Carwasheros Join Us for “Salt of the Earth” Screening in Forbes Hall

Six current or former carwash workers were among the 40 UUs and others who came to our church Saturday evening, September 29, to see the 1954 movie “Salt of the Earth,” sponsored by the Faith in Action (FIA) Commission. The movie is based on the true story of a prolonged strike by “Anglo” and Latino miners at Empire Zinc Company in Grant County, NM, and has many parallels to today’s struggle by carwash
workers to improve their lives through a union organizing campaign.

A goal of the Multiracial Development Committee (MRDC), an FIA component, is to make our congregation more racially and ethnically diverse. There are many ways we can reach out, personally and organizationally. Through our participation in the CLEAN Carwash Campaign and the campaign to maintain and expand living wages and good working conditions in Santa Monica hotels, MRDC and the Peace and Social Justice Committee (PSJ) are striving to make our church a beacon of social justice in our community and a gathering place for those involved in fighting against racism and class exploitation, and for immigrants’ rights.

Showing “Salt of the Earth,” with Spanish translation provided, fit right in.

Everybody enjoyed the movie, and a lively discussion followed it. One person said the most critical thing for working people to do “between now and November 6” is to reelect President Obama, and many agreed. Others felt that mass action such as that portrayed in the movie was more important than electoral politics, and some even questioned whether Obama actually was on the side of working people.

If you’d like to see “Salt of the Earth,” contact me and I’d be happy to lend you a DVD.

— Peggy Rhoads

Visit to Theo Lacy Detention Center

On September 20, Will Coley, Peggy Rhoads, and Nora Hamilton from UUCCSM participated in a visit to the Theo Lacy Detention Center in Orange County as part of an effort to evaluate the conditions and treatment of immigrants in facilities where undocumented immigrants are detained.

The Center was originally built in 1960 as a maximum- security prison; in 2010 it contracted with ICE (Immigration Control and Enforcement) to house 450 undocumented immigrants and is currently at full capacity. Our visit included an initial briefing by officers of the facility and of ICE; a partial tour of the facility, including the barracks where detainees are held, the nurses' station, “Special Management Units” (solitary confinement — a small windowless cell with a stone bed), and recreation facilities; interviews with some 133 detainees; and a final session with officers who addressed questions raised in the interviews. The officers were generally  accommodating and responsive to our questions; it was clear they were making an effort to present Theo Lacy as a model detention center.

But there was a definite contradiction between this presentation and the observations and complaints of the detainees themselves.

The immigration detainees are for the most part guilty of minor infractions, or in some cases simply crossing the border without documents. They are housed separately from the general prison population in four barracks consisting of large cells with bunk beds crowded together. Each had a television set (although detainees complained that it was often broken) and a telephone (costing around 80 cents per minute with a $5 connection fee). Although the facilities may well have been superior to those of the general prison population, the general impression is one of control and confinement.

Among the grievances expressed by the detainees themselves were that the facilities were kept too cold, and that people were sick as a result; the food was monotonous (“baloney sandwiches every day”) and at worst inedible (“old and moldy carrots”); meal times were often rushed, in some cases three to five minutes; detainees lacked clean clothes; recreation hours had been shortened (reduced from two or three hours to one or less); and time was inadequate with visitors.

One detainee complained of inadequate care for his bipolar disorder, which he had coped with in the past
through a combination of medicine and counseling.

While Theo Lacy provided medicine, he did not receive counseling. When he had a panic attack, he was sent to solitary confinement, which increased his panic. Two of the most serious complaints had to do with access to legal assistance and treatment by guards. Several detainees reported being treated with disrespect and scorn by prison personnel, including racist jokes at their expense and, in at least one case, physical abuse. Although there is a grievance procedure, it is not clear that detainees feel they can take advantage of it, perhaps due to  fear of retaliation if they complain.

In the final session following the interviews, the officers appeared to take these accusations seriously and
agreed that the deputies needed sensitivity training.

With respect to legal access, the facility has a law library with computers through which detainees allegedly have access to legal information and a list of pro bono lawyers in the area. However, only a minority appear to have a lawyer, and while some are awaiting immigration hearings (which can be postponed for months at a time), many are in a type of limbo, lacking legal representation and even advice (“I don’t know what I’m doing here”). One issue may be a lack of knowledge and skills to take advantage of the information available. Several — perhaps a majority — are Spanish-speaking, some of them speaking little to no English.

If Theo Lacy is indeed a “model facility,” it indicates that the practice of confining individuals who have committed minor infractions or simply crossed the border without documents is both wasteful and inhumane.

While efforts should be made to improve the conditions of detainees, it is also necessary to challenge current immigration policy and to provide alternatives to confinement for undocumented immigrants.

Legislative Initiatives

Unfortunately, an opportunity to address this issue was lost as a result of Governor Brown’s veto of the Trust Act, which would have limited the enforcement of ICE requests to temporarily detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested so that ICE could determine what to do with them. The Trust Act, which was promoted by the UU Legislative Ministry of California (UULMCA), would have permitted detention only in cases in which the  immigrant has been accused of serious or violent crimes. As stated by Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of the UULMCA, “His veto puts many hard-working immigrant families at continued risk of being split by deportations, and continues to erode the trust between the immigrant community and law enforcement, compromising our community safety.”

Although Brown vetoed the Trust Act (promising to revisit it in the future), he did sign a bill promoted by Rep. Gil Cedillo (AB 2189), that would enable young undocumented immigrants in California who qualify for a two-year stay of deportation and work permits through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to obtain drivers’ licenses in California.

Governor Brown also signed AB685, the Human Right to Water Act, which was also promoted by UULMCA. It is estimated that some 11 million people, for most part in poor and minority communities, lack access to safe drinking water. AB685 establishes as state policy that everyone in California has “the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water sufficient for basic needs.”

— Nora Hamilton

FIA Trip to the Great Wall

Twenty UUs saw a graphic history of Los Angeles, from 20,000 years ago through the early 1960s, as they participated in the 3rd annual Dining for Dollars trip to the Great Wall of Los Angeles, sponsored by the Multiracial Development Committee. Vilma Ortiz served as docent, providing commentary as we walked along the east side of the Tujunga Flood Control Channel, viewing the half-mile long mural (by far the world's longest) painted on the west side. The bright, intense colors of the mural, which was restored recently, seemed to leap off the wall. The Great Wall illustrates the struggles of workers in the 1930s against the ravages of the Great Depression and the struggles against discrimination and racism of Native Americans and of immigrants from Mexico, Central America, China, and Japan, and of African Americans, as well as fights for equality by women and gays and lesbians, all this alongside and intertwined with the technological changes — such as electricity, railroads, the film industry, and tract houses — that have shaped life in LA. The morning walk was followed by lunch at Pitfire Pizza in nearby North Hollywood.

A Way to Expand Our Service
We’ve been having some good conversations lately about how we members and friends of UUCCSM might better serve the community around us, and whether the Jericho Road Project might be a way for us to do that. Now let’s meet up and discuss the next step.

On Sunday, November 18, at 12:30 p.m., we’ll get together in the Cottage and decide whether or not UUCCSM should conduct a Jericho Road feasibility study (the next step in the process of becoming part of the Jericho Road Project).

But first, what is the Jericho Road Project? It’s an organization that bridges communities by matching the professional talents of volunteers (that's us) with the needs of community-based nonprofit organizations (that’s the folks all around us) to promote community development, strengthen social services, and enrich the lives of volunteers (that's us again). You can read all about it in a recent UU World article:  http://tinyurl.com/UUJerichoRoad

Once you’ve read about Jericho Road, we hope you’ll join us as we decide whether or not to take the next step. All are invited to attend on November 18 at 12:30, and a light lunch will be served. For more information,
contact Patrick Meighan.

Want to Untangle the Ballot Propositions?

Anyone interested in reading the recommendations of the UU Legislative Ministry on the California ballot
propositions for the November 6 election can find information at www.uulmcaaction.org.