News from the California Federation of Interpreters Picket Line

October 10, 2007

SAY WHAT?

Meetings with Attorney General's Office

Silvia Barden, CFI President and Mary Lou Aranguren, CFI Union Representative, met today with representatives of the Attorney General here in Los Angeles, as a follow-up to the meeting with Mr. Brown himself yesterday. We presented detailed information about the widespread irregularities occurring in the courts all over Los Angeles County, and the serious impacts of the strike on the public. The purpose of the meetings was to inform the Attorney General possible civil rights and constitutional violations occurring in the Los Angeles Superior Court since the interpreters went on strike.

In these meetings, we were able to provide Mr. Brown and his staff with specific examples of the miscarriages of justice that we have witnessed in courtrooms on cases where the court is using non-certified interpreters or where interpreters are not provided at all. We also expressed our concern that the bench would allow justice to be denied to those who do not speak or understand English.

Mr. Brown has agreed to contact the Court to urge a speedy resolution so that interpreters may be back where they belong.

Keep Gathering Info

We are being flooded with information about impacts on cases and people during the strike, and we are busy reviewing and compiling it to present at the hearings. Please continue looking for attorneys and others who may be have information about how their clients or witnesses or victims have been affected. Turn in any information you have to your picket captains or email it directly to cfi@mediaworkers.org.

Remember, we need full names and phone numbers for members of the public or for attorneys.

Rallies & Good Company

In addition to the large numbers at out rallies this week, we have folks at picket sites around the county, teams gathering info in the buildings, and teams taking care of strike logistics. Your ongoing dedication to this effort is nothing less than heroic at this point. The rally lunches at CCB have taken on a convivial quality, as we take over the plaza area and get off the street for a little while. Alicia Grubic and Claudia Antelo, our strike committee chairs, deserve a special place in all our hearts for the way they take care of us and feed us at the rallies.

What Happens Without Interpreters

We're calling tomorrow A Black Day for Justice. We are mourning the integrity of the justice system in Los Angeles over these past weeks as the info we're gathering reveals an incredible disregard for the needs and rights of the public.

I will leave you with a statement from one of the many people we're interviewing about what happened when they had no interpreter in court. It's not an earth shattering case, just a real person- one of thousands over the course of the strike- who didn't get what the courts like to advertise as an important priority—equal access.

One Story From Metro Court

A mother took days off work to accompany a minor to appear for a ticket for a curfew violation. The minor's aunt who also went to court stated the following: "It was really bad because we went to court and the court dates were changed three different times. We went to ask when the interpreters were going to be available and were told to go out and ask them. I thought that this was very rude because there were a lot of people there that had to keep coming back. They didn't have to talk to us that way. It's taken a really long time to settle this case—it ended up being a fine of $180.00 but my sister had to miss three days of work so that she could bring her son to court. Finally we brought his uncle and since he speaks a little English he was able to help us out. They made my sister sign some paper work saying that she understood the law and some rights. She had to make due with the little English she speaks."