[Cadre-politics] VISTA opening

[Dan MacNeil]

Starting in December/January, We (Community Software Lab) have a
full-time entry level job doing GNU/Linux system administration and free 
software development: (We'd cheerfully accept above entry level
applicants)

Green card or citizenship required. (sorry)

It is an Americrops/Vista position, which is something like the Peace
Corps. Full time work is required.

Pay is $800 per month, basic medical benefits are included. Details at:

 	http://thecsl.org/go/visa/

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POSSIBLY IRRELIVANT DETAIL:
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One of the 37 groups we provide email and web hosting for is the Coalition 
for a Better Acre: (http://www.coalitionforabetteracre.org/).

Part of their work is protesting. Friday, I rode my bike about 1/4 of a
mile from campus, just over the bridge, to 500 Moody Street and the most 
recent protest.

It was sweet and bitter.

When I unbuckled my dorky bicycle helmet, I noticed half the crowd
were children.  Lindolfo Carballo shook my hand and announced. "This is
only going to take 30 minutes, We are protesting against a slum lord"
Signs were handed out and we started.

The kids took turns with the bullhorn and kept us on our toes.

Sometimes we did:

 	11 year old on Bullhorn: 	"What do we want?"
 	Crowd:				"Justice!"

and sometimes:

 	11 year old on Bullhorn:	"Justice!"
 	Crowd:				"Ummm...Is what we want!"

After a short time and some gentle urging, the woman we were protesting 
for spoke. The tenants refuse to pay rent until the problems are fixed. 
The landlord is trying to evict them.

The woman has not had a working toilet for 7 months. The place is infested 
with cockroaches. Her Doctor found a roach in the stool of her baby.

The government has taken her children away until conditions improve. I am 
told the Dept of Social Services is working with her to find a
better place so they can give back her children.

A couple other people spoke in support. They'd had similar problems
endured similar threats and with the support of their neighbors eventually 
fixed things. They thanked her for her courage and promised their support.

We chanted and marched up and down the block a few more times. Right on
schedule Lindolfo declared something like: "OK, we're about done." Our
host, her eyes a little bit shiny, thanked us and went back inside.

Lindofo said "OK kids, we're going across the street to make signs for
next week."

I went on home.