El Paso Comes Together in Support of Immigrant Children: Expels Border Convoy from City

This article is republished from: www.http://elpasonews.org,

Written by: by Martín Paredes · August 8, 2014

mrtnz_convoy_picIt is seldom that I have an opportunity to write about the good things El Paso has to offer. In this case, not only is the topic close and dear to me it is also an opportunity to dispel the myth that the United States does not want immigrants. That the hate group “Border Convoywas expelled from El Paso was just icing on the cake. As most of you are aware, a group of self-style “coalition of citizens who share a deep concern for the invasion currently happening unchecked” at the border, decided to convoy from Murrieta, California to McAllen, Texas. Their website states that they are hoping to “encourage communities to rise up and take a stand against unconstitutional federal incursions”. Although unwritten on the public relations materials, the “incursions” they refer to are the undocumented aliens coming into the country.

Unfortunately for the Border Convoy, although they expected a welcoming community on the border for their message what they got, instead, was a group of individuals pointing out their hate-filled message. Instead of their planned rally, they, instead, had to rely on the El Paso Police Department to escort them out of the city to ensure peace was maintained in light of their hate-led tour.

Because the group is attempting to distort the public message in order to keep their lie alive, I thought it important to give you a firsthand account of what actually transpired in El Paso. As you know I am not living in El Paso, therefore I was not able to personally witness the events.

Instead, Rosemary P. Martinez, who was actively involved in stopping the convoy from delivering their hate has graciously accepted to share with us her first person account of what happened. Miguel Juárez who was the second driver in the incident also contributed to this account independently of Martinez.

Rosemary Martinez writes that on August 3, 2014, she and her husband were having dinner at L&J with some friends. After dropping off their friends, they received a call from another friend who informed them that the Border Convoy had been spotted leaving Las Cruces and headed to El Paso. Although Miguel Juárez was under the impression that the convoy had decided not to go to El Paso, he and his wife inadvertently saw them on I10 as they were returning from Las Cruces. Juárez adds that they lost them after pulling over to gas up their vehicle and after not finding them at the scheduled rally point in El Paso they headed towards the freeway.

Martinez wrote that at about 5:30 in the afternoon they joined up to the convoy headed east on I10. Martinez describes the convoy as driving erratically and interfering with the traffic flow. Martinez’ group, of two vehicles, decided to follow the convoy to see if they were going to hold a rally or if not follow them to the county line. Juárez was in the second vehicle with his wife.

Rosemary adds that it appeared to her that the convoy seemed lost and stopped on Trowbridge, next to the refinery. As they waited for the convoy to continue, Martinez writes that she was informed by Juárez and his wife that a “guy with a rifle” walked towards her friends. Miguel Juárez writes of the incident that it seemed to him that the convoy had purposely boxed in Martinez’ car near Western Refinery and he became concerned for Rosemary and her husband. Because of this, they “waited about 40 feet away” from the stopped convoy. At this point, Juárez writes that a “heavy-set bearded” exited a “white sedan with Arizona plates” and came up to them holding a rifle and asked Juárez and his wife if they were following them. Juárez replied “no”. Juárez then writes that the rifle-toting man told them “then you best get going”. Juárez and his wife proceeded to join up with Martinez’ vehicle.

Martinez, in her account, wrote that she asked her friends to call 911 as both vehicles got together for safety. Rosemary Martinez added that she witnessed the individual with what appeared to her to be a “barrel of a gun”.

A few minutes later, the convoy proceeded to return to the freeway. Martinez writes that “at approximately the Yarbrough exit” there was an “attempt to remove” them from the convoy. Martinez provided a link to a Youtube video showing the incident. The Youtube video appears to have been filmed by a member of the convoy riding in an RV.

youtube_convoy_rv

Accepting that the video was filmed by the RV in the convoy you can clearly see how the black pickup truck was dangerously surrounded by members of the convoy. Looking closely you will notice that the RV, filming the event, was on the emergency lane of the highway. Further, look closely at the flag-wrapped vehicle to the left of the pickup and you will notice that there is an individual hanging out of the passenger window holding what appears to be a camera.

Not only are these two actions a serious violation of the traffic laws and are dangerous to all traffic in the vicinity, they are also a threatening action directed at the pickup.

At this point, Martinez writes that the flag-wrapped vehicle was pulled over by an El Paso police unit, Martinez and her husband pulled over in order to press charges against the two drivers. Martinez writes that she witnessed at least one vehicle with an armed individual in it. Juárez, in his account writes that they encountered an El Paso Police vehicle on North Loop, which they flagged down to report they had been threatened with a rifle. The officer asked that Juárez and his wife follow him “in case” they “needed to ID the person who had the rifle”. Juárez wrote that the person who had brandished the rifle was not among the vehicles that were stopped on shoulder of the freeway.

Eventually, as you all know by the news media reports, the convoy was escorted outside of the city limits by El Paso Police officers.

It is gratifying that El Paso came together and let the Border Convoy know that the El Paso community welcomes and supports immigrants who ultimately represent the values of the United States.

 

Junta de Unidad, Odessa Meeting

Saturday, August 2nd 2014, the Carnalismo Brown Berets converged at a national level for the “Junta de Unidad,” Carnalismo Brown Beret Unity Conference in Odessa, Tejas. The conference allowed for participants to see and hear first hand what other members had to say about their specific environments, concerns, and any initiatives they had been working on.

Junta de Unidad 2014

Junta de Unidad 2014

The conference also allowed for some votes and motions to be put forth. The Carnalismo Brown Berets voted two National Spokespeople; Rosemary Martinez, and Ricky Gonzales. Another vote was put forth to open up a Carnalismo Female Commission, to handle specific initiatives from the female perspective.

We wish to thank the hosting chapter; Carnalismo Brown Berets de Odessa for all of the accommodations; the food, venues, and hospitality we were privileged to partake in. It was an honor to be in their company.

 

The double standard with child migrants

The double standard with child migrants
Ricky Gonzales

There are many instances, in which I’m in discussion/debate with some knuckle dragging moron who refuses to see the point I’m getting across. So one technique I use to combat this is “movie analogy.” I usually reference a movie that is a classic, and widely known to be influential and informative to “pop culture.”

So for instance, if I’m debating someone on immigrations issues – specifically concerning Cuban Immigration and Cuban Americans v.s. the way Mexican Migration is viewed, I might reference the movie Scarface, which depicts how the United States granted political asylum to Cubano refugees, because they were fleeing what the U.S. perceived a “hostile government.” People were more easily given refugee status because the U.S. hated commies. Funny because right now, commies own most of our debt, and make all the crap people buy at Walmart, but I digress.

With regard to the recent controversies enswirled with this Central American refugee children issue, a new “movie analogy” has come to mind; Godfather II. Why Godfather II? Anyone who has seen it knows it is interlaced with the story of the “present,” interlaced with Vito Coreleone’s “past.” Specifically to Vito Corleone’s past, we see him as a child, fleeing Sicily – fleeing being murdered by the local crime boss, fleeing ALONE, to the United States. We then see little Vito Corleone go to Ellis Island, with a huge, vast wave of other immigrants from several other European Countries.vito-corleone-ellis-island(sm)

We then see how young Vito Corleone’s name had been changed from Vito Andolini by some some dumbass clerk at Ellis Island. This was written into the script, because it references what occurred to so many European immigrants who came to Ellis Island. That’s right, their names were different because of grammatical errors. Boo friggin hoo! What a horrible immigration experience.

 

As young Vito Corleone goes through his in processing, it is discovered he has a disease! That’s right, little Vito Corleone has small pox, and cannot be admitted into New York. They put the poor little bastard in his own room, (with an actual bed!)  in quarantine, presumably for a few months until he gets healthy, gets released and eventually becomes one of the largest crime bosses in the United States.

Wait a f*cking minute! Do I see another of many double standards of American Culture? Vito Corleone gets freely admitted into the United States, through Ellis Island, even though he is diseased and unaccompanied by either parent? Vito Corleone gets freely admitted into the United States, through Ellis Island, even though he came via Europe; another land mass, and crossed a whole ocean to get to the United States?

And yet, 90,000 little “vito corleones,” from the same continent as the United States, who are ALSO fleeing for their very lives are being called “diseased hordes,” and sleeping on concrete floors, surrounded by chainlink, just like dogs in a pound. And they too are escaping crime, and crime bosses.

Undocumented Immigrant Buses Turned Away in CaliforniaSo the attitudes of anti-migration (via the Mexican border) carried by the Tea Baggers, the Minutemen, the militias, politicians, etc. are PURELY racist, xenophobic, and Euro-centric. Unless of course, they feel about Vito Corleone the same way they feel about the 90,000 kids from Central America; that he should have been given a teddy bear, and a soccer ball, and sent back to the place from which he came.

Lost another friend to racism

Here I am, once again, pondering. I’ve been down this road many times before, with regard to the Confederate Flag. Last time, it had to do with a lake trip, and my ex-girlfriend’s dad’s “lake friends.” They refer to themselves as “Buoy 13.” Among their ilk were many a redneck, and one in particular flew a Confederate Flag from his fifth wheel. The first time I saw it, the damned thing bothered me. I told my girlfriend, and her mother. I got VERY agitated, but girlfriend’s mom (a Native American from South Dakota of all places) told me to keep quiet, that I would upset my girlfriend’s dad if I made any sort of a fuss.

The damned thing pissed me off. I said something about cutting the flag down later that night, and slammed a twelve-inch buck knife down on the camping table. I then decided to make a silent statement; I went inside the tent, grabbed my Brown Beret, went outside the tent and sat in a chair. Everyone saw me wearing my Beret, and tensions rose. I said nothing.

My girlfriend then decided we leave the lake early, and we began packing up. Later, in town my girlfriend’s thirteen year old nephew told me …”those guys at the lake said you’re like a Nazi, and that I should stay away from you…” I was taken aback. First of all, the self-proclaimed rednecks never once confronted me, or told me anything about my Beret. Secondly, I was surprised they would know anything about why I was wearing a Brown Beret. They were obviously filling her nephew’s head with lies.

The next time we went to the lake, I premptively asked my girlfriend if those Confederate Flag guys would be there. She said she didn’t know. We ventured off to the lake that weekend. The Confederate Flag guys showed up that night at our camp. They were nice, jovial, etc. They shared a big bottle of Crown. The next morning, a bunch of us left the camp on our boats to check out a cave. Again, this was fun and lighthearted. But when we returned to the camp, someone who had stayed behind was once again flying that fucking flag. Again, I was furious, and again we left early.

The issue caused a lot of fights with my girlfriend, who was half Chicana and half Native. She was raised in the heights, around mostly white people – who were mostly self-proclaimed rednecks.

The issue of the flag later came to a head at another party, in the East Mountains (East of Albuquerque). That night was a full October moon, and I was nervous. The moon always does things to me. I again asked my girlfriend if the Confederate Flag brothers who had the fifth-wheel were going to show up. And yet again my girlfriend told me she didn’t know. We went to the kegger. Later that night, the Confederate Flag brothers DID show up in their fifth-wheel. They didn’t put the flag up, likely because it was dark and late.

I still approached one of them calmly, and told him, “I just wanted to tell you, I saw you flying that Confederate Flag at the lake, and I wanted to let you know I took offense to it.”

His eyes got big. He said, “That wasn’t me, that was my brother, Ian. I’m not racist, I’m a quarter Spanish…” blah, blah, blah. We had a frank, civil, amicable conversation, but others at the party overheard and started butting in. I blurted something out about the Irish being wetbacks too, since they crossed a whole ocean to get here when a young lady said, “Hey! My boyfriend is Irish and I take offense to that!” Then my girlfriend called her a bitch and told her to shut her mouth. Apparently there was an underlying beef between my girlfriend and some other girls at the party. One of the girls took a swing at my girlfriend, and she swung back, landing every punch.

Soon after a brawl broke out, and spread like fire. People were swinging at each other left-and-right. I pushed the crowd away from us, and got us out of the crowd, somehow managing to duck every stray and deliberate punch.

Some months later, we went to a shit kicker bar in Albuquerque called the Dirty Bourbon. It’s actually not any real cowboy bar by my standards. I grew up in the country. This was more like an urban cowboy bar. I hated the place. Some people from the kegger crowd were in good with the bouncers, and told them I hit a girl with brass knuckles at the kegger in Moriarty, and that I was a dangerous person. I was 86’d from the bar, though I had done nothing. My girlfriend and I got in an argument because she wanted to stay. The argument escalated, to the point she yelled, “Where the fuck are your Brown Berets now?!!!”

This sort of thing led to the eventual breakup with my then girlfriend, and it was very sad because her two sons regarded me as a father figure to them. But I could no longer take her and her family’s apologetic attitudes about racism, bigotry and American Exceptionalism. I could no longer stand her dad’s incessant NASCAR watching, NFL, Reality TV, and all the bullshit they used to pull the wool over their eyes. I eventually ejected myself from the situation – harshly, and permanently.

 

So today I write this because it seems I have yet again confronted the Confederate Flag. A good friend of mine recently got a new boyfriend, and was over the moon with him. He seemed to treat her nicer than some of her passed boyfriends. My friend is a half Navajo, half Chicana, single mother, who lives at home with her parents and daughter. She doesn’t work, but goes to school, and up until recently has been a very good person to me. The whole time she’s known me, she’s known that I’m a Brown Beret. She has met my friends who are Brown Berets. She always thought it was cool that I was a Brown Beret.

I met her new boyfriend this passed weekend, at her birthday dinner. The dude was a creep – twelve years older than her, and kept sitting like he was trying to invoke James Dean, but he just came across as a creepy douche bag. Being what I am, and what I know I am pretty adept about identifying tattoos. I know gang affiliations and what jailhouse tattoos mean. My friend’s boyfriend had a scraggly jailhouse looking tattoo of a Confederate Flag on his forearm. He wasn’t trying to hide it, but I saw it immediately. I had some crude inscription above it. For the sake of my friend’s Birthday, I decided to say nothing that night.

The next night another friend and I met Birthday girl and her boyfriend at a house party. They had been drinking quite a bit, and so had the friend I accompanied, who started making conversation, and then asked the boyfriend about his tattoo. He got really uneasy, agitated and uncomfortable – almost defensive. I then blurted out, “That’s some racist-assed shit right there.” By this point I got a better look at his tattoo inscription. It had his name, and a number. Had to be KKK or some shit. He got even more defensive and began yelling. I began yelling back. I told him, “lets settle this outside! All tell you what, I’m gonna go take a leak, and when I get back, we’re gonna settle this!” I wasn’t gonna throw down with this huge urge to piss the whole time. How good could one feel about cleaning someone’s clock while wetting one’s own pants?

I got up and took the fastest leak I’d ever taken. When I got back, he and my friend were gone. Worse yet, they left her car behind, along with her cellphone. The rest of us were worried sick about her. He was a creep, and from his reaction we worried he’d pull some sick stuff on my friend. We waited all night, and she never returned. I was fixing to call her dad the next morning when I got a scathing, nasty text message from her accusing me of ruining her Birthday weekend. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe I was worried about her.

Sadly, her and I are no longer friends. Nor should we be. I DON’T associate myself with “Confederate Apologists,” or people who downplay what the “Stars and Bars” mean. My former friend is a very dark complected, plump little girl with kinky hair, and there ain’t no chance in hell she’d be treated in the South with the same acceptance she gets in New Mexico.

 

As a Brown Beret I would be neglectful of my duties if I didn’t confront racism toe-to-toe. So many minorities (Chicanos in particular) in New Mexico have adopted this belief that they can get along fine with their bigoted, tongue-in-cheek racist counterparts if they simply turn a blind eye to the realities of racism. That is a sad and cowardly stance. And though I know that if I choose to “ignore” these little symbols of racism I too could be accepted among these types of people. But I would NEVER do that. I am forever congruent and in alignment with this cause to combat and confront racism, and to stomp it out wherever it exists around me.

 

Ricky Gonzales,

Brown Beret

Brown Beret Jose Maria Vasquez with American GI Forum Speaks

As many of our members are Military Veterans, we Carnalismo Brown Berets do support our Veterans, and support helping them in many of the pitfalls they encounter upon returning from war and combat. These issues with hospital shortages are rampant in states in Aztlan (US Southwest) that cover huge expanses, but have low, or rural populations. Sr. Vasquez speaks on the disparity and lack of resources for Veterans, and how absurd and wasteful (or misallocated) government spending can be.

 

Brown Berets, National Brown Berets, Brown Beret National Organization, Los Brown Berets, Aztlan, La Causa

Carnalismo Brown Berets, San Anto at protest against John Boehner

protest-againsboehner1protest-againsboehner protest-againsboehner2 protest-againsboehner3

 

The Carnalismo Brown Berets de San Anto and many others participated in a Community Protest against Speaker John Boehner for lack of leadership to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform The Rally was held outside of the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel where Speaker John Boehner spoke for a luncheon for a Chamber of Commerce. The Carnalismo Brown Berets and Bexar County Young Tejano Dems ( https://www.facebook.com/BexarCountyYoungTejanoDemocrats) delivered a Letter to Speaker John Boehner’s staff advocating for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Protest was organized by the Bexar County Young Tejano Democrats, with the support of the Brown Berets San Antonio,Texas Young Democrats, Henry Rodriguez of LULAC Concilio Zapatista, Texas Organizing Project, Mujers Unidas Domesticas, San Antonio Immigrant Youth Movement (S.A.I.Y.M.), and Mission Democrats of Bexar County among others.

Our very own Victor San Miguel was quoted in the San Antonio Current! Link Below:

http://blogs.sacurrent.com/thedaily/house-speaker-john-boehners-san-antonio-visit-draws-immigration-protest/

The new tone of racism

Screencap of a facebook conversation that turned racial real quick.

Screencap of a facebook conversation that turned racial real quick

This Facebook image encapsulates the new tone of white supremacy in this country. This belief seems to be an underlying one which is held by a lot of Anglo people: that everything in this country was rightfully taken because the white Europeans prevailed by conquering over all the others. I’m sure this young white guy doesn’t consider himself to be a racist. In fact, he’s probably one of those people who says “I’m not racist! I have black friends.”

However if his underlying belief is that his race “kicked the asses” of the others, and therefore was righteous in creating the climate of colonization that many minorities grapple with today, then without question he is still just a racist.
I have continually encountered this mindset with many a white person. Many of them outwardly nice, easy going people who would consider themselves friendly, considerate, decent people.
But I have arrived at the understanding with most (if not every) white people I’ve come into better acquaintance with hold this underlying belief.

And how could they not? In public school, the histories they teach say very little about what the Europeans did on this continent. They touch briefly on it, but not in any way that might make the white kids too icky. Furthermore, white culture is represented in every facet of American life, and is in fact the vision of seeing everyone become “Americanized.” Their concept of this seem to limit the inclusion of other heritages, ethnicities and cultures while bolstering one culture, one way of doing things. One belief system, etc.

Cleansing “El Movimiento”

Recently, many people may have noticed that Carnalismo Brown Berets and others have been actively engaged in “truth campaigns,” or efforts at revealing and exposing unjust actions of individuals claiming a Brown Beret persona, while not engaged in any ethical practices as Brown Berets. As could be expected, these measures can be met with hostility, retaliation, threats, and even passive admonishment from fellow soldados y soldadas who might want to keep what they see as the peace. There are some who have raised concerns about public perception of Brown Berets, and what may be perceived to outsiders as in fighting.

This entry is meant to squash that. First of all these efforts toward truth are quite the opposite. Let’s not downplay the public. They’re not that stupid. While they may not distinguish from patches, and may only “see the beret,” they can certainly see there is a degree of unrest going on. One thing the public should see is that this effort is righteous. This is Brown Berets basically auditing internally, and ensuring the sanctity of the Brown Beret role en El Movimiento. This is precisely about accountability, responsibility, and protecting the public from corrupt, morally bankrupt, individuals trying to amass perceived power under themselves. The truth campaigns have been meant to illuminate how some bad actors have sought to take hold of the Brown Beret persona and use it for self aggrandizement – or even demand that others swear allegiance to them, as if they hold sole claim to El Movimiento.

We have illuminated myriad of other instances where such individuals have tried to create permutations of a legitimate Brown Beret group, thereby miscridentialing themselves to others, and misleading them. Some people learn over time, but there is little time to waste these days, as we see hostility toward Chicanos surfacing more and more in Aztlan. This is why we’ve sought to put the truth out on matters. So those with two brain cells to rub together can distinguish truth from lies, ethical people and bad actors.

When we’re talking about truth, we’re not referring to slander or false claims not backed by any evidence whatsoever. That’s what the adversarial men we are referring to are steeping to. In fact, one of our members has been basically called a crack smoking, Nazi-cop, who lets women beat up on him who he later calls the cops on. Ridiculous, isn’t it? Because of the degree of slander, libel and threats, we must continue on in this path to truth, for in this path, we have encountered many, many others who share the exact same sentiments, and who also provide truth and testimony of their own. We’re at the point in fact where this has grown beyond the scope we first envisioned, and that others have taken to task exposing truth as well. We have no control of what might be put out there in the future. What we can assure others in the truths we put out is that they are REAL, documented evidence; emails, messages, audio, video, etc. we can also assure everyone that these pieces of evidence are being compiled and archived, put into dossiers (jackets) involving every bad actor, and every individual who swears their allegiance to, aligns themselves with, or acts on behalf of these bad actors.

We are at the helm of a drive to cleanse El Movimiento, to reinstall ethics into El Movimiento, and to ensure that individuals are better vetted before EVER being brought into the fold as Brown Berets. We only need “Brown Beret calibre” individuals, not ne’er do wells, who have staked out their egos en El Movimiento.