~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the LA Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maywood police seek man in possible kidnapping attempt

Maywood police are looking for man who allegedly tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl today as she walked to school.

The girl was walking west on East 52nd Street when she saw a man sitting in a dark sport utility vehicle. The man followed the girl in his vehicle, then got out and began chasing her, according to the Maywood Police Department.

As the girl ran, the suspect got back into his vehicle, possibly a Ford Expedition, and left the area, police said.

Police described the man as a Latino in his mid-30s, about 5 feet 11 and 170 pounds. He has dark, curly hair, brown eyes, acne scars and a [See the attached file] mole on his right cheek, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (323) 562-5005.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bay Area girl gang raped at school while witnesses watch but do nothing

A 15-year-old girl who went to her homecoming dance was repeatedly gang raped and beaten at Richmond High School for at least two hours while more than a dozen witnesses saw the assault but failed to call police, authorities said today.

The attack occurred Saturday around 9:30 p.m. after the girl had left the dance and was waiting for a ride from her father. She saw a male student she knew, who took her to a dark alley behind one of the school buildings, Richmond police said.

Police said alcohol was consumed but were awaiting toxicology tests.

The male student and about six others began raping and beating the girl. As she struggled, more than a dozen witnesses passed by or watched what was going on. The ordeal lasted 2 to 2 1/2 hours, police said.

"The victim was beaten, sexually assaulted and robbed," said Lt. Mark Gagan. "What's equally disturbing is that other people saw what was going on and did nothing."

Police were finally called after a female student overhead people talking about the rape. She called 911 and told dispatchers what she had heard, according to Gagan.

The girl was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A former student, Manuel Ortega, 19, was arrested a few blocks away Saturday night and booked on charges of rape, robbery and kidnapping, Gagan said. Ortega was being held Monday on $800,000 bail.

Investigators were questioning two students Monday evening at the police station in Richmond, a city of 104,000 16 miles northeast of San Francisco.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second suspect arrested in alleged gang rape of Bay Area high school student

A second suspect was arrested tonight in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl who police say was assaulted at Richmond High School for at least two hours while witnesses watched and did not call authorities.

The suspect, a 15-year-old student, was booked on one count of felony sexual assault, said Lt. Mark Gagan. Police earlier had arrested a 19-year-old former student on rape, robbery and kidnapping charges in connection with the attack, which took place Saturday night after the school's homecoming dance.

The victim, who was waiting for a ride from her father after leaving the dance, was taken to a dark alley on the other side of the school around 9:30 p.m. and raped, beaten and robbed by about seven attackers, police said.

The ordeal lasted 2 to 2 1/2 hours, Gagan said, during which time more than a dozen witnesses passed by or watched what was going on but did not call the police.

The girl's father was looking for her while the attack was taking place, police said.

Police were finally called after a female student overhead people talking about the rape. She called 911 and told dispatchers what she had heard, Gagan said.

When officers arrived on the scene, the assault was still going on. Several suspects fled as officers found the girl naked from the waist up, Gagan said.

"She was unconscious," he said.

He said investigators based their account of the incident on an interview with the girl and statements from several people who witnessed or were involved with the assault. The girl remained hospitalized tonight.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman Polanski's victim asks court to drop charge against director

The victim of Roman Polanski's 1977 sex charge has asked an appellate court to drop the charge against the film director, saying the unceasing publicity has disrupted her family, job and health.

Since the director's arrest last month, Samantha Geimer and her attorney have received close to 500 phone calls from media as far as Germany, Israel and Japan, attorney Lawrence Silver wrote in a statement filed Friday.

Larry King and Oprah have beckoned, and photographers have been camped outside her Hawaii home, trying to take photos or video through holes drilled in their cars and offering gifts to her children in exchange for information, Silver wrote.

“This statement makes one more demand, one more request, one more plea: Leave her alone,” Silver wrote in the filing.

Silver said the renewed media attention following Polanski's arrest in Switzerland and the pending extradition case has caused “health-related issues” and interfered with Geimer's job, leading to “understandable displeasure of her employer and the real possibility that Samantha could lose her job.”

He said the “lack of sensitivity” would make it less likely that other victims of celebrity crimes would come forward.

The appellate court is reviewing an L.A. Superior Court ruling that Polanski's case cannot be thrown out on grounds of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct while the director remains a fugitive. The Los Angeles County District Attorney has maintained that Polanski has no legal standing.

Geimer, now 46, was 13 at the time of the 1977 criminal case when she told police and a grand jury that Polanski gave her a Quaalude and champagne and raped her during a photo shoot. Her attorneys at the time supported a plea deal, saying it was in the victim's interest, and Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

He fled to France, where he is a citizen. In 1993, Polanski settled a civil suit with Geimer and agreed to pay her at least $500,000. It is not known whether the director has paid the sum.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/samantha-geimer.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Labor advocates push for law making wage theft a criminal offense in L.A.

Advocates for day laborers and other low-wage workers are pushing for a new city law that would target unscrupulous employers by making wage theft a crime in the city of Los Angeles.

They have found an ally in City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who plans to introduce a motion on Tuesday directing the city attorney's office to write an ordinance that would criminalize nonpayment of wages.

“People think that just because they pick up somebody on the street or at a day laborer center that they don't have the responsibility to pay them if they don't like the work,” Alarcon said. “This would make it illegal for somebody to do that.”

Los Angeles would join a handful of cities, including Austin, Texas, and Denver, that hold employers criminally responsible for not paying their employees. State and federal laws govern overtime, minimum wage and other labor standards, but the penalties typically are meted out through civil, rather than criminal, procedures. A local ordinance would allow city prosecutors to file misdemeanor charges against employers.

Alarcon said he was motivated by a recent study that showed many low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago often don't receive minimum wage or overtime pay.

The study, based on interviews with more than 4,300 workers, found that 26% of workers weren't paid minimum wage the week before and that 76% of those who worked overtime the previous week weren't paid the proper overtime rate.

According to the report, the violations were widespread and occurred in various industries, including construction, child care and apparel.

“We were shocked ourselves,” said Ruth Milkman, a UCLA sociology professor and one of the authors of the study.

Milkman said employers need to know the laws – and that there are consequences for not following them. “If criminal penalties are what is needed, there is no reason not to try that,” she said.

Gary Toebben, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, said that people who work deserve to be paid, but that there are a lot of unanswered questions involving a possible ordinance, including what the trigger would be for an arrest and if it would cause additional backlogs in the courts. Before any ordinance is drafted, city officials should include private employers in the discussion.

“If the City Council is considering this, they would want to sit down with employers and labor attorneys ... rather than simply passing a law,” he said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/labor-advocates-push-for-wage-theft-law.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dallas police draw ire for citing 'non-English-speaking drivers'

The police chief says the tickets would be thrown out and the officers investigated.

By Kate Linthicum

October 27, 2009

Over the last three years, police in Dallas have ticketed 39 drivers for not speaking English, even though there is no law requiring drivers be able to do so.

Amid growing public anger, Police Chief David Kunkle announced last week that the citations would be thrown out and that the officers who issued them would be investigated.

The cases came to light when a Mexican immigrant, Ernestina Mondragon, went to the media saying that she had been cited for being a "non-English-speaking driver" during a routine traffic stop. There is no such law in Dallas, although there is a federal statute that says commercial drivers must be able to speak English.

Mondragon told reporters that she had been driving her daughter to school on Oct. 2 when she was pulled over for making an illegal U-turn. Mondragon, who has been a legal resident since 1980, speaks mostly Spanish. She was cited for disregarding a traffic control device and for failure to present a driver's license, as well as for her inability to speak English.

Mondragon said that she was embarrassed by the incident and that her 11-year-old daughter was traumatized.

The charge was dropped when she challenged it in court. But the case generated an outcry in Dallas, where Latinos make up roughly 40% of the population and are the city's largest racial or ethnic group.

"It's unbelievable," said Hector Flores, former president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a nationwide civil rights group. "It's racial profiling. She was cited for driving while Hispanic. For driving while immigrant."

The attention surrounding Mondragon's case led police to investigate whether similar charges had been filed in the past. At a news conference Friday, Kunkle said at least six officers had charged 38 other drivers with not speaking English. Kunkle said all the charges would be dropped and people who had paid a $204 fine would be reimbursed.

In Mondragon's case, Kunkle said rookie officer Gary Bromley had been confused by a pull-down menu on his computer that listed "non-English-speaking driver" as an option, even though it is part of a federal law that Dallas police do not enforce.

Flores said he was suspicious of that explanation and suggested that the officers might have been motivated by racism.

"When there's a shortage of jobs, [racism] increases," he said. "We go through these periods where you have English-only battles."

Flores said he was heartened by the public's reaction, which he said indicated a low tolerance for English-only policies.

In New Mexico, a different English-only policy has stirred controversy.

Several former employees of a hotel in Taos have sued its owner, Larry Whitten, for wrongful termination. They said they were fired after complaining when Whitten ordered them not to speak in Spanish and asked some of them to Anglicize their names. Whitten did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

New Mexico is a bilingual state, meaning all official documents must be produced in English and Spanish.

In Taos, where Latinos are the majority, the fired workers have been picketing across the street from the hotel. Latino rights groups also have organized boycotts of Whitten's other hotels in Texas.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dallas27-2009oct27,0,6673437,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mexico divided over video of alleged robbers being abused

Many were shocked by images of five youths being beaten and abused, but some online comments justifying the attack highlight
the toll of rampant crime, bloodshed and homicides.

By Tracy Wilkinson

October 27, 2009

Reporting from Mexico City

The video of the beating and sexual abuse of five young alleged thieves at the hands of vigilantes has provoked widespread outrage here. But in some quarters, there have been disquieting voices of approval.

The video landed on YouTube. It shows the cowering teenage boys being slapped in the face and forced to French kiss one another. Each is forced to say that they are about to be raped as punishment for robbing houses.

In the state of Nayarit, where the incident took place, many people suspect that the abusers might be police officers. (Authorities deny that.)

Nayarit Gov. Ney Gonzalez Sanchez was furious when he learned of the video and the abuse. Speaking over the weekend, he gave state prosecutors until Monday to produce results in the case -- "definitive, serious results, without scapegoats," he said. "No one has the right to take justice into their own hands."

Gonzalez was echoed by human rights organizations and an editorial Monday in El Universal newspaper, which said: "Were [the boys] thieves? We don't know. But even if they were, nothing justifies the torture to which they were submitted, especially if the interrogators were police."

However, in comments posted online to the editorial, a different school of thought emerged, one that reflects a Mexican society increasingly wearied by rampant crime, endless kidnappings and a soaring homicide rate.

"Let's be honest. The majority of us are happy with what happened to these rotten kids," one said. "We must guard our houses and be prepared."

Another said: "I'm not pleased with this, nor do I applaud it, but these kids were up to no good. They only reaped what they themselves sowed."

Profound fear of crime, combined with a lack of confidence in the police, has created in Mexico the kind of environment where vigilante justice could thrive. There is no clear evidence of a sustained, well-organized vigilante movement, however, and the government has vowed to prevent it. Still, the frustration runs dangerously deep.

"Unfortunately, there are people involved in dirty businesses, whose power seems to exceed the ability of the state to fight it . . . and that leads to isolated cases," said Joel Jimenez, of the Nayarit Citizens Movement. "But it is extremely worrying when people take the law into their own hands."

Nayarit state prosecutor Hector Bejar Fonseca met the governor's deadline and on Monday announced the arrest of four suspects in the assaults. The men are not police officers, he said, and were arrested after being overheard in a bar bragging that they made the video. Bejar Fonseca said the suspects were drug dealers and that they had five accomplices who remained at large. It was unclear what the motive was for the alleged abuse.

Bejar Fonseca said investigators from his office had contacted the victims to get additional evidence but that they had refused to cooperate.

Mexican journalists seemed to be having more luck. One of the youth told El Universal that he and the others were handed over to their abusers from inside the state prosecutor's headquarters. The youth, whom the paper did not name, said they were repeatedly beaten, threatened and intimidated. He said the owner of the house that the youths allegedly tried to rob joined in. The incident occurred Oct. 14, according to the paper; the video began circulating late last week.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-vigilante27-2009oct27,0,6009917,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opinion

The LAPD fights crime, not illegal immigration

The outgoing chief of police urges the department to keep focusing on community outreach.

By William J. Bratton

October 27, 2009

On March 12, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley off 9th and Alvarado streets in the Westlake District, just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. Then a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime came forward and told the homicide detectives from the Rampart station what he saw. Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding on skid row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets, and we are all a little bit safer. Stories like this are repeated daily in Los Angeles.

Keeping America's neighborhoods safe requires our police forces to have the trust and help of everyone in our communities. My nearly 40 years in law enforcement, and my experience as police commissioner in Boston and New York City and as chief in Los Angeles, have taught me this.

Yet every day our effectiveness is diminished because immigrants living and working in our communities are afraid to have any contact with the police. A person reporting a crime should never fear being deported, but such fears are real and palpable for many of our immigrant neighbors.

This fear is not unfounded. Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that 11 more locations across the United States have agreed to participate in a controversial law enforcement program known as 287(g). The program gives local law enforcement agencies the powers of federal immigration agents by entering into agreements with Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Although many local agencies have declined to participate in 287(g), 67 state and local law enforcement agencies are working with ICE, acting as immigration agents.

Some in Los Angeles have asked why the LAPD doesn't participate. My officers can't prevent or solve crimes if victims or witnesses are unwilling to talk to us because of the fear of being deported. That basic fact led to the implementation almost 30 years ago of the LAPD's policy on immigrants, which has come to be known as Special Order 40. The order prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally. The philosophy that underlies that policy is simple: Criminals are the biggest benefactors when immigrants fear the police. We can't solve crimes that aren't reported because the victims are afraid to come forward to the police.

The idea of engaging all members of the public in reporting crime and identifying criminals not only helps us with short- and medium-term goals of reducing crime; it helps improve relations with community members. We all have an interest in helping our young people develop into healthy, educated and law-abiding adults. Breeding fear and distrust of authority among some of our children could increase rates of crime, violence and disorder as those children grow up to become fearful and distrustful adolescents and adults. That is why the Los Angeles Police Department has not participated in 287(g) and the federal government is not pressuring the department to do so.

Americans want a solution to our immigration dilemma, as do law enforcement officials across this nation. But the solution isn't turning every local police department into an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Police Foundation published a report in April titled "The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil Liberties." The report confirms that when local police enforce immigration laws, it undermines their core public safety mission, diverts scarce resources, increases their exposure to liability and litigation, and exacerbates fear in communities that are already distrustful of police.

The report concluded that to optimize public safety, the federal government must enact comprehensive immigration reform. As police chief of one of the most diverse cities in the United States, and possibly the world, I agree. As I leave my position as leader of the LAPD, I will encourage my successor to adopt the same rigid attitude toward keeping Special Order 40 and keeping the mission of the men and women of the department focused on community cooperation instead of community alienation.

Working with victims and witnesses of crimes closes cases faster and protects all of our families by getting criminals off the street. We must pass immigration reform and bring our neighbors out of the shadows so they get the police service they need and deserve. When officers can speak freely with victims and witnesses, it goes a long way toward making every American neighborhood much safer.

William J. Bratton is chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The Police Foundation's report is available online at http://www.policefoundation .

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bratton27-2009oct27,0,2619437,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editorial

Death in the desert

It's time the U.S. take steps to keep thousands of migrants from dying attempting to cross into this country.

October 27, 2009

Operation Gatekeeper started in October 1994, focusing federal border security efforts on the five-mile stretch from the Pacific Ocean to San Ysidro. Within three years, the budget of the old Immigration and Naturalization Service -- since split into two agencies -- doubled to $800 million. The number of Border Patrol agents also doubled, along with the miles of fencing. Underground sensors nearly tripled.

In the 15 years since its inception, Gatekeeper, now shorthand for all federal enforcement efforts at the Mexican border, has had a range of consequences, some expected and others grimly surprising. For example, attempted crossings and apprehensions where enforcement is heaviest plummeted, just as officials had hoped. But migrants didn't stay home. Instead, thousands attempted to cross in the dangerous desert lands to the east, in Arizona and Texas -- and as many as 5,600 have died, according to a recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights. Illegal immigrants are now 17 times more likely to die while crossing the border than they were in 1998, according to the report.

Anti-illegal-immigrant groups seem unimpressed by these figures. No country can survive, they argue, if it can't control its own borders. The migrants are breaking the law, they say, and those who foolishly risk their lives are to blame for their own actions. But although it's true that personal responsibility plays a role, the fact remains that this is a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions, and it requires immediate action. The report acknowledges that Mexico has failed to adequately discourage migration through the desert, but it lays most of the responsibility on U.S. policies and calls for a redirection of resources from enforcement to rescue.

That's not likely to happen -- particularly not in the post-9/11 environment. Still, there are steps that can be taken. Borstar, the Border Patrol's excellent search-and-rescue program, should get more resources. Both governments, but particularly Mexico's, must do better at educating would-be migrants about the dangers facing them in the desert, where temperatures can reach 115 degrees and dehydration is almost inevitable. Smuggling too is a binational issue, especially in light of the growing cooperation between drug and human smugglers.

The broader changes that need to take place will only happen with time. Mexico must create the economic conditions for prosperity at home so that its citizens will stop risking their lives to leave. In the meantime, the United States must enact reforms that remove death in the desert from the migration equation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-gatekeeper27-2009oct27,0,7896702,print.story

Decision on chief narrowing to three

Following a closed-door session today, the Police Commission will present the mayor with its short list of three finalists. Villaraigosa will interview them on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and on Monday will announce his choice for chief.

"I'm looking to replace the chief with someone who understands first and foremost that they respect that we have civilian oversight of the LAPD," Villaraigosa said Monday.

"The next chief also has to believe that diversity is a strength and is willing to work with the different communities in the city. They will have to understand that community policing is a bedrock principle for how we police in the city."

The process of replacing Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, who is leaving Saturday to become a private security consultant, was spelled out during a briefing by Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo.

After the mayor announces his nominee, the candidate will meet with City Council members and community groups, with council confirmation expected on Nov. 10.

"I think it's important that I spend the time I need to deliberate over this issue," Villaraigosa said. "I am not going to rush it on any timeline other than my own."

The Police Commission is expected to appoint an interim chief to oversee the department until Bratton's successor is sworn in.

Bratton has made no secret that he hopes his successor will come from within his command staff, whom he's called "an extraordinarily talented group of leaders." Eleven of the 13 semifinalists interviewed by the Police Commission last week come from within the LAPD.

The two other candidates head police departments in other U.S. cities. Their identities were not disclosed by the police commission.

"We wanted to respect their desire to maintain this as a confidential matter," said John Mack, president of the five-member citizens panel that oversees the LAPD.

As part of the interview process, Villaraigosa is being advised by a blue-ribbon panel that is headed by Warren Christopher, the former secretary of state who helped draft a series of sweeping reforms following the police beating of black motorist Rodney King in 1991.

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13648189

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Program to alert mortgage holders about loan scams launches nationwide

A nationwide information program to alert struggling mortgage holders to loan modification scams was launched Monday in Los Angeles - an area where 14 percent of homeowners are facing foreclosure.

Coordinated by the nonprofit NeighborWorks Program, workers will target neighborhoods where foreclosures have been the high and warn borrowers about the fraudulent programs.

"In many cases, the same (lenders) who got homeowners in this mess are coming back to take advantage again," said NeighborWorks CEO Eileen Fitzgerald.

NeighborWorks crews began handing out literature Monday in Sun Valley. The community was hard-hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, triggered when adjustable-rate loans began to reset at substantially higher rates.

Fitzgerald ticked off a number of warning signs, including requiring an up-front fee or that mortgage payments be made to the modification company instead of the lender. She also said borrowers need to be particularly wary of Internet scam artists.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference announcing the program.

Los Angeles has been trying for nearly two years to get information to residents on the problem and working with various organizations, including Operation Hope.

In April, Villaraigosa signed a law authored by Councilman Richard Alarc n that prohibits up-front payments for loan assistance.

"This foreclosure crisis is creating a stark reality in our neighborhoods," Alarc on said. "It is affecting the quality of life."

For information on loan modification programs or to report questionable activity, call 888-995-4673 or see www.loanscamalert.org .

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13644280

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's tell the whole story about the domestic violence problem

ACCORDING to the National Coalition on Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and 1.3 million women in America are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

But as prevalent as it may be, domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes. Too often, the media and others characterize domestic violence as a "private matter." It isn't.

Domestic violence is a crime - not a category. Crimes such as murder-suicides and assaults are reported in isolation, but they are often part of an overall pattern of domestic abuse.

We see this in the media when celebrity domestic violence assaults are downplayed and characterized as mere "altercations" or "incidents." Domestic violence is far too serious of a problem in our society to shove it under the rug. A poor choice of words only perpetuates misconceptions that make it even harder for friends and family members of victims to recognize the symptoms of domestic violence. Calling domestic violence by its name is the first step in increasing awareness and addressing this issue head-on.

Domestic violence has a profound impact on its victims and society a whole. This month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is an opportunity to inform the public about services and programs that are available to help those in need.

The project I lead, the Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, received more than 3,700 crisis calls last year on our emergency hotline, and more than 2,000 additional calls for domestic violence information and referrals. Our two shelters provided 2,200 nights of safety for domestic violence survivors and their children. We also provided individual and group counseling to more than 250 victims at our shelters and at our counseling center.

Mary (whose name has been changed to protect her from her abuser), a 23-year-old mother of two, sought emergency shelter at one of our facilities after her husband attacked her and tried to kill her with a knife. Her husband was prosecuted and sentenced to six months in jail. While, and since, she stayed at our shelter, Mary received counseling. She is now working and is furthering her education to enable her to independently raise her children.

Domestic violence affects all of us. Although nearly three-quarters of intimate partner violence victims are female, domestic violence victims are men, as well as same-sex partners. Physical abuse and suffering does not discriminate - it takes place regardless of age, ethnicity, or income level.

What's more, the impact of domestic violence goes well beyond its direct impact on the victim and the victim's family. Each of us carries the financial and societal burden of domestic violence. Nationwide, $4.1 billion each year - more than half the entire budget of the city of Los Angeles - is spent on direct medical care and mental health services stemming from instances of domestic violence.

But now our services and shelters - often a place of last resort for victims of violence like Mary - are in jeopardy. This year's budget-tightening measures in Sacramento resulted in direct cuts to domestic violence shelters across California. This caused six shelters across the state to close, leaving victims of domestic violence in those communities to live in continued terror at the hands of their abusers.

Although a one-year, stopgap funding measure was signed by the governor on Oct. 21 that restores some of the shelter funding, shelter providers across California have already been forced to reduce staff hours and cut back on critical services to a population that is already underserved.

What can you do in the face of such difficult circumstances? My colleagues and I - and all of us who work closely with victims of domestic violence - urge each and every member of the public to become more aware about domestic violence and recognize its symptoms. If you suspect that someone you know is suffering at the hands of an abuser, you can help.

If you believe someone is the victim of domestic violence, encourage them to call our 24-hour crisis hotline at (818) 505-0900 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE(7233).

Let's work together so that in this era of limited resources, we can continue to help the most vulnerable among us and give them the strength they need to move forward safely and with dignity - whether it's October or any other month of the year.

By Karen Rosenthal Karen Rosenthal is director of the Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles ( www.jfsla.org ).

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_13642452

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Washington Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Castro's sister claims ties to CIA

MIAMI (AP) | One of Fidel Castro's sisters says in a memoir released Monday that she collaborated with the CIA against her brother, starting shortly after the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.

Juanita Castro, 76, initially supported her brother's 1959 overthrow of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship but quickly grew disillusioned. In a Spanish-language memoir published by Santillana USA and co-written by journalist Maria Antonieta Collins, she says the wife of the Brazilian ambassador to Cuba persuaded her to meet a CIA officer during a trip to Mexico in 1961.

By then, her house had become a sanctuary for anti-communists, and Fidel Castro warned her about getting involved with the "gusanos," or worms, as those who opposed the revolution were called.

Ms. Castro said in the book, "My Brothers Fidel and Raul. The Secret Story," that she traveled to Mexico City under the pretense of visiting her younger sister Enma. There, she also secretly met a CIA officer who identified himself as "Enrique" at the elegant Camino Real Hotel.

A spokesman for the CIA in Langley, Va., declined to comment on Ms. Castro's account.

Ms. Castro said that during the hotel meeting, she expressed her concerns that those who supported Batista's overthrow but were not communists were being pushed out of the new government. Ms. Castro writes that she agreed to help the CIA gather information but refused to accept money for her efforts and she wanted no part in any violence.

"I want to be very clear that agreeing to collaborate with you does not signify that I will participate in any violent activity against my brother, nor any official in the regime," she told the agent. "This is my most important condition. And moreover, I would say it is the only condition."

"Enrique," whom Ms. Castro said she later learned was a CIA officer in Cuba named Tony Sforza, then asked her to smuggle messages, documents and money back into the country hidden in canned goods.

He told Ms. Castro, she said, that she would receive information through shortwave radio communications.

She chose a waltz and a song from the opera "Madame Butterfly" as the signals her handlers would use to let her know if they had information for her, she wrote.

Ms. Castro said she remained on the island while her mother was alive, thinking she was protected from the full wrath of Fidel. Her mother died in 1963, and she fled Cuba the following year, eventually settling into a quiet life in Miami, where she ran a pharmacy until 2007 and is generally well regarded by other Cuban exiles.

Fidel, she wrote, was not initially a hard-line communist like their brother Raul and fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. She claimed Fidel turned to communism to maintain power. Ms. Castro said she tried to help many people who initially supported the revolution only to be ousted in the new regime's initial purges.

"My brothers could ignore what I did - or appear to ignore it - so as not to hurt my mom, but that didn't mean I didn't have problems ... everything was becoming more dangerously complicated" after her mother's death, she wrote.

Ms. Castro said she had to get help from Raul - to whom she was much closer than Fidel - in getting a visa to leave Cuba. They have not seen each other since June 18, 1964, the day before she left the country.

When she first arrived in the U.S., many exiles considered Ms. Castro a communist spy. She later helped found a CIA-backed nonprofit organization that worked against Cuba's government.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/27/castros-sister-claims-ties-to-cia//print/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the White House

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cybersecurity Awareness Month Part IV

During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month I have discussed the types of cyber threats that we face and some of the basic steps that all computer users can take to better protect themselves. This week, I'd like to address another important dimension of this shared responsibility – the role of America's small businesses.

As the President said in his remarks for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the cyber threat has become one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation. America's competitiveness and our economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on effective cybersecurity. This is especially true for the millions of small businesses that form the backbone of our economy. For this reason, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce recently released a guidebook , Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals , on cybersecurity fundamentals for small business owners.

As the guidebook states, “in the United States, the number of small businesses totals to over 95% of all businesses. The small business community produces around 50% of our nation's Gross National Product (GNP) and creates around 50% of all new jobs in our country. Small businesses, therefore, are a very important part of our nation's economy.”

However, these small businesses often do not have sufficient resources to effectively secure their cyber infrastructure. Criminals recognize this, and small businesses are more and more often becoming targets of cyber crime. The NIST guidebook helps to mitigate these risks by providing small business owners with detailed (but easy-to-understand) instructions on how to improve their cybersecurity posture.

The guidebook is divided into three sections: absolutely necessary cybersecurity practices, highly recommended practices, and other planning considerations. It includes instructions on topics such as activating and installing firewalls, securing wireless access points, and conducting online banking more securely. I recommend all business owners read this guidebook. Home users may also find many of the cybersecurity instructions useful.

To learn more about cybersecurity tips please also visit www.onguardonline.gov and www.dhs.gov/cyber .   

John Brennan is Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/26/cybersecurity-awareness-month-part-iv

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the FBI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~