Friends of Friendship Park press conference in San Diego July 8

What: release of open letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano

When: Wednesday, July 8, 10 a.m.

Where: U.S. District Court, 940 Front Street, San Diego, CA

Who: Friends of Friendship Park; www.friendshippark.org

Contacts: John Fanestil (619-823-6223; john@ foundation4change.org); Jill Holslin (619-804-8030; jholslin01@gmail.com); Rosemary Johnston (619-384-6852; rjohnston@interfaithshelter.org); Enrique Morones (619-977-9467; enriquemorones@cox.net); Pedro Rios (619-370-5908; prios@afsc.org); Dan Watman (619-954-9710; dan.watman@ gmail.com)

California State Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr., together with local, state and federal elected officials, has joined some 70 community-based organizations and over 130 community leaders in a joint letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, calling for the restoration of routine public access to Friendship Park, the historic location overlooking the Pacific Ocean where for generations people have gathered with friends and family at the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

Elected leaders signing on to the joint letter include Lt. Governor John Garamendi, Members of Congress Susan Davis and Bob Filner, State Senators Denise Ducheny and Christine Kehoe, State Assemblymembers Mary Salas and Lori Saldaña, and San Diego City Councilmembers Marti Emerald, Donna Frye, Todd Gloria, Ben Hueso and Tony Young.

The text of the joint letter will be released at a press conference on Wednesday, July 8 at 10 a.m. in front of the U.S. District Court, 940 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

Speakers will include Kevin Keenan, Executive Director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties; Rudy Murillo, past Acting Director of the San Diego Immigration and Naturalization Service; Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee; and Daniel Watman of the community-based organization Border Encuentro. Mr. Watman faces Federal trespassing charges in the U.S. District Court at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, after standing in front of a bull dozer and temporarily stopping the construction of the new wall that currently restricts all access to the U.S. side of Friendship Park.

The text of the letter will also be posted at 12 noon on Wednesday to the Friends of Friendship Park website: www.friendshippark.org.

Civic leaders endorsing the letter include former Ambassador to Mexico Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Schenk, and former State Senators Lucy Killea and Steve Peace. Also endorsing are Irwin Jacobs, Murray Galinson, Deborah Szekely, Christine Forrester, Marcy Krinsk and dozens more.

Wayne Cornelius (Distinguished Professor of Political Science Emeritus, UC San Diego), David Shirk (Director of the Trans-Border Institute, University of San Diego) and Richard Griswold del Castillo (Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, San Diego State University) are just a few of the over 30 educators who signed the letter.

Religious leaders supporting the letter come from almost every tradition and include Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Arvid Straube of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, Dr. Jamie Gates, Director of the Center for Justice and Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University and Rev. Ann Seisen Saunders of National City’s Sweetwater Zen Center.

San Diego’s legal community is represented on the letter by Administrative Law Judge Deborah Smaller, California Western Law Professor William J. Aceves, and Eric Alan Isaacson of Coughlin Stoia Gellar Rudman & Robbins LLP, among many others.

Dozens of San Diego-based organizations are signatories to the letter, including human rights organizations like the National Lawyers Guild and the San Diego Human Relations Commission, religious organizations like Office for Social Ministry, Diocese of San Diego, and environmental organizations like the Environmental Health Coalition and WiLDCOAST.

Dozens more organizations from beyond San Diego have adopted the cause of Friendship Park. Just a few of these to endorse the letter are: Border Ambassadors (Del Rio, TX), Frontera de Cristo (Douglas, AZ/Agua Prieta, Sonora), Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (San Francisco, CA), Justice and Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ (Washington, DC), Mexican Community Center of New York, CECOMEX (New York, NY), Sojourners (Washington, DC) and Western Lands Project (Seattle, WA).

“The entire border should not be reduced to a ‘no-man’s land,” said John Fanestil, Executive Director of the San Diego-based Foundation for Change and a leader in the Friends of Friendship Park coalition. “Friendship Park reminds us all that a brighter future lies ahead for the borderlands and border people.”

“We are encouraged by recent overtures from [“Border Czar”] Alan Bersin and [San Diego Border Patrol Chief] Mike Fisher,” said Enrique Morones, President of Border Angels and another leader in the Friends of Friendship Park coalition. “We are confident the Park will re-open soon.”

Friends of Friendship Park – www.friendshippark.org

Tell Congress to Support the Border Security and Responsibility Act

Last week, Representative Grijalva (D-Arizona) introduced the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009 (HR 2076). This legislation would restore the rule of law to the borderlands by repealing the Real ID waiver provision and help protect our communities, private property, and national parks and wildlife refuges from damaged caused by the border wall.

This week, dozens of concerned citizens from across the nation are traveling to Washington, D.C. on their own dime to walk through the halls of Congress and build support for Rep. Grijalva’s bill.

But you don’t have to be in DC to make a difference. Please take action today. Call your member of Congress and urge him or her to support the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009. The congressional switchboard is 202-225-3121, or find your representative’s contact information at www.house.gov.

With enough phone calls, we can elevate this critical issue for Congress and ensure that the damage caused by the border wall is no longer ignored.

Thanks for making a difference, and please pass on this alert and post links to it.

Suggested Talking Points for Phone Calls:

· Please cosponsor the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill recently introduced by Rep. Grijalva.

· The border wall has caused significant damage to communities, water quality, and wildlife habitat. I think that Congress needs to act to address these problems that the wall has created.

· I am concerned by the fact that three dozen laws were waived for border wall construction. Landmark laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act were put in place for a reason: to protect the public’s interest. These laws shouldn’t be ignored. An unelected official should not have the power to waive these laws.

· Land managers, local officials, and local communities have been shut out of the decision making process. This bill would allow them to have a say in border security decisions by requiring full public notice and participation.

· To address the damage that border walls have caused, there need to be robust mitigation efforts. This bill would develop initiatives to help mitigate negative impacts to communities and natural resources, including the network of congressionally protected federal lands along the border.

· Please cosponsor the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009 and help restore and protect the communities and natural areas of the borderlands.

April 15 Friends of Friendship Park Vigil at Chula Vista Border Patrol Headquarters

What: Silent vigil in front of Border Patrol headquarters, protesting the destruction of Friendship Park and the exclusion of community voices from the decision-making process which has led to the elimination of public access to the park.

When: Wednesday, April 15, 12:00 p.m.

Where: Border Patrol Headquarters: 2411 Boswell Rd, Chula Vista, CA 91914.

Who: Friends of Friendship Park is a coalition of community organizations including (partial list): American Friends Service Committee - San Diego, Border Ambassadors (Del Rio, TX), Border Angels, Border Meetup Group, CASA (Coalition of Amigos in Solidarity and Action), Center for Justice and Reconciliation, PLNU, Center for Social Advocacy, Environmental Health Coalition, Foundation for Change, Los Caminos del Rio, MACC (Mexican American Catholic College), Mid-City Community Advocacy Network, Network of Spiritual Progressives, San Diego, Pax Christi Brownsville, Peace Resource Center of San Diego, Plan of Action in a Changing Era, Rio Grande International Study Center (Laredo, TX), San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice, San Diego Coastkeeper, Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO), Sí Se Puede Immigrants’ Rights Organization, Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Surfrider Foundation, San Diego chapter, The Employee Rights Center in San Diego,Wildcoast – Costasalvaje.

Contacts: John Fanestil / john@foundation4change.org / 619-823-6223

Enrique Morones / enriquemorones@cox.net / (619) 977-9467

Why: This week President Obama will sit down to visit with President Felipe Calderon in Mexico. At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is shutting down Friendship Park, where people from San Diego and Tijuana have visited with friends for generations.

In solidarity with those being denied access to this historic venue, and in protest of DHS decision-making, which has excluded all community voices, Friends of Friendship Park invite you to join a Silent Vigil on the day before the presidential meeting.

FRIENDSHIP IS NOT JUST FOR PRESIDENTS!

SAVE FRIENDSHIP PARK!

Border Wall Vigil in Washington DC March 17

Sponsored by CASA

Vigil Against the
Mexico/US Border Wall
Tuesday March 17th, 2009
10am – 12pm
Meet us in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool
at the East end of National Mall.

President Obama, help us tear down this wall!
Vigil Sponsored by CASA (Coalition of Amigos in Solidarity & Action)

A Coalition from the Rio Grande Valley, along the US/Mexico Border

For More Info,
Please contact:
Ryan 956-203-6801
or
Elizabeth 956-459-3205

Communion through the Border Wall at San Diego's Friendship Park March 1

The Friends of Friendship Park coalition will return to the park this Sunday afternoon and once again seek to celebrate communion with friends in Tijuana.

We will meet at 2:30 p.m. at the entrance to Border Field State Park. Take Hwy 5 South, exit Dairy Mart Road, turn right and follow the winding road west to the park entrance. Wear boots for hiking and bring documents verifying residence in the United States. I hope you can join us.

Thank you all for your nonviolent response to the extreme conditions of our event last Saturday, February 21. To read an account of my experience last Saturday, see this blog post at Sojourners on-line.

There are several things you can do to support the effort, even if you are unable to participate on Sunday:

1) You can send a letter on-line to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano – be sure to mention “Friendship Park” when you personalize your letter.

2) You can donate now to support the costs of our events at the Park – be sure to indicate “Friendship Park” in the “dedication” line.

Adelante.

John Fanestil

www.foundation4change.org

Save Friendship Park from the Border Wall Feb. 21

Thursday, Feb. 19

6 p.m. Community Forum
Location: San Diego City College, A-103
Contact:Pedro Rios

We call for a halt to all construction on the U.S.-Mexico border, pending public review, and for a re-design of Friendship Park to ensure continuing public access.

Saturday, Feb. 21
Save Friendship Park

11 a.m. Gathering
at entrance to Border Field State Park (directions below)

11:30 Hike to Friendship Park

12:15 Program (contact)
Bi-National Choir

Bi-National Communion

Bi-National Garden

Carpooling encouraged. Documents may
be required.

DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 5 South, exit Dairy Mart Road, turn right (West) and follow winding road to park entrance.

Stop the Wall Event in El Paso 21 Feb

• Meet at Sunland Park and Anapra
• Sunday February 21, 2009
• 12:00 – 2:00 PM

Two purposes:

One is to show solidarity with the Compañeras and Compañeros from San Diego's Friendship Park. Just like Rio Bosque was crudely appropriated by the DHS, San Diego's Friendship Park has been under attack by the construction of the Border Wall. The Friendship Park has been a historical site for gatherings among residents of both countries. Family and friends have used this "public" area to exchange kisses, tamales and news through small gaps in the tattered chain-link fence. Now the Border Patrol and the DHS will slice trough the park, limiting access. U.S Customs and Border Patrol have begun demolishing the Pak and intend to eliminate all public access.

The second purpose is to continue with the ¡YA BASTA! --- TOD@S CONTRA EL MURO campaign. The campaign is still focused to stop and bring down the wall. During the Peace and Unity Walk from Ft. Hancock to Sunland Park we committed to go back to the communities that received us and report back as to what has been done and listen to their proposals. The idea is to strengthen our border communities under a same cause.

This is what we propose to do:

• Meet at Sunland Park and Anapra
• Sunday February 21, 2009
• 12:00 – 2:00 PM