http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/science/earth/29mississippi.html

TOLEDO MAYA RESIDENTS REQUEST LAND PROTECTION ORDER FROM THE SUPREME COURT
Jun 10, 2009
An estimated two hundred people converged on Battlefield Park in Belize
City this morning placards in hand as they prepared for todayís session of
the Supreme Court. The gathering predominantly Mayan men, women and
children from Toledo are waging legal battle with the Government of Belize
over what they claim is Governmentís threat to their constitutional right
where it regards of occupation communal land. More specifically, the Maya
Leaders Alliance led by Christina Coc is pursuing the preservation of
village lands until they are able to create a working system for villages
who choose to have their lands titled.

Cristina Coc; Maya Leaders Alliance
“Our claims right now is to ask the state through the courts to put a
mechanism in place to protect and safeguard the rights of Maya people to
their ancestral lands, lands they use and occupy where they currently use
and occupy, to protect those from any further infringement, any further
land sales until each individual village decides what kind of land tenure,
what kind of land ownership, what kind of land title they want to receive.”

The second point of contention stems from an incident on May fourth of last
year, in which Alfonso Cal a resident of Golden Stream Village was informed
by surveyors that he was farming on property already, leased a non resident
of that area. Legal Counsel for that claimant is Antoinette Moore.
Antoinette Moore; Attorney for Maya Leaders Alliance
“In Golden Stream there was a non Maya individual who claims to have a
lease; however there is no evidence now that we are at trial that he had a
lease other than him saying that, there is no documentary evidence. But he
claimed to have a lease over land that one of the Maya Farmers had been
farming for twenty six years and that farmer had acres of corn, cacao,
coconut trees, oranges, all type of plants and they were all bulldozed. It
was his work of year plowed down with days. He attempted to get help from
the Lands Department, from the Police Department and all of the authorities
in the area and essentially received no help because the mere claim of this
non Maya to have a paper lease which it turns out he does not have but the
mere claim of this individual to have a paper lease was seen as superior to
the customary land of this Maya farmer and the village.”

At the start of the proceedings, Chief Justice Abduhlai Conteh commented on
what he termed the unsatisfactory progress on the case. Todayís hearing
comes a year after the MLA and the Toledo Alcaldeís Association file for a
temporary stay on the constant unauthorized repossession of Maya communal
lands in the Toledo District. Testifying on behalf of the MLA was Dr.
Richard Wilke who is a Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies at
Indiana University. His sworn statement provided a socio-cultural look at
the Maya people of southern Belize. Wilke later explained the relevance of
his testimony to their current plight.

Dr. Richard Wilke; Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies at Indiana
University
“Part of the Governmentís case here is to argue that the Indians, the
Queíchi and Mopan speaking people in the Toledo District are recent
immigrants and they have no rights to the land. My argument has always been
that whether they are immigrants or not, they are Belizeans, they have been
living on the land for well over one hundred years and that should give
them the same kind of rights that other Belizeans have to control and
manage the lands that they live on in the way that they see fit.”

During his testimony Wilke distant himself from statements made in an
affidavit submitted by Archaeologist Jaime Awe on behalf of the defense.
Wilke asserted that the statements were factually wrong based on Aweís
degree of knowledge in ethno history.

Dr. Richard Wilke; Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies at Indiana
University
“When it comes to what happened between then and the present in the Toledo
District, I think that he hasnít had the opportunity to really read through
some of the latest research which has really changed the way we think about
the history of the Toledo District.”

Following adjournment at noon, a briefing was held at the park where Coc
and other speakers addressed the congregation on the proceedings. Upon its
continuation Moore made further submissions in her case against government.
Representing the Government of Belize is Lois Young and Rodwell Williams.

Story at http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=10218

Katrina Victims Will Not Have to Vacate Trailers – NYTimes.com

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According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

Saturday night, May 16, Plenty Benefit on the Farm in Tennessee, home to Plenty International, six rockin’ bands packed the house. Here’s a short clip from the incendiary groovers, Strut, out of Asheville, NC.

The Lower 9th Ward People’s Fest at the Martin Luther King elementary school last night was a great success. Working hard paid off. MlK is the only one of seven schools open in the lower 9th ward. With out the help of Plenty and other volunteers this school would have been bull dozed and demolished. The youths and Veterans who cut the locked door and gutted the school saved the city five hundred thousand dollars and made it possible to reopen. Our first act was a group of thirty-two brass musicians from France, who had called at the last minute and wanted to play our event. (billed as the people’s alternative to JazzFest which is expensive to attend.) Wow what a great sound. Then we had a Brazilin Samba band that had the place jumping. Our local hero Kirk Joseph and the Backyard Groove talked to our out of town guests about the long road home for all here. And asked why it is taking so long. “If this were San Francisco would it be this long of a wait? And remember, you didn’t come to hear Bon Jovi play at Jazz Fest. You came to hear New Orleans musicians play like they have for decades. Kirk played a song that brought our friend Pete Spring close to his father and son who are in the spirit world. He made all this possible with his back line equipment and love from the Steve Spring foundation. If you don’t know him, I can say he is doing amazing things here to help kids and music. Sista Otis had the whole place come to the front of the stage and put us all into a spiritual place with her graceful songs all about love and peace. She was hot and like always gave all of her self to the people. I did not want her to go off knowing this was the last time she would be in the NOLA area for a while. She is out there spreading her love and music for all you to hear. I miss her all ready. She is truly a Plenty International Woman. Michael Franti came on next and was grateful to be our friend again. What a true giver of good spirit! He asked Sista Otis and me on stage and we all played together. That was the blessing I was honored to have received from setting the show up. I’m still on cloud nine and Michael said I was excellent on the harp. Again wow!!! Next up was Legendary Man from this town, and my friend Guitar Lighting Lee and the Thunder Band. He is from the Lower 9th and Otis and I danced to some great delta blues. I love the stories he has of the great musicians he grew up with in New Orleans. And his love for the people here. The staff aand us cleaned up and thanked each other for a great evening. Thanks to every ne who helped make this possible. All I wanted from this was more awareness of ground zero after Katrina and Rita, And we got that. All the proceeds went the school and the principal was very grateful. Plenty’s work with Books To Kids has shown us how badly our schools here need help. During our last trip to the school we saw the libraries with too many empty shelves. Now the state is cutting funding for education and healthcare in its new budget. Again it is all up to Us.

Love, Tony Sferlazza , Gulf Coast Field Director, Plenty International

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24deny.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/us/21katrina.html