Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan Media Alert

Cuba blog: http://www.cubasee.blogspot.com

Check out the blog for the post about Pastors for Peace in the McAllen, TX 4th of July parade!

From the Blog:

"In most cases we were greeted warmly. I don’t think McAllen ever had a group like ours participate in their parade. We weren’t what you would call “the typical McAllen” organization.

As the parade started out our marching crew position themselves between our lead ambulance and the first bus. At first we just marched and waved. We were getting a luke warm response. The crowd didn’t know what to make of us. We starting chanting some chants and began getting the attention of the crowd and much more applause.

Sandino, our Brown Beret representative from Santa Cruz California, began going to the side of the parade and addressing the crowds lining the streets. In Spanish he explained our mission of bringing aid to the Cuban people. The crowds broke out in thunderous applause showing their support for our work. Sandino stopped every 50 feet or so to repeat his message. He could barely talk by the end."


SC Cuba Caravan Myspace:

myspace.com/santacruzcaravanistas


Media Alert: English First, Spanish Version follows. Ingles primero, espanol sigue.


MEDIA ADVISORY

IFCO/ PASTORS FOR PEACE
PRESS CONFERENCE
2:00 PM - MONDAY, JULY 3, 2006
BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF SAN JUAN, 400 NORTH VIRGIN, SAN JUAN, TEXAS

contact: Ellen Bernstein, 646-319- 5902 (Texas)
Lucia Bruno (212) 926-5757 or 347-423-4330 (New York)

Harlem-Based Pastor
Leads 127 Communities
in Challenge to Bush Cuba Policy

2005 Border Stand-Off Prompted Rep. Charles Rangel to Tell Bush:
"If you won't help - get out of the way"

Energized by thousands of supporters throughout the US, the Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan will cross the border into Mexico on July 6 and then travel on to Cuba to deliver more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid. Since June 17th, the Caravan has stopped in 127 communities in the US and Canada, picking up donations of medicine, computers and school supplies.

Cuba is our Neighbor. "We should be as free to go to Cuba as to Mexico," said the Rev. Lucius Walker, executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace. "The Bush administration's Cuba strategy is bankrupt and based on a repugnant policy designed to create hardship for the Cuban people," said Walker. "Cuba is our neighbor, and we are commanded by our faith to love our neighbor. We refuse to buckle under. We refuse to just go away."

Fr. Luis Barrios, board member of IFCO/Pastors for Peace, said, "The Bible teaches us to practice social holiness. Justice, in all its dimensions, is the biggest expression of this holiness. Our work in support of the Cuban people is our way of responding to God's command, and of demonstrating the social and political dimensions of our spirituality."

In 2005 the US Department of Commerce seized 43 boxes of computers and supplies destined for disabled Cuban children. International outrage followed the US seizure. Both the Danish and Swedish Cuba Friendship Associations sent computers to the Cuban schoolchildren to replace the ones that were seized. Around the US, thousands of phone calls were directed to the Treasury and Commerce Departments, and weekly vigils were held in Washington D.C. and other cities. US Customs officials backed down and returned the seized aid to IFCO/Pastors for Peace in response to their tenacious ten-month campaign, after the faith-based group threatened a Federal lawsuit.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) one of many members of Congress who have been supportive of Pastors for Peace's Cuba work since 1993 urged Mr. Bush to "get out of the way" if he was unwilling to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Cuba, a policy which he labeled "outrageous." " It is unconscionable that we would waste resources to harass peace-loving, non-violent people whose only desire is to help where help is needed. If the Bush Administration does not wish to help the people of Cuba, I appeal to them to get out of the way. Let others prove the compassion that the administration has often claimed as its own. "

After consultation with IFCO's church partners in Cuba, Pastors for Peace decided to donate the released computers to the New Orleans Survivors' Council. According to the People's Organizing Committee (POC), the computers will be used at the Martin Luther King, Jr. School and the Sanchez Community Center and Library, in New Orleans' lower ninth ward. The caravan was welcomed at the Sanchez Center on June 30 on its way to Cuba. In 2005 Pastors for Peace delivered its first-ever caravans of aid within the US - taking two emergency caravans to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Pastors for Peace is a project of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), a national ecumenical agency which has been working for social justice since 1967.


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IFCO/PASTORES POR LA PAZ
CONFERENCIA DE PRENSA
2:00 P.M.-LUNES 3 DE JULIO, 2006
BASILICA DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DE SAN JUAN 400 NORTH VIRGIN, SAN JUAN, TEXAS

Contacto: Ellen Bernstein, 646-319-5902 (Texas)
Lucia Bruno (212) 926-5757 o 347-423-4330 (Nueva York)

UN PASTOR DE HARLEM CONDUCE 127 COMUNIDADES
EN DESAFIO DE LA POLITICA DE BUSH CONTRA CUBA

Paro en la frontera en el 2005 conmovio al representante Charles Rangel a decirle a Bush
“Si no vas a ayudar – salte del camino”

Con la energia y el apoyo de miles en los EEUU, la Caravana de Amistad de los Pastores por la Paz cruzaran la frontera hacia Mexico el 6 de julio y luego viajaran hacia Cuba para entregar mas de 100 toneladas de ayuda humanitaria. Desde el 17 de junio la caravana ha parado en 127 comunidades de los EEUU y Canada recogiendo donaciones de medicinas, computadoras, y equipo escolar.

Cuba es nuestro vecino. “Deberiamos tener la misma libertad de ir a Cuba como a Mexico,” dijo el reverendo Lucius Walker, el director ejecutivo de IFCO/ Pastores por la Paz. “La estrategia de la administracion de Bush sobre Cuba es muy pobre y esta basada en una politica repugnante disenada para crear una situacion dificil para el pueblo Cubano,” dijo Walker. “Cuba es nuestro vecino y estamos encomendados por nuestra fe a amar nuestro vecino. Nos negamos a parar. Nos negamos a simplemente irnos.”

Padre Luis Barrios, miembro del colectivo ejecutivo de IFCO/ Pastores por la Paz dijo, “ La Biblia nos enseña a practicar la santidad social. La justicia en todas sus dimensiones es la expresion mas grande de esta santidad. Nuestro trabajo en apoyo del pueblo Cubano es nuestra manera de responder al comando de Dios y demostrar las dimenciones politicas y sociales de nuestra espiritualidad.”

En el 2005 el Departamento de Comercio de los EEUU confisco 43 cajas de computadoras y equipos destinados para ninos y ninas desabilitados de Cuba. Luego hubo una reaccion fuerte internacionalmente a la confiscacion. Las asocaciones de solidaridad en Dinamarca y Suecia mandaron computadoras a los ninos y ninas cubanos para reemplazar las que fueron confiscadas. Alrededor de los EEUU hubieron miles de llamadas a la Tesoreria y al Departamento de Comercio y hubieron vigilias semanales en Washington DC y otras cuidades. Oficiales de la Aduana tuvieron que devolver la ayuda confiscada de IFCO/Pastores por la Paz en respuesta a una campana larga de diez meses despues de que la organizacion religiosa iba a hacer una demanda federal.

El representante Charles Rangel (D-NY), uno de los varios miembros del Congreso que apoyan el trabajo que hacen los Pastores por la Paz con Cuba desde el 1993 le pidio a Bush que “se saliera del camino” si el no estaba dispuesto a facilitar la entrega de ayuda humanitaria para Cuba, una politica cual el llamo “ridicula.” “Es inconciente que gastemos recursos en molestar a personas amantes de la paz y no violentas cual unico deseo es ayudar donde se necesita ayuda. Si la administracion de Bush no desea ayudar al pueblo de Cuba, yo les apelo que salgan del camino. Dejen que otros demuestren la compasion que esta administracion ha dicho que le pertenece.”

Despues de consultar con las iglesias hermanas de IFCO en Cuba, Pastores por la Paz decidio donar las computadoras de vuelta al Consejo de Sobrevivientes de Nueva Orleans. De acuerdo con el Comite Organizativo Popular(POC), las computadoras seran usadas en la escuela Martin Luther King Jr. y en el centro comunitario y biblioteca Sanchez en la baja novena de Nueva Orleans. La caravana fue recibida en el centro Sanchez el 30 de junio en camino a Cuba. En el 2005 Pastores por la Paz mando sus primeras caravanas domesticas con ayuda hacia Nueva Orleans y la Costa del Golfo despues del huracan Katrina.

Pastores por la Paz es un proyecto de la Fundacion Interreligiosa para la Organizacion Comunitaria (IFCO), una agencia ecunemica nacional que ha estado trabajando por la justicia social desde 1967.