1970 La Voz de Aztlan

              Systematic Prisoner
By Ruben Perez
Political prisoner. This term
is one which, in this day and age,
is readily grasped by almost everyone. What we here in the
United States have much difficulty grasping is the concept and
the reality of its implications.
Traditionally and historically the
term relates to and is associated
with treason, prisoners of war,
_or persons who become prisoners
as a result of over-throwing a
particular political party.
For this reason, when one begins to talk and expand the term
and concept to encompass and be
applicable to the brothers and
sisters in prison, often one gets
either an apathetic or incredulous
reaction.
The position of the government
of this country is very clear on
this matter: there are no political crimes or prisoners.
Where the government leaves
off, we begin: Third World colonized people of this country that
are in prisons are political prisoners.
Prisoners and prisons become
political since they are tools of
politicians and the ruling class.
"Crimes" committed by an oppressed people symbolize and express the attempt to tear off the
bonds of oppression. People are
not born "criminals", no more
than one is born educated.
By seriously examining and
exploring the political-judicial
penal system of this country, the
reality of its vicious and criminal
posture is revealed. From the
informer, to the pig, the warden,
and governor, the so-called
"criminal" is a victim of a racist, materialistic system thatt
recognizes the rebellious spirit
and immediately sets its machinery in motion to dampen and contain, sometimes kill, the person
who will not submit.
To those who find and confront
the system head on, the branding
and systematic degradation of being "mentally ill", "criminal", or
both, begins. Contrary to popular
belief and the in-Vogue psychoanalytical theory, oppressed people do not commit offenses
against the state because mother
sisn't breast feed them. They are
committed because the Mother
Country does not feed nor meet
the needs of the working and exploited people.
The inability to relate to the
needs of the people is an integral
and basic philosophy of the U.S.
Capitalist Government. Of necessity it must do this in order to
keep the self-perpetrating, exploitive, and divisive class struggle in motion and working.
Looking at the judicial-penal
system from the perspective of
people responding to their needs
(that is, people committing offenses in response, or reaction,
to certain basic needs) it is within our grasp to begin to see that
people in prison are in effect
victims to the cruelest manifestation of an oppressive-suppres-
sive system. We began by trying
to deal with the concept of political prisoners; those brothers and
sisters who by virtue of their
acts have committed an act that
by the system's definition is a
political "crime". The concept
of non-politicized political prisoners is one much more elaborate
and complex. By even accepting
such an idea, we enter the vast
arena of so-called "rehabilitative" programs that conceivably
are set up to help people gone
astray; to go "straight". It is by
entering this arena and by exploring its basic tenets and philosophy
that we encounter the mentality
instilled by the ruling class to
their puppet-governmental figureheads. This mentality assumes without question the position that the persons coming into
a police station are either "sick"
or "criminal", or both.
From the police (who are the
occupying political army of the
ruling class), to the courts, to
the prisons, to the adult authority
and its parole system, to the
whole machinery of its mental
health correctional department,
LA VOZ D£
AZTLAN
it is a vast undertaking (by the
system) that has the audacity and
the nerve to call itself"rehabili-
tative" and concerned about the
"crime" in this country.
It never has been, nor will it
ever be, an effective "rehabilitative" system. Failure is inherent because its whole approach is geared to instill the
same vicious competitive values
that the person rejected in the
first place. Had the person, at
least half-heartedly, embraced
and accepted these values, he or
she wouldn't be in prison or jail.
It is from the above point of
view that we find in prisons
throughout this country thousands
upon thousands of brothers and
sisters having committed offen-
sesthat have a very definite political implication: a drug addict,
a burglar, a rapist, a murderer;
who is a human being with all
the attributes of being sensitive
and aware of the inconsistencies
and hypocrisies of the community and country into which he is
born.
This, in a general sense, typifies the non-politicized political
prisoner. It is this person that
we, the Movement, need most
desperately to reach with our
message. We must relate and
convey to our sisters and brothers that their rebellious acts
were not negative and "criminal". Their acts were positive
attitudes that have tried to deal
in an individualistic negative way
with an oppressive criminal system. The message must be: join
the Movement and in a collective,
brotherly, constructive and creative way attack and change the
system!
UNIDOS VENCEREMOS!
FRESNO STATE COLLEGE,    FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
con todo carifio
Querida Raza:
I am very happy about the fact
that we were all able to study
last night our materials on Capitalism. I am also very happy that
all of us had three full meals
and that we were able to give our
girls a ride in our new cars.
Above all, however. I am glad
and joyous that we will be receiving a degree soon so that
we "CAN HELP LA RAZA".
I am very thankful to all the
people who have helped me receive my DEGREES, which in
return have helped me become a
TRUE CAPITALIST. I am, however, very disappointed with all
these people that helped me, because they did not teach me about
LOVE. I only know how to love
myself. I am ashamed I can't
love my RAZA. I love all of you
"college students" but my mind
keeps telling me that you are not
my RAZA. Or, maybe it's that I
see you don't know how to love
either. Don't get mad! I could be
absolutely wrong.
I have told you to HATE this
CAPITALISTIC, OPPRESSIVE
nation and you told me that hate
was evil. I had two years to think
about what you told me. And you
know what? You were right! The
problem then is that I can't convince myself that we are capable
of loving. But, I could be wrong -
for you tell me that eventually
you and I will be able "to help
our Raza".
Yov must understand, MY
RAZA is being killed everyday,
everyday. None of them come to
college. None of them have three
meals a day. None of them are
on Work-Study. None of them say
they are going to help LA RAZA
tomorrow. None of them take LA
RAZA STUDIES classes because
they want to learn their culture
or because it is more comfortable than other classes.
At Fresno State College, I
could love Roberto Rubalcava,
who got canned a month ago. I
could love Katherine Panas, who
was refused a job because "it was
not in the best interest of the
college". I could love Adan Juarez, who won't have a job after
June, 1970. And even those members of the staff who won't have
a job after June, 1970.
LA RAZA I could love are your
parents and relatives that are
still starving in the fields. The
parents who are on the welfare
lines. Your brothers and cousins
who get picked up by the cops,
and then brutally beaten up. All{
of those dropouts who were driven out by the system you hope to
replace. All the addicts who needed our hand. And all of those
children who die before they can
take a breath of air.
Oh, I guess there are a lot of
people I could love but I guess |
that we are busy preparing ourselves to love our RAZA Tomorrow. Yet, I could be wrong. Maybe you already love LA RAZA. J
It's  only  that I am confused. l|
am not sure of ourselves. I am
not sure of anything anymore. I
feel we are all a bunch of smalltime Capitalists. But like I said,
I could be wrong; so please help
me and set me straight. Show me
that you love MY RAZA. But
most important, show me how you
can do it — so that I too can
love LA RAZA de BRONCE.
Un abrazo amaroso
Guillermo Martinez
LXXV/79
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1970
Three Years at Fresno State
Over the last three years a significant trend had been developing
at Fresno State College. Due to
the efforts of concerned faculty,
administrators and students, the
Mexican population at the only
State College in the Central Val-
I ley had begun to increase so that
at least it seemed that this traditionally excluded portion of the
population was going to take its
rightful place at all levels of
college life. A quick survey of
the facts bear out this optomis-
I tic and hopeful statement.
Fall 1967 saw the beginning
of Project 17, the precursor of
the current Educational Opportunity Program. The Mexican-
American Student Association
had just come into existence and
begun its works of encouraging
students to continue their education. There were 190 Mexican-American students on campus out of a total student body
of 9,000. On hand to work with
and help these 190 students were
one full-time Mexican instructor
and twenty-five Mexican support staff members. Nineteen of
the 638 students receiving financial assistance at FSC were
Mexican-Americans.
From these small but positive
steps there developed in 1968
a longer, better organized Educational Opportunity Program
under the directorship of Katherine Panas. The students of
the Mexican-American Student
Confederation and concerned
members of the faculty, administration and support staff saw
the number of Mexican-American students on campus rise to
517 out of the total 11,000 students  on   campus.
1969 seemed like the beginning
of a new era. Mexican-American student enrollment was up
to 759 students out of the 13,000
members of the student body.
The one-man Estudios de La
Raza program had developed into a six-member population to
to a six-member team working
for the students thereby helping increase the college-wide
Mexican faculty population to seven full time and ten part time
faculty members. Thirty-nine
Mexican support staff helped
meet the needs of the students.
Largely due to the initial efforts
of the students of Movimeinto
Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan
a significantly    expanded EOP
received direct state funding for
the first time in California history.
This era of progress has suddenly ended. The present administration has begun a series
of systematic moves against the
Mixlcans on the Fresno State
College Campus. The nomination of Katherine Panas, specialist in bilingual education, was
rejected. Roberto Rubalcava who
spearheaded and directed student
efforts in Sacramento and can
thereby take the lion's share
of credit of increased EOP has
been terminated. The latest pronouncement of the administration
is a return to "normal* admissions procedures — the
procedures of the pre-1967 days
when there were less than two
hundred Mexican-American students on campus and one full-
time faculty member.
The present administration has
declared war on the Mexican-
American students on campus
at FSC. It will not rest until
it has driven us from the campus.
ESTUDIOS DE LA RAZA