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Dear OWS: Welcome to Our World

continued on page 8

On November 17, 2011, Immigra-tion and Customs Enforcement’s(ICE) Principal Legal Advisor

directed all ICE attorneys to begin a sys-tematic review of immigration cases todetermine whether pursuing deportation ineach case is consistent with the Adminis-tration’s enforcement priorities. Thisdirective follows last summer’s announce-ment that the Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS) plans to review 300,000immigration cases to assess whether theyfall within the enforcement priorities andsuspend those cases which do not. ICEalso provided more detailed guidance toICE attorneys regarding criteria for deter-mining when it is appropriate to exerciseprosecutorial discretion to close or dismissa case.

DHS IssuesAwaited Guidanceon PrioritizingDeportations

Police brutality experienced by theOccupy Wall Street movement isnothing new in the black communi-

ty.During the Occupy Wall Street crack-

down a few weeks ago — when efforts toshut down the Occupy movement hitcities all across the country — there was acry of outrage. We read about and wit-nessed attacks by police on peacefulOccupiers that seemed very foreign to

Children of Immigrant Entrepreneurs Excel Educationally,Report Finds ...see page 9

some. The police's blatant disregard for thewell-being of the Occupiers shocked andappalled. I saw tweet after tweet express hor-ror and rage.

When you are in crisis, whenyour intimate partner threat-ens to hurt you or actually

hurts you, you call the police becausethe situation is out of control and youwant the violence to stop. What youprobably don’t know is that, with fewexceptions, the police are required tomake an arrest. While this can be avery upsetting and overwhelmingexperience, calling the police can be a

A Consumer’s Guide to theCriminal Justice System: What aVictim of Domestic Violence CanExpect after Calling the Police

continued on page 6

BY HON. CHARLES J. HYNES DISTRICT ATTORNEY, KINGS COUNTY

very important first step in gaining pro-tection for you and your family. It isalso an opportunity to access a widerange of social services through myoffice and the Family Justice Center.

As the District Attorney of KingsCounty, I’d like give you an idea ofwhat to expect from my office shortlyafter an arrest has been made, so thatyou’ll have a better understanding ofthe importance of your on-going par-ticipation in the prosecution of a case.

continued on page 4

Graphic Facts and Brutal Realities of the2011 National Elections ...see page 2

I Should Have Followed My Instincts. What aPrice to Pay for Ignoring Them ...see page 10HOT NEWS:

How Do WeBreak the Cycle

of Violence?How Do We

Stop It Before ItBegins?

...see page 7

BY ELON JAMES WHITETHE ROOT

ISLAND FOCUS: GUYANA2Caribbean Consulates

in New York

Anguilla845 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-745-0277

Antigua & Barbuda610 Fifth Avenue, Suite 311New York, N.Y. 10020Tel: 212-541-4117

The Bahamas231 East 46th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10020Tel: 212-421-6420

Barbados820 Second Avenue, 5th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-551-4325

Belize675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911New York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-949-1240

Dominica800 Second Avenue, Suite 400HNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-949-0853

Dominican Republic1500 Broadway, Suite 410New York, N.Y. 10036Tel: 212-768-2480

Grenada 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400KNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-599-0301

Guyana 370 Seventh Avenue, 4th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10001Tel: 212- 947-5110

Haiti 271 Madison Avenue, 17th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10016Tel: 212-697-9767

Jamaica 767 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-935-9000

Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-838-6887

Montserrat845 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-745-0200

Panama1212 Avenue of the Americas, 6th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10036Tel: 212-840-2450

St. Kitts & Nevis414 East 75th Street, 5th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10021Tel: 212-535-5521

St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10007Tel: 212-697-9360

St. Maarten675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807New York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 800-786-2278

St. Vincent & The Grenadines801 Second Avenue, 21st FloorNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-687-4981

Trinidad & Tobago125 Maiden LaneNew York, N.Y. 10038Tel: 212-682-7272

Graphic Facts and Brutal Realitiesof the 2011 National Elections

It wasn’t APNU. It wasn’t the AFC. Itwasn’t Freddie Kissoon and NigelHughes who Bharrat Jagdeo loves to

cuss down. It wasn’t the Kaieteur Newsand Stabroek News. It was theCommonwealth Observer Group that toldthe Guyanese people that there was defi-nite unfairness in the elections becauseState resources were used by the PPP inits campaign. Demerarawaves.com in itsreport concluded that the team stoppedshort of characterizing the election as fair.

To say that State resources were usedby the ruling party in the elections is toput it in a mild, mild way. There was amassive transfer of facilities andresources from the governmental struc-tures to the PPP campaign. It was graph-ic, immoral and barefaced.

And how do I know this? I saw thisinfamy with my own two eyes over aperiod of six weeks. I wrote about thismorbidity in my columns during the elec-tion campaign. Should Parliament orderan investigation? I think it should.Ministry’s drivers should be subpoenaedto testify as to what they did and whoordered them. That the PPP lost four seatsand got fewer votes than the combinedopposition is not unbelievable, but it is animpossibility. How did the PPP fail to geta two-thirds majority when the facts andthe reality of their methodologies arestudied? First, State facilities were aprodigious advantage for the PPP overAPNU and AFC.

I observed in one of my columns thattransport availability was lacking in bothAPNU and AFC campaigns. I visitedAPNU’s office on Regent Street regular-ly, not to mention the inordinate timespent at the AFC’s headquarters. Theycould have done with lots more facilities.

Secondly, for each billboard APNUand AFC put up, the PPP erected a thou-sand. If the AFC and APNU had a thou-sand billboards around this country forthe campaign, the PPP had 25,000 more.Thirdly, the PPP’s coffers were overflow-ing. If anything was bountiful in FreedomHouse for the election, it was money. Thiswriter knows from personal insiderknowledge that APNU and AFC hadmoney problems. This writer intervenedto get a businessman to pay for more

BY FREDDIE KISSOON, KNEWS

polling agents for one of the oppositionparties because funds had run out.

Any analyst who observed the cam-paign knew that the PPP’s finances wereawesome. Thousands of boys and girlswere paid $10,000 a day to share out fly-ers and paste up pamphlets on lamp posts.It was Robert Persaud who said that eachof the gargantuan billboards cost$380,000. And there were thousands ofsuch structures all over Guyana.

Thirdly, the media access the PPP hadat its disposal should have made a two-thirds victory simple and sweet.

Never again, I repeat never again,should the people of this country stand byand accept that two media houses ownedby the people of Guyana can be used as afloor cloth by a political party contestinga national election. This is what the PPPreduced the Chronicle and NCN to. It wasthe most sickening and depraved aspectof the 2011 election campaign.

Every day, without exception, NCNand the Chronicle fronted the PPP’s cam-paign. I am not talking aboutGovernment’s business. I am specificallyreferring to news about the PPP’s electioncampaign.

How the PPP failed to get over eightypercent of the votes will remain a mysterynot only in Guyana but in the world.Apart from NCN and the Chronicle, thePPP secured the services of NCN radio,

Guyana Times, their party newspaper,Mirror and channels 28, 65 and 69.Really! Look at those media resources!Yet the combined opposition whippedthem. Who was watching the PPP tocause them to become a minority govern-ment? The PPP’s theme was, “Dem ahwatch meh.” Who was meant by “dem?”

Fourthly, what happened to the colos-sal crowds in the combined rallies of thePPP and the Day of Appreciation? PPPspin doctors put the overall total at hun-dreds of thousands. If the Day ofAppreciation had 30,000 then 40,000 atanother rally, then just two events broughtseventy thousand. Really, how did thePPP fail to get eighty percent of the bal-lots?

I will close with the answer. The PPPduring the election campaign fooleditself. It was a bizarre psychological act.As the party paid people to attend rallies,as it brought in foreign performers, thelargeness of the attendance deceived it.The party thought that was its support.The crowds collected the money, ate thefood, enjoyed the circus, then went awayand voted for the opposition. Fools arepeople who fool themselves. �

Source: Post #920. Guyanese Online

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THOUGHTS4

Especially Toward the NYPDThe NYPD, in its eviction of the

Occupiers of Zuccotti Park, had been fair-ly rough. As I caught a flight out of the citybefore dawn, I read that early Tuesdaymorning, people were being pushed and hitduring the 1 a.m. raid. Mayor MichaelBloomberg spoke on the eviction andappeared callous. Even with the attemptedpress blackout, the country witnessed thesituation and how horrendously it was han-dled.

By Thursday, as I returned to NewYork City, I continued to see tweets andblogs about the brutality of the NYPD.Although I absolutely agreed with the sen-timents, I had a nagging feeling in mystomach. I couldn't let it go. My inner mil-itant Negro (whom I keep sedated withbrunch and Modern Warfare 3) wanted towrite in all caps:

"Oh, so the white man gets hit and nowit’s an issue! The black man has been beat-en for Years! We didn’t land on PlymouthRock; Plymouth Rock landed on us!!!"

I knew that wouldn't do anythingbesides exacerbate the situation, but Iwanted to comment on it and reasonablysay, "Um ... so there's this ... " I didn't wantto take away from the issue of the abusethat the Occupiers were receiving, but Iwanted to acknowledge the irony of thecollective outrage over an issue that'sbecome so commonplace within mycommunity ― that small children aretaught never to disobey a police officer,and to quietly go along with whatever is

happening in order not to be on the receiv-ing end of abuse.

While the Occupiers were dealing withsuch abuse, during civil disobedience,communities of color suffer these type ofinjustices simply because it's Wednesday,and they may look like someone else.That's what happens to us — and it'saccepted as if it were just a day of theweek.

Monday, Tuesday, abuse at the handsof police officers, Thursday, Friday...

So as I hopped on a plane heading backto NYC, I sent out this tweet:

"Oh? The NYPD are treating youbadly? Violent for no reason? Weird." —Black Person?

And as I write now, more than a weeklater, it's been re-tweeted thousands oftimes. It's reached hundreds of thousandsof people. It was posted on Tumblr,Facebook and even made it into an eCard.

Apparently I struck a chord.Many people — black, white,

Hispanic, all kinds of folks — read it andsaid, "At least somebody said it." Peopletweeted thank you to me for saying whatthey were feeling. People expressed thatthis was their issue with the OWS move-ment as a whole.

As WholeI'm someone who supports Occupy

Wall Street. I didn't write that tweet in anattempt to undermine the cause or to belit-tle the suffering of those who have beenvictims of the police. I wrote it to highlight

the fact that these issues aren't new. Abuseof this kind is all too familiar to the blackcommunity. If someone hasn't directlyexperienced it, they probably know some-one who has.

There have been discussions as to whythere aren't more blacks involved in theOccupy movement. I can't speak for all ofthem, but I can speak about what I've readand the folks I've talked to directly aboutthis. The type of outrage that pops up nowat what many of us have lived with on aregular basis for years feels insulting.

It's hard not to notice that once theright number of white folks are affected,people want to take to the street.Unemployment numbers are high? We'vehad high unemployment for years. Peopleare living in or near the poverty line? Yeah— we know.

When minorities speak up and saythere is an issue, we are told maybe we aredoing something wrong. Perhaps we aretargeted by the police because of what weare wearing. Perhaps we don't look for jobsthe right way. Maybe we aren't educatedenough. But now that it's affecting otherfolks, now there's a problem. Now we needto come together and fight the power.Someone tweeted at me that we need tocome together and not point out silly dif-ferences like race because we're in thistogether!

AhYes, we can — and have (there is sup-

port from various folks of color) — cometogether within this movement, but youcan't expect us to throw away "race" andignore history. Even the violence that's

happening with the Occupiers right now islooked at differently because of race. Youcan't be surprised that people have reserva-tions about this when you look at how ourissues have been dealt with before.

I'm not making an argument for ignor-ing the movement because a lot of themovement ignored us. But I am saying,take a moment to walk away from yourrighteousness to understand that your new-found plight has been some people's plightfor generations.

We just didn't have a catchy name forit.�

Elon James White is a writer-comedianand the host of the award-winning Webseries, This Week in Blackness, and theInternet radio show Blacking, It Up.Follow him on Twitter.

Dear OWS: Welcome to Our Worldcontinued from page 1

DIASPORA CONCERNS 5Foreclosed HomeownersRe-Occupy Their Homes

Carolyn Gage was evicted from herforeclosed home in January. Earlierthis month, she moved back in.

“I’ve been in here for 50 years. I knowno other place but here. I left and it was justtime for me to come back home,” said Gage,who is in her mid-50s.

Gage’s monthly payments spiked afterher adjustable rate mortgage kicked in, andshe could no longer afford the payments onher three-bedroom house in the city’sBayview Hunters Point district. She saysshe tried to modify her loan with her lender,Florida-based IB Properties, but to no avail.

When Gage initially left about 10months ago, she took some personal itemswith her, but left most of the furniture andcontinued paying for some utilities.

“It didn’t feel right for me to move. I justleft my things because I knew I was going toreturn to them eventually,” she said.

She had to re-activate a few utilitieswhen she returned, like the water, but foundthe process fairly easy.

Walking back into the house was anemotional moment for Gage, but a joyousone.

“I was like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz;there’s no place like home,” Gage said.“It’s a family home; I plan to stay there.”

Homeowners expressed outrage at theway predatory lenders have targeted theircommunity.

BY ZAINEB MOHAMMED NEW AMERICA MEDIA

Residents of the Bayview are starting tosee how the African-American communitywas especially victimized in the foreclosurecrisis.

Gage believes that single women andelders in the black community were target-ed for predatory loans. At the peak of thehousing boom she was solicited for anadjustable rate loan to do some homeimprovements, even though she told theloan agent that she was on disability and didnot have a steady income.

According to a report released last weekby the Center for Responsible Lending,African Americans and Latinos were con-sistently more likely than whites to receivehigh-risk loan products. About a quarter ofall Latino and African-American borrowershave lost their homes to foreclosure or areseriously delinquent, compared to under 12percent for white borrowers.

Bayview residents ReverendArchbishop Franz King and ReverendMother Marina King, who are founders ofthe St. John Coltrane African OrthodoxChurch, are also facing foreclosure. Theireviction date is set for Dec. 22.

King expressed deep anger and sorrowat the situation facing the black communityin the Bayview.

“First redevelopment moved us out ofthe Fillmore and now we’re losing ourproperties too? It’s like there’s nowhere forus to go,” he said.

Grace Martinez, an organizer withAlliance of Californians for Community

Empowerment (ACCE)who helped to arrangethe event, commentedthat banks havebecome increasinglyhostile to their efforts.“They call the policeon us; they laugh atus.”

Vivian Richardson,a homeowner onQuesada Avenue whosehouse was also fore-closed on, also has nointention of leaving.Her current evictiondate is set for Dec. 31,but she, like many ofher neighbors, is askingher lender to reduce the principal on herloan in order to make the monthly paymentsmore affordable.

Richardson has been attempting tomodify her home loan for the past twoyears. Earlier this month, tired of the lack ofcommunication from the lender, AuroraLoan Services based in Delaware, sheworked with ACCE to coordinate an e-mailblast to Aurora’s chairman.

On Nov. 3, over the span of one to twohours, approximately 1,400 emails weresent and more than 100 phone calls made,imploring Chairman Theodore P. Janulis tostop Richardson’s eviction. A spokespersonfrom the bank called her an hour after theblast and asked her to send an updated setof financial information so that they couldreview her case.

Two weeks have passed and she has yetto hear anything further. The bankspokesperson commented that Richardson’scase is still being reviewed internally and

they hope to get back to her by the end ofnext week.

However, Richardson has lived in herhouse for 13 years and plans to stay regard-less of the bank’s decision.

“I will defend the home,” she said.On Dec. 6, there will be a national day

of action, “Occupy Our Homes,” wherepeople across the country facing predica-ments similar to Gage and Richardson mayfollow their lead.

Partly inspired by the Occupy move-ment, the day of action is supported by var-ious community organizations like TakeBack the Land and ACCE. The call to actionis for people to move back into their fore-closed properties and to defend the proper-ties of families facing eviction.

Martinez commented on the growinganger people are feeling. “The idea is, 'Iwant what’s mine.'” She said many home-owners had trusted the banks and ultimate-ly, “People were buying into a lie.” �

LEGAL ISSUES6

When the police respond to your callfor help, they will ask you what happenedand give you an opportunity to write astatement in your own words. This formis called a Domestic Incident Report, andyou can expect the police to give you acopy of this report. It is important to givethe police up-to-date contact information:home and cell phone numbers, e-mailaddress, and an address where we canreach you. If someone is arrested, youwill receive several phone calls from myoffice. First, you’ll be asked what hap-pened, so that we can file charges. Later, avictim liaison will call you from the courtwhere the person who was arrested willbe brought in front of a judge within 24hours. That person will tell you what hap-pened in court, including the charges, thedocket number, and the next court date.You will also be told if bail was set, or ifthe defendant has been released from jail.If an order of protection was issued,you’ll be told what the order means, andhow to enforce it. If you want a copy ofthe order, it can be mailed or sent by e-mail to you or your local precinct, whereyou can pick it up. The victim liaison willschedule an appointment for you to comein and meet with one of my attorneys, andtell you about the Family Justice Center;24-hour assistance in all languages is alsoavailable through the NYC Domestic Vio-lence Hotline numbers, 1-800-621-HOPE(4673), or 1-866-604-5350 (TDD).

When you come to theDomestic ViolenceBureau, your children canplay in the Children’sRoom while you meet witha counselor or an attorneyfrom my office in order toevaluate the case, deter-mine an appropriate offer,and identify any concernswe have for your safety. Atthe same time you’ll havean opportunity to meetwith a client specialist inthe Family Justice Centerto discuss how to stay safeand learn about availableservices, including coun-seling for you and yourchildren, self-sufficiencyservices (public assistanceinformation, job training,and educational programs such as ESLand family literacy programs), informa-tion on shelter and housing, elder abuse,spiritual support, and lawyers and para-legals can speak with you about legalissues such as custody, visitation andimmigration.

The Family Justice Center is a walk-in center for all domestic violence victimsand their children, regardless of whetheror not an arrest has occurred. To make iteasier for you, many agencies are locatedat the Center. Services are free to all vic-

tims, and help is available regardless ofwhat language you speak. You can expecta safe and caring environment with one-on-one services and support.

We want you to be fully informedabout the criminal justice system, becausein most circumstances, my office cannotobtain an appropriate outcome withoutyour ongoing participation. There are awide range of possible dispositions in acriminal case, and we will discuss thesevarious options with you. Don’t worryabout your immigration status: everyone

A Consumer’s Guide to the Criminal Justice System: What a Victim of DomesticViolence Can Expect after Calling the Police continued from page 1

deserves equal protection under the law.I strongly believe that anyone who com-mits a crime should be held accountable,regardless of a victim’s immigration sta-tus. If you stay silent, your abuser hascontrol over you, and we can’t help you.If you report a crime, this can be the firststep in making your family safe. Work-ing with my office and accessingresources through the Family Justice Cen-ter will put you in a better position tomake educated decisions about yourfuture. �

7

Our office meets with thousands ofvictims of domestic violenceevery year. We have come to rec-

ognize that it is common for batterers tobe violent in all of their intimate relation-ships: they can be violent towards boththeir intimate partners and their own fam-ily members, including the elderly. It isalso not unusual for victims of domesticviolence to go from one abusive relation-ship to another. In recognition of thesefacts, it is appropriate to raise the ques-tions: what can we do as a society to tryand stop domestic violence before itbegins? How do we educate teenagersabout healthy relationships, so that theydo not become victims of dating abuse?

Adolescent intimate partner violencehas always existed but has often beenunderreported. Futures Without Violencecites these statistics: nearly one in tenhigh school students has been hit, slappedor physically hurt on purpose by aboyfriend or girlfriend, and one in fourteen girls in a relationship say they havebeen threatened with violence or experi-enced verbal abuse.

Eight years ago, the YouthfulOffender Domestic Violence Court wascreated to address domestic violencecases among teenagers. The goal has beento break the cycle of violence betweenbatterers and their victims by addressingthe specific needs of adolescents whocome into contact with the criminal jus-tice system. In a coordinated response,the Judge and court staff, the KingsCounty District Attorney’s Office,defense attorneys and court approved--community--based programs worktogether to address the needs of both vic-tim and offender. An attorney and a vic-tim advocate from my office work withthe victims, helping them access a varietyof services. In many cases, as an alterna-tive to incarceration, an educational pro-gram is offered to the teenagers who havebeen arrested: it is designed to teachyoung men to be accountable for theirabusive behavior. Our hope is that byoffering enhanced services to these youngpeople that there will be fewer re-arrestsfor domestic violence, and that both bat-terers and their victims will have healthi-er relationships in the future.

It is crucial that parents learn to recog-nize the signs of an abusive relationshipand talk to their children. Several web-sites provide educational tools and infor-mation about warning signs of teen datingabuse, as well as to resources. Three sitesworth looking at are: http://www.break-thecycle.org, http://loveisnotabuse.com,and http://www.futureswithoutvio-lence.org. Teenagers are particularly vul-nerable to dating abuse through the use oftechnology such as cell phones and com-puters. Through its Love Is not Abuse

How Do We Break the Cycle ofViolence? How Do We Stop ItBefore It Begins?

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program, Liz Claiborne Inc. is offering afree application that can be downloadedonto your I-phone. It is an interactive toolthat allows parents to experience first-hand digitally abusive dating behaviors,such as phone calls and text messages.

District Attorney Charles J. Hynes haslong promoted the idea that the prosecu-tion of domestic violence and elder abuse

must include community outreach to raisepublic awareness of the issues of domes-tic violence and elder abuse. Throughoutthe year, in partnership with various com-munity-based organizations, attorneysand counselors from our office participatein numerous public events on theseissues. �

FAMILY MATTERS

BY DEIRDRE BIALO-PADIN CHIEF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BUREAU,KINGS COUNTY DA’S OFFICE

Below are signs of an abusive rela-tionship. If you can identify withany of these signs please call the

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE Or 1-800-787-3224.

Your Partner’s Actions� Humiliate you/Yell at you� Blame you for his behavior� See you as his property� Act excessively jealous/possessive� Control where you go/what you do� Constantly check up on you� Threaten you� Make you feel like you’re crazy� Display bad temper/hit you� Destroy your property

Your Feelings� You are afraid of him� Feel you can’t do anything right for

your partner� Believe that you deserve to be

mistreated or hurt� Wonder if you’re going crazy� Feel emotionally numb or helpless �

Signs of anAbusiveRelationship

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Call 718-222-3155 for a FREE Consultation on issues of

spousal abuse

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION8

removal. Although DHS needs to refine its

overly-broad definitions of criminality,this new guidance, if fully implemented,should mean that the government canfocus its resources on deportations ofthose who pose a real threat to publicsafety. It should result in fewer deporta-tions of low priority immigrants, such asDREAM Act students or individuals withstrong family and community ties andmore. Importantly, prosecutorial discre-tion does not mean that a person is grantedlegal status in the United States; rather, aperson whose case is dismissed or closedwill remain in the status they were in priorto the initiation of deportation proceed-ings.

The new ICE guidance also bringsDHS more in line with traditional lawenforcement practices, which emphasize

the important role of discretion in carryingout any law enforcement officer’s duties.In fact, members of a DHS Task Forcesent a letter to Congress highlighting theimportance of prosecutorial discretion asan immigration enforcement tool. Theywrote: “there is nothing unusual in ourrecommendation or in DHS’s currentefforts to improve its use of prosecutorialdiscretion. Such discretion is a normal andessential part of the everyday activities oflaw enforcement agencies and prosecu-tors’ offices at the local, state, and federallevels across the nation. Exercising prose-cutorial discretion, case by case, in asystematic and professional way, does notamount to administrative amnesty. Insteadit helps to make sure that resources arefocused in ways that best promote theoverall enforcement mission.” �

DHS Issues Awaited Guidance on Prioritizing Deportations continued from page 1

IMMIGRATION 9

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Children of Immigrant Entrepreneurs ExcelEducationally, Report Finds

The contributions of immigrantentrepreneurs — innovation, jobcreation and economic growth —

are often cited by economists as strongreasons to reform our outdated immigra-tion system. However, the kids of immi-grant entrepreneurs receive relatively lit-tle attention. Delving into the experiencesof these adult children of immigrants pro-vides a new lens through which to witnessthe struggles and triumphs of parents andtheir children as they pursue the AmericanDream.

A new report by the ImmigrantLearning Center (ILC) puts a human faceon the children of immigrant entrepre-neurs. Adult Children of ImmigrantEntrepreneurs: Memories and Influencesshares the stories of 36 children of immi-grants representing a wide variety ofcountries of origin and family businesses.Some were born in the U.S. and othersimmigrated here in childhood. Whiletheir stories differ, they all have one thingin common: their immigrant entrepreneurparents and experiences growing uparound the family business heavily influ-enced their desire to pursue an educationand the American Dream.

All of the young adults interviewedwitnessed firsthand their parents’ strug-

gles as they integrated into their newhome in the U.S., ingraining them with astrong work ethic. They spent long hoursalongside their parents in their place ofbusiness. While most gained valuableexperience taking on various activities,many parents shielded their kids frommanual labor, encouraging them insteadto interact with customers, keep thebooks, or other business-related tasks.Because they often had better English lan-guage skills than their immigrant parents,many of them served as de facto languagebrokers. Spending time working along-side their parents provided them with

valuable business and social skills, givingthem the confidence that allowed them toexcel in school.

Pen Khek Chear, whose parents cameto the U.S. as Cambodian refugees, said:

“My dad did not want to teach me tobe a jeweler because he was afraid Iwould like it. My parents wanted me toget an education and be a ‘respectableprofessional’ and not have to do ‘hardlabor’.”

Pen obtained a Master’s in SocialWork from Boston University.

Because of their own struggles, educa-tion is very highly valued by immigrant

entrepreneur parents, and the youngadults interviewed had achieved high edu-cation levels. Many of the people inter-viewed had pursued graduate school aftergraduating from college. They relatedhow their immigrant parents wanted themto excel educationally, get good, stablejobs, and live more comfortable lives thantheir parents had. The kids recognizedthat their parents had performed difficultmanual labor, and had sacrificed theirweekends and worked all the time so thatthey could pursue higher education. ILCfound that “there is an inherent apprecia-tion among the adult children of immi-grant entrepreneurs for the sacrificestheir parents made to ensure that theyhave successful careers and lead normallives in their adopted homeland.”

Like many American families, theimmigrant entrepreneurs highlighted inthis study want their children to excel andhave opportunities that they themselvesdid not have. While their children maynot always get along with their parents,they recognize the tremendous sacrificestheir parents have made for them. Notonly did the young adults interviewedexcel in school and in their careers, butthey also chose careers that allow them togive back to the community. TheAmerican Dream is alive and well inthese immigrant families. �

BY MICHELE WASLIN

PERSONAL STORY10I Should Have Followed My Instincts. What a Price to Pay for Ignoring Them!

It all started on a beautiful day inSeptember of 1987. The smiles, thehellos, the candy, you name it, he

brought it. Gerald did everything hecould to win me over. At first I thought,“Oh God here he comes again, why doeshe have to deliver tickets to my company;can’t they send someone else? What anuisance.” I did everything to avoid thisbrother, but he just kept on trying. Hereminded me of that little ever-readybunny; it keeps going and going. My gutwas screaming at me, “don’t give in.”My instincts seemed stronger than evernot to give this guy the time of day.Needless to say, his persistence won overmy resistance.

Why did he have to resort to askingme out to dinner via a note, which wasplaced between the paws of a cute littlestuffed teddy bear? It’s as if he knewstuffed animals were my weakness. Wellafter that crafty little tactic I was a goner.Gerald and I went out, and to my surpriseI had a wonderful evening. He was theperfect gentleman with a humorous sideto boot. Let’s face it ladies, any guy whohas finesse and the ability to make uslaugh, is a sure nuff keeper.

After awhile Gerald and I became anitem. The best thing about our relation-ship was, no intimacy came into playuntil several months later. We becamefriends before we even thought of takingit to that level. Remember ladies, ourbodies are our temple, and no man is God.Hopping into bed with a man too soon isa definite no-no. It only says one thingabout us, EASY. It will always stay in theback of a man’s mind how he didn’t haveto work to sample the sweetness of yourprecious temple.

Finally, the night came to unleash allof the passion Gerald and I had stored upin our souls. Oh!!!!! The ecstasy of inti-macy. It was everything I imagined,sweet, tender, passionate, hot, steamy andfun. That night I became his lady and hebecame my man. We were totally insep-arable.

Before long Gerald purchased anengagement ring. Did I accept? NO, Ididn’t. I just wasn’t ready for marriageyet. The good news is he said he wouldwait. I did agree to get an apartment withhim soon after the proposal. In the begin-ning everything was totally blissful. Thatwas until I found out about the otheryoung lady he was trying to holler at.

The dark side of Gerald was exposedto me the night we argued about this otheryoung lady. I suggested he take a walk togive us both time to calm down before theargument escalated; he disagreed andcontinued to argue with me. I tried toleave, but before I knew it, he had pickedme up and body slammed me on thecouch. Struggling to get up, I ran to thebedroom with intentions of lockingmyself in (bad decision); he was tooquick for me. Once in the bedroom, hethrew me down on the bed, straddled me,

and commenced choking me — with onehand on my throat and the other down mythroat. By the grace of God, I managedto break free and call the police. Geraldwas jailed that night and released the nextday.

I gave up the apartment, took my sonand temporarily relocated toPennsylvania with a friend. The verynext year, while visiting the city, who didI run into but Gerald. Oh, he expressedhow he was. He was soooo!!!!!!!!!! mis-erable without me; how no one would tellhim where I was; how sorry he was; hedidn’t know what came over him; itwould never happen again; he was liter-ally begging me for another chance.Gerald confessed so much love for meand said he was nothing without me. Canyou believe the brother even resorted totears (all warning signs). Well at thetime, I believed he was sincere.Sometimes a forgiving nature can causenothing but heartache.

Back together again and everythingwas fine. A few years had passed; guesswhat happened next? We were expectinga baby. Once again Gerald proposed andI said yes. After all he’d kept his word sofar. Again, I told myself, “everythingwill be fine; I believe this will work”(Boy was I a dreamer.)

A few years later Gerald’s attitudebegan to change. At this time our daugh-ter was 4 and our son was 16. Smallthings would tick him off and he startedto talk very vulgar. He began drinking,and had become very secretive. Iinquired about his change in behaviorand he became very irate and verballyabusive (more warning signs). As awife, I tried to be understanding and sup-portive. Maybe he was depressed. Iattributed his actions to his drinking(denial of abusive relationship). As timewent by Gerald was getting worse. It gotto the point where I feared for the safetyof my children and myself. What was Ito do? Stay; leave; ask him to leave. Iwas torn because I wanted my marriageto work and I wanted my children to havea father.

Several incidents happened after-wards, i.e., being awakened in the middleof the night by having a pillow snatchedfrom underneath my head so hard that itsnapped my neck. I was so fearful that Ihalf slept with a pair of scissors under-neath my pillow for the remainder of thenight. I also asked my 19-year-old son tostay on watch to make sure Geraldwouldn’t come back into the room.Another time was when Gerald tried tobreak my fingers by attempting to slamthe terrace door on my hand at my daugh-ter’s 8th birthday party. This happened infront of her friends and my sister. Thiswas extremely hurtful and humiliatingfor my daughter and myself. I even hadto comfort one of my daughter’s friendsbecause she was crying hysterically. Shetold me that she was having flashbacks ofhow her mommy went through the samething with her daddy. Not only did hefrighten my daughter, he frightened all of

the little girls that were at the party aswell. To this day one of the little girls stillremembers this incident as if it happenedyesterday. The worst incident happenedright after I came out of the hospital fromhaving hand and back surgery. Can youimagine being knocked into the wallwhile trying to carry a plate of food witha cast on one arm and a cane to aid withwalking in the other? Well that’s whathappened to me. He knocked me so hardinto the wall that my cane flew one wayand the plate of food went the other way.Afterwards he told me you better pickthat f-----g s--t up. What kind of personwould abuse a disabled person, especiallyif the person was his wife? (only a cow-ard). No one was in the house at the timeto come to my defense and all I could dowas pray that he wouldn’t do anythingelse to me. Thank God he was drunkbecause he laid down and went to sleepafterwards. I confided in a friend of theseincidents and she took me to the policeprecinct to file reports. Gerald wasremoved from the household temporarilyand was told he could come back after hecooled off. What is wrong with our sys-tem? (No one cares.) Later on that nightGerald abruptly awakened me by pounc-ing on me and having his way with me; hereeked of alcohol and disgusting bodyodor. He had his hand over my mouthpreventing me from screaming. All Icould do was lay there in tears and try notto hurl all over myself. After he was donehe called me a dirty b---h. I felt dirty,ashamed, helpless and most of all, violat-ed by my own husband. Could this berape since he was my husband? Yes,because it was against my will! Thatnight I finally realized I was in an abusiverelationship.

The breaking point was when Geraldblackened my eye. My son intervened inthe midst of the fight. This infuriatedGerald. The next thing I knew he was inmy son’s face threatening to break him inhalf and my son wasn’t backing downeither. There was no way on earth I wasgoing to let him hurt my son. I’d hadenough!!!! I knew if I didn’t take meas-ures to get him out something fatal wouldhappen. Being that my son wasn’t back-ing down, Gerald left the house in a rage(like the coward they all are). Later thatnight he returned so drunk he just fellasleep.

I got sick and tired of being sick andtired. Tired of locking myself and mydaughter in the room, Gerald banging onthe door trying to break it down; mydaughter slipping notes under the doorreading, Daddy please leave Mommyalone; tired of running out the house inthe middle of the night, my daughter intow trying to find a safe place to rest;tired of the facade of being happily mar-ried; tired of my son coming to mydefense; tired of being fearful of nowhereto live due to financial abuse; tired ofgoing to work and crying at the drop of ahat in the middle of trying to work; tiredof my friend Jackie, aka my angel, tellingme she’s tired of seeing me like this; tired

of all the rest of my friends telling methey’re afraid they will see me on thenews one day; tired of calling my otherfriend Nett and her husband to help me.God knows this is NOT what I wantaround my children!!!!!!!!!!

Praying is always the answer. I wasso afraid of how I would make it withouthim financially (they instill this in youfrom day one). Gerald always told me Iwould never make it without him (formof control). Well I prayed and prayed allthat night asking God to give me strengthand direction on what steps to take next.

The morning after my breaking pointI awakened strong and totally in control.I knew that God had answered myprayers. I was totally focused on whathad to be done (no weapon formedagainst me shall prosper sayeth the Lord).There was total silence in the household.I dressed my daughter for school, packedher lunch and we headed for the door. Imade a pit stop to the bathroom whereGerald was. I boldly went inside, held hisface, looked straight into his eyes, andplanted a big fat kiss on his lips as I toldhim goodbye. Of course he was toococky to read into my actions, howeverwe all know...

God is good all the time. Gerald wasfinally gone. On July 13, 2006 @ 2:45a.m., the NYPD came and removed myabusive husband from my apartment viaan exclusionary order of protection grant-ed to me by the Bronx Family Court.Now I can finally call my house a home.

Thank you Jesus for giving me thestrength to eliminate Gerald from my lifebefore I became a statistic. I am gratefulto all of the employees who are linked tothe domestic violence agencies thathelped me get to where I am today.Because of the lawyers appointed to me,Yuliya and Breck, I won the domesticviolence case. Gerald was charged with3rd degree harassment and 2nd degreeassault. Also, by the grace of God, Iobtained a divorce pro bono, from thisabusive person. �

BY LYNN DAVIS

DIASPORA ISSUES:Get out of Green

Card Slavery!Call 718-222-3155 for a FREE Consultation on

issues of spousal abuse

DIASPORA CONCERNS 11

Joaquin’s Dream Must Live On Aday after Thanksgiving Day,

Joaquin Luna Lerna Jr., an honorroll, 18-year-old senior at Juarez-

Lincoln High School in Mission, Texas,wrote a few notes to his family, put on asuit and tie, and bid his family membersgoodbye right before he shot himself onthe head. His untimely and tragic deathhas left his family and those who knewhim devastated. He is described as abright student with a bright future aheadof him. But in spite of his good grades,active life in church, and a strong dedica-tion to his family, Joaquin’s goodbyenotes tell the story of young a man whobelieved his dreams as an undocumentedimmigrant were coming to an end.According to his family, if the federalDREAM Act had passed December 2010,this loss could have been prevented.

The following are statements byAngelica Salas, executive director for theCoalition for Humane Immigrant Rightsof Los Angeles (CHIRLA), and Joaquin’solder brother Diyer Mendoza.

Angelica Salas: “We mourn theuntimely and tragic death of what couldhave been America’s next engineer. Ourprayers go out to Joaquin’s family andfriends who must now confront a lifewithout their shining star. At 18 Joaquinwas an example of what hundreds ofthousands of undocumented studentsachieve in spite of a life condemned to theshadows: he excelled in school, playedthe guitar, was an active member at the

local church, and was eager to turn ablueprint he had drawn, into his mom’sdream house.

Joaquin came to the U.S. as a six-month-old baby and had done what all ofus ask of immigrants to do, play by therules. Congress’ failure to pass the feder-al DREAM Act in December 2010 was ablow to Joaquin’s hopeful spirit. At somepoint between then and now, Joaquindecided he could no longer live a life bat-tered by uncertainty and thought it best togo away before the next dawn.

A precious life has been lost andAmerica should ask itself why. Joaquin’sdeath is a tragedy and a direct indictmenton the U.S. government’s failure to dealhumanely, justly, and practically, with animmigration maelstrom threatening tosink the very values we hold dear. Wetake this opportunity to call on theObama Administration to do what it canto bring relief to our families and commu-nities and to offer dreamers like Joaquin,a real opportunity to make of theirdreams, our nation’s living treasure.”

Diyer Mendoza: “We are heartbro-ken by what has happened. He left somany memories for us to cherish.Joaquin was loved by everyone. He wasall about school, church, and my mom.He was an extraordinary brother, talent-ed, never got in trouble with the police.Then, the DREAM Act did not pass andhis college acceptance and financial aidletters started asking about his immigra-

tion status. Joaquin’s biggest worry became that

after all those years in college he wouldend up without a job. He had a dream,the American Dream, but he felt his immi-gration status prevented him from reach-ing it. Ironically, he made the final deci-

sion because he didn’t want to let mymom down; he wanted to be the best foreverybody.

I just hope other students in his situa-tion speak to others about what they arefeeling before taking this drastic step.” �

SMALL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS12When Starting a Business,Remember that Time Is MoneyThis challenging economy and stag-

nant job market have left plenty ofqualified and capable Americans

without work. And when qualified andcapable people suddenly have time ontheir hands, many of them will thinkabout starting their own businesses.

Almost everyone knows that you needa business plan, but one of the most diffi-cult questions to answer when developingthat business plan is how much start-upcosts will be. There are so many factors toconsider, including business licenses andincorporation fees, patents and trade-marks, business insurance, leases for anoffice or production facilities, and manymore.

So many, in fact, that it is almostimpossible to accurately calculate busi-ness start-up costs. Even adding a newlocation to an existing business can pro-duce wildly different start-up costs whencompared to the original start-up experi-ence.

So is it useless to plan? Not exactly,says Theodore Bolema, a professor atSouth University's Novi, Mich. campusand director of the business program.Bolema, who holds a Ph.D. in business aswell as a law degree, says planning isimportant — but so is being realisticabout the accuracy of your forecast.

"A decent rule of thumb is to figure

out what you think your costs will be.Then double it," Bolema says.

There is a good reason that it is near-ly impossible to accurately predict thesecosts, according to Bolema. "Determiningfees, equipment purchases, inventory andthe like is relatively easy for most busi-nesses. What's much more difficult isknowing what your cost of time will be."

The "cost of time" is an importantconcept for all businesses, but especiallyfor start-ups. If a business is obligated topay an office lease or employee salarieswhile it is not yet able to do business — ora regulatory agency is holding up its abil-ity to do business — then start-up costswill add up quickly.

And don't expect government agen-cies to operate with your costs in mind.Even the best-run agency will not movewith the same urgency you would like,Bolema says. After all, it may be yourlifelong dream and your life's savings atrisk, but to them, you are just another filefolder stacked on the desk.

So while you are waiting for anagency to act, or a supplier to supply, oran advertising firm to get that mailer inyour customers' mailboxes, you'll be pay-ing building leases, business loan pay-ments, utility bills, payroll and all the rest— all without any revenue to offset thoseexpenses.

It can be frustrating, but it certainlywill be less frustrating if you build a busi-ness plan realistically and raise capitalaccordingly.

"It's better to tie up capital in a cashreserve than to have an inadequatelyfunded business plan," says Bolema.

As in life, there is plenty of uncertain-ty in business. So hope for the best andplan sensibly, including how long thingswill take, not just how much they willcost. �(ARA)

HEALTH MATTERS 13Stress vs. Depression: Learn the Differenceand How to Help YourselfThe holidays are a special time of

the year with gifts, family dinners,getaways and shopping. While

times of sadness, stress and anxiety arecommon to everyone and can be triggeredby numerous factors, there is a significantincrease at this time of year. In responseto tough situations, about 25 percent ofAmericans will experience sadness thatmay seem like depression, but the goodnews, is that these feelings are often tem-porary.

Sometimes, overwhelming feelings ofsadness remain persistent and significant-ly interfere with a person's behavior,physical health and interaction with oth-ers. In these situations, depression couldbe the underlying cause.

Depression can be serious and is mostlikely caused by a combination of genet-ic, biological, environmental and psycho-logical factors. Depression can be linkedto substance abuse and even suicide. Ifyou feel sad, worthless, and hopelessevery day for two weeks or more, it's timeto take a mental health screening to see ifyou are at-risk for depression.

Anonymous, online screenings areavailable at www.helpyour-selfhelpothers.org. Screening for depres-sion and other mood disorders is impor-tant as it allows you to identify warningsigns early on, before things become seri-

ous. Depression screenings can help youdetermine whether what you are experi-encing is a simple case of the blues orsomething more serious that requires see-ing a health professional.

"Just like any other disease, there arecertain risk factors that can lead todepression," says Dr. Douglas G. Jacobs,president of Screening for Mental Health,a non-profit organization committed topromoting the improvement of mentalhealth. "It's important to learn the signsand symptoms of depression, such aschanges in appetite, loss of energy or lossof interest in your usual activities, as well

as the necessary steps you can take toimprove your health."

Depression can cloud your mind, zapyour energy and make anyone feel dis-couraged. It can be difficult to take actionand get help, but there are ways you canhelp yourself, starting right now. First,take a free, anonymous screening atwww.helpyourse l fhe lpothers .org .Additionally, you can try these self-caretips: Take care of your mind and body� Take part in activities you usuallyenjoy (movies, concerts, communityevents, sporting events, etc.).

� Avoid drugs and alcohol. � Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. � Get enough sleep.

Focus on what's doable� Do not expect to suddenly "snap out"of your depression. � If you have a decision you feel over-whelmed by, discuss it with others whoknow you well and have a more objectiveview of your situation. � Break up large tasks into small ones,set some priorities and do what you can,as you can.

Celebrate small steps� Often during treatment for depres-sion, sleep and appetite will begin toimprove before your depressed moodlifts. � Expect your mood to improve gradu-ally, not immediately. � Remind yourself that positivethoughts will replace negative feelings asyour depression responds to treatment.

If you or someone you love is inimmediate danger because of thoughts ofsuicide, please call 911 immediately. Ifyou are not in immediate danger but needto talk to someone, you can call thenational suicide prevention line at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). �(ARA)