NEWS
THE PRINT
March 1,1989
Page 4
Guatemalan refugee tells of real life horror story
by Michelle Walch
Rhapsody Editor
On February 22, CCC staff
and students got a taste of what
it’s like to be an exiled peasant
from Guatemala in a standing room
only presentation in CC101.
The Portland Sanctuary
Commission and CCC’s Interna
tional Education Committee
sponsored an Indian peasant
woman who spoke of her experi
encein Central America. Because
she has not been granted political
asylum, her name cannot be men
tioned.
Her talk was preceded by a
slide show which gave the audi
ence a glimpse of Guatemalan life.
Her interpreter discussed how
funding for peasants in Central
America was cut off in 1980 and
how two percent of the popula
tion controls 75 percent of the
land. She also mentioned how the
army is not just a protector of the
wealthy, but has its own bank - it is
its own entity.
Afterwards, the Indian woman
told her story. “I never thought
the day would come when I would
be among the Americans,” she
said. She also shared her first
impressions of the U.S.A. “We
were told that in this country,
people use their clothing or dishes
once - and then throw them away.
Before, I never thought there were
poor* people here.” She was sur
prised at the poverty; she thought
there was more freedom here.
She was kidnapped by a rich
man when she was eight to work
on a plantation. She was raped by
him and his sons. After having
children, she was thrown out
(plantation owners don’t like
women workers with children). She
didn’t know her way around and
didn’t speak Spanish. A friend
recommended an American mtem,
so she asked to be employed by
him. She was afraid of Ameri
cans, and asked him if it was true
that gringos ate people. “Yes,”
the American replied, “but I’m
not hungry right now.” Eventu
ally her employer left the country,
but she hooked up with some other
Americans. She and her children
were educated, including learn
ing to speak Spanish.
“lean say that I owe my life to
those Americans,” she said. “They
helped me a lot.”
When Lucas Garcia was a
presidential candidate in Guate
mala, he said he was a candidate
“fof the Indians.” According to
the peasant speaker, the first thing
he did was torture people who
helped the poor. Her relatives
have been tortured, killed, or have
disappeared. She heard that she
was wanted because she was a
suspected communist.
She left for another town but
found it was no better. Her day
was from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. During
the night, any vehicle sound meant
bodies form other towns. Every
morning they are there. Thereare
signs on the bodies stating if the
bodies are moved - even touched -
those who move them will have
the same fate. Peasants are essen
tially a “business product.”
“To be a refugee is not easy;
it’s the saddest thing that exists.
We don’t have our families; we
don’t have a country,” she said.
“To say the truth is against
the law...Oliver North is respon
sible for the deaths in Central
America.”
Although she has freedom of
speech in this country, she can
still be deported, sent to re-edu
cation camps back in her own
country, be forced to give up her
native clothing, and be forced to
recite the national anthem every
day. Some will disappear, she
added.
Just coming to this country is
hard. “The first thing they ask you
is ‘What’s your social security
number?’,” which they don’t have
because they have no papers.
The peasants have tried to
reason with their government, but
the interpreter said “non-violence
doesn’t work.” A group of peas
ant workers approached their
mayor, and before they had a chance
to speak, they were mowed down
by the army. The peasants had no
weapons of any kind.
“I think the time has come for
us to work together - not with
weapons,” the woman summed up.
“We have to love each other.”
ELC receives grant
by Briane C. Dotson
News Editor
The AMCO Oil Foundation
has donated $4,500 to the Envi
ronmental Learning Center to help
finance seminars conducted by the
ELC does to make people more
aware of the environment around
them.
According to Jerry Herrmann
direcotr of the ELC there are six
different programs which can be
conducted. One is how wildlife is
helped through recycling. A sec
ond concerns whales, the marine
environment, and how man af
fects the whales by pollution. For
the second presentation the col
lege uses a thirty-nine foot replica
of a sperm whale. Other programs
are on birds of prey, the deteriora
tion of tropical rain forests, litter
and its affect on the animals, and
how to use the art of composting
to beautify lawn and gardens.
Each of these programs is forty
minutes long. After the program
is over the presenters will tour the
different classes and answer ques
tions.
This program is available to
all schools and must be shown to
at least three hundred people. This
program hasreached over 18,000
students since last September, and
over thirty more conferences are
scheduled.
According to Herrmann, the
program has had requests for
presentation as far south as Eu
gene and as far north as Seattle.
“Using live animals or simu
lations of live animals we get bet
ter results, because it presents the
problems of waste and pollution
as not just a problem of the ani
mals, but as a problem of society,”
said Herrmann.
The ELC is looking for vol
unteers to help them in their pres
entation, and the ELC will train
those volunteers. Those interested
should call Jerry Herrmann at ext.
351 or 357.
DONATION: 25 CENTS PER TICKET -10 TICKETS FOR $2.00
Available from any Phi Theta Kappa member or In P-124C
$50.00 Gift Certificate
Rod and Reel Combo
Gold Plated Cross and Chain
Child's Doll
Child's Watch
Tool Belt
Travel Kit
18" Grill
Chinese Wok
Hair Dryer
1 Yr. Free Checking + Checks
$25.00 Gift Certificate
Thorsen Socket Set
$10.00 Gift Certificate
Film Devel. and Print
$15.00 Gift Certificate
Pair Deerfoam Slippers
Touchtone Telephone
Giant 2-topping Pizza
Chicken Dinner
Small Nacho
Five M lb Burgers
CCC Bookstore
Larry's Sports Center
Claudia's Bi H Jewelers
Coast to Coast, Molalla
Coast to Coast, Molalla
Coast to Coast, Molalla
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Coast to Coast, Molalla
Coast to Coast, Molalla
Coast to Coast, Molalla
The Commercial Bank, Molalla
Payless
Wise Auto Supply, Molalla
Furniture and More
Oregon Photo Center
La Hacienda Mexican Rest.
Hewett's Shoe Store
Molalla Telephone Company
Vezzani's Kitchen
Country Kettle Restaurant
Magellan's
Lew's Dairy Freeze
5 Free Video Rentals
Haircut
2 Travel Posters
Dinner for Two
Salad Bar for Two
Lunch Entrees for Two
2 for 1 Food Certificate
Physical Exam for any Pet
2 Topping Pizza
Dinner for Two
Med. 1 Topping Pizza
Two pieces of pie
Life Preserver Cushion
Cut and Style
Large Carmel Corn
"The Pink Panther" Video
Classical Album
Art Print
Corsage
Large Pizza
Lg Pizza, 2 Salad Bars,
Pitcher Soft Drinks
Potted Plant
Milwaukie Video Systems
Holly Farm Perfect Look
Molalla Travel Center
Lam's Chinese Kitchen
The Sizzler 11525
Sea Galley Restaurant
Jumbo Reilly's
Gladstone Veterinary Clinic
Papa Aldo's
Mai Wah Restaurant and Lounge
Little Caesar's Pizza
Plush Pippin
Nordling Marine
Oregon City Perfect Look
Sweet Shop
Just In Video
Manselie's Stringed Instru.
Manselie's Stringed Instru.
Adam's Apple Flowers*
Roundtable Pizza
Sunshine Pizza
Morrow's Flowers