«El odio es un sentimiento que sólo puede existir en ausencia de toda inteligencia». ‒Tennessee William.

En un año promedio, más de 10 mil 300 crímenes de odio en Estados Unidos involucran un arma de fuego, lo que se traduce en más de 28 por día. Las señales no son alentadoras, sobre todo cuando diversos informes indican que estos delitos van en aumento, convirtiéndose en un verdadero «Armagedon».

De acuerdo con la fundación Everytown For Gun Safety, la gran mayoría de los delitos de odio están dirigidos contra comunidades de color, minorías religiosas y personas LGBTQ+, además de estar motivados por prejuicios contra la raza, el color, la religión, el origen nacional, la orientación sexual, la discapacidad, el género o la identidad de género, u otras partes fundamentales de la identidad de una persona. 

En 2020, el año más reciente del que hay datos disponibles, 63 por ciento de los delitos motivados por el odio denunciados estuvieron motivados por el racismo; más de la mitad de estos crímenes fueron motivados por prejuicios contra afroamericanos, señala el documento.

Para el resto de los crímenes de odio en 2020, el 15 por ciento estuvo motivado por prejuicios religiosos, en su mayoría antijudíos; y el sesgo anti-LGBTQ+ motivó el 17 por ciento de los crímenes de odio ese mismo año.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center ‒SPLC, por sus siglas en inglés‒, el clima político actual ha animado a las personas a cometer delitos de odio y también ha contribuido a la formación de más grupos de odio en todo el país. De hecho, la cantidad de este tipo de grupos en EE. UU. aumentó en un 30 por ciento entre 2014 y 2018, con un aumento del 7 por ciento solo en 2018. 

El documento revela que los crímenes de odio tienen un impacto devastador en las víctimas individuales, y los efectos reverberantes los experimentan grupos y comunidades enteras.  

Para las personas que luchan contra los prejuicios, la noticia de un crimen de odio violento dirigido a miembros de un grupo de identidad compartida puede parecer un ataque personal. Después del tiroteo en el club nocturno Pulse, las personas LGBTQ+ de todo el país informaron haber experimentado niveles más altos de angustia emocional y afirmaron que sería menos probable que asistieran a espacios seguros como los clubes nocturnos LGBTQ+.  «Cuando los espacios seguros ya no se sienten seguros, comunidades enteras sufren».

Ante ello, precisa la organización, «es esencial que los estados y el gobierno federal prohíban que los delincuentes condenados por delitos menores violentos o amenazantes de odio compren o tengan armas».

Los delitos de odio con armas de fuego fueron el catalizador de las leyes sobre este tipo de crímenes en Estados Unidos.  

Las primeras protecciones federales importantes contra los delitos motivados por el odio se promulgaron a raíz del tiroteo contra Martin Luther King, Jr., mientras que la mejora más reciente de las leyes federales sobre delitos motivados por el odio, se produjo después de la muerte de Matthew Shepard, a quien atacaron por ser gay, lo golpearon con un arma de fuego y lo dejaron morir, señala el reporte.

De acuerdo con las recomendaciones de la organización Everytown For Gun Safety, las leyes federales y estatales actuales sobre armas de fuego no abordan adecuadamente el problema.  «Si bien todos los delitos graves están prohibidos por la ley federal, la mayoría de los delitos menores, incluidos los delitos menores de aquellos motivados por el odio, no lo están».

Los delitos menores de odio pueden ser actos graves y violentos, pero según la ley federal, una condena por estos actos violentos o amenazantes no prohíbe que alguien compre o tenga un arma. 

Además, precisó, mientras que casi la mitad de los estados tienen leyes que cierran esta brecha, la mayoría de los estados no las tienen, lo que significa que, en gran parte del país, una persona condenada por un delito de odio violento podría pasar legalmente una verificación de antecedentes y comprar y poseer un arma de fuego.

«Los estados deben aprobar leyes para prohibir que las personas condenadas por delitos de odio compren o tengan un arma y deben tomar medidas adicionales para mantener las armas fuera del alcance de todas las personas condenadas por delitos violentos.  Un estudio reciente encontró que las leyes sobre delitos menores violentos se asociaron con una reducción de casi el 27 por ciento en las tasas de homicidios con armas de fuego».

A su vez, señaló la organización, los estados también pueden aprobar leyes de riesgo extremo para ayudar a prevenir el acceso a las armas por parte de personas que han mostrado señales de advertencia graves de que son una amenaza para los demás, incluidas aquellas que están motivadas por prejuicios.

«Las leyes de riesgo extremo brindan a los miembros de la familia y a las fuerzas del orden una forma de intervenir antes de que las señales de advertencia se conviertan en tragedias. Según estas leyes, un peticionario puede obtener una orden judicial, a menudo conocida como orden de protección contra riesgos extremos ‒ERPO, por sus siglas en inglés‒, para retirar temporalmente las armas de una situación peligrosa».

This publication was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

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Three months after the Casa Tlaxcala in New York was inaugurated, it has already provided more than 400 consultations to migrant residents who have needed some consular service and hopes to continue advancing with the Family Reunion program, which will seek to further strengthen ties between Tlaxcalans in Mexico and the United States. 

This was stated by Gabriela Hernández Montiel, director of Migrant Assistance in the state of Tlaxcala, in an interview with Península 360 Press, who specified that under the command of Governor Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros, service has been provided to compatriots who need special documentation that is not so easy to obtain because many of them cannot travel to their place of origin to obtain it.

"This is the first administration that is concerned about everyone, including our fellow citizens. And it has taken on the task of working together with our colleague Marco Castillo, who is our advisor, to open Casa Tlaxcala," he said from Casa de los Pueblos, headquarters of Molino Informativo.

The task, said Hernández Montiel, was not easy, "but we are here now, giving results. Three months after the opening of Casa Tlaxcala, we have provided more than 400 consultations to our fellow citizens."

"We want to work on the family reunion program, which is very nice because we help families who have not been reunited after this pandemic and who, thank God, survived and are here, give them the opportunity to hug their parents and grandparents again. We are working on that program here in New York and we have already had four reunions," she said.

Although it is not known how many Tlaxcalans live in the Big Apple, the Mexican official assured that it is a significant population and that the state, together with Casa Tlaxcala, is already working on a census that will allow them to learn more about this community and its needs.

«We Tlaxcalans are very brave and we are everywhere. Another state in the American Union where they are also important is California, where we are also already in talks.» 

In this regard, he said it is important for the state to get closer to the organizations.  

"We are also seeking support from them because all Tlaxcalans are organized into groups and it is important to knock on doors." 

Regarding the Reunion Program, he specified that all Tlaxcalans in the Bay Area can contact Casa Tlaxcala in New York so they can ask for advice and they can then give information to their relatives so they can approach the Migrant Assistance Office in the state of Tlaxcala and be enrolled in the program.

He added that, to promote the program, Governor Cuéllar is providing 50 percent of the flight, while all ground transportation is free, and a reception is organized for visitors.

"The only condition is that they cannot stay, I have to take them back and that is the only condition," he said.

Regarding services, Hernández pointed out that the issuance of birth certificates is one of the procedures and tasks that are most frequently carried out at Casa Tlaxcala, which manages, together with the Migrant Assistance area in Tlaxcala, the expediting of the issuance, as well as clarifications and corrections in the certificates.

When questioned about the Tlaxcalans who unfortunately lose their lives in the United States and who seek to repatriate the bodies but do not have the resources, the official stressed that the relatives of the deceased should approach the consulate that corresponds to them and request information. 

However, he clarified that, in most cases, the consulate helps with 50 percent - more or less - of the transfer costs, while the other part must be paid by the family in order to repatriate the body to any municipality in Mexico City.

Finally, he highlighted that there are still several projects between the state of Tlaxcala and various cities in this country regarding reunions and for young people of Tlaxcalan origin to learn about their roots and culture through tours to said state of Mexico.

The telephone number for Casa Tlaxcala in New York is 3322175684, while the number for the Migrant Assistance area in Tlaxcala, Mexico, is 2464662888.

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By Pamela Cruz and Karina Alvarado

The U.S. Mega Millions lottery has a prize pool of over $1 billion for anyone who matches all six winning numbers, which will be drawn this Friday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. 

The $1.25 billion at stake is due to the fact that in the last 29 draws there has not been a winning ticket, so the prize has been increasing, becoming so far the fourth largest prize in the history of the lottery in the country and the second largest in Mega Millions.

The game's top prize was $1.537 billion and was won in October 2018 in South Carolina, according to megamillions.com.

The winning numbers for last Tuesday's draw were 7-29-60-63-66, Mega Ball 15.

However, users can not only aspire to the grand prize, but if they guess at least 6 numbers correctly, they will be entitled to a prize that can reach one million dollars.

"The Mega Millions community, and indeed much of the country, is eagerly awaiting tonight's drawing," said Pat McDonald, Mega Millions' managing director.

Tickets cost $2 and players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes and can be purchased on the website or at various convenience stores.

You don't need to be a resident to win

According to the Mega Millions website, foreigners can also participate in the game, however, they must be within the country since tickets are sold only in the U.S. Additionally, it is important to consider that taxes increase for those who are not citizens of the country.

"Visitors to the United States are always welcome to purchase tickets for our game from a U.S. lottery retailer while visiting the country; you do not need to be a resident to win," the site notes.

How to play Mega Millions, the US lottery?

You must buy a $2 ticket and choose six numbers. To win, you must match all the numbers.

The first 5 numbers, ranging from 1 to 70, are white balls, but the last number, which ranges from 1 to 25, is called the Golden Mega Ball. Once you have all of them correct, it's time to shout ¡Lotería!

It is worth noting that states such as Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not have Mega Millions, but their residents can play in any other state or online, and if they win, they would have to collect their prize in the state where they bought the ticket.

What happens if you win? How do I get paid?

While the odds of winning are 1 in more than 302.5 million, you never know, so trying your luck could make you a multimillionaire.

If luck knocks on your door and you win the billion-dollar prize, you will have to consider some details.

If you win, you will be presented with two options: cash payment or annual payment. In the first case, this means getting a sum of money immediately, in which case the winner would be offered a one-time payment of $602.5 million.

For the annual payment, the winner would receive a first payment immediately, and the rest spread over 29 annual installments. In that case, by the end of those almost three decades, the prize would have reached 1.02 billion dollars.

Death and taxes

It is well known that there are two things that humans cannot avoid: death and taxes. In the case of the lottery, taxes take a good cut.

By opting for a single payment for the prize, the $1.25 billion is automatically subtracted by almost 60 percent for lottery commission, which would leave the prize at $602.5 million in cash.

From that $602.5 million, 24 percent must be subtracted for federal taxes on lottery prizes where the winnings are greater than $5,000, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Therefore, $144.6 million must be subtracted from the prize of more than $600 million.

But there's more: Additional federal income taxes must be subtracted from that $602.5 million. In this case, the top federal marginal tax rate for 2022 is 37 percent for individual taxpayers with incomes over $539,900 and for married couples filing jointly with incomes over $647,850, according to the IRS.

So, in the example we've been looking at, the $602.5 million prize would have to be subtracted by the missing 13 percent to arrive at 37 percent of the top federal marginal income tax rate—since 24 percent of the first federal tax has already been deducted. In short, you need to subtract another $78.3 million from your prize.

With these federal taxes accounted for, the prize originally worth more than $1 billion and for which he was to receive $602.5 million would be reduced to $379.6 million. 

But state taxes still need to be subtracted from that $379.6 million, if they apply in the U.S. state where the Mega Millions ticket was purchased.

Anyway, with a little luck, this Friday you could go to bed knowing you're a millionaire!

With information from CNN.

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Women, leaders of indigenous, Native American, and Afro-descendant communities, and more than 50 human rights and social justice organizations will participate in the “X Peace Summit,” which seeks to create an agenda to address common problems between Mexico and the United States on issues of migration, armed violence, persecution, forced disappearances, discrimination, inequality, and the environment, among others.

Following a process of consultations, forums, and surveys in Mexico and the United States, leaders, activists, and organizations will present the first results of their work and promote a series of binational actions to advance social justice, human rights, and equality in democratic life and in binational relations at the Peace Summit in Mexico City on February 27, 2023.

The Summit takes place in the context of economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which, among other things, has exposed the lack of a strong health system, while the environmental crisis threatens life throughout the region and the proliferation of weapons is killing more people than ever, while there is a criminalization of migrant communities in both countries, particularly affecting indigenous, Native American, Afro-descendant communities, women and human rights defenders.

This was stated by the co-director of the non-profit organization Global ExchangeMarco Castillo, during the press conference for the presentation of the Peace Summit, where he highlighted that these problems are the result of a deep crisis that threatens the lives of historically marginalized communities, towns and cities from Central America to Washington DC.

"Every day, poor and historically marginalized communities and cities, from Tapachula to Washington DC, suffer the consequences of a democratic and economic model that does not work. Our people are united in tragedy," said Castillo.

Prior to the Summit, the organizers reported that, so far, six regional dialogues have been confirmed, which will begin in September and will be held in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Tijuana, Mexico City and an indigenous community that will be announced in the coming days.

During these discussions, a survey will be conducted to identify common problems and principles for solutions, and a discussion will be facilitated where binationally coordinated actions will be proposed. The results of this effort will be presented during the Peace Summit.

The suffering of the most vulnerable communities crosses borders, so it is necessary to focus attention on these groups, who have not only been the first to respond to the health, climate, economic and social tragedies facing the countries in which they live.

"It is intentional to ignore our existence, it is intentional to ignore that we speak other languages because our language is the basis of our human rights," said Odilia Romero, executive director of Cielo, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles.

The organization is led by indigenous women who work alongside indigenous communities to end gender-based violence, provide language access rights, cultural preservation and reproductive justice, and serve as a diaspora. 

"When a transnational company comes and asks if it is okay for our land to be used for its purposes, there is no interpretation, so we do not understand how it will affect us in the long term. This is how the violations of the human rights of indigenous people and their land begin and then we have to migrate and expose ourselves to be criminalized," said the activist.

"We want to stop the criminalization of people, the movement of weapons, the criminalization of people of color," he said.

According to official figures and research by some of the participating organizations, gun purchases in the United States and gun violence in Mexico and the United States reached the highest level in history in both countries during the pandemic; 70 percent of the weapons recovered at crime scenes in Mexico come from the United States.

Likewise, more than 10,000 incidents of violence against migrants by authorities in both countries have been recorded since the implementation of the Stay in Mexico Program or MPP.

"We are committed to making space for our voices to come together, the messages and the truth that needs to be heard by the general public and the privileged who may think our culture looks pretty but don't see the violence we have to endure every day," said Melissa Iakowi: he'ne' Oakes, executive director of American Indian Community House in New York City.

The Mohawk woman, from the Snipe Clan who resides in the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, where she was born and raised, noted that “the Pope was here the other day and he met with a Native Nation, but there are many of us. Representation matters, the voice of each nation matters.”

Tragedy and oblivion unite, which is why events like the Summit are of great importance for the most vulnerable communities, said Cristina Bautista Salvador, mother of Benjamín Ascencio Bautista, one of the 43 missing student teachers from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, Mexico.

«This is very important for me as Benjamin's mother, so that people can hear it firsthand. We know that we are not the only ones who are suffering. There are many disappearances and violence in the world. Pain and suffering unite us to raise our voices, to be heard in every corner.»

This mother and activist recalled that in Mexico there are more than one hundred thousand families looking for their loved ones, "the Peace Summit is important as parents of the 43 so that they know that here we continue looking for our children demanding that they be returned to us alive."

For Jorden Giger of the Black Lives Matter movement in South Bend, Indiana, actions like the Peace Summit are necessary to unite forces between different organizations whose struggles are common.

“This summit is extremely important because the weapons that are used to kill black people in the U.S. are the same ones used to kill people in Mexico and Central and South America. We should be organizing while challenging our governments and community members about the proliferation of weapons in our communities,” Giger said.

Isabella D'Alacio, an activist and survivor of the Parkland, Florida, massacre, said: "Young people need a seat at the table to advocate for solutions to the problems that have destroyed our communities. The summit and its outcome will be essential to creating a future for my generation."

"There is not much difference between a firearm here and in Mexico, the only difference is the people it can hit," he added.

Environmental issues are no strangers to the suffering of vulnerable communities, as inhabitants of mountains, hills and slopes have become activists to protect the resources and nature that surrounds them.

"In Mexico, when we have an environmental struggle in the territory where we are, it is not so free, we could make alliances. The summit is important to learn how trees and other resources can be respected in other places," said Grisel Cuecuecha, from the organization Cultures of the Past, Voices of the Present, in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Finally, Marco Castillo emphasized that it is important to engage in dialogue between peoples, communities and organizations in order to take decisive regional actions that point the way toward a different reality and relationship between Mexico and the United States. "The one we have is not enough to restore peace and advance justice."

“Communities have been divided by a false narrative of rivalry. It is time to review the common agenda because we are more united in this than ever. The Peace Summit will strengthen these common dialogues,” he stressed.  

To join this process, the organizers have made the websites available www.cumbrexlapaz.org and www.peacesummit2023.org. 

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