Category: Uncategorized

The following email was circulated by Riad Hamad on Christmas Day, 2006. Originally posted as article #715 at the Texas Civil Rights Review.–gm

Dear Friends,

Further to my emails yesterday regarding the Palestinian children and their families in the Hutto detention center please find below some more details and action required to help these innocent people.

I went to the detention center yesterday and talked to one of the women and provided her with cash for phone calls and snacks for the children since the jail officials are providing them with mainly pork and ham that they do not eat.

Today, another one of the members of the family called me from the detention center and informed me that that all three families in the detention center were in the United States legally and ALWAYS filed their immigration related forms and paid the required fees and taxes. The woman also indicated that two of her children are United States citizens and are now with their aunt in Dallas but with not much financial support.

Apparently, after 2001 some of the procedures were changed but they were not informed of these changes and their attorney failed to file the appeal on their behalf and that is how their status changed. All three families had male breadwinners who were working legally with work permits and earned money to stay off welfare or any other related social services.

According to one of the women, her husband suffers from a severe case of diabetes and was deprived of his medication for several days and when he contacted his attorney to inquire about his medication, he was beaten along with the three other male Arab detainees and no one has been able to know his whereabouts or his medical condition. The family of the man contacted the detention facilities in Haskell, Texas and Oklahoma where he was jailed but both facilities deny that he is there now.

Next steps: I will be retaining local immigration lawyer tomorrow morning to attempt and get a release of the women and the children and to determine the location of the men. Also, we will be providing the women and children with more money to help them cover the cost of food purchased from the commissary of the detention center due to the absence of Islamic Halal food.

We need your help by forwarding this email to your friends and colleagues and asking them to donate for the legal costs of releasing these families as it has already reached more than 5000 dollars and could easily reach 50 000 dollars sine the members of the families in jail are more than 6 adults and 14 children.

I will be providing you with the contact information for the federal authorities in charge of the detention centers in Haskell and Oklahoma to determine the location of . . . , the missing man with a sever case of diabetes.

If any one is interested in helping these families please email me and will provide you with my phone number to assign you tasks and pursue financial and material support for these families.

All donations will, be listed on our website to ensure transparency and that the families and the children receive the full amount of the donations collected for them and for their legal defense. The expenses will also be listed as they become available and you will be notified of any changes.
Looking forward to hearing from you and THANKS for your generosity, work and support for the children in Palestine.

Riad Elsolh Hamad
Austin, Texas

Email from the Palestine Solidarity Committee at the University of Texas – Austin

Dear All,

As some of you might know our friend and often partner-activist, Riad Hamad, from Austin, passed away this week. The circumstances of his death were tragic and confusing.

Riad’s dedication to the Palestinian rights, non-violent activism and Palestinian economic development was unparalleled. He founded the Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund (PCFW), which raised millions or dollars for projects benefiting children, women and families in the occupied territories. Much of this money was raised through selling Palestinian fair trade goods in the US. Riad was also a dedicated husband, father of two young-adult children and a middle school educator.

To honor Riad’s work the University of Texas Palestine Solidarity Committee is attempting to raise 1,000 dollars for PCFW and donate it in memory of Riad. We will also have an olive tree planted in Palestine with a plaque commemorating Riad and his work. There will be a public memorial in the near future and we would like to have everything in place by then.

We send this letter to ask each of you to pledge $10-$100 towards this effort. We know most of you are students or work for some non-paying NGO, so we appreciate whatever you can give.

For some of you this might be your first exposure to the Palestinian cause, Riad or PCFW–all of which are surrounded by misnomers. Here is a link to an interview Riad did with Free Speech TV, we encourage you to take a minute to watch and remember what a dedicated and inspired person he was.

Please make donation checks out to Palestine Solidarity Committee and mail them to:

Palestine Solidarity Committee
Student Services Building 4.400 #294
100 West Dean Keeton Street

Austin, Tx 78712-1534

Until we meet beneath the olive tree,
Palestine Solidarity Committee, past and present members.

Obituary from the Austin American-Statesman (April 19, 2008)

Riad Elsolh Hamad Longtime peace activist, beloved father, partner, soul mate, and educator Riad Elsolh Hamad died tragically on April 14, 2008. Riad was born on September 20, 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, but called Austin home since 1970.

A lifelong scholar, Riad received the first of many degrees from the University of Texas, Austin. At the time of his death, he was pursuing a PhD in Educational Technology. Riad touched many lives as an educator and friend. He was a computer technology instructor at Clint Small Middle School. He was a selfless individual who focused on helping students realize their potential. He was also a champion of human rights and worked tirelessly for peace and justice.

He founded the Palestinian Children’s Welfare Fund to aid Palestinian children, women, and families in need. Riad is survived by his loving partner, Diana; his daughter, Rita; his son, Abdullah; his brother, Omar; and other siblings and family across the world. He leaves behind countless friends who will miss him dearly and a legacy of love and peace. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Palestinian Children’s Welfare Fund (www.pcwf.org, or by mail at PCWF – Riad Hamad Memorial, 405 Vista Heights Road, El Cerrito, CA 94530).

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ARCHIVE

Austin Police Department News

April 17, 2008

Deceased Person

Case: 08-1071204

Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: 1400 Nash Hernandez
Deceased: Riad Hamad (D. O. B. 9-20-52)

On Monday, April 14, 2008, Riad Hamad was reported missing by his family. APD personnel provided resources in an attempt to locate Hamad but were unsuccessful. On Tuesday, April 15, 2008, information was provided to the missing persons unit by persons close to Hamad that he had been experiencing suicidal thoughts. APD continued its attempt to locate Hamad with the assistance of his family. On this same day, APD located Hamad’s vehicle parked near Lady Bird Lake. An extensive search was conducted of the area but Hamad was not found.

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, 2008, a body was reported floating in Lady Bird Lake near Comal and Nash Hernandez Streets. When the body was removed from the lake, tape was found around the eyes, and the hands and legs were loosely bound. The bindings of his hands and legs and placement of the tape were consistent with Hamad having done this to himself. Detectives know that Hamad walked from his vehicle to the water on his own based on evidence retrieved from the scene.

At this time, the Austin Police Department does not suspect foul play was involved. Witnesses and family members have confirmed with police that Hamad had extreme stressors in his life. This incident is still an on going investigation, but all signs indicate this may have been a suicide.

According to the preliminary results from the Medical Examiner’s Office there were no signs of trauma to the body or signs of a struggle.

The Austin Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance with anyone who may have seen Hamad between late Monday evening and Tuesday to contact the Homicide Unit . . . .

The following emails document the activities of Riad Hamad during the 2006-2007 holiday season. The first clip from the Palestine Solidarity Committee of the University of Texas at Austin describes Mr. Hamad’s activities. In the next email, Mr. Hamad steps back from being lead organizer, in deference to the entrance of the Arab American Community Coalition of Washington. But it is clear from the email of Jan. 6, 2007 that Mr. Hamad continues to play the role of passionate Good Samaritan to the incarcerated families at the Hutto prison.–gm

Email from PSC, 12/27/06, 5:25 pm

. . . Riad makes frequent visits to the families at the Hutto “Residential Facility” to provide them with phone cards to communicate with family, provide them with snacks (since they cannot eat the pork they are being fed), and moral support. If you would like to join him in visiting the families, please do not hesitate to contact him.

Email from Riad Hamad, 1/2/07, 3:53 pm

[following involvement of Arab American Community Coalition]

Dear friends,

This is to advise you that my part in this case was to attempt and recruit individuals and groups to raise money for these families and help them to get out of the Hutto Gulag. With the latest developments and events, I find myself unable to continue the work and will focus my efforts on the PCWF projects and to raise money for the families in Hutto to cover their basic humanitarian needs. I wish you luck in your endeavour and success in getting the innocent children from this horrendous, illegal and criminal circumstances.
Thanks for your work and support for the children in Palestine

Salamat
Riad Hamad

Email from Riad Hamad 01/06/07 9:32 p.m.

Subject: URGENT Update on the Palestinian families and children in the Hutto detention facility

Dear Friends,

As mentioned in several of my previous emails, there are three Palestinian families in the T. Hutto detention center near Austin, Texas with children as young as four years old. The story came out after I received a message from our friend . . . seeking some more information about them.

I went to visit the families three weeks ago and was allowed to see only one of them as the rules of the facility state that each family can get only ONE visitor per day for one hour and only on weekends. The families can receive guests on Saturdays and Sundays for ONE hour ONLY and two hours if the visitor is from a town that is more 300 miles away. I went to visit the families last weekend and with a friend and we were allowed to see two families, . . . and got to know them better.

. . . the husband of one of the women in the detention center was moved from Haskell, Texas to a county jail in Oklahoma where the conditions are much worst because he complained to his attorney that the officials at the jail did not give him his diabetes medicine. [He] was admitted to intensive care this past week due to the deterioration of his medical condition according to his sister in law who lives in Dallas. Three attorneys went to visit the families this week in the detention facility and met with them for several hours to seek more information about them and about the living conditions there.

I was supposed to go to the detention facility today with a local attorney in her personal capacity and another friend from the local mosque but both could not show up for personal reasons. Finally, I managed to convince a friend to come along with me to see the families and to meet the children who are absolutely adorable..

As soon as I walked in the facility, the attendant at the door recognized me and while I was signing the guest book she told me that the she read what I had written about the facility and the conditions inside the facility. I replied to her that I was only interested in the condition of the there families and that I do not really care about the facility.

The attendant called up her supervisor who was very brutal in her approach towards me, and the friend that came along with me to see the children. She informed me that the officials at the facility suspect that I am coming to the facility to write about the facility and they might have to “ban” me from entering the facility. I did not respond and kept my cool and informed that the families are friends now and that I am only interested in helping them and ensuring that that they get money and food to survive their stay.

My friend was not allowed in since she is “not a relative” according to the “captain” who reprimanded me although I am not a family member either. Also, I was allowed to see one family ONLY and for 20 minutes only although the rules state clearly that I can see them for 1 hour. The rules posted outside clearly state that visitors can be
“3 – Family, friends and associates.”

The families had put my name on the visitors list and asked to allow me to visit them and the Ibrahim family, the only family I was allowed to see today was VERY appreciative of our work and efforts. I even managed to get smiles from the children, the four years old girl and the 14 years old girl inside when I waved at them and smiled at them from behind the glass windows.

My friend Tammie waited outside and right before the facility, she asked the guard at the gate about the rules for visiting the facility and the guard asked her to wait for the captain who is going to come and answer her questions. I told my friend that I will wait for her in the car since I was not interested in finding out the rules and had decided that I will not go back to the facility without an attorney.

The captain followed me outside with an extra large body guard and a female immigration officer who was at the facility when I was there. She warned me that they are suspicious of me and that the officials at the detention facility are suspicious of us and that the are going to run a background check about my friend . . . to see if were really friends of the families and to determine whether they will even allow us back in the facility.

The IMPORTANT thing about the visit is that the woman . . . told me that the families were denied phone cards this week as I left money in their account last week and they were promised phone cards by no later than Tuesday of this week due to the Christmas holidays. Also, she told me that the guards were yelling and screaming at them and at the children specifically this week and that the children are disturbed by the yelling and the screaming as they are not doing anything to deserve the yelling.

The children were near here and one of them was eating crackers as it is the only thing that they can eat there from the menu offered by the detention facility.

I am in the process of calling and emailing some friends to come with me tomorrow as I suspect that the officials at the facility are going to fabrication something against me to ban from entering the facility. The captain told me on the way out that I will not be allowed to talk to the 14 year old boy alone, although I did not ask to speak with him alone and Tammie could testify to these facts. My concern is that they are trying to fabricate events to ban me and others from visiting the families and to isolate them in order to deprive them of their rights and endanger their lives and safety.

One more thing, the Arab and Muslim community in Austin, one more time proved to me that they are a bunch of pathetic bunch that I am ashamed of knowing since ONLY two people so far had the urge to come out and visit these families and ONLY two donated less than 100 dollars to help these families in their plight and raise money for their legal defense. This is despite the fact that hundreds of them are well to do but would rather spend their money on belly dancing events that will not save their behinds if we Arabs do not stand up to this aggression on our civil and human rights.

THANK YOU for you patience, work and suppo

rt for the children in Palestine

Salamat

“Trying to weed through the salacious media coverage to uncover what wrongdoings the folks at the FDLS compound are being charged with, and what the basis for such is, is not easy,” writes Austin activist Debbie Russell in an email. “When you do finally get to the heart of the matter–the answer seems to be: they aren’t being charged with anything because there is no basis for doing so (so far), nor was there a basis to storm their compound in the first place.”

“As it stands, there is currently no substantiated claims of rape or physical abuse,” says Russell at her myspace blog. “No one in custody has made any such claims.” Russell continues:

“What is currently in legal dispute, it seems, is the teachings of the church—a clear violation of religious freedom. The marriage age law in TX was upped in 2005 in reaction to this particular group’s moving to Eldorado (it was fine for 14 year old Presbyterians to marry until THEY came to town), and is problematic in and of itself in that it defines two different penalty ranges for the same crime.

“A Mormon expert, in fact, claims it is not part of FLDS doctrine for teenage girls to marry or engage in sexual activity with older men – so how much of this is hype? Unless the state is prepared to handle every underage pregnancy where the suspected father is over 18 this way, then there is a religious freedom question.

Also, is “brainwashing” being legally defined as “abuse” in this case? Should it be? (Wasn’t I “brainwashed” at 11 years old to believe I needed to be dipped in water so that my spiritual self won’t be eternally subject to torturous conditions? Wasn’t I scared into conforming to a particular religious tenent?)

Another Austin analyst, Scott Henson, reflects upon the news via some High School memories involving a crush on a Mormon girl.

I was fascinated by her family nearly as much as the young lady, and for a while really loved spending time with them, especially her mother who I truly admired. The kids were all happy, disciplined, and well-adjusted. Listening to the Mormon religious narrative and doctrine, I never could buy it. But if you looked at the values and lives of the people living the faith, they behaved a lot like the more religious Baptists I knew, except with less hypocrisy.

Neither Russell nor Henson could be accused of sympathizing with polygamist anti-feminism, but they are both concerned about the way state power has been deployed to round up more than 400 children and separate them as a group from their parents.

Jim Harrington at the Texas Civil Rights Project has also expressed public concern that the rights of the children may have been violated in wholesale fashion.

Russell, Henson, and Harrington are reliable witnesses on the civil rights front in Texas. If all three agree that something is not quite right about what’s happening in El Dorado, then progressive voices around the world should take due note.–gm