South Asian Network

Bridging Communities, Empowering People

Welcome to SAN’s first online quarterly newsletter! Look out for updates once Fall 2009, Volume 1, Issue 1
every three months and stay connected to us! Have suggestions? Click here!

IN THIS ISSUE
AWAZ Online Release of
Public Service Announcement
UNIT UPDATES:
- By Saima Husain, AWAZ Associate Coordinator and Preeti * Online Release of PSA! – pg. 1
Sharma, Communications Associate * Worker’s Rights Project Launched! – pg. 1
* Isolation and Belonging – pg. 1
The AWAZ Voices Against Violence unit and the survivor’s
* Koreatown Residents Host
support group are proud to announce both the television release Unity Townhall – pg. 5
and online release of their jointly created Public Service
Announcement (PSA)! Starting mid-September 2009, the PSA ACTION ALERTS:
* ICE and Police Scaring Communities, Not
began screening on the U.S. version of the national Bangla
Securing – pg. 4
channel, Ntv, and is now available for viewing on youtube here.
The PSA plays a large part of AWAZ’s efforts to prevent COMMUNITY STORIES:
domestic violence and to develop leadership amongst survivors * Survivor Battles Systemic Violence –
Continued on Page 3. pg. 6
Pioneer Blvd. Worker’s Rights Project
Successfully Launched

- BY Sannah Rahim, SAN Intern

Forty workers attended SAN’s official launch of the Pioneer
Blvd. Worker’s Rights Organizing Project. The event took place at
Heritage Park in Cerritos on Monday, August 3rd, 2009. Held in
response to the prevalence of labor rights abuses impacting low
income workers, the event is a part of a larger goal to end the
exploitation of South Asian and Latino workers on Pioneer Blvd., Wo rkers spea k ou t at Laun ch o f
Orga nizing Project
and build relationships between them. Continued on Page 1.

Isolation and Belonging: SAN’s Older Adults Walk it Off!

- BY Preeti Sharma, Communications Associate

On Wednesday, September 30th, twenty-five older adults
stretched near the benches outside the Artesia Senior Center. Like
longtime friends, many chatted about their children, their children’s
children, and family matters. Amidst the camaraderie and laughter,
everyday activities suddenly transform into moments of excitement.
A group of seniors gather outside the center two times a week
–Wednesdays and Fridays – to walk. Continued on Page 2.

Wa lking Club Memb ers Play Games

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 Wa lking Club Memb ers and CHAI Sta ff Ga ther Tog eth er After a Po tlu ck
(From Isolation and Belonging, Pg. 1)
The “Walking Club,” as addressed by both SAN
staff and the seniors, is a space where elderly
members of Artesia’s South Asian community
participate in exercise and social activities.
South Asian Network’s Community Health
Action Initiative (CHAI) began case management
with the elderly South Asian community in late
2003. In between case management visits and
intake questions, lead advocate Farhana Shahid
constantly heard undertones of isolation and
longing.
In late 2008, older adults clients, community
leaders, and CHAI staff researched ways to gather
the seniors in the area. They decided upon forming a
space where elderly can both walk and talk.
Elderly play games like cards or antakshari (a
popular Desi singing game), engage in light exercise
of stretching aerobics and walking, and also
participate in workshops on nutrition and health.
Santosh, one of the walking club members,
The South Asian Network (SAN)
is a grassroots community-based organization dedicated to
advancing the health, empowerment, and solidarity of persons of
South Asian origin.
Fundamental to SAN’s mission is equality for all.
SAN is a 501 c(3) Non-Profit Organization * Tax ID No. 33-0608166
attends the club because “it helps me deal with my
depression. I don’t feel stuck at home anymore.”
This is the first formal South Asian walking club
to form across the country.
“In the beginning, some members were quiet.
They never shared anything,” says Prakash Ghimire, a
SAN Lead Community Advocate, “These days, they
are speaking more, visiting each others homes, and
bringing other people who live alone to the club. We
don’t even have to outreach about the club.”
However, the club’s walking path has not been an
easy one. While community partners, like the Asian
Pacific Islander’s Older Adult Task force commend
SAN’s walking club, building bridges with the Artesia
Senior Center has been a challenge in terms of
integration due to language and cultural activities.
Despite the differences, SAN’s walking club
continues to meet twice a week to share their stories
and to go for a walk.
SAN Artesia Office:
18173 Pioneer Blvd.
2nd Floor, Suite I
Artesia, CA 90701
Phone: (562) 403-0488
Fax: (562) 403-0487
www.southasiannetwork.org
email: saninfo@southasiannetwork.org
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 barriers, immigration status, age, Many workers shared their stories,
problems finding transportation, willingness and strength to fight
fear of retaliation, the pressure of against these injustices and to
the economic crisis, isolation from demand their rights.
mainstream America and In the last two years, SAN
discrimination comprise other helped workers obtain over $75,000
Timelin e fo r Wo rkers Righ ts at Disp la y obstacles for workers. in back wages and penalties. SAN’s
During part of the picnic, strategies include: writing demand
staff and workers made plans for letters, holding settlement meetings,
(From Pioneer Blvd., pg. 1)
the next year to challenge and end and organizing visits and public
Low income workers in this exploitation in the area. actions in front of violating stores.
area face many challenges Additionally, Steve Zrucky, SAN hopes that the Pioneer
including: denial of minimum Senior Attorney at Legal Aid Blvd. Worker Right's Organizing
wage, lack of overtime pay, long Foundation of Los Angeles, Project will bring together diverse
work hours, denial of meal and Employment Law unit, conducted communities and create change,
rest periods, and a general lack of a “Know your Rights” ultimately allowing the employer-
health and safety in the presentation around CA labor worker relationship to be supportive,
workplace. In addition, language laws. rather than exploitative.

(From Online Release, Pg. 1)

Addressing the prevalence of domestic violence in
the South Asian community, the PSA shares the story of a
young South Asian family. The family appears in “marital
bliss” on the outside, yet, behind close doors, their conflict
escalates and violence occurs. Through dialogue and
positive behavior, the PSA encourages violence prevention
and healthy relationships.
After a feedback session for the PSA, an anonymous
survivor asserted, “I wish my in-laws and ex-husband PS A Acto rs Dep ict Fa mily Add ressing Vio lence

could have seen this PSA. It openly deals with poor family dynamics and how to change.”
In addition to the PSA’s new availability online, and its current run on channel Ntv, the PSA was shown
at Naz’s Artesia Theater through summer 2009. It also played on local Los Angeles South Asian television
programs earlier in the year. AWAZ estimates that over 50,000 people have already viewed the PSA.
The PSA, from the start, remained a community-wide effort. While survivors and staff came up with
messaging, a local production group (the Narra Group) wrote, directed, and edited the PSA, and a local
musician, Manisha Shahane, provided the music.

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 ICE and Police Scaring Communities, Not Securing Them
- BY Tamia Pervez, Policy Organizer
During the last couple of years, many troubling
enforcement strategies have been introduced by the U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency
that have negatively impacted immigrants and
communities of color. Since August of 2007, ICE has
provided local law enforcement agencies the opportunity
to partner with it to carry out federal immigration law
enforcement under a program called ICE ACCESS
(Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance
Safety and Security). While not mandatory, many states
and counties have started to take up these offers.
Los Angeles County is one of the most recent ones.
Now, almost a year and a half after its introduction
nationally, L.A. County has decided to implement
“Secure Communities,” which is one of the programs
under ACCESS. This policy requires that everyone
arrested by any local law enforcement agency also get
checked to see if he or she is in the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) database, in addition to the
usual check with the FBI’s database for any past
criminal history records.
While some of this has been on-going for quite
some time, the main difference now is that the double-
checking of backgrounds applies to everyone who is
simply arrested (whether guilty or innocent, whether
charged with a crime or not), and that both the FBI and
DHS databases are checked.
This means that anyone picked up by Los Angeles
Police who is here without immigration status or who
SAN Upcoming Events
October
Sunday, October 4th: Free Health Fair, 8am – 1pm,
SAN Artesia Office
Sunday, October 11th: Visibility March in Little India, 2pm-
4:30pm, Meet at SAN’s Artesia Office Parking Lot
Monday, October 12th: Health Workshop, Time TBD,
g SAN Artesia Office
Tuesday, October 13th: Free Housing Legal Clinic, 6:30pm -
8pm, Legal Aid Office (1102 Crenshaw Blvd.)
has been in contact with the immigration system in any
way, will now be referred to ICE. ICE can then decide
to place an individual in deportation proceedings, either
after any jail time is finished or even without being
charged with a crime. So far, ICE has not provided much
information about how it is implementing this policy.
A few initial areas of concern include immigrants
who were covered by the Special Registration Program
(in effect from after September 11, 2001 until December
2003) or persons who are questioned by the FBI and
whether ICE would decide to hold these people for
deportation proceedings as well. Another cause for
concern is that this policy has the potential to allow our
communities, especially immigrants, to be targeted for
how we look rather than any wrongful or criminal
behavior.
Another subprogram included in ACCESS is
287(g), which allows local law enforcement officers to
enforce civil immigration laws. This program is also
troubling due to many issues of racial profiling and
misuse of discretion because local officers are still
largely untrained and culturally insensitive.
For the time being, we advise community members
to know their rights, stay vigilant and avoid contact with
ICE or local law enforcement agencies as much as
possible. Additionally, we must come together as a
community and fight against these types of policies that
target and discriminate against immigrants under the
name of “national security.”
To Jo in Us, Plea se email
S ANin fo @s outhAs iann netwo rk .o rg
Saturday, October 18th: Residents Committee Meeting, 6pm,
SAN Koreatown Office
Saturday, October 24th: Right to the City Los Angeles,
Leaders Gathering, 10am -2pm, SAN Koreatown Office
November
**SAN Annual Fundraising Dinner: November 7th **
7pm, USC Town and Gown Hall
Have you bought your ticket yet?
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 Koreatown Residents Committee Host Unity Townhall to
Challenge Economic Crisis

-BY Sannah Rahim, SAN Intern

The economic downturn has affected

thousands of people, low-income people in
particular, across the country. In an effort to
address the effects of the economic crisis, SAN held
a townhall in partnership with the Bangladeshi
community in Koreatown. Seventy-five people Memb ers Ga th er for Townhall

gathered together to discuss how they were

experiencing the downturn and ways to cope with
the situation.
SAN staff member, Riffat Rahman, began the
townhall by affirming the community’s ability to
rely on one another for support and resources,
“Akota means unity. We are united here to discuss
our economic problems, to see what our rights and
resources are; we are going to see what we can all
do together.”
Through skits, community members learned
about worker’s rights, tenant’s rights, and health
access. Aditi Mahmud, SAN’s Koreatown
Resident’s Committee member, elaborated, “In
Koreatown there are problems with housing, we pay
high rent and there are many issues with the
apartments, things are broken etc and we know we
live in a kind of slum but we do not say anything to
the manager as we are afraid of being evicted.”
Local agencies across Los Angeles gave
presentations on Unemployment & Job Search
Steve Zrucky, LAFLA (left) and Riffat Rahman (right)
Tactics, DV and Mental Health, Tenant’s
Rights/Gentrification, Police Brutality & Mutual Aid
programs, and Health & Low-income Benefits.
Community members discussed coping with job
loss stress, workers’ compensation, government
benefits, and challenging the Obama Administration’s
bail out and how impacts on low income communities.
Concluding the townhall, youth members of the
Resident’s Committee strongly encouraged
community members to attend their organizing
meetings, which are held once a month at SAN’s
Koreatown Office. For more information, please email
Preeti Sharma at preetis@southasiannetwork.org.

SAN Board SAN Staff

Aman Thind Asha Gandhi Preeti Sharma
Asad Ayaz Bhasker Shah Rajwinder Kaur
Binna Chahal Dolly Husein Ramji Gautam
Hamid Khan Farhana Shahid Ranjeeta Chhetry
Manju Kulkarni Ghulam Ali Bashir Riffat Rahman
Nitin Shah Hamid Khan Saima Husain
Reshma Shamasunder Joyti Chand Tamia Pervez
Sumun Pendakur Prakash C. Ghimire Vrunda Merchant

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 Survivor Battles Systemic Violence!
-BY Parul Mehta, Mental Health Consultant
On a cold November afternoon last year, South
Asian Network was approached by a demure individual,
almost hesitant to ask for help with the situation she was
facing, fearing that she might be causing too much
trouble for the other. Apologetic and shy in her
mannerisms, Maya* had and continues to have the
weight of the world on her shoulders. Having had to take
her infant son and flee the country to escape abuse at the
hands of her then husband, Maya was arrested at LAX
airport upon her return to the U.S. eighteen years later ,
in August 2008, with charges of abducting her child.
After fleeing the U.S. in 1990, Maya went back to
her country of origin – India. In India, her family
informed her husband that she relocated to protect
herself and their child from his abuse. When initially
residing in the U.S. Maya and her husband were on
temporary visas. Thus, fleeing to India proved the only
logical choice for Maya, where she felt she would at
least have the support of her family. Maya hoped for
reconciliation, so she did not inform the Indian police of
her situation. She wanted to save her marriage but not at
the compromise of personal safety. The estranged
husband never attempted to visit, nor reconcile with her.
In 1995, Maya was granted a divorce, child custody and
child support by the Indian courts.
Over the years, Maya’s ex-husband made sporadic
efforts to establish contact with his son. In the
meantime, Maya focused all her energies in raising her
son in a positive environment. Her parents helped
financially, but they still lived on a tight budget.
When her son was granted a full scholarship to an
university in the U.S., Maya was elated. Little did she
know that eminent disaster awaited.
At Maya’s suggestion, her son contacted his father
to give him the thrilling news. However, when her ex-
husband learned about their upcoming trip to the U.S.,
he vengefully filed child abduction charges against
Maya, eighteen years after the fact. (Child abduction
has no statute of limitations, so it is enforceable at any
time.)
Maya now faces several difficult decisions and
punishment for a crime she never committed. Will the
U.S. criminal court accept legal documents from Indian
courts? How can she prove abuse that occurred 18 years
ago? Why accept a guilty plea for something she had to
do to save herself and her child?
After immense internal battling, seeking advice
from professionals including lawyers, advocates and
psychologists, and keeping in mind financial constraints,
Maya decided not to fight a court battle that might have
landed her a two-year prison sentence if she lost at trial.
Instead, Maya reluctantly accepted a guilty plea, which
imposes three months of house arrest, followed by three
months of jail time, after which she will be deported to
India, and banned from ever re-entering the U.S.
Many questions arise as we examine Maya’s
situation and realize that clearly the law does not afford
protection to women facing a predicament such as
Maya’s. During the last several months, Maya has been
proactive in contacting several advocates and other
women who have faced similar unfair charges for
exercising the basic human right to protect their
children.
How, in the face of such unfairness, can we work
together to advocate for policy change and protect
children and parents from unjust punishment? How
should the law be amended to recognize the plight of an
abused woman who faces several barriers in a foreign
country to ensure safety for herself and her child?
* A true story. Names have been changed to protect the
confidentiality of the parties involved.
Newsletter Edited by Preeti Sharma
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