On behalf of the Sudanese Community Association in Portland, I would like to invite you and your membership to attend and participate in a March & Rally for Peace, Justice and Equal Rights in Portland on Saturday, October 3rd. The March begins at the top of Congress Street on Munjoy Hill (corner of Congress & Eastern Promenade) at 1:00 p.m., and continues down Congress Street to Portland City Hall. The Rally is scheduled to begin at City Hall Plaza at 2:00 p.m.
As you may be aware, this has been a difficult and trying year for Portland’s Sudanese Community. Last September we lost one of our finest young men, James Angelo, to a senseless killing at Mercy Hospital. To this day, there have been no arrests in that murder case, which has joined a long list of unsolved crimes involving Sudanese victims in the City of Portland. This past Spring, another member of our community was shot to death by Portland Police Officers. Not long thereafter, our former chairman, Angelo Okot, was tragically killed in Sudan while campaigning for elective office in that country. While our Community was consumed by grief over the loss of its elder statesman, the Portland Police Department released a video to the media depicting young people in Kennedy Park (from many different ethnic communities) who were visibly angry and upset about the police killing of David Okot. The Portland Police Department referred publicly to the youngsters as “Sudanese Youth” in an apparent effort to portray our Community in a negative and dangerous light. All of this occurred after public promises were made by the Chief of Police to build a meaningful dialogue with the Sudanese Community (and other immigrant communities) and address our longstanding concerns.
Many in our community are genuinely concerned about a pattern of unequal treatment and discrimination at the hands of governmental authorities, particularly the Portland Police Department, based on our race and foreign origin. We have no meaningful representation in the power structure of this City, and thus have encountered difficulty in getting our concerns addressed despite numerous meetings with City officials over the past year. We have been engaged in an ongoing struggle to gain basic respect and recognition as residents of this community, not only as human beings, but as a people who add to the cultural richness, diversity and prosperity of this great City. At the same time, we know and acknowledge that the great majority of our fellow residents in this City have welcomed us with open arms, have assisted in our settlement here, and have shown great respect for and tolerance of our diversity. For that we are both extremely grateful and hopeful.
We understand that many others in the community –- particularly other immigrant and minority groups –- have experienced and encountered problems similar to those described above. We reach out to you in a spirit of solidarity, fellowship and cooperation, and invite you to march and rally with us on October 3rd for the cause of peace, justice and equal rights. If any representative of your organization or community wishes to speak at the rally on any subject relating to our shared mission, please contact me at (207) 671-6480 or by e-mail at nyalingwa [at] netzero [dot] com We also would appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about this event.
Thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sarah Espicho, President & Acting Chair, Sudanese Community Association in Portland
John H. Branson, Esq. Law Office of John H. Branson, P.A. 482 Congress Street, Suite 304 P.O. Box 7526 Portland, Maine 04112-7526 Tel.: (207) 780-8611 Fax: (207) 221-2203 jbranson [at] bransonlawoffice [dot] com www.bransonlawoffice.com
