LVEJO - El Cilantro Issue No. 10

"ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE YOUTH...
AND PLANTING THE SEEDS OF REVOLUTION"
Issue # 10, Volume 2
August 2006 Issue
Download August Newsletter as Adobe PDF

*(Disclaimer: People’s opinions are very important to us and highly welcomed. However, Articles submitted into El Cilantro
are not entirely reflective of the ideas and beliefs of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization).

This Episode Features

Newsletter Quote of the Month
GRAF WARS: Creating Artwork in Battle
Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth
Healthy Smiles = Healthy Lives
Urban Gardens… Grow Some Flowers Gain Some Power
Creative Writing
Crazy Mother Earth & The Whackos That Make it Worse
The Poverty Draft...What you need to know!
Abuse!
Facts And Random Thoughts
CTA Safety & the Stinky Pink Line
A Soldier’s Point of View: Interview of a Persian Gulf Veteran - Carlos Dominguez
Parks: Do We Deserve Them?
Imprisoned for opposing Iraq war

Newsletter Quote of the Month:

"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind".

-M.K. Gandhi

Farts By: Jessica Villarreal, Curie High School

The act of chewing an apple is a more efficient way to stay awake than caffeine.
There are towns named Sandwich in Illinois and Massachusetts.
When the moon is directly overhead you weigh slightly less.
“Arachibutlphobia” is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
The largest cheese ever-made weighed 57,508 lbs.
The average American will eat 35,000 cookies during his/her lifetime.
In 2003, a 6-year-old from Naples, FL was ticketed for not having a permit for her lemonade stand.
For every human being in the world there is approximately one chicken.
Smelling bananas and/or apples can help you lose weight.
A one-minute kiss burns 26 calories.
An 11-year-old boy invented the Popsicle in 1905.

Parks: Do We Deserve Them?

By: Jose Monarrez - Sophomore, Curie Metro High/ LVEJO Intern

In this community, we are extremely short on park space. According to the “City Space Plan” we are required to have 4.15 acres of open free space for every 1000 residents. Little Village has anywhere from 95,000 to 100,000 residents living in the area. There are ONLY 61 acres of open free space, which means we are 120 acres short. We have not had a park built in our community for 45 years! Little Village is the #1 place in the city where more park space is needed! So far, we have two sites where we can and would like to have the park(s) built. They are the Celotex site on 27th and Whipple, and the former Washburne Trade School site on 31st and Kedzie. The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, in association with St. Agnes of Bohemia Church and others, are working to try to get more park space in the community. We have been hosting meetings, going door-to-door to speak to the residents of Little Village, making phone calls, and passing out fliers to try to get the people in the community involved. So far everyone in the community expresses interest in having a new park built, but few people take an initiative in doing so! The quote, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,” really does apply in this situation. If the community does not fight for this park, then we will not get it, nor will we deserve it. Now, here’s what you can do to help.

•You can help clean both sites by passing out brochures to your friends and family, (and making sure they read them and get interested!) offer to work with us to organize a meeting at your home, block, school or church. LVEJO will help you with the preparation and organizing.

•You can also become a member of LVEJO by getting on our mailing list and/or volunteering with us.

•You can get involved with the planning of the park, and you can call the following people and demand a park in Little Village:

•Chicago Public Schools (CPS) contact person Sean Murphy at (773) 553-2900, tell them to tear down Washburne,

• Chicago Dept. of Planning contact person Kathy Dickett at (312) 744-1074, tell them to clean un Celotex,

•Chicago Park District contact person Timothy J. Mitchell at (312) 742-7529, tell them we want 2 more clean parks in Little Village,

•22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Muñoz at (773) 762-1771,

•12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas at (773) 523-8250.

LVEJO demands both an outdoor park and indoor sports facility to be built in Little Village!

“If we want a park, fight for justice!”

-Lorena Lopez

A Soldier’s Point of View:
Interview of a Persian Gulf Veteran - Carlos Dominguez

By; Rafael Hurtado Curie HS, & Maggie Quinones Whitney Young

What branch of the military did you join?

I joined the US Navy Seals.

Did you enlist or were you recruited?

I enrolled in the Navy.

Why did you want to join the Navy ?

I wanted to try something different.

At what age did you enroll into the Navy?

I enlisted when I was 19 years old.

Did you discuss this decision with your parents?

Yes I sat down and talked to my mother about the good and the bad things in the military.

Did you earn any benefits in the Navy?

Yes I received money for college, $35,000. I got full medical benefits. And I have retirement after years. I got paid every 15 days.

What kind of war did you see?

I was sent out to the Persian Gulf. I was there for 6 months. I saw and fired bombs and missiles off the F18 aircraft carrier.

Did you see or hear about any racism in the military?

I didn’t see any but I’m pretty sure that there is racism in the military just like in any other place in the world.

Did you hear or see any kind of rape or sexual harassment?

I didn’t hear about anything like that.

Did you have any strange diseases when you came back?

No I felt normal.

Have your Navy experiences helped with any of your job interviews?

Yes it has, I got very good training in the Navy. I never had a problem with finding a job.

Many war veterans say that they have had trouble with the GI Bill; they also say that you have a certain amount of time to use your GI Bill. Have you had any trouble?

I have not had any problems with my GI Bill. My friends did not have any problems with there GI Bill either.

What do you have to say about the military?

Of course the United States needs solders. Who doesn’t?
Just read everything before you sign on the dotted line. There are always those little things.

CTA Safety & the Stinky Pink Line

By: Daniel Amador, Whitney M. Young Magnet HS

Have you ever thought of what you would do if the train you were on got derailed?

What if there were no evacuation instructions?

What if there were no first aid kits available?

This seems like an unlikely scenario, but this was a reality for passengers on the Blue Line this past July 11th. According to the CTA, the Blue Line got derailed under Clinton and Fulton Ave. at 5 o’clock in the evening. Many passengers claimed that part of the Blue Line caught fire! Passengers were sent to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and some passengers were in critical condition. The CTA has no first aid kits on any of its trains. So if an emergency like this was ever to happen again people could end up the same or even worse.

What is worse is that the CTA hasn’t publicly announced what they are willing to do to make public transportation safer for passengers. However, the accident is under investigation. The CTA will take steps towards improving safety on trains only until after an official report regarding the accident is issued. What if this investigation takes a year?! This makes us, the passengers, vulnerable to more accidents. Why won’t the CTA act and make the trains safer?!

(The accident is under investigation though.) So far Kitty Higgins from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been informing the press on the progress that the investigation has had. Two problems that have been identified are that the tracks were farther apart than they should have been and that maintenance should have been done every two weeks. CTA did their last maintenance on the Blue Line tracks July 7th and the NTSB is now investigating whether the CTA has followed these regulations.

LVEJO has also gotten tips from passengers that several of the lines are running faster than they were before because of delays. Faster speeds could equal a safety issue. One claim that we got was that a blue line train from O’Hare to the Loop made its trip in 35 minutes when the average time is 45-60 minutes! Some trains have been running express because they are running behind schedule due to the congestion on the elevated platforms at the Loop.

All of these weird things have been happening ever since the introduction of the Pink Line -gee, I wonder if there is a connection.

We have the right to demand safer trains and the service that we want because after all we are paying in one way or another for this public transportation service. We should be telling the CTA what we want and don’t want. We shouldn’t have to worry about our train derailing or the train that we are on running at dangerous speeds! This is our safety that we’re talking about. Please contact us if you’ve had an experience like this or if you would like to fill out the CTA riders survey enclosed in this newsletter. We want to hear from you!

Abuse!

By: Cindy Flores

People are trying to find a solution to the end of pollution. Mother Earth, a victim of her children’s abuse. What has society done? Mother is only being helped by less than half of her children while the rest continue trying to destroy her, along with everything else. Soon when Mother Earth can take no more she will perish and without her existence her children will die along with her, unless global warming and its cause (pollution) will get to us first then killing Mother Earth. And as this is still going on you would see that our doing leads to mankind and Mother Earth’s death.

YOUTH UNITED FOR DEMOCRACY DIGNITY & JUSTICE (YUDDJ)

LITTLE VILLAGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION

Looking for individuals willing to volunteer their time to forge economic, environmental and social justice, in order to unite our communities talents, and power to build a society that treats all of us equally: no matter what race, culture, age, or gender we are.

LITTLE VILLAGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION

WHAT WE DO :

OUR MISSION IS TO WORK WITH OUR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORS TO IMPROVE LIFE IN LITTLE VILLAGE AND C HICAGO THROUGH DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

WHAT ’S IN IT FOR YOU?

GAIN LEADERSHIP SKILLS BE AN ACTIVIST
BE AN ACTIVIST
FULFILL SERVICE LEARNING REQUIREMENTS
LEARN ABOUT EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
BECOME ELIGLBLE FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
MEET COOL PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE
ONE - ON - ONE HELP WITH COLLEGE APPLICATIONS & SCHOLARSHIPS

WANT TO JOIN OR KNOW MORE INFO ?

STOP BY OUR OFFICE , GIVE US A CALL SHOOT US AN EMAIL

WHERE WE ARE :

2856 S. MILLARD AVE. - CHICAGO , IL 60623-4550

PHONE : 773-762-6991
E MAIL : LVEJOYOUTH @SBCGLOBAL .NET
FAX : 773-762-6993

The Poverty Draft...What you need to know!!!!!!

Overall, the Pentagon spends over $2.5 billion a year targeting high-achieving low-income youth with commercials, video games, personal visits and slick brochures.
They never mention that college money is difficult to come by and that very few job skills are transferable from military to civilian life.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) revealed in December of 1990 that the percentage of Black People serving in the Persian Gulf was 29.8% Army, 21.3% Navy, 16.9% Marines and 13.5% Air Force. These numbers are disproportionately high considering that African Americans only make up about 12% of the US population.

Puerto Rico is the Army’s number one recruiting territory. With the unemployment rate on the island of more than 40%, Army recruiting offices in Puerto Rico garner more than 4 times the number of recruits US based recruiting offices average on a yearly basis.

JROTC programs in the US public schools are growing at an exponential rate since Congress lifted the cap on how many schools could have programs.
In spite of the DOD’s claim, more than 50% of JROTC cadets join the military as enlisted personnel.

Most JROTC programs occur in schools where the community is either working class or impoverished and more than often those schools are also predominantly populated by youth of color.

Crazy Mother Earth & The Whackos That Make it Worse

By: Daniel Amador, Whitney Young H.S

Lately Mother Earth has been a little coo coo. Have you noticed? Earthquakes, floods, monsoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, ice caps melting, extreme heat waves, droughts, land slides, forest fires, and no snow on Christmas are just a few of Mother Earth’s crazy deeds. These things haven’t just happened recently, they have been going on for a couple of years now. Natural disasters such as these affect global economy, businesses, nature, animals, and most importantly they affect us! If these things are so damaging then why haven’t the governments or the corporations done anything to stop this from getting worse? This is a question I’ve been asking myself for a long time now and after years and years and years of thought (not really it took me like 10 minutes) I’ve reached the conclusion that it’s all about the Benjamin’s! The truth is that the government and the corporations that have the money and the power to try and do something about it prioritize money over saving our Mother Earth.

For many, many, many years now scientist have informed the public and the government about global warming, but the fact of the matter is that it continues to be ignored. Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate.

Some people say, “Oh, it’s just a theory,” while others say “I’ll be dead before this happens,” while others just simply ignore that this is happening. The government and corporations ignore that this is happening because it isn’t convenient for them to do something about it.

The government’s number one priority is to maintain the quality of life here in the US by all means, whether it be by going to war for oil or stripping people of their civil liberties, they want to maintain our economy. (lets face it our government is corrupt ass hell) The government has the power to create policies that would benefit our planet but unfortunately that is not the case! Corporations have the power to pollute less and to do their part on making the planet a better place to live, but their priority is money. So as long as these things stay the same people will continue ignore the signs of global warming. But you can’t ignore things like these because they are having a very big impact on our lives! People assume that just because the ice caps are melting in the north and South Pole that it doesn’t affect them. But it does affect us because that's affecting the weather and therefore affecting everyone! The reality is that these things will continue to get worse unless people start doing something about it.

The information and the resources are here for us to save our planet but the will is what we lack! Why should we lack will if we were the ones that made our planet like this? We the people of earth made our planet what it now is! By polluting our air, water, and earth. Our race has been inconsiderate of this place that has been our home! We have been careless with what comes out of our power plants, transportation vehicles, and weapons. We’ve been careless about what we throw in our water and what we dump on our earth. We are the idiots that are destroying our own home! With every problem there is a solution, thankfully! Here is a list of what you can do to stop global warming! Ride public transportation, walk, or ride a bike, recycle, shop at thrift stores, eat a moderate amount of meat, push for cleaner power plants in your neighborhood, pressure local politicians to pass environment friendly policies, turn off the light when you aren't in the room, buy energy efficient products such as hybrid cars and energy efficient house appliances, if a water pump is open call 311 to have it closed, and many more. These are just a few ways to help out. Don’t be one of the idiots that are polluting our home! If you need more information call us and we’ll point you in the right direction or help you raise awareness.

We should do something before it’s too late! and right now is the time to start!

Creative Writing

By Cindy Flores, Octavio Paz Middle School

Back then people use to be robbers that robbed people’s purses full of money and weighed so heavy with their identity but now some new robbers have emerged. You would think they would be smart with evil plans but actually they’re not so bright. Sure some thief’s might steal things of value but then again there has to be the dumb ones. Those kind of thief’s are the ones who get caught with chips, car change, sometimes a radio, or another person’s mail making them the not-so-bright thief’s and topic of the day. Sometimes you see them running around stealing each other’s stuff.

Urban Gardens… Grow Some Flowers Gain Some Power

By Rafael Hurtado, Curie High School

Here at LVEJO we are a resource for the community and try to help people help themselves in Little Village. Most of the questions we get are usually about the way our community looks. There is this theory that is called the “Broken Glass Theory”. It basically explains that a neighborhood that leaves broken windows or broken glass lying around or unfixed without care also symbolizes and gives the message to people that crime is okay. So were trying to use this theory to our advantage. If we make one garden then more people will want a garden and start caring about the way their community looks, as well as what is going on in their community. At LVEJO we are trying to beautify Little Village so its pleasing to the community’s eyes and then that way more and more people will care about what’s happening in the neighborhood. When someone helps make something then that someone will also help protect it from harm because after all YOU put all your hard work in building it! That is why we make urban gardens. People from ALL over Little Village come to help with these gardens that we help make in the community. People from the Little Village area open their gardens to the public, so that any one and everyone can come and work on it and receive vegetables from the plants. But don’t worry we do not use chemicals when growing the plants. Everything is natural. The way it should be.

For you or anybody that you know wants to help with the Urban Gardens

Please call us at; (773) 762-6991 - Ask for Rafael Hurtado

Healthy Smiles = Healthy Lives

By: Greg Lane, LVEJO Summer Intern

It's summertime and a lot is going on in our lives other than school.

Because of our free time, it's definitely hard not to indulge ourselves in our favorite activities and sometimes our favorite foods. To some of us, these favorite foods include fruits and vegetables, but to many of us these include candy, snacks, and soda pop.

I know what you’re thinking. I am just one of those guys calling fruits and vegetables “good” while calling candy, snacks, and soda pop “bad.” Well, you’re wrong. I am no different from anyone else out there who enjoys a good Snickers bar or cold Pepsi. It’s not unusual for me to stop for one of these things on a trip or even “just because.”

Although it isn’t “bad” or “wrong” to eat candy and snacks or drink soda, eating too much of these things effects every part of our body, especially our teeth. You see, our teeth are very sensitive to sweet foods and sometimes, no matter how hard we brush our teeth, we still can’t get all the snack crumbs out of our mouths. A lot of the time, these snack crumbs that are left in our mouths after brushing don’t bother us, but sometimes they do. When these snack crumbs do bother us, most of the time we develop cavities. Believe it our not, even soda pop can also cause cavities. Cavities aren’t pleasant at all, but when our teeth get bad we need to go the dentist. I don’t know about you, but the sound of a dental drill is about as good as having to pull an “all-nighter” for a final exam.

So, next time consider what you are eating, but at the same time consider what else you could be eating. Instead of soda pop, how about a glass of water? Instead of a candy bar, how about an orange? It’s all about making choices, and trust me, having good teeth and good smile is well worth it.

Movie Review:
An Inconvenient Truth
By Rafael Hurtado, Curie High School

When I saw this documentary it really hit me. I quit the horsing around in the theaters with my friends, I stopped throwing popcorn, and I stopped making fun of Al Gores’ Neck.

Most people, inluding myself think, “ I’m gonna be dead in 50 years anyways so who cares about global warming?”

When I saw that Global warming caused Hurricane Katrina that’s when I understood that Global Warming can affect me at any moment in time and it is affecting me right now.

I was like wow. I straightened up in my seat and started to pay attention to all the information and the graphs that he had.

Global Warming is viewed within the scientific community as a fact, not a theory. It's only Big Business, with its desire to maximize profits (after all, it costs money to cut back the amount of carbon dioxide escaping into the atmosphere) that has tried to position Global Warming as a subject that is open to debate.

Al Gore showed a bunch of pictures of places like mountains, lakes, and rivers. For example he showed a picture of Mount Killimanjaro in africa in the year 1970 full of snow. Then the next picture was mount killimanjaro in the year 200 with not even 25% ot the snow that it had 30 years before.. That was interesting because my friend and I were wondering what would happen to MT. Everest and the Glaciers if they were to melt.Would Florida or the whole East Coast be under water then?

But the smartest thing I saw was that when the movie was finished Al kept the people in their seats by giving them tips how to save money and electricity. One of the messages was. “Call your electric company, Crawford, at (773) 247-7272 to see if they have green house energy efficiency electricity.” Since they don’t, ask why not?

Don’t believe me that you gotta see it -Here’s what some film critics are saying:

“In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."

-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

GRAF WARS: Creating Artwork in Battle

By Quest

In our culture today, especially in communities such as Little Village, it is not uncommon to see graffiti as you walk down the street. Some people consider graffiti an art form, the very basis of our culture and individuality, while others consider it a nuisance, something that should be stopped. Either way, graffiti makes an impact in the community. Lately, however, it has been becoming more of a problem. In the past, there have been many “graffiti wars” in the city, but most of them stayed “on the walls.” Today, it has been taken some steps further. Violence is now becoming an issue, and many people are paying the price. These crews that were created as a way to express their art are now defending territories, destroying property, and assaulting members from other crews. The two local crews “at war” are known as CAB 312 and CMK.

According to CAB member Fane, CAB started the war, but the tension was created by CMK. CAB crew is one of the oldest and most recognized crews in the city. It was established in 1986, and is celebrating its 20th year. CMK is about 6 years old, and is apparently trying to make a statement. Lately, they have been bullying other crews by “stamping,” or writing over the graffiti of other crews. “Many other crews would let this happen because they were afraid. When they tried to do it to us, we decided we weren’t going to have it,” said Fane. “We don’t like to bully other smaller crews. If anything, we try to help them.”

The war was “officially” started around the month of May, when some of CAB crew’s artwork was being displayed at well-respected gallery in downtown Chicago. Some members from CMK were allowed to display their artwork as well. However, some members began doing it without permission, and some began “stamping” and “lining out” the work from CAB. “That was when we just got tired of it,” says CAB member Spin. “We don’t usually start beef, but they needed to be taught a lesson.”

Presently, you can walk down the streets of southwest Chicago and see the war develop on the walls. You can see how CMK is being flipped, such as when you see KMC, or KMCab. In fact, there have been so many sightings of KMC, that many people believe that it is a new crew that is really blowing up! Still, with this war being as big as it is, there are signs of it ending. “We expect this war to end around winter, it won’t be an issue in 2007,” says Fane. “And there is no doubt in my mind that CAB will win.”

So in this society today, it seems as though one person cannot make a difference. These crews work together to express themselves, and to let people know who they are. Sometimes you have to fight to express yourself, even when you’re fighting someone else who is trying to do the same. Still, is one’s art worth this kind of effort? How far would you go to defend your right to express yourself in this world?

Imprisoned for opposing Iraq war

Encarcelado por su oposición a la Guerra contra Irak

By: Rafael Hurtado, Curie High School

“To those who have called me a coward I say that they are wrong and without knowing it they are also right. They are wrong when they think that I left the war for fear of being killed. I admit that fear was there, but there was also the fear of killing innocent people. The fear of putting myself in a position where to survive means to kill, there was a fear of losing my soul in the process of saving my body, the fear of losing myself to my daughter, to the people who love me. To the man I used to be, the man I wanted to be. I was afraid of waking up one morning to realize my humanity had abandoned me.

“ A los que me llaman cobarde digo que no tienen razón y, sin saberlo, si tienen razón. No tienen razón cuando piensan que no regrese a la guerra por miedo de morí. Si tenia miedo de morirme pero también lo tenia por matar a gente inocente por estar en una situación donde el sobrevivir significa matar, por perder el alma para salvar el cuerpo por perder a mi hija ya a los que me quieren, al por perder a mi hija y a los que quise se. Tenía miedo de despertarme un día para descubrir que había perdido mi humanidad.

-SGT Camilo Mejia

I think that SGT. Camilo Mejia is not a coward. He made a very smart choice of taking a year in jail rather than returning to the war. He was feeling bad for killing people and for being told to abuse prisoners. You can’t punish somebody for their morals. What kind of country sends somebody to jail or kills them for killing another human being, but rewards them if they kill somebody in a foreign country at war. If the US is certainly the land of the free then you should not get thrown in jail for deciding not to kill innocent human beings. And they are all innocent because soldiers from both sides are forced to kill each other.

The other soldiers in the other countries are also sent to fight. So this war game is just some sort of puppet master shit where over-rated rich bastards have control over some land and are abusing their powers! I, myself have trouble sleeping after I go hunting thinking that little bunny whose head got blown off is going to come and bite my hands off. If it’s our freedom were fighting for why is the U.S. going to punish a person for exercising their freedom to follow their beliefs?!

Download August Newsletter as Adobe PDF

Keep the Douglas L/54th Cermak Train Open to O'Hare Field 24/7

CTA Fact Sheet & Petitions

CTA Petition Sheet English (.doc 304 kb) / (pdf 68 kb)
CTA Petition Sheet Spanish (.doc 304 kb) / (pdf 68 kb)

Youth Organizer: Rosa Ramirez

Youth Newsletter "El Cilantro": el_cilantro@sbcglobal.net

For general information please email us here .

~~~~~~~~~~ Other important topics ~~~~~~~~~~
(Download as Adobe pdf):

Clean Air/Lulac Study

Healthy Schools In Latino Communities flyer

"Tips on Base Building" from LVEJO Board Member Carlos Fernandez