Large settlement reached in housing discrimination case

The Justice Department announced a $1.25 million settlement with Warren Properties Inc., Warren Village (Mobile) Limited Partnership and Frank R. Warren to remedy a lawsuit whereby the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant a tenant’s requests for a reasonable accommodation.

This settlement is the largest ever obtained by the department in an individual housing discrimination case.

The lawsuit, filed on April 29, 2009, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, alleges that the defendants failed to permit a tenant with a mobility impairment to move to a ground-floor apartment near the front of the building in a 196-unit apartment complex in Mobile, Ala., owned by Warren Village (Mobile) Limited Partnership.

The suit also alleges that the tenant suffered severe injuries as a result of falling down the stairs.

Under the settlement terms, the defendants must pay $1,195,000 to compensate the tenant, along with an additional $55,000 in fees and costs to the government. The defendants must hire a reasonable accommodation facilitator to handle requests for reasonable accommodations from more than 11,000 housing units in 85 properties managed by Warren Properties Inc. in 15 states.

The defendants must also attend fair housing training, implement a non-discrimination policy, and comply with notice, monitoring and reporting requirements.

“Property owners and managers have no excuse for violating our nation’s fair housing laws by refusing to accommodate people with disabilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Equal access to housing in the United States is a fundamental right, and this nation will not tolerate discrimination in housing.”

Kenyen R. Brown, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, said: “This is the second major settlement of a housing discrimination case engineered by our office in the last year. We will continue to make civil rights and housing litigation a major priority of this office.”

“Persons with disabilities have a right to the reasonable accommodations they need to function and live as others do,” said John Trasviña, Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Denying them that right violates the Fair Housing Act and HUD, and the Department of Justice are committed to ensuring that property owners meet their responsibility to comply with the law.”

The lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed by the tenant with HUD. After an investigation of the complaint, HUD issued a charge of discrimination and the plaintiff elected to have the case heard in federal court.

This case was litigated primarily by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Moore and Deidre Colson, with the support of paralegal specialist Regina Dickerson in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Mobile. Elizabeth Singer, director of the U.S. Attorneys’ Fair Housing Program in the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in Washington, D.C., also assisted in the case.

The Justice Department said fighting unlawful housing discrimination is a top priority. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability.

Persons who believe they have experienced or witnessed unlawful housing discrimination may call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.

Winter energy funds released for the disabled, elderly

The Department of Health and Human Services has released funds to support low income individuals with special needs across the nation to pay energy bills during the winter season.

These funds are earmarked for people with disabilities, the elderly, or for parents whose children are six-years old, and younger.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), does not provide direct individual help, but individuals who may qualify need to contact their state’s LIHEAP office.

LIHEAP’s goal is to help families be safe, and stay indoors during heavy stormy weather, and to keep frail and sick individuals with continuous home energy.

People with disabilities, elderly and children are especially at risk for life threatening illness or death if their home is too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer, the department said.

Following are advices to stay safe indoors, and answers to common questions to find out how someone can qualify for LIHEAP funds:

BE SAFE IN YOUR HOME
You can face safety risks if you are unable to pay your home energy bills. Some people resort to unsafe methods to keep their homes warm or cool. These include the use of fireplaces, stoves, improperly vented portable heaters, barbecue grills, or overloading electrical circuits. These methods are not only fire hazards, but also create the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

WHAT IS LIHEAP?
LIHEAP is a Federally-funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills.

LIHEAP can help you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. By doing so, you can reduce the risk of health and safety problems (such as illness, fire, or eviction).

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE LIHEAP ASSISTANCE?
The LIHEAP program in your community determines if your household's income qualifies for the program. The LIHEAP program may also require households to meet additional eligibility criteria to receive LIHEAP assistance.

The availability of LIHEAP assistance is not guaranteed. Often most of the Federal LIHEAP funds are spent during the winter.

WHAT ASSISTANCE DOES LIHEAP PROVIDE?
Your LIHEAP program may be able to offer you one or more of the following types of assistance:
• Bill payment assistance.
• Energy crisis assistance.
• Weatherization and energy-related home repairs.

WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO APPLY?
Your may need the following:

~Recent copies of your utility bills.

~A recent payroll stub or other proof that shows your current gross income.

~Documentation showing income from Social Security, unemployment insurance, pension funds, disability, etc.

~Final Utility Termination Notice (if someone has received a shut-off notice from the energy company).

~Proof of current address (e.g., rent receipt, lease or deed, property tax bill).
Proof of total members living in your household (e.g., birth certificates, school records, etc.).

~Social Security cards (or numbers) for all persons living in your household.

~Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residence.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIHEAP AND WHERE TO APPLY:
Call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project. NEAR is a free service providing information on where anyone can apply for LIHEAP. Operation hours at NEAR are Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain time, or from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pacific time.

• Call the toll-free phone number at: 1-866-674-6327,
• send an e-mail to: energy@ncat.org
or contact the State's LIHEAP office.

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FEMA advises planning for season's emergencies

The onset of winter-like weather requires a resetting of preparedness for millions of elderly Americans and those with physical, medical, sensory or cognitive disabilities. Extreme cold and harsh winter storms can dramatically increase the daily hardships and day to day survival challenges for these populations.

With temperatures dropping and snowflakes beginning to fall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says that now is the time to take a few easy steps to prepare for emergencies.

FEMA officials urge seniors and people with disabilities to:

• Make prior arrangements with your physician or check with your oxygen supplier about emergency plans for those on respirators or other electric powered medical equipment.

• Plan to have electrical backup for medical equipment.

• Develop a back-up communications plan in case land lines are disrupted by having a charged cell phone or a pager.

• Maintain a two-week supply of medications, both prescription and non-prescription.

• Have copies of your medical records, prescriptions and medical needs readily available.

• Plan now to have accessible transportation in case of evacuation.

• Have contact lenses, extra eyeglasses and batteries for hearing aids ready to go.

•Include your service animals and pets in your plans.

• Think ahead about neighborhood shelters that can accommodate the needs of seniors and the disabled.

FEMA also recommends that people with special needs develop and stay in touch with a nearby network of assistance before winter storms or record cold move in. It’s important for neighbors, relatives, care attendants, friends and coworkers to be part of care and communications circle. Never depend on one person alone.

Severe winter weather including snow, subfreezing temperatures, strong winds, ice or even heavy rain require planning ahead.

FEMA recommends an emergency supply kit that includes:

• A battery or hand crank powered radio, extra flashlights and batteries, and at minimum a week’s supply of food and water.

• Adequate clothing and blankets for warmth.
• First Aid Supplies.

Finally, it’s important to understand the terms of declining weather and pending winter storms.

• A winter weather advisory means that cold, ice, rain and/or snow are expected.

• A winter storm watch means severe weather such as heavy snow or ice is possible in the next day or two.

• A winter storm warning means that severe winter conditions have begun or will begin very soon.

Remember that planning ahead, assembling an emergency supply kit, staying informed and keeping those in your circle informed about you are the best ways to stay safe through the uncertain days of winter.

Piden ratificación global de tratado pro-migrantes(2)

En varias naciones centroamericanas y caribeñas, entre ellas Haití, el impacto de la reducción de remesas fue de entre uno y dos puntos del PIB, mientras en países del sudeste europeo osciló entre dos y tres por ciento.

Pero el Banco Mundial adelanta que las cifras finales de 2010, que se computarán al finalizar diciembre, rondarían los 325,000 millones de dólares. Se espera que esa tendencia al alza continúe para llegar en 2012 a 374,000 millones de dólares.

HRW sostiene que muchos países dependen de la mano de obra extranjera para abastecer trabajos mal pagos, peligrosos o informales.

Además, en su informe documenta explotación laboral y obstáculos para indemnizar a inmigrantes en la agricultura, el servicio doméstico y la construcción en Arabia Saudita, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Estados Unidos, Indonesia, Malasia, Kazajstán, Kuwait, Líbano y Tailandia.

"Los sistemas de apoyo a la inmigración de muchos países otorgan a los empleadores un inmenso control sobre los trabajadores y dejan a éstos presos de situaciones abusivas o imposibilitados de reclamar reparaciones en la justicia", dice el informe.

En Estados Unidos, cientos de miles de personas son detenidas durante meses o inclusive años por violar normas migratorias de carácter civil.

Sin derecho a un abogado nombrado por el Estado, casi 60% de los inmigrantes detenidos comparecen en los tribunales sin defensa legal en ese país.

HRW también sostiene que para los inmigrantes con discapacidades mentales, la falta de un abogado determina que no puedan defender sus derechos. Algunos permanecen detenidos sin justificación durante años.

La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) sostuvo que con demasiada frecuencia las contribuciones que los migrantes hacen a la sociedad son cuestionadas o ignoradas, pues muchos gobiernos adoptan conductas reduccionistas, presentándolos como una carga para economías debilitadas o como un drenaje constante de los servicios sociales que prestan los estados.

Un estudio publicado este año por el University College London reveló que los recién llegados a Gran Bretaña desde Europa oriental pagaron en proporción 37% más de impuestos que los beneficios que recibieron de los servicios públicos en el período 2008-2009.

Muchos inmigrantes, además, contribuyeron a la prestación de atención sanitaria como personal médico, de enfermería y de limpieza en el Servicio Nacional de Salud de ese país.

En Estados Unidos, los ciudadanos naturales se benefician con unos 37,000 millones de dólares por año aportados a la economía nacional por la actividad de los inmigrantes, según el Consejo de Asesores Económicos de la Presidencia.

Más de uno de cada 10 trabajadores autónomos de Estados Unidos son inmigrantes, según la OIM.

Pero, pese a las pruebas, "pocos asuntos despiertan reacciones más duras que la migración", dijo el director general de la OIM, William Lacy Swing.

"Desde los recintos parlamentarios hasta las calles, pasando por las discusiones a la hora de la cena, hay encendidos debates sobre el impacto de los inmigrantes en la identidad nacional, la seguridad, el empleo, la salud y los servicios sociales, todos elementos que conforman la fábrica de la sociedad", agregó.

Pero muchas de esas discusiones se basan en emociones y mitos, y no en realidades sociales y económicas.

"Las migraciones, ahora y en el futuro, obedecen a tendencias económicas, sociales y demográficas globales que ya no pueden ser ignoradas", agregó Swing.

Una de las razones de su marcado aumento es la caída poblacional en los países industrializados, que llegaría a 25% para 2050, dijo.

Esto ampliará significativamente la demanda de trabajadores migrantes mientras la fuerza laboral de los países en desarrollo pasará de los 2,400 millones de 2005 a 3,600 millones en 2040.

Piden ratificación global de tratado pro-migrantes(1)

La ONU observa el Día Internacional del Migrante exhortando a ampliar la vigencia de una convención de 1990 que protege los derechos de esas poblaciones, mientras una ola de xenofobia se extiende por Europa y Estados Unidos.

El llamado del secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, fue dirigido sobre todo a los países occidentales, que albergan a más de 215 millones de inmigrantes y que se han negado a ratificar el tratado que los obligaría a ofrecer seguridad y protección a los trabajadores extranjeros.

"La situación irregular de muchos migrantes no los priva de su humanidad ni de sus derechos", dijo Ban al referirse al día internacional que se conmemorará este sábado 18.

La Convención Internacional sobre la Protección de los Derechos de todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares se firmó en 1990 y entró en vigor en julio de 2003 con la ratificación de 20 países, la mayoría de ellos fuente de trabajadores emigrantes, como Argelia, Egipto, Ghana, Marruecos, México, Sri Lanka, Turquía y Filipinas.

Entre los países occidentales que eluden este tratado se encuentran varios de los mayores receptores de población extranjera, como Alemania, Estados Unidos, Francia, Gran Bretaña e Italia.

En un documento de 48 páginas divulgado en la sede neoyorquina de la ONU (Organización de las Naciones Unidas), la organización humanitaria Human Rights Watch (HRW) pidió a los gobiernos que en 2011 se dediquen a mejorar las medidas de protección de los inmigrantes, por ejemplo ratificando la Convención.

Muchos gobiernos agravan las cosas con políticas que exacerban la discriminación o que impiden a los inmigrantes siquiera recurrir a las autoridades en busca de ayuda, dijo la investigadora de HRW, Nisha Varia, especializada en derechos de las mujeres.

Las políticas migratorias y la ausencia de protección legal ponen a los inmigrantes en mayor riesgo de abusos como explotación laboral, violencia, trata de personas, malos tratos y torturas cuando son detenidos y asesinatos, dijo Varia. Y esos países ofrecen muy pocos recursos para reclamar justicia, señaló.

La creciente xenofobia es evidente en buena parte de Europa occidental (Alemania, Francia, Italia y Suiza) y también en Estados Unidos.

Ante una pregunta sobre la caída de las remesas de dinero que los trabajadores envían a sus familias, causada en el último año por la crisis económica mundial, Varia insistió en que "los gobiernos deben proteger los derechos humanos de los migrantes sin importar que sus contribuciones económicas suban o bajen".

Además, combatir infracciones laborales muy comunes, como el no pago de salarios, tiene efectos económicos positivos, añadió.

En tiempos de penurias, la población de un país puede culpar a los extranjeros de quedarse con sus empleos, aun cuando se trate de trabajos que ella misma no esté dispuesta a ejecutar, sostuvo Varia. Por eso "los gobiernos deben hacer frente a los sentimientos xenófobos que conducen a la discriminación y a la violencia".

Según el Banco Mundial, las remesas de dinero enviadas por los trabajadores inmigrantes hacia los países en desarrollo llegaron a 278,000 millones de dólares en 2007 y a 325,000 millones en 2008. Pero en 2009 cayeron a 307,000 millones de dólares.

Los países más afectados fueron Moldavia (este europeo) Kirguistán y Tayikistán (Asia central), donde la caída de ingresos por remesas representó entre ocho y 16 % del producto interno bruto (PIB), de acuerdo con el informe "Situación económica mundial y perspectivas 2011", que se divulgó parcialmente el 1 de este mes y será publicado íntegramente en la primera semana de enero.

OI fundraiser attracts petroleum donors(1)

By Alfredo Santana

Rob Parke wheeled his day at the Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) fundraiser golf course with players from the Southern California Petroleum Industry Association (SCPICA), teed several holes on  his electric chair, and helped to raise $52,000.

He raffled the night's silent auction winning numbers for the OI Foundation.

“I am very happy about the event and feel grateful to be a part of it. We average more than 300 golfers every year and many more participants for dinner and tennis,” Parke said.

Parke was born with OI. He handled a laptop to draw the lucky numbers, and displayed them on a wall screen before a crowd of about 1,500 people.

The OI fundraiser, celebrated once a year, took place Nov. 12. The event, titled the 36th Annual 2010 Southern California Petroleum Industry, Golf and Tennis Tournament to Benefit Osteogenesis Imperfecta, was held at the Pacific Palm Resort in City of Industry.

Since its inception in 1975, the foundation has collected $1.4 million in fundraisers and contributions.

OI is a genetic disorder that creates weak brittle bones, and causes innumerable fractures in the life of humans. It also affects bone and tissue development, and in many cases prevents full growth of arms and legs. Respiratory diseases, hearing loss and partial blindness are common among adult OI patients.

Parke, who has a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California, said his work clinches funds for a good cause. Organizers said the event's goal is to find a cure.

“There is a a committee of about 20 people who work throughout the year to organize the event, plus the couple dozen volunteers who help staff the actual event day," he said.

The OI Foundation conducts research with medical professionals at universities and hospitals to advance treatments. The foundation offers research scholarships to doctors who study the disorder, and for those engaged in orthopedic treatments for adults and children.

Auctioned items included power tools, family card games and ESPN trivia cards. About 10 wine bottles auctioned raked in almost $3,500.

OI fundraiser attracts petroleum donors(2)

Minimum bids started at $30, but a Ken Griffith Jr.'s autographed baseball collected about $300. OI representatives said $54,000 were raised last year.

Organizer Pat Keaning said it's important to participate, because the support makes a difference to people with OI.

Keaning presented the Thelma Clarke Lifetime Volunteer Service Award to Frank Fossati. He started fundraisers as worker with Shell Oil Co. Fossati retired from Shell.

Thelma Clarke was a mother of a child with OI, who volunteered with OI Foundation. The award was created when she died in 1989.

“Frank truly is the heart and soul of this event,” Keaning said.

Stewart Tate, OI Foundation director of development, said the funds help to expand medical attention from the state of Washington to Southern California. He said OI is so rare most hospitals advise patients to visit specialists before beginning treatment.

“Can you imagine what someone feels when even before reaching five years of age, the child has suffered 10 to 20 fractures, most of them caused after sneezing, when changing diapers, of just by stretching an arm or leg?” Tart asked. “It’s been scientifically proven that adults, when they reach the age of 35, in many cases they have survived at least 200 fractures. We need to continue research and work to find a cure.”

Tart said the foundation has started partnerships with seven clinics to accept adults with OI. Much of the foundation's research focuses on children, and how genes mutation cause collagen disorders.

Tart said the goal is to open clinics and hospitals in all major cities of the country. A clinic in Portland, Ore. provides special attention to adults from Southern California.

Parke said patients can visit the foundation's website to learn about hospitals and doctors in the area. They can find information about surgeries and teeth hygiene. The site also offers a section on orthopedics. The foundation provides an e-mail that links doctors to potential patients and their families.

Tate estimates about 50,000 people live with OI in the United States. Further information can be found at www.oif.org.

En México, militares incrementan violencia femenil(1)

Ellas no pidieron una guerra, pero igual les alcanzó: Griselda y Yosmireli, de cuatro y dos años, murieron con el cráneo perforado por las balas de los soldados. La muerte agarró también a su madre, su tía y un hermano de siete años, en un camino rural del noroeste de México.

Griselda Galaviz, la madre, y Gloria Alicia Esparza, la tía, eran maestras en una remota aldea del estado de Sinaloa, en la costa del Pacífico, y se desplazaban en el vehículo rústico familiar cuando éste fue abaleado por un regimiento militar. Solo sobrevivieron otras dos maestras y Adán Esparza, esposo, hermano y padre de las cinco víctimas.

Era el 1 de julio de 2007 y la matanza se convirtió en el primer caso conocido de civiles asesinados por soldados dentro de la "guerra" emprendida por el gobierno del conservador Felipe Calderón contra los carteles del tráfico de drogas, que empujó al país a una espiral imparable de violencia.

Oficialmente se reconocen 30,000 víctimas mortales en casi cuatro años de militarización del combate contra los narcos. Pero falta sumar una cantidad no cuantificada de personas huérfanas, viudas, mutiladas, exiliadas y desplazadas.

La estrategia gubernamental incluye la participación activa de las fuerzas militares y ha provocado distintos efectos en la población mexicana, de 108 millones.

Uno, muy claro, es la "invisibilización de la violencia contra las mujeres", dijo David Peña, de la Asociación Nacional de Abogados Democráticos, que llevó a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos el caso del Campo Algodonero por el asesinato de tres mujeres en Ciudad Juárez, en que el Estado mexicano fue condenado como responsable.

"Es tal la cantidad de muertos, que no hay una diferenciación entre hombres y mujeres. Y aún peor, no hay distinción entre los motivos de los asesinatos", explicó.

"Si una muchacha es encontrada muerta en la calle con signos de violencia, pero tiene un balazo, está atada o hay a su lado un hombre muerto, entra en el cajón (rubro) de la delincuencia organizada", detalló el letrado. Un ejemplo de este fenómeno es Ciudad Juárez, en la frontera con Estados Unidos, conocida mundialmente por la cadena de feminicidios iniciada en 1993.

El número de mujeres asesinadas en los últimos tres años superó el total de feminicidios de los 13 años anteriores: 575. En lo que va de 2010, los asesinatos por violencia machista suman ya 288.

"Al entrar en el gran cajón de la delincuencia organizada, las familias ya no tienen acceso al expediente ni pueden presionar a las autoridades para que se esclarezca el crimen", explicó Peña. Aseguró, además, que en estos cuatro años "se fueron para abajo" los avances que había logrado la sociedad civil en derechos humanos.

El fenómeno se extiende en todo el país. Un informe de abril de la Comisión Especial de Feminicidios de la Cámara de Diputados indica que desde 2007 se registraron 1,756 homicidios dolosos de mujeres en 18 estados. De ellos tan solo en tres por ciento de los casos hay sentencia, sin que esté detallado si hubo condenados o no en ellas.

"No hay registros y los que hay son insuficientes", sintetizó la presidenta de la comisión, la diputada Teresa Incháustegui, del opositor Partido de la Revolución Democrática, o PRD.

"Pero el problema no solo son las mujeres muertas o el aumento de su número", dijo Sara Lovera, pionera en México del periodismo con enfoque de género. "Está constatado históricamente: siempre que hay una guerra las mujeres son las víctimas", planteó.

En México, militares incrementan violencia femenil(2)

"La presencia de los militares en las calles aumenta la vulnerabilidad de las mujeres, las pone en riesgo, genera miedo y sobre todo, no rinden cuentas de sus abusos", explicó.

Lovera puso como ejemplo el caso de Castaños, localidad del norteño estado de Coahuila, donde en julio de 2006 fueron violadas 13 bailarinas en un centro nocturno por un grupo de soldados. De los inculpados, 80 por ciento están libres, recordó.

México es la más reciente expresión en América Latina de la vinculación entre militarismo y violencia de género, el tema que centra los 16 días de activismo contra el maltrato sexista que inicio internacionalmente este jueves 25, Día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Violencia contra la Mujer.

"En cualquier circunstancia en donde participa activamente el ejército, las mujeres se convierten en botín de guerra y son las más vulnerables a las agresiones", dijo Blanca Rico, directora ejecutiva de la no gubernamental Semillas, promotora de los derechos de la mujer.

El problema, explicó, es que de parte del Estado no hay mecanismo alguno de contención o reparación del daño. Y aún las propias organizaciones están teniendo que replantear sus metas para hacer el diagnóstico que el gobierno no quiere aceptar.

"Es un fenómeno de rebase total. Semillas no había tenido nunca como tema central a las defensoras de derechos humanos porque no había pasado esto que está pasando hoy: un aumento brutal de amenazas, que es constante. Todas se están viendo acosadas, amenazadas", contó.

Los "daños colaterales" de la violencia generalizada en el país todavía no pueden cuantificarse, pero son un poliedro de muchas caras, indican los expertos.

Están, por ejemplo, los casos de encarceladas bajo la acusación de ser "mujeres de narcos", sin que haya pruebas de su participación en algún delito. O el aumento de la prostitución en lugares donde hay campamentos militares. "Es el uso y abuso de las mujeres. Algo que pasaba en regiones muy específicas donde había presencia militar, pero ahora se ha extendido", dijo Lovera.

La organización independiente internacional Human Rigths Watch (HRW) criticó al gobierno por su propuesta de reforma del sistema de justicia militar y de su fuero especial. Este martes 23 demandó que se excluya de la jurisdicción castrense delitos de agresión sexual y violación de los derechos humanos, entre otros.

El Código de Justicia Militar, que data de 1933, actúa para delitos cometidos por personal castrense activo en el desempeño de sus funciones, así estén establecidos en leyes penales ordinarias. Además, no contempla delitos perpetrados por uniformados a civiles, al estar pensado para una situación de guerra. El caso de la familia Esparza es un ejemplo. Cuando ocurrieron los hechos, las mujeres de la ranchería (aldea) Sinaloa de Leyva, donde enseñaban las maestras asesinadas, aprovecharon la llegada de periodistas a cubrir el caso, para congregarse y demandar al presidente Calderón el esclarecimiento de la matanza.

Más de tres años después, la familia no ha recibido una disculpa pública, ni siquiera un mensaje de condolencias. No hay información oficial del juicio militar contra los 19 soldados involucrados.

"Las pruebas existentes indican que los soldados dispararon sin justificación" contra el vehículo donde viajaban las cinco personas muertas y los tres sobrevivientes, asegura el informe "Impunidad uniformada", publicado en 2009 por HRW, basada en Washington.

Migrantes buscan cambios políticos en sus naciones(1)

El mexicano Pablo Rodríguez, que reside en Estados Unidos, ocupa un escaño del parlamento del estado de Zacatecas, en el centro de su país, gracias al trabajo de organizaciones de emigrantes que han luchado por años para recuperar los derechos políticos perdidos al cruzar la frontera.

La conquista de Rodríguez, en las elecciones generales de julio en Zacatecas, conforma un esquema que se repite en otros estados mexicanos, como Michoacán y el Congreso legislativo federal.

"Los emigrantes han logrado una acción más social y política de presencia en sus comunidades, donde son un interlocutor ante los poderes locales. Eso lleva a que puedan incidir en otro tipo de políticas públicas", explicó Alejandro Canales, profesor de la estatal Universidad de Guadalajara.

El fortalecimiento de las organizaciones de inmigrantes y el análisis de su impacto en sus comunidades de origen formaron parte de la agenda de la Acción Global de los Pueblos (AGP) sobre Migración, Desarrollo y Derechos Humanos. Este foro fue llevado a cabo en la Ciudad de México este Noviembre en el marco de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU).

La AGP, que reúne a unos 1,500 representantes de entre 120 y 150 organizaciones de todo el planeta, abordó también temas como indicadores estratégicos sobre las migraciones, derechos humanos, cambio climático, políticas públicas y redes y organizaciones.

Las agrupaciones de inmigrantes han ejercido influencia para que los gobiernos de sus respectivas naciones presten más atención a quienes se trasladan, especialmente sin documentos, a otros países.

En el mundo había a fines de 2009 unos 214 millones de emigrantes que ese año enviaron 414,000 millones de dólares a sus países de origen, según estadísticas de la ONU. Una tercera parte se ha desplazado de países del sur a naciones industrializadas.

"Están interesados en aportar para fortalecer las organizaciones en sus comunidades y fomentar sus derechos sociales y políticos", dijo la nicaragüense Lis-Marie Alvarado, coordinadora de Jóvenes en la no gubernamental We Count (Nosotros Contamos), con sede en el sudoriental estado estadounidense de Florida.

We Count aboga por los derechos de los inmigrantes y pertenece a la Florida Immigrant Coalition, que aglutina a más de 10 organizaciones dedicadas a esa misma labor.

Pero en otros países no se ha avanzado tanto. En Nicaragua no se puede sufragar desde el extranjero ni los emigrantes pueden ser elegidos, mientras que los dominicanos sí pueden votar en el exterior.

"No se ha conseguido mucho, salvo el voto en el exterior. Hay interés de los emigrantes, pero no se ha logrado una organización fuerte", indicó Magaly Troncoso, representante del Dominican Development Center, con sede en la oriental ciudad estadounidense de Boston, y también asistente al foro global.

En Estados Unidos viven unos tres millones de dominicanos, especialmente en las ciudades de Nueva York y Boston.

Migrantes buscan cambios políticos en sus naciones(2)

"Se tiene que afinar la agenda migratoria, tratar que el gobierno se comprometa más a ayudar a los que emigran y a los que regresan a República Dominicana", propuso, a su vez, Troncoso.

El Congreso legislativo de ese país caribeño aprobó este año una reforma legal para que cuatro emigrantes asuman escaños. Por eso, los partidos de la Liberación Dominicana y Revolucionario Dominicano mantienen oficinas en los estados del este de Estados Unidos para captar votantes y candidatos.

La AGP ocurrió días antes del IV Foro Mundial sobre Migración y Desarrollo, una actividad fuera del seno de la ONU que se llevó a cabo del 8 al 11 de este mes en la localidad turística de Puerto Vallarta, 890 kilómetros al noroeste de la Ciudad de México.

Presidido por México, el Foro surgió en 2006 de una recomendación del Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre la Migración Internacional y el Desarrollo, a cargo de la Asamblea General de la ONU.

"La organización no es suficiente, se necesitan más recursos. El Estado no sabe cómo abordar la emigración, no tiene una política social", refirió Canales, quien está presente en la AGP.

Desde sus escaños, los legisladores emigrantes mexicanos luchan en temas como la asignación presupuestaria para sus comunidades, redes de protección social para los que tuvieron que salir del país en busca de un futuro mejor y apoyo consular ante violaciones a derechos humanos.

En Estados Unidos viven unos 12 millones de latinoamericanos indocumentados, la mitad de los cuales son de origen mexicano.

"El reto es motivar a los emigrantes a formar organizaciones. También luchar contra la discriminación y lograr el acceso a la protección social", planteó Sana.

Working disabilities workshop in Long Beach(1)

By Alfredo Santana

A special workshop that focused on the personal and social benefits of hiring people with disabilities, social programs and regulation that support employment of these individuals, and the type of documents and information needed to clinch a job was conducted on Oct. 30 at the Self-Determination Conference, organized at the Westin hotel in Long Beach.

Michele Mar, an employment specialist with the Harbor Regional Center, said a paid job gives those with disabilities, and people in general, freedom and independence, promotes self-esteem, and turns individuals as contributing members of a community. Jobs also get people out of dependency, and poverty.

Mar said only about 25% of people who live with either a cognitive, or physical disability, have a full, or a part-time job. She said that some regional businesses have embraced a program whereby three, or four people with disabilities are hired, and provided support and on-site coaching with 100% supervision while getting trained to do their job.

Another type of on-site training occurs when an individual is told to stick to a supervisor, usually for three months to get direct coaching. If a bit of extra time is needed, special arrangements can be made, Mar explained.

“Some of these companies are located here in the Long Beach area, such as Mattel, Toyota, Nissan, Costco, and others,” Mar said. “The condition is that these individuals hired receiving minimum wages, or higher.”

Mar explained that after these employees with special abilities become part of any company’s payroll, internal competition from non-disabled employees tends to grow. Therefore, she said it’s important people with disabilities be highly motivated to both hold the job, and endure certain type of internal pressures.

Arthur Kerschner, chief of child labor and special employment enforcement division, with the Department of Labor, said his agency is in charge to enforce federal laws that mandate payment of at least minimum hourly wages for people with disabilities. Currently, the minimum hourly wage in the United States in $7.25 per hour.

He said Section 14 [c] of the U.S. Labor Code helps workers with any disability to get a foot in the workplace. It also provides terminology for what constitutes “real work,” and offers legal guidance on how to forge vocational training for individuals with disabilities. He added his agency conducts “customized jobs” programs, whereby companies work together with the Labor Department, to provide coaching and support for prospective employees, in order to match jobs that meet the employers’ criteria. They help individuals with disabilities to hold paid, productive positions.

Working disabilities workshop in Long Beach(2)

Kerschner said statistical research shows that about 70% of employed workers with disabilities perform at 70% or higher capacity compared to non-disabled employees. However, many work at higher levels of productivity, because in many cases their disabilities are not directly linked to their duties, or abilities required at work. He said he looks forward to continue working with new and current companies who support these kind of rules, laws and programs.

Cassandra Folan, a human resources specialist at Nordstrom, said that after five years of being a recruiter there, she noticed that applicants with disabilities sometimes forget, or fail to provide resumes and cover letters when applying for job positions. She stressed the importance to submit these documents when someone applies for a job.

Folan, who lives with cerebral palsy, indicated sometimes interviews are conducted on the phone, particularly when the job environment is tech-oriented. She suggested all applicants must research the company, find out what market the company conducts business, public deals the company may have clinched, the type of customers, or clientele the company may have, and other items, before setting a job interview.

Folan said “it’s always important to proofread everything, all paperwork before it’s submitted to human resources.”

She advised to look for specific job positions, particularly those where the applicants have experience at other jobs, or have been trained for. Some companies have set up e-profiles, where prospective employees file, and store applications. It’s good to periodically update, and change those profiles, to keep them fresh, Folan said.

In addition, Folan advised to doublecheck the workplace’s correct address, and ensure reliable transportation to get there on time. This is true mainly when an appointment date is set for a job interview. Folan, who works at a Northern California recruitment facility, said it’s smart to check traffic and weather conditions before going to the interview.

“Have a plan B. Being on time to these appointments matter,” she said. Folan added job seekers must check with the interviewer about the dress code for the interview. And ask for a business card. Afterwards, it’s good to send a thank you note via e-mail.

Aside from skills needed to hold a job, the interviews, she said, may focus on how the prospective employee may be able to endure the company’s philosophy, and values. Applicants must make sure they answer these questions as precise as possible.

Given these tough economic times, Folan said, jobs are often scarce, or may not be suited to the job seekers’ skills. Folan said in case applicants are not offered the positions, they must regroup, and continue searching for jobs, until they clinch one.

The self-Determination Conference was sponsored by the Asian and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California.

En Argentina, surgen fábricas de solidaridad(1)

El colapso financiero y político de 2001 multiplicó en Argentina la cantidad de empresas abandonadas en un mar de deudas por sus dueños, muchas de las cuales luego fueron reactivadas por sus trabajadores. Hoy, con la economía ya en expansión, la autogestión se afianza como alternativa.

Las empresas recuperadas por el sistema de autogestión ya suman 205 y sus trabajadores son 9,362, según un estudio publicado este mes. Datos que revelan un notable crecimiento respecto de 2004, cuando sumaban 161 las unidades con 6,900 operarios.

¿Cómo es que un fenómeno que emergió como una tabla de salvación tras el colapso económico de 2001, en lugar de apagarse crece y se afianza en épocas de bonanza?", se le preguntó al coordinador de esta investigación, Andrés Ruggeri.

"Los trabajadores aprendieron que la autogestión es una alternativa posible para poner la empresa a producir. Eso antes era impensable, pero ahora la experiencia se incorporó a su caja de herramientas como una salida viable", respondió.

La investigación, titulada "Las Empresas Recuperadas en la Argentina. 2010", fue realizada por un vasto equipo de estudiantes voluntarios del Programa Facultad Abierta de la estatal Universidad de Buenos Aires coordinados por Ruggeri.

El objetivo fue aportar datos para la elaboración de políticas que consoliden y mejoren la autogestión de los trabajadores, se explica en el propio trabajo, que consistió en un profundo cuestionario en las empresas gestionadas colectivamente.

Si bien en la historia argentina hay antecedentes de empresas quebradas que fueron luego reabiertas por los operarios, eran casos aislados. Pero con la crisis económica, que tuvo su punto más crítico a fines de 2001, se propagaron en los más diversos rubros.

En ese crecimiento de las empresas autogestionadas aparece una gran variedad de actividades, como fábricas de alimentos, metalúrgicas, textiles, frigoríficos, fábricas de calzado, de plástico, de cerámica, vidrio, caucho, empresas gráficas, de transporte, gastronómicas, de salud y hasta un hotel deluxe.

Son producto de la fuga de empresarios que desaparecían de la noche a la mañana dejando tras de sí cuantiosas deudas y fábricas vaciadas, en muchos casos en forma fraudulenta. Muchas de esas empresas ahora volvieron a producir y hasta lograr exportar de la mano de los trabajadores que habían quedado sin empleo y con decena de salarios impagos.

Los trabajadores, en su mayoría, forman cooperativas y deciden en asambleas el destino y la gestión de las firmas, mientras reciben asesoramiento y apoyo de otras empresas recuperadas y también del Estado. Otros países latinoamericanos viven experiencias similares. Según el programa, hay 69 fábricas recuperadas en Brasil, una treintena en Uruguay, 20 en Paraguay y cada vez más en Venezuela. Algunas empiezan a verse en España.

Los investigadores señalan que en el contexto de la recuperación económica muchos creyeron que estas unidades habían mermado y que sólo sobrevivían como testimonio de una época. "Nada más lejos de la realidad", advirtió Ruggeri.

En Argentina, surgen fábricas de solidaridad(2)

Aun en un contexto de crecimiento, hay numerosas empresas que siguen cayendo en la quiebra, a veces como un recurso para empezar un nuevo proyecto en otro lado. Pero los empleados quedan varados y muchos ya no son tan jóvenes como para ser absorbidos por el mercado laboral, explicó.

"Las empresas recuperadas son una realidad consolidada del panorama laboral, económico y social del país y han llegado para quedarse y seguir creciendo", concluye el estudio. Tienen dificultades, pero sus potencialidades son enormes.

Un caso ilustrativo no relacionado con la crisis de 2001 es el de la empresa Global, de productos de látex, principalmente globos de cotillón, que se declaró en quiebra en 2004. Sus dueños se llevaron las máquinas y se desentendieron de sus 80 empleados.

Para 2005, muy rápidamente, Global se había transformado en "La Nueva Esperanza", una cooperativa donde trabajan 32 operarios. Uno de ellos es Domingo Palomeque, de 50 años, quien hace 26 trabaja en esta fábrica de la oriental provincia de Buenos Aires. Pero ahora lo hace como socio de sus compañeros de labor.

"Primero formamos la cooperativa y después recuperamos las máquinas que se las habían robado", contó Palomeque.

En el informe, los problemas mencionados por estas empresas es la falta de financiamiento para adquirir materias básicas, maquinaria o incorporar personal especializado. También se mencionan problemas de inserción en el mercado.

La Nueva Esperanza no es la excepción. "Crédito", dice concluyente Palomeque cuando se le pregunta qué les hace falta. "Necesitamos comprar máquinas automáticas, no para reemplazar gente sino para ser más competitivos", explicó.

Los productos de esta cooperativa compiten hoy en desventaja en el mercado local con los que se importan de Malasia o Singapur. "Antes eran más baratos, pero últimamente ya no", advirtió.

A pesar de estas dificultades, encontraron el modo de mantener su inserción en el mercado doméstico y también exportar. Según el informe, 15% de las firmas recuperadas colocan parte de su producción en mercados externos y 60% de ellas se cree que también podrían hacerlo.

La cooperativa La Nueva Esperanza encontró un atajo propio. "Es algo que inventamos nosotros, le vendemos a Brasil, a Paraguay, a Chile y a Uruguay, pero no exportamos sino que los clientes fijan un domicilio en provincias argentinas vecinas a sus países".

Para este trabajador, no hay vuelta atrás. Al contrario, tienen miras. "Nuestra meta es avanzar, incorporar nuevas máquinas, personal y seguir creciendo", declara.

Las empresas recuperadas tienen distintos tamaños. Así, 75% de ellas ocupan menos de 50 trabajadores, son escasas las que ocupan más de 100 y apenas 2.3% son las que superan los 200 operarios.

La investigación reclama una política coherente que las apoye. El Estado debería de respaldar estas actividades, pero actúa de manera errática porque tiene una concepción errónea de que esto es un fenómeno transitorio, señaló Palomeque.

"Debe fortalecerlas porque son unidades productivas que crecen, con fuentes de trabajo genuinas, no precarias ni informales. Se trata de trabajadores que se reacomodan por su propia cuenta", remarcó.

En los últimos años, el Estado dio algunos pasos a favor de estas unidades. A través del Ministerio de Trabajo otorgó más de un millón de dólares en subsidios, pero no se trata de una financiación sistemática. Sin eso, las empresas recuperadas "están condenadas a mantenerse en un umbral de subsistencia", concluyó el informe.

Disability workshop focuses on housing rights(1)

By Alfredo Santana

A workshop titled "Housing advocacy: Rights for people with disabilities", focused on the current legal housing framework in California, and on federal housing laws that make illegal to deny reasonable housing accommodations to the elderly and people with disabilities.

Maria Iriarte, managing attorney with Disability Rights California, said during the RespecTABILITY 2010 conference that someone with a disability is defined by the federal government as “any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.”

Based on the latter, Iriarte said mobility and visual impairments, chronic alcoholism and chronic mental illness, and AIDS are defined as conditions that substantially limit one or more major life activities. Major life activities, as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development include walking, talking, hearing, seeing, breathing, learning, performing manual tasks, and caring for oneself.

Under the Federal Housing Act (FHA) of 1968, landlords cannot deny housing based on the applicants’ mentioned conditions, she said.

However, Iriarte said, a landlord can legally deny housing to a drug addict. Fair housing for these individuals can only be restored if they engage in rehabilitation, and any substance consumption is monitored and controlled by counselors, or physicians. If so, or if drug abuse are things of the past, and rent is denied, the law allows the possibility to sue for housing discrimination.

Likewise, if a disabled individual lives with his or her mother, father, brother, sister, or anyone else who lends assistance, and is denied rent because at least two people would use the rented premises, a complaint can be filed against the landlord, or apartments manager.

Iriarte said there are no big Fair Housing case law in California regarding disability issues. However, that does not mean that there may be important issues still to be treated in court, particularly on non-accessible housing units. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) of 1968, Title VIII, prohibits discrimination “in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability."

Carey Stone, an attorney with Mental Health Advocacy Services, said advertising on rent units and housing can also be tricky, deceiving, and discriminatory for people with disabilities. She suggested to contact Fair Housing Counsel groups in the region, to get advice on questions regarding these issues, "and anything linked to housing for people with disabilities."

About 95% of all calls to these centers deal with housing accommodations.

Disability workshop focuses on housing rights(2)

Stone added that the Unruh Civil Rights Act also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, disability, race, nationality and religion. She said Section 8 only begins if landlords decide to adopt it, or if the owner of the property receives an influx of funds from both local and federal housing agencies to make structural changes, or to fund construction of housing units.

Section 8 stands for affordable public housing subsidized program for low-income people, whereby up to 80% of the cost of rent is paid by local and federal housing authorities to property management, or landlords.

Under Section 8 guidelines, between 20% and 30% of the total units must be available for rent. Only the landlords decide whether to embrace this program. However, once the program starts, sometimes the number of available units varies. They could be more or less, depending on the total number of units available, and on the money the landlords may have received to refurbish, or build the apartments.

For example, if the manager of a building with 10 units for rent decides to embrace Section 8, he or she must furbish at least two, or three special affordable housing units for rent. If a landlord owns a three unit for rent building, and receives Section 8 funds, the owner must provide one affordable housing unit.

Fred Nisen, an attorney with the Disability Rights California, organization based in San Francisco, said Section 504 of the California Civil Code establishes that a list of accessible and affordable housing units must be provided to potential tenants. The FHA also establishes that a minimum of 5% of all units must be accessible.

Nisen added that an additional 2% of total units must be available and accessible if there are tenants who are blind, or legally deaf. In fact, Nisen said, FHA rules indicate that landlords must provide suitable means “to ensure that information on accessible units is available.” The information can be published in local newspapers, classifieds magazines, websites on rental units, etc.

Stone said landlords are expected to "shoulder financial and administrative costs, in the refurbishing of units, or houses to make them accessible for potential tenants with disabilities." However, in certain cases, how much money, and the availability of material resources the landlord has are considered to legally bind the owner to achieve these goals.

On occasions, these expenses are considered “undue burdens,” Stone said.

In other words, the Cornell School of Law explains the theory of an undue burden must apply to help define a “significant difficulty or expense for which the product is being developed, procured, maintained or used.” Nisen said big apartment complexes are usually treated different than small housing units in the application of what constitutes undue burden.

Nisen said these matters are often treated on a case by case situation.

Pets introduced to the unit “for emotional support”, and guide dogs for the blind, must also be allowed by the landlord, he said.

For more information, you can visit www.disabilityrightsca.org., or call Disability Rights California at (800) 776-5746.

Conference outlines budget, legal issues on disabilities(1)

By Alfredo Santana

The issues of declining state funding for programs for people with disabilities, how to move forward possible legislative issues starting at legislators’ local offices, and the need to better portray people with disabilities in electronic media were some of the highlights at the 2010 conference called RespectABILITY.

The daylong series of workshops and information conferences at the Marriot hotel convention center in Burbank, on Friday, Oct. 22, drew at least 350 participants and advocates interested on legislative action, housing issues, and legal representation for the elderly and communities with disabilities.

Paula Pearlman, executive director at Disability Rights Legal Center, said at the event’s opening speech that the topics dealt with at the conference “are not about disability rights only. They are about disability rights for all of us with disabilities who look for equal opportunities at work.”

Liz Pazdral, executive director of the California State Independent Living Council, said her organization is working on a 10-point program with goals to improve living standards and working opportunities for these communities.

Among her efforts are the continuous improvement of accessible housing in the state, housing with access to health care providers, the implementation of legal frameworks that ensure the reduction of discrimination practices against people with disabilities, and the creation of special task forces to implement these laws.

She mentioned the case of Smith v. LAUSD, as good legal guidance on how students with special needs are entitled to have professionals who assist them in K-12 schools. She said schools facilities must be accessible in their structure, and allow in-classroom accommodations for those with disabilities.

For his part, Scott Graves, senior policy analyst at the California Budget Project, said that for the last 15 years, state budgetary sessions have been troublesome, and the current budget “stinks.” He mentioned several main factors for the budget shortfalls that began in the late 1990s.

California has a revenue problem, not a spending problem, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has repeatedly said. “The tax revenue system is not bringing enough revenue” to support all state’s social programs, thus programs that benefit the elderly and disabled are greatly affected.

“Elected officials have cut taxes the last five years. They cost at least $10 billion a year,” Graves said.

Secondly, starting in 2007 real estate and wages income revenue began a dramatic decrease. He said the bulk of revenue to support social programs was there. What used to be a $100 billion yearly budget, now is $86.5 billion. Thirdly, the fact that it takes a 2/3 legislative majority to approve a budget is working against state programs, a unique situation in California, since most states legislatures can approve a budget with a simple majority vote. This makes hard to eradicate tax cuts forwarded by Republicans, thus making it harder achieve any budget, unless it’s shaped up to fit the wills of GOP officials.

“Republicans have only 30% of the state’s seats,” Graves said. “We know that Republicans have very different public policies than Democrats. They look to cut programs to health services education, etc.” Graves added the promised $4 billion federal aid package to help plug the projected $19 billion shortfall in this year’s approved $86.5 billion may not arrive at all.

Mike Herald, an attorney with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, said the last three have been the most difficult years for social programs in Sacramento. This year’s budget negotiations, he said, kicked off with a goal to avoiding a repeat of the 2009 fiscal fiasco that stretched until mid November.

Herald insisted that the state has a revenue problem, and that tax cuts only make the hole in the budget deeper.

“We need more senators in Sacramento to stand up and fight for these causes. We went to the Democrats [and complained] first, because they caved in to the governor’s budget cuts,” Herald said.

It was great to see, however, people with disabilities, with their wheelchairs and scooters as the first group to erect gurneys, and block streets around the Capitol and the governor’s Mansion, in protest for the draconian cutbacks on social services, Herald said.

“I and 11th streets were blocked with wheelchairs and other devices. It was the first community that protested the cuts. The police completely mismanaged it, and didn’t know how to handle the protest,” Herald said.

In the end, several police members said that it was okay to protest, “because in the end, they were getting cut too. In fact they said they should join them,” Herald said.

Conference outlines budget, legal issues on disabilities(2)

Graves added that difficult times lie ahead this fiscal year, and things may get a bit worse before they improve. “There are difficult choices to make, but things may get tougher before they get better.”

Another workshop, titled Legislative Advocacy, headed by attorney Henry Contreras, focused on the importance of working at local level in the district offices of state legislators. Contreras, whose work span 25 years as legal legislative counsel, was chief of staff for former democrat Assembly Floor leader Marco Antonio Firebaugh, and chief of staff for former democrat House of Representatives member Lucille-Roybal-Allard.

He said advocates for disability causes must inform themselves about how a representative looks at people with disabilities before starting any legislative approach. Contreras said many think the thoughts of having people with disabilities around their offices only because they need funds are untrue.

“Communities empower themselves with change and accountability, at grassroots levels with legal actions,” Contreras said.

What advocates need is practical knowledge to gain access to district offices, not only to Capitol offices. How to forward precise information, and little cluttered letters and resources are key to be effective in the possibility of eventual legislation, he said. As former chief of staff in Sacramento, he advises advocates to contact local field representatives, so that they can forward possible legislative ideas to their superiors.

Contreras advised to build local relationships with the “schedulers,” or staff leaders at district offices, because they give good mileage and help in the long run.

Once an issue has been forwarded, or talked about, “at least call to say hello, and to thank them too,” he said. “It’s good to maintain good relationships with local district offices’ staff, even if the elected official may not support the issue.”

Contreras said rallies in Sacramento are expensive, do not work as good as the local approach, and many times don’t get the attention of the legislators, because they are usually in session. In fact, several rallies take place in the same day, further diluting the need for attention to an issue.

“District rallies do get attention. Visits to Sacramento, or to Washington often only happen once, and the issue gets nowhere. I’ve met individuals who only visit the Capitol office once, and never comeback,” he said.

The point here, he said, is to make a strategic decision. Once a decision is made, keep the paperwork simple, and focus in only two or three visitors, no 20 or 30 in a group. If the issue awakens questions from the staff, follow with answers, and ideas on how the projected legislation may be funded, Contreras said.

Lastly, he advised to get statistical figures of constituents with similar needs, or concerns who live in the district of the given legislator. Legislators are privy of bad reputation, particularly if an important segment of the constituents want action in a proposal elected officials may ignore, or pass by.

Meanwhile, actor Danny Woodburn, who lives with a genetic disability that causes dwarfism, said media images and content in both entertainment and news should be inclusive of people who live with medical conditions, in order to erase, albeit slowly, stereotypes and negative portrayals of these communities.

“In media representation, nowhere near the representation on population is shown in television, film or other type of public work. We need accurate portrayals of people with disabilities in all walks of life, not only in acting in the media,” Woodburn said.

He said almost 18% of all Americans live with a diagnosed disability. It’s estimated that 50 million Americans have, or have developed some disability during their lives.

Sonia Nazario says youth migration goes on(2)

“About 27% of residents in Los Angeles were born in another country,” Nazario said. “Unfortunately, under the Obama administration, deportations are up, and police in several states are setting vehicles checkpoints, pull them over for alleged vehicle [codes] violations, and hand them over to immigration officials.”

A master’s degree graduate from the University of California at Berkeley in Latin American studies, Nazario said she keeps working in her second book. She revealed that while she reported Enrique’s stories for the Times, she had to get special working permits from the Mexican presidency. These permits saved her from being jailed at least three times.

“Four out of five adults immigrants have left children in Latin America. I began to dig, and found that more and more families are being disintegrated because of migration to the United States, than for any other reason. Despite Homeland Security’s crackdown on immigration, still about 230,000 new immigrants come across the U.S. border every year,” Nazario said.

In addition, Nazario explained that Mexican nationals perceive migration from Central America differently in the state of Veracruz, than in Chiapas, the southernmost region of Mexico, and a traditional hostile territory that borders with Guatemala. In Veracruz, residents who live near the railroads, throw bags of food, bottles and jugs of water, fruits, clothes, tamales, and many other good to migrants desperate to eat anything after several days of being chased by police and bandits. Migrants must have to endure a lush jungle where the train serpentines en route to central Mexico.

One peasant lady, named Maria, who lives close to the railroad tracks, told Nazario that “if I have one tortilla, I give one half away.” Nazario said that after she saw so much pain, suffering, and oppression in Chiapas toward the migrants, she recovered faith in humanity after she met and treated Maria, who lives in a one-room shackle, where she lays three beds.

Nazario said that overall, immigration to the United States benefits society in general, because people like Enrique’s mother do backbreaking jobs, and get paid minimal wages. Nazario said the American people largely benefits from these wave of immigration by purchasing services and goods that are affordable and cost them less. Ultimately, no American citizen would do these hard jobs, Nazario said. Car washing, yard cleaning, food preparation, and house cleaning are some of the jobs thousands of immigrants do for low salaries.

If the U.S. government wants to control the influx of undocumented immigration, Nazario said, financial programs whereby loans to micro business led by women should be encouraged. These women will also hire two or three more employees, and would begin a series of socioeconomic stabilization in these countries, These measures, in turn, would discourage migration to the north.

In addition, Nazario explained, wealth redistribution should also start, because “it’s amazing that, for example in El Salvador, 13 families linked to the political elite control almost all financial and economic activity of the country.”

Sonia Nazario says youth migration goes on(1)

By Alfredo Santana

Pulitzer Prize journalist winner Sonia Nazario said at a speech at the University of Southern California that at least 47,000 children and youth alone still migrate from Latin America every year to this country in search of their mothers, or both of their parents.

Nazario, who won the coveted award after the publication of her book Enrique’s Journey, said her work, first published in a series of stories in The Los Angeles Times, where she works as special project reporter, continues with tracing data, and reporting on immigration patters of youth who flee their homelands to try to reunite with their parents, regardless of wherever the may be in the United States.

Most of these youth come from Mexico and Central America, she said.

Enrique’s Journey centers on the story of Enrique, a young boy from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, who launched a series of attempts to cross large parts of Mexico atop freight trains, in order to find, and ultimately live with her mother. In the process, Enrique was tortured and assaulted by armed gangs in the Mexican state of Chiapas, who almost beat him to death.

“I remember every time the mother of Enrique called him to Honduras, she always ended her phone conversations with an ‘I love you’, or “te quiero. It was very moving,” she said.

Nazario traveled with several immigrants atop some freight trains to capture first hand the experiences of thousands of Central American migrants en route to the United States. Many never make it, and many others end disabled, losing limbs after they wiggle, ad fall against the train wheels, trying to climb aboard the moving train. In one fast motion, they must also wrestle the ever-present Mexican immigration police. If they slip, arms and legs are often amputated.

Nazario said in the Mexican state of Oaxaca there are two or three centers who offer medical assistance, and psychological treatment to migrants who lose one or two limbs. Once, she entered to one room full of disabled migrants victims of the train. The experience left her almost speechless.

“It’s hard to describe how one feels once you enter into these rooms; they are full of severed people,” she recalled.

Nazario, born from Argentinean parents, and raised in Kansas and Argentina, said issues about immigration, hunger, poverty and Latin America have always captured her attention. So when she decided to become a professional journalist, Nazario had in mind to write about these topics.

Nazario began her career at the Wall Street Journal. She was hired by the Times in 1993, and almost immediately began writing about poverty and hunger-stricken children in schools in California.

Buscan en latinoamérica justicia por desaparecidos(2)

La justicia colombiana condenó en junio al coronel retirado Alfonso Plazas a 30 años de cárcel por la desaparición en 1985 de 11 trabajadores de la cafetería del Palacio de Justicia, en Bogotá, que fue atacado por militares para recuperarlo de manos del guerrillero Movimiento 19 de Abril, que lo había copado. Tras la operación, que dejó 55 muertos, nada más se supo del grupo de empleados que habían sobrevivido.

Los activistas esperan que con la entrada en vigor en 2011 de la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas, aprobada en 2006, empuje la lucha contra ese delito. Mientras países como Argentina, Chile y Uruguay ya la ratificaron, otros como Guatemala y Colombia aún no lo hacen.

Al entrar en vigor ese instrumento internacional, los Estados parte deberán entregar un informe anual respecto de la desaparición forzada de personas, con datos duros y acciones legislativas y judiciales para enfrentarla.

El Senado de Argentina aprobó en septiembre la reforma al Código Penal para tipificar como delito específico la desaparición forzada y en las próximas semanas se pronunciará la Cámara de Diputados.

"Argentina ha encontrado su propio camino para enjuiciar (a los violadores de derechos humanos), pero es importante por lo simbólico condenar a los autores por desaparición forzada", explicó Cetrángolo.

Por una sentencia contraria de noviembre de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos por el caso de la desaparición del dirigente comunitario Rosendo Radilla en 1974, México está obligado a aprobar una ley contra ese hecho y a investigar a fondo los casos denunciados.

"El Estado no acepta denuncias por desaparición forzada y sólo las tramita como secuestro", resaltó Cerezo, quien estuvo encarcelado entre 2001 y 2009 por el ataque a tres agencias bancarias en la capital mexicana.

Desde 2007 se hallan desaparecidos los guerrilleros del Ejército Popular Revolucionario Gabriel Cruz y Edmundo Reyes y 38 trabajadores de la firma estatal Petróleos Mexicanos, sin que hasta ahora haya indicios de su paradero.

"En Colombia la historia ha sido la negación de la desaparición. Por eso queremos que el parlamento ratifique la Convención y que apruebe la ley de Víctimas", precisó Hoyos, hija del sindicalista Jorge Darío Hoyos, asesinado en 2001.

El presidente de Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, entregó el 27 de septiembre al parlamento el proyecto de ley de Víctimas, para resarcir a los afectados por la violencia ejecutada por la guerrilla, los paramilitares y agentes estatales.

Buscan en latinoamérica justicia por desaparecidos(1)

El argentino Agustín Cetrángolo no descansa en su pretensión de poner frente a la justicia a los responsables de la desaparición forzosa de su padre, apresado en 1978 por la dictadura de su país y prisionero al menos en dos campos de concentración de Buenos Aires.

"Queremos justicia y que sea sostenida en el tiempo", dijo este activista de Hijos e Hijas por la Identidad y la Justicia contra el Olvido y el Silencio (H.I.J.O.S.), cuyo padre, Sergio Cetrángolo, es uno de los 30,000 desaparecidos por la represión dictatorial de 1976 a 1983 en Argentina, según los datos de organizaciones de derechos humanos.

"No esperábamos que se avanzara tanto contra la desaparición forzada de personas en Argentina" en esta década, reconoció. "Los poderes del Estado están haciendo su trabajo y hay una condena social al terrorismo de Estado", destacó.

Es que los juicios se reactivaron en masa desde 2003, cuando tras la llegada al gobierno del centroizquierdista Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) el parlamento anuló las dos leyes aprobadas en los años 80 para alejar de los tribunales a los uniformados acusados de violaciones a los derechos humanos. Luego, en 2005, la Corte Suprema de Justicia, las declaró inconstitucional.

Junto a otros activistas argentinos, mexicanos, guatemaltecos, colombianos, peruanos, chilenos y uruguayos, Cetrángolo asiste al encuentro internacional de H.I.J.O.S, la agrupación surgida en Argentina en 1994, que tuvo lugar del miércoles 13 al viernes 15 de octubre en Mexico, D.F., con el objetivo de impulsar el tema en el plano continental.

América Latina ha marchado a diferentes velocidades en la lucha contra la desaparición forzada. Mientras países como Argentina y, con más contratiempos Uruguay y Chile, se han colocado a la vanguardia con legislaciones y condenas a responsables, otros como México y Colombia se hallan en el último vagón.

"El Estado no sólo está obligado a investigar todos los casos y tiene una responsabilidad, sino también tiene que llevar ante la justicia a los responsables", señaló Héctor Cerezo, integrante del no gubernamental Comité Cerezo, de México.

En agosto, este comité formado en 2001 a raíz de la detención y posterior condena de Héctor y de sus hermanos Alejandro y Antonio Cerezo, se unió a otras organizaciones de derechos humanos para lanzar la Campaña Nacional contra la Desaparición Forzada y divulgaron un manual al respecto, para orientar a los familiares sobre cómo actuar en un caso de esa naturaleza.

Más de 3,000 personas han sido desaparecidas desde 2006 en México, según agrupaciones humanitarias. El caso más reciente, que data del 14 de septiembre, es el de Víctor Ayala, dirigente del Frente Libre Hermenegildo Galeana, en el sureño estado de Guerrero.

En la llamada "guerra sucia" contra las guerrillas izquierdistas, militantes y dirigentes sociales en los años 60 y 70 desaparecieron 532 personas, según la estatal aunque autónoma Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos. Ante ello, han fracasado las denuncias penales en contra de los presidentes y altos funcionarios de la época.

En Guatemala suman 45,000 personas los desaparecidos tras ser secuestrados o arrestados por agentes del Estado durante la guerra civil transcurrida entre 1960 y 1996.

En Colombia, H.I.J.O.S. tiene un registro de 47,000 desapariciones forzosas en más de cuatro décadas de enfrentamiento armado interno. El primer caso documentado fue el de la bacterióloga Omaira Montoya, una militante de izquierda que fue detenida en 1977.

En los siete años de dictadura en Argentina fueron desaparecidas 30,000 personas, según contabilizan las organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos, mientras que los oficiales registran con documentación casi 15,000.

H.I.J.O.S. afirma que el primer caso argentino de este tipo se remonta a 1962 y se trata de Felipe Vallese, un obrero metalúrgico y dirigente de la entonces proscrita Juventud Peronista, mientras que el último es el del albañil Jorge Julio López, desaparecido en 2006 poco después de haber declarado como testigo en un juicio contra represores que lo mantuvieron detenido ilegalmente en los años de la dictadura.

En Chile indican que son 2,115 los desaparecidos durante la dictadura de 1973 a 1990. El primer caso documentado es el del dirigente sindical Gastón de Jesús Cortés poco después del golpe de Estado perpetrado por el general Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006).

Los registros recogidos por la organización de derechos humanos marcan que son 172 los uruguayos detenidos-desparecidos por agentes de la dictadura de ese país (1973-1985), la mayoría de ellos apresados en Argentina en el marco del Plan Cóndor, que coordinó la represión del Cono Sur de América con anuencia de Estados Unidos.

Sin embargo se aclara que pueden ser más las personas en esa situación, puesto que siguen las investigaciones sobre traslado de prisioneros en vuelos sobre el Río de la Plata.

El primer expediente documentado de un desaparecido en Uruguay fue el del estudiante de medicina Adán Abel Ayala y fue en 1971, aún en democracia, a manos de fuerzas represivas del autoritario gobierno de entonces de Jorge Pacheco Areco.

"La tipificación es arbitraria, porque la desaparición forzada se le atribuye a un particular y no a un agente del Estado. Si es un servidor público, no existe agravante", criticó la abogada Yessica Hoyos, de H.I.J.O.S-Colombia, fundada hace cuatro años, y presente en el encuentro, que incluye la exhibición de películas y documentales sobre el tema.

Osteogenesis imperfecta drive at state's Capitol(1)

By Alfredo Santana

Bill Scarberry moved and rolled with his electric wheelchair across the front green lawn at the state’s Capitol in Sacramento to greet participants at the Third Annual Unbreakable Spirit Walk for Osteogeneis Imperfecta (OI), and to instruct them to keep spreading the word about the little known condition, which makes bones brittle on people diagnosed with it.

Scarberry, organizer of the OI walk, said despite the fact OI has been known to affect humans for many decades, close to nothing is reported by the media to create awareness about a condition that 50,000 people in the United States live with every day.

“We are here to talk about the event, the OI Foundation, and the need for media coverage. This event is a good start to improve things about OI,” said Scarberry, who is married to Anastasia Scarberry, and has two daughters. “We need you to be here as friends, as part of support networks, as family with members with OI, etc. This is a good way to spread out the word about OI and the event.”

The OI awareness walk took place on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lawns of the state’s Capitol, the center of California's legislative action. Its purpose was to raise funds for the foundation, to serve as a network point for people whose relatives live with OI, for friends and family members who have one, or two relatives with OI, and to launch a message to California’s elected officials about the need for funding research, educational, and social programs that improve the quality of life of people with this disease.

About 200 people, among them about 15 adults, children and toddlers with OI, gathered at the west steps of the Capitol, and walked around the Capitol Park. The Walk-and Roll event was a symbolic gesture to honor those who have been lost to the condition, and to keep the spirit alive that support from the state’s government agencies, and from individual donations are crucial to better understand OI, and people diagnosed with it.

Youth wearing T-shirts with phrases that read “We are walking for our future,” and “Support OI Foundation,” also joined the event, which included a musical performance from the band Jukebox. The three-member guitar and bass band played old rockabilly tunes at a makeshift tent in the steps of the Capitol from 10 a.m. until the event was over.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily. Each time someone breaks a bone, the healing and rehabilitation process becomes lengthy, and difficult. A syndrome of painful fractures that often need surgery develops, as they force individuals away from school and work. These condition isolates them from friends and peers. Families with OI members often spend tens of thousands of dollars battling the complications of OI.

People diagnosed with OI have a faulty gene that instructs their bodies to make little, or poor quality-type 1 collagen, the protein that gives strength and helps structure the human bones. About one-third of children born with OI each year come from families whose history do not include cases with the condition.

How the so called “brittle bone” disease impacts individuals varies individually. Some suffer only several fractures in their lives. However, others can suffer hundreds of fractures before they reach adulthood, and develop weak, shorter limbs, and abnormal ribs cage. Many among these cases must wear special support orthopedic devices must be continuously.

Other medical complications, such as difficulty to breath tend to develop. Also, social barriers must be challenged in the refusal to receive health and medical attention from hospitals, in addition to inadequate architectural buildings that make access to them nothing but almost impossible.

Osteogenesis imperfecta drive at state's Capitol(2)

Bill’s wife, Anastasia, said that among its activities, OI Foundation provides medical information to families and individuals, offers links to professional medical experts in treatment of OI, and fosters the creation of regional support groups across the United States. The foundation started its activities in 1970.

“If someone with OI does not know how to get help, or needs support in an array of social or individual issues, the employees and volunteers at the foundation can help,” said Anastasia. The foundation’s additional goals are to inform, and raise awareness about OI.

The OI Foundation provides at least $500,000 a year in research funds to scientists, medical professionals and educational and research programs to treat, and find a cure for the disease.

In addition, funds collected at the annual awareness walk support a regional grants program for individuals who need specially personalized items, such as electric wheelchairs, physical therapy machines, orthopedic devices, scooters, ramps, and special transportation. If an economic needs persist, medical expenses can also be funded through the foundation.

Robert Pankey, a 42-year-old father of a female toddler, who was also diagnosed with OI, said the event is needed to inform the society about the continuous need for funding, both public and private, to better understand how the genetic disorder evolves, and how it can be scientifically treated.

The foundation’s goal is to eventually find a cure.

Children from parents with OI have a 50% chance to be born with the condition. The older daughter from Bill, who is six, was born without OI. However, the younger daughter, who is four, was diagnosed with the condition.

“This walk is very good. The booths set here offer a lot of information, and people who don’t know how this condition evolves must know it,” said Pankey, who currently stays home to support her daughter, who is 20 months old. “People in our communities are beginning to learn about this condition.”

Donations of $50 or more were accepted, in exchange for an Osteogenesis imperfecta awareness T-shirt, magnets with paperclips, pens, pins, blue little flags, and other items. Regional support groups’ representatives collected several hundred dollars each from their members, and forwarded them to foundation organizers. At least one representative raised $500 from their support group.

In addition, Bill, who works full-time as operations manager at a Hewlett-Packard plant in Roseville, near San Francisco, said the website www.oif.org offers an array of support links, whereby parents with OI can find legal assistance about how parents with the condition are entitled to rear biological children. Links to support groups in northern and southern California, or groups composed of individuals with OI, their families and friends are also available.

“It’s important to get involved in this cause. Every individual, friend and relative who come to this walk helps us support this cause, and make us better people,” said Bill. “We will continue supporting these efforts.”