Red Cross Volunteer From Milwaukee Confirmed Puerto Rico In Worst Condition Than Reported

A Milwaukee Red Cross volunteer who was deployed to Puerto Rico confirmed that people in rural areas at the island haven't seen any relief aid, since Hurricane Maria hit.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 17, 2017

San Juan, Puerto Rico - As President Donald Trump goes golfing on his vacation getaways in the U.S., thousands of U.S. Citizens living in rural areas in Puerto Rico continue to suffer due to lack of relief aid including food, water, electricity, cellphone and internet service and other items that hasn't reach them at all. Yussef Morales, a volunteer from Milwaukee, WI who was deployed to Puerto Rico on October 13 by the Red Cross confirmed that people at the island, especially those living in rural areas since Hurricane Maria struck hadn't seen any FEMA, military or local relief aid workers until he and other Red Cross volunteers happened to reach those areas. Morales and the volunteers are assigned to Hato Rey, a ward in the municipality of San Juan and carry a Satellite phone when on a mission to locate missing persons. When they come upon displaced people on the road or go into rural areas, Morales and his crew allow fellow disaster victims the opportunity to call relatives in the U.S. to let them know they're alive and "Ok."

Victor Huyke, Publisher of El Conquistador Newspaper who is related to Morales posted the following update, according to Morales. Huyke on his Facebook account posted, "Yussef Gave Us An Update

Just got a phone call from Yussef Morales. The situation in Puerto Rico is far worse than being reported.

Four weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island of Puerto Rico, many people living in rural areas have not seen any aid.

Yussef said that many people tell him and his team that they are the first rescuers they have seen since the hurricane passed and knock out the water and power.

"It is messed up everywhere. There is not one place that we have gone to that wasn't destroyed by the hurricane," said Yussef. "Mudslides, floods, downed trees, houses that have no roofs. Nothing. People see us and start asking for help, water, and food,"

Staying in a church that has a generator that runs only at night so they can have air conditioning, 100 people are stuffed into the poorly lit church. A mix of Red Cross volunteers, and people that lost everything.

"We go out every day to find people that are listed missing. We try to find as many as we can in a day. But there is so much stuff blocking the roads, that we have to walk most of the time," said Yussef. With a list of names, Yussef and his team try to find the missing. "When we find them, we have a satellite phone and we have them call their families to let them know they are alive." 

But being alive in this devastation is just barely living. The help is not getting to the people fast enough or not at all.

"I have seen some '$#|+' like out of a horror movie. People so thin they looked like zombies. Children running around with almost no clothes. No schools are open. I watched a woman wash her clothes in the rain because that was the only water she had. She had a blanket where her roof use to be. Her kids were under the blanket, but the blanket was so wet, that her kids were still getting wet."

"Stuff is not reaching the people. Not enough help. Some areas are so hard to get too, that nothing can get in. We walked up a mountain to reach one family... Let me tell you, nothing makes you feel as good as seeing the people's faces when they talk to their family"

I (Huyke) will update everyone as Yussef calls.

In other news from Puerto Rico:

Heavily armed private security mercenaries and non-armed security from the private firm Academi (also known as Blackwater), has been contracted by the Federal Protective Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide security and protect the fuel and water supplies in the island. 

The Mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulín Cruz has called on UNICEF and other countries for relief aid as Trump's administration, FEMA and the military are slowly working to fix the electrical grid and gradually transport food and water to rural areas and other parts of Puerto Rico where is desperately needed.

On Friday, Olga Tañon, a Merengue style singer claimed in a Facebook posted video that loads of food donations were being stolen by an organized criminal group that operates at the Aguadilla Airport in Puerto Rico and called on local and federal authorities to investigate.
Don Omar, another singer who worked with Tañon to get food donations in the U.S. and flew the supplies to the island also made the same claims about food and water containers disappearing in Aguadilla.
The Department of Justice in Puerto Rico (DOJPR) confirmed that a prosecutor has been assigned by DOJPR Secretary Wanda Vázquez to investigate food, water and items from FEMA being discarded in trash containers and not bring distributed by those working with the municipality of Patillas. Investigators found discarded FEMA food boxes and other items in a container (video), also food packages were left outside without protection from rain and rats were seen scavenging and contaminating food items, which were also damped. Anyone caught dumping or destroying FEMA supplies will face charges and up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.

Editor's note:

It is a disgrace and shame that the U.S. has the largest armed forces ready to be deployed if war is declared in any part of the world including a $600B budget approved by Congress, but is not equipped to invade Puerto Rico with relief aid, convoy trucks, all terrain vehicles to create field food kitchens in different parts of an island after the Hurricane Maria devastation, which is a U.S. Common Wealth and tent cities to protect U.S. Citizens in Puerto Rico from the elements.
Shame on Trump and the U.S. Congress for not declaring a rapid relief aid deployment as soon as possible.
If Congress can declare war, Congress can declared a rapid relief aid for Puerto Rico as well.
"Puerto Rican lives Matter"

Food Relief Donations Stolen By Organized Crime Operation At The Aguadilla Airport In Puerto Rico

An employee at the Aguadilla Airport in Puerto Rico exposed that an organized criminal group have been stealing loads of food, water and other items donated for the relief effort in the island.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 15, 2017

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico - On Friday, Olga Tañon, a Puerto Rican Merengue style singer denounced that an organized criminal operation at the Aguadilla Airport in the island of Puerto Rico has been involved in stealing food donations. Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has also learned that other organized criminal groups have been doing the same thing concerning stolen food donations in other parts of Puerto Rico.  According to Tañon and other reports, large loads of relief aid consisting of food, water and other items in donations have been stolen from the airport warehouse. An employee at the Aguadilla notified Tañon and other groups that have been donating items and food including water that their supplies are being stolen by an organized criminal element. 

Tañon in a Facebook video called for local and federal authorities to investigate and stop such crimes against the people of Puerto Rico. Don Omar, another singer has also claimed that loads of food donations have disappeared and unaccounted for 

from the Aguadilla Airport.

Also, reports that packages send through mail to Puerto Rico are being opened and items stolen.

Apparently, stealing food donations and selling them on the black market had become a lucrative business for criminal organzations and corrupt officials.

Anti-immigrant SB 275 Bill In Wisconsin Forces Law Enforcement To Commit Illegal Act

Republican Wisconsin State Senator Stephen L. Nass who introduced SB 275, which is considered an anti-immigrant Sanctuary City bill wants to force law enforcement officials to commit an illegal act.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 14, 2017

Madison, WI - On Thursday, hundreds of Latinos and non-Latinos gave testimony at the Wisconsin State Senate Labor and Regulatory Reform Committee (LRRC) hearing on proposed Senate Bill 275, which is considered and an anti-immigrant bill, if approved by the state Republican controlled legislature and signed into law by Governor Scott Walker (R), it would force law enforcement officials to commit an illegal act. The SB 275 bill was sponsored by State Senator Stephen L. Nass from La Grange, Wisconsin.

If SB 275 is approved, the Sanctuary City bill will prohibit resolutions, ordinances and policies that prohibit the enforcement of federal immigration federal laws by local and county governments, which would also allow elected officials to take legal action for non-compliance and provide a penalty to reduce share revenue payments.

The SB 275/AB 190 Relating to: prohibiting local ordinances, resolutions, and policies that prohibit the enforcement of federal or state law relating to illegal aliens or immigration status, authorizing certain elective officeholders to commence an enforcement action, providing a reduction in shared revenue payments, and creating governmental liability for damages caused by illegal aliens.

Most who gave testimony in front of the LRRC were against the bill and several were in favor including an alt-right group known as FIRM and the Badger State Sheriffs' Association, Wisconsin Sheriff's and Deputy Sheriff's Association, which released a statemental saying, "We are not in favor of illegal immigration and do not support communities designating themselves as a "refuge" for illegal aliens. However, we have questions relating to thensure provision in the bill requiring compliance with any lawful detained issued by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  (ICE). While we susport federal efforts to apprehend, hold, and deport criminals, the issue we are concerned that we cannot lawfully hold someone beyond what is allowed relating to their state charges and for the additional 48 hours under the bill for ICE to take physical custody of the person, without violating the person's Constitutional rights. Case law from across the country has found that the prolonged detention without probably cause or warrant is unconstitutional."  The Galarza v. Szalczyk (2014) federal case in Pennsylvania became a landmark decision to declare that ICE detainers are merely requests and had no legal standing. Ernesto Galarza from New Jersey who is of Puerto Rican decent and U.S. Citizen  was held illegally for three days in 2008 at the Lehigh County Prison over the constitutional limit due to a ICE request. 

According to the ACLU in Pennsylvania  who filed a lawsuit in behalf of Galarza reported that "in April 2012, the district court ruled largely in Galarza's favor and denied most of the individual defendants' motions to dismiss, holding that the local police investigator (Allentown police) who called ICE and ICE agent who issued the detainer could both be held liable for violating Galarza's rights under the Fourth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause.  The district court granted Lehigh County's motion to dismiss, however, and we appealed that portion of the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
"In May 2014, the Third Circuit ruled in our favor, holding that states and localities are not required to imprison people based on ICE detainers.  The court recognized that ICE detainers are merely requests, that Lehigh County was free to disregard the ICE detainer, and that it therefore shares in the responsibility for violating Galarza's Fourth Amendment and due process rights.  The Third Circuit's decision was the first Court of Appeals decision in the country to squarely address this issue, " the ACLU in Pennsylvania reported.

Senator Nass also wants to penalize local and county governments for not enforcing federal immigration laws and who enact Sanctuary City ordinances, resolutions and policies, which could face between $500 up to $5,000 per day loss of share revenue from the state.

A federal judge in California place an injunction on President Donald Trump executive order that threaten to cut federal grant funding to sanctuary cities, county and municipalities, if they refused to enforce federal immigration laws, which enforcement is reserved for the federal government and not the states. The New York Times reported in April 2017 that, federal "judge, William H. Orrick of United States District Court, wrote that the president had overstepped his powers with his January executive order on immigration by tying billions of dollars in federal funding to immigration enforcement. Judge Orrick said only Congress could place such conditions on spending.

"The ruling, which applies nationwide, was another judicial setback for the Trump administration..."

Senator Nass's SB 275 bill was created as a copycat bill from Texas and based in an incident that happened in California involving the July 1, 2015 fatal shooting incident of Kathryn Steinle who was shot and killed in San Francisco by Francisco Sánchez, an undocumented immigrant who was a convicted felon who was previously deported five times by ICE. Nass blamed the San Francisco District Attorney's office for refusing to prosecute a drug charge. Sánchez was released by ICE after serving a third prison term for entering the country illegally. San Francisco is a sanctuary city.

What Senator Nass failed to understand is that the federal government including ICE failed to apply the stiff sentences for re-entering the country illegally. According to ICE, if a person enters the country illegally, the first violation is a federal civil offense, which a person gets deported at a cost of more than $10,000 per person, the second re-entry violation is a federal offense with a penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison and a third violation, an undocumented immigrant can get a federal prison term of 20 years in prison. So, who actually is at fault in the Sánchez case, it was the failure of the federal government and ICE including the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security not to fully apply the law and prison terms for re-entering the U.S. and not the local, county of state governments as Senator Nass's argument to propose the SB 275 in Wisconsin attempts to imply.

No doubt, Senator Nass is trying to create a separate state immigration enforcement bill, which is an overreach of federal immigration laws that will definitely be challenged in a federal court as the similar Texas anti-immigrant SB 4 bill has been challenged and an injunction has been applied after the cities of El Cenizo, San Antonio and Houston filed lawsuits claiming it violated the 1st, 4th and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution including other violations as well.

Luz Sosa, Community Organizer for Acción Ciudadana de Wisconsin, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, candidate for the Milwaukee County 12th Supervisor District and H. Nelson Goodson, from HNNUSA and immigrant rights activist testify against WI State Senate proposed anti-immigrant SB 275 bill https://youtu.be/dWEwDdHKUOY

LULAC Wisconsin and MALDEF testify against SB 275  http://bit.ly/2hI1s91

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera tells Wisconsin State Senator Stephen L. Nass (R) that his SB 275 is a racist bill http://bit.ly/2gG4HOK

Oak Creek High School Basketball Coach Michael Jossie Charged With Two Counts Of Sexual Assault Of A Child

Jossie confessed to police that he had sex multiple times with a 15-year-old  female student.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 13, 2017

Oak Creek, WI - On Friday, Michael Jossie, 39, was charged with two felony counts for 2nd-sexual assault of a child. If convicted, Jossie is facing up to 40 years in prison for each count and up to $100,000 in fines for each count, according to court records. A warrant was issued for Jossie's arrest as of Friday.

According to the criminal complaint, the sexual affair came to light when a custodian noticed Jossie in a classroom with a 15-year-old female student who had her skirt up to her torso. The custodian reported the incident to school officials.

When police interviewed the female student, she told them that Jossie and her had been having an affair for over year and that they had sex multiple times. Jossie also confessed to police and confirmed that he had sex multiple times with the student.

The female student told police that he had also taken her to a hotel where they engaged in sex.

Jossie is listed on the Oak Creek a high School website as a teacher and a basketball coach. Tim Culver, the Oak Creek School District Superintendent confirmed that Jossie has been place on administrative leave.

Deceased Victim Pulled From KK River In Milwaukee Identified As Ernesto Garcia

Garcia was pronounced deceased after being pulled from the Kinnickinnic River over the weekend along with another man who survived.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 12, 2017

Milwaukee, WI - One of two men who died after being pulled from the Kinnickinnic River has been identified as Ernesto Garcia, 43, according to family members. Milwaukee police pulled both men from the river last Saturday just after 5:00 p.m. A 36-year-old man is expected to survive.

According to police, a death investigation in ongoing to determine what happened on October 7 that led to the death of Garcia.  Milwaukee police officers and the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the area of S. Chase Avenue and S. 1st Street for several subjects in the Kinnickinnic River. Garcia and a 36-year-old man were pulled from the river and Garcia was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital. The younger man was conveyed to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Police continue with the investigation, but the death does not appear to be suspicious at this time.

Oak Creek High School Coach Michael Jossie Arrested For Inappropriate Touching Of Student

Jossie was taken into custody and multiple charges are pending against the Oak Creek High School basketball coach for inappropriate touching of a student.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 11, 2017

Oak Creek, WI - On Tuesday, Michael Jossie, 39, was taken into custody by the Oak Creek Police and booked into the Milwaukee County jail after he was arrested on allegations of inappropriate touching of a student. Police and Oak Creek school administrators learned of the allegations and informed parents that Jossie had been placed on administrative durties pending the outcome of the investigation. Police in the preliminary investigation determined that Jossie had made inappropriate contact with a student while on school property, according to the criminal complaint. Police continue to investigate whether Jossie had additional inappropriate contact with other students as well during school hours and after school.

Jossie is listed on the Oak Creek a high School website as a teacher and a basketball coach. Tim Culver, the Oak Creek School District Superintendent confirmed that Jossie has been place on administrative leave due an ongoing investigation by the school district and police.

Wisconsin State Senate Hearing Scheduled To Discuss Proposed Anti-immigrant Sanctuary City Bill SB 275/AB 190

State Senate will hold a hearing on anti-immigrant "Sanctuary City" bill SB 275/AB 190 in Madison.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 9, 2017

Madison, WI - On Thursday, the State Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform will hold a hearing on anti-immigrant "Sanctuary City" bill SB 275/AB 190 at 9:30 a.m., room 412 East at the State Capitol, which is open to the public. If approved, the Sanctuary City bill will prohibit resolutions, ordinances and policies that prohibit the enforcement of federal immigration federal laws by local and county governments, which would also allow elected officials to take legal action for non-compliance and provide a penalty to reduce share revenue payments.

The SB 275/AB 190 Relating to: prohibiting local ordinances, resolutions, and policies that prohibit the enforcement of federal or state law relating to illegal aliens or immigration status, authorizing certain elective officeholders to commence an enforcement action, providing a reduction in shared revenue payments, and creating governmental liability for damages caused by illegal aliens.

The Sanctuary City bill is being pushed forward by anti-immigrant State Republican Senators who sponsored the bill including State Assembly Republican Representatives. State Senators Nass, Stroebel, Craig and Vukmir; cosponsored by State Representatives Spiros, Kremer, E. Brooks, Edming, Gannon, Jacque, Mursau, Neylon, Quinn, Skowronski, Tusler, Weatherston and Hutton.