Tom Hayden's Blog

Be sure to check out TOM HAYDEN's WEBSITE & BLOG which has lots of updates on the Alex Sanchez Case.
Tom has been a long time supporter of Alex and is one of his biggest allies. His writings are important to read and share.

Here's the lastest update re: Judge Real's surreal behavior/actions...


http://tomhayden.com/home/2009/12/9/judge-real-takes-back-alex-sanchez-case.html

Planning the Exhibit Installation

So we've been planning more for the exhibition... brainstorming and fine tuning things more to see what would be best for the exhibit installation we will be creating.

Here is some images we put together as an exercise to see what kinds of images we could make with all the posters created thus far. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Political Posters

We have since created a few more posters as well as t-shirts and some bike cards to be shared with the community to educate others about the FREE ALEX campaign.

Here is a selection:

Project & Programming Plans

In our conversations with Homies Unidos and We Are Alex we saw that our own organizing and artistic skills and experience could most help the organizations and so after much brainstorming, planning and thought, we plan on doing the following...

THE PROJECTS INCLUDE:


Postering & Stickers, t-shirts (documentation)
( towards beginning)










Bike card





Screenings of “Fruits of War” Video at 18th street Art Center EARLY, possibly (Th. 1/28/10?)
*figure out dates to possibly show other locations



Street theater /guerrilla theater (w/Alejandro) At opening
-Recording of it
Plot performance art in institutional courtyards (LACMA, Hammer, etc.)



Temporary tattoos w/ key words like “18th St. Art Center”



Sample drawing of possible tattoo:





Projection of tattoos/paintings on bodies/walls (see installation plan ideas)










Videos: “crazy baldhead” - possibly w/ street corner guerrilla showings

Here's some sample shaved head photos from the video shoot:






Panel discussion (Mike de la Rocha) MID FEBRUARY
Possible dates:
Thur. 2/11
Sat. 2/13
Thurs. 2/18
Sat. 2/20

Looking to do at a high profile locations perhaps Redcat, Hammer, JANM, etc.




******************************************************************************

After brainstorming, we presented and planned and got feedback. Over the vacation we met and brainstormed and planned somemore (a non-stop process here)...and came up with some line drawings of different ways we could install at 18th Street Art Center. Rodrigo compiled them in some sketches and here are the most updated plans:





We are moving forward and excited and busy....

Art Workshop

There’s been lots of developments with our project. We’ve come along way since our first thoughts and meetings with Homies Unidos.

Rodrigo and I brainstormed lots of ideas on how to use our artistic and organizing skills to benefit Homies Unidos and the We Are Alex Campaign. We came up with many; some the usual political propaganda issues and the others pushing the edge of identity and assumptions on gang members, Raza communities and youth.

One of our other projects was to do an Art Program for Homies Unidos, as they really asked and were interested in reinvigorating a program they had in the past. Rodrigo and I created a template of an art program with about four workshops. The program focuses on identity, culture and community.

The organization has had a art program before, below are some examples of the work done.




Our first workshop date was November 18th but because of the lack of participants and many transitions happening within the organization, we have decided to postpone the workshops, turn in all our workshop templates/sample lesson plans and see how else we could help both Homies Unidos and the We Are Alex Campaign. We are currently reformulating how to do the art workshops at a later date.






Here are the basics of our art workshop plan:


DAILY THEMES/PROJECTS

DAY 1) SELF
a. Art Breaking Activity which is an introduction to mark making and to fast portraiture. It works to loosen the hand and break down concept of what “ART” is and is not. (RM) Rodrigo should sample there & have samples. 30-40min
i. Playing 4 square (RM)
ii. Partner Portraits (RM) ex: time/contour
b. Intro to us and to program/project background/ideas/possibilities (exhibit, help w/ Alex, etc.) (RM/FM) 10 min
c. Presentation/sharing on varied sample portraits from world/history, etc. (RM/FM) 15-20 min
d. Closing reflection on identity, culture, community and our workshop themes. “Where are you from?” hood, city, county, state, country, culture, subculture, etc….. PREP for Next session’s walk and theme. (RM/FM)
e. Drawing exercises--- 2 room views exercise (RM)
f. “I am” reflective writing prompt…. (FM)


BRING:
Images for presentation, camera, paper and chalk, pencils, lined paper.


DAY 2) BARRIO WALK/ MAPPING
g. Discussion re: community/urban planning our hoods
i. Introduce ‘zine possibility
h. Prep regarding photo taking, use of cameras, goals, etc.
i. Walk outside and begin walk
i. Sample of what to look at/look for/how to look/take pics by us
ii. Architectually, socially/politically, artistically/design wise
j. Guided Walk around neighborhood (should have handouts to write note re: picture and things they saw)
k. Return to Homies Unidos for discussion/debrief through visual share out/mapping (see ex. Suzanne Lacy’s “Prostitution notes”)
l. Begin your draft map of your hood.
m. Visual or written REFLECTION on “My hood”
2) HW: Ask students to look into their own culture/family heritage….and get stories/information.


DAY 3) GROUP MAPPING (El Salvador /Central America)
a. Discussion of Mayan culture
b. Discussion of violence/civil war
c. Place in world/its relation to U.S.
Possibly:
o Watch “Fruits of Labor”
o Guest Speaker(s):
• Maria Guardado
REFLECTION (written or visual)


DAY 4) MAYA MOBILE presentation
d. Presentation on Mayan culture
e. Ceramic tile or other project created

DAY 5) LACMA FIELDTRIP
f. Focus on Mayan Exhibit; compare different exhibits
g. Reflections

DAY 6) FINAL COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
h. Created/Brainstormed together with participants.
i. Samples ideas may include stencils, paper mache or other traditional/non-traditional art forms/tools for use in a community project
i. Ex: Homies Unidos &/or We are Alex stencils, shirts, etc.

* Day’s may take longer than one session and we hope to have 2+alternate dates for the project to manifest.

ARTivism 10/18 and Bail Hearing 10/19

On Sunday, October 18^th, I headed out to Inglewood to the Chuco Justice Center for an Art Meeting regarding the Alex Sanchez case put together by the We Are Alex Campaign (www.wearealex.org) and members of the center. I was only able to stay for a few hours but was really excited to be in that space of youth energy, creation and art based on education, empowerment and resistance.

As soon as I got there we worked on fixing up the parts of a huge paper mache bear that was started as part of the art class for an alternative high school at the center. The center had a graffiti expo the day or 2 before and even the bear had been hit up so our first job was to paint over the tags on the bear and make the various parts look cohesive again so it would actually look like a bear in the end.

After only a few hours… what we thought started to look like big boulders, then maybe a rat, turned into a perfect paper mache political action piece for Alex’s bail hearing. In the end the bear looked like a real teddy bear and bore signs that said “We can’t bear this” and “Free Alex Sanchez.”

Other Xeroxed masks of Alex were made so that we could all wear them and connect with the theme that “We are all Alex.”

Overall the art component created by people from ages 3 to 33 were very useful for the rally and press conference on the date of the Bail hearing on Monday, October 19^th.

________________________________________

THE BAIL HEARING

Walking up to the sight of the bail hearing rally, I was a bit rushed and pretty apprehensive. I knew in my heart that Alex should be free, and that he is a good man doing good things, with so many important supporters and allies across the nation. Still, knowing first hand from my families involvement in issues with political prisoners, I felt that perhaps even after everything we are doing, art, events, fundraisers, outreach, promotion and organizing… there are bigger hands and dealings at stake. And I was right…

After a few statements by key We Are Alex supporters including Alex’s brother, and gang intervention workers from Northern California as well as a prayer led by a movement veteran, a few were allowed into the hearing. The group of supporters was pretty varied from youth, to elders, activists to gang intervention workers as well as artists and families.

I left, thinking the best I could do now is pray and let people know what is going on. Later that night… facebook posts of all things, informed me that Alex’s bail had been denied…..and all I could do was cry….out of anger, of empathy, and of justice being denied. From my families experienes, I feel I first hand know some of the struggle and life of political prisoners, and was getting to know the great work that Homies Unidos was doing first hand… all I could think was how unfair this was and that there were hands and dealings up above that were making this happen.

Sure enough youtube videos shared with me the truth from the mouth of Tom Hayden and Alex’s brother who shared the almost insane shenanigans that took place within the court room. Please check out the videos posted here for yourself to hear more on the lack of justice and biases.

VIDEO AFTER THE HEARING with Tom Hayden and Alex's family.

More than anything, my heart is heavy because of Alex’s bail denial but also because of its part in the bigger picture of injustices that are happening across the world and even in our own back yard. This work and connections with the people involved in Homies Unidos and We Are Alex has reinvigorated some of my passion to work towards justice and to get working on some creative ways to support the movement.

We Are Alex Meeting

The following Sunday Felicia and I went to the CARECEN’s building where the We Are Alex (wearealex.org) group was meeting to organize and gain momentum before his bail hearing. A large group of us filled this large newly remodeled space, a handful of his family members joined in and we were fortunate to hear from both Julia from We Are Alex San Francisco and Alex himself was able to call us from the correction facility about his situation and the importance to support Homies Unidos. Alex stressed the he was meeting others inside with similar struggles and that being inside reinforced his passion to organize and work with gang members and former prisoners. He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the various circles of support and for those that were helping his family in this time of need.

I was very impressed by the commitment of several people who came to the meeting not the mention the two young leaders of the meeting and the group. Much conversation about Alex’s integrity as a community leader and his devotion to finding a way to insure a fair trial in the face of what seemed to be systematic discrimination against him, his community and the very nature of these gang intervention programs. As we all sat in a circle in the middle of the room on metal fold out chairs, kids ran around in the background as we spoke about our questions or concerns mostly pertaining to individuals finding the best way to help the cause. An underlying tenacity in maintaining hope for Alex was present throughout the meeting, exemplified when, still in a circle, we held hands and said two words concerning our cause before we set off.


Alex's brother holds a mic to a cellphone while Alex speaks to the group.

Fundraiser

On Friday, October 9^th, Rodrigo and I supported, volunteered at and attended a fundraiser for a project of Homies Unidos.  The event which took place at Salon Acapulco in the northern area of South Central Los Angeles was an important community event put on by Homies Unidos and El Comite de Mujeres Patricia Marin.   The event was a billed as a mini concert in support of incarcerated women and their children in E Salvador and featured local community performers, including mainly hip hop acts of young activist/artists.  Rodrigo volunteered doing various things including set up, signage, and helping in the kitchen.  I shared some poetry as well as set up a vending booth regarding other causes and related issues and creations.

While unloading outside, cop cars were messing with some young gang members a few businesses down on the corner.  First thing I thought of was how messed up it was that here we are at a Homies Unidos event and what if some of the homies got caught up or picked up by the cops.   It was a reality check for me and oddly enough it seemed that everyone kept their distance from that area and it wasn’t anyone from Homies that were being questioned.   

The event had a smaller turnout then expected and for the large space that it was.  Still there were members of the Homies Unidos community there to support and especially to come together in a positive space to commune and convene at this important transitional time for the organization.

While there Rodrigo and I met key members of Homies Unidos as well as the larger community of supporters including past employees, current homies and others who have worked and supported Homies Unidos through the years.  It was an important event to be a part of on many levels and I feel that working with Homies Unidos at this key time in their history as an organization (with their director, Alex Sanchez being jailed on trumped up charges) is very important, supportive and potentially life changing for both Rodrigo and I’s worldview and work with community based organizations and political and social justice causes. 

      

Police harrassing youth near the Homies Unidos event.

Aztec dance opened the event with a blessing.

 

 

Our First Meeting with Homies

We had our first visit with Homies Unidos on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at their offices near downtown. We met with Mirna Solorzano, Juan, and Natalie Contreras who was on the phone as she was sick. The meeting went really well. We got some background info to the organization and there was a general interest that we help in organizing or revamping an art program that had dissipated in the last few years. Juan spoke to us about Prisoner art, about how the correction facilities where filled to the brim with amazing art works stuck behind bars like the inmates. He also spoke about graffiti and a need to help garner respect for this form of art and its enthusiasts. We attempted to express the nature of our project, the foundational aspect of dialogue and that we were open to working with ideas or issues outside the realm of the particularly artistic. Though these ideas may have been brought up, I think that the Homies Unidos members were specifically interested in having us use our artistic skills towards workshops or design. Seeing as art-making seems to be a specific service their organization is looking build, the kind of pigeon holding to our traditional trades is not at all a problem. The important part is to begin a relationship, then a project and be able to leave something useful behind. At the end of the meeting I quickly met Alexandro Alvarado the Program director, he spoke to me about his interest in acting and theatre. I notice he had a poster made by Emory Davis in his office, a good sign.

INTRODUCTION

Rodrigo –

Our first assignment as a class was to research community based organizations (CBOs), in the city, that we had personal interest in. After presenting the organizations I had originally leaned towards I was advised by Andrea to find the area or community that I feared the most. This seemed like a legitimate way of embarking on a community project so I immediately looked to my classmate Felicia’s list of organizations and her commitment to causes dealing with issues within the Chican@/Raza community of Los Angeles and understood that this area, as a non-visual minority born in Mexico and raised in Canada was the space that held the most personal weight from which to embark on a work.


Felicia—

My own interest in choosing Homies Unidos as an organization to work with for this project comes from a few passions of mine. First, working with vulnerable youth populations, including those involved with youth and gang culture. Second, their work on immigration reform issues and third, the “We Are Alex” campaign working to free the director of Homies Unidos, Alex Sanchez who I believe is a political prisoner of sorts in the new L.A.