Blood Wedding
Consulado De
Mexico
The M ex ican G overnm ent
through its Portland Consulate,
filed documents (amicus curiae)
today in Federal District Court in
Portland in support o f Mexican
workers who have filed a lawsuit
against an Idaho based labor con
tractor. In this lawsuit, named
Perez-Perez V. Progressive For
estry Services. The workers allege
that progressive forestry and its
representatives recruited them and
numerous other Mexican citizens
(almost 500) to work in Oregon
and certain other states, violating
the U S. and Mexican laws.
Specifically, the workers claim
that progressive failed to disclose
the terms of employment at the time
o f recruitment, failed to pay wages
when due, and failed to comply
with the working arrangement be
tween progressive and the workers.
Mexico believes that the law
suit raises issues o f the utmost
importance to its citizens. The con
stitution o f the United Mexican
states (Art. 123 Section A, Part
XXVI) and the Mexican Federal
Labor Law (Arts. 25 and 28) pro
tect Mexican workers who are re
cruited to work in a foreign coun
try against indecent treatment by
their employer. These laws require
recruiters o f Mexican workers for
foreign employment to give clear
information on the wages which
will be paid and other conditions
o f employment. They also require
September 22,1999
(Stye 'Portlanò ffibaeruer
Page B5
labor contractors to pay for the
w orkers’ travel expenses from
Mexico to the United States, and
to provide adequate food and dig
nified housing. Under these laws,
labor contractors m ust obtain
Mexican government approval for
recruitment o f employees.
Unfortunately, U.S. Labor re
cruiters knowingly ignore these
laws. And once the workers are
brought into the U.S., employer
intimidation, language barriers and
lack o f financial resources pre
vent the workers form individu
ally asserting their rights under
either U.S. or Mexican laws.
Court papers show that Progres
sive Forestry Services has been
one of those contractors which has
violated these laws by intention
ally failing to get Mexican gov
ernment approval for its recruit
ment activity.
Mexico is asking the court to
grant the plantiffs request to cer
tify this lawsuit as a class action so
they may assert not just their indi
vidual rights buy the rights of all
Mexican workers who are work
ing, or may be working in Oregon
thereby allowing all workers dam
aged to receive any relief which
the court finds proper.
For further information contact
Consul General Alma Patricia
Soria, Consul Jose Luis Alvarado
(503 ) 274-1442 or Gene Mechanic,
Attorney At Law (503) 224-2372.
Miracle Malnstage presents Blood Wedding a classic Spanish tragedy.
The M iracle M ainstage
opens its 15,h season with
Federico G arcia L orca’s
classic S panish tragedy
Blood W edding. Lorca,
Spain’s greatest poet and
most widely read dram a
tist, infuses this passion
ate tale with the haunting
images o f knives, blood,
h o rse s, the m oon, and
death, conjuring a timeless
and m ythical landscape
with m etaphor and poetry.
Inspired by newspaper
accounts of real-life events
in Algeria, Spain in 1929,
Blood Wedding addresses
the conflict between sexual
desire and societal propri
ety. Lorca’s drama recounts
the tragic tale of a young
woman (Bride) who is tom
between her obligation to
fulfill her father’s wish that
she marry a capable pro
vider (Bridegroom) an her
unquenchable desire for her
form er lover (L eonardo
Felix), now married to her
cousin. Hoping to appease
her father and finally quell
her love for Leonardo, the
young woman agrees to
marry the Bridegroom. The
Bridegroom’s mother, des
perately protective of her
only remaining son and fear-
ing further violence from the mur
derous Félix family, glimpses the
shadow of danger that threatens
the safety of her son on the eve of
his nuptials Betrayal, hatred, vio
lent revenge, passion and tragic
death eclipse the spirited wedding
celebration that follows. Fiercely
intense and bursting with provoca
tive poetry and music, Blood Wed
ding combines theatrical surreal
ism with Lorca’s deep admiration
for Spanish tradition, painting the
land o f his ancestors with a poet’s
brush.
Olga Sanchez, director o f last
year’s highly successful produc
tion of When the Blues Chase up
a R abbitt, w ill return to the
Miracle to direct Blood Wedding.
The Miracle Theatre will offer
a public preview o f Blood W ed
ding on September 23rd and a gala
opening reception on September
24th. Performances will continue
through October 23rd, Thursday
evenings at 7 PM and Friday and
Saturday nights at 8 PM. Tickets
are $12 on Thursdays and $14
Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets to
the September 23rd preview are
$7; September 24,h opening night
gala performance and reception
are $17.50. Make your reserva
tions now - tickets are already
selling quickly!
For reservations, call 503/
236-7253.
Latino Communities
Urged to Prepare for
Census 2000
methods for ensuring a better count
half were children. They often live
WASHINGTON - “American
in next year’s census,” Blackwell
in hard-to-count areas such as bar
Hispanics and Latinos represent
said. “WE are urging local and
rios, inner-city neighborhoods, res
one o f the fastest growing commu
state officials to form Complete
ervations
and
remote
rural
areas.”
nities in our society and have much
Count Committees such as the one
The
congressionally
appointed
to gain in being fully counted in
in Houston to work with the Cen
members
o
f
the
Census
Monitor
the 2000 cen su s,” J. Kenneth
sus Bureau to identify the hard-to-
ing Board, a bipartisan panel cre
Blackwell, Co-Chairman o f the
count
areas and focus the resources
ated by Congress to oversee the
U.S. Census Monitoring Board
necessary to count the residents of
preparation and implementation of
said Wednesday.
those areas."
the
2000
Census,
have
been
visit
Blackwell’s comments came
“The Board extends its appre
ing
with
local
leaders
and
resi
during a Capitol Hill press confer
ciation
to Councilman Castillo and
dents o f h a rd -to -co u n t areas
ence with Houston City Council
all
the
other
residents and commu
around the nation, listening to their
Member John Castillo to preview
nity officials in H ouston and
concerns and incorporating their
a video produced by the congres
Brownsville that made this video
suggestions
for
conducting
a
bet
sionally appointed members o f the
possible,"
concluded Blackwell.
ter
count
in
the
Board's
reports
to
Census Monitoring Board. Coun
For
further
information regard
Congress.
cilman Castillo hosted a recent
ing
the
Census
Monitoring Board
"W e have found that involving
visit by members o f the Board to
or the 2000 Cenusus. please visit
local officials and residents from
Houston to meet with Hispanic and
our web page at www.cmbc.gov.
the
beginning
is
one
o
f
the
best
Latino elected officials, civic and
community leaders, and residents
in some of the hardest-to-count
¿LASTIMADO?
neighborhoods in the nation. Ma
P erm ítanos nogociar co n la com pañía de seguros.
jo r portions o f the video were
A ccid en tes de : A u tom óvil, P eatones, N egligencia M édica
filmed on location in Houston as
"NO COBRAMOS SI N O GANAM OS”
well as the colonias, poor neigh
Llám anos para fijar una consulta gratis.
borhoods near Brownsville, Texas.
The video features interviews
with Hispanic and Latino elected
A B O G A D O S
officials, civic and community
241-4708
leaders and residents in Houston
621 SW Morrison, Suite 1250 Portland, OR
and Brownsville telling of the im
portance o f the Census to their
communities and what they are
doing to ensure a more accurate
a n d
S a l v a d o r e n
F o o d
count. The Board will provide cop * M e x i c a n
MEXICAN MENU SAMPLE:
SALVADOREN
MENU
SAMPLE
ies of the video to Hispanic and
Pupusa De Queso
Carne Asada
Latino leaders and organizations
Cheese Pupusa............................... $250
j/.y o
tironea oteók..............
Pupusa De Chicaron Y Queso
around the country.
Cheese and Pork Pupusa.............. $2 50
Gamita De Puerco
“Over four million people were
Yuca Sancochada
$7.95
missed in the 1990 census,” noted
Boiled Yuca..................................... $2.50
Camarones Con Aros
Plántanos Fritos Con Crema
Blackwell. “A disproportionate
$7.95
Shnm p with Rice........
Fried Plantain with Cream............. $375
number were HispanicT.atino. Af
rican-American. Asian American 825 N. Killingsworth • Portland, o s 97217
and Native American. More than
Squires & Lopez
E
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O
C A L
O
(503)247-9132
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