Breakthrough

Lynn and Marc just came back from their trip to Breakthrough’s India office and they brought back totally awesome colorful swag!

- Nadia

thinkmexican:

Over the Line

Why are U.S. Border Patrol agents shooting into Mexico and killing innocent civilians?

By John Carlos Frey

Until moments before U.S. Border Patrol agents shot him dead on the night of October 10, 2012, Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez had passed a pleasant evening in his hometown of Nogales, Mexico. He had visited his girlfriend, Luz, and watched television with her family; at around eleven o’clock, he asked Luz if she wanted to join him in his nightly routine of grabbing a hot dog at the convenience store where his brother worked. When she declined, he set out alone on the five-minute walk down International Avenue.

At about the same time, right across the border, a Nogales, Arizona, police officer named Quinardo Garcia responded to a call about “suspicious subjects” running south toward the fourteen-foot wall that divides the two towns. At 11:19 p.m., Border Patrol agents, including K-9 Officer John Zuniga, arrived as backup.

“I passed Officer Garcia’s patrol vehicle and I saw two male subjects climbing the international fence and were trying to get over to the country of Mexico,” Zuniga wrote in his report. “I gave them numerous commands to climb down.… I then decided to deploy my assigned canine, Tesko, and hold him on a leash and secure the area in case the male subjects climbed down. Moments later, additional Border Patrol Agents arrived on the scene.”

The two Mexican men were carrying large backpacks, according to the police report. Garcia and Zuniga stated that they presumed the packs contained illegal narcotics and that the two men were trying to evade capture. “I then heard several rocks start hitting the ground and I looked up and I could see the rocks flying through the air,” Zuniga’s account continues. “As I tried to get cover between a brick wall and small dirt hill, I heard an agent say, ‘Hey your canine’s been hit! Your canine’s been hit!’ ”

Border Patrol agents responded by opening fire across the border into the dark streets of Nogales, Mexico. No agents or officers claimed they’d been struck by rocks—the dog was the only one hit. By the time the agents were done firing, Jose Antonio had received two bullets to the back of the head; at least six more bullets entered the back of his body after he fell to the ground.

He landed facedown on the sidewalk, and died there, outside a small clinic whose sign read “Emergencias Medicas.” He was unarmed, according to the Nogales, Mexico, police report. Border Patrol officials, as of this writing, have declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation by the FBI, which has also declined to comment.

Read More at the Washington Monthly

Photo: Ernestina Santillan stands on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, where her son, Juan Pablo, was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents last July. Credit: John Carlos Frey.

Happy May Day all! Time to take it to the streets. See you there?

Here’s Mallika with Alex at the North Star Fund annual gala last night where she was honored for her more than 30 years of work of advancing human rights for women and girls.

-Nadia

Here’s Mallika warming up to receive her award tonight from @northstarfund!

With developments in Boston getting more & more frightening, it’s even more important for all of us to take action to end the violence and the hate. Our hearts are with you, Boston.

We couldn’t resist #freeconeday on the first real spring day in New York City. Oh, and doing some taste testing for the soon-to-be Breakthrough Brownie Chunk flavor! -Dana, Ishita, and Nadia

stidda-bedda:

“Chiddu chi fa beddu u disertu,” rissi u principinu, “è c’ammuccia ‘n puzzu a quarchi banna.”

“What makes the desert beautiful,” says the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well.”

Quote from The Little Prince, or, U Principinu, in Sicilian.