From the Deaf Bilingual Coalition:
After today's commotion (Crystal Gateway Marriott manager Jenny Botero's unprovoked attack on us) at the AG Bell convention, we debriefed each other and made more discoveries to today's attack.
AG Bell conv site coordinator/manager Botero snatched the flyers from Brianna DiGi, Barb DiGi's 8-year-old Deaf daughter, and in the process, harmed her. Brianna has scratches on her hand where the AG Bell coordinator/manager snatched the flyers from.
Yes, AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero abruptly snatched the flyers from a 8-year-old child and scratched her. Brianna was briefly traumatized by this unprovoked assault.
AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero then added insult to injury by ripping the flyers in half. Why would anybody do that to a 8-year-old child?
Brianna was OUTSIDE the hotel, and she was handing flyers to people LEAVING the hotel for lunch.
Before we go on, we assure you that Brianna is now OK and she retold her experience on video. (Posted at Amy Cohen Efron's and Raychelle Harris' sites.)
The video also includes evidence of AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero struggling with Raychelle Harris, who was peacefully handing out flyers and raising social awareness. See for yourself.
Is it acceptable to physically harm and traumatize an innocent 8-year-old Deaf child who was outside the hotel and not provoking anybody?
Repeat: videos up at Amy Cohen Efron's (blog.deafread.com.abcohende) and Raychelle Harris' (raysofraychelle.blogspot.com) sites. Transcript by Brian Riley forthcoming.
We need your help;
-call your local media and report this
-view the video (approx 5 min)
-direct media to the websites, transcript, etc.
-if you are in the area, come join us tomorrow
-call/e-mail Marriott Corporation and object to AG Bell coordinator/manager Botero's attack on an 8-year-old Deaf child. Be sure to zero on Crystal Gateway Marriott (not to be confused w/ the nearby Crystal City Marriott.)
-forward ur e-mail correspondence w/ Marriott to us, please
-donate to www.cad1906.org
Tomorrow we continue our campaign 9 AM-approximately 2 PM. We stand ready to talk w/ media and raise awareness. We also will remain PEACEFUL and hope that AG Bell coordinator/manager Jenny Botero does not attack Brianna or us again. Again, we are to remain PEACEFUL and continue raising awareness of Deaf children's and their families' plight.
Thank you.
Deaf Bilingual Coalition
Words from Raychelle: Today has made it clear to me that we must stand up for our children's rights. Deaf babies and toddlers all over the world can't fight back. It is up to us to be their voice, their protectors. Intentionally depriving deaf children of access to a natural language, that is linguistic murder. This has absolutely nothing to do with "freedom of choice". Any judge would put a parent in jail for intentionally preventing a child from learning a language, and yet we all allow this to happen to deaf children? Our deaf children should have complete access to ASL, English, you name it, as long as it is COMPLETE! And...why deny them something that works for hearing babies?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
I agree she wouldn't do that to a hearing flyer handler. The nerve.
I am sorry that I can't be Christ-alike attitude, but I can think of 500 nasty words to say to the manager of the Marriott. Her attitude and approach is not proper or professional. The way she perform toward deaf people is consider as "Audism."
I hope this message will get across to Barb. Barb needs to report to police NOW (NOT wait till next day, just do it now) if they are ON public property that belongs to the city not the hotel, therefore, it is a crime for that lady to attack a child and confiscated her belongings.
Please, please take picture and video proof of the daughter's hand.
Don't let her get away with this cruelty. She was probably expecting to get away with it. Surprise her with the fact that we ASL using Deaf people are not weak and not to be treated with such disrespect.
I just told a hearing friend who is a police dispatcher about this.. she's unbelievably appalled at what happened and encourages documentation and reporting. Media can be good but please document it personally and make personal contacts yourself, as parent of the child.
hey, Iam shocked to see the video the lady is very angry and reacted.
I felt touch and emtional for me to see that.
Iam sorry what happened to a child!! she should not do that is abuse. hopefully this weekend is successful and Iam watching updates. I pray hope things goes well.
Right on Raychelle! Our deaf children should not be denied an access to ASL. AGB is clearly preventing ASL as one of option (it should not be an option anyway) and this must stop!
Thanks for excellent report!
Manager should not do that!!! Sue Marriot Manager NOW!!!!
Thumb Up!!!! :-)
Around the World
You should have called the police and report this so you have proof of this in police report.
Then you can file formal complaint with this Marriott with copy of police report.
I think you should seek for legal advice. Stratching a little girl by an adult is unacceptable and can be brought up at the court.
I think you should seek for legal advices. Stratching a little girl by an adult is unacceptable and can be brought up at the court.
Perhaps AGBAD did bribed to the manager to ripe out the DBC???
your blog still alive but I understand that my first comment was not working to be accepted on your blog! Something wrong with the spam?? How??
Hope you will feel okay from the protest at AGBAD! I enjoyed reading your blog! Have a nice day!
Even if there is a lot of drama over what happened at the "protest," the question remains, did the protestors have ADVANCE permission to protest? There are alternatives to protesting, as I wrote on my own blog, Berke Outspoken.
Berke,
You and I know this wasn't really a protest, it was more of promoting social awareness about a viable language for deaf children. We weren't brandishing signs, picketing, making human chains or anything like that. All we were doing was distributing flyers peacefully and sitting down with some of their participants and talking to them about sign language. That, in my opinion, sure got the point across to quite a number of people that weekend than simply writing letters to the big honchos and trying to advance our cause through other venues such as giving workshops and publishing research showing differently, which we have been doing for the past several decades. I believe all struggles need different kinds of tactics - the black movement needed Malcolm X as much as they needed MLK. MLK's tactics (much like yours) did not work on some, and Malcolm X's did not work on some, but combined, they made much more progress than one of them doing it alone.
Raychelle
Some people asked about the bus at the Marriott Hotel. Allow me to elaborate. When a large group of people walked outside to ride a bus, this bus was actually a tour bus. This tour bus was open to the several conferences hosted in the hotel. I specifically distributed flyers to people walking past me wearing the AGB conference registration badge. However, some people not wearing the badge stretched their hands out for the flyer, and I didn't see why I shouldn't give it to them as well. After all, what we were doing was promoting social awareness about our cause, and the more people we reach out, AGB or not, the better. Some of them may have deaf friends or relatives sooner or later and this may have planted a seed in them - that they'll think about sign language! So it all boils down to one thing: it doesn't matter who they are as long as they were exposed to the concept of sign language for babies, deaf or hearing!
Rachelle!
That is so WONDERFUL DEAF EXPOSURES! Great feedbacks from you! That's a very good way to have good social to show in AGBAD!
Shawn
I finally caught up with blogs and vlogs, so pardon me for the lateness of my response :)
I'm glad you brought up about Malcolm X and MLK. It is what I have been telling people that. Many non-blacks are the ones who didn't have a good thing to say about Malcolm X, but I am with African-Americans in recognizing the importance of Malcolm X's existence along with MLK's. We see these kind of leaders in every oppressed group that has made an enormous impact.
I agree that planting a seed is all it takes and let the ripple effect take place. It doesn't happen overnight.
Post a Comment