Memorial Day

Share this posting in memory of the dead:

As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I remember the dead, the American dead. Perhaps because of my brown skin and Cholo Indio ways, I have liked to push to “Mehricans” that poor grunts are the ideal Americans— they are who usually go to die, to be killed on the front lines. They don’t ask questions; they just rush machine-gun nests firing straight at them.

But there are other Americans, too, who should be remembered, those who have served this country yet received no honor: Dishwasher Luis Gongora Pat; construction worker Amilcar Perez Lopez; descendant of slaves who built this country Mario Woods; beloved son, brother, and community servant Alex Nieto. They, too, are grunts that have been killed for this country.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the dead by gifting life.

Yesterday we wrapped up the 8th Annual Barrio Bushido Amor for Alex Nieto Carnaval Booth in La San Fran Mision. I used to do the booth with my brother Alex. Now we do it in his honor by spreading love and smiles, by sharing positive spirit and gifting literature, by fundraising together for the first ever memorial dedicated to the victim of a police killing. Once the memorial is established, community members will hike up to that mountain Bernal Heights and pray like Alex did and look out over the beautiful view of San Francisco and be inspired by our community resilience. Students will travel up to that hill for field trips and to learn about the history and creativity of our community; they will write thousands of educational essays. Families will pilgrimage hands together and love each other at the place where Alex breathed his last breath. This will be a place of peace, of inspiration and amor.

In two days at Carnaval, we raised over $1,100 dollars by smiling, approaching perfect strangers and community homeboys and homegirls, the ideal Americans in these pictures. We did it as many wrote down promises of what they will do for their community.

We build this country.

SFM Barrio Bushido Amor:
1. I want to help homeless kids in the city.
2. I’m going to help a hungry member in my community.
3. I work at the Bahai Youth Character Development Program.
4. I will help dogs in the community.
5. I will help women and men transition from incarceration to education and freedom.
6. I will help my community by helping homeless people with mental health issues and people struggling with addiction to find employment.
7. I will help the troubled youth in and out of the inner city with my time and knowledge to stay out of trouble and find something positive to do.
8. I’m going to help anyone who needs help financially, spiritually, and emotionally.
9. I will fight against police brutality and mass incarceration by volunteering.
10. Spread love, awareness, action, resistance for the movement for justice for Alex and all lives taken by police.
11. I do yearly fundraisers to help CAMP (College Assist and Migrate Program) in Sacramento.
12. Help raise funds for cancer research.
13. Volunteer for low income kids charity.
14. I wanna go outside in the rain.
15. I will fight to demilitarize our borders and the police on the campaign trail and in Congress.
16. Stay active in the community and give my time where I can.
17. I will stand up and resist to protect our children!

To be part of transformational history, to donate directly now for the International Amor for Alex Nieto Memorial, please visit the gofundme page here: https://www.gofundme.com/amor4alexnieto

“America, the Poem”

Ahh-Mehr-EEE-Kah
With a Spanish accent
About a lost explorer
Amerigo Vespuchi
Who discovered nothing
But at least got it right that this place was not
China

My country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Treacherous mountains
Soothing snow
Hell heat
Chicago wind
Fog along the Frisco bay
The Tennessee Waltz
New York salsa
Kansas City royalty
Denver tough guys
Oakland jungles

We got it all
McDonalds’ golden arches
Big Mac hamburgers
Full-time obesity and strangling varicose veins
A talented athlete who can stuff down his throat
72 hot dogs in ten minutes
Lowrider cars cruising down pot-holed streets
Hobos hunting through garbage cans for aluminum gold
Iphones and apps and assholes
Brown men washing dishes
Black women strutting down the street
White girls with diamond smiles
Rednecks with red anger
Chinese folks practicing the deadly art of Tai Chi in green parks
Indians with green cards landing top notch jobs in Silicon Valley
Indians on reservations drinking too much smoking too much
Dying too much

The Statue of Liberty
Aint got on any underwear
Underneath that gown
Always ready to fuck
Her torch is lit but it aint for light
It’s for burning shit down

Resist
Conform
It’s the same damn thing
Cook the meth
Eat your broccoli
Snort the Coke
The famous 70’s Coca Cola slogan
It’s the real thing
What the world wants today:

Capitalism
The birth of a nation

And we all eat it up
Our own baby
This shit sandwich
This imperfect existence where
Little old ladies love driving their big old Cadillacs
But they aint gonna take that Middle East machinegun nest
For some gasoline
Which means that
We all are to blame and question in the biggest wars ever fought and
Those biggest wars that we’ve always won
Lest we forget who we are
Lest we play ignorant about what this all means
Humanity goes out the window
Cause we all need more spaceships and
Rocket fuel and more chips and speed

America
You are my bitch
America
You are my reflection in the mirror
America
You are capable of anything
Murder and mayhem
War and destruction
Love and tenderness
I pray that your
Holy hills
Bless us
Keep us
Safeguard us from ourselves
America
You trick me and get me stoned
Supercharging your smoke
Into my cancered lungs
America
You break my heart into 1,776 pieces
Yet
Still
I love you

A true patriot
Looks you in the face
When they lie and tell you
The tragic truth