NEW
YORK’S CASA DE LAS AMERICAS
Terrorism knocks on
its doors
BY
HEDELBERTO LÓPEZ BLANCH —Special for Granma
International—
 FOR
almost half a century, the Casa de las Américas in
New York has maintained its honorable position of
defending the Cuban Revolution despite suffering
aggression and attacks by terrorist groups of Cuban
origin, as well as threats from the U.S. government.
The
Orthodox Committee, an initiative by Cuban emigrants
that began during the Machado era, played an
important role in New York. In 1955, during the
visit to New York of Fidel Castro and Juan Manuel
Márquez (after being released from jail on the Isle
of Pines and heading for Mexico), the 26th of July
Movement was founded in this city. In 1957, the Casa
Cuba was established, becoming Casa de las Américas
in 1962.
Luis
Miranda, Casa president since 1987, has a long
history of struggle in the concrete jungle of this
noisy city.
Born
in Havana in 1928 and resident in the United States
since 1948, Miranda affirms that the Cuban emigrant
community, not by chance but with a thorough
understanding, has defended the Revolution because
it knows the Cuba of yesteryear where hunger, misery
and prostitution were rife.
"After
the visit by Fidel and Juan Manuel, we began our
struggle for the Revolution with the sale of bonds
to fundraise and send money to Cuba," explains
Miranda.
"Luis
Estremera, a Puerto Rican born on the island, was
appointed Casa Cuba’s first president. After the
arrival in the United States of Batista’s henchmen
and military staff we faced many problems, above all
with the counterrevolutionary organizations La Rosa
Blanca and Omega 7, the most aggressive.
"Maintaining
our position was very difficult because those people
had every kind of protection. They destroyed our
Casa Cuba at the end of 1959 but, all the same, we
celebrated the triumph of the Revolution and always
organized events for January 1 and July 26, as well
as the victory at the Bay of Pigs and other dates.
In 1962, we changed the name to Casa de las
Américas but had to leave our place at 93rd St. and
Colombus, where we had been for five years. We moved
to 17th St. and Broward. We were in that building
for a couple of years until the U.S. authorities
threw us out for being subversive. We then moved to
18th St and Broward.
"Later
we moved to 14th St. and Sixth Avenue where we have
been for the last 30 years.
"They
have made life very difficult, not just for me but
for many other comrades. The 1960s and 1970s were
critical ones in terms of those aggressive
attitudes. Immigration and the U.S. government
caused us a lot of problems because we defended the
Revolution.
He
added that during this time, the U.S. authorities
and counterrevolutionaries were extremely repressive
in New Jersey; they could not accept that a venue in
support of Fidel that opened its doors to U.S. and
Latin American left-wing groups and societies could
exist in New York.
Many
comrades and their relatives were injured or
received constant threats and insults by phone.
Luis
Miranda went on to recall that at the end of the
1970s, they marched on the Pentagon in Washington
and police on horseback charged them. They damaged
his spinal column. They said that the police horses
had bolted and came to a halt over the bodies of
several protestors.
Miranda
tells of how the Novo brothers and terrorist groups
in New Jersey attacked them several times in broad
daylight and the sad thing was that the authorities
never did anything to try and control them.
In
1960, an explosive device was planted in the Casa
that completely demolished the building. Another
exploded in the Casa de las Américas during the
26th of July celebrations in 1978, breaking windows
in the entire block and causing major damage to the
building.
In
1983, a device placed inside the Musical Academy on
14th St. was deactivated. Later came another that
could have blown up the entire block. However, just
a few hours before, the police caught two terrorists
some who confessed to the crime and a further
explosion was prevented.
For
Luis Miranda, these groups in the United States are
the same ones responsible for the death of Puerto
Rican Negrín in New Jersey, Luciano Nieves in
Miami, and Cuban official Félix Rodríguez on
Queens Boulevard, New York. They have admitted to
more than 70 attacks of this kind in New York alone.
They are the same Novo brothers currently imprisoned
in Panama with Posada Carriles.
"I
think that the U.S. authorities classify terrorists
as either "good" or "bad".
President George W. Bush held a dinner in Miami that
cost more than $1,000 USD per head with all these
notorious terrorists, the most notorious on the
American continent."
For
this reason, Miranda explains, they believe that the
U.S. government should adopt a more serious attitude
towards these terrorists. That they should not just
look in Afghanistan to find terrorists and that,
fundamentally they should head for Miami, as that is
where their main headquarters is to be found.
"In
1960 when Fidel came to New York, a group attacked
us with sticks and chains on 125th St. They struck
me in the face and I almost lost an eye. They have
attacked us so many times with every possible type
of weapon that both my hands are scarred from those
encounters.
"In
1978, I was shot in the hip. I was coming out of a
meeting in the Casa and someone fired from a nearby
building. We couldn’t go to the authorities
because of all the lengthy explanations this would
involve and so the wound became infected.
"In
1982, whilst I was leaving the Cuban diplomatic
mission – when it was located on 67th St. and Park
Avenue – there was a couple on the street and the
woman came running towards me, crying out to me to
help her, but then she grabbed my arms. The man then
stabbed me with a knife. I managed to ward off the
blow but I was still wounded close to my heart. They
fled and with a lot of effort, I managed to get
myself to the house of a friend of mine, a doctor,
who put three internal and three external stitches
on the left nipple."
WHAT
IS CASA DOING FOR THE FIVE?
"The
Casa de las Américas had a solidarity committee for
them from before these comrades were arbitrarily
sentenced. Members of the committee, comprising
several organizations in New York, were in Miami for
the trial.
One
contradiction that I’ve never seen before in all
my 50 years here was when the district attorney
embraced the terrorists in Miami. They were
celebrating a triumph and a victory as if it had
been a different kind of trial.
"There
is no reason for imposing such excessive sentences.
The cause, the motive, the reason why such inhumane
sentences have been handed down is solely
governmental animosity.
"During
the fight for the Five we’ve undertaken solidarity
work in universities with students and teachers,
with religious communities, in newspapers and
magazines. Every chance we get, we explain to the
people the harshness of these sentences, which is an
act of revenge against the Cuban government. That
these young men were fighting against terrorism
precisely because the U.S. authorities didn’t take
measures to stop the activities that these criminals
are engaged in against Cuba.
"Just
as we did during the kidnapping of young Elián
González, the Casa will also play a part in the
liberation of the Five compatriots and in defense of
the Revolution." |
