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Please read the following article
written by a dear friend of mine.
THE ROAD TO TIJUANA
by Suzanne Hale aka Rose
Empress The Love Suzanne, Portland Or.
I always look forward to
crossing the border, shopping for souvenirs and cheap cigs. The
colorful tourist vibe is always exhilarating - this past year (2008)
it was different. Chris Horton and Maria Galletta met us at the duty
free store and guided us across the border. Scott Seibert and
Mychaul Ambrose of Portland joined me, along with Bill Char and
Jeremy Lau of Hawaii and Fernando Raubles from San Francisco. As we
crossed the border, and headed to the clinic, we noticed a serious
difference in the city. We unloaded two hide a beds and lots of
supplies for the clinic. They were so grateful for these little
things that we would easily garage sale for a pittance. Maria
brought a load f medications for the clinic at great risk to her
personal freedom. We immediately noticed the clinic was poorly
stocked. In the oppressive heat, the one fan was leaning against the
examination table with a broken leg. Tijuana Emperor Severo was
behind the counter of the tiny pharmacy. The clinic, along with Casa
Nicole the 12 bed hospice is funded solely by private donations.
This means rent, utilities, everything. There are patients who
survive on one can of Ensure a day. Period. I always admired Chris
and Lala as wonderful people, but they, along with Maria, go to the
clinic at least once a week. This takes the fortification of spirit
you can only find in a nurse on a terminal ward. No matter how hard
it is to see, they continue to fight and work and visit. I can't
imagine how they get through it sometimes.
Then we headed up to
Revolution to buy the sombreros for the Tijuana Party. That's when I
got another shock, Nine out of ten shops were closed. Chris tells me
that recently there has been some kind of drug wars, and over 40
people have been murdered or kidnapped in recent months. ( At the
time of going to print with this , October 10th 2008 another 75 +
people have fallen victim to this criminal behavior in the past
week), more bodies on a daily basis). The police have been replaced by over half due to exposed
corruption. This is a city under siege. At a time when the normal
economic struggle is already overwhelming, this current series of
tragic circumstances have devastated an already difficult
time.
We sat
and had some delicious enchiladas at a sidewalk cafe, and Maria told
us if how the hard times have led to male sex workers getting
younger and younger. Tourists have avoided Tijuana, toy see, so
there is less opportunity to make a living. While sitting there, a
nearby bar heard of her presence, and the bartender ran over to us
to beg her, (Maria), to talk to a certain person in need of medical
help. She is like a Mother Teresa to the gay community. What broke
my heart and made me determined to do my best to help them, was the
news that they recently had their youngest sex worker infected at
the clinic - AGE TWELVE - yes ONLY 12. As we crossed the border,
back into the U.S., the sight of children begging, the disabled men,
all of it left us hit like a brick and we cried.
The next morning we headed
to Bourbon Street for the Tijuana Party. I'm so impressed with all
the visiting royalty who actually got up and attended the function
at 11am! We had about ten candidates for the positions of "Emperor
and Empress & Prince and Princess" de Rio Tijuana. For many years I
have made little tiaras made and they also receive and plaque and
sombrero. But for that day, I don't believe anyone was motivated by
the title. I think everyone had fun, but from what Mama Jose told
me, they were really inspired by the tales of how it really was and
is in Tijuana. We all support or own PWA, but even still, stuff we
toss away is a treasure to our friends in TJ. For numerous years in
a row now, the Imperial Court of New York has claimed the top
titles. They have visited the hospice and clinic, and were so
touched that they made a point of having a fundraiser during the
year so they can bring a big check. This past August(2008) Emperor
Rob and Empress Charlene brought a check for $2500 plus even more
sent in earlier. Mychaul Ambrose of Portland and Mercedes Chanel of
Denver won the Prince and Princess title. Honorary Citizens of
Tijuana included Max of Vancouver BC Canada, Civil Rights of Las
Vegas, Jackie Summers of Denver and Imelda Mae Santos of Vancouver
BC Canada, who raised quite a bit by threatening to take off her
clothes unless people gave her $20! I kept my promise and matched
the money raised at the party with a check for $462. Adding to the
pot later, with a $700 check from Empress Madeline of Nebraska we
raised approximately $6,000. Not bad for a bunch of folks who could
have easily have nursed and hangover over a relaxing brunch. I'm so
grateful to each person who put charity ahead of their ego and ran
for a title. I'm equally grateful to those who dug deep into their
pockets to raise this amount.
But
here's the thing! Having gotten to know more about how they work, I
see they do not have enough money, the priorities are usually
medical. Which means if they have to $1,000, they pay the rent, then
buy meds. So they are still working with a broken fan, broken
microwave, an obsolete 22" tv, and barely enough towels or bedding.
Their patients get zero help from the government. No disability, no
housing, no medical aid, no food banks - NOTHING NADA - just what WE
give them.
Update on Tijuana Violence - October 11th 2008, courtesy of
msnbc.com
'Unusual'
level of violence
In
Tijuana, another city plagued by cartel
violence, authorities reported on Friday that a
total of 91 people have been killed in a wave of
gangland homicides since Sept. 26.
Baja
California state Attorney General Rommel Moreno
called the level of violence "critical and
unusual," and said that 11 handwritten messages
left next to many of the victims appear to have
written by the same person.
The
same firearms appear to have been used in about
two-thirds of the killings.
Of
those cases in which a cause of death has been
established, 52 died of gunshots, 19 were
strangled, 9 were beaten to death, 6 were
suffocated and 5 decapitated.
In
one case, authorities said they found human
teeth and other remains inside barrels of acid
left on a Tijuana street, but investigations
continue into that case and those remains were
not included in the totals.
So if the rumor is true
that ICS Parliament is organizing a truck drive from Portland's ICC
meeting, the please, please do not throw away those used linens,
obsolete vcr's or anything. Milo has agreed to drive a truck of
whatever is collected by October, and perhaps we can get a floor fan
or two with all their legs!
For more information on this initiative please
contact The Lovely Suzanne at
dinerdiva@comcast.net
This is reproduced with
the permission of the International Court Communiqué and The Lovely
Suzanne.
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