Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "human rights"

Dr. King's dream and march, our nightmare and pain

2012-01-13T04:56:13Z

Dr. King’s dream and march, our nightmare and pain

“I feel so broken hearted, I cried so many tears
There was so much you gave me, to my heart, to my soul
So much of your dreams that were never told
There was hope for a brighter day
Why were you, my flower, plucked away
Oh, oh, I’m missing you
Tell me why the road turns
I’m missing you”
—Diana Ross

I miss my son. I miss hugging him. I miss looking in his eyes when he is excited. I miss us discussing his plans for his future. I miss sharing in his everyday experiences. I miss his smile. I miss his joy.

All I ever wanted was for him to be in an environment where he can grow.

My son was arrested at 19 years of age. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, more years in prison than he was alive. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/mothers-prayer/content?oid=309130

My son was sentenced under California's 10-20-life law. For two years he continuously rejected a plea and maintained his innocence. After being denied a fair trial and fair legal representation, he felt forced into taking two years for allegedly robbing someone for marijuana and 20 years for allegedly discharging a firearm.

Due to the time he received, not the crime itself, he is housed as a level-four prisoner with prisoners who have life- and life-without-parole sentences. With the 10-20-life law, you do not have to commit a murder or cause great bodily injury to receive life in prison.

Sentencing a youth under California's 10-20-life law can be a death sentence when youth are housed not due to the crime but due to the prison sentencing time.

The youth incarcerated are not just losing freedom; many will lose their parents, siblings, spouse, girlfriend, children and their hope of a future outside of prison walls. For an inmate to live in a prison where many are sentenced to spend their entire life behind those walls is a great challenge in itself.

Sacramento courts have sentenced teens, as young as 14 years of age, to prison terms of life without the possibility of parole.

The outrageous misconduct within the investigation leading to my son’s arrest, as well as the outrageous misconduct through the court process, is all documented on appeal. It is only due to the pending appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court that I will not, at this time, discuss the particulars of the case and the circumstances leading to the misconduct.

For two years we fought in Sacramento Superior Court for a fair trial. When it became obvious he was not receiving a fair trial nor fair legal representation, we wrote letters to the trial court and the Sacramento Superior Court presiding judge.

Within the letters we continuously pleaded for his constitutional rights of a fair trial with fair legal representation.

We wrote letters to the California Bar Association, American Bar Association and to various local and statewide civil rights organizations.

At my son’s request, I went to our state capitol and cried, pleading for assistance from our senator and our assemblyman’s office. I left and painfully cried all the way to my councilmember’s office. None could assist us in our quest for a fair trial and fair legal representation.

I went to the NAACP. While they tried to assist by attending court, we were still not given a fair trial and the court denied our motion to have the attorney removed from the case. I went to anyone who would listen and begged, cried, pleaded for assistance in obtaining a fair trial.

I wrote letters throughout the state of California and wrote letters to organizations in other states. I went to so many, pleading for assistance to help my son get a fair trial, heck reward or penalty, with fair legal representation.

Our pleas were denied. The court would not acknowledge our concerns and failed to hold an evidentiary hearing. When I was brought into the courtroom and told to tell my son to take the plea deal or he would do life in prison, my son, under great duress, involuntarily and without understanding the consequences of the plea felt forced into taking the plea.

My son was coerced into pleading, denied fair legal representation and a fair trial and tried to protect his mother from further pain.

We were not alleging after the fact, once sentenced, that he was being denied his constitutional right to a fair trial and fair legal representation. We made those founded truthful accusations prior to the trial that ended in mistrial, and we continued begging for his constitutional rights during the start of the second trial.

We sent letters certified mail to the court to ensure they were being received. We have response letters showing the presiding judge, American Bar Association and California Bar Association all received the letters, and each responded they could not assist us.

The response letters are dated prior to my son taking the coerced, involuntary plea made under duress.

Four years later, we are still fighting in appeal courts. Our appeals have been denied, each without an evidentiary hearing, and we continue up the writ of habeas corpus ladder put into existence by our freedom-minded forefathers who valued the criminal justice system and the rights of the accused exposed to it.

It is extremely painful with each appeal court process. We have no money to afford an attorney. We have no legal skills to argue against skillful attorneys. We fight with the truth and a $50 book explaining the Great Writ and U.S. constitutional rights which should not be violated.

While it appears some of our Sacramento courts may have been hijacked by pirates posing as prosecutors, and some within the judicial process are more concerned with personal vendettas or winning cases, by any means necessary I still have faith in the Constitution of the United States of America because In God We Trust.

It is painful. It is time consuming. It is difficult. It is exhausting, but it is what it is, a fight we must endure to have an opportunity of life and freedom outside of our overcrowded, dangerous prison walls.

Sadly, once my son is released from prison it will be painful, difficult, time consuming and exhausting to ensure life within our neglectful, lack-of-opportunity, lack-of-employment, lack-of-resources-for-our-youth city since our politically ego-driven elected officials value endorsements from unions to advance their careers.

Sadly, some politically ego-driven elected officials would rather ensure that police union departments are enhanced rather than ensure that the residents of the city are provided with resources.

On June 30, 2005, during an NAACP Police Brutality town hall meeting, former Police Chief Albert Nájera defensively and accurately stated, "A black young man between the age of 16 and 25 has a 50 percent chance to die in the city of Sacramento, and he is dying at the hands of another black young man."

I was at the meeting to discuss our city youth violence and deaths. I wondered the same thing the police chief did: Why were we gathering for a police brutality case and failed to gather for the hundreds of youth who have died in this city at an alarming rate at the hands of another?

I wondered why we were not meeting with the city and county of Sacramento insisting on jobs, resources and opportunities for our youth?

Our black youth were losing life and freedom, and our civil rights leaders solely focused on prejudice- or police-related issues. The police chief’s aforementioned statistic about black youth nor their 92 percent arrest rate was not mentioned by the media, nor the organizations holding the meeting.There was no focus on the loss of life, nor the loss of freedom.

Some of our children are faced with the plight of two options either dying on Sacramento streets or dying in a California state prison.

The mounting deaths and arrests due to youth violence were dismissed. The loss of life and loss of freedom of Sacramento's low income youth was dismissed; until grant-funding became available.

Civil Rights Groups, concerned over police interaction within the low income community, held townhall meetings to discuss Sacramento Police Racial Profiling and Sacramento Police Brutality cases.

Grant dollars, for youth and gang violence prevention, suddenly becomes available and Sacramento law enforcement jumps on the youth and gang violence prevention funding bandwagon. The same Civil Rights Groups concerned with Police Racial Profiling and Police Brutality decide to apply for grants to work with law enforcement for youth and gang violence prevention.

The low-income community affected and exposed to the violence living in communities divided into victims and suspects were not seen until grant-funding became available. Were they looking at the low income community affected and exposed to the violence? Or were they looking at money?

This past week, my son was beaten, physically assaulted on the prison yard. He could have fallen asleep and not woken up due to head injuries. By the Grace of God, my son’s life has yet again been spared. He was placed in the hole. His life is in danger if he steps foot back on that particular prison yard.

His prison counselor stated, “It is the safest place for him.”

Can you believe it? Can you imagine the pain of knowing the safest place for your child is in the hole in a prison? No windows, no TV, no outside contact, no contact, visits from his mother, sibling or girlfriend?

Can you imagine living in America, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, my country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty of thee I sing, where I pledge allegiance to our flag, in so much pain fighting for life and freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness?

When I march in the annual Martin Luther King Parade, I don’t march to sing and dance of the triumphs of yesterday. I have genuine, deep-rooted horrible never-ending pain.

Can you imagine fighting for your child to live in this city and immediately thereafter fighting for him to know freedom? Then have to fight the appeal courts for the truth to be seen? Then with all your heart, have to find a way to keep him alive in prison?

Imagine being a mother having to cry and beg for a prison in the state of California to do what the city of Sacramento failed to do: protect my son

That suffering is the plight of many of us who live in communities divided into victims and suspects, where our children have become commodities to enhance departments and advance political careers.

In God we trust, since the money the motto is written on appears to be valued more than many of low-income, disadvantaged citizens. And many are looking at money, grants, enhancing departments through crime and not looking at those of us affected and exposed to the violence.

I march out of pain for the plight many of us are experiencing today. I also march out of my own personal pain. I don’t think I am disrespecting Dr. King by writing this, since Dr. King did not march singing and dancing for the triumph of the end of slavery.

Dr. King did not march for the past. He marched for his present-day crisis and to provide a better future for many of us. Dr. King did not look backward. He looked to the present and hoped for a better future.

Those of us with current-day suffering from the death or arrest of our youth are expected to march in the annual parade walking on a treadmill of the past.

I realize the definition of insanity is to continuously do the same thing over and over and expect different results. But what else do we have? I do plan on attending the MLK march.

But with all due respect, for some of us to sing and dance once a year is not what I believe Dr. King would have wanted us to honor. I am a mother in pain 365 days a year.

I will walk surrounded and suffocating with pain. In fact, it will be pain moving my feet. I have nothing left to carry me. While addressing youth violence, I gave this city everything I have. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/death-be-not-shrouded/content?oid=47273 Unwillingly, I even gave my first born son.

There are days when my pain is so deep I don’t have a will to live. There are days I don’t want to wake up. There are days when I am afraid of living in this world gone mad and afraid of dying wondering who will protect my children that I brought into this world.

There are nights when I am afraid of falling asleep due to the nightmares I have still hearing the sounds of gunshots outside my home, leaving shell casings that would have blown tremendous holes throughout my son’s body.

There are nights I am afraid of going to sleep because I am afraid of waking up to this nightmare I am living.

But I have to awake. Who else will fight the writ of habeas corpus ladder of a low-income mother for her son to know what was rightfully his: freedom?

To march with a hollow lack of substance in tribute to a man of great substance, to me, is disrespectful.

I will be in the crowd, but instead of carrying a poster of Dr. King I will carry one of me and my son. Our pain is real, it is today, it is now, and it appears it will be forever if some are just going to live in the past and dismiss the present-day plight that has left so many of us broken, suffering to live and die in pain.

I appreciate honor and respect Dr. King for having a dream, but while many are reminiscing on his dream, many of us are living a nightmare.

Instead of gathering at the end of the event to speak of history, why can’t we gather to find solutions and make history and change the current state of affairs where too many are losing their lives and losing freedom?

I tried to protect my son when youths armed with guns were shooting at him in my front yard. We wrestled trying to protect one another. I was praying the next bullet would take my life and not that of my son.

I tried to protect my son when he was suffocating in an unjust court.

This city has left both my son and I nearly breathless on more than one occasion. We, and so many others, are suffocating in the city of Sacramento. I don’t believe Dr. King was ego-driven.

I believe Dr. King would have wanted us to acknowledge the current plight where thousands of youth bodies lay prematurely dead on American streets and thousands more are living and dying in California prisons.

I think Dr. King would have been more concerned with our plight than concerned with us paying tribute to him.

I knew when civil rights organizations addressed Jenna Six, the plight of many of us would be overlooked due to the fact our plight is not prejudice-related.

I knew some leaders in America would focus on prejudice versus freedom. But should prejudice overshadow life and freedom in America, a country dedicated to looking into the life and freedom of citizens of other countries?

While it appears this low-income mother’s plight, the plight of my son, is dismissed by today’s civil rights organizations, I do feel Dr. King would have embraced us, supported us and acknowledged us.

I do not believe Dr. King would have expected us to pay homage to him when we are in fact suffering from the great pain of losing our children to death on our streets or to be the walking dead in one of California's many prisons.

With and through pain I will march on Jan. 16, but I will be the one carrying a poster of my son and not one of Dr. King. And, to be honest, I think Dr King would have wanted it that way.

I hope many others join in carrying a poster of their loved ones, whether they have been murdered in the city of Sacramento or sentenced to be the walking dead in one of California’s many for-profit prisons housing the low-income youth of America.

After all, Dr. King was not singing and dancing of yesterday’s struggles and triumphs. Dr. King was justice-driven, equality-driven, looking and laboring for the end result of change. Dr. King acknowledged, saw and labored for the low-income, the voiceless, the powerless.

Dr. King understood America’s motto of Life , Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for all.

I am not walking for the civil rights of yesterday. I walk for the human rights of today.

I did not bring a child into this money-, political ego-driven world for his body to lay dead on a Sacramento street, gutter, sidewalk or home, nor did I bring him into this world to live or die in a California state prison

We, America's low income citizens living in communities divided into victims and suspects, can not raise our children from the dead. Nor can many of us afford to visit or receive telephone calls from our children being raised in a California State Prison.

We, the low income community divided into victims and suspects, are missing our children.

Disclosure: Mother of three. I've taken my younger son to two funerals of murdered friends. I am fighting for him to have life. I have attended many funerals of my older sons friends and I am fighting for him to know freedom. (Photo 4) I love my children

Co-op Campaign is about Democracy and Human Rights

2011-07-29T19:09:30Z

David Barton’s opinion piece, “The view from downtown on BDS”, unfortunately relies on considerable misinformation, fact twisting, and ultimately resorts to the weakness of name calling.

Mr. Barton says “the Co-op would like to leave politics out” of its choice of products. However, the Co-op makes political decisions all the time about products based on sustainability, supporting local farms, supporting fair trade, etc. Mr. Barton acknowledges that the Co-op is political: "The co-op … is subversive of the whole factory farming, corporate, pesticide-dependent, nonlocal, unsustainable farming and grocery model that many of us grew up with.”

This is not an issue about keeping “politics” out of the Co-op. It is an issue about WHO gets to decide the politics. Mr. Barton says that I am “not going to let a little thing like the will of the members” get in my way. Actually I and the supporters of the Human Rights and Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives are calling for the “will of the members” to be democratically determined by allowing the members to vote. By refusing to allow members to vote, it is the Board that does not want “the will of the members” to be respected.

According to Mr. Barton, the human rights campaign at the Co-op is all about getting attention. Actually what Co-op members, who signed to put the Human Rights initiative on the Coop ballot, want is for members to vote. They want ALL members to be informed and to decide. That is democracy. That is member participation as called for in the cooperative principles.

Readers and Mr. Barton would do well to read the Co-op’s Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, and its Values. The Articles of Incorporation specifically state that the purpose of the Co-op includes “conducting such other activities as will serve the … educational ... and cultural welfare of the members.” Co-op values include working “towards a sustainable community and a just society”.

Many people join the Co-op because they believe it provides not only healthy food, but food that is produced in a manner that promotes sustainability and a just society. By supporting the global grassroots effort to end egregious human rights violations against the Palestinian people, the Co-op would be honoring these environmental and humanitarian cultural values – if the members so choose. And the way the members choose, under the Bylaws, is by voting themselves on this issue.

Also, for the record, the Co-op has about 7,000 voting members, not 12,000. Also, if Mr. Barton has read the Bylaws, he would know that members have the right to put initiatives on the ballot. And that is exactly what members of the Co-op did.

Mr. Barton mentions the Davis Co-op, whose Board also subverted its Bylaws and refused to let its members vote on this issue. However, he doesn’t mention the other Co-ops that have made different decisions. The Olympia WA food co-op took Israeli products off the shelf to support Palestinian human rights over a year ago and remains a thriving 2-store co-op today. The members of the Ann Arbor, MI co-op voted on this issue a few years ago; they voted it down, but they VOTED. Other Co-ops are also considering supporting Palestinian rights by not carrying Israeli products; hopefully their Boards will act in an ethical manner, unlike the Sac Co-op Board, and will allow open discussion and democratic decision making.

Rather than simply follow the Bylaws and letting members vote, the Co-op Board has chosen to waste not only whatever the deductible is for its Directors and Operators insurance but also the few thousand dollars it spent to mail a letter in May to Co-op members campaigning against the Human Rights and Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives.

Mr. Barton claims there is “an even playing field” in the election but this is not the case. The Board has used the Co-op’s newsletter, its website and now the ballot to unfairly campaign against initiatives that it won’t even put on the ballot, again in violation of the Bylaws. It has even used bias wording in some of the questions for the upcoming August 2 candidates forum.

To support its “Measure 2”, the Co-op Board has put up a blatantly phony argument for the ballot – apparently fearful of giving the membership a legitimate argument against this measure (see Sacramento Co-op Board publishes phony ballot argument, refuses legitimate ones). Measure 2 would prohibit the Co-op from making any purchasing or other decisions based on “political opinion” or “national origin.” If passed, Measure 2 would prohibit the Co-op from making purchasing decisions that reflect “food politics” or any of the Co-op’s values, as these are all a matter of "political opinion."

Again, in an apparent fear of democracy, the Co-op Board has chosen to hold its annual candidates forum in a room with a capacity of 48 people. That would allow a fraction of a percentage of the Co-op’s members to hear the candidates. To accommodate more members and promote more discussion, a committee of Co-op members set up a second forum in a larger venue, something the Co-op has done in the past but chose not to this year.

For the record, I did not say to the Sacramento News and Review that I believed that an unsuccessful campaign will generate enough media attention to make the battle worth it. Those are SNR writer Raheem Hosseini’s words, not mine. Had the Co-op Board followed its Boycott Policy last fall, or if it was following its Bylaws now, there probably would have been a lot less media attention. As I have said repeatedly, including to Mr. Hosseini, those who support the Human Rights and Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives just want Members to be informed and to be able to vote.

What is dangerous for the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is this heavy handed and deceitful attempt by the Board to suppress members’ rights. The Co-op is still digging itself out from a disastrous decision by a Board that refused to listen to its members and built a lavish second store in Elk Grove. Workers, members and shoppers are still paying the price for $3-4 million debt left by that store which was open for only 18 months.

According to the Co-op principles, “Co-ops are democratic organizations controlled by their owners, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions.” The Board needs to respect the Bylaws and the rights of its members and let them be informed and vote.

Disclosure: Maggie Coulter is a long-time human rights activist, an organic gardener, and a member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. She is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

Anti-member Graffiti allowed by Co-op Board & Management

2011-07-25T19:08:28Z

This weekend, the sidewalk in front of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op was defaced with graffiti that included attacks on three individual members of the Co-op, two of whom are Board candidates and one is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

One of the several graffiti statements read “Cody Potter and Susan Bush are bad news.” Potter and Bush are running for two open seats on the Board along with Phyllis Ehlert and two incumbents, Alicia Dienst and Ann Richardson.

When asked whether employees were responsible for the graffiti, on-duty store manager Dan Shearer declined to answer on Saturday. Incumbent Board member Alicia Dienst was campaigning in front of the store on Sunday when she reportedly told a Co-op member that Co-op employees had written the graffiti.

Two long time members, both in their 70s removed much of the graffiti on Saturday night but Sunday morning it was back.

“I have been a Co-op member for 25 years and I have never experienced this level of incivility and intimidation,” said Board candidate Bush. “I am not going away, and neither are members who want a fair election.”

The graffiti also supported Measure 2, which would prohibit the Co-op from making any purchasing or other decisions based on “political opinion” or “national origin.” Co-op members opposed to Measure 2 sent a letter to many of the Co-op’s local vendors, advising them about possible negative repercussions of Measure 2, including that it could preclude prioritizing of locally produced products

“The Board is using a specious argument against Measure 2 on its website and literature,” said Co-op Member Ellen Schwartz who submitted an argument against the measure that the Board ignored. Instead, Schwartz explained, last week the Board posted a sarcastic argument that was clearly submitted by someone who favors the measure, thus denying Co-op members access to a reasoned debate on the subject.

“It seems apparent that the Co-op Board put Measure 2 on the ballot to preclude Co-op members from proposing measures that the Board disagrees with, including the Human Rights Initiative,” said its sponsor Maggie Coulter.

“More than twice the number of required Member signatures was submitted to put the Human Rights Initiative to a vote,” said Coulter. “Yet it was denied a place on the annual Co-op ballot, in violation of the Co-op’s Bylaws. The Board is refusing to let Members vote on this measure that supports Palestinian rights, including those of Palestinian farmers to their lands, water, and orchards.” More information about the initiative is at www.coopdemocracy.org.

“Several calls have been made to the Co-op management asking that the Co-op remove the graffiti,” reported Coulter. “Although the graffiti is on the public sidewalk, if the Co-op allows it to stay, it is an implied endorsement of this negative campaigning. These actions of the Board and, possibly of some employees, create even more doubt about the fairness of the election.”

Contact: humanrightsareacoopvalue@gmail.com

Disclosure: Maggie Coulter is a long time Co-op member, human rights activist, and organic gardener. She is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

Co-op Members Decry Fraudulent Ballot Argument

2011-07-20T00:53:13Z

The ongoing controversy about members’ democratic rights continues with a new twist at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. This week the Co-op Board placed a ballot argument on its website that many of its members are calling a fake. Charles Steven Arevalo is listed as its author.

The ballot argument addresses a Board-proposed Bylaws amendment, which would prohibit the Co-op from using criteria related to “political opinion” or “national origin” in making purchasing or any other decisions. The Board's amendment was drafted in apparent response to members, who were trying to put a proposed human rights-based boycott initiative on the Co-op's ballot.

“After refusing to allow Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Members to vote on either the Human Rights or Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives, the Co-op Board proposed amending the Bylaws try to make sure the human rights issue would never come up again,” explained Maggie Coulter, one of the initiative’s sponsors. “But their Bylaws amendment would prohibit the Co-op from making many, if not most, of the purchasing decisions it now makes. The Co-op buys according to its values and values are clearly a matter of “political opinion.”

“Arevalo’s argument was written to support the Board’s proposed amendment, but they have listed it as an opposing argument,” said Co-op member Ellen Schwartz. “The Board has received two other legitimate opposing arguments, one from me and one from David Mandel. Instead they are using one that is blatantly false.”

In mid-June, Schwartz submitted a 562-word ballot argument in accordance with the Election Code, which specified no word limit. In July, the Board posted a 275-word limit on the Co-op website with a statement that any argument submitted in excess of this would be rejected. On July 12, a 275-word ballot argument was submitted by Co-op member David Mandel in clear opposition to the proposed Bylaws amendment. (Arevalo’s argument is 63 words.)

“To resort to this form of deceit is a new low for the Board,” said Co-op member Josh Cadji. “They clearly don’t trust Members to be able to think for themselves. Rather than follow their Bylaws and principles, the Co-op Board is engaging in fraudulent tactics by posting this fake argument. Their actions undermine the integrity of the Co-op; what they are doing is truly shameful.”

“This [Arevalo's] ballot argument completely fails to address the issues, which means Co-op members are being denied the chance to make an informed decision,” says Co-op member Ellen Levy. “If the Board has any interest in holding a fair election, they will immediately replace this with a legitimate ballot argument.”

Board President Steve Maviglio has emailed Co-op members who have complained about the fake argument, stating that posting it is accordance with the Co-op’s Election Code. The code directs that only one argument in support and one opposed will be put on the ballot and that the first one submitted will be accepted. While Schwartz' argument was submitted first, it is unclear at this point whether Mandel's or Arevalo's argument was submitted second.

“Regardless of the timing, Arevalo's ballot argument is not in opposition to the amendment,” explained Coulter. “For example, Arevalo’s argument erroneously says people should vote no on the amendment if they ‘think the Co-op should stop carrying products from small California farms because of the policies of California's government.’ In reality, the proposed amendment would prohibit the Co-op from prioritizing purchases from local farms because this is a matter of not only ‘political opinion’ but also ‘national origin’. So if members want the Co-op to stop prioritizing local products, they should vote yes.”

“The Board has falsely tried to claim that its amendment is about non-discrimination,” explained Coulter. “But California Law already prohibits discrimination in employment and the Co-op’s Bylaws prohibit discrimination in membership. This amendment puts the Co-op as we know it in jeopardy; members should read it carefully and get the facts. A good source is www.CoopDemocracy.org.”

Disclosure: Maggie Coulter is a long time Co-op member, human rights activist, and organic gardener. She is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

Co-op Board Rejects Democracy Initiative; Puts Bylaws Amendment to Restrict Purchasing Criteria on Co-op Ballot

2011-06-09T19:26:37Z

Before a packed room of Co-op Members, shoppers and others at its June 7 meeting, the Board of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op considered three items for the upcoming September ballot.

A Bylaws amendment, proposed by Board President Steve Maviglio, would prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions on the basis of “political opinion” or “national origin.”

Some members voiced support and several raised objections. One concern was that the proposed amendment could be used to prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions related to environmental or social concerns, since these are a matter of “political opinion.” For example, distributors of non-organic produce, Coco-Cola, or products tested on animals, non-Fair Trade products could claim the Co-op was discriminating against them by not carrying their products.

Proponents of the Human Rights Initiative stated that forbidding the Co-op from making purchasing decisions based on “national origin” seemed to be aimed at their effort to allow Co-op Members to vote on whether they want their store to support Palestinian human rights by not carrying Israeli products until Israel stops violating those rights.

One audience member expressed that preventing the Co-op from making decisions based on national origin was contrary to its stated goal of supporting local farmers and producers.

The Board considered a motion to remove the wording “political opinion” but it failed; the Board then approved the amendment as proposed for placement on the September ballot.

No to Restoration of Co-op Democracy

The Board voted to not allow the Restore Co-op Democracy Initiative on the ballot. This measure includes provisions to ensure Open Comment at Board meetings; guarantee Member input into decisions; allow the Membership to decide if they want their Co-op operated under the corporate model of Policy Governance®; and end discrimination against Members tabling in front of the store. (The text of both the Restore Democracy and Human Rights initiatives are available at www.coopdemocracy.org.)

Initiative proponents maintain that the Board has no authority under the Bylaws to prevent either the Human Rights or the Restore Co-op Democracy Initiatives from being placed on the ballot. They cite Bylaws Section 10.06, which mandates the Board to put initiatives on the ballot once two procedural requirements are met. Both requirements, signatures and proposing the action at a Board or member meeting, have been met for both initiatives. (Bylaws are available on the Co-op's website and also at www.coopdemocracy.org.)

During the course of the meeting, three speakers, who identified themselves as being Jewish, spoke in favor of the Co-op taking action to support the human rights of the Palestinian people. Other speakers said they opposed a boycott. One man stated that he just wanted to be able to vote on the initiatives.

“We are just asking the Co-op to do what the Bylaws say,” said Josh Cadji. “We’re member/owners of the Co-op and that’s why we are here. We did not join the Co-op about this issue like John Boisa, who is here as part of his paid job.”

John Boisa, a co-founder of Save our Co-op that opposes the initiatives, is the paid director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). JCRC’s stated purpose includes “Educat[ing] and advocat[ing] on behalf of [and], protect[ing] Israel.” In a June 6 opinion piece in the Sacramento Press, Boisa accused the Initiatives' proponents of directing their protest against the Co-op management, Board, and “ultimately – wait for it – the Jews.”

“Boisa’s inflammatory suggestion that we are going to attack Jews is outrageous and slanderous,” said Initiative supporter Ellen Schwartz. “I’m Jewish as are others in this group. We support the human rights of everyone regardless of their religion.”

Local Jewish Voice for Peace activist, David Mandel notes that “JCRC is an unelected body that purports to speak for the Sacramento Jewish community on various issues, with much of its activity focused on quashing any dissent from uncritical support of Israeli government policies. JCRC has excluded from its ranks Jewish groups that criticize Israeli policy. Moreover, the majority of Jews in Sacramento do not belong to any of the organizations that are represented on JCRC, and national surveys have shown that most American Jews, contrary to JCRC's leadership, support a change in U.S. policy that would seek an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and promote peace based on human rights for all."

In the same opinion piece, Boisa dismissed reports that JCRC’s Barry Broad had forcefully grabbed a woman on the wrist when Broad was tabling with Save our Co-op against the Initiatives. Boisa, who was not present when the incident occurred, questioned its veracity because the woman was related to one of the Initiative’s proponents. The incident, which occured May 8, was immediately reported by the woman to Co-op management; she later filed a police report. Barry Broad, chair of the JCRC, admitted to touching but not grabbing her. Co-op management barred him from tabling as a result.

“It is shocking to read this man justify assault because of the victim’s relation to someone else,” said Cadji. “That sounds like blaming the victim to me.”

Board mails 7,000 members that the Co-op is being “targeted”

Prior to the meeting, the Co-op Board had mailed out a letter to its approximately 7,000 active members alleging that the Co-op was being targeted by a group that was trying to change co-op principles, harass shoppers, and call for a boycott of the store. The letter indicated that this group’s efforts were at odds with the Co-op’s Bylaws, democratic member control and the cooperative principles, and invited members who agreed with the Board to attend the June 7 meeting.

Although the Board's letter blamed the Sacramento Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Working Group for the targeting, it appeared to be directed at another group, Sac Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights, which is supporting both the Human Rights and Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives.

The cost of sending the letter was not disclosed but is estimated at well over $3,000 for postage, stationery, and reproduction. An email with the same content had been sent to Co-op Members on June 6, preceded by a similar email sent on May 31. (Contents and analysis of the letter and the emails is available at www.coopdemocracy.org).

Some audience members thanked the Board for sending it and others said they found it disturbing, offensive, and erroneous.

One Co-op Member described some inaccuracies in the letter, including that the initiatives being proposed had nothing to do with the Co-op principle of open membership as the letter alleges. She also refuted the harassment charges and noted that the three times the police had been called, they found no wrongdoing.

Fire Marshalls called; Preferred shares back on ballot

Fire Marshalls were called because of the room overcrowding. No room capacity sign was visible. When Fire Marshalls arrived, they stated the room capacity was 48 persons and asked that people voluntarily leave before the meeting continued.

One audience member was overheard commenting that of the several times City authorities had been called, at least now it was for a legitimate reason.

The Board also voted to put a Bylaws amendment on the ballot rewording the preferred shares measure that had been passed in September 2010. Apparently the initial wording, drafted by the Co-op’s attorney, had been inadequate to facilitate the sales of shares as desired by the Co-op. If preferred shares are ultimately sold, their purchasers are entitled to get their money back before any Members.

Maggie Coulter is a 15+ year member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op , a member of Sacramento Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights, a human rights and environmental activist and an organic gardener.

Co-op Members Sing for Democracy

2011-06-06T03:56:49Z

Over 50 members of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op serenaded Co-op shoppers on the public sidewalk next to the Co-op on Friday afternoon, June 3, with back-up guitar, base, and tambourines.

Holding colorful balloons and signs, members sang, “This is my coop; This is your Co-op” to the tune of “This Land is Your Land”. Several shoppers stopped and joined in: “We’re member owners, Our voices m-a-t-t-er, This co-op belongs to you and me.”

The group also sang “Co-op Democracy” to the tune of “Personality”. Both songs are expected to be posted on YouTube soon (check www.coopdemocracy.org for an update.)

Rally organizers, part of Sacramento Co-op Owners for Democracy and Free Speech, chose the theme, “Lifting the Spirit of Humanity through Free Speech and Democracy” to coincide with the Co-op’s monthly Anti-Depression Friday.

“We’re here because we care about our Co-op, our community, and our democracy,” said Susan Bush, a Co-op Member since the 1980s. “The Co-op Board claims it supports democracy but it is refusing to let members vote on qualified initiatives as required in the Bylaws. We encourage Co-op members to read the Bylaws and demand that the Board follow them. The Board is trying to censor discussion and take away our right to vote. That’s autocratic, not democratic.”

Co-op Bylaws Section 10.06 mandates the Board to place measures on the ballot once two procedural requirements are met, gathering signatures and proposing the requested action at a Board or Member meeting. Co-op Members met these requirements for the Human Rights initiative in February and the Restore Co-op Democracy initiative in May. The Board has refused to put the Human Rights initiative on the ballot and will address the Restore Co-op Democracy initiative at its June 7, 6pm meeting at 1914 Alhambra. (A Bylaws analysis is available at www.coopdemocracy.org.)

Joining the rally was Israeli activist Dalit Baum, who addressed the proposed Human Rights Initiative that would allow members to vote on whether they want the store to support Palestinian human rights by not carrying Israeli products until Israel stops violating those rights.

“People all over the world, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims, are trying to pressure Israel to obey international laws, protect human rights and be a real democracy,” said Baum. “It is heartening to see you here in Sacramento be part of that effort. Boycott and divestment helped South Africa to end apartheid and move to becoming a real democracy. These non-violent strategies can do the same for Israel/Palestine.”

The Co-op’s General Manager, Paul Cultrera, is allowing a group that opposes the initiatives to table in front of the store, but has prohibited initiative supporters from doing so since the end of January. With the Board’s support, Cultrera has banned any group from tabling in support of Palestinian human rights, including Veterans for Peace.

The Co-op asked the police department to station an officer, presumably paid for by the Co-op, near the front door. Rally organizers were unclear why the Co-op had requested an officer since they had been out on the sidewalk two weeks prior with signs and balloons and had no problems. Organizers chatted with the officer who kindly said he was enjoying the singing. He declined an invitation to join them however, as did a bystander who said she did not sing as a service to the public.

Disclosure: Maggie Coulter is a member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and belongs to Sacramento Area Peace Action and Sacramento Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights.

Law professor speaks out on ‘The New Jim Crow’

2011-05-27T05:19:39Z

Law professor Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow," spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 people at the Women’s Civic Improvement Center in Oak Park on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by a variety of local organizations, including the local chapter of All of Us or None, A Project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

The crowd was virtually mesmerized by the fascinating statistics about the devastating effects of the “War on Drugs,” along with the explanations of important details from relevant rulings from U.S. Supreme Court cases that drove home nearly every point made by Alexander’s seemingly encyclopedic recitation from memory.

Although Alexander read brief excerpts from her book, her presentation — which was made mostly without notes and delivered from the heart — mirrored the thesis of her newly published work. Namely, that the nation’s criminal justice system is designed to create a new caste system, akin to former Jim Crow laws, that is on its face colorblind but in reality disproportionately affects poor people and people of color, especially young black males.

Alexander postulates convincingly that felony convictions for relatively minor drug offenses are now used against so-called “ex-offenders” to label them as criminals. That label carries with it the stigma of a lifetime badge of shame and dishonor. The result is that there is now in existence a virtual explosion of the numbers in the burgeoning permanent underclass of mostly men of color who are excluded from most opportunities for education, employment, housing and public assistance that are required to even have a glimmer of hope to escape a revolving-door prison system.

Former Sacramento City Attorney Sam Jackson had the honor of introducing Alexander to the audience. Alexander’s message was met with an enthusiastic response from the crowd, which was sprinkled with grassroots organizers, religious leaders and a variety of well known community activists.

“Michelle Alexander’s book and speech here tonight has clearly and concisely articulated the genesis of the next human rights movement,” said Keith J. Staten, a local criminal defense attorney.

Alexander’s message was far more than what might be expected from an author conducting a typical book-signing tour. She contends that the current crisis in the criminal justice system was not the result of fortuitous events, but it was instead created from a calculated design and perpetuated from the highest levels of policy-making in this country, including both major political parties and the U.S. Supreme Court.

She articulated her reasons for researching and writing the book as the next logical step once she came to realize what was occurring in this county during her years working in the field of civil rights litigation and advocacy.

Alexander indicated that she was especially happy to be back in Northern California during the week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California’s prison system was unconstitutionally overcrowded and its population must be reduced by some 37,000 prisoners.

She continued that the election of President Barack Obama proves that even if a nice guy is elected to lead the country, no one person can change a system that is fundamentally flawed.

Dr. Vaja Watson, who serves as the director of research and policy for equity for the Cress Center at the UC Davis School of Education couldn’t have agree more.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “Now that we have the facts in front of us, we need to shut the system down. We are living in a new slave state.”

Alexander currently holds a joint professorship at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Alexander earned a law degree from Stanford University and held a prestigious clerkship with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Her prior accomplishments include extensive experience in the field of civil rights advocacy and litigation, including a term of service as the director of the Racial Justice Project for the ACLU of Northern California.

“(Alexander’s book and tour) is a wake-up call for communities across the county to work to ensure that those coming home from prison will have a reasonable opportunity to heal and become productive members of society, especially in light of the current difficult economic times,” community activist Tim Boyd said.

The evening concluded with a brief but lively question-and-answer session whereby Alexander demonstrated her command of a wide range of subjects, from concerns about zero-tolerance policies practiced at local school districts to articulating how to begin implementing the call to action she communicated to the audience and that is described in detail in the final chapter of her book.

Judging by the number of individuals who lined up to have their newly purchased copy of the book signed, Alexander is much more than a newly minted successful author. She is a force to be reckoned with as legal scholar and an accomplished visionary who is an articulate and powerful voice for change.

"Your Cuts Are Way Too Big, Your Cuts Are Way Too Deep!"

2011-03-14T22:55:29Z

Chants and cheers from nearly 800 concerned citizens filled the Downtown Sacramento streets on February 22 as the “Mommy Tsunami” protest walk finished its final leg from Caesar Chavez Park to the California State Capitol. The walk began on February 19 in Yuba City, where a group of Generation Y moms began a 60 mile journey to the Capitol in protest of Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed $1 billion budget cut to services for people with developmental disabilities.

Participants, families, employees and volunteers from disability advocacy and support groups joined in the rally sporting bright red t-shirts baring a large target that read “A Budget Target Again?” Their message is that the proposed budget cuts are simply too severe, come on the heels of significant previous cuts, and will devastate the entire system. “This cut would effectively dismantle the Lanterman Act,” said
one protester. Over 240,000 Californians currently receive services under the Act and are at risk of losing their services for in-home support, Medi-Cal, dental care, and other services.

Assembly member Jim Beall was the only legislator to come out in support of the rally and told the group that he understands the importance of the Lanterman Act and would take their concerns directly to the Governor. Many service providers argue that the proposed budget cuts hurt the most vulnerable Californians and won’t save the State money. A fact underlined by the $340,000 a year it costs to
institutionalize a person with a developmental disability in a State Center, versus an average cost of around $15,000 per person to provide
community-based services.

In addition to losing health and support services, Californians with developmental disabilities will likely lose their independence, jobs and businesses. Without needed support, these individuals may be forced to move into costly group homes, nursing homes, or State-run Centers. Protesters vowed that this was just the beginning, and their message was clear, “these are hard won rights and we will not let them go without a fight!”

Human Rights Forum Commemorates International Human Rights Day

2010-11-25T06:12:20Z

To celebrate International Human Rights Day, Friday, December 10, Sacramento area Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others concerned about human rights are invited to a community forum: Assuring Human and Civil Rights in Palestine/Israel. A diverse panel will address restoring the rights of Palestinians and protecting the human and civil rights of all who live in Palestine/Israel.
The forum will be held in the Temple Ballroom of the Capitol Plaza, 1025 Ninth St., in downtown Sacramento. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a sampling of light Middle Eastern refreshments. The program begins at 6 p.m., and admission is free.
Dr. Hatem Bazian will provide a legal overview of the status of human and civil rights of Palestinians living in Israel, in the West Bank, in Gaza and as refugees in the diaspora. Bazian is founder of American Muslims for Palestine, a senior lecturer in Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley; and co-founder of Zaytuna College.
Anna Rogers, with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Marin County, will report on her recent trip to Palestine’s occupied Gaza Strip. She will also discuss JVP’s national campaign to have the large private pension fund TIAA CREF divest from Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
John Ericson, from North America Friends of Sabeel: the Voice of Palestinian Christians, will discuss Sabeel’s efforts to support human rights in Palestine and end the occupation. Ericson is an attorney in the Bay Area.
Jeanie Keltner, Sacramento Soapbox host, will emcee the event. Keltner is professor emeritus at Sacramento State and former editor of Because People Matter.
The event will also include a question-and-answer period and updates about local human rights campaigns and activities.
For more information about the event, contact Sacramento Area Peace Action at sacpeace@dcn.org or 916-448-7157.

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Mu Sochua visits Sacramento

2009-09-18T05:02:02Z

Mu Sochua had a request of her audience: "I ask you to please monitor [my] case, because it's very very likely that I will go to jail," the native Cambodian said in a speech in Sacramento.

The social worker and women's rights and democracy activist was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2005.

About 40 people gathered Monday at noon in a conference room at the U.C. Center in Sacramento to hear Sochua speak. In the speech, presented by the World Affaris Council, she spoke about ending the sex trafficking of women and children, opposing land grabs and reforming the corrupt Cambodian court system.

Sochua came to Northern California in 1973. She earned a degree in psychology from San Francisco State and a master's in social work from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981. Before she could return to Cambodia, Sochua learned that her parents had been killed by the Khmer Rouge, the regime responsible for the deaths of more than a million Cambodians.

Sochua returned to Cambodia after 18 years of exile to help the government rebuild after the Khmer Rouge lost power. She is an outspoken member of Parliament, and spoke about her recent defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

"He said that I go around, grab men and take off my shirt," Sochua said. It's an insult that usually would not be challenged by a woman in a society rife with gender inequality, she explained, but added "that cannot be tolerated. The issue here is dignity."

"That situation was reverse, actually," Sochua said. "An official in the military who was campaigning for the ruling party assaulted me at the marketplace and my shirt came undone."

But before the prime minister could be brought to trial, he countersued Sochua's lawyer. "The Cambodian Bar Association put so much pressure on my lawyer that he would have been disbarred," Sochua said. "Then he left me without defense, apologized to the prime minister and joined the prime minister's party."

So Sochua defended herself in court.

In what she called a show trial in which no investigation was conducted, Sochua was found guilty of "speaking out," "speaking on behalf of women," "spreading disinformation" and "suing [the prime minister]," she said. After not paying a $4,000 fine and being stripped of her legislative immunity, Sochua, a member of Sam Rainsy, the leading opposition party, could face life imprisonment when she returns to Cambodia.

"That's why I'm going from place to place, talking to people like you," she said. In a recent meeting with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Sochua urged the United States to send a high level delegation to assess civil rights issues in Cambodia.

"If I were imprisoned, the situation would bring more attention to donors and the world community," Sochua said. "That is the symbol for struggle for justice, it will speak loud[est]."

Hers is not a poor country, Sochua said, citing Cambodia's natural resources and more than $1 billion of foreign aid per year. She pointed out that $53 million of that money comes from the United States. "It's just badly managed, losing about $500 million a year to corruption and a lack of political will."

Moderator Robert Cassinelli, on the board of the World Affairs Council, spoke of the importance of Sochua's speech. "I would like to thank Mu Sochua for illuminating something which is a [part of the] human condition: human rights and gender issues," he said.

A young Cambodian American asked what Cambodians in the United States can do to help reform the Cambodian justice system.

"I hope that you will take some action, because you can," Sochua said. "I would like you to go and write a letter to your legislators and ask your government, 'What are you doing in Cambodia?' "

Audience member Samedi Thach called for action. "I hope everybody listens to her and writes the letter she asks for and keeps tabs on her to make sure that she doesn't disappear and what she's fighting for doesn't go away.

"Instead of staying here and living the American Dream, like a lot of Cambodians, she's actually trying to make changes in Cambodia," added Thach, a 24-year-old Cambodian American living in Sacramento. "Knowing that she's going to go back to face 20-to-life, or assassination, it makes her message more powerful: She's willing to go back and be a martyr for the cause that she believes in."

Accounts of unrest in Honduras

2009-07-16T07:32:54Z

Hours before Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was forcefully exiled to Costa Rica on June 27, he met with seven delegates from Sacramento.

The seven were: Bill Camp, executive secretary for the Sacramento Central Labor Council (SCLC); Bud McKinney, a sheet mill worker; Chris Bender, a union representative; Greg Larkins, president of IBW Local 340 and a political organizer for the SCLC; Arturo Aleman, a consultant, Kate Allen, a graduate student at UCLA and summer intern for the SCLC and Dion Archuleta, a canner at Campbell Soup in South Sacramento.

The following is an account of their experiences in Honduras over a three-day period in which an alleged coup d’état took place.

Background

The SCLC helped to deliver medical supplies and facilitate medical outreach to Honduran communities with limited accessibility. Because of their aid to Honduras, an invitation was extended to 12 members of the SCLC to observe ballot procedures, which would take place in Honduras on June 28. Five of them were unable to attend, according to Bud McKinney.

Bill Camp’s brother, Tom Camp, a doctor in Alabama, helped with relief efforts in Honduras after the wrath of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. He encouraged Bill Camp to visit Honduras with him and served as a connection to a native doctor, Dr. Luther Harry Castillo. Dr. Luther Castillo's passion to help the underprivileged was the driving force that inspired Bill Camp to build a clinic.

In partnership with several members of various unions, Camp was able to gather the resources to build the clinic in Honduras with the California Honduras Institute for Medical Education and Support (CHIMES) over the course of two years.

In 2005, as a result of these efforts, Bill Camp began building a clinic in Ciriboya, a remote village on the northern coast of Honduras.

McKinney found out about the organization while working on a health proposition with Camp at the SCLC in 2005. He was interested in the mission of the clinic and joined Camp in clearing out the initial site and communicating with local elders about having them contribute labor to its construction.

A hospital was opened in late 2007. "The hospital and the [eleven] doctors that it employs provide health care to about 20,000-25,000 people in the area," McKinney said.

Camp made it clear that it is the only hospital in Honduras operated by Garifuna people, the indigenous population.

In 2007, a chance run-in with Patti Garamendi provided Camp with the opportunity to invite Lt. Gov. John Garamendi to Honduras with less than a week's notice. They scheduled a visit, and shortly before Garamendi arrived, it occurred to Bill Camp, "Oh lord, the Lieutenant Governor is coming to Honduras and I don't even know if the roads are open!"

Garamendi was able to attend the dedication ceremony for the completion of the clinic and meet Dr. Castillo, a primary force in building the hospital. "John's real contribution was going and having all the public attention," Camp said. The dedication ceremony attracted press attention both in Honduras and in the United States. He added that Garamendi "had put [the hospital] on the map."

A second-floor addition later the next following year was cause for another dedication. This time, President Zelaya attended and committed to compensating salaries for any three of the 11 doctors. "When they get the checks, they just split them eleven ways," Camp said.

Leaving for Honduras: Day 1

On June 21, the SCLC received a letter signed by Patricia Rodas Baca, the Honduran foreign minister, inviting members of the SCLC by name to participate in a fully funded trip to observe balloting procedures around the country for the survey that was to take place on June 28.

Other than the U.S. ambassador, the seven from Sacramento were the only observers to fly in from the United States. There were about 80 international delegates in total, according to Bill Camp.

The delegates arrived in Honduras on June 27 and were directed to a press conference with President Zelaya and his cabinet members soon after their arrival.

At the time of the press conference, President Zelaya had dealt with battling the Honduran Congress and the Supreme Court over the legality of holding a non-binding survey. Camp said it was essentially, "An effort to hear from the public. Do you think we should have a vote in November about the question, yes or no?, Do you want to have a constitutional convention?"

The Honduran Supreme Court ruled the survey illegal the week it was to occur and threatened arrest of anyone wanting to change the constitution.

At the press conference, Chris Bender said, "they handed out the portions of the constitution and the law that they felt made this legal."

These excerpts were handed out on paper, including Title XII, which is the portion of the constitution in question in regards to the legitimacy of the survey.

Aleman explained the process that Zelaya envisioned would pan out in regards to a future referendum. He said Zelaya intended to hold a survey of the people with the survey scheduled to take place on June 28 to gauge whether they wanted to have a vote in November, on election day, to decide if they then wanted a constitutional congress. From this decision, a constitutional convention may or may not have convened after the installation of the new administration in 2010.

"It had no effect of law," said McKinney said about the survey. The survey was fundamentally a public opinion poll, and the immediate consequence of the vote would have no legal effect on the constitution or the law.

"We were to observe how the election was being conducted, so if the media wanted to have an outside view of how this was handled– was it appropriate, were people being coerced, threatened or intimidated– we would be able to speak as outsiders in terms of our perspective," Camp said, commenting on how the Honduran Department of Foreign Relations outlined the duties of the delegates.

"The only thing we went down there to do was ensure that the vote was free and fair," McKinney said.

Outside of the press conference, McKinney was conversing with locals. "I talked to people outside of (the) Presidential Palace,” he said. “There were a lot of volunteers milling around."

These volunteers were delivering ballot boxes to about 15,000 precincts all over Honduras, after a group of unarmed citizens seized them from the military. The ballot boxes were dispersed the week before, and McKinney had witnessed the last of them being transported.

After the press conference, all of the international delegates gathered for a dinner with Zelaya and his cabinet members. Each place setting had a microphone, allowing observers to question Zelaya.

One question posed to Zelaya was if the referendum was about extending his presidency. McKinney, paraphrasing Zelaya, said he responded, "No. On Jan. 27, my term is up. I will hand over my sash to the duly elected president of Honduras."

Over the course of the press conference and dinner, the seven spent about five hours in the presence of Zelaya.

"There was no expectation that he would be kidnapped," Camp said.

A Turn of Events: Day 2

The next morning, on Sunday, June 28, Camp and Bender were to report to the airport to fly out to a village and observe voting procedures.

While waiting, the two received word from Dr. Castillo, "Take off your hat, take off your vest, take off your badge; put them in your satchel. I’m coming to pick you up to take you back to the hotel -- there's been a coup."

For the duration of the trip, the majority of the group members remained in their hotel, two miles away from the Presidential Palace.

“The streets were calm, there was no troop presence, there was no real unrest where we were at,” explained Larkins, political organizer for the SCLC.

At 8 p.m. Sunday, Dr. Castillo picked up three of the group members, Allen, Camp and Archuleta, and took them to the Presidential Palace, where protests were taking place.

Allen described the scene after a thunderstorm had set in. "[The protesters] were under these tarps in the middle of the street and there was a truck with a bullhorn and they were chanting along to Zelaya's name right in front of the gates of the Presidential Palace, and behind the gates were all these guards in riot gear."

According to Allen, there were about 200 protesters at the time of her visit, and the three were able to engage in conversation talk with some of the protesters. Allen turned her attention to Camp., "Suddenly they're going 'Sí se puede!' (Yes, it can be done!) and Bill is leading them in a chant of 'Sí se puede' in front of the gates of the Presidential Palace," Allen said.

"Our job is to encourage the heart," said Camp.

Anti-Zelaya protesters took to the streets as well, however, Allen said, "We couldn't stay long because there was going to be a curfew at 9 p.m., instituting martial law."

Returning with a Cause: Day 3

On Monday night, June 29, the seven arrived safely back in California.

"Immediately when we got back, we started calling all the union people we knew and said, ‘you gotta get a hold of the National Security Council and the Secretary of State's office,’ " Camp said.

McKinney received word that Honduran labor unions were gathering support to take protesters to the street, despite the military’s attempts to machine-gun tires of buses. “The AFL-CIO is in full support of labor’s participation in the retaking of democracy in Honduras,” he commented.

"When workers are being destroyed in Honduras...that really is an injury to all of us," Camp said.

Upon their arrival, Camp received an e-mail from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with an urgent message. 29 people had been listed as targets for detention by the interim government. Dr. Castillo is on this list, but has evaded capture so far, according to McKinney.

In addition to others, Patricia Rodas Baca was detained and later released.

Camp said he believes they "got them released because we got the National Security Council and the Secretary of State's office saying, 'You can't hurt this individual,' and somehow that went down through the chain of command."

An Update on Current Efforts

McKinney has been in contact with doctors at the hospital in Ciriboya. "Everything seems to be normal at the hospital,” he said. “The doctors are a little apprehensive that if the coup goes very long they will cut funding."

He also said that the Cuban government is pulling out Cuban doctors out of from Honduran clinics, and fears the same may happen with the doctors in Ciriboya.

McKinney is also in communication with Dr. Castillo, who staged a protest against the military’s shooting of civilians with First Lady Xiomara Castro Zelaya on July 7.

"The question is how do we get the head of the labor council in Minneapolis, or Rochester, or St. Louis to understand that this is their fight as well as the Honduran workers?" Camp asked.

As of July 13, Telesur, McKinney's main source of television coverage of the events in Honduras, has been expelled from coverage by the interim government.

Furthermore, the military seized ballots from a rural city that had held the vote through the coup, according to an anonymous source of McKinney’s.

McKinney reflected on his trip: "I didn't go to support the referendum or Manuel Zelaya. I had pretty mixed feelings," he said. "I went down there to observe democracy. I went there to make sure the people had a fair vote in both directions."

McKinney explained that he did not want to see the referendum forced on the people, and he did not want to see people "stuff ballot boxes" either.

"It was in a sense an unbelievable experience, but it was also a calm experience in the thrust of the chaos," Larkins said.

The group plans on making another trip back to Honduras Aug. 6 and hopes peace comes to the nation by then.

LINKS:
Project CHIMES
AFL-CIO position, press release
Honduran Constitution, spanish

Disability Capitol Action Day reflects on Olmstead case 10 years later

2009-05-28T06:58:04Z

"We're here to fight! Day and night! For our basic human rights!"

That was just one of the chants shouted by both the disabled and their caretakers and supporters on their march from the U.S. Bank Building to the Capitol for today's sixth annual Disability Capitol Action Day.

Coordinated by the Disability Action Coalition, the gathering of more than 2,000 people was held on the 10th anniversary of the Olmstead Court Decision, a landmark case involving plaintiffs Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson that set a precedent of helping the disabled to live in community settings as opposed to confined in homes and institutions.

Despite being highly functioning and capable of living in a community, both women were kept in institutional settings. In 1997, the court deemed this a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Judge Marvin H. Shoob suggested the women were being unfairly segregated. The state appealed the decision but lost, and in 2000, the case came to a close in favor of the plaintiffs.

This year's Action Day theme was "Where is California 10 years after the Olmstead Decision?" and speakers and legislators as well as Lois Curtis, a plaintiff in the Olmstead case, took the stage to let the crowd know that California has plenty of room for improvement in its programs for the disabled as well as funding and accessing those programs.

Serving as a message of empowerment as well as a backdrop to the stage was a flag made up of more than 700 handmade "story sticks" with feathers and pictures of individuals who have contributed to a nationwide tour of creating a video archive of stories of both struggles and accomplishments of the disabled.

The state's recent budget woes have led to cuts of essential programs such as in-home support services, supplemental security income, and Medi-Cal that are necessary for the disabled to be able to live and thrive independently. February's budget led to two cuts to SSI/SSP grants, which help to support more than 1.1 million low-income seniors and people with disabilities. By July 1, when the second cut is scheduled to take place recipients will only be receiving a maximum of $850 per month.

Signs posted around the grounds reading "Can you live on $850 a month?" conveyed the sense of frustration felt by many relying on the funding. During intermissions between speakers, attendees danced together on stage and chanted messages of hope and a shared understanding for one another.

Reflecting on her frustration after struggling to find assistance for her son more than 15 years ago after his ADHD and bipolar diagnoses, Misunderstood Einsteins founder and Action Day attendee, Cheryl Maxson, said, "It's gotten a little better, but not much."

She started the company after searching through the Yellow Pages and only coming up with two organizations that could help her son. She recalls being sent in circles in a territory that was new and unknown to her. She said she was given many "politically polite" reasons as to why agencies couldn't help her and wasn't sure where she could turn. Maxson's mission is to fill in the holes in the system and to provide assistance to all.

"If I have to turn someone away, I turn them to someone," Maxson said.

Misunderstood Einsteins is just one organization that showed up to provide information and education at the event. Programs like AT Network, which provides technology to assist people with disabilities, and the California Association of Family Empowerment Centers provided resources to attendees as well.