Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations

Los Angeles, CA. An immigrant woman from the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca and her child of 5 years were accused by DCFS of child abuse against an infant. The woman was not allowed to prove her innocence because of language barriers.

The case went to court approximately three years ago. Odilia Romero, a Zapotec interpreter and Women’s Coordinator for the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations, briefly intervened in the case. After hearing the information during translation, Ms. Romero tried to intervene in favor of the woman, but was excluded from the case because interpreters are not allowed to advocate for the accused.

The issue began one day when the four-month-old baby began crying uncontrollably. The women’s aunt called paramedics who took the baby to a clinic where it was determined that the baby suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome. The district attorney removed both children from the home despite pleas from the mother to leave them with her.

The woman tried to explain that she came to the United States fleeing from domestic abuse. She explained that her husband would kick her on her belly while she was pregnant and this was probably the reason why the baby now suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome.

When the interpreter translated what the Zapotec woman had said, the social worker stated that the argument had no scientific basis. The social worker also pointed out that the accused had shown no emotional response while in the court proceedings. The interpreter tried to intervene stating that the woman did not react because she did not understand English and her Spanish was also limited. The outcome of the case is not known because the translator was taken off the case. Regardless of the outcome, the Zapotec woman had to deal with being separated from her children because she was not able to communicate using her own language.

Unfortunately, for Indigenous migrant communities from throughout this continent living in the United States, these types of situations are very frequent. Oaxacan Indigenous communities are ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse. In Oaxaca there are 16 Indigenous nations, each with their own language.

It is estimated that in the United States there are around 550,000 Oaxacan immigrants concentrated in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Florida, Texas, New York, and, to a lesser degree, in Nevada.

California has the highest number of Oaxacan immigrants, approximately 320,000. One hundred eighty of them (mostly Zapotec from the Central Valleys and Northern Sierra of Oaxaca) are concentrated in southern California, and more specifically in Los Angeles. Approximately 130,000 Mixtecs and 10,000 Triquis live in Northern San Diego County, Central Valley and on the Coast of Central California.

On September 23, 2011, as part of an effort to increase understanding and sensitivity from public employees in Los Angeles County toward Indigenous Migrant Communities in the area, FIOB and CBDIO will hold a Cultural Sensitivity Conference focused on topics important to our communities.

In order to give more information about this upcoming workshop we will be holding a Press Conference on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 11:00AM at W. 8th #306. LA CA 90005.

For more information contact: Odilia Romero (213) 359-0264 or Bertha Rodriguez (213) 251-8481

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/us/03flea.html?_r=1&hp

The fact that Los Angeles Police Commission has decided to exonerate Officer Frank Hernandez of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), after having caused the death of Manuel Jaminez Chux, an indigenous Guatemalan, has set a bad example because it leaves members of the migrant community in a vulnerable position in dealing with law enforcement.

First of all, the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations (FIOB) has opposed the exoneration of officer Hernandez based on the claim that he shot Jaminez Chux in self-defense on September 5, 2010. We are sure that tactics other than lethal force could have been used.

We are aware that officers encounter difficult situations that give them minutes or seconds to act. However, we believe that the LAPD should change its lethal force policies to avoid unnecessary deaths in the future.

As we have expressed at the meeting with the Chief of Police, Charlie Beck after this unfortunate incident, a lot of community members have the disadvantage of not understanding either English or Spanish because they speak indigenous languages. We believe that this fact should be taken into account by officers when confronted by these type of individuals.

The findings have been made public after six months of investigation by the LA Police Commission. We believe that this investigation is controversial given the fact that witnesses attest that the victim was not brandishing a knife at the time of the shooting. Therefore, we support CHIRLA’s call for the Justice Department to carry out an independent Civil Rights investigation.

We are concerned that decisions like the one been taken by the Police Commission increase the distrust and fear among the people of our communities, who could become less likely to come forward or be willing to cooperate with officers to report a crime.
We appreciate the work done by LAPD officers to protect the community’s safety. However, we demand reforms to the LAPD in order for our community members not to die at the hands of uniformed officers with the excuse that their security was threatened.
Sincerely,
Gaspar Rivera- Salgado, Binational Coordinator
Odilia Romero, Binational Womens Coordinator
Bertha Rodriguez, Binational Media Coordinator
(213) 251 84 81

Los Angeles, California .- The Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations (FIOB), makes a call to people in the community who can vote, to do so openly to curb anti-immigrant positions of Republican candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina at the next November 2 elections. We also make a call to stand together and vote for Jerry Brown for governor and Barbara Boxer for the U.S. Senate.

Meg Whitman.

The United States was founded as a nation of immigrants. However, it is ironic that many of these same migrants after settling in, feel ownership of this country and reject every new wave of new immigrants. It is almost a rite that each new group has to bear the contempt and hostility of many citizens who quickly forget their own history of migration.

This history of rejection and hostility is being repeated again so clearly and brutal in the speech of the Republican candidate for governor of California Meg Whitman and the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Carly Fiorina. Both candidates have no qualms about blaming immigrants and undocumented migrants about everything bad that happens in California and even the country.

That hatred that they promote in their speeches and the dehumanizing attitude of wanting to deny millions of vulnerable people, the slightest respect for human rights- is a deplorable and dangerous to win a political position. This speech not only refuses to end any attempt to recognize the economic, social and cultural contribution of immigrants, but robs us of our dignity as workers, parents and human beings.

Carly Fiorina.

It is unpleasant to see the hypocrisy of Meg Whitman, who won the June primary elections to her Republican opponent at the expense of immigrant by promising to do away with sanctuary cities, (i.e. those cities supporting immigrants). She also promised to end support for undocumented students in universities and expressed her support to the anti-immigrant law in the state of Arizona.

Right after the primaries, without wasting time, Whitman began courting Latino voters and showed us her other face by promoting in Spanish media that she would create more jobs and educational opportunities for Latinos. Whitman seems not to know that the Latino and immigrant community also are aware of the English media and understand clearly what is her message in English and what is the message she projects to the Latino community in Spanish.

FIOB believes that the Republican party's candidate in California has shown a great hypocrisy to have hired the Mexican Nicandra Diaz for almost a decade for her domestic work and having refused to support to legalize her status once whe supposedly knew Mrs. Diaz was undocumented.

Support Jerry Brown

Whitman has also spoken against the Dream Act, which proposes the legalization of undocumented young people who start a career at a university and that would otherwise not have access to higher education. Whitman said she was sorry, but she preferred to encourage citizens and not grant this privilege of a college education to illegal immigrants.

The FIOB is convinced that a person who thinks they can use other people when needed and discard them once they are not useful anymore, is rightly not a good option to govern the state. A leader must be sensitive to the feelings of the people, whether they are undocumented workers or U.S. citizens, they are also part of the social structure of this nation and they contribute to the economy of the country. People like Whitman wants the abuse to illegal immigrants remains in the dark, as she did with Nicandra Diaz so people less fortunate never have access to the benefits enjoyed by other citizens but they should be exploited and deported when their presence is inconvenient.
Bárbara Boxer. Fair Laws.

FIOB condemns anti-immigrant politicians and makes a call to our brothers and sisters to vote against Whitman and Fiorina because we believe that they wouldn't favor policies that benefit our Latino communities en California, and for the contrary, they would promote and enact more anti-inmigrant laws.
For Press Statements call (213) 251 84 81