the “Sensenbrener Bill.” The bill, passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives in mid-December, would make illegal immigrants felons. The bill
would also make it a felony to assist or protect illegal immigrants.
In the recent weeks, the bill
has been at the center of heated a national debate on immigration. Most
recently, thousands rallied in Portland and at PSU on May 1, part of a series of
demonstrations across the country for immigrant rights.
The students told Bernstine
they were concerned that if DeFazio were to speak at commencement, families who
include immigrants may feel ostracized and attacked.
“This bill is the
criminalization of our families,” PSU student Anne Olivia said to Bernstine at
the meeting.
Student body President Erin
Devaney said in an interview that several students have approached her with
concerns over DeFazio speaking at graduation.
“The immigration bill has a
direct negative impact on students at Portland State and their families,”
Devaney said. “DeFazio’s vote on the immigration bill alienates an entire
population of students at PSU.”
Understanding that to
disinvite DeFazio was an unlikely outcome, students suggested a number of
possible compromises, including arranging a second speaker or funding a speaker
for the Multicultural Center’s alternative commencement ceremony.
Bernstine defended the
administration’s choice of DeFazio, saying that the decision was based on
DeFazio’s past support of PSU and his record of advocating for higher education.
“We invited [DeFazio] because
of his overall record of education,” Bernstine said, “It would be inappropriate
to disinvite him based on one vote.”
Portland State invited
DeFazio to be commencement speaker before he voted on the immigration bill,
Bernstine said. The university announced that DeFazio had accepted the
invitation Feb. 20.
Bernstine also said that
commencement speakers are often controversial. He cited Katie Harmon, the 2002
commencement speaker who was a Miss America pageant winner and PSU junior. Many
students felt that she was an inappropriate choice.
Students who attended the
meeting agreed that many commencement speakers are controversial, but said the
issue of immigration hits too close to home.
“While having only speakers
who are uncontroversial would be dull, it’s another thing to have a speaker
whose decision turns members of the audience into felons,” said Dan Moore, a
sociology major at PSU.
Bernstine and Deborah
Murdock, assistant to the president for government relations, emphasized that
the administration has officially opposed the bill. “The university has taken a
different stand than the congressman,” Bernstine said.
But some students say having
DeFazio speak effectively supports the bill. “By having him as the commencement
speaker, PSU has endorsed Defazio as the public face of this graduation,” said
PSU student Chelsea Varnum.
|
 |
|
Commencement controversy:
First generation college student Jessica Torres believes her immigrant
relatives will feel alienated with DeFazio as commencement speaker.
|
A controversial provision in
the bill, nicknamed the “Good Samaritan provision,” would make it illegal to
transport, house or otherwise aid illegal immigrants. Although it is likely that
the provision will eventually be removed as the bill is revised, according to
many lawmakers - including bill sponsor Republican Jim Sensenbrener - many
students expressed concern about its impact if the bill were passed in its
current form.
Moore said the bill could
criminalize careers such as social work that students may wish to pursue in the
future because they would be assisting illegal immigrants.
“DeFazio doesn’t support
every provision, particularly the Good Samaritan provision,” said Penny Dodge,
DeFazio’s chief of staff.
The administration rebuffed
all of the compromises that the students put forth, suggesting that the students
air their concerns directly to DeFazio or ignore his commencement address.
“Bernstine says that we will
just forget our commencement speaker like he did, but I won’t forget my speaker
and neither will my family,” said Angie Mejia, a first generation PSU student.
“We’re keenly aware of what
this issue does to our ability to serve students,” said Murdock. “But there are
so many public policy issues that come with a person who has a lifetime of
public service.”
Many of the students left the
meeting dissatisfied with what they said was the administration’s unwillingness
to compromise.
The students said they were
unsure of what their next move would be, but because of growing student concern
it is likely that further action will be taken, even floating the possibility of
protesting the graduation commencement.
“We came looking for a
solution. It was really disappointing that the administration didn’t seem
willing to move toward a solution,” Olivia said.
|
|
 Several
student groups have been meeting weekly since November to
plan the Roots Festival. |
Multicultural groups unite for Roots Festival
Nearly a
dozen groups representing the diversity of PSU work together to
plan cultural celebration
By Matt
Petrie and Leathan Graves-Highsmith
May 04, 2006
When Rudy
Soto traveled to Amsterdam a few years ago, he was impressed by
the city’s Roots Festival, a seven-day open-air live music
festival celebrating the diversity of cultures around the world.
This year,
the now-20-year-old PSU sophomore had an idea: Why not have a
similar festival right here in Portland?
Now after six
months of weekly planning meetings, Portland State’s own Roots
Festival, a celebration of cultural diversity at PSU, is about
to become a reality. If everything goes according to plan, the
June 3 event will be one of the largest events — in terms of
size, group sponsorships and cost — ever put on by student
groups at the university.
Eleven
student organizations have signed on to co-sponsor the event,
including United Indian Students of Higher Education (UISHE),
the Chicano/Latino student group MEChA, the Queer Resource
Center and student government. Members from the various groups
have been meeting weekly since November to plan and pool
resources for the event.
The festival
also has a projected cost of $30,000 — $20,000 of which is
slated for the main attraction, a concert by the Grammy-winning
band Ozomatli. By comparison, a typical large-scale student
group event, with food and live entertainment, might run
$2,000-3,000.
The
organizers hope to draw a crowd of thousands from both students
and the greater Portland community to the all-day event, which,
in addition to the concert, will feature a panel discussion on
diversity and higher education and a presentation by the
Illumination Project, an interactive theater troupe.
“PSU is
supposed to be diverse. We have a lot of people represented
here,” said Soto, who also serves as student group coordinator
for UISHE.
The festival
is not just focused on racial diversity, but all kinds of
diversity, Soto said, from diversity of ability to diversity of
political thought. With all of the different communities
represented at PSU he wanted to see “just for one day people
working together on something like this.”
“It’s not
just about diversity of color, but diversity of thought,” said
Mayela Herrera, multicultural affairs director for student
government, who has also played a major roll in organizing the
festival.
“We have the
fastest growing population of diversity of any university, so
it’s important that we celebrate it,” said Jessica Lyness,
student government communications director. “We have a
responsibility to foster and exemplify cultural awareness and to
be leaders in promoting diversity.”
“We
strategically planned the event to be on campus because we want
students to be involved and the event to come from the campus,”
Lyness added.
Festival
organizers are enthusiastic about all elements of the event, but
the biggest focal point by far has been securing the concert by
Ozomatli, a 10-piece band whose membership, organizers say,
demonstrates the type of diversity they wish to celebrate.
“The
committee thought that it would be the perfect band to exemplify
the focus of the festival,” Lyness said.
Securing a
national-level musical act like Ozomatli would surely create a
large draw for the event, and Soto said that the possibility has
helped student groups stay involved in the project through
months of weekly planning meetings.
“The big-name
band has really kept people engaged,” he said.
The band’s
$20,000 asking price is a hefty commitment, although the student
groups hope to recoup much of the cost through ticket sales.
Soto said that the organizers have a contract with the band
ready to sign, but before they can finalize the agreement they
must get the $20,000 in advance from the Student Activities and
Leadership Program (SALP), the entity that oversees student
groups at PSU. In order for SALP to agree to front the money,
the sponsoring student groups must make a written commitment to
pay back any of the $20,000 that isn’t recouped through ticket
sales.
Soto appeared
confident that the deal with the band would work out, but the
organizers do have a back-up plan of inviting local bands to
perform.
If the event
is successful, student leaders hope to make the Roots Festival
an annual event at PSU.
“There has
been a divide between student groups and to be able to unify in
celebrating diversity builds a foundation for future students to
work from,” said student body President Erin Devaney. “Once we
have a successful event, more students and groups will want to
be involved in the future.”
–Additional
reporting by Emily Palm
|
|
|
|
|
 Day
of unity: Demonstrators filled the Park Blocks yesterday as
part of national May Day rallies in which thousands
protested immigration legislation introduced earlier this
year. Photo by Misha Ashton. |
A cry for
acceptance
Thousands
rally for immigrant rights in Park Blocks joining others across
nation
By Sascha
Krader
May 02, 2006
Thousands of
immigrant and labor rights demonstrators marched through
downtown Portland Monday, while similar demonstrations paraded
through Salem, Eugene, Medford and cities across the nation.
Brandishing
United States and Mexican flags, a lively crowd in the South
Park Blocks at Portland State cheered speeches by Latino,
Shoshone, Arab, Anglo and African-American activists, chanting
“si se puede,” or “yes we can” in Spanish.
Yesterday’s
demonstration was part of a several-month series of actions
responding to the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of HR
4437, a law that would classify undocumented workers as felons.
Immigrants
nation-wide abstained from work, school and shopping in what was
called the “Great American Boycott” and the “Day Without an
Immigrant.”
Labor rights
are also celebrated worldwide on May 1, in commemoration of
Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket Riots that led to the eight-hour
workday.
“Today is a
historic day,” said Christina Perry-Gonzales, a Portland State
University student and member of the Movimiento Estudantil
Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), from a podium in front of Smith
Memorial Student Union. “Today marks a new beginning in
immigrant and labor rights … estamos unidos!”
“We are
immigrants, the ghosts of the building,” Santiago Emiliano, a
janitor from the labor union SEIU local 49, told the crowd. “We
come to clean while the tenants aren’t there. Mister
Congressman, make sure you know the difference between a worker
and a terrorist.”
Catalina Coz,
an outreach worker from Catholic Charities, said in an interview
that immigrants’ rights intersected with the issue of human
trafficking.
“When you’ve
been trafficked, there is always the threat that the police will
deport you,” Coz said. “You’re a criminal even if you’re a
victim.”
Though
Latinos were the most visible group at the demonstration, many
communities participated in Monday’s protest.
Carrying a
sign reading “Makibak Huwag Matakot” — Dare to Struggle, Don’t
Be Afraid — Rossella Deleon, from the PSU Filipino group
Kabaigan, said “It’s an issue that involves all of us. Not many
people realize, but one million of the eleven million
undocumented workers are Filipinos, so we want to stand in
solidarity.”
Gary Clay, an
African-American who spoke in the Park Blocks, agreed. “This
doesn’t just affect you, but also my brothers from Africa,” he
said, referring to the Latinos in the crowd. “The treatment of
immigrants is an insult to all those who struggled in the civil
rights movement, fighting for the human rights of all people.”
The
Associated Press said more than 5,000 people marched in Portland
Monday, with another 4,000 marching in Salem.
Not everyone
in Portland supported the march. One counter-protester, holding
a small laminated sign reading “illegal immigration voids the
relevance of my legal vote,” said he felt that immigration needs
should be balanced against other concerns, such as the need for
a living wage. “I’m concerned about the carrying capacity of the
North American continent,” said the man, who declined to give
his name for fear of reprisals.
Many at the
demonstration expressed the hope that the coalition of
immigrants and labor would continue working together after May
1.
“This is the
beginning of the movement, not the end,” said Reverend Steven
Witte, executive director of the Oregon Farmworkers’ Ministries.
“The immigration movement and workers’ rights go hand in hand.
There is a better dream for this world and I believe it is God’s
dream.”
|
|
|
|
|
 Boycott
supporters: (from left) Helene Lustan of MEChA, Lew Church
of the Progressive Student Union, Camilo Romero of United
Students Against Sweatshops, Gerardo Brito of MEChA. Photo
by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison. |
Colombia and
Coke: a bad mix at PSU
International
activists arrive on campus to offer support to a student boycott
of Coca-Cola products
By Treasure
Porth
November 09,
2005
Members of two international
labor rights organizations toured Portland State Tuesday to
reinvigorate the school’s Coca-Cola boycott, saying that the
beverage company is involved with paramilitary troops in
Columbia and employs thousands who work without benefits.
The Coca-Cola company denies
any involvement with paramilitary groups.
“We are here to ask for folks
to support the campaign,” said William Mendoza, the vice
President of SINALTRAINAL, a shortened form of the Spanish name
of the National Union of Food Industry Workers of Colombia.
The boycott at PSU, led largely
by the student activism group Progressive Student Union, has
continued for two years. Only Pepsi products are sold in the
cafeteria and in vending machines on campus since Portland State
switch food service providers this summer from Aramark to
Sodexho. However, University Market on the first floor of Smith
Memorial Student Union sells Coke-owned Odwalla products.
Mendoza and Camilo Romero,
national organizer for United Students Against Sweatshops,
passed out flyers and pamphlets and spoke to student groups at
one of their many stops to college campuses in the area. United
Students Against Sweatshops is an organization that aims to
improve workers’ rights by mobilizing college campuses to put
pressure on their schools to break contracts with companies that
treat workers unfairly.
Lew Church of the Progressive
Student Union along with members of multicultural student group
MEChA joined in to show support.
Church said he hopes garner
enough support for the boycott to show university President
Daniel Bernstine that students are serious about keeping
Coca-Cola off campus.
“We want to focus on getting
the contracts cancelled,” Church said.
|
|
|
|
|
Honoring
tradition
March 01,
2005
Traditional
Aztec dancer Tunak Hernandez gives a traditional blessing as
part of the opening ceremony of Portland State's Chicano/Latino
Awareness Week. Hernandez and other members of the Mexica Tiahui
dance troupe stress the spiritual values embedded in the
traditional dance of the Aztecs. Sponsored my MEChA, the
ceremony was the first of many events during Chicano/Latino
Awareness Week. Tonight MEChA will host a showing of the film
Machetero at 6 p.m. at Food for Thought Cafe. |
|
|
|
Is
it minority hunting season?
Spring the most dangerous time to be
of-color in Portland
Danny Norton
April 13, 2004
Two leaders of multicultural student
groups at Portland State University reacted with fear recently over the police
shooting of James Jahar Perez in North Portland late last month.
The coordinators of the Movimiento
Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) chapter and the Association of African
Students said they were concerned that Portland police are likely to judge and
execute minority suspects.
On a bright Sunday evening, at 5:07
p.m. March 28, officers Sean Macomber and Jason Sery stopped a 1997 Mitsubishi
Diamante at North Fessenden Street and Burr Avenue for a failure to signal 100
feet before a turn, according to Chief Derrick Foxworth's statement the next
day.
The stop escalated to a struggle and
Perez was shot three times within 24 seconds. He died at the scene, the fourth
victim in a series of springtime police shootings.
Perez joined Kendra James (May 5,
2003), Byron Hammick (Feb. 22, 2002) and Jos頍ej�Poot (April 1, 2001) as a
minority casualty of lethal force by a Portland police officer.
"I have a recurring nightmare," said
Adolfo Garza-Cano, co-coordinator of the MEChA chapter. "What happens to me if a
cop thinks I'm a suspect and draws his gun? There are not many things I could
say to get him to holster it."
"I'm scared," said Suad Jama,
coordinator of Association of African Students. "I'm perfectly legal and never
in trouble, but if I were stopped, is it OK to reach for my purse to get my ID?"
"That shots were fired within seconds
tells me that the officer intended to kill, not control, the suspect," Jama
said. "He was ready to use force without knowledge if he were violent or armed."
The victims were described after
their deaths in various negative ways. Perez as having cocaine in his blood;
James as being a neglectful mother; Poot as being disturbed and irrational; and
Hammick as pinning his son to a wall, all leaving no alternative but deadly
force.
"They say he [Perez] was high on
drugs, but if police shot everyone who's used drugs, half of us would be dead,"
Jama said.
Police Bureau procedures appear not
to have been followed in the four incidents.
The relevant directive on such
incidents is intended to clarify procedure, including that for high-risk traffic
stops and for the deadly use of force, eliminating troublesome grey areas open
to officer interpretation.
A high-risk traffic stop is performed
when the officers know prior to stopping the vehicle that the occupants of the
vehicle are wanted for a serious crime or there is information that leads
officers to believe they or citizens are at greater risk of danger.
In the training for high-risk traffic
stops, the driver of the suspect car should be ordered out of the car at
gunpoint and instructed to remove the keys from the vehicle and to hold them in
his/her hand. The subject should then be instructed to walk backwards to a point
where officers can take physical custody of the person and retrieve the keys to
the vehicle.
Over the past four years, community
outrage has prompted investigations of the shootings. In each case, the
officers' actions were upheld.
In the Kendra James incident, the
115-pound, 5-foot-2 woman was alone in the back seat of the car, in the middle
of the night on a freeway overpass surrounded by six-foot-tall police officers
Kenneth Reynolds (#37287), Scott McCollister (#40709) and Rick Bean (#39770).
James jumped into the front seat and, according to the police, tried to drive
away. She died of gunshot wounds in the car.
Garza-Cano said the victims cannot
tell their side of the story.
"It's the views of the living that
get taken down, and they might not be the truth," he said. "The officer gets the
last laugh. Minorities fear authority because we don't know, 'Will the officer
understand me or fear me?'"
"James' fear of being taken away from
her kids probably led her to panic," Garza-Cano said. "I probably would have
done the same thing. Where in the police manual is the protocol to fire on a
driver?"
James' and Perez' death at the hands
of Portland police reminded Garza-Cano of a similar incident three years ago.
"Jos頍ej�Poot tried to board a
Portland bus, but was 20 cents short. The driver assumed he should know how to
ride the bus. The police nearby assumed he spoke Spanish. I think he was Mayan;
there are many indigenous languages still in use in Central America."
"The police interpreted his actions
as resistance, and in custody, Spanish interpreters could not communicate with
him, so he was considered mentally ill," Garza-Cano said. "If you're afraid of
authority, you're probably flipping out and ready to escape. Is a life worth
more than 20 cents?
"How many shootings will it take? It
looks to me like the beginnings of another civil rights movement," Garza-Cano
said. "What justifies readiness to use force?" he asked. "Weapons of mass
destruction are right here in the U.S. being used against our own."
For links to case files associated
with police shootings between 1994 and the present, visit
www.portlandcopwatch.org/listofshootings.html For access to official statements
and police procedure manuals, visit http://www.portlandonline.com/police.
|
MEChA
co-founder keynotes Chicano/Latino Awareness Week
March 09,
2004
The first
week of March is more than a sign that spring is near. It is
also celebrated as Chicano/Latino Awareness Week. Here at
Portland State, the week's celebrations culminated Thursday
evening in a keynote address by alurista, co-founder of
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan (MEChA) in 1967.
PSU's chapter
of MEChA sponsored the address, along with the Chicano/Latino
Studies department and the Rearguard.
In his
speech, alurista detailed how the Chicano/Latino people are
distinguished more by language, and not by race.
"We are
neither black, nor are we white. We are not red. We are not
yellow. We are all of those things," he said. "We are a rainbow
of people. We are all colors."
The idea
behind Aztlan, which he helped form, is that Chicano/Latino
people have a place to call home. It is a mythological place,
with roots similar to the lost city of Atlantis.
alurista said
he wanted to create Atzlan for the Chicano/Latino people "to
assert ourselves," especially after the southwestern United
States was "literally stolen from Mexico," he said, during the
U.S.-Mexican War in the mid-1800s.
He criticized
U.S.-centered views on this war, which often call for people to
"remember the Alamo." He noted that President James Polk was one
of the few American presidents to keep a campaign promise,
claiming that the president made good on his pledge for Mexican
blood and Mexican land.
Chicano/Latino Awareness Week kicked off Monday, March 1 with a
group of folkloric dancers from Woodburn and featured a variety
of events hosted or sponsored by different student groups on
campus.
The final
event will be held this Thursday, March 11, from 4 - 5:30 in the
Multicultural Center. "Dying to Live: the HIV and AIDS Epidemic
Among Latina and African American Women" is being sponsored by
Las Mujeres and the PSU chapter of NAACP.
- Sara
Gundell
|
|
|
|
|
 The
recent fundraiser sponsored by PSU students groups MEChA and
NAACP aboard the Portland Spirit ended with students feeling
as though staff aboard the ship had mistreated them.
Management of the Willamette River cruise ship met with
members of the groups, including Jesus Acosta (above),
yesterday in order to discuss their concerns. -Mark-o
Kennelly Ullman |
Portland
Spirit event goes awash
Latino
students upset about treatment aboard cruise ship
Matt Petrie
December 02,
2003
Representatives from Portland States' chapter of Movimento
Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), met with the management
of the Willamette River cruise ship, the Portland Spirit, Monday
morning to discuss complaints about poor treatment at a recnt
event aboard the ship, and concerns that the rough treatment of
guests may have been racially motivated.
The Nov. 14
event, called "A Rendezvous through an Autumn's Night," was a
joint fundraiser for MEChA and the PSU chapter of the NAACP.
Guests enjoyed a night of dancing aboard the ship, with the top
dance floor featuring Latin music and the bottom floor featuring
hip-hop.
One issue was
that the expected turnout for the event was about 200, but due
to MEChA advertising efforts, more than 500 people,
approximately 75 percent of whom where Latino, came to the
event. According to Jesus Acosta, coordinator for PSU MEChA, the
Portland Spirit did not have the staff on hand to handle the
larger crowd.
MEChA and the
NAACP also complained to the Portland Spirit representatives
that they were charged an additional $550 dollars due to a
half-hour delay in the boat's departure, which a MEChA member
was forced to charge to a credit card. The two groups had paid
$2,000, plus a $1,000 security deposit to rent the boat from 11
p.m. until 1 a.m., but due to the delay, the boat did not depart
until 11:30, and the groups were charged for the additional
time.
"I never
asked for the money back, I just brought up the point," Acosta
said.
The delay in
departure was apparently caused by confusion over what
constituted acceptable identification to board the boat. Because
alcohol was served, passengers were required to show
identification proving that they were 21. According to Acosta,
MEChA had been told that student I.D.s would be considered
acceptable identification, but on the night of the event, the
ship's crew would only accept driver's licenses, so the event
had to be reorganized to partition off a beer garden.
According to
Acosta, the delay was an unnecessary result of the lack of
staff. "Things were ready to go at 10:30," he said.
Once the ship
was underway, some security issues with guests occurred,
according to MEChA member Alexis Romanos. The ship's security
discovered some marijuana that had been abandoned by guests, a
chair was thrown overboard, and a passenger projectile vomited
on the way to the bathroom. Some partygoers also apparently
arrived at the party already intoxicated.
When the ship
returned to dock, the Portland Police were waiting on shore,
apparently in response to an incident in which a passenger broke
the lights in one of the ship's bathrooms.
Once
passengers were back on shore, police used a tazer on a Latino
man who had attended the event in the process of arresting him.
Two
passengers' coats were also stolen from the coat check area
aboard the boat while under the supervision of Portland Spirit
staff.
Representatives from both MEChA and the NAACP voiced
disappointment about how the Portland Spirit staff handled the
event, mostly citing a poor level of service, rough handling by
security and a lack of adequate staff.
"If there was
more staff, none of these things would have happened," Roberto
Guiterrez, a MEChA spokesperson, said.
"There was no
need for all the roughness and bad attitudes they had toward our
guests," Acosta added.
"Any time you
invest in something you expect to get a return that is
comparable," Stacia Brownell, president of the NAACP at PSU,
said.
Daniel Yates,
president of the Portland Spirit, said that the issues were
"more like concerns" than complaints, and that he was confident
that they could be resolved in future events.
"We try to be
a good partner with Portland State," he said.
Yates
explained that the identification issue was a matter of state
liquor law, and that since the crowd was much larger than
predicted, the ship's crew "really went out of our way" to get
extra staff for the event.
Brownell also
said that because of the nature of the two groups hosting the
event many passengers had questions about whether the treatment
they received was racially motivated or just bad service.
"We want to
know if it was really a race thing or just protocol," Romanos
said.
Yates
strongly denies that there was any racial motivation behind the
events.
"I think that
it is absolutely outrageous that anyone would say that," Yates
commented, pointing out that the Portland Spirit tries to be
accommodating to a wide variety of groups.
"We're very
proud of the diversity level of our clientele," he said.
While both
Acosta and Guiterrez said that most of the representatives they
spoke with seemed receptive, there was one who asked them
questions that seemed to them irrelevant and racially motivated.
"He asked me
'Where were you born?' and 'What do your parents do,
agricultural?'" Guiterrez said.
Still, Acosta
and Guiterrez discussed with the Portland Spirit representatives
how events could be better handled in the future.
Acosta
remains optimistic about holding future events on the Portland
Spirit, pointing out that the fundraiser was a huge success, and
that despite the negative aspects of the evening, he still
receives emails from people telling him how much fun they had.
He also mentioned that MEChA is planning future events aboard
the Portland Spirit.
Yates also
agreed that the event was largely a success. "We all agreed in
the room that 95 percent of the people had a wonderful time."
|
|
|
|
|
Photo of the day
November 04, 2003
Sponsored by the PSU
branch of Moviemiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (Chicano Student
Movement), or
MEChA, PSU's Dia de
los Muertos celebration provided students and faculty the opportunity to
celebrate the Mexican holiday yesterday.
Dia de los Muertos,
otherwise known as the Day of the Dead, consists of festivities to
acknowledge and remember family members who have passed away. It takes
place Nov.1 and Nov. 2. A traditional celebration often includes family
reunions at burial plots, the preparation of traditional celebratory
foods, the placement of offerings at altars, and various religious
rites. While the specific festivities vary depending upon the cultural
region, the intent remains the same: to remember those who are lost but
not forgotten.
|
|
|
|
Valentine's
Day kisses
Photo of the
day
February 15,
2002
MeCHA sells chocolate roses as a fundraiser. Henry Cartagena,
Amelia Basulto and Maribel Zamudio work to raise money so they
can hold a dance to kick off Chicano Awareness Week in March. |
|
|
|
|
 Mexican-American
students celebrate their heritage at the University of
Illinois |
Chicano
Awareness Week kicks off
Celebration
of heritage and cultural awareness is all-inclusive
Johanna Cole
March 02,
2001
Chicano Awareness Week kicks off today at Portland State. The
theme of the week is "Arts, Education and Activism." There are a
multitude of events scheduled for Chicano Awareness Week that
are bound to fulfill all areas of interests.
"Students get
500 years of Chicano history in a week," said Marlena Gangi,
vice president of MEChA.
Elsa Tellez,
a coordinator for Los Mujeres de La Raza, said that the week is
meant to raise awareness about the Chicano population on campus
and in society.
"We never had
a week like this," Gangi said.
Today marks
the first day of the event, there will be a Latina luncheon,
from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Multicultural Center in the
basement of Smith Memorial Center, with feature guest, Judith
Baca. Baca is a muralist and an activist.
According to
Gangi, Baca is responsible for the installation of 250 murals in
the Los Angeles area alone. Baca will also conduct a lecture and
slide presentation on Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 294
Smith Memorial Center.
Ramon
Ramirez, president of the PCUN (farmworkers union), will give a
lecture and show the film, "Aumento Ya!" The PCUN, Northwest
Treeplanters and Farmworkers United, is Oregon's largest union
of farmworkers, nursery and restoration workers. The mission of
the organization is to empower farmworkers and take action
against exploitation. The PCUN is Oregon's largest Latino
organization. The event will take place Monday, March 5, at 6:30
p.m. in the Vanport Room on the third floor of Smith Memorial
Center.
On Tuesday,
March 6, Maria Amparo Escandon, author of "Esparanza's Box of
Saints", will have a lecture and book signing at 12 p.m. to 2
p.m. in the Vanport Room. Escandon's book was also made into a
film.
Also on
Tuesday, Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez, will have a lecture and
book signing in the Ballroom on the 3rd floor of Smith Memorial
Center from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Martinez's books include "De Colores
Means All of Us," "500 Years of Chicano History" and "Red
Dirt-Growing Up Okie."
According to
Gangi, the Chicano Awareness Week is a collective effort between
MEChA, Los Mujeres de La Raza, and Chicano/Latino Studies.
Cosponsors
for the event are the Multicultural Center and Portland State
University Speakers Board.
Chicano
Awareness Week - Calendar of events
Monday, March
5
Mexica Tiahui Dance Troupe: Ceremonial Aztec Blessing
11a.m., Park blocks/Multicultural Center- Basement, Smith
Memorial Center
Ramon
Ramirez, President, PCUN (Farmworkers Union): Lecture and Film,
Aumento Ya!
6:30 p.m., Vanport Room, 3rd floor, Smith Memorial Center
Tuesday,
March 6
Maria Amparo Escandon, Author: Lecture and Book Signing
12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Vanport Room, third Floor, Smith Memorial
Center
Elizabeth "Betita"
Martinez, Author: Lecture and Book Signing
6:30 to 9 p.m., Ballroom, third floor, Smith Memorial Center
Wednesday,
March 7th
Film Presentation: TBA, Room 296/298 Smith Memorial Center
Thursday,
March 8
Jorge Melendez, Programa Hispano with Lami Subia: Lecture,
Poetry and Discussion Regarding Youth, Art and Culture
4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Cascade Room, 2nd Floor, Smith Memorial Center
Rigoberto
Reyes, Amigos San Diego Car Club: Lecture, "Political and
Artistic Expressions of Chicano Car Clubs 1950s to Present."
6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Cascade Room, second floor, Smith Memorial
Center
Friday, March
9
Cecilia Alvarez, Seattle Artist, Educator and Activist: Lecture,
"Art as Cultural Affirmation"
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Room 239, Smith Memorial Center
Ernesto
Bustillos, Union del Barrio, Activist and Educator: Panel
Presentation, "Retaining Chicano History and Culture Through
Education"
(Other panelists include Cecilia Alvarez and Rigoberto Reyes)
2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Multicultural Center Basement, Smith Memorial
Center Closing Reception
6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Vanport Room, third floor, Smith Memorial
Center |
|
|
|
|
