Oh wait, looks like I had a weeee bit of blogging mojo left. I was just reading and I thought I'd made a connection between these two stories, then realized in the end I don't have much to say about them that they don't say themselves. What stories? Let me explain:
Immigrant fights to keep baby girl
Group says child taken away because of language barrier
Immigration advocates are incensed over a Mexican woman's fight to keep custody of her child after she was reported as an unfit mother two days after giving birth in a Pascagoula hospital.
An e-mail news release sent last week by the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance accuses Singing River Hospital and the Mississippi Department of Human Services of "stealing immigrants' babies." The accusation involves Cirila Baltazar Cruz, who gave birth to her daughter, Ruby, Nov. 16 at the hospital.
According to documents obtained by The Clarion-Ledger, staff at the hospital filed a report two days later listing Ruby as a neglected child.
The report says Cruz "was exchanging living arrangements for sex" and planned to adopt out the child before returning to Mexico. The report also noted Cruz "is an illegal immigrant."
Court records obtained by The Clarion-Ledger indicate Cruz is charged with neglecting her child, in part, because "she has failed to learn the English language" and "was unable to call for assistance for transportation to the hospital" to give birth. Her inability to speak English "placed her unborn child in danger and will place the baby in danger in the future," according to the document.
In its release, MIRA disputes the accusations leveled against Cruz and says Cruz speaks an indigenous Mexican language, Chatino, spoken by fewer than 50,000 people, and speaks "very little Spanish and no English." The hospital provided only a Spanish-language interpreter, the release says.
Cruz's child was taken from her because of a misunderstanding caused by the language barrier, the MIRA release states.
Singing River Hospital spokesman Richard Lucas said the hospital is "really not pleased" with the pitched tone of MIRA's news release.
As for what you can do, well, get them PENS out (via Alas, A Blog):
Ms. Baltazar Cruz’s baby was snatched from her after birth at the hospital and given to an affluent attorney couple from the posh Ocean Springs who cannot have children.
The authorities made no effort to locate an interpreter in her native tongue. MIRA located an interpreter who is fluent in Chatino in Los Angeles CA and has interviewed the mother extensively with the interpreters help. The mother has been accused of being poor and not being able to provide for this child. No one has asked the mother to provide evidence of support. She owns a home in Mexico and a store which provides both secure shelter and financial support, not counting the nurturing of a loving family of two other siblings, a grandmother, aunts, uncles and other extended family.
Meanwhile, there is word in the Gulf Coast community that the “parents to be,” have already had a baby shower celebrating the “blessed arrival” of this STOLEN child!
PLEASE MAKE CALLS & WRITE LETTERS DEMANDING THE SAFE RETURN OF BABY & REUNITE WITH HER MOTHER
If you believe this is unjust and outrageous and goes against all moral and religious beliefs and values, please call or write to the presiding Judge and the MS Department of Human Services to STOP this ILLEGAL ADOPTION! Stealing US born babies from immigrant parents is a growing epidemic in the United States. Many Latino parents have lost their children this way!
Honorable Judge Sharon Sigalas
Youth Justice Court of Jackson County
4903 Telephone Rd.
Pascagoula, MS 39567
(228)762-7370
Children’s Justice Act Program
MS Dept. of Human Services
750 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39202
Call (601)359-4499 and ask for Barbara Proctor
For more information please call MIRA at: (601) 968-5182
MIRA Organizing Coordinator
Victoria Cintra at (228) 234-1697 or Organizer Socorro Leos at(228) 731-0831
The second one I wanted to look at is that regarding Chris Brown. In more proof that the system totally works, for assaulting his ex girlfriend Rihanna Mr Brown got 5 years probation, community service hours, and some shit to think about (via Oh Hell Nawl, TMZ, Twitter, everyone's music video station, Youtube, Internet):
Chris Brown has copped a plea in his assault case.
He’ll spend 180 days probation in Virginia - it’s equivalent to CalTrans or graffiti cleanup.
He gets 5 years probation for FELONY assault. He’ll get supervised probation.
...
He’ll get supervised probation. He’ll have to come back to court every three months.
The judge said if Brown and Rihanna are at the same public events, the 50-yard stay away turns into 10 yards. The stay away order lasts 5 years.
If Brown violates probation, he could get up to 4 years in prison.
So Brown is now a convicted felon and loses the right to vote or carry a gun.
So you bite and you ask what on earth made me put these two stories together & dust off a random ass Billy Joel song. You're looking for the angle, the point, the analysis. Well you can stop because there isn't one. There's no point here, no analysis to be made really. They just so happen to both be a glimpse about how fucked up THE SYSTEM is. Of mediocre justice served YET AGAIN.
Read the full article about the woman having her baby stolen. Look how many reported cases there are of this happening--then realize the media doesn't care much about illegals (yes because it somehow became a noun) or people of color in general, and it's really horrifying to think of how often that shit actually happens.
Also, Rihanna got beaten pretty brutally, Chris Brown cops to a plea and doesn't get to see any jail time. I guess supervised probation and the fact that he's still got thousands of fans & supporters wiling to pass the blame off to Rihanna keeps him pretty cozy at night. Totally! This would be great if it didn't happen to so many normal women like you or I (just pretend for a moment, work with me).
So no, they're not related at all, just thought you'd like to know.
