Queens print edition (PDF) - Caribbean Life

Aug. 24-30, 2012 • Caribbean Life • Queens/Bronx/Manhattan/Westchester • Page 8DREAMers attend legal clinicBy Tequila MinskyThey began lining up at 6:00a.m. and the doors of St. Mary’sChurch on the Lower East Sideopened about 10:15 a.m., earlierthan planned.Aug. 15 was the first daythat DREAMers, undocumentedyouth, could apply for a temporarywork permit and deferredaction relief.On that day, a legal adviceclinic organized by New YorkImmigration Coalition offeredpreliminary consultations, apre-screening with volunteeremigration lawyers, to undocumentedyoung adults whoarrived in the United Statesbefore the age of 15 and wereyounger than 31.Flavia is now 23 and has acollege degree in merchandisemarketing. She arrived at theage of 11 from Bolivia but cannotwork, legally.One attendee, studying computertechnology, came fromPeru 11 years ago and another, a27-year-old young man from St.Lucia, works as a deliveryman.They were among the packedconsultation room with othersfrom China, Bangladesh, andFrom 10:15a.m. to 6:00p.m. at St. Mary’s Church, volunteer lawyersconsulted and fielded questions as a pre-screening for 1,000 undocumentedyoung adult New Yorkers. A first step for deferredaction.Tequila Minskyyou-name-the-country, seekinginformation at this initial prescreening.By mid-afternoon, the doorswere closed, the legal cliniccould not accommodate anymore.Forty lawyers screenedapproximately 1000 young peopleduring the day.Max Ahmed, a senior studyingchemical engineering atthe City College of New Yorkspoke to press as the day began,“Deferred Action will grantsome stability for me and overa million young people like me.This policy grants me morethan a permit to work or to livehere. It allows me to now pursuemy dream of contributingto the city and to the country. Iwant to work on today’s energyproblems through my degree inchemical engineering.City, state and national politiciansattended the launch.Death penalty moratoriumBy Azad AliThe Inter-American Commissionon Human Rights (IACHR)has called on several Caribbeancountries to impose a moratoriumin the application of thedeath penalty.In a statement to coincide withthe release of its latest publicationtitled “The Death Penaltyin the Inter-American HumanRights System: From Restrictionsto Abolition,” the IACHRsaid it had examined the deathpenalty situation in the ninememberstates during the last15 years.It said countries involvedare Barbados, Cuba, Guatemala,Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica,Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobagoand the United States.“Taking into account thesestandards and developments inthe region, and in light of theobjective of gradually eliminatingthe death penalty in the inter-American system, the Commissionurges the OAS (Organizationof American States) memberstates that still have the deathpenalty to abolish it or, at least,to impose a moratorium to itsapplication.“In addition, the report recommendsthe states to ratify theProtocol to the American Conventionto Abolish the Death Penalty;to refrain from any measure thatwould expand the application ofthe death penalty or reintroduceit ( and) to take any measuresnecessary to ensure compliancewith the strictest standards ofdue process in capital cases,”The IACHR is calling on statesto adopt any steps required toensure that domestic legal standardsconform to the heightenedlevel of review applicable in deathpenalty cases, and to ensure fullcompliance with decisions ofthe Inter American Commissionand Court, and specifically withdecisions concerning individualdeath penalty cases and precautionaryand provisional measures.In the report, the Commissionhighlights some advances relatedto the imposition of the deathpenalty in the region in recentyears. Of particular importancehave been the advances related tothe mandatory imposition of thedeath penalty, that, when this isimposed after a conviction fora crime without the opportunityfor presenting or consideringmitigating circumstances.LEUKEMIASUFFERERSHaveyouusedHYDROQUINONEcontainingskinbleachingcreamsorskindiscolorationfadecreams?Pleasecallforafreeconsultationtodiscussyourlegalrights.1-800-585-1190Lynch Daskal Emery LLP264 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018LICENSED BY NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPT. ESTABLISHED SINCE 1993UNIVERSALMEDICAL CAREERTRAINING CENTERC.N.A. Stateboard Testing OnsiteEmployment Opportunities In NursingHomes Hospitals & Medical OfficesCOME JOIN US TODAY FORCAREER TRAINING IN:Nurse Assistant/Aide (CNA)Patient Care Technician(Ekg+Phlebotomy)Medical Laboratory TechnicianMedical AssistantPhysical Therapy AideDAY, EVENING & WEEKEND CLASSES, EZ PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE718-739-6768718-739-3258718-739-9145