A Nook Under the Bridge
by
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"They have been merciless against people" said him, "since only Mexicans, Negroes, Latin-Americans, brown-skinned men or women are thrown into the clutches of the executioners. It’s only field workers, those who are not only exploited and oppressed, but also persecuted and murdered. I believe that we should put a definitive end to these abuses.
"I have an innocent client sentenced to die. A client that has been condemned for a crime that someone else committed. A humble worker taken and convicted to pay, to cover for the crime of a green eyed white-skinned man.
"Why do they do this? My friends, it is only because he is a worker like all of you, who came to this country looking for a piece of bread for his children and for his family. A piece of bread that he wanted to earn honestly with the sweat of his brow and the effort of his will. But instead of work he found unjust jailing, and after that jailing the grieved anguish of agony waiting behind the bars of ignominy and dishonor.
"Do you know which other reason? Because he is a Mexican, he is brown-skinned, because his hair is black, because he speaks Spanish. Had he been a Gringo, a Yankee, he would have been freed a long time ago. His name is Norman Juárez. I don’t know if he is from the Juárez family in Oaxaca who shone in Mexico history, or from the Juárez in any other town, as and honorable as those from Oaxaca. Be he Juárez from wherever he may be, he is a Juárez. He is an honest Mexican worker, from the little Chapatal del Norte, who came here looking for work.
"He has his identification. He carries his birth certificate authentically issued by the respective office in his native town, but they want that that legal document to be ignored and he has been mistaken for an assassin called Carmelo Pulido Llorente who they have not been able to find.
"He has said and repeated a thousand times, that he is not Carmelo Pulido Llorente, which was the name he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death as. They have not wanted to take notice of that because to cover their ineptitude they had to arrest any one , so they chose who they believes alone and defenseless.
"They had no foreseen us, our presence, our determination not to allow them to enslave us. They were not counting on our will, our courage, and our patriotism. Do you want to know why they did not count on that? Because up to now there have been many occasions when they have sentenced to death Latino countrymen just because they came from the south.
"Plenty of crimes have been committed in the name of the law! Plenty of injustices have been committed in the name of justice! Too many violations have been committed in the name of equity!
"Are we willing to continue tolerating this humiliation? Are we willing to continue bearing being treated as they treat us just because we are Latinos? Do we consent to see all doors closed to us while they are wide open to all others? Are we going to continue allowing them to enslave, to subjugate, to outrage us? Through our veins run the fiery blood of Aztec, Charrua, Guarani, Inca or Mayans.
"I want your answer, dear Latin-Americans: Must we continue to offer our backs for them to continue thrashing us in this way?"
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About the Book
In 1944 the State of California tried to solve the problem of the illegal immigration, They put under consideration of the voters a proposition of law, which after being approved by a vast majority was ruled unconstitutional.
Although its nullification was considered as a victory for the undocumented aliens, it was not so.
Nowadays entire families of illegal immigrants are living under bridges, sleeping on park benches, and even carrying out their physiological needs on public streets and sidewalks.
Is that what they had in mind when they came to the United States?
We guess not.
They didn’t have any warning to advise them of that possibility. The law approved by people in 1944, which was the only instrument to prevent them, had been nullified.
About the Author
Rafael A. Alvarado was born in Cartago, Costa Rica. At a very young age, he began to write poetry and stories. Before he turned 13, a school newspaper had already published some of his productions. He has received prizes and honorable mentions in some literary contests. In his country he was a journalist and a politician. He immigrated to California, where he established an office. After he retired, he dedicated his time to write, his lifetime passion. Editorial Hispano Americana of Argentina published two of his books: Tardes Dormidas, a compilation of poems written during his teens, and Escribidurías, also a collection of stories written during his teens. Lately he devoted more time to writing novels, and has produced four: Just Because I am Black, published in Canada, The Miracle of the Red Roses, published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, With the Scattered Soul not yet published, and A Nook Under the Bridge, which we bring to our English speaking readers now, after been published in Spanish Language.