Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for justice’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
We were taught those words in parochial school, and although
I have long abjured my Christian upbringing, these words still make sense to
me.
Who is Patricia Okoumou?
Today’s Newsletter is authored by
Lisa Savage, whose blog, Went 2 the
Bridge is one of my faves.
Patricia Okoumou is a woman of conscience who could not
stand by and watch children being separated from their parents and caged at the
U.S.-Mexico border. First on July 4, she climbed the Statue of Liberty with her
banner and was arrested. I wrote about that at the time, and you can read that here.
In an interview with Democracy Now! this
month, she explained that the slogans on her attire are a response to the
current First Lady who wore a jacket that said: I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” Okoumou said she
was also inspired by our First Lady, Michelle Obama, who was often targeted by
ugly racists and who responded, “When they go low, we go high.”
Okoumou commented: “I went as high as I could.”
 |
| Okoumou at Liberty's feet |
When Okoumou was interviewed by Paper
Magazine, reporter Michael Love Michael wrote her as saying:
“the way conservative politicians talk about the family
separation crisis is steeped in misleading and xenophobic rhetoric designed to
keep people distracted. You can’t call human beings illegal; you can’t call
human beings aliens because our children are listening….Aliens come from outer
space, and by calling our children that who want better lives, we are a
detriment to them.”
Most recently, news that child
separations and detentions were kept secret, that they generate profit for
corporations like Northrup Grumman and Amazon, and that even infants have been
separated from nursing mothers makes Okoumou’s cause even more pressing for
those who care what their government does in their name.
Today activists will pack
the courtroom in NYC for Okoumou’s bail hearing. A bad judge sentenced her
to house arrest, claiming that she engages in activism because it’s the only
way she has to make a living. Shame on him.
Those of us who can’t be in court with Okoumou today can help
by contributing to her defense fund and other expenses here: https://www.gofundme.com/PatriciaOkoumou.
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| LA City Hall: intact family protesting (source: Reuters) |
Patricia Okoumou hears the children crying for their
parents. Do you? (Trigger warning: this
recording of their voices could make you cry, too.)
Water Protector Scales Water Well-Drilling Rig
Supreme Court
delivers slim victory in Yakima Nation’s treaty rights case.
Robert
Mueller delivers his final report to the Justice Department
US jury finds Monsanto's Roundup was a 'substantial factor' in causing man's cancer in latest blow to Bayer-Monsanto
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