Category: Uncategorized

The headline said something like “Top Fundraiser to Fill President’s Chair at A&M,” and I thought, oh no. But a quick check of the story revealed they were only talking about Eddie Davis. I mean, who doesn’t know Eddie Davis? So while we’re in that honeymoon mood, let us say right away that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Congratulations, Eddie, and good luck!–gm

Email from Jay Johnson-Castro (Dec. 23)

Mornin’ amigos…

Christmas Eve Vigil for the children imprisoned with their mothers at the Hutto prison camp in Taylor , Texas .

Time: Just one hour…between 5pm-6pm. Music and candles.

Location: 1400 Welch St. , Taylor , TX .

Regarding this vigil, I received this caution from someone who knows more about the inside of the Hutto prison camp than most of us.

I would be careful though, because I heard that as a result of the last vigil, the detainees were kind of in lock-down most of the day. They didn’t get to go outside that day. So I would be careful, because you wouldn’t want ICE to get upset and take it out on the detainees. Just a heads-up.

I feel the tearing expressed above. For me…it is very simple. It’s a must to go. We want the children and their moms to know that someone in America cares.

What do we have to do? Wait for them to start tattooing numbers on their wrists? This has to be exposed. We will shame these entities. We will free these people. Freedom doesn’t come easy…or cheap.

Chertoff & Company rule by fear. Yet…if YOU were inside…which would YOU rather experience? A lock down because Americans were outside protesting your conditions? Or spend Christmas with your kids for 22 hours on Christmas day…in your cell anyway…knowing that NO ONE was out there?

While attorneys cannot inspect the inside of this facility…nor can the media…did you know who can. Any significant investor in privatized prisons can tour the facilities. As a country, are we now moving from a military-industrial complex to an ICE/immigration-privatization complex? Who really rules America when these conditions are secret from the public and the media…but open to those with the capitol? Chertoff & Company…and their financial backers?

Did you know that ICE has offices in Hutto…with some 50 ICE personnel…or so an official told Fox News on video.

Did you know that the helpless in the prison camps have no way of communicating with the outside…unless the buy the CCA phone cards? $20 for 20 minutes. Can someone explain to me how a terrorized mother and her children who have been striped of all human dignity and has no money gets justice in our country?

That’s my take on this issue…and that of Teye and Belen. We want the moms and kids to know that we are there. That some one cares. That we care. And Chertoff & Company need to know too! Some folks will be attending. Some media too. The message is spilling all over the world. Just Google “hutto detention families children”. In just one week, the message is now global.

Our presence will bring hope…something that fascism does not want these people to experience or enjoy. Some individuals and media have indicated that they’ll be there. Where we are few or not…makes no difference. The moms and especially the children will know the “We the people of the United States of America” have not forgotten them…and will not forget them. We demand their freedom.

What is almost as good is that Chertoff & Company will know too! It is our belief that what is being committed here behind the razor wires of the Hutto prison camp is not only immoral but criminal. We are demanding democracy and due process. A congressional investigation…and a UN investigation. This is beyond war crimes. This is a crime on humanity…to imprison mothers and children who come to this country seeking asylum.

Over this issue… America has a chance to wake up! Really wake up!!!

Silent night. Holy night. All is calm. All is bright. Tomorrow night!!!

Jay

Email from Jay Johnson-Castro

Hola y’all…

Following is a real heads up. The ICE/Hutto partnership might be even worse than we thought just a couple of days ago.

First I’d like to say that I am very grateful to the media for covering the imprisonment of the 200 children in Taylor , Tx . In particular, I’m grateful to Steve Taylor of http://www.riograndeguardian.com for breaking the story. I’m grateful to Diego Muñoz, the anchor of Univision/Austin, for following the walk so closely. I’m grateful to Javier Aparisi of BBC for making this international…and to Juan Castillo of the Austin Stateman for a great front page story.

Juan’s story in the Stateman was very comprehensive and fair. It did trigger the following letter that was written to him by an immigration attorney, John Gibson, who justifiable vents his outrage, not at the Statesman, but at the tyrannical administration that would treat humans in America like the current administration under Bush and Chertoff. You’ll see below that John Gibson has clients in Hutto that are LEGAL!!!

[The Gibson letter has been posted as a separate story–gm] It’s not Juan’s or the Stateman’s fault that such tyrannical conditions exist in Hutto. Juan did the truth a great service by bringing this subject to the readership of the Statesman. It’s the fault of the current administration and especially Chertoff…whose idea is to have even more facilities that imprison children in dog pound like conditions. At the same time, John Gibson’s outrage below really exposes an evil in this country even worse than folks like me even thought it was just a few days ago.

I appeal to all immigration attorneys who know this stuff is going on…as well as to the different organizations that give a crap…to pool the knowledge and information you have. Let get all the transparency out to the public that we can. Cock roaches cannot stand the light!

If Hutto…as a half year old experiment…is the best product of the current Chertoff tyranny…what exists below this level folks? What preceded it? What is happening in secret all over this state and all over this country…for profit?

We must not allow this to get back below the radar of the media and the public. Please help keep the light on the subject. Get access into these so called “detention centers” which are little more than prison camps that exploit desperate people only to make obscene profits.

Like John Gibson, caring attorneys need to provide the facts to the media. Organizations like LULAC and the ACLU will hopefully take legal and political action. The US Congress should demand an investigation of this situation. Even the UN should investigate this. How about Amnest International?

Human rights and dignity must be demanded for these children…and any refugee…in order to regain and preserve a free and open society. Occult and Gulag tactics must not continue to exist in America . This wharped and demented mentality must be brought to an abrumpt end!!!

Ultimately…it is “We the people” that must do something. It may be that we will have to keep walking to Hutto…and to any other facility…and keep on holding vigils…until this violation of human rights is extinguished.

Any thoughts will be appreciated…

Jay

P.S. Some media links to the plight at the Hutto facility…

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/15/15immigprison.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/international/newsid_6184000/6184849.stm

http://texascivilrightsreview.org/phpnuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=686

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/News
/Detail?contentId=1776864&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

http://www.kut.org/items/show/6811

http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/?ArID=176608

http://eyeonwilliamson.org/?p=716

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2006/12/family-thats-jailed-together.html.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connecting the dots…making a difference…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr.

jay@villadelrio.com

Jay J. Johnson-Castro: (830)-768-0768
Teye and Belen: (512)922-0789

PRESS RELEASE

Austin, Texas. Along with Jay J. Johnson-Castro, two professional Flamenco performers, Teye and Belen, who are based in Austin (www.teyeandbelen.com), are organizing a Christmas Eve Vigil for the children who are incarcerated in the Hutto prison camp in Taylor , Texas .

Jay, who gained international media attention when he made a 205 mile walk from Laredo to Brownsville to protest the proposed border wall as well as the walk from the Capitol in Austin to Hutto prison camp last week, proposed the Christmas Eve Vigil so as not to forget the children over the holidays who are imprisoned there. Teye and Belen embraced the thought and offered to perform there.

The Vigil will be held on Dec 24, from 5-6pm, across from the entrance of the Hutto prison camp.

Teye and Belen will use their Flamenco talents to show their protest for the inhumane treatment of the inmates of Don Hutto Center in Taylor Texas, especially the 200 children that are imprisoned there. They will perform according to their best Gypsy Campfire traditions. Since there will be no campfire…it is requested that you bring your own candles.

Everyone is invited to attend the Christmas Eve Vigil for the children who are imprisoned in the Hutto prison camp. For anyone who does attend, Teye and Belen will be giving away a free autographed copy of their latest CD, “FlamencObsesionArte”.

Most folks who would be likely to support such a vigil will already have made plans for Christmas Eve with their friends and families and enjoying traditional holiday cheer. Recognizing that few will be thinking about imprisoned children here on American soil on this Christmas Eve, Jay, along with Teye and Belen will hold this special vigil…for these children. Even if only a few are able to attend, all will know that someone is conscious of their plight.

The intention of this vigil is therefore two fold. (1) To bring hope in during the Christmas holidays to children and their families in the Hutto and other prison camps throughout Texas and the United States and (2) to bring further local, state, national and international awareness to their plight.
Address of the Hutto family prison camp: 1001 Welch St. , Taylor , Texas (35 miles northeast of the State Capitol)

If you are not part of the media, please forward this to your media friends. View Map to Hutto Prison for Children, Women, and Profit, USA