Social Media Issues – why I’m not gone

Now we all got issues, right? But here is what we dont like: People thinking they can run rough shod, under our flash, under our patch, and thinking they can run sh*t.
We’re dealing with some SERIOUS situations right now, and the last thing we need is too placate a handful of narcissistic flying monkeys. It’s okay, we won’t name any of you, you pretty much know who you are.
Aside from that, there is so much to be said. But it’s best to say little, and to know that the Carnalismo Brown Berets have been running strong for generations.

I want to take this moment to give Victor San Miguel all of my credence, as he is a beacon in guidance, advocacy, action, understanding, patience, and fairness as well as justice. Under his tutelage, I have truly learned a lot (even if I was being a hard head at the time.) When a man (And I’m NOT trying to engender the argument, I’m writing as a man) such as myself looks to a hero, Victor San Miguel is truly one of my personal hero’s I owe a debt to him that I can’t even explain. Being a Carnalismo Brown Beret is the most amazing experience ANYONE could know. Victor San Miguel’s leadership, diplomacy, forgiveness toward adversarial, etc have always amazed me. I’m glad that he has taught me – through suggestion/facilitation, just what it means to be a leader – especially in our capacity.
I am still very proud to be a Brown Beret, and I will NEVER shy away from that title. I will staple gun my beret to my head before anyone tries to de-frock me.

Statement/Response to recent smear campaigns

The Carnalismo Brown Berets, who have been heavily steeped en el movimiento have always stood to help gente for generations. We have always been active in coalition-building to help provide support and for other organizations (at local, national, and international levels.) Our organization has been running off this continuum, for nearly 50 years; always self-funded, and self sufficient. We have always committed ourselves to offering a helping hand – for those who need our advocacy, and for internally, within our chapters.

Carnalismo exists solely to help others – regardless of creed, stripe, or “ORIENTATION.”

Carnalismo does their due diligence to vet all of our members, to ensure that they are NOT of adverse proclivities, That they are not deviant in their behavior. Especially if their behavior is deemed immoral or malignant.

This is a lot more to be said than other organizations, who in fact DO make effort to “engender” the cause, or use their fake accolades to feed themselves their malignant narcissistic needs for self worth.

Even in lieu, of false accusations of being territorial, this is a fallacy – since the Carnalismo Brown Berets operate very fluidly, and don’t delineate “borders” nor ascribe to lines and maps drawn by colonizers. We transcend those lines because we have a system of understanding one-another, and we have NO need to “compartmentalize” those imaginary lines. In fact, we have done a lot of collaborative coalition work with other Brown Beret groups operating in our home states.

Those who lust for territory, or those who are emphatic about territory are likely missing the point. They are falling into a “colonized” mindset. This is a mind-set that has been foisted upon our Raza, and sadly so, many people have succumbed to it and perpetuated it.
They cant see the forest for the trees, or the llano for the dirt.

It is a tragic travesty when people or groups allow themselves to be weakened by this mind-set. Our gente are amongst the strongest and most resilient. So it is a travesty when people/other groups take adversarial stances because they are grandstanding, and validation-seeking to feed their egos-willing to go so far as to spew lies, spread smear campaigns, and squelch our El Paso Chapter (which is ALSO WOMAN LEAD).

The Carnalismo Brown Berets, for how ever many scars we have incurred have always endured, and have greatly admired ALL women, and have always shown deference within our organization. Discrimination, racism, misogyny, incarceration, labor exploitation, break the Chicano family – and we also know of the agenda of how they have not only attempted to break the spirit of the Chicano Man, But the principally the the Chicano WOMAN.

The Carnalismo Brown Berets have the full support and attention of our Chapters in West Texas, and otherwise. We move fluidly, and don’t obscure matters amongst “drawn lines,” nor do we engage in one-up-“man”-ship. We proudly listen to the Chicana woman first, and have many chapters led by women. and blessed to have such strong Chicana women who actually lead, instead of belittling others on social media,
or orchestrating smear campaigns. Women are a blessing, and they give us LIVE, and that cannot be refuted.

We support our El Chuco chapter fully – just as we had supported a previous one (also woman led) for years. For their own reasons, when they decided to extricate their already autonomous chapter. And both organizations did this amicably. Or so we thought. We later found that we were being besmirched, and that a smear campaign had been launched against us, without any provocation.

Carnalismo as a word is NOT a “male dominant” ideology. It is the brand, and our patch. None of us float the word around from a place of masculinity, nor male dominance. We wear that patch because of its’ historicity, and the name is the name. We don’t put our egos into this. It is meant to stand up for our rights. At the end of the day, there should be nothing wrong with that. Besmirched or not.

We re-frame the impostors

We, the Carnalismo Brown Berets have chanced upon yet another impostor Facebook Page, claiming themselves to have a Carnalismo Colorado Springs Chapter. To be clear, the Carnalismo Brown Berets DO NOT endorse nor have we sanctioned this individual to make such claims.
imposter-CO-Springs-Brown-Berets(1)
The Carnalismo Brown Berets for years have already held a Colorado Chapter, that has been operating for more than half a decade. It is our sanctioned Colorado Chapter who provides oversight in the state of Colorado, and they too have NOT sanctioned nor endorsed the individual who claims to run a Chapter in Colorado Springs. This individual has NOT been issued any Carnalismo patches, nor have they earned patches or Brown Berets from Carnalismo.

To make matters even more complicated, this individual has also started a “gofundme.com” account, asking for donations, in some attempt to raise money, either for their own personal gain, or personal agendas.
imposter-CO-Springs-Brown-Berets(2)
Again to be clear, the Carnalismo Brown Berets DO NOT support this individual’s claims, nor do we support their asking of donations while trying to use our legacy and patch. The Carnalismo Brown Berets DO NOT ask the general public for donations of any kind. The Carnalismo Brown Berets fund their own initiatives respectively, and any monies raised tend to be from selling merchandise, or services that we design, create, or provide.

Should anyone have any questions on the legitimacy of a Facebook Page surfacing depicting Carnalismo, or any other internet presences that might appear uncertain, we ask that you differ any inquiries to our National website, here at www.nationalbrownberets.org.

Your inquiries WILL be answered, and assurances will be made. We are a transparent organization, and welcome any and all questions of our organization as-well-as our initiatives.

The plauges of liars…”bandwagonisms”

First, this entry is meant to shed light onto the “achievement gap” that exists in the Chicano and Brown Beret community – to illuminate abuses, or “over-dependent” tendencies of Gente to fall back on third party, money mongering websites, and how many disruptive individuals make good efforts at their attempts of exploitive tactics, with regard to “social media.”

We have seen this dynamic in the older days of “myspace,” and truer than true, much of that activity DID lead to an upsurgence of “social media activity.

Fast forward to today, and many people can see how anyone with an email address can launch a Facebook “profile,” and subsequently launch a “Fan Page.”

So here’s where the bad actors attempt to try to “hold court,” or falsely appeal to our gent with a “support page.” This has gone on for so long, that I have to wonder what they will do when Facebook is no longer relevant. that day will come, and people will migrate elsewhere onto the internet.

I wish to also illuminate another fact; These frivolously launched Facebook fan pages can actually diminish the value and the honor of the Brown Berets as a whole legacy – whether being launched as a ham-fisted attempt at undermining others, you’re undermining the values and virtues which Brown Berets have classically held onto as the underpinning of the movement.

Allow me to dumb that down a little: Repeatedly launching disingenuous Facebook fan pages, in an attempt to garner “band wagon” supporters will diminish the movement as a whole. It will actually water down the whole thing, and undermine it’s credibility. Truth be told, there are many bad actors using Facebook currently as a platform, and an attempt to cause disruptive distrust amongst the Brown Beret Community.

I’ll go ahead and water that down some more: Irrelevant or disruptive people who think Facebook is a good place to declare your wannabe, dominant Brown Beret group is a bad idea, because it taints the Brown Beret Community, it de-values yourselves, and it mis-leads the public.

How does it mislead the public? These diatribes spewed by people hung up on “ownership” of the Brown Beret legacy. It confuses people, boffos!

To argue over “originality” is an argument internalized by agitators, or people with motives to self- aggrandize themselves. Como que? Cult Leader types… People who exhibit themselves as a self professed “cult-of-personality.”

What it means is this: Some individuals, of inferior morality basically sit posted up on the internet, trying to formulate strategies to undermine other Brown Beret groups. Much of this continuum appears to stem from middle-aged, Chicano men, with little to zero involvement en el Movimiento, even devoid of  the historicity of their own families.

Watering this down some more, ALL Brown Berets are susceptible to opportunists, who think they can step into the fold, and endow themselves as the determinate of what a Brown Beret is, was, or will be.

Any Brown Beret group that opens itself up to such susceptibilities might want to visit an “Internal Audit” of the personalities they identify with. Honestly, any Brown Beret group that barks about their authenticity ought to do their DUE DILIGENCE on who they vet to bring into their fold.

Wreckless recruitment measures, overly-ambitiousness, or enticement are ALL undertones of a gang, a cult, group-herd mentality.

Herd Mentality is a concept that doesn’t surface in the Carnalismo Brown Brown Berets: We don’t subordinate our own Raza. Carnalismo is an understanding. Some people get it, some people don’t. Carnalismo is a form of understanding, which very, very few people cannot wrap their minds around.

That being said, these other “internet jockey’s,” playing their little games can ride the Facebook wave all they want. When Facebook is no longer relevant, they will blindly (like sheep) scurry over to the next social media platform. And by such junctures, they might have found that ANY sense of their own privacy has been left open.

Discretion and accountability have their merits. NOT Levas who exhibit hidden agendas. We ARE the Carnalismo Brown Berets, and we live by our own merits. And we have been around for a very, very long time.

ALERT! Fake Facebook Profile of malicious intent

In recent months, a FAKE PROFILE of malicious intent has emerged on Facebook. Initially, the FAKE PROFILE was named after an actual Carnalismo Brown Beret, while displaying a photo of another real person. The profile picture of this real person is a “veterano” Brown Beret, who continues his work in El Paso, Texas as an activist. His work has been written about and published.

Please note; the two "top friends of this FAKE PROFILE

Please note; the two “top friends of this FAKE PROFILE

The profile picture is from an actual published article in the El Paso Times, and other numerous web and print publications, and is accredited to Raymundo Aguirre from Borderzine.

The original article from where the profile picture was nabbed

The original article from where the profile picture was nabbed

 

It has been observed that this FAKE PROFILE has been amassing Facebook friends, and posting bizarre diatribes about Donald Trump, etc. It is obvious that the originators of this fake profile have duplicitous, malicious intentions toward the Carnalismo Brown Berets, as well as other activists.

It is also worth noting that when the profile had initially launched, the two “top friends” are both members of the BBNO, in El Paso. This could actually indicate that one of those two Facebook “friends” actually launched the profile themselves in an attempt to cause disruption and confusion amidst the Brown Beret Community, and other activists/organizations.

We caution anyone who has been swindled into being “Facebook friends” with this profile, as it is NOT real, and obviously has pointed agendas and bad intentions. It is very sad that the individual who launched this fake profile in an obvious attack on the Carnalismo Brown Berets actually used the picture of a legitimate, humble activist who himself may NOT even be aware that his likeness is being used by malicious persons.

We would provide a link to the fake profile, except that it now appears the individual who launched this fake profile has either removed the fake profile, or changed it’s privacy settings such that it is not “searchable” on Facebook.

The Borderzine article referencing the activist can be found at:
http://borderzine.com/2010/04/mercado-mayapan-celebrates-chicano-power-and-pride/

There once was a time…

There once was a time, when Brown Berets didn’t distincly “beef” with one-another. There once was a time when the stakes were higher, in terms of the adversities and atrocities we fought.

There once was a time, when the “Chisme” element never took hold, never took shape of “El Movimiento.” There was a time when such “Chisme” operators didn’t slip through the cracks.

Many activist groups, of any stripe, or any cause find themselves at some juncture faced with the task of dealing with in-fighting, or worse yet, ego-slamming personalities who through their own “Chisme” personal agendas instigate and perpetuate the in-fighting. The following pictures show an historical march against Police Brutality which took place en Tejas, in the early 70’s. Nothing new there; Brown Berets have been addressing this issue for over half a century.

What might seem new, which is actually really old, is how our brothers and sisters banded together once – regardless of patch, because the stakes were that high. What is also depicted in the pictures are a very rare, and little known representation of the “La Causa” patch, NOT seen in yellow and brown, but red and black, with a striking semblance to the colors of the Carnalismo Brown Beret Flash.

These are things that cannot be made up, nor falsified – nor can they be diluted by anyone slinging a “Chisme” motive. These are the things that were done during the old times, of the Brown Berets.

Carnalismo brown Berets, alongside "La Causa Brown Berets." Note that their patches are RED, not yellow

Carnalismo brown Berets, alongside “La Causa Brown Berets.” Note that their patches are RED, not yellow

Again, a rare glimpse of the La Causa patch, depicted in Red and Black

Again, a rare glimpse of the La Causa patch, depicted in Red and Black

These things are very real, the genuine article. And there are periodicals of note to back this up.

These things are very real, the genuine article. And there are periodicals of note to back this up.

 

BBNO further bolsters their hostile controversies

We underscored it earlier, in previous posts, how the “BBNO” continually operate from a duplicitous agenda – we have been demonstrable from that regard. In many respects, we put together a digital diorama, which shows just how much to rapacity clings to ownership of the Brown Beret persona, as well as Brown Beret level activism.

These hostile grab ups can be paraphrased here:

 

How the BBNO sought to remedy the strife can be watched here:

 

It should be addressed here NOW that our movimiento as Carnalismo Brown Berets has always sought PURO genuine involvement. Thus has been the ONLY capacity at which we have operated. To regale ANYONE to false promotions is merely a maligned, mal-adapted and fake psychological exchange – an exchange we continually witness being put into practice. We continually and painfully see this as a by-product of colonization; a continuum of “puppies an followers.”

Much of our gente are seduced by the movida to follow indiscriminately, such as the examples can be presented here. But leadership is actually an abstract concept, riddled with the power of discerning thought. Those incapable of discernment are those who lack a capacity to thinks for themselves – and as as painful of a plight they may undergo, we KNOW, that  those so incapable are lost, in the respect that they need some sort of guidance. They are incapacitated toward intellectual thought. They have a thirst to be lead, rather than a drive to facilitate  others toward leadership. In other words, some people know nothing outside of being led. Just watch the vids, they seek to explain the tenets of “independent thought.”

 

Causa Unidos Brown Berets continue to deal with BBNO unrest

The Causa Unidos Brown Berets have had to continually deal with the rapacious BBNO, and their actively offensive motives to undermine activists  en Tejas

The Causa Unidos Brown Berets have had to continually deal with the rapacious BBNO, and their actively offensive motives to undermine activists en Tejas

The BBNO, in its’ newest incarnation (a post Jon Burns era) have again resurfaced, with obvious ambitions toward rapacious grab ups for BOTH recruitment and expansion. Their eminent self implosion surfaced itself in the Autumn of 2011. They enjoyed a really big hype around 2010, when their “leader” appointed Jon Burns (A.K.A. Juanito, A.K.A El Gitano) to their second in Command. His title was then Chief of Staff, and there exist screen shots of BBNO proudly hailing this. But not only was Jon Burns ousted as a sexual miscreant, (who continually calls out hits on people) but he also tainted that 2010 incarnation of the “La Causa” patch.

For those who don’t know, YES, many Brown Berets wear different patches, and YES, there does unfortunately exist some dispute on the validity of such patches.

However, one thing that can NEVER be disputed is that the Carnalismo patch has never been rife with disruption nor dispute. Carnalismo Brown Berets are far more in keeping with some tenets of the old school, “veterano” Brown Berets, in that we DON’T operate from a place of imposing our will, and that we instead operate from a sense of understanding – in fact, that is what “Carnalismo” means in the first place.

Since we don’t subordinate our fellow Chicanos with egotistical tyranny, it ALSO means that we work closely and strongly and continually with our affiliate patches – those who have humbly organized alongside us.

Such is the case, with the Causa Unidos Brown Berets from El Paso, Texas. Their initiatives, and their works are so much in alignment with us, that in many respects, they are a part of our whole. When they deal with adversity, we sense and feel it.

Since, however (or leading up to) the burial of Reies Lopez Tijerina (a Texan who for Land Grant rights en Nuevo Mexico), we have again seen an uproarious resurgence stemmed from people who lust to own a cause to which they have exhibit unethical ambitions.  With regard to Tijerina, we  WATCHED as so many greedy agencies and institutions made the passing of this defiant Tejano’s death a part of their own causes – how they were exploitative in their nature to gather own ness over the death of this man who in his life stood for justice.

And though Sr. Tijerina had converted himself to another religion for long years passed, we also saw how many people tried to step into his legacy – and to grandstand their own motives for their own perceived ill gotten gains.

Honestly, it was a sick, disgusting affair, to see so many destitute (or despot) organizations squeeze themselves in, for a chance to speak blank words into a microphone, into a camera, or onto the news. It could even be argued that such organizations, such as the BBNO, La Fey, etc. actually garnered more money or more followers for their duplicitous outcries – their false gritos.

As a NATIVE Nuevo Mexicano, whose Abuela was from Del Rio, Texas,  I felt insult coursing in my veins. Much of the embodiment of Tijerina’s work existed in my back yard, a long time ago. In his latter years, Tijerina moved back to his native Tejas, and settled into a humble life – while he was still alive, few people knew him, nor cared much about where he ended up.

But the Causa Unidos Brown Berets DID! They could tell you what his favorite food was shortly before he passed away. They could tell you where he sought solace, in contrast to  a lot of grandiose organizations who so hungrily salivated over owning his legacy. Few people would know his humble road as he sadly departed us all. But the Causa Unidos Brown Berets were there when few paid attention to him.

This “ambulance chasing” attorney out of El Paso has been hastily “promoted,” and emboldened by Jeronimo Blanco, to lead and direct the new incarnate of the BBNO. The hasty “promotions” are reminiscent of the 2010 BBNO, when Burns had been endowed as second in command. Burns only lasted a little over a year.  What credibility lies with a man who barely became a Brown Beret when he was middle-aged, and why he is given so much credence?

The current incarnate of the BBNO have distinctly sought to be rapacious, and to have ownership of the Brown Beret persona. Their enthusiasm shows, since they copyrighted the “La Causa” patch. And for all the flagrantly reckless statements they make on their website, it is VERY ironic that the BBNO used the same gabacho laws they claim to be against in order to copyright the “La Causa” patch – a patch and symbol that has been in use before any of their existent leadership became Brown Berets. None of the “men” who poise themselves as leaders are even originators of the “La Causa” patch. Still, they continually “troll” on facebook, to deceive the public. They flagrantly disrespect other Brown Berets, of other patches, and they try to harass other Brown Berets with “legaleaze,” and false cease and desist threats.

This is the precipice of the problem, as it exists for Chicano activists today; the ego-stroking characters, conjuring fake adversaries, spreading libel, slander, and harassment, and implementing deception to cause unrest and disruption.

To those poor saps who joined the BBNO, drank the koolaide, bought those silly khakis, the canteen belt y todo; Carnalismo feels sorry for you. We have no ambitions to recruit “puppies”, who subject themselves to be lead on a leash. We are comprised ONLY of leaders, NOT followers. And we only encourage independent thought. We challenge one another, and we UNDERSTAND one another. This is why we hold strong – BOTH with our chapters, and our affiliates.

We keep our Movida clean from trolls, never-do-wells, sex offenders, and ego-stroking sycophants. That is what we have always done, and that is what we continually do. And most importantly, we do it from a place of CARNALISMO; compassion, understanding, carino, and shared conciseness – actions which cannot be written in words…

 

How the BBNO demonstrates thier misconduct

This is a video on how the current incarnate of the BBNO conducted themselves at the Cesar Chavez festivities in El Paso, Texas – in 2015. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show some of the subsequent, unabashed things they published on facebook, misportraying what happened. But the issue is continual, as such elements operating under a Brown Beret persona continue to harass, threaten and bully the very same people they claim to “defend” from an ethnic standpoint. Either way, their conduct was rude, arrogant, and inflammatory – and they rhetoric and continual slander and libel toward other individuals stands to misportray ALL Brown Berets, and activists who have sought to solidify equal rights for the sake of the greater good. Their divisive demeanor is demonstrably shown here.

DeHerrera family of Longmont, CO – STILL being harassed by their community

We wrote on this issue back in 2010, and originally published it on brownberetsnewmexico.com . And yet here we are, over five years later, and the DeHerrera family are still being harrased in their community of Longmont, Colorado. The original entry reads:

“Unfortunately, the Chicano people of the southwestern United States are going to be subject to this form of racism, which is inflicted multilaterally.
It begins with a hostile environment, such as racist anglo neighbors, who pressure the local police to put the squeeze on their Chicano (or minority) equivalents. In a state where even dignitaries, media and talking mouthpieces are hostile toward Chicanos and/or Mexican Nationals/the poor/minorities it is quite easy to discriminate against a small group of individuals and get away with it.

Such is the case in Longmont, Colorado – and the De Herrera family. As is often the case with our Gente we are family-oriented, and tend to have large families. Because many of us don’t make it toward “economic affluence” we as family tend to help each other out, and stick together. This is what has gone on with the De Herrera family and their household.

The De Herrera’s, like many Chicano people from the southwest have a lineage in this very territory that hails back to hundreds-upon-hundreds of years. Yet, racist Anglo Immigrants – people whose lineage likely only stems back little more than a century have taken a “NATIVIST” stance against the people, the Raza whose very blood is sewn into the soil of the southwest.

The hostile neighbors, in fear of this Chicano family’s tight bond have labeled them a nuisance, and have complained to the institutions and entities who share a similar bias toward the Chicano/Mexica people.

Those institutions have been the local District Attorney’s Office, the conservative publication, The Longmont Times-Call, and the Longmont Police Department. All these entities (and more) have collectively and multilaterally managed to terrorize, intimidate, surveil, and threaten the De Herrera’s in an attempt to remove them from their residence.

Every publicized news story in the Longmont Times-Call has shown unfounded evidence of the nuisance claims against the De Herrera’s…of course the RAG paper does all they can to elude to findings being confirmed, but their articles hold no water. We would post a link to this excrementitious news rag, but we don’t want to funnel them the web traffic. You will have to perform your own searches.

The De Herrera family came to the Carnalismo Brown Berets of NM in need of help, and we are committed to helping in such cases where civil and social justice aren’t being assured, and Gente are being marginalized, segregated, or discriminated against. We as Mountain States Brown Berets will continue to combat the issues at hand. We ARE watching the situation as it plays out…Keep visiting for updates on the matter.

-Rick Gonzales,
Prime Minister,
Brown Berets, Carnalismo NM”

The DeHerrera family was sent an anonymous letter by some coward, which was full of threats and racial epithets directed NOT only to the family, but to the Chicano people as a whole:

The anonymous letter, sent to a member of the DeHerrera family.

The anonymous letter, sent to a member of the DeHerrera family.