"We are brothers and sisters in a nonviolent, silent demonstration, standing in Solidarity with the UCSD students who have been affected by blatant acts of ignorance and hatred".
eu9 thai
9 months ago
Its a little hard to put into words the experience of growing up in North Richmond, just one of the neighborhoods in the city where drugs and crime have the upper hand. I remember being almost immune to the sound of gunshots because they were so common. I also remember having to walk the same sidewalk where a woman's brains had been splattered the night before, on my way to get the bus to school. And then, there was that time when there was a drive-by on my street, where several people were gunned down, at 7:30 in the morning while kids were heading to the bus stop for school. I would have been amongst those gunned down had I not already been at school because I had an early class that year. Heavy experiences for youth and everyone else who desired to live in peace.
If I said that the killing of this young mother was a surprise I'd be lying. The entire city has a reputation. Just this past Sunday, a couple of guys actually walked into a church in Richmond and opened fire. A church! Luckily, nobody died, but two people were hit, this time the intended targets. Its pure senseless madness, and it has me wondering, what will come of us? Us as people who still live in neighborhoods like this. Us as people who want to go back to our neighborhoods bearing resources. Us as a people. Period. Do you have any idea how much of a challenge it is to rise above these kinds of conditions? When you are living in the middle of a war zone and every direction points in, instead of out?
I just really feel for this woman's children. In a split second, two children were left without their mother, and a baby will never get to take its first breath.
Below is a song by a couple of friends of mine who go by the name The Wryters. They give a little account of what its like growing up in Richmond from the perspective of young black men. Take a listen.
That's what students were met with, and felt, as they stood up for public education.
As the occupation of Wheeler Hall took place, the Chancellor not only called in the UCPD, but he also felt the need to call in city law enforcement, who arrived in riot gear, obviously ready to do battle. They agitated the hundreds of supporters outside the building, and began pushing them, poking them, and beating them with their batons, all while our Chancellor sent out emails throughout the day saying how the safety of the students was a priority. There are reports that a woman's hand was broken by a police baton, and there are others with bruises from the rubber bullets. The ecalation was a real surprise and shock. We had already had two days of peaceful protest and were rounding up the campaign against the fee hike with a third. We had seen the beatings and pepper spraying of UCLA students and were happy that it wasn't happening on our campus... and then suddenly, it was.
Thankfully, none of our moms or babies were hurt, as we had received word of the police presence and planned accordingly. But, we were still there!
On the front lines! Arms linked, and not taking no shit, because, we don't set foot on campus everyday just for ourselves, but for our children and families. They can't just request $2,500 more from us and expect us to hand it over willingly. I can happy that I will not be returning next semester for various reasons, however, saddened for what this means for those who will be returning or just entering (and those "just entering" will be few).
Take a look at the short videos below to have a first hand look at just how much of a priority the safety of UC Berkeley's students were on Friday.
We stood in solidarity this week, and were semi-defeated with the approval of the proposed 32% fee hike to tuition within the UC system. So, that means that $2,500 will be tacked onto the already $4,176 - $4, 874 (depending if you have opted to be covered under the University's health insurance plan) next semester, bringing tuition costs to $6,676 - $7,374 for Spring 2010. This is detrimental to students who are already struggling to pay for their education, and it is devastating for certain campus communities, such as students of color and student-parents. Although the Regents say that low-income students will be shielded from this hike, we are having a hard time trusting that. The fact that the University is laying workers and faculty off left and right, closing child care centers, imposing new regulations and eliminating vital resources, DOES NOT provide any ease. We all fear that this is the beginning of the "death of public education".
We have been reminded by fellow students that this decision to approve the fee hike was not solely the decision of the UC Regents, but more of a snowball effect of our dry state. California's budget crisis has not improved and people are still feeling the sting of frigged air from being left out in the cold for what is starting to feel like forever. Whatever the reasons, we simply CAN NOT afford to dish out more money, and we are being told that neither can the financial systems that have been in place to aid us. So, then what? What happens to the student who has invested so much, but can not afford to continue on the journey? What happens to high schoolers who may not be able to get fully funded? How will the University, particularly, UC Berkeley, maintain its status as one of the most prestigious schools in the country if it has to shut out thousands of hopeful applicants? There will surely be some interesting times ahead as things continue to unfold.
The movement to stand up, fight for what is right, and be heard, will press on today, as students have organized themselves for another day of protesting. There is still a great belief in the power of a mass and collectivity. The hope is that the University will see that the students they serve "ARE the University and they have the power to shut it down". No business as usual for many, even as the semester is ending and finals are being thought up, students still have justice on the brain. I can't predict an outcome, but I can show my support by participating in the movement as I have been while I am still officially on campus, and show my solidarity to my UC Berkeley community once I move on.
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Click here to read the story of my friend, and UC Berkeley single dad, Ramon Quintero, as he bussed down to LA with other UCB students for the UC Regents meeting. He is an inspiration and he couldn't have made his Cal student-parent community more proud!
(Note: "We are the University and we have the power to shut it down"... its ringing true, if only for today, as UCB strikers have succeeded in shutting down one of the buildings on campus in massive protest. The same is in progress at UC Davis.)
We are STILL in the fight!
If you have been following the national news, you will have learned of the recent gang rape of a 15 year old girl, outside of a high school homecoming dance. The crime scene? My alma mater. I can't even explain the level of shock that came over me as I stood in front of my tv watching the local news report. Gang rape? People watching? People filming? WHAT?
Being a high schooler at Richmond High wasn't a cake walk when I was a student there. We were faced with outdated materials, the school district's debt, low quality instruction, and the occasional experience of a teacher leaving a classroom in the middle of a semester because s/he was offered a better opportunity at a "better" school. Within this, there were a few teachers and administration who truly gave a damn. Two of those people are part of the reason that I was able to recognize UC Berkeley as a possibility. I had a teacher who saw potential in me in my Freshman year at RHS, and he nominated me for a scholarship. Through that scholarship, I was paired with a mentor for four years, who took me around networking, bought my prom dress, and volunteered her car for my driving test that landed me a license. Our career councilor took me under her wing and made sure that I knew about every single scholarship that came across her desk. As a result, I graduated from Richmond High School with $55,000 in scholarships, including a full ride to Cal.
But that was then. Recent years at RHS haven't even had a career councilor. Recent years at RHS haven't yielded scholarships. Recent years at RHS seem to be extremely different and severe. And now, students are faced with further tarnishment of the school's name and reputation. This is an unacceptable high school experience. An unbelievable high school environment... one in which students are expected to excel and are viewed as incapable and un-valuable when they do not.
My heart goes out to the victim and I am wishing her all the best in her recovery from this horrible ordeal. I am incredibly proud of the students who have stood up and made their voices heard about their worth and how this crime has affected them. Proud of the girl who had the courage to call the police after she saw the victim in distress. I am also glad that the boys involved are being rounded up and arrested and I am hoping that justice will prevail in this case.
Join me over at Moms of Hue, where I talk about the beautiful contribution that my friend, and fellow student single mother, Koko Mulder, has made to student families at the University of California, Berkeley.
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In lieu of the proposed 32% tuition hike for next year, both students and faculty from UC campuses statewide have come together in solidarity and claimed today, September 24th as a day of action. UC Berkeley has staged a walkout and rally to "fight the power" scheduled to take place at noon. Those who are not walking out will stay in and hold teach-ins, where they will lecture to students about the budget crisis, cuts and what it all means. The picket lines are already in full swing and the people are descending on the campus, getting ready to band together. The budget crisis and mass budget cuts to the state and UC system has left furloughs, pay cuts, and layoffs in its wake, not to mention less classes being offered as a direct effect of this. These nouveau institutional conditions are already a burden on students who are striving to complete their academic careers, but fee hikes add a whole new dimension. This would not only be detrimental to folks who are still on the grind, but also to students who hope to come into the UC system.
Within the CSU system, students have already been turned away in large numbers because of the campuses' inability to support them, and my campus, good old Cal, is planning to admit a large number of international students because their tuition costs are higher than students who have CA residency; thus the University can pull in more money from these students to fill in financial gaps left by the current crisis. Like I said, this situation is pretty urgent. Desparate times are calling for desparate measures, but there are costs.
A part of me wants to believe that the rising up of students and faculty today will make an impact, however, from experience, I know that no matter how big the number and how strong the support, the University is an institution and it will do whatever it has to in order to save itself. They already know this fee hike is a serious proposal. They already know that faculty are fighting to keep their jobs and fighting for a livable wage. They already know that students are losing out big time and are pissed off about it. They know all of this, yet, at the end of the day, they've said that there isn't anything else they can do except for what they are already doing, which is to continue to lay off and induce furloughs.
We'll see what impact the contributions of those across the 10 UC campuses will make on the powers that be.
I know you've seen the reports and heard the stories about teens sexting up a storm. The act of sharing naked or half naked pictures of themselves or others via picture mail on their cell. Apparently this is a huge issue, and one that carries a penalty under the law if carried out. Teens are being charged with possession of child pornography, are being convicted, and are having to register as sex offenders. All behind taking the private semi public. So far, it seems like the uproar is based on the respectability argument when it comes to girls and a sort of "protection from the real sex offenders" standpoint. Although it is true that pictures can always end up in the wrong hands, and often do (friends of the boyfriend/girlfriend) after bad breakups between the young minded, to be labeled as a sex offender because you send or receive a picture from your boyfriend/girlfriend is a bit harsh in my opinion. Especially when we have people who rape, molest, and murder who also wear that label.
I am torn on how I feel about the whole thing. I mean, I do think that there should be some kind of regulation of adolescent bodies in the virtual world, but its a little hard to regulate something that is always one step ahead of the game. How can you really ensure that your teen's body will not be shared with or without consent? If the option of picture mail is obsolete, there are still places like Myspace and Facebook where they can still be shared. Parents may take away cell phones and request that their child remove themselves from social media sites, but I asure you, new accounts will be opened right up under your nose, thus, bodies will be shared whether we want them to be or not. So then, is criminalizing the practice really the answer? I guess the problem is where technology, society and the law meet. There is always one just outside of the other. In this situation, it is the law that is outside of morality. I'm extremely torn on any possibilities. If we were talking about cyber bullying, I would think that it should be criminalized, but even that does not carry a label that will hinder one's growth as a person. To be labeled a sex offender is kind of like afixing a Defective sticker to a person. I'm just not sure that a teen should be punished in this way for this type of... offense.
What do you think?
I don't know about you, but I am really fed up with crime in general, but especially crime against women and children. I can only hope that one day, we will be able to send our children out into the world without the fear that they will never return. And trust those who are suppose to be officially trustworthy to provide love and care to our children instead of harm. My heart goes out to the family of Sandra Cantu and to their entire community because they have now experienced the unspeakable.
I am personally having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that the accused holds an important position within the church, but then again, I do think that many of us STILL are in denial that within all of us lie demons. We can not hold people up as deities when they are but flesh & blood, just like us. Not to say that we should have to go around with our children tied to us 24/7 or that we should be looking over our shoulders and watching our backs at every turn... but should we?
What are your thoughts?
Where do I even begin...
In the course of attempting to set visitation, physical contact and verbal communication boundaries and guidelines between myself, Miss J and her dad, it all resulted in more of the same. Him first agreeing to these guidelines, but then not respecting the boundaries set and instead trying to overpower and threaten me...
In a final meeting with the advocate from the Family Violence Law Center, I found out that my situation DOES NOT qualify for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order. Since he has not physically hurt me or threatened to do so within the last 3-6 months, their center can not assist me. And although their website mentions that they help with "custody" issues as well as restraining orders, they can not assist me with that either, but she did referred me to other law centers, and associates and legal clinics who may be able to.
The common theme between the advocates and the police is "custody", so my next legal option and quest is to file for sole custody of my daughter. This is the only way to free myself from his control and to also free my daughter from this dysfunction.
After making an appointment to speak with an attorney on campus for some legal advice, talking to a few other parents who have gone through the process and getting a stern talking-to, loving support and valuable advice from the woman on campus who none of us parents would be able to survive the Cal experience without, I have decided to breathe. I have decided to change my phone number this week. I have decided to place his ass in the back of my mind. I have decided that I will not let him take my degree from me. I have decided that I will continue to seek advice from legal clinics and pick up the custody paperwork. I have decided to call his bluff. I have decided to deal with the custody process if he decides to file for joint custody before I earn my degree or before I find a job, as it will look better on my part (as if his part could possibly look better than mine) if I had my degree and a job before seeking sole custody so that I can further prove that I am capable of caring for and raising my child without any of his contribution. I have decided that we will relocate to a safe and unknown location once I have completely my final courses. I have decided that we deserve happiness.
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As I sat down in the office of "the woman on campus who none of us parents would be able to survive the Cal experience without", in hopes that she would be able to give me some kind of advice or list of resources that would just make him disappear out of our lives forever, or at least until Miss J's 18th birthday, I first checked in to see if she was extremely busy with more important matters. Turns out, she was. She was visiting the website of a Cal graduate student who was asking for donations for his son who was hit by a car on Friday. "Frank Cruz?" I said. That name sounds really familiar. Then she said something else and I yelled out, "WAIT! Frank Cruz. I know him!". "His son was hit by a truck", she said. "Oh my God, is he ok?" And then she said it. "No... he didn't make it". And then I lost it.
Miss J, and Zachary Michael Cruz first met when they were a year old. At the birthday party of a mutual friend. We had hell getting all 3 to stay put on the couch long enough to take this picture. You had the birthday girl, Miss Katie, my Jalia, who was 2 seconds away from breaking out into her Halle Berry ugly cry, and then you had the sweet and sensitive Zach. Who wanted to stay close to dad, who wasn't cool with all that loud clapping and happy dancing going on at the party, who just wanted to stay to himself and peep the scene a bit. But who blossomed into a fearless, bright smile having, huge heart possessing, sports loving, "Hey Barbara, guess what" telling, most wonderful little boy that you could have ever known. It was impossible not to fall in love with someone as special and precious as Zach.
On Friday, February 27, 2009, Zach was hit by a truck while on his way to an after school program with other students and a teacher. It is believed that he died instantly since he could not be revived by those who tried to give him CPR on the scene. He was a happy Kindergartener and would have celebrated his 6th birthday on March 12th.
I was crushed by the news and my heart aches. It aches for his family, it aches because his life was cut short and it aches for my daughter, because I am going to have to explain to her that the friend we saw just a couple of weeks ago in the Apple store, is now no longer alive. I will have to remind, both myself and her, to remember all the good times that we were able to spend with him, and to remember how much he said that he was enjoying his new school and his time in Kindergarten. We will have to remember those times and to keep him in our hearts forever.
In memory of Zach, his parents have created a website, and they are asking for donations to help with the cost of Zach's funeral services. I am opening my heart here and asking you to please help this family with anything that you can. It would be so gratefully appreciated. If you can, please help Frank and Jodie Cruz put "our" Zach to rest by visiting www.zacharymichaelcruz.com. And then tell a friend, and hopefully that friend will tell a friend, and so on.
I thank you so much in advance.
Larry Seidlin, the loony ass judge that presided over the Anna Nicole Smith trial, thinks that we need to "save the state" from Nadya Suleman. Interesting.
Attorney Gloria Aldridge speaks of possible legal action being taken against Nadya if she refuses the assistance of nurses from an NGO called Angels in Waiting, when the babies come home. Interesting.
Is there any way to turn this whole thing off? I am sick to DEATH of hearing about this shit. JESUS H. CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can't I just get the weather or the local news when I turn on the tv? Why I gotta hear about how much everyone seems to hate her every second of the god damned day??? Can someone please tell me that? Or better yet, can someone please inform the media that there are much more important issues in the world to be "reporting" on? Every time this lady farts, a reporter is not only there to smell it, but also to do a full report on its length and pitch. This shit is becoming just as bad as reality tv culture... which is a totally different post for a totally different day/early morning after I've had a full night's sleep.
Looks like my hometown (Richmond, CA) was able to step up to ensure that the future of its students would not be denied as a direct result of school closures. The city pledged $1.5 million, which saved 4 schools from the chopping block. However, this victory is bittersweet because other schools still remain on the closure list awaiting their cities to "bail them out", and there is concern that in another 2 years the city will be right back to a point of needing to close schools in order to "save the state".
I know that in situations like what we are currently in, as far as the state of the economy and all, things will get worse before they get better, but I do hope and pray for a speedy recovery. Lives have been touched greatly by this crisis and lives are at stake. We need a resolution to this madness. At a time when those approaching college graduation are deciding to stay on for an extra year or hurry off to grad school to hide out until things get better, there lives a level of fear in graduates who either do not have these options or can not afford to take advantage of them. Come May, I am gonna need a lot of Charoite in my life.
-Johannes Mehserle had a bail hearing today, in which bail was granted. The judge set bail at $3 million, stating that Mehserle was not a flight risk or a danger to the community.
-Mehserle has hired a new attorney who is arguing that the crime committed was not murder, but manslaughter.
-A second officer, Tony Pirone, is currently under investigation. Pirone, who pinned Grant's head to the ground with his knee right before Mehserle fired his gun was also seen, on video, leaving a man unattended to go punch a restrained Grant in the face, knocking him to the ground.
-"Resisting arrest" charges dropped against a man who was beaten by Mehserle a few weeks before the killing of Oscar Grant.
-Oakland police department under investigation in cases involving the mishandling of warrants.
-Mehserle says that he "thought Grant had a gun". (at what point, since Grant's hands were behind his back?)
-News of the "bail, not jail" led to more angry protests today in Oakland and heavy police presence was enforced to try to avoid rioting.
-UC Berkeley's BAMN (Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration
& Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary) teamed up with other UC campuses, including Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz for a statewide march for demands in the case:
• Jail All the Killer Cops
• End BART's and District Attorney Orloff's cover-up—Open an independent public investigation of the murder
• Disarm the BART police, and keep the BART police out of Oakland
• Drop all the charges against protesters
-BAMN held a press conference + speakout on the UC Berkeley campus
Since the mini riot in Oakland, CA, there have been a number of other peaceful protests in Oakland and San Francisco, as well as members of the community and community leaders attending meetings with BART and the district attorney's office. There has been an overwhelming push for the arrest of Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer who killed Oscar Grant on New Years day, and now it has finally happened. Mehserle was arrested yesterday in Nevada on a warrant for murder that was issued by Alameda County. The Bay Area now awaits Mehserle's return. You can read more about his arrest --->here<---.
Although this is a victory toward justice, there is still the possibility that there will be no justice for Oscar Grant in this case. Authorities have worries about finding an impartial jury should this case go to trial. Will the jury be able to view the video evidence without police bias? They feel that the level of emotion surrounding the case and the personal experiences and views of people concerning the police will not allow for a fair trial. Will this trial be a repeat of the Rodney King trial, which also had video evidence? Will Mehserle walk? With little faith in the justice system, he could, but I see that being difficult to explain since he was clearly captured firing the fatal shot. In any case, I hope Mehserle now has his story straight because we are all waiting to hear it.
The fight continues as there will be another protest today in Oakland calling for justice. Protesters will stage a "die-in", where they will lay face down on the ground with their hands behind their backs. They have also built a coffin that will also be used symbolically during the protest. Aside from community leaders and ordinary citizens rallying around this issue, UC Berkeley's civil rights activist group BAMN (Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration
& Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary) has also gotten involved in the "movement".
BAMN organizer and UCB alum Ronald Cruz writes,
This is an important first victory for the movement fighting for justice
for Oscar Grant. We can and must make sure that Mehserle and all the cops
who assisted are convicted and that killings like this never happen again
in Oakland. We must continue to stand strong and fight for our demands:
* Jail all the killer cops
* End the BART cover-up—Open a public investigation of the murder
* Disarm the BART Police—BART Police Out of Oakland
* Drop all charges against protesters
MARCH TODAY from Oakland City Hall to the District Attorney's office
Demand justice for Oscar Grant!
Just when I was about to swear off watching the news past the weather forecast forever, I heard and saw something that made me smile. Apparently, little Miss Obama was sporting the threads of an Oakland, Ca based children's clothing manufacturer called Biscotti, the night that her daddy made history. Oakland gets so much bad press and I am happy to hear that now Biscotti's dresses are flying off to retailers who are getting an overwhelming amount of orders for what they are now calling the "Malia dress". I think the actual article can tell the story much better than I can, so go here to see how the owner realized that her dress was on the back of the new first daughter.
