Fresno activates Brown Beret Chapter
On Friday, January 23, 2009, several students and community members came together to discuss plans to launch a Brown Beret chapter in Fresno in order to deal with many critical issues that are impacting there community negatively. More than 25 people of all ages were in attendance.
Many of the participants discussed the need for an active chapter and issues such as police harassment, the expansion of the prison industrial complex, environmental pollution due to pesticides, inadequate schools and budget cuts, poverty, gang injunctions, and immigration raids.
In attendance were representatives from various community organizations such as the Fresno Prison Moratorium Project, The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (“CRPE”), and Youth Together. The Autonomous Brown Berets of Watsonville also gave a presentation of their work and history. They urged for the need for direct action and unity due to community similarities and conditions.
At the meeting participants made the decision to launch their Brown Beret chapter in order assist in Fresno’s historical collective effort to bring social justice and change. In the past Brown Beret chapters have existed in Fresno and during the 1960’s they took part in many actions to ameliorate the community.
In California, Fresno is one of the communities most affected by poverty and environmental pollution. It has one of the highest rates of police misconduct and incarceration of youth of color. The Brown Berets of Fresno needs your support. For more information contact: call Ernesto @ 559-284-9512 or Ruben @ 559-237-5587
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From the Fresno Brown Berets:
On BIENVENIDOS/WELCOME as well as GRACIAS/THANKS to all of you that attended the 1st FRESNO BROWN BERET’S meeting this past Friday, January 23, 2009.
Over 25 PEOPLE of ALL AGES and different BACKGROUNDS, from UP and DOWN the CENTRAL VALLEY including our PEOPLE from WATSONVILLE joined together in this truly POWERFUL and HYSTORICAL moment. JUST IMAGINE ALL THE CHANGE WE CAN MAKE IF WE ALL COME AND WORK TOGETHER…
LET’S KEEP THIS MOMENTUM GOING.
This FRIDAY, January 30, 2009 we will be MEETING once again- 7P.M. @ The California Prison Moratorium Project CONFERENCE ROOM located on 1055 N. Van Ness Ave. Suite C Fresno, Ca. 93728 (It’s right on VAN NESS on your LEFT…a block before you get to OLIVE; if that’s confusing what’s recommended is to use GOOGLE MAPS for specific directions)
*We are going to come up with and go over our CODES OF CONDUCT/VISION & MISSION; follow up on all our great project ideas from our last meeting; and discuss upcoming actions that we can help organize and be a part of.
ANYONE AND EVERYONE WILLING AND ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY IS WELCOME!! TIME and DEDICATION is a MUST. Feel free to bring snacks and your THINKING CAPS.
One person cannot do everything BUT everyONE can DO SOMETHING!
PA’LANTE!!
FRESNO BROWN BERET’S
p.s. If you have any questions, comments, et cetera feel free to call Ernesto @ 559-284-9512 or Ruben @ 559-237-5587
My name is John X Mataka and I am a member of the Nation of Islam in Stockton, California. It does my heart good to see the Fresno Chapter of the Brown Berets up and running again. The Nation of Islam has been working on organizing our communities around the issues that effect our gente. We have done two Caravan For Justice trips to Sacramento to call attention to the 3 strikes law, the incarceration and criminalization of black and brown males, the killing of Oscar Grant, the dropout rate in our communities, andthe criminalzation of immigrants in particular Mexican Immigrants. We are planning another caravan in about one month and I hope to personally come to Fresno and speak to you about it. My e-mail is rmataka@yahoo.com PA’Lante!!! Bro John X Mataka
Hi. Wanted to know if you are still active and if the meetings are open to the public or accepting new members?
Yes they are, Please contact each chapter for information.
Ok. Where are they and when is the next march.
Meetings are every friday at 6pm in the Fresno Metro Ministries conference room at 1055 N Van Ness just south of olive.
I’m not sure when the next march is but we are presenting our petition to Fire Dyer! this thursday (8/19) to City Council @ 8:30am.
Just passin on the word. Jon Stewart’s Rally to restore sanity! Oct. 30, 2010. Washington D.C., Satellite rallies to be held across
the nation in cities such as Los Angles, San Francisco as well many others.
Supported by: Oprah!, President Obama!, and Arianna Huffington!
hello how do you all help ,i really need help badly you see police and school district wont help me my son is bean beaten and the beating video recorded this has happend 2 time ,police made report in his word not my sons statment no arrest were made because the 10 boys are white i can help but know this .there going to kill my son if this is not stopped first attack a mexican woman help my son and made him get into her car police didnt even bother talking to her nor the 911 people who called in and even left there names /numbers to be witness’s not on police report you see i know thjis because there are some good people that gave me this info i cant say names buy i know a little more info they dont know i know .the video was put on you tube i cryed all night see this video .i made a bad call i called police and told them about video and threaten them i told them im filing a compaint on them for messing up the case and then told them about the aired video well in mins it was taken off and they say the dont know and last name or the first names ot any of the boys …i dont belive them because of how fast the took it off after i told thenm about it .i’m sorry i just dont know what to do there going to kill my son i lovev my son oh god please help me if you can i need help badly ten on one these boy are 17 to 19 yrs old my son is 16 yrs old there a 160 pds my son is a little over 100 pds this is a night mare this is hurting me so very much .please help me if you can i raelly need it . 559-892-3144
PICTURESQUEMULTIMEDIA Productions.COM Mis carnales/carnalas, I am an BB Elder to the Arizona, BBC here in Tucson, Born and raised in San Antonio, Tejas. I lived in Tucson as of 1964, made 3 tours to Vietnam, I came back to Tucson, married and we had two Kids, now a part of the BBC. I am proud of all Califas for maintaining the BB pride. You all are the begining and will never be the end. Keep up the good work. You all are welcomed to drop by and visit our poor but humble house any time you are by here. 5305740605. Above is a piece of what may become a film, I just want to pass it on so when the time comes that it becomes good other Chicanos in Califas will know we all served with pride, that the pinche gabachos here in Arizona will know we didin’t just sit around. No somos de Tercera, somos de primera. Con el Favor de Dois, we will meet. Gracias a todos en West Coast.
In Arizona, the Phoenix and Tucson Raza are under attack. We find ourselves being Cleansed. Don’t let your people, especially the Children, loose any ot their Ethnic Studies (Mexican American Studies). Estimadas/os: The silencing of Mexicans continues in Tucson. Not only are the MAS teachers and its Director being silenced, so is David Abie Morales, aka “The Three Sonorans,” who reports on the TUSD MAS situation. * First was the silencing, i.e., dismantling, of Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies curriculum at the behest of Superintendent John Pedicone and on a Motion by school board member Michael Hicks. It’s important to keep in mind that of four [4] “ethnic studies” programs in TUSD, ONLY the MAS program was targeted by Horne, Huppenthal, Pedicone, and the school board. All the other ethnic studies programs are intact and operative. Then, on the order of Superintendent John Pedicone, came the seizing and banning of books by Mexican American authors and other books and works used in MAS classes (e.g., Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”—see next item). In spite of TUSD’s protestations that there is no “book ban,” the fact is that the books that were seized from MAS classrooms were put in boxes clearly labeled “Banned Books.”
* And now, on the order of Superintendent John Pedicone, MAS Director Sean Arce has been fired. Competency, performance, or behavior issues are not involved in Sean’s firing. Actually, just last week, in recognition of Sean’s leadership in “one of the most significant and successful public school initiatives on the teaching of history in the U.S.,” the Zinn Education Project conferred its 2012 Myles Horton Education Award for Teaching People’s History award on Sean.
We continue the Struggle for our Students we continue to protest the illegal strings the whites use to deny our Civil and Human Rights.. Again the gringo has the money, the Legislative powers, but we have the people who still resist. Don’t let this happen in Califas. Thank you