S.F- police injure UFW leader Dolores Huerta
1988Adam Wood 1988-10Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 10 →
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On Sept. 14, San Francisco police officers viciously attacked a demonstration outside a fund-raising dinner for presidential candidate George Bush. Among those injured was Dolores Huerta, vice president of the United Farm Workers union. Huerta, a 54-year-old grandmother, suffered two broken ribs and required surgery to remove her ruptured spleen.
The following day Richard Chavez, a Farmworker leader and brother of Cesar Chavez, reported, "People don't realize how close she came to dying. The doctors said she was 20 minutes away from bleeding to death."
Howard Wallace, field representative of the UFW, was with Dolores Huerta at the demonstration. He gave this report to Socialist Action:
"The demonstration was large and peaceful when we arrived. The sidewalks were clear. We located a radio reporter at the front of the demonstration and tried to get an interview for the Farmworkers.
"Then the police began a sweep and corraled demonstrators against the wall of the hotel. People who tried to disperse were forced to go with the crowd. Once the police had everyone corraled, they began to lunge into demonstrators with their batons. One cop began to ferociously attack Dolores.
"The police file footage of the demonstration makes it look like the cops were on vacation—it shows little brutality. This footage is contradicted by the press footage, which shows the police attacking frightened demonstrators."
The mayor and chief of police have ordered an investigation of the attack. However, Police Chief Jordan told reporters that he believes "proper protocol was in place" and that the police used their batons in accordance with "methods approved by the department."
Statements such as these make it obvious that the police department and the mayor's office have no intention of conducting a serious investigation.
A rally to honor Dolores Huerta was held on Monday, Sept. 26, at the SEIU hall in San Francisco. About 250 people attended. Farmworker leaders are currently preparing major lawsuits against the city.
Boycott grapes!
Dolores Huerta attended the Sept. 14 demonstration to attract media attention for the grape boycott organized by the UFW. The Farmworkers are demanding that growers stop using toxic pesticides in the fields. Many farmworkers have suffered fainting, loss of sight, and even death as a result of working with poisonous demands that cop be fired.
chemicals.
The attack on Dolores Huerta and the 36day fast by Cesar Chavez have brought national attention to the struggle of the Farmworkers. To continue the momentum, UFW supporters are picketing supermarkets which carry non-union grapes. They are dramatizing the struggle by continuing the fast launched by Cesar Chavez.
In Los Angeles, for example, actor Martin Sheen is picketing stores which carry non-union grapes for 36 consecutive Saturdays. Local chapters of the National Organization of Women in California are launching three-day fasts in support of the Farmworkers. In Providence, R.I., 150 students at Brown University began fasting on Sept. 27.
In San Francisco, the Farmworkers are planning a major march and rally on Nov. 19. The event will feature Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who will be making their first major public appearance since their injuries.
The Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice is co-sponsoring the Nov. 19 event. If you are interested in helping the UFW in San Francisco, call 441-5008.
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Joseph Ryan/Socialist Action Dolores Huerta's son, Emilio,