BY STEVE WARSHELL
CLEVELAND - Fifty supporters of imprisoned Mexican worker
Alejandro Ramírez rallied at the Club Azteca on Cleveland's
west side September 16. The rally coincided with the
celebration of the Grito de Hidalgo - Mexico's independence
day. The event was sponsored by the Alejandro Ramírez Defense
Coalition.
Ramírez was convicted in October 1997 of murder in the death of a Painesville, Ohio, man who kicked down the door of the house where Ramírez lived at the time and was robbing the occupants. After a scuffle forced the man out of the house and into the front yard, the intruder pulled a knife and was then shot.
Ramírez was arrested by Painesville police and signed a confession under the mistaken belief that he would merely be deported to Mexico, whereas others in the household would have faced harsher penalties. A tape of the interrogation shows that he was neither informed of his right to an attorney, nor that any statements he made would be used against him in court.
At the beginning of the trial, the judge stated that the proceedings would last only four days - three days for the prosecution and one for the defense. Jury selection was limited to 10 minutes with no direct questioning allowed by the defense. In addition, Defense Coalition activists stress that no physical evidence was found linking Ramírez to the murder weapon. "The only `evidence' offered by the prosecution was Alejandro's `confession,' which was retracted long before the trial began," explained Cleveland State University student and Coalition activist Alex Corona.
Because of the efforts of the defense coalition, support for Ramírez is growing. In addition, the Mexican government has filed a brief with the court supporting Ramírez, pointing out that had he been allowed to contact his government's representatives in Cleveland after his arrest, he would not have signed a false confession.
Speaking to the Cleveland rally, Baldemar Velásquez denounced the trial as a miscarriage of justice. "We know from our experience of Ohio's callous disregard of the rights of immigrants. This legal system doesn't work for the migrant worker." Velásquez is the president of the 6,000-member Farm Labor Organizing Committee in northern Ohio. He called on working people in Cleveland to support the efforts of the defense to fight for justice.
Also speaking were Dan Cardenas, a leader of the defense coalition and president of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA); Cleveland City Council member Nelson Cintrón; local artist Salvador González; and Bud McTaggert of the Cuyahoga County AFL-CIO. Statements were read from the group Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice and Michael White, mayor of Cleveland.
Moisés Cintrón spoke for the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of War and Political Prisoners. Using a poem written by independence fighter Rafael Cancel Miranda, Cintrón compared the treatment of Ramírez to the experience of Puerto Ricans in the United States. He urged participants to join together in supporting workers like Ramírez as well as Puerto Rican political prisoners now unjustly held in U.S. jails. He also invited participants to join with him and other supporters in a picket line at the Federal Building for the Grito de Lares - the Puerto Rican patriotic holiday - on September 23 to support independence for the country and freedom for the prisoners.
A letter from Ramírez thanking the supporters for their hard work and diligent support was also read in Spanish and English to the audience.
The coalition is working to raise the necessary funds to appeal the case. While $15,000 has been raised so far, an additional $10,000 is needed to pay for attorneys and court costs. For additional information or to make a contribution write to: Alejandro Ramírez Defense Coalition, c/o Escuela Popular, 2688 W. 14th Street, Cleveland, OH, 44113. Checks can be made out to the Alejandro Ramírez Defense Fund.