Border Community Alliance

The recent Presidential election has me practicing the piano again. Bach is especially helpful. I cant think about politics or 45 (Trump) when I play the piano, and this is a good thing. When my concentration goes awry, which is often, Bachs symmetry and elegance go out the window, and my playing is a jumble of notes that fly in all directions. The... major chords become minors, and the harmonies are lost. It is like fingernails on a blackboard. Even the dog winces. I have to be grounded and focused to play Bach. It is my centering meditation. These days Bach is my salvation. Yesterday I attended a Green Valley Samaritan meeting at 8 AM, and there were close to one hundred people in attendance. Most had gray hair. All were looking for guidance, phone numbers to call, letters to write, or something tangible to do that would impact the crisis of people crossing our desert trying to reach a loved one. We heard a report from a Samaritan witness who attends Operation Streamline regularly. Operation Streamline is the court proceeding that attempts to fast-track undocumented migrants through our court system in groups. Migrants have representation by lawyers, and most are encouraged to plead guilty for the crime of crossing into the United States without the proper papers. The Samaritan told us of a man who explained to the judge that he had been caught by Border Patrol agents somewhere in the desert. He was told to remove his shoes and socks, and was ordered to run across the desert floor barefoot. After a few minutes a Border Patrol agent chased him on an ATV, running him down like a frightened, injured animal. His feet were bloodied. The man told this story to the judge on this shameful day in court. The judge shrugged it off. Things happen. I cannot get this image out of my mind. It is February, and the mornings and evenings often approach freezing. A man is forced to remove his shoes, and run across the thorny, rocky desert floor while a Border Patrol agent has an adrenaline rush and chases him down. The agent can ...Read More