H.B. 48-Juvenile Fingerprints Bill, by Diana Ortega, Amy Novoa and Gaby Rodriguez

As the legislative session of 2011 began one particular bill brought up a lot of controversy, House Bill 48: Fingerprints of Juveniles. This bill requires the fingerprints and photographs of juveniles to be taken and stored if the juvenile is 14 or older and is suspected of being involved in gang activity or has committed a crime that would be a felony if it was committed by an adult.

This bill doesn't only concerns students, but parents as well. Blanca, a mother of West High students, expressed her concerns about this bill, "What would happen if the juvenile is undocumented? Would the juvenile be turned in to ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement), and how would it affect their family?" It is important to recognize the outcomes of this bill that could negatively affect undocumented people of Utah.

Melquiades Flores, a father of a West High student, also spoke out against this bill, saying, “It’s as if we are labeling our children as criminals.” When his 14 year old son was suspected of involvement in illegal activities he was fingerprinted, although he was underage. Flores acknowledges that his son's actions were wrong but he also felt that fingerprinting was not the proper precaution. He worries that morals are going down not only in the family environment but also in schools. “In your schools you no longer say the Pledge of Allegiance daily," he says, "fights break out in schools because of various reasons when we are all Americans. There should be more peace.”

Norman, a freshmen student from West high school, expressed his concerns and worries for this bill. He thought it was a waste of tax money. He says, "There are a lot of crimes being committed among juveniles that are uncontrollable, but instead of wasting tax money trying to get this bill passed they could fund schools to have more after school programs and activities. Programs that help reduce crime among the youth."

The cost of the bill, over the next two years, would be around $90,000. Principal Parley Jacobs and Police officer Lynman Smith of West High School thought the cost of this bill wasn't a concern. Neither of them said this bill would benefit the community, but they did think it would help find students who are committing crimes. Smith, who has work at West High for over a decade said, “Crime will never end.” However, we think this bill is a waste of tax money considering the education budget may be cut by 7 percent this year.

H.B. 64- Human Blood Procurement and Use

The Willfords, a family in South Jordan, Utah, lives with the constant fear of a life threatening disease. Their daughter, Lola, suffers from a rare blood disorder, Diamond Blackfan Anemia. Blood donations have saved her life multiple times, and without blood donations Lola's life is on the line. Rachel, Lola's mother, said, "Through Lola's disease, we have been exposed to a world of people who are dependent on blood donations. Without these donors, we don't know how many times we would have lost Lola."

The Willfords aren't the only family in Utah who have relied on blood donations, and because of this, the Red Cross working with Representative Stephen Handy, is proposing a bill that would lower the blood donation age requirement to sixteen (H.B. 64). Currently, the Utah Code, Title 15, Chapter 2, Section 5 states that an "eighteen year old minor" may donate blood without parental consent. At seventeen it may be donated with parental consent. Bill H.B. 64, if passed, would increase the blood supply (ten to twenty percent) and establish a lifelong habit of blood donating for Utah's youth. The Red Cross, and other blood donation agencies, hope to start blood drives at schools for both Seniors, and Juniors. It may also increase Utah teen's sense of community and purpose. Utah would not be the first to adopt this legislation; in fact, thirty nine other states have already passed a similar bill.

H.B. 64 passed the House with no opposition (seventy two to zero). It earned favorable recommendation from Senate Standing Committee, and as of February 10, 2011 is standing by for its second reading in the Senate. We are very excited about the possibilities of this bill and what it may contribute to our community!

 

MAA Application 2010-11

Here is the application for Mestizo Arts & Activism 2010-11. Download and fill out and you can email back to mattb@mestizoarts.org or print it out and drop it off to Mestizo Coffeehouse (in the Citifront apartment complex at 600 n. and 600 w. ). You can also email mattb@mestizoarts.org if you would like a .doc version of the app.


MAA App 10-11 Lighter Logo

MICA mini-golf fundraiser at the Salt Lake Art Center

Hey all you golf pros and MICA supporters (even if you're no good at golf like me). Time to come out and help support MICA and MAA through the "Contemporary Masters" mini-golf fundraiser being hosted by the Salt Lake Art Center. The Salt Lake Art Center has commissioned 18 local artists to create a hole for the mini-golf course, and Tuesday, July 6th for a mere $10 you can come and play the course and help support MICA. All proceeds from Ticket sales to go benefit MICA programming, specifically MAA. So bring your families, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. etc. for a great, affordable night of fun that also benefits an amazing organization.

Here's a little more information about the event:

Time to get your game on! Grab some friends and come to the only miniature golf course in downtown Salt Lake City. The 337 Project and Salt Lake Art Center commissioned 18 contemporary artists to design 18 fully playable miniature golf holes! The show is called Contemporary Masters and local Latino artist Jimmy Lucero designed one of the holes. The Art Center is opening the exhibit to a local nonprofit Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts (MICA) on TUESDAY July 6th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm for a fundraiser.

For only $10 ($5 for kids) you will get to play 18 holes of miniature golf as well as enjoy the whole museum. All proceeds will go towards supporting MICA-sponsored after school art and social activism programs for teens on the West Side. It's a pretty inexpensive way to have fun and help others. There will be food, posters, and cards for purchase. The catch is that we have to sell the tickets in advance so stop by Mestizo Coffee House (601 West North Temple) to purchase tickets or email Mary.Lucero@utah.edu and she will reserve them for you at the door.

For more info about the mini-golf exhibit, check out the Contemporary Masters blog.

Mestizo West Side Arts Festival

We're excited to soon be celebrating the 2nd anniversary of MICA, and this year, to really celebrate, we're going to throw a block party: Saturday, July 10th, 11:00 am-10:00 pm. Check out more info about the Mestizo West Side Arts Festival at the website.

And if you're interested in helping out and volunteering, fill out the volunteer form at this link.

Upcoming "Labeled" community dialogue in Ogden and Provo

Wow, what a great event last friday night at Mestizo Coffeehouse. Thanks to the poets, musicians, youth filmmakers, panelists, and everyone who attended. It was a great evening of dialogue and discussion about media representations of youth of color. If you missed out, don't despair, we're having two more community dialogues this week, Thursday night in Ogden and Friday night in Provo:

Thursday, May 20th 6- 8 pm
The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

Friday, May 21st 6-8 Pm
U.V.U Ragan Theater
800 W. University Pkwy, Orem


Check below for fliers and more info regarding Ogden event:

Labeled : Telling Our Own Story
A Film & Dialogue about Media Representations of Youth of Color

Thursday, May 20th 6- 8 pm

The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

Join us to engage in an evening of spoken word performances and discussion with young people about how the stereotypes perpetuated by the media impact youth of color and our communities.

Invited speakers include scholar Matt Bradley, former Ogden Councilman Jesse Garcia, Brown Beret activists Daniel Argueta and Isaac Girón, & youth activists/artists.

Refreshments will be served. All are welcome !

The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

For more information contact Yamila Martínez at: y.martinez@utah.edu or (801) 867-5072

This community dialogue is made possible with support from the Utah Humanities Council.

"Labeled" Community Dialogue this Friday!!

For directions to Mestizo, see the post below.