[SDCPJ] Fwd: [Friends of Friendship Park] May 28th Day of Action to Stop Border Brutality

From: Pedro Rios <PRios@afsc.org>
Date: May 26, 2015, 3:09 p.,.
Subject: [Friends of Friendship Park] May 28th Day of Action to Stop Border Brutality

 

Hi friends,

 

I'm am taking the liberty of sharing with you information about an upcoming action, with the hope that you can spread the word (by resending) to your groups.  

 

May 28 will mark 5 years since Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was beaten and tortured to death by border agents.  We are working closely with his family, and with other families that have suffered a loss at the hands of border agents, to call for a day of action to stop border brutality.  You can help us make this a successful event by doing one or all of the following items:

1. Share the information below with your groups
2. Attend the event
3. Share the Facebook event:  http://on.fb.me/1K6kMDU
4. Visit RevitalizeNotMilitarize.org to learn more about this campaign

I am appreciative of any support you can assist with this action.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

 

paz,

 

Pedro Rios

AFSC

 

 

 

Border Families Launch Spring Campaign

DAY OF ACTION TO STOP BORDER BRUTALITY

Día de Acción No Más Brutalidad en la Frontera

FOR BORDER JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Por Justicia y Rendicion de Cuentas

Thursday, May 28, 2015 | Jueves, 28 de Mayo 2015

 

On May 28, 2010, my husband and father of my 5 children was brutally beaten and tortured at the San Diego border by federal agents. Days later Anastasio Hernandez Rojas died. The San Diego coroner's office described Anastasio's death as a homicide and found that he had "several loose teeth; bruising to his chest, stomach, hips, knees, back, lips, head and eyelids; five broken ribs; and a damaged spine."
 
 Border agents killed my husband. My family and I have not been the same ever since. To this day, our children ask, "Why did they kill my daddy?" and I've been fighting to find answers as well. We are still seeking justice since the case still has not been resolved. Were it not for a courageous eye-witness who recorded a video showing a dozen agents beating him while he was handcuffed on the ground, and 36,000 people signing our petition, I'm not sure his case would have ever been investigated.

 Since 2010, the year Anastasio was killed, at least 39 people have died as a result of encounters with Customs and Border Protection officers and many more have suffered serious injuries from such brutal use-of-force.

 Many of these families, like ours, don't get answers and agents are not disciplined for killing mothers or teenage kids as young as 15 - families such as those of  Jose Gutierrez, Valeria Munique Tachiquin and Carlos la Madrid. We've joined together in this fight and as the federal government attempts to discourage us from seeking answers, we grow more determined to struggle. Now, we invite you to stand with us to strengthen the call for justice and accountability in our border communities to stop the brutality.

Please join us in a Day of Action to Stop Border Brutality on May 28, 2015 5 pm at Balboa Park (6th and Laurel St, San Diego), so that the voices of border families can be heard across the country.

If you have any questions, please contact: Kim Rescate, kim@alliancesd.org and Ricardo Favela, ricardo@alliancesd.org.

 Your action is critical at this moment when the nation's attention is on police brutality and accountability. We need to talk about border brutality and justice for our communities.

 Thank you,

 Maria Puga on behalf of the Hernandez Rojas family

 

 

 

 

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