O'odham and American: New film is portrait of post 9/11 America

'I am an American,' documents post 9/11 racism, discrimination and patriotism in US

By Brenda Norrell 
Censored Newshttp://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

TUCSON -- Cynthia Weber's new film, "I am an American," screened tonight in Tucson. The film is a portrait of post 9/11 America, revealing the lives of migrants and Minutemen; patriots and political refugees.
"I am an American," shares the voices of US servicemen who were honored to be Americans, and others who either fled America or were brutalized and criminalized by systematic hatred and racial prejudice. Fathers, mothers and children tell their own stories.
"It does show the faces of true Americans. We are not all white, elite people," said Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham and founder of O'odham Voice Against the Wall. Rivas is featured in the film and her comment came after screening the film for the first time Friday night.
The film profiles range from Katrina victims pondering their status as refugees in their homeland, to a Chinese Muslim army chaplain prosecuted as an enemy combatant.
Shanti Sellz, humanitarian lending aid to migrants on the Arizona border with No More Deaths, describes her arrest for helping save the lives of migrants.
With these voices, the film documents the post 9/11 hysteria which resulted in prosecution of the innocent, the inhumane police and court actions and US violations of human decency. However, it also gives the Minutemen and a proud soldier, fast tracked to citizenship, a voice.
Weber, a US citizen who makes her home in England, showed the film as a fundraiser for Derechos Humanos, No More Deaths and O'odham Voice Against the Wall. The screening was at the Armory building downtown.
In the film, Ofelia Rivas, interviewed at her home on Tohono O'odham land, describes the violations of human rights and dignity carried out by the US Border Patrol on a regular basis. Rivas describes how many O'odham, including herself, were born at home and do not have birth certificates. She also described how an agent pointed a gun at her head and demanded she identify herself as an American citizen.
Rivas said O'odham want others to know this: "We do live on both sides of that border and we do continue to cross."
During the screening, Rivas spoke on how the US/Mexico border wall has become a barrier for ceremonies and violated the religious rights of the O'odham, who have lived in this territory since time immemorial.
After the screening, Rivas said it is good that this film is carrying the O'odham voice to England and elsewhere. Rivas said the film shows the diversity of people in America.
"Maybe people can see what is happening to the original people," Rivas said in an interview with Censored News.
"It does show the faces of true Americans. We are not all white, elite people."
Although the US claims to guarantee the rights of its citizens on paper, Rivas said that is not always the reality.
During this election year, there is a great deal of attention on voting. Rivas, however, said it takes more than just casting a vote to bring about a change. She said people must stand up for their rights and take action.
"We can't just allow this United States government system to push us around any more."
Crossing the US/Mexico border, which divides O'odham communities, is now more difficult than ever; traditional O'odham find it difficult to find help anywhere.
"We have not received any kind of assistance from the Tohono O'odham Nation as traditional people," she said in the interview.
Rivas said the O'odham traditional crossing has been cut off by the US vehicle barrier constructed by Homeland Security. Now, the elders returning form ceremonies are subjected to harassment by the US Border Patrol. Now, O'odham must travel long distances to border crossings. The agents always consider O'odham elders as "suspects," as drug dealers or smugglers. The elders are fearful and must repeatedly endure rude agents.
"It is not a good situation when we have just been to ceremonies."
Rivas said the earth is going through a healing now and there has been a lot of rain. She said there are many changes, including changes in nature.
"If we don't follow our traditional ways, we are in for a lot of problems."
"I just encourage people to remain strong."
AUDIO: Listen to Ofelia Rivas react to the new film:
--Click on link below
--Click on file name "Ofelia Rivas" in white box
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2008/09/audio-ofelia-rivas-oodham-voice-against.html
AUDIO: Cynthia Weber's describes the origin of the film:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2008/09/audio-race-and-america-filmmaker.html
About the film, "I am an American" by Cynthia Weber
Interviewed in the film:
-Iraq war veteran Guadalupe Denogean, who became a "fast-tracked" US citizen
-Iraq war resisters Phil McDowell and Jamine Apointe, who are seeking political refugee status in Canada
-Peace activist Fernando Suarez del Solar, who refused posthumous US citizenship for his soldier son Jesus who was killed in Iraq
-Undocumented immigrant Elvira Arellano, who until July 2007 was in sanctuary in a US church fighting deportation so she could remain with her US citizen son Saul
-The founder of the Minuteman Civil Defence Corps, Chris Simcox, who organises civilian patrols along US borders
-Human-rights activist with the No More Deaths group, Shanti Sellz, who with Daniel Strauss was arrested for transporting undocumented immigrants to a hospital
-Indigenous-rights activist Ofelia Rivas, who is fighting the construction of the US-Mexico border fence that will divide her nation
-Indigenous-rights activist Jose Matus, who heads the Indigenous Alliance Without Borders project
-Hurricane Katrina evacuees Greg and Glenda Avery, who have at times been treated more like "refugees" than US citizens in their own country
-US army Muslim chaplain James Yee, who was detained by the US government as an enemy combatant.
Weber says, "What I hope my films express is how these US Americans live their differences in an often less-than-tolerant and increasingly disunited nation."
ICEHOUSE GALLERY IN PHOENIX: "I am an American"
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/locations/icehouse-7693/
Art installation: Sept. 29 to Oct 17, 2008

PHOTO 1: Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, founder of O'odham Voice Against the Wall, talks with Cynthia Weber, producer of the new film, "I Am an American." Photo Brenda Norrell. Photo 2: Shanti Sellz, No More Deaths humanitarian/Photo "I am an American." Photo 3: Ofelia Rivas at the border vehicle barrier constructed south of Sells, Arizona, on Tohono O'odham Nation land in 2007. Photo Brenda Norrell.

Activist Marcella Sali Grace raped and murdered in Oaxaca

Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!
Version en espanol sigue despues del link.
"She was a champion for indigenous rights and helped me raise money for indigenous peoples in Mexico. She was a women rights and indigenous rights activist and such a great person." -- Navajo friend
Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca. Thursday, September 25
Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!
Brother and sisters,
Our hearts are full of sadness and rage because our sister Sali was brutally raped and murdered 20 minutes from San Jose del Pacifico and up to this moment the Oaxacan Attorney General's Office, as is its custom, is not doing anything regarding the fact that there exist witnesses who have information to identify those responsible.
Marcella Sali Grace was born in the United States, with a big heart in solidarity with just causes. She had many friends because she was always inclined to help, using her artistic talents to paint a banner or a wall or doing Arabic dance to raise funds for the struggle, or putting on punk shows, or giving self-defense courses for women because she knew very well how the men accosted them. This was one of her struggles, that women were free and respected. Sali was so involved in the struggle that she was an international accompanier of brothers and sisters who felt harassed by the bad government of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.
Read more at: http://www.narconews.com/

Melendez: Media downplays Hurricane Ike

Steve and Cheryl Melendez at the American Indian Genocide Museum: Recovering from Hurricane Ike, Alabama Coushatta also hit

By Steve and Cheryl Melendez

indmuseum@yahoo.com

Photo NPS/Chickasaw help Texas Alabama -Coushatta Nation

HOUSTON -- Finally , after two weeks we have electricity today. Many more are still without it. Phones and cell phones were not working . The hurricane brought down so many trees. There were trees on houses, on cars , on light poles and lying across the streets. That was the scene in my neighborhood and repeated throughout Houston and other cities. The aftermath of the storm left the city without power, water and public transportation. Houston and other areas have issued mandatory curfews. We have waited in FEMA lines for ice, food and water. Neighborhood Kroger opened this past week and we were allowed in five at a time. The line hooked around the store parking lot. No meat, dairy, bread. We were given only 10 minutes to get in and out. The gas stations had petrol, but could not run due to no source of power. When one station opened up the line was hours long. They limited the gas to only $20.00 worth if you were the lucky one to get it.

These have been conveniences and neccessities that we have come to depend on. But , thank God we still have our house. House, we have some roof damage. Fence blew out in the back yard. Had to throw away refrigerated foods, but again we are the blessed ones. So, many are now without a home to return to. Galveston, Crystal beach, Boliver, Gilcrest, High Island , Chambers county hit so hard. Gilcrest only one house remains after the hurricane. Nearly 400 people have been reported missing. Some of our friends have lost their homes.

The national news is not reporting this fairly and has been making this sound like a minor event. No Hollywood stars coming out to fundraise for our coastal communities. Many folks are permanent residents and these were not all vacation homes for the rich. Galveston has many poor people and the city depends on summer tourism.

This hurricane also affected the Texas Alabama Coushatta Reservation, the Woodlands, and ended up as a tropical storm knocking out power, and causing floods in Cincinnati , Ohio; caused 70 mile hour winds across the Canadian border. Hurricane Ike was so big it took up half of the Gulf of Mexico.

In all people are making do. Neighbors helping neighbors. Strangers becoming friends. Hope sustains us.
http://www.chron.com/hurricane/ike/

Photo National Park Service: An NPS bucket truck with a crew of four from Chickasaw NRA has arrived in the park and will be assisting Big Thicket and Lake Meredith saw crews with clearing priority access areas. Road clearing to oil and gas wellheads is continuing. The Central incident management team continues to assist the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas with support. Randy Larrabee from Chickasaw NRA is on site and is now conducting FMSS assessments and entering data. Forty-four people are currently committed to help.