First Death from Walkouts

NEWS CONFERENCE
Sunday, April 9, 2006
12:00 p.m.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
710 S. Sultana Ave., Ontario, CA 91761

Actor Edward James Olmos and Movie Producer Moctezuma Esparza HBO’s “East L.A Walkouts,”“Selena,”“Milagro Beanfield War”) will be among the many community members who will join Louise Corales, the mother of Anthony Soltero, age 14, in a prayer for her son this Sunday, following the 11:00 a.m. mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Ontario, California. Ms. Corales will speak to the press and the community at 12:00 noon, after the 11 o’clock mass on Sunday, April 9, 2006.

Eighth grader Anthony Soltero shot himself through the head on Thursday, March 30, after the assistant principal at De Anza Middle School told him that he was going to prison for three years because of his involvement as an organizer of the March 28 school walk-outs to protest the anti-immigrant legislation in Washington. The vice principal also forbade Anthony from attending graduation activities and threatened to fine his mother for Anthony’s truancy and participation in the student protests.

“Anthony was learning about the importance of civic duties and rights in his eighth grade class. Ironically, he died because the vice principal at his school threatened him for speaking out and exercising those rights,” Ms. Corales said today. “I want to speak out to other parents, whose children are attending the continuing protests this week. We have to let the schools know that they can’t punish our children for exercising their rights.”

Anthony’s death is likely the first fatality arising from the protests against the immigration legislation being considered in Washington, D.C. Anthony, who was a very good student at De Anza Middle School in the Ontario-Montclair School District, believed in justice and was passionate about the immigration issue. He is survived by his mother, Louise Corales, his father, a younger sister, and a baby brother.

Anthony’s funeral and burial are scheduled for Monday, April 10, 2006, at 9:30 a.m., STRICKLAND & SNIVERY, 1953 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90806.

CONTACTS: R. SAMUEL PAZ, Weekend (310) 989-6815; Office (310) 410-2981 SONIA MERCADO, weekend (310 210-4445; Office (310) 410-2981
E-mail: samuelpaz@MSN.com LAW OFFICES OF R. SAMUEL PAZ

======================

This is not a game folks . . .