Author: mopress

The last week of November 2008 wore signs of worry from economic authorities in Texas.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) on Nov. 26 announced in a press release that it will begin notifying people with unemployment benefits that they may qualify for seven more weeks of relief because of a new federal law. TWC has an online portal for payment requests and benefits. TWC will need updated address information to send out the notices.

And the Dallas Federal Reserve on Nov. 28 featured information about RAISE Texas, an “asset building project” that helps to foster savings accounts, tax preparation services, small loans, and foreclosure deterrence. RAISE Texas has been working with the Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force to notify homeowners about a national bilingual hotline that works around the clock to provide advice on how to deter foreclosure. The HOPE hotline is reported to be open 24/7 at: 1-888-995-HOPE.

News from Jay Johnson-Castro, Sr.

In this period of giving…

Can we share a few hours out of our holiday season and show solidarity with imprisoned immigrant children?

Border Ambassadors and Freedom Ambassadors endorse the following notice and attached flier for a special toy and gift drive and vigil for the imprisoned innocent women and children in the T. Don Hutto “for profit” prison…

Hutto is a money laundering facility between Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)…with Williamson County Commissioners Court (WCCC) as the money laundering mechanism.

No where in the world, let alone in America, should a child be locked up or forced to forfeit his or her freedom for a 8′ x 12′ prison cell. Perhaps, under a new President “Change we can believe in” will restore “Liberty and Justice for all”.

We must press on with our demand that the end of the era of the current Administration’s immoral practice of imprisoning innocent children and their mothers…for profit.

In solidarity with the women and children imprisoned in Hutto and all those who have fought for two years to free them…

Jay
Border Ambassasors
Freedom Ambassadors

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Hutto Toy Delivery and Vigil to End Family Detention

Saturday, December 20th, 3-5pm, T. Don Hutto Detention Center (1001 Welch, Taylor, TX)

Please join organizations and individuals from across the state in the third annual December vigil to end family detention, Saturday, December 20th, from 3-5pm. Since May 2006, immigrant families with small children have been jailed in the facility while awaiting asylum or immigration hearings. The prison has been criticized by human rights organizations worldwide as an inappropriate facility for children and their families. Organizers will deliver more than 500 toys, books, and children’s clothes to the facility in time for the holiday season. Toys should be in their original packaging and not be on any recall-list to be accepted into the facility. Contact: Bob at (512) 971-0487 or blibal@grassrootsleadership.org

Caravaning information:

Austin caravan will leave PODER building at 2604 E. Cesar Chavez at 2pm for the Hutto detention center.

San Antonio caravan will leave from the Cesar Chavez Learning Center,1414 E. Commerce Street, San Antonio. Arrive at 11am to get organized; the caravan will leave at noon. Please contact Carlos De Leon at 210-627-3647 for more information.

Houston caravan will be leaving from the parking lot of Fedex Kinko’s (Magnum exit, Hwy 290, Houston) at around 10:30. Meet up at 9:30 if you would like to make posters for the vigil. Contact Maria Elena Castellanos at castellanoslaw1 [at] gmail [dot] com for more information

Endorsed by: Texans United for Families, Grassroots Leadership, WilCo Family Justice Alliance, Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, Border Ambassadors, CodePink Austin, Texas Indigenous Council, San Antonio Brown Berets.

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WCCC to vote on T Don Hutto Contract—12/23/2008

Williamson County Judge Gattis announced this morning (12/16/08) that the vote on the proposed renewal of the contract(s) with CCA/DHS to operate T Don Hutto Detention Facility will take place on December 23 at the Williamson County Commissioners Court’s weekly meeting.

After that announcement, several citizens spoke against the renewal, and WCCC was reminded that:

Putting families in prison for infractions comparable to running a stop sign is “inappropriate.”

The lack of oversight and assurance of humane treatment for families held at T Don Hutto is alarming, and contradicted by our national sense of right and wrong, —and does serious emotional damage to the young prisoners who end up gaining American citizenship.

Communities that locate a prison in their borders suffer immense long-term economic damage because “clean” economic growth avoids them. The uglier the facility, the greater the damage.

There are alternatives to locking up babies and families, and they are proven to be less expensive– and just as effective. But they provide no profit for the prison industry.
So, between now and the eve of Christmas Eve, it is essential that those of us who oppose this corrupt contract:

1. Contact anyone in the county hierarchy who might be able to help us; certainly the WCCC members, but also anyone who could talk to them with good audience.–minister, friends, family members, etc. WCCC contact info can be found at http://www.wiliamson-county.org.

2. Write letters to the editor to the Williamson County Sun, Austin American-Statesman, Austin Chronicle, or other newspaper; contact your local TV affiliate station’s news department. Ask for folks to join our effort on the blogs and email lists.

3. Consider getting a few other supporters to go with you to visit with your Williamson County commissioner–or go on your own; small settings can work far better than large, public ones because the commissioner needn’t be defensive of the issue.

4. Come to Saturday, December 20 vigil in front of the Hutto facility from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. to show support and generate more.

5. Attend the December 23 WCCC meeting that starts at 9:30 a.m.; come early ( CCA often tries to pack the place before it starts), bring others, and seriously consider speaking. Write a three-minute speech to deliver.

The new faces and voices who have recently come out against the contract renewal have had a huge impact. We can’t lapse now; let’s celebrate Christmas with the gift of an end to imprisoning innocent families and babies in Williamson County —-in Texas—-in the United States of America.

Please stay in touch if you see a road-block or an in-road; we need to maximize our chances in these final few days! My email is maryellenkersch@verizon.net

MaryEllen Kersch

Writer/Attorney Jennifer Harbury Comments on the CIA

By Nick Braune

This week I interviewed Jennifer Harbury, an attorney in Weslaco who has
published three books. Her most famous, Searching for Everardo, details
her long, difficult, effort to locate her husband who had participated in political
and military struggles for freedom in Central America. Now a nationally known
figure in the fight against torture, Harbury has another book out: Truth,
Torture and the American Way, published by Beacon Press.

Braune: I know that your husband was a prisoner of
war in Guatemala and was suddenly “disappeared” and was later found to have
been tortured in complete disregard of the Geneva Agreements. And your
subsequent investigation revealed how the CIA had funneled tons of money to
the unprincipled Guatemalan military responsible for the disappearance and
torture of not only your husband, but many people. Given your expertise
in this area, I’m eager to ask a question:

The new “Integrated Global Knowledge” (IGKNU) center at U.T. Pan American,
which is trying to recruit Hispanic students to join agencies like the CIA,
recently cosponsored an “Ethics and Intelligence Conference” to legitimize
itself among the academics. I joined students from MEChA three weeks
ago publicly protesting IGKNU. What would you tell Pan Am students
who might think it is “patriotic” to join the CIA?

Harbury: I would commend the students for their wish to
be of service, but would tell them they are knocking on the wrong door. Here
is the reason: In fact, my husband was severely tortured for three years (1992-1994)
in a secret cell in Guatemala by military intelligence specialists who were
also working as paid CIA informants. The CIA knew where he was and what was
happening to him within a week of his capture, and they continued to receive
information about his plight during the three years he remained alive. In return
they continued to send money and ask for more information, even though they
knew this would result in further torture.

americanswhotellthetruth.org

Yet when members of Congress repeatedly demanded information in order to
assist me, the CIA falsely responded that there was no information. In the
end he was either thrown from a helicopter or dismembered. Three hundred other
secret prisoners were also killed during this period. We could have saved them,
but the CIA blocked our rescue efforts.

We received the CIA’s files on the case after my husband’s murder. They revealed
many of the torture techniques that the CIA is using today in Iraq and Afghanistan,
such as water-boarding and stress and duress positions. These techniques are
of course completely illegal, and do indeed violate the Geneva Conventions.
Worse yet, they dishonor and endanger our great troops. When the CIA declares
that its agents may lawfully water-board a detainee, then of course the same
“lawful techniques” will be used on our own soldiers when they fall prisoner.
How patriotic is this?

Braune: The Bush administration made it seem that the Geneva
Conventions are irrelevant. In your speaking engagements, what
do you tell audiences about the Geneva Agreements?

Harbury: The Geneva Convention on the rights of prisoners
of war does indeed limit itself to members of a formal army who wear uniforms,
etc. Some of the current detainees may not be eligible for those protections.
However, the Bush administration failed to mention the Geneva Convention on
the rights of civilians, which includes everyone who is not a soldier in a
formal army. It expressly includes saboteurs and persons who carry out deadly
acts against an occupying power. Obviously this would cover most of the people
fighting against us in Iraq today. Can they be arrested and imprisoned? Of
course, so long as they are given a fair trial. Can they be tortured? Of course
not. Is this a naïve situation? No. It is exactly the same as the legal
framework we have used here in the U.S. for two hundred years, and which worked
properly in the case of American terrorists like Timothy McVeigh.

Braune: I know it is hard to guess how the new administration
will turn out, but do you think a Democratic administration will improve things
as far as human rights and opposition to torture goes?

Harbury: The CIA has been using unlawful methods like torture
since its founding half a century ago. When human rights oriented Presidents
or Members of Congress have disagreed with them, they have simply kept the
matters secret from them. In short, we have a rogue agency. This does not work
with our system of checks and balances here in the United States.

Braune: Thank you, counselor, for your time today and your
years of work against torture.

Calendar note: Harbury has been invited to speak at the Valley-wide
Peace and Justice Gathering on February 7th.

News from Bob Libal

Dear friends,

Please join me in taking action to close the notorious T. Don Hutto family detention center and end the detention of immigrant families. Since May 2006, immigrant families with small children have been jailed at Hutto while awaiting asylum or immigration hearings. The prison has been criticized by human rights organizations worldwide as an inappropriate facility for children and their families.

Williamson County Judge Dan Gattis announced this week that the Williamson County Commissioners will vote on the proposed renewal of the Hutto contract this coming Tuesday, December 23rd, at 9:00am during the court’s weekly meeting. See below for phone numbers to contact Williamson Commissioners and the meeting time and location. Now is the time to act! Please join the following four actions to end family detention:

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Hutto Toy Delivery and Vigil to End Family Detention

Saturday, December 20th, 3-5pm, T. Don Hutto Detention Center (1001 Welch, Taylor, TX)

Please join Williamson County residents, faith leaders, and organizations and individuals from across the state in the third annual December vigil to end family detention. The vigil will happen Saturday, December 20th, from 3-5pm. Organizers will deliver more than 500 toys, books, and children’s clothes to the facility in time for the holiday season. Items should be in their original packaging and not be on any recall-list to be accepted. Contact Bob at (512) 971-0487 or blibal@grassrootsleadership.org for more information.

Caravaning information and directions at tdonhutto.blogspot.com. Endorsed by: Texans United for Families, Grassroots Leadership, WilCo Family Justice Alliance, Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, Border Ambassadors, CodePink Austin, Texas Indigenous Council, San Antonio Brown Berets, MADRES.

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Call Williamson County Commissioner Court

Today through Monday, December 22, 2008

Contact the Williamson County Commissioners and tell them to vote to end the contract with the T. Don Hutto prison on Tuesday. Tell them that family detention is unnecessary, traumatic to the detained families, and reflects poorly on the county.

Judge Dan Gattis: (512) 943-1550, ctyjudge@wilco.org
Ron Morrison: (512) 846-1190
Lisa Birkman: (512) 733-5380, LBirkman@wilco.org
Cynthia Long: (512) 260-4280
Valerie Covey:(512) 943-3370

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Come to Williamson County Commissioners Court

Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 9:00am

Come to the Williamson County Commissioners Court to express your opinion on the Hutto contract extension vote. Get there early to speak during citizen comments. The Court meets at 9:00 AM at 710 Main St. Georgetown, TX 78626. Please come show opposition to Williamson County’s role in profiting from family detention. Contact MaryEllen Kersch ( 512-863-7174, maryellenkersch@verizon.net) or Jose Orta (512-818-9802, orta_jose@hotmail.com) for more information.

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100 Events in the first 100 Days to End Family Detention Actions

January 20th 2009 to May 1st 2009

Please join Grassroots Leadership by taking part in 100 Events to End Family Detention in the First 100 Days of the new presidential administration. ICE has solicited three new Hutto-like family detention centers across the country. We need to act to reverse this policy, close Hutto, and stop future Huttos from opening! For more information on the first 100 days events or to schedule a screening of Hutto: America’s Family Prison, contact Bob Libal at blibal@grassrootsleadership.org or (512) 971-0487.

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Bob Libal
(512) 971-0487
Grassroots Leadership
Austin, Texas
www.grassrootsleadership.org