Many of you I am sure have heard about the riots in Paris
As I heard about the riots in Paris between the police and the people who are primarly decendents of African countries that where French colonies, I began to think about immigration worldwide.
Thursday of two youths, Malian Bouna Traore, 15, and Tunisian Zyed Benna 17, who were electrocuted when they jumped over a fence surrounding a high-voltage electrical transformer. Some relatives and witnesses said the two boys were trying to escape a police identity check, although the police deny they were being chased. Upon hearing of the deaths, other youths from the suburb began looting and rioting in the city’s immigrant-heavy northern suburbs.
During the past nine days, an estimated 1,800 vehicles have been torched and more than 400 people arrested. Gangs of youths are running through the streets, setting buildings on fire and throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. On Friday, some rioters reportedly set a 56 year-old disabled woman on fire, while reports of unrest emerged in Rouen in Normandy, Dijon in Burgundy and Marseilles in the South. —TPM Cafe
The conlfict in France and the treatment of French-Algerians is not unique. There are the Turks in Germany, Albanians in Greece, Indians in the UK, Guatemalans in Mexico, and Mexicans in the United States.
As I thought about these groups I also began to think about El Vez, and his song “Immigration Time” set to the music of the Oldie “Suspiscious Minds”. Below are the lyrics and you can hear a sample here ( the ‘?’ are where I couldn’t make out the wording correctly and very poorly guessed).
And right now I’d like to play you something off our Graciasland album. This is a song about immigrations rights. And in Germany the kids from Turkey think its about them, and in England the kids from India think it’s a song about them. But I wrote this song for the world and originally with the point of the Southern California immigrants coming in from Mexico into California. But this is a global situation. You remember you’ve got to think globally but act El Vezly.
I am caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because my foot is caught in this border fence
Why can’t you see
Statue of Liberty
I am your homeless, tired, and weary
We can go on together
It is immigration time
And we can build our dreams
its immigration time
Yes I am trying to go
Get out of Mexico
The promise land waits on the other side
There is the fence! Look out!
And here they come again
watch out for la migra
They are trying to fence me in
Wanting to live with the brave and the home of the free
That’s you and me
We can go on together
Its immigration time
And we can build our dreams
Its immigration time
All that I have I will share
I ain’t asking a lot oh no
You are the one that is supposed to care
All of you
Where the mountain part (?)
Oh you lied to me (?)
Oh that much (?)
I’m caught in a trap
I cant walk out
Because my foot is caught in this borderland
Why can’t you see
Statue of Liberty
I am your homeless, tired, and weary
I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because my foot is caught in your playlot of (?)
Why can’t you see
Statue of Liberty
I am your homeless, tired,
I got my green card
I want my gold card
I am your homeless, tired, and weary
