After Antonio Ocampo, a day laborer, served a short sentence for simple battery, a judge ordered him released from the Orleans Parish Prison last August. Yet he was unlawfully incarcerated for nearly 100 more days, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested that the prison hold him while it investigated whether he was violating immigration laws.
The ICE request, known as an "immigration detainer," instructs a jail or prison to hold a particular detainee for only an additional 48 hours after the detainee's release date. Its stated purpose is to provide adequate time for ICE agents to determine whether to take the individual into federal custody and begin formal deportation proceedings. Yet after the 48-hour detainer expired, the Orleans sheriff failed to release Ocampo.
After a battle between the Workers' Center and the Orleans Parish Prison, a federal judge found Ocampo's constitutional right to due process had been violated. Ocampo was finally freed on November 15.
“This win was really not just about Antonio Ocampo," Soni said, "but, as one of our members put it, about who ‘we the people’ are in the U.S. Constitution. ‘We the people’ includes all people. And an immigrant held in illegal custody has as much right to the Constitution as a person at home with kids leading a normal life.”
Listen an audio clip from my conversation with Soni, above, to learn more about how community organizing, legal advocacy, and communications strategies were used to score a victory for open society.
The New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, an Open Society Foundations grantee, is dedicated to organizing workers across race and industry to build power and participation for workers and their communities.
DANG VARMINT: HOW TO GET RID OF CHIP, DALE AND FRIENDS
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
The Record (Bergen County, NJ) 07-23-2011 DANG VARMINT: HOW TO GET RID OF CHIP, DALE AND FRIENDS Section: BETTER LIVING Type: News
Most people like chipmunks.
Me, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind if I never see Chip, Dale, Theodore, Simon and Alvin again.
This year, my garden has been inundated with the tiny varmints. And it hasn't been pretty. They've been creating dozens of underground tunnels, gnawing at my vegetables, throwing around dirt and driving my three dachshunds crazy.
After doing a little research, I've come up with these humane ways to try and thwart the little beasts:
* Shock treatment: No, I'm not talking about frying the critters (I am sure some readers can go either way with that method), but I am suggesting scaring them away. One of those plastic owl decoys would work well, but it might also keep small birds from visiting your yard. I recommend the family cat and dog as a defense. Only make sure that they are safe from traffic.
* Common scents: Homemade remedies include spraying combinations of castor oil, garlic, hot pepper, ammonia and dishwashing liquid on or near plants. Be careful about what you try to combine. There are also a few uncommon "odors" sold over-the-counter, including wolf and fox urine.
* To catch a thief: Ah, the trusty Havahart "cage" trap -- great for trapping almost anything. You'll need to make sure you have a trap that has small enough widths between the metal wires, so the chipmunks can't escape. Suggested baits include cereal, corn, peanut butter, popcorn, prune pits, unroasted peanuts and sunflower seeds. Also, be careful about relocating the animals; towns tend to frown upon transporting and releasing wildlife into their communities.
* Hear today, gone tomorrow: Go high-tech and environmentally safe with an electronic wave device. The machines send out a high- pitched sound that attacks the auditory and nervous systems of these rodents. Careful if you have pets, particularly guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils. web site how to get rid of razor bumps
* Help from the wardrobe: Moth balls aren't just for closets, dresser drawers and garment bags. Drop a few orbs in a planter or around a targeted plant -- and rodents (as well as moths) be gone. Don't forget to keep a few balls for that Christmas sweater in the attic.
* Scratch and sniff: Insert used kitty litter in the existing chipmunk holes. Not sure how sanitary this is (or how it will make your garden smell), but several people have recommended this. I guess another drawback is that you'll need to own a cat or borrow from your neighbors. Can you say awkward conversation?
* Scatter this matter: Sprinkle blood meal around plants. Blood meal is dried blood, generally obtained from slaughterhouses and sold commercially at garden centers. It washes away and dissipates easily with rain, so it will have to be reapplied from time to time.
* Can you dig it? Planting garlic, marigolds and aromatic herbs in your garden will usually deter most animals and insects, including chipmunks.
* Lather up: Spray expanding foam sealant into the chipmunks' holes to help close them up. In theory, I guess this would work, but wouldn't they just create new holes and tunnels in another part of the property?
*
R&S Landscaping is looking for the world's most beautiful hummingbirds.
The Midland Park firm has launched a summer hummingbird photo contest for children and adults.
Through Aug. 31, individuals can submit photographs of hummingbirds in their natural habitat for a chance to win the first- place prize: the free installation of a perennial bush that will attract butterflies. The second-place winner will receive a pair of gardening books that detail perennial care and garden design.
What do you expect....the battery charge involves violence!!! Too flippin bad he got FREE room and board on US tax payer dime.
He's here illegally, committs a crime, and you expect us to feel sorry for him and equate him to a regular guy at home with kids....
Let's wake up...he got what he deserved.
This is true crap yourfeeding your blind sheep followers.
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What do you expect....the battery charge involves violence!!! Too flippin bad he got FREE room and board on US tax payer dime.
He's here illegally, committs a crime, and you expect us to feel sorry for him and equate him to a regular guy at home with kids....
Let's wake up...he got what he deserved.
This is true crap yourfeeding your blind sheep followers.
Do you have the guts to leave this comment?