The international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world, Global Exchange, is calling for participation in the petition to ask U.S. President Joseph Biden to call for a halt to the violence by the State of Colombia, led by President Ivan Duque.
The demonstrations in Colombia are due to tax proposals stemming from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. Colombian President Iván Duque insisted that the reform "is a necessity" and not "a whim"; the protests led to the resignation of the head of Colombia's finance ministry, as reported by Article 19.
Through the testimony of Alex Sierra, representative of Global Exchange in Colombia, he denounces that there have been "more armed confrontations and many more deaths" due to the protests that are taking place throughout Colombia to which the government of Ivan Duque has responded with the use of public force, violating human rights and restricting freedom of expression.
"The level of popular mobilization is unprecedented even in the face of deadly police repression, especially in Cali, where a sustained protest in the largely Afro-Colombian neighborhood of Siloé has been attacked with deadly fury," Sierra notes.
Alex Sierra, Global Exchange points out, was the organizer of the Caravan for Peace and Life and Justice that, in 2016, was responsible for linking the problem of the drug war in several Latin American countries - Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico - and whose discussion reached the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
The activist accuses Trump of "undermining the peace accords" in the U.S.; however, he is confident that the United States should again take "the side of peace in Colombia".
Therefore, through Global Exchange, Alex Sierra calls on U.S. President Joe Biden to "publicly condemn police and military violence," as well as "support the rights and safety of journalists who risk their lives" while covering the events taking place in Colombia, which Sierra notes are "critical moments in our national evolution.
After months of closure, the San Francisco Symphony returned to delight the ears of its fans, as yesterday, May 6, Davies Symphony Hall hosted a small audience to start with live performances.
Thus, dozens of instrumentalists happily returned to a stage that was eagerly awaiting them after the San Francisco Symphony announced in March 2020 that it would cancel its concerts, at least until April 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Things didn't go as planned and the cancellations continued.
However, thanks to progress in vaccinating San Francisco residents, the drop in COVID-19 positive cases, and thus the city's turnaround to yellow, live concerts are back!
Just this past May 4, the San Francisco Symphony announced increased audience capacity for live concerts at Davies Symphony Hall during the fifth-sixth month of this year, following the City's approval of the Symphony's Health and Safety Plan.
While the majority of tickets for the May 6 and 7 concerts were reserved for health care professionals and community partners who have been on the front lines supporting the people of our city in critical ways during the pandemic, a limited number of additional tickets were available to San Francisco Symphony donors and subscribers.
Audience capacity for performances May 13 through June 25 will be increased to 35 percent of Davies Symphony Hall's full capacity.
There will be two seating areas: a vaccine-only area with limited social distance on the orchestra level and side boxes, which will require proof of vaccination, and a social distance area in the lobby, first level and second level for those who have not been vaccinated - but have a negative COVID-19 test - as well as vaccinated patrons who prefer to maintain social distance.
It should be noted that, since San Francisco has gone yellow, concert capacities are expected to increase to 50 percent of the venue's capacity.
Members of the general public may purchase tickets for the May 13 - June 25 concerts beginning May 6 at 10 am by calling the SF Symphony Box Office at 415-864-6000.
The programme is now available for all concerts in May and June.
The May 27-28 concerts, conducted by Ken-David Masur, include performances of Somei Satoh's Saga, Qigang Chen's L'Eloignement, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings.
Kicking off the month of June with concerts on June 3 and 4, Joseph Young leads Jessie Montgomery's San Francisco Symphony in Banner; Carlos Simon's An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave; and Rodion Shchedrin's arrangement of George Bizet's Carmen, a suite for string orchestra and percussion.
On June 10 and 11, Joshua Weilerstein conducts the orchestra in the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani, by Bohuslav Martinů; the movement Andante moderato from the string quartet in G majorby Florence Price, arranged for string orchestra; and Serenade for stringsby Antonín Dvořák.
Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to conduct the final two weeks of concerts in June, leading the orchestra in the U.S. premiere of Daniel Kidane's Be Still, Serenade by Leonard Bernstein and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3by Johann Sebastian Bach, with violinist Augustin Hadelich, on June 17th and 18th; and Adagiettoby Gustav Mahler from the Symphony number 5Strum by Jessie Montgomery; and Metamorphosenby Richard Strauss, from 24 to 25 June.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met virtually Friday with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the two nations and to address the root causes of migration from countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, in addition to announcing that she will visit the neighboring country on June 8.
During the talk, the promotion of economic development in the south of Mexico and the Northern Triangle of Central America was also discussed, as well as the important partnership between our two countries.
The need for the two countries to work together to recover from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, build climate resilience, and expand economic opportunities and security cooperation was also recognized.
Both leaders agreed to work together to establish a strategic partnership to address the root causes of migration from countries in the Northern Triangle region.
Thus, through the joint initiative, the U.S. and Mexico will leverage their expertise and resources to address a variety of challenges, including lack of jobs, limited market access, and deforestation and regional instability caused by climate change.
Vice President Harris underscored the U.S. commitment to work with Mexico to promote economic development in the Northern Triangle and southern Mexico, to protect the rights of workers to organize or join a union, and to expand opportunities for U.S. business collaboration.
To that end, the United States has developed a package of measures that includes trade and business development missions to the region facilitated by the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and investments through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the White House said in a statement,
This package, he said, follows previous investment in the region and is emblematic of the partnership with Mexico, as well as being one more step of many to come in the field.
Finally, the governments discussed their desire to advance a bilateral effort against migrant smuggling and human trafficking that will bring together law enforcement from both nations to dismantle criminal networks.
As part of this effort, the United States and Mexico will share information and expertise to jointly secure our borders and strengthen human rights protections.
The vice president expects to visit Mexico on June 8.
San Mateo is about to celebrate 165 years of tradition and culture, so the County Historical Association has announced that it will hold the first annual "Happy San Mateo County Day."
"Happy San Mateo County Day" will feature online activities. Historical Association President Mitch Postel will present a webinar for adults about the county's beginning on Wednesday, May 12, at 3 p.m.
Para poder acceder a dicho seminario, las personas interesadas podrán registrarse a través del siguiente enlace web: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9016071096403/WN_-4sRa-YWQ3iUDRK8WjSlhA.
The seminar, titled "Legacy of Corruption," will give a tour of county politics, for while San Mateo County politics today are clean and docile, when the county was first formed in 1856, things were dirty and wild.
"Exactly 165 years earlier, the polls were open and the county's first elections were taking place. A group of shrewd San Francisco politicians, in league with criminal gangs, was trying to take over the new county before it could be organized in an orderly fashion," the historical association said.
So Mitch Postel will tell about the ballot box, voter intimidation and other corrupt tricks perpetrated 165 years ago.
But that's not all, as the festivities will include hands-on activities.
Thus, on May 12, online crafts for children will also be published on the website: https://historysmc.org/. Crafts from the 1850s will include a button whisk, a paper horse, and a carriage.
Not sure if you have the materials to make the crafts at home? Don't worry, there are free kits available for the first 100 registrations.
There is a limit of 3 kits per family. Kits will be available for pick up at the History Museum. And to maintain social distancing, pick-up times will be staggered, so you will receive an email from museum staff confirming your materials pick-up time.
The international non-profit organization for freedom of expression, Article 19, published a bulletin where international civil society organizations demand that the Colombian government immediately stop the repression of the right to protest and guarantee that human rights and technology are respected.
Given the mobilizations that took place on April 28th, Article 19 points out that there has been a process of militarization in the main cities of Colombia where there have been cases of repression by military forces, as well as by the police. Article 19 points out that such acts "threaten the guarantees to life and well-being of Colombian civil society". It therefore "firmly rejects the violent repression in Colombia".
In addition, he noted that, as in any other state, Colombia has the obligation to enforce the right to freedom of association, freedom of expression on social networks as well as in the streets.
The demonstrations in Colombia are due to the proposals in fiscal matters arising from the effects on the economy because of the pandemic by COVID-19. Colombian President Ivan Duque insisted that the reform "is a necessity" and not "a whim" which led to the resignation of the head of the Ministry of Finance of Colombia.
In response, Article 19 reports that, since the protests began as of May 4, 1,443 cases of police violence have been reported, 239 cases in which the police intervened by public force, 56 complaints of disappearances, 256 people who have been injured by the police, according to information gathered by Temblores, a Colombian non-profit organization for the protection of human rights.
"We are concerned about the reports of local activists, who point out that the militarization of the main cities and the abuse of public force is added to the kidnapping of digital devices"; however, Article 19 also denounces the kidnapping of journalistic work material, aggressions directed at journalists and independent communicators.
They point out that "there are records of undue exclusion" in Colombia that modify the information on social networks and the impossibility of the population to make live broadcasts.
Article 19 recalled that the State of Colombia is bound by international instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights.
The following is a list of the Article 19 appeal to the state of Colombia:
Immediately stop the excessive use of force by the police and the army, end the repression in the main cities and small towns of the country and fulfil its responsibility to guarantee the right to protest.
Ensure the free flow of information and establish all the necessary guarantees for independent and citizen media to do their job of covering the protests without
Strengthen the rights of civil society to make use of digital technologies to exercise their right to protest, online and offline.
Ensure that the application of exceptional measures is carried out in strict compliance with international and national human rights standards and in line with the principles of proportionality, necessity and non-discrimination.
Investigate the facts related to the use of force by State security agents, following the call of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.
Article 19, on behalf of 76 signatory organizations and 8 individual endorsements from around the world, express "heartfelt solidarity to activists, human rights defenders, organizations and all social actors in Colombia who, from different spheres, are resisting and working in defence of democracy".
Finally, Article 19 regrets that year after year, this type of violence continues to occur in Latin America. "We will not rest until all Latin American governments guarantee the full protection of the fundamental rights of all its inhabitants," concluded the bulletin.
The City is looking for Redwood City residents to serve on the Redistricting Advisory Committee (ARC) to advise on the establishment of election boundaries for City Council districts.
This eleven-member body will be responsible for advising the City Council on the establishment of election boundaries for City Council districts after the 2020 U.S. Census.
Those wishing to become members may apply to serve on the Redwood City Redistricting Advisory Redistricting Committee (ARC) now through June 6, 2021.
The Committee will work together to learn about legal requirements and best practices for redistricting, engage the public in providing testimony on communities of interest, and to create draft maps for City Council consideration.
The city detailed in a release that candidates may have knowledge or experience in, but not limited to, the following areas: data and analytics, GIS and mapping, Redwood City's diverse communities, working collaboratively to achieve a common goal and community engagement strategies.
After the deadline, all applications will be reviewed for eligibility.
The City Council will conduct interviews for the Redistricting Advisory Committee and make appointments at the June 28 City Council meeting. The Committee will meet approximately 15 times during the redistricting process, which must be completed no later than April 17, 2022.
Interested applicants can apply online, in Spanish, at the site https://form.jotform.com/211235979865065or contact the city clerk's office to receive a hard copy in the mail.
In March 2019, Redwood City moved from a general election system to a district-based election system for the election of City Council members.
Given this, the City Council adopted a final District Election map that was comprised of seven districts. The first City Council election under the new District election map was held on November 3, 2020, and four Council District seats were on the ballot.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Federal Voting Rights Act and California, the City must now undergo a redistricting process based on the new demographics of the 2020 U.S. Census.
It is necessary to strengthen the efforts, from the legislative point of view, to guarantee the right to vote, said experts at a conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
The growing racism in the U.S., attacks against the Asian-American community, language barriers, among other problems, have been imperative for millions of immigrants and people of color have not been able to exercise their vote safely in recent years, so it is necessary to strengthen efforts, from the legislative point, to ensure the right to vote, experts said.
Enacted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) prohibits racial discrimination in elections and has been considered a landmark achievement of the civil rights movement.
However, the 2013 Supreme Court ruling in Shelby v. Holder significantly weakened VRA protections, clearing the way for states to pass a series of laws that disenfranchise voters and discriminate against voters of color.
In light of this, two bills could mark a turning point in the upcoming elections, guaranteeing access for all those who seek to exercise their right to vote in a secure manner and away from racial discrimination at the polls.
Thus, the People's Act and the John L. Lewis Voting Rights Promotion Act are initiatives that seek to prevent foreign interference in elections, limit the influence of money in politics, and modernize infrastructure to increase election security.
The legislation also establishes nonpartisan redistricting commissions, a 15-day early voting period for all federal elections, and expanded access to vote-by-mail voting and automatic voter registration, among other provisions.
For Wendy Weiser, vice president for Democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, "these bills are critical to stopping the scourge of voter suppression facing our country today and to protecting voting freedom in the future."
He said this during a briefing by Ethnic Media Services, where he noted that voting rights in the U.S. are under attack in a way they haven't been since the Jim Crow era, as "the push to restrict voting access in state legislatures is unprecedented in both volume and intensity.
He noted that as of a month ago, there were 360 bills seeking to restrict voting rights, which have been introduced by legislators in 47 states, "that's a dramatic increase over any previous year, and these bills have been moving aggressively through the legislature."
He further explained that there are seven significant voter suppression bills that have passed, and there are others moving aggressively through state legislatures in Arizona, Texas, Michigan, and New Hampshire, while about a dozen other states, at this point, have the potential to drastically reduce access to voting, especially for voters of color.
Given that, he said, "Congress can and should stop this legislative campaign across the country to suppress the vote. It has the power to do things under the Constitution, and there are some very strong provisions.
That is why, he reiterated, the two bills "are key pieces of federal legislation that, taken together, have all the key reforms we need to protect voting rights and strengthen democracy in the United States.
In that sense, Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), explained that the bills to restrict voting "seek to tighten voter identification requirements, make registration more difficult and expand voter list purges.
In this regard, he clarified that all these measures particularly affect ethnic communities.
And, he said, "in most cases, these local initiatives have been justified by false narratives of alleged electoral fraud without the slightest evidence.
Latino vote is decisive
Saenz noted that the growth of the Latino vote is significant in many of the largest states in the country.
"Latinos are now more than a quarter of the registered voters in the state of California, and more importantly, Latinos and the growth of the Latino vote is what has contributed significantly to a shift in politics in a number of states, starting with California."
"California politics has changed permanently, as we've seen over the last quarter century, and that's been largely contributed to by the Latino vote. We've seen more recently changes in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado, states that have gone from being purple or even red to being more consistently blue," he said.
However, he stressed that the big problem is Texas, which could also turn around with the growth of the Latino population, as this community represents 40 percent of the population in that state.
"They are the second most populous state, a state that just gained two more representatives in the House of Representatives this week, and whose power is only projected to grow in the future. But growth of Latino turnout in Texas elections is a threat. If Texas flips the way these other states have flipped, the whole calculus of presidential elections will change permanently. That's the threat perceived by certain political forces behind efforts to suppress the vote for everyone, but particularly in communities of color," he added.
Thomas A. Saenz pointed out that, even at a micro level, in localities across the country where the Latino community is reaching majority proportions of the vote, leaders seeking to retain power know that, if they do not gain the support of the growing Latino community, they will take steps to suppress the vote.
Currently, he noted, legislation is pending in Texas that would allow poll watchers inside polling places to take cell phone videos of voters who are receiving assistance in the voting process.
"This is nothing more than intimidation. This is a measure of why we need Congress and the president to step in to protect us against these depredations of voting rights."
He noted that there is currently an Administration that supports voting rights and facilitates the participation of broadening voter participation in communities, such as the Latino community.
However, that was not the case before Jan. 20 of this year, as then-President Donald Trump blamed Latino voters as fraudulent and their failure to win a majority of the popular vote in 2016.
He explained that Latinos are often implicitly or explicitly the ones who are accused by leaders like Donald Trump of engaging in voter fraud "without a shred of evidence."
The expert noted that in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which he hopes will soon be considered in the House and then in the Senate, there are important provisions to recognize.
"We must protect not only against the typical long-time vote suppressors in parts of our country, primarily the South, including the state of Texas, but we must also anticipate that wherever a new community is reaching a critical mass to threaten the powers that be, protections must be put in place."
This, he said, to ensure that the new vote suppressors engage in voter intimidation simply to preserve their own power in the face of a growing community, such as Latinos or Asian-Americans.
"We have to make sure that we're targeting, not just serial vote killers, but copycat vote killers. And the legislation, which has to be considered in Congress, will ensure that we do that."
It's worth noting that while the Latino community went to the polls in large numbers in the last election, there are still very low levels of registration, "so as a percentage of all eligible voters, we are still lagging behind and those are some of the reasons why we need to facilitate registration and actual voter turnout in the Latino community.
Minority communities most affected
Hilary Shelton, senior vice president of advocacy and policy for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said the United States is one of the few countries that does not automatically register its citizens on the voter rolls when they turn 18, but does register them for the draft.
According to Jacqueline De León, an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the situation has severely affected Native American voters, as her organization has challenged North Dakota's voter ID law in court for the past four years.
Also, Montana's ballot collection ban, Alaska's witness signature requirement for voting during the pandemic, and the refusal to open an in-person polling place on the Blackfeet Reservation, which would have forced tribal members to travel up to 120 miles to vote.
He added that many Native American reservations do not have polling places and post offices can be hundreds of miles away.
"Because of continued discrimination and government neglect, many Native Americans live in overcrowded homes that have no address, receive no mail and are located on dirt roads, which can be impassable in winter November," De León added.
The Asian-American community has also been heavily targeted and affected when it comes to casting their vote, as language barriers are also used as an excuse for these people not to exercise their right to vote, said John C. Yang, president and CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).
"Language barriers are one of the biggest impediments to the Asian-American vote, with one-third of Asian-Americans having limited English proficiency," he said.
He added that, in all election polls, monitors have noted a lack of Asian language signs and interpreters, which limits this community's access to the ballot. "Ensuring effective language assistance is critical to closing this ongoing barrier in national and local elections."
Redwood City City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz announced that Ray Iverson will serve as Chief of the Redwood City Fire Department brigade that currently serves both Redwood City and San Carlos, reaching a population of nearly 120,000.
A press release states that the Redwood City Fire Department "provides emergency medical services, fire prevention, disaster planning and community-based training services."
"Ray is a very competent and experienced fire service leader and I am very pleased to have him join our team," said Melissa Stevenson Diaz, Redwood City City Manager. "We welcome her depth of experience in fire prevention as both Redwood City and San Carlos experience strong development interest. His collaborative leadership and strategic thinking will help us reimagine services to meet changing community needs and support financial sustainability," she said.
The statement released by the Redwood City Administration office notes that the selection process conducted in 2020 was intended to be more inclusive and supportive of diversity as a "fundamental guiding principle".
"I look forward, with Ray's leadership, to increasing diversity in the Fire Department to advance the commitment to a city with equity and inclusion," said Melissa Stevenson Diaz.
Iverson holds a bachelor's degree in Fire Management from Columbia Southern University and an Associate's degree in Fire Technology from Solano Community College, as well as numerous professional certifications. He is also enrolled in Columbia Southern University's Master of Public Administration program. Additionally, he has been in the fire profession in California since 1991 and has experience in both the public and private sectors of the fire service.
He currently serves as the Fire Chief for the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department, having risen through the ranks of the City of San Mateo Fire Department, where he also served as Deputy Fire Chief.
He has extensive experience in the fire service with various departments in Northern California, serving as Deputy Chief, Fire Chief with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District; Battalion Chief and Fire Chief with the City of Benicia Fire Department; Fire Inspector with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the City of Vacaville Fire Department; and lastly, he served as a firefighter with the City of Union City, the City of Vacaville and the American Canyon Fire Protection District.
Ray Iverson is expected to take office on June 7, 2021.
Redwood City police arrested a 58-year-old woman Tuesday after surveillance video revealed her possible identity in setting a fire last week at a local church.
The police department said in a statement that officers responded to a report of a fire shortly before 9:30 p.m. April 28 at Rise City Church at 1305 Middlefield Road, where they found a flower pot on fire, which spread to the front entrance of the building.
He also said that the Redwood City Fire Department went to the scene and extinguished the fire.
The building sustained water damage from the sprinkler system and smoke damage.
Police identified Maria Elena Zurita as the suspect in the surveillance video taken the night of the fire, who after being recognized admitted her involvement and was arrested.
Finally, Redwood City Police urge anyone with additional information about the case to contact Detective David Denning at (650) 780-7141 or the department's tip line at (650) 780-7110.
U.S. President Joseph Biden, lamented the loss of life due to the collapse of an overpass of the Metro Collective Transport System, which occurred east of Mexico City this past May 3.
"The United States joins the people of Mexico in mourning the loss of life due to the collapse of a railroad overpass in Mexico City," the president said in a statement issued by the White House.
Biden also expressed his deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one in the terrible event that has shocked all of Mexico.
"We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one and offer our best wishes for the recovery of all those who were injured," he detailed.
Finally, the U.S. president offered help for the reconstruction of what was affected during the terrible event.
"As neighbors and partners, our nations are closely linked, and the United States stands ready to assist Mexico as it rebuilds from this tragedy," he concluded.
It should be noted that the collapse of the elevated track of Metro Line 12 left 25 people dead and more than 80 injured. Authorities of the country's capital announced that a thorough investigation will be carried out to determine the causes of the accident and to determine responsibilities.
