Reflecting on Richard Hauptmann

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3216233298659970&set=a.1390869894529662&type=3

This was decades before my birth, but when I was in junior high or before graduating, I read a book about this tragedy and trial. The title was, I think, Scapegoat, and the author: Anthony Scaduto.

It was a book with enough context and detail to persuade me: the man convicted and executed for these crimes was not guilty. He was poorly represented, and still offered deals to name accomplices.

Richard Hauptmann was an immigrant and from a working class.

Now I  may have more sympathy (sometimes) for baby Charles' parents than I once did, and no baby deserves to be kidnapped, etc, but this book turned me to the belief that capital punishment is unacceptable.

And in 2022, the US continues to execute people.

Lt. Dan Choi is Speaking in Providence, RI Tonight !

I was slow to appreciate the horrors of Don't Ask Don't Tell in the U.S. military due to my deep belief that we need a much, much smaller military and essentially a retraining of the warriors.

My experiences, of passing as christian (usually accidentally), are not analogous to Passing as Straight, with or without duress.

Clearly, if any military bodies exist, then it is criminal to treat some of its membership as if they are "less than" for being gay.

This blog will always remember our neighbor, Ciara Durkin, who died in Afghanistan.

This blog supports the rights of people who are Questioning, Queer, Transgender, Lesbian,
Gay, Celibate, Bisexual . . .

Human Rights For All.

Dan Choi is providing the Opening Convocation for Asian American History Month at Brown University.

There is a slight chance that I might attend this, but I hope lots of folks are there and that Lt. Choi is given a standing ovation, or two ( perhaps more, why limit ourselves).

I hope some of the newly elected and the re-elected will find a way to listen to this man.

It's Diana Abu-Jaber's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Diana Abu-Jaber!

A few years ago. pure serendipity led me to the fiction of Diana. First I read Crescent and then I read Origins.

They are two very distinct novels.

I would recommend the former to anyone who loves books with food, the Middle East, Anne Tyler, Barbara Kingsolver, immigration dynamics, university town experiences, mysteries and more...

I recommend Origins to a my friends who are passionate about mysteries, upstate New York, family histories....this one has a flavor of Nevada Barr and a hint of Stephen King.

Diana, I hope this doesn't offend you!

Today is Diana's Birthday! Thanks to facebook, I consider her a friend; I know more about her than I do about some of my cousins...whether we ever meet face to face is irrelevant...this is one of the joys of "social networking"...

So check out http://www.dianaabujaber.com/

I have read excerpts of the non-fiction and it is splendid stuff.

We Want The Videotape ( No April Fooling)

The Wyatt Detention Center and ICE are refusing to share a videotape with the family of Jason (Hui Liu) Ng.

Thank you, W. Zachary Malinowski and Providence Journal for covering this story.

Thank you, John J. McConnell, Jr. and Team.

The Federal Investigation of Jason (Hiu Lui) Ng's Death

The Providence Journal today has the story.

For those who haven't heard about Jason Ng. There is an excellent essay on wikipedia about his death in Rhode Island.

My heart is with his widow and children.

President Obama, We Don't Need This Kind Of Thing

This is not good news.


The Campaign for Community Change has some clear and helpful information.

Celebrating Community Service on Valentine's Day

Oddly, the Olneyville Neighborhood Association doesn't have a website or blog, I think. But it is a remarkable group of people and they send me emails. My interview there was conducted by several of the board members...and I learned that one of them was my neighbor, living only two houses away from me...

This Community Defense Network is made up of people all over Rhode Island, and probably Massachusetts, et cet.


¡el día de amor y amistad, celebra con la comunidad!
Sábado, 14 de febrero



Celebración del primer aniversario

de la Red de Defensa



en solo un año hemos

· dado consejos urgentes y apoyo directa a 55 personas

· repartido 2,000 tarjetas de conoce tus derechos

· proveído talleres de "conoce tus derechos" a mas de 300 personas

· logrado 2 intervenciones exitosas – que no agarraron a las personas

· organizado una protesta inmediata de 200 personas en contra la redada en las cortes


Ven y reconoce a los voluntarios que lo han hecho posible – come la comida más rica y disfruta la música, el amor y la amistad de nuestra comunidad y la donación de un cuadro precioso por la artista Salvadoreña Alicia Preza

de las 6:00 de la tarde hasta las 9:00

en ONA (122 de la Manton, donde está el flea market)



Donación: $5 - $25 (lo que puedas)



Llamanos al (401)228-8996 o envíanos un mensaje a onaprovidence@gmail.com
ONA – Asociación de Vecinos de Olneyville

On St. Valentine's day, celebrate with the community!
Saturday, February 14



Celebration of the first anniversary of the

Red de Defensa (Community Defense Network)


In only one year, we have

· given urgent advice and support to 55 people

· distributed 2,000 "know your rights" cards

· held "know your rights" workshops for more than 300 people

· had 2 successful interventions – the people were not taken away

· organized an immediate protest of 200 people against the courthouse raids


Come and recognize the volunteers who have made it possible – eat delicious food and enjoy music, love, and friendship of our community and
the donation of a beautiful painting by Salvadoran artist Alicia Preza

from 6:00 until 9:00pm

at ONA (122 Manton – where the flea market is)



Donation: $5 - $25 (what you can)



Call us at (401)228-8996 or send a message to onaprovidence@gmail.com
ONA –Olneyville Neighborhood Association

Good News from the ACLU (Rhode Island chapter)

Hi Everyone,


We have a 2nd showing of The Visitor scheduled. It will take place Wednesday, February 11 at the Cable Car Cinema again, and it is free and open to the public. The only change from the last one is that it will begin at 6:45pm. Based on the turnout last time, I would suggest getting there early if you missed it the first time. If anyone needs any more information or has questions, let me know.


See you there!

Amy


Amy Vitale

Program Coordinator

ACLU of Rhode Island

128 Dorrance Street, Suite 220

Providence, RI 02903

(t)401-831-7171

(f)401-831-7175

RI ACLU Presents "The Visitor" -- 1/14/09

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
of Rhode Island is pleased to present a screening of:


The Visitor

Starring Trinity Repertory Theater alum, Richard Jenkins,The Visitor, tells the story of an American college professor and a young immigrant couple grappling with the treatment of immigrants and the legal process post-9/11.



When: January 14, 2009 7:00 PM
Where: The Cable Car Cinema @ 204 South Main Street, Providence
Free and open to the public
The film will be followed by a short question and answer period
with local civil liberties experts.


Presented in partnership with the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence,
International Institute of Rhode Island, Participant Media and Active Voice
For directions, contact the Cable Car Cinema: (401)272-3970


1 9 5 9 - 2 0 0 9
Protecting Civil Liberties in
Rhode Island for 50 years
401-831-7171 www.riaclu.org

Prison Where Jason Ng Died Is Facing Inquiry and Will Get No More Immigrant Detainees

The Rhode Island facility is under investigation for its treatment of a Chinese computer engineer from New York who died in custody last summer.

read more | digg story

About four years ago, one of my clients was held at the Wyatt Detention Center. He was born in the U.S., but had collected benefits with two social security numbers. Federal benefits...I met him before and after his incarceration. He had AIDS and looked like Ichabod Crane, before being locked up. I mean before the client was locked up -- I don't think that was Mr. Crane's situation...My client sent me letters from Central Falls detailing the medical neglect and horrors visited upon him by some of the staff. Ironically, or not, the ones who helped him were other inmates, some of whom had been his associates on the streets. He was so frail...I forwarded his letters to his primary doctor and to his attorney...Thanks probably to their efforts or to ??? a H.P. ???, this colorful and fragile person was sent to a nursing home for part of his confinement...My last conversation with him was sheer serendipity: in the (now endangered) Smith Hill Library.

Details Emerge on Hiu Lui Ng's Detention at Wyatt Center (RI)

128 Dorrance Street
Suite 220
Providence, RI 02903
(p) 401 831-7171
(f) 401 831-7175
riaclu@riaclu.org


NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2008


ACLU CHARGES WYATT DETENTION FACILITY WITH

MISLEADING PUBLIC ON DEATH OF IMMIGRANT DETAINEE



Relying on a just-released court transcript, the Rhode Island ACLU charged today that officials at the Wyatt Detention Center were deliberately misleading in their public pronouncements on the death of Hiu Lui Ng, a Chinese national, at their facility in August. The transcript, the ACLU said, also lends credence to the view that Ng, near death and experiencing great pain, was dragged from his cell at Wyatt by immigration officials and forced to travel to Hartford, Connecticut in reprisal for a petition filed on July 29th by family lawyers seeking his release from prison because of his severe medical condition. Mr. Ng died a week later, on August 6th, as the result of complications from advanced cancer; he was also found to have a broken spine. The RI ACLU is preparing a civil suit on behalf of the family.



At a hearing held before U.S. District Judge William Smith on July 31, 2008, less than a week before Ng’s death, the transcript reveals that the attorney for the federal government claimed that Ng was getting “more than adequate medical care” and that “any suggestion that he hasn’t received adequate medical care is really stretching it.” At the same time, the government attorney also stated, just days before Ng died of advanced cancer, that Wyatt’s medical records revealed only that Ng had “lower back strain and sciatica.” This stands in direct contradiction to a statement that Wyatt officials issued shortly after Ng’s death, in which they claimed that Ng’s “diagnoses came as the direct result of medical care and special diagnostic evaluation recommended by the facility’s medical staff.”



The transcript further reveals that federal officials had no logical answer as to why, just one day after attorneys filed the lawsuit seeking his release from Wyatt, he was dragged from his cell and transported to Hartford, Connecticut for a day. The following colloquy on that issue took place at the in-chambers court hearing:



THE COURT: I don’t get it. Nobody knows why he was in Hartford, why he was taken to Hartford?

[GOV’T ATTORNEY]: …My understanding is that he was taken to Hartford so they could afford him a better opportunity to speak by telephone with his counsel in private . . .

THE COURT: Why would they take him from Wyatt to Hartford to talk to attorneys and talk to family members? That doesn’t make any sense. All the facilities are available at Wyatt.

[GOV’T ATTORNEY]: I’m not sure, your Honor. I don’t know exactly why that transpired that way.



RI ACLU volunteer attorney Jack McConnell, from the law firm of Motley Rice, LLC, has also been having difficulty getting records of Mr. Ng’s stay at the facility from Wyatt officials. A court hearing to compel disclosure is scheduled in R.I. Superior Court for December 10th. McConnell said today:

“We are seeking justice for the unfortunate death of Mr. Ng, yet we are being stymied by Wyatt at getting to the truth.”

http://www.riaclu.org/01122008.htm

December 10 -- International Human Rights Day

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS and please spread the word!!

On December 10, 2008, on International Human Rights Day, Union del Barrio and the Frente Contra las Redadas will be denouncing the United States government for its continued policy of Immigration Raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We will first gather in front of the Placita Olvera Church and from there we will march together towards the Downtown Los Angeles Federal Building to hold a vigil in memory of all those who have died at the US/Mexican border, and to denouce the continued ICE terrorism against our communities.

We believe that the separation of families and the constant terror that is experienced by the migrant and immigrant communities are a direct violation of our Human Rights as outlined by the United Nations charter on Human Rights. We are calling on all honest forces; individuals and organizations to join us in sending a clear message to the next president-elect of the United States to STOP the ICE RAIDS immediately!

Please forward this to your contacts so that we can send this message loud and clear; STOP THE RAIDS NOW!!!

To endorse this action please contact us by emailing us at udbla@aol.com or by calling us at 323-602-3245.

In solidarity,

Ron Gochez

Social Justice Educator/Community Organizer

Union Del Barrio- Los Angeles

Base Tierra y Libertad!

Thank You, RI ACLU

ACLU of Rhode Island
128 Dorrance Street / Suite 220 / Providence, RI 02903
email: riaclu@riaclu.org / web: www.riaclu.org

NEWS RELEASE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008


ACLU FILES CONTEMPT MOTION AGAINST GOVERNOR

OVER IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ORDER

I

The Rhode Island ACLU has filed a motion in R.I. Superior Court, asking that the state be held in contempt or subject to a restraining order for ignoring the dictates of a September 15th court ruling addressing the legality of Governor Donald Carcieri’s controversial “immigration executive order” requiring all vendors and contractors with the state to participate in the federal employment authorization system known as E-Verify.



The court had found that the state likely violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) by implementing the E-Verify mandate without providing the public any advance opportunity to comment on any regulations governing its implementation. The court directed the state to promulgate rules in accordance with the APA. However, the ACLU was recently advised that, although the state had commenced the rule-making process, it had also adopted “emergency” regulations for the program, to take effect immediately, thus circumventing the advance notice and comment mandate.



The APA allows for the adoption of emergency regulations, but only if necessary to address an “imminent peril to the public health, safety or welfare.” In attempting to justify filing the rules on an emergency basis, the state cited the July courthouse raids, which resulted in the detention of 32 janitors alleged to be illegally in the country, and the state’s high unemployment rate. The ACLU’s brief, filed by volunteer attorney Randy Olen, calls those justifications “specious,” and further notes that it has been seven months since the executive order was first issued and three months since the raids took place. The brief claims that the state is seeking to “reward itself for violating the APA” by suddenly claiming an emergency.



The brief asks the court to find the state in contempt or to issue a temporary restraining order to halt implementation of the emergency regulations. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Wednesday. A copy of the ACLU’s brief is available at www.riaclu.org.



ACLU attorney Olen said today: “The APA allows for the immediate adoption of a temporary regulation only in exceptional cases involving a true emergency. The state’s attempt to justify the use of this extraordinary provision on the basis of the discovery of a handful of individuals cleaning offices without formal work authorization is nothing short of outrageous and a brazen misuse of authority. This transparent attempt to again circumvent the requirements of the APA is itself unlawful, and the Defendants should not be allowed to benefit from it.”

October 11: Unite for Justice and Peace!

http://www.oct11.org/pdfs/Oct11_protest-RhodeIs.pdf

Alas, my attempts to copy this flyer have failed, but I think the link works...

ACLU Takes Case Of Immigrant Who Died In Custody

The RI affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union is providing legal representation to the family of Hui Liu Ng, the 34-year-old Chinese detainee who died last month at Donald W. Wyatt detention facility while in the custody of immigration authorities. Ng died of complications from cancer and a fractured spine, according to his NY attorneys.

read more | digg story

Ciara Durkin -- How Can One Year Have Passed?

CPL. Ciara M. Durkin
1977-2007
Website created, owned, and operated by the Durkin Family.
Latest News
Last updated September 24, 2008
The Durkin Family participates in the Quincy Medical Center's Cancer Walk.
Since September 28, 2007, the Durkin Family has been involved in several memorials in Ciara's name.


As many of you know, each year our family and friends participate in a walk to raise money for cancer prevention. Our mother, Angela, and our sister Deirdre, are both breast cancer survivors, but we had been doing this walk for many years before Deirdre's diagnosis. In fact, it was this Medical Center that detected Deirdre's cancer early which prevented it from spreading.

This year, the walk is especially dear to our hearts because it coincides with
the first anniversary of our darling sister Ciara's passing. Ciara died in Afghanistan
on the 28th of September, 2007. While Ciara was in Afghanistan, she made an online donation with the dedication: "I give because I learned to stay strong
here in Afghanistan because of your courage. I love you".

In honor of Ciara, the hospital's Cancer Resource Library is being renamed
the "Ciara Durkin Resource Center."

Joining our team of walkers this year is our mother. She is
participating in the walk for the first time in memory of Ciara.


We hope that you will visit our webpage at http://www.firstgiving.com/positivethinkers (link below) and make a donation for this very worthy cause.
The Durkin Family to Participate in the
2008 Quincy Medical Center's Cancer Walk

On October 11th of 2008, the Durkin Family will have an anniversary mass for Ciara at
Saint Gregory's Parish in Dorchester, MA (see link below for a map).

This mass will begin at 4:00pm, and all are welcome to attend.
Anniversary Mass for Ciara

Aifreann chinn bhliana i dTeach Pobal Bhantiarna Lourdes agus Naomh Colm Cille, Leitir Móir, Dé Sathairn, 4 Deireadh Fómhair, ag 7.30 i.n.
Aifreann Chinn Bhliana do Chiara


We have heard from some members of Ciara's "army family," and their stories and reminiscences have brought us great comfort. We look forward to hearing from other soldiers who served with Ciara, especially those soldiers of whom she spoke often and with such fondness. Any communications will be treated with confidentiality. Please email info@ciaraweerabrat.com if you wish to contact the family.
Ciara's "Army Family"
We've added some information on Ciara's interment at Arlington National Cemetery.
Click here to see the page...http://www.ciaraweerabrat.com/


Most of the above is an excerpt from an email I received from Ciara Durkin's family...The technical errors in this post are my fault, NOT the fault of her family.

Aftermath of Jason Ng's Death in Detention in RI

After Hiu Lui Ng, a Chinese immigrant, died in detention, elected officials have voiced concern and Mr. Ng's family has set up a fund for donors.

read more | digg story

ACLU Sues Rhode Island Over Carcieri’s Executive Order |

"The ACLU filed its law suit on behalf of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and two Rhode Island College professors -- Anne Marie Mumm and Daniel Weisman -- who have contracts with the state and who object to participation in the [E-Verify]program.

read more | digg story

Rhode Island --- Mississippi Connection ---Protect Us From Hard Working People

ICE Detains Hundreds in Workplace Raid


Monday, August 25, 2008

After answering the phone, Bill Chandler, director of MIRA! (the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, based in Jackson), blurted out, “The ICE raid is in progress right now at Howard Industries, in Laurel, Mississippi.” Laurel is a small town of about 18,000 people; Howard Industries employs about 800 workers.

Earlier this morning, Department of Homeland Security agents began descending on different work sites in Mississippi to unleash another brutal immigration raid. According to Mr. Chandler, DHS began renting hotel space over the past few days, indicating the presence of hundreds of Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

MIRA also reports ICE placed the Southern Hens poultry plant under lockdown, which employs nearly 2,000 people in Mossell, Mississippi. Mossell is between Hattiesburg and Laurel on I-59.

And on Sunday night ICE set up roadblocks near the Wal-Mart in Hattiesburg, an illegal detentive stop to check for immigration status of passersby’s.


ICE agents have already gone into the Howard Industries plant in Laurel, where some 800 workers manufacture ballast for office lights, neon tubes and transformers. Approximately half the workers there are Latinos. Howard Industries has three plants; one in Laurel, Magee and Ellisville. ICE also raided Howard corporate offices in Ellisville.


ICE has arrested so many workers at the Laurel Howard plant that operations have been shut down. MIRA has already received reports of scores of children being left behind without their parents who ICE arrested at the Howard Industries plant.


ICE Raid, SB 2988 and MS’s Inglorious Present


The brutal ICE raid now taking place in Laurel and other parts harkens back to Mississippi’s shameful past of Jim Crow segregation, police brutality and violence. The current state laws, the national anti-immigrant climate and hangovers from Mississippi’s inglorious past made Jones County ripe for ICE to conduct their usual raids that trample on constitutional rights and communities.

Laurel has the distinction of being located in Jones County, headquarters for two notorious racist and anti-immigrant groups, the KKK and MFIRE, the Mississippi branch of FAIR, the national anti-immigrant group.

Earlier this year the Mississippi legislature passed and the Governor signed into law Senate bill 2988, the most draconian employer sanctions law passed to date in the U.S. that further criminalizes workers, especially immigrants, and opens the door for employers to discriminate against Latinos and others.

SB 2988 makes it a felony to work without authorization in Mississippi. SB 2988 imposes a one to five year prison sentence and hefty fines of $1,000 to $10,000. No one has yet been charged under SB 2988.

Today’s ICE raid however opens the door to using both federal and state laws, including SB 2988, in a new way. This has everyone on edge. Mr. Chandler added, “Now we are all waiting to see what will happen to people being arrested at Howard Industries.”

Support Needed to Counter ICE Raid Impacts

Mr. Chandler said, “We had been expecting the raids, either on the coast or in Hattiesburg. We were getting information that ICE was in hotels in the coast and other preparations were going on in Hattiesburg.”

MIRA began holding community meetings on the Mississippi coast and Hattiesburg areas all last week, getting the word out for the last ten days that an ICE raid was underway. MIRA advised workers of their Constitutional rights, to remain silent if arrested, and to prepare for the crackdown.

Now MIRA is seeking the help of lawyers. There is deep worry among the community about the raids and their aftermath.

MIRA has prepared social services and legal help for all persons, including families and others, affected by the ICE raid.

Bill closed by saying, “Most of what we are getting today is that ICE is focusing on Jones County; but haven’t had calls from all areas. We have had calls from chicken plants in and around Laurel. We had expected the raids to occur at chicken plants; it was a surprise, it’s a different industry. Howard Industries gets state and federal funding to operate.”

Support MIRA: Stop the ICE Raids

MIRA is now in meeting with families affected by the raid to assess what their needs are and also working with lawyers to deal with arraignments of workers swept up in the raid. MIRA needs attorneys to volunteer their services and help the detained workers.

Please visit the MIRA website to make an on-line donation at:

www.yourmira.org



Send in a check or money order, payable to “MIRA,” write in the memo “Relief for families affected by raids” and mail to:

MIRA!

PO 1104

Jackson, MS 39215



To support MIRA’s legal project, call (601) 354-9355

For media inquiries, (601) 968-5182.


Take Action to Stop the ICE Raids

Call or fax the following officials, demand an END to ICE raids and to stop the attack the rights of immigrant families, workers and communities



Mississippi Congressional Delegations:

House: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/index.html

Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MS



MS Gov. Haley Barbour

Tel (601) 359-3100 * Fax (601) 359-3741

governor@governor.state.ms.us



Call your Congressional delegation:

Find your Senators telephone and fax numbers at:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm



Find your Representative’s number at:

http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/index.html



Tell them: Stop all immigration detentions & deportations, end raids:



· ICE raids traumatize families, undermine worker’s rights and violate the rights of citizens and non-citizens.

· Immigration collaboration with local, county and state police and other public agencies undermine community trust and make our communities vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation.

· ICE raids and enforcement operations destabilize our communities and disrupt the economy.

· The problem with ICE raids is so fundamental that Department of Homeland Security should end all such enforcement operations.

· Congress must stop the raids and hold hearings on the impact on DHS/ICE on immigration raids and enforcement operations. Restore due process rights and make our communities safe!



To file a complaint against ICE agent on ICE abuses during enforcement operation or immigration raid:

Call the Joint Intake Center ATTN: Duty Agent

Fax (202) 344-3390 and (202) 927-4607

Toll-free: 1 (877) 2INTAKE (1-877-246-8253)



_______________________________________________________

Arnoldo Garcia

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados

310 8th Street Suite 303

Oakland, CA 94607

Tel (510) 465-1984 ext. 305

Fax (510) 465-1885


www.nnirr.blogspot.com

www.nnirr.org



Join HURRICANE: the human rights immigrant community action network -- help build community power for justice & human rights!

Unete al HURACAN: la red de accion de comunidades inmigrantes para los derechos humanos -- construyendo el poder de las comunidades por la justicia y los derechos humanos!

Gratitude for RI's Catholic Bishop

http://a
p.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEs6RUeap5i0N9b8MOWoBo6EQS7AD92MT5KG0

This is good news.