We can put and end to SB 1070!

Hola a Tod@s,

Today the US Supreme Court will hear arguments to determine whether Arizona’s SB 1070 law is constitutional. SB 1070 is an attempt to purge the state of Latino immigrants.  Fortunately, most parts of the law have been blocked by lower courts. Nonetheless, other states, like Alabama, followed suit crafting laws that go even further.  Now it’s up to the Supreme Court to decide whether or not to legalize discrimination and harassment.

It’s hard to overstate the magnitude of this moment for the civil and human rights of immigrants in America as well as of millions of Latinos, Asians, and other minorities.  And, yet, many of our friends and relatives don’t know this case is happening, let alone how widespread its impact will be.

We need to make sure the Court, the media, and our members of Congress know what’s at stake with this Supreme Court decision. Click here to join our SB 1070 Rapid Response Team. <http://oregonsanctuary.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88847ffffd9496a4a1eb3aba8&id=93b311435a&e=9be432d4e5>

In addition, join us in telling the Portland community about the importance of ending laws like SB 1070. Attached to this email are some examples of letters to the editor. Change them as you like, or keep them the same! Either way get the word out, contacts for local media outlets are included in the other attachment.

 

Romeo Sosa
VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project
1131 SE Oak St.
Portland OR 97214
Ph 503-233-6787
romeo@portlandvoz.org
Www.portlandvoz.org

Help End “Racial Profiling”

This week is End Racial Profiling Advocacy week – thousands of activists and groups around the country are uniting to raise the visibility of racial profiling, and add their voice in support of the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA).

Racial profiling is a problem in rural Oregon. We’ve heard countless stories: in the Willamette Valley, a state trooper posted up outside of a berry farm for days in a row, pulling over immigrant workers as they drove home at the end of the day.  In Eastern Oregon, racial profiling was so bad that the Umatilla Morrow Alternatives collected surveys (call ROP for a copy) asking participants questions about their feelings towards law-enforcement, and then linking that with demographic information.  The results were clear.  Tragically, Anglos and people of color often seem to live in two separate worlds in rural Oregon, especially on our highways and roads: one is friendly and safe.  The other is full of stress and everyday fears and dangers – because of racial profiling.

This week, we want to take a moment to appreciate all of the efforts to end racial profiling happening in rural Oregon. We also want to invite you to take one small action in support of the End Racial Profiling Act.  ROP is part of a national effort to pass this bill in DC, and our Congresspeople here in Oregon need to hear from us on this issue.  Pick up the phone and let Senators Wyden and Merkley know that you support the bill, and let ROP know what response you get.

If you would like to join a delegation to Merkley’s Portland office this Friday afternoon, organized by our friends at CAUSA, or want to organize your own, contact amanda@rop.org.

Read below for more information from the Rights Working Group – a national group of which ROP is a partner.  They have a magnificent toolkit that you can use to take action on your own.

In Solidarity,
Amanda

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FROM THE RIGHTS WORKING GROUP:

Pass the End Racial Profiling Act of 2011
The End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 (ERPA) is federal legislation that would ban racial profiling across the United States. ERPA was introduced in the House by Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and in the Senate by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in 2011.
ERPA takes these steps to ban racial profiling:

• Makes it unlawful for federal, state, local, or Indian tribal law enforcement to profile based on race, religion, ethnicity or national origin;
• Creates a private right of action for victims of profiling, which would allow individuals who believe they have been subject to racial profiling to sue the agent or agency they believe to have violated ERPA;
• Allows the U.S. Attorney General to withhold grants from state law enforcement agencies that are not complying with ERPA;
• Requires training on racial profiling for law enforcement agents;
• Requires data collection and monitoring mechanisms such as complaint processes; and
• For the first time, ERPA prohibits racial profiling in the context of law enforcement surveillance activities.

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This week is the National End Racial Profiling Advocacy Week! Organizations from around the country will be meeting with more than 75 Congressional offices in D.C. and many more will be taking action locally. On April 17, the Senate will host its first hearing in 10 years on racial profiling. Momentum is growing and we need you to join the chorus demanding federal action to ban racial profiling.

Contact your Senators and Representatives to urge them to co-sponsor and pass the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA) and to pressure the Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen its 2003 Guidance on racial profiling.

Forward this alert to your friends and listservs. Together we can end racial profiling!

Problem:

Racial and religious profiling affect people in every area of their lives, yet there is little accountability for federal, state or local law enforcement when individuals are profiled.

All of us have experienced or heard stories of those who have been denied justice when profiled by law enforcement. Communities across the country are continuing to fight back not just for Trayvon Martin and the countless individuals who have been targeted by the NYPD or Border Patrol but for our friends and family members.

Racial profiling is hurting communities across this country, and we need a federal law and stronger Guidance from the DOJ to hold law enforcement agencies accountable.

Solution:

Members of Congress have the power to hold law enforcement accountable by co-sponsoring and passing the End Racial Profiling Act and signing on to Senator Durbin and Representative Conyers’ letterencouraging DOJ to reform their guidance on racial profiling. We must demand that they act to end racial profiling and protect our communities.

–

Amanda Aguilar Shank
Rural Organizing Project – Advancing Democracy in Rural Oregon
PO Box 1350
Scappoose, OR 97056
503.543.8417
www.rop.org

Report…Rural Latino Leadership Retreat

At the Rural Latino Leadership Retreat this past weekend, something powerful happened. I heard my compañeros and compañeras expressing themselves without fear of retaliation – and with the freedom to talk in their native language. A room united by one voice, a voice of freedom, courage and justice, this time being spoken in Spanish, interpreted into English and vice-versa. This last Saturday I finally understood why the oppressive system will do whatever it takes to keep us from talking to each other, from uniting our voices, especially when it comes to our social justice movement.

That is the reason that here at ROP we are very proud to offer this space to our Rural Latino/a Leaders in Oregon . The retreat was a success! Over 50 people came from 12 different counties to share the different approaches being used to change the current climate of “Fear” and “Isolation” to a more “Welcoming” and “Inclusive” community. It was clear that through years of hard work at the grassroots level in rural Oregon we’ve all been “Building Safe and Welcoming Communities for Immigrants”. We are taking the right, intentional steps so this change can gradually happen throughout Oregon.

We had very inspiring, motivating presenters. For example Jorge Hernandez from Centro de Ayuda expressed his feelings about Latino Organizing in Lincoln County: “We have lost our fear, we are not afraid anymore…… we are not going to let [them] violate our civil rights anymore”. Francisca Perez from Adelante Mujeres said: “When someone has a need it’s like they’re missing a body part, what are you willing to do to help that person?”

Araceli Ortiz, manager for the famous Adelante Chicas youth development program, spoke from the heart about being the first woman in her entire extended family to graduate college, and how much Latino youth need us to be there for them. If we don’t show them the way forward, nobody will.

Luis Guerra and Brenda Mendoza, from CAUSA and PCUN respectively, talked about their personal experience with becoming US Citizens. They shared the most common myths among the Latino community about citizenship and the benefits that come with it: electoral power and no more fear of deportation.

Lauren Regan from the Civil Liberties Defense Center presented “Know your Rights” prepared especially for immigrants to learn how we can defend our rights. Lauren also trained leaders to give this presentation back in their small-town communities.

Javier Lara, an organizer from PCUN talked about how Wage Theft affects individuals, families and Oregon as a whole and the solution to it, pass legislation in 2013 to protect workers.

Amanda Aguilar Shank, our very own ROP Organizer, and Aeryca Steinbauer from CAUSA talked about the links in the chain of deportation – including the recent “Secure Communities” program – and how we all can tackle the chain in different places to put a stop to ICE/Police Collaboration that is tearing families apart across the nation.

We would also like to express our immense gratitude to our hosting human dignity group: Mujeres Latinas Luchando por el Pueblo. They did such a wonderful job in hosting all of us. The retreat went smoothly thanks to the awesome job they did before, during and after the retreat, Gracias Mujeres!

We had some fun and shared with each other over the delicious food that Antonia Villa, member of the hosting group “Mujeres Latinas Luchando por el Pueblo”, was preparing since 4:00 am that Saturday morning for all of us to have a nutritious and authentic Mexican meal.

Language justice was achieved on Saturday with the help of our loving and long-time friends Sarah Loose and Lindsay Jonnasson from the Northwest Justice Project. They did a great job at interpreting in both languages, thank you so much for helping us to make communication accessible to everyone!

Jerry Atkin, a past ROP board member and long-time friend and ally helped us with taking beautiful photographs of the retreat. Sarah Loose also filmed our panel in which Mujeres Latinas Luchando por el Pueblo, Latinos Unidos para un Futuro Mejor and Umatilla Morrow Alternatives shared with all of us their successes and challenges organizing around unpopular and wedge issues in our small communities.

At the retreat we witness new allies being open to be educated about issues affecting both immigrants and receiving communities, asking sincere questions. Receiving communities, slowly but surely, are becoming more open and welcoming to newcomers and long-time immigrant residents, even when at times it doesn’t feel that way. This change is happening through the cross-cultural work that several Human Dignity groups have been doing for years in our rural and small towns in Oregon.

The reward for us was to see so many smiling faces, people absorbing as much information as possible, making those human connections and building on current relationships to support each other to keep fighting for basic human rights and human dignity, innate in all of us for all of us.

I would also like to share a quote that I shared at the retreat. Rigoberta Menchu is an indigenous Guatemalan woman who won the Peace Nobel Prize in 1992. She said: “We are not going to change the country in a short period of time. But it will change with all of us, not without us.” (No vamos a cambiar el país en poco tiempo. Pero se hará con nosotros, no sin nosotros.”)

Adelante!

See you tomorrow in Dayton!

Hello and we’re so glad you can make it to ROP’s Rural Latino Leadership Retreat!

We have leaders from 10 small-town communities and five partner organizations registered to attend, and can’t wait to be all together in the same room tomorrow!

Attached is the agenda for our day together. It’s packed with workshops that will get us tools on important issues, and lots of space for storytelling and learning from each other’s successes.

A couple of reminders about details for tomorrow:

• The Latino retreat will take place at the Iglesia San Martin de Porres in Dayton, Oregon. The address is 405 Ferry St., Dayton, OR 97114.
• We will have a light breakfast and coffee available as well as lunch.
• We will have childcare all day.
• We will have simultaneous interpreters for those who are not bilingual. The retreat will be in a mix of English and Spanish depending on the preference of the speaker.

For any last minute questions the free to contact either me or Keyla on our cell phones:
Amanda: 971 – 645 – 5279
Keyla: 503 – 438 – 8639

And last, we just want to give a shout out to our Latino Advisory Group, the geniuses behind this year’s retreat. Thank you Yesenia Sanchez from St Helens, Jorge Hernandez and Isaias Gonzales from Newport, Arlene Amaya from Klamath Falls, Jesus Roa from Hermiston, and much appreciation and admiration to Mujeres Latinas Luchando por el Pueblo for their incredible work as the host team.

See you all tomorrow!
Amanda

HURRY UP AND REGISTER! THE RURAL LATINO RETREAT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

RURAL LATINO LEADERSHIP RETREAT 2012

SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH, 2012

9am – 5:00pm

IGLESIA SAN MARTIN DE PORRES
405 Ferry St., Dayton, OR 97114

It’s easy to register!
Just call our office at (503) 543-8417 with the following information or send it by email to keyla@rop.org

-Full Name
-What workshops you would like to attend (workshop descriptions below)
-Lodging & Childcare needs, it’s free!
-Interested in carpooling? Let us know!

Can’t wait to see you there and join dozens of Latinos to share and connect!

RETIRO DE LIDERAZGO PARA LATINOS EN ZONAS RURALES 2012

SABADO, MARZO 24, 2012

9AM – 5PM

IGLESIA SAN MARTIN DE PORRES
405 Ferry St., Dayton, OR 97114

¡Es facil de registrarse!

Solo llama a la oficina al (503) 543-8417 con la siguiente informacion o mandala por correo electronico a Keyla@rop.org

-Nombre completo

-Que talleres te gustaría atender (la descripción de los talleres sigue abajo)

-Necesidades de hospedaje y de cuidado de niños, es gratis!

-Si le gustaría dar o recibir un raite al retiro

Nos encantaría verte y a dozenas de Latinos  para compartir y conectar!

Workshop descriptions

1. Naturalization

Due to lack of federal action to pass immigration reform and the increasing anti-immigrant legislation being passed by states across the country, immigrant communities must take a new strategy to develop political power and make sure our community’s voice is being heard. Becoming a citizen not only benefits the individual but benefits the immigrant community as a whole. We’ll discuss obstacles to become citizens, the process and resources available to make it more accessible.

2. Taking care of our backyard first: how to be active and effective at a local level

Rural communities already have limited resources and when language is barrier, those resources can become non-existent for immigrants. This workshop will share strategies to identify the needs and to connect the immigrant community to local resources that addresses those needs.

3. Wage theft campaign

Wage Theft is pervasive everywhere affecting everyone around us, not only immigrants. But when immigration status and language barriers are used against workers, especially in the retail, hospitality and construction industry, what can we do? There are clear ways for individuals to protect themselves against wage theft and to push for a legislative solution in 2013.

4. Know your Rights: Train-the-Trainer

If you participated in “Know your Rights” tour this last fall and would like to take this knowledge back to your community, this workshop is for you! We’ll share the tools used during the tour and train you on how to give this presentation. This training gives information about what to do if an undocumented person has to deal with the police and ICE, their rights and how to protect themselves and their family.

5. Stopping deportations & stopping police/ICE collaboration

“S-Comm” has proved to be very effective in deporting innocent people and breaking families. Do you feel overwhelmed by its effects? In this workshop we’ll discuss how to find local ways to keep our community safer from police/ICE, and support the state and national campaigns to end Secure Communities. It has been done at a county level in other states; we can do it, too!

1. Nacionalización

Por la falta de acción Federal de pasar una reforma migratoria y el aumento de legislaturas anti-inmigrantes que son pasadas por estados en todo el país, las comunidades inmigrantes deben de tomar una nueva estrategia para desarrollar poder político y asegurarse que la voz de nuestras comunidades sea escuchada. Volverse ciudadano de los estados unidos no solamente beneficia al individuo, pero beneficia a toda la comunidad inmigrante. Vamos a hablar de obstáculos en volverse ciudadano/a, el proceso y los recursos disponibles para hacerlo mas accesible.

2. Cuidando de nuestra comunidad primero: como ser activo(a) y efectivo(a) a nivel local

Las comunidades rurales tienen recursos muy limitados y cuando el lenguaje es una barrera, esos recursos “no existen” para los inmigrantes.  Compartiremos estrategias para identificar las necesidades y conectar a la comunidad inmigrante a recursos locales que alivian esas necesidades.

3. Campaña Contra el Robo de Salarios

El robo de salarios es dominante en todos lados, afectando a todos no solamente a inmigrantes. Pero cuando el estatus migratorio y la barrera del lenguaje son utilizados en contra de los trabajadores, especialmente en las industrias de comercio, hospitalidad y construcción, ¿que es lo que podemos hacer?  Hay maneras claras para que los trabajadores se protejan a si mismos y para pasar una solución legislativa en el 2013.

4. Conozca sus Derechos: Entrenando al Entrenador(a)

Si participó en el tour de “Conozca Sus Derechos” este otoño pasado y le gustaría llevar este conocimiento a su comunidad, ¡Este taller es para usted! Vamos a compartir las herramientas utilizadas durante el tour y se le entrenara en como dar esta presentación. Este entrenamiento habla acerca de que hacer si una persona indocumentada tiene que tratar con la policía y “la migra”, los derechos que tiene y como protegerse a si mismos(as) y a sus familias.

5. Alto a las Deportaciones & y a la colaboración Policía/ICE

“S-Comm” ha probado su efectividad deportando gente inocente y separando familias.  ¿Se siente abrumado(a) por sus efectos en la comunidad? En este taller hablaremos de como encontrar maneras locales para mantener a nuestras comunidades seguras de la policía/ICE y apoyar campañas nacionales y estatales para ponerle un fin a “Comunidades Seguras”. Se le ha puesto un alto en condados de otros estados, ¡También lo podemos hacer aquí!

BE PART OF THIS YEAR’S RETREAT…BE PART OF WELCOMING COMMUNITIES

2^nd Annual RURAL LATINO LEADERSHIP RETREAT 2012

SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH, 2012 – 8:30am – 5:00pm

CHURCH SAN MARTIN DE PORRES

405 Ferry St., Dayton, OR 97114

Our theme this year is:

Building Safe and Welcoming Communities for Immigrants in Rural and Small-town Oregon

(HOSTED BY: MUJERES LATINAS LUCHANDO POR EL PUEBLO)

The Rural Organizing Project and its Latino Advisory Committee is working to make this year’s retreat fun and useful for your group! Our workshops are themed around specific strategies to “build safe and welcoming communities”:

*  Stop Deportations/S-Comm

* “Know your Rights” Train-the-Trainer

*  Taking Care of our own Backyard

*  Stopping Wage Theft

*  Naturalization for Residents

And so much more! All the workshops will provide useful tools and resources you can take back home and put it to good use in your community. The retreat provides a safe space to share ideas, strategies and personal stories. This is a great opportunity to get to know other Latinos from rural areas working towards justice for our communities.

COME AND JOIN US! THE RETREAT IS FREE but donations are always welcome.

To register, send your name, address, organization, what workshops you would like to attend, lodging needs, and how many people are coming with you to: keyla@rop.org

Want to learn more about our work? Please visit our website: www.rop.org

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RETIRO DE LIDERAZGO LATINO RURAL 2012

SABADO, MARZO 24, 2012 – 8:30am – 5:00pm

IGLESIA SAN MARTIN DE PORRES

405 Ferry St., Dayton, OR 97114

El tema de este año es:

Construyendo Comunidades Seguras y Hospitalarias para Inmigrantes en areas rurales y pueblos pequeños en Oregon

(Grupo Anfitrión: Mujeres Latinas Luchando por el Pueblo)

El Proyecto Organización Rural y su Gabinete Asesor Latino estan trabajando para hacer el retiro de este año divertido y util para tu grupo. Nuestros talleres fueron creados alrededor del tema de “comunidades hospitalarias”:

*  Alto a las Deportaciones/S-Comm

* “Conozca sus Derechos” Entrenando-al-Entrenador

*  Cuidando a Nuestra Comunidad Primero

*  Alto al Robo de Salarios

*  Naturalizacion para Residentes

¡Y mucho mas! Los talleres proveerán recursos y herramientas que puedes utilizar y poner en acción en tu comunidad. El retiro provee un lugar seguro para compartir ideas, estrategias e historias personales. Esta es una gran oportunidad para conocer a otros Latinos que viven en zonas rurales que trabajan en avanzar la justicia social en nuestras comunidades.

¡VEN Y PARTICIPA! EL RETIRO ES GRATIS pero siempre aceptamos donaciones

Para registrarse por favor mande su nombre completo, domicilio, organizacion, que talleres te gustaria atender, necesidad de hospedaje y cuantas personas vendran contigo a: keyla@rop.org

¿Quiere saber más acerca del trabajo de ROP? Por favor visite nuestra página web: www.rop.org

SAVE THE DATE! Rural Latino Leadership coming soon…

RURAL LATINO LEADERSHIP RETREAT 2012
SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH, 2012

The Rural Organizing Project and its Latino Advisory Board is already working on the next annual retreat! Some of the topics we’ll be covering are:

-Stop Deportations/S-Comm
-“Know your Rights” Train-the-Trainer
-Welcoming Communities

And so much more! All the workshops will provide useful tools and resources you can take back home and put it to good use in your community. The retreat provides a safe space to share ideas, strategies and personal stories.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other Latinos and allies from rural areas working towards justice for our communities.

COME AND JOIN US! THE RETREAT IS FREE but donations are always welcome.

For updates regarding the retreat as the planning moves forward, please come back to check out the blog

Want to learn more about our work? Please visit our website: www.rop.org