Thu Nguyen

Thank YOU so much everyone who came out to our community celebration and fundraiser for our appeal funds, and LUCE on Wednesday. It was such a beautiful and positive night and it was amazing seeing so many of you. My family and I are so touched by the love, generosity and ongoing support. I am so grateful for your generous loving hearts. It is always good being together. I hope we can continue to keep our community and each-other in love and care. We have some more Etel for Worcester T-shirts left we'd like to sell for $25+, using this link: /pay/campaign/172038 To continue donating to LUCE Neighborhood Fund you can venmo: venmo@LUCEWORCESTER . You can message me at [email protected] with your t-shirt size if you would like to pick it up at 4 Englewood Avenue. I can also drop off in the event you're unable to pick up. Thank you so much for taking care of each-other, and our neighbors. I am always humbled and honored to be a part of this loving community. We will always show-up for each-other and our neighbors under attack. Much love, Etel and Family

Etel for Worcester T-Shirts are Back! Come get yours tomorrow (3/25) at Mint Worcester between 7-9 pm as we celebrate Etel! We are so excited to have the opportunity to come together and celebrate Etel for all that she has given and continues to give to our community! Join us as we gift Etel her flowers. Please share and invite folks who love and support Etel! All funds will go towards legal fees and LUCE! Click here to donate: /project/172038-etels-appeal-legal-fund If you would like to buy an Etel shirt but can't be there DM @votethu

Three mental health organizations filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Worcester on Monday, March 16, alleging the city’s 911 emergency response program discriminates against children, youth, and adults with mental health disabilities. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Massachusetts, NAMI-Massachusetts, and the Parent-Professional Advocacy League filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city, alleging its 911 program violates Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Section 504 requires “that People with Disabilities Have Equal Access to, and an Equal Opportunity to Benefit From, the Services, Programs, and Activities of a Public Entity’s 911 Program, Including by Making Reasonable Modifications to a Public Entity’s 911 Program,” according to the complaint. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that calling 911 in Worcester in response to a physical health emergency, like a heart attack, brings qualified healthcare professionals like EMTs and paramedics to the scene. Calls in response to a mental health emergency, like suicidal ideation or post-traumatic stress episodes, bring armed police officers to the scene. The lawsuit quotes Deputy Chief of Police Ed McGinn Jr., cited as telling the Human Rights Commission on July 11, 2022, that, “upwards of 25% [of] calls on a daily basis are people who are experiencing some sort of mental health crisis. We are the epicenter of all things social service here in Worcester.” According to the complaint: “Emergency Communications has no specific intake procedures for mental health emergencies. There is no behavioral health specialist employed by Emergency Communications who can triage calls or provide specialized intake for mental health emergency calls. There are no intake questions or protocols that are used for answering mental health emergency calls, despite the fact that Emergency Communications receives thousands of mental health emergency calls per year.” /nami-mental-health-lawsuit-worcester/

Come join us for a community movie screening of Paris Is Burning and letter writing to trans prisoners at 4 King st Worcester March 28th at 5pm. Paris is Burning is a documentary on ballroom culture in New York City in the 1980s focusing on drag queens living in New York City and their "house" culture, which provides a sense of community and support for the flamboyant and often socially shunned performers. Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion. Also touching on issues of racism and poverty, the film features interviews with a number of renowned drag queens, including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija and Dorian Corey. Masks will be provided.

We are so excited to have the opportunity to come together and celebrate Etel for all that she has given and continues to give to our community! Join us at Mint Kitchen and Bar, 79 Maywood St on March 25th 7-9 pm to gift Etel her flowers. Please share and invite folks who love and support Etel! All funds will go towards legal fees and LUCE! Click here to donate: /project/172038-etels-appeal-legal-fund

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a joint military assault on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and marked the start of a brazen campaign of regime change. Three days into the assault, more than 780 Iranians have been killed, including 175 children at a primary school. Over 50 people in Lebanon have also died as Israel expands its war across the region, bombing Beirut. Gaza is once again under full blockade, with its borders closed to food and essential humanitarian supplies. As bombs fall on the cities where my family lives in Iran, Donald Trump calls it an opportunity for Iranian freedom. Some in the diaspora have cheered, laying roses at US embassies. The former Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, declared that Iranians were “forever in debt” to American service members. Bombs don’t bring democracy. Regime change will not be swift or bloodless. With roughly 190,000 active personnel and a sprawling paramilitary and economic network, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is embedded in Iran’s political and economic infrastructure. External attack is consolidating support for the regime as the country rallies under siege conditions. This war also unfolds in a global context where international law fails to constrain power. As in the genocide in Palestine, attacks on civilians appear to carry no enforceable consequences for close Western allies. Legal norms are discarded whenever they obstruct geopolitical interests. Last December, as Iran’s currency plunged and food prices surged amid sanctions and domestic corruption, protests spread across the country. Workers, students, pensioners, informal labourers, and rural families filled the streets. They were not calling for foreign bombs. Rather, they were demanding survival. Those same communities will now bear the brunt of the war. The wealthy have exit routes. Dual passports exist. Capital leaves quietly. The working poor and much of the middle class cannot. History is consistent: sustainable freedom is built by people who organize, strike, write, teach, and resist—not by foreign jets, sanctions regimes, or crowns.

We recently saw a devoted public servant get convicted in a court of law on the charge of Assault and Battery of a Public Employee. This verdict was a sham, unsupported by evidence presented, and completely out of line from the instructions presented by the jury, failing to meet even preponderance of the evidence, let alone beyond a reasonable doubt. I don’t know why the jury made their incomprehensible judgement that flies in the face of rational thought and logic. Frankly, though, I don’t care. The more pressing question is, what kind of societal precedent does this case set? It establishes the standard of criminalizing good samaritans who rush to help their neighbors, particularly against state violence. It reduces the serious charge of assault to coincidental touches, and effectively strips the right of self-defense from the public, in contradiction of the spirit of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Even more terrifyingly, it gives the already powerful police department, and their associated union, unprecedented societal and political power. Attorney Gagne said during the trial that “nobody is above the law”, in an effort to scold Etel Haxhiaj for her bravery. Perhaps he should have reserved those words for the members of the Worcester Police Department who, in violation of their oath to protect and serve the most vulnerable in our city, actively protected ICE and allowed them to kidnap one of our own. Etel Haxhiaj will go down in history as a proud, patriotic progressive that was unjustly persecuted and punished by those in power, like Eugene Debs a century ago. Her legacy of public service and the goodness of her soul is unimpeachable, regardless of whatever judgment any court hands down. It is now our collective responsibility to make sure her good deeds are rewarded in the long term. We must work tirelessly to ensure this city is safe and welcoming for all, and that when one of us comes under attack, we all rise up to defend them. Read Full Op-ED By Andrew Marsh here: https://www.worcestersucks.email/p/criminalizing-those-who-rush-to-help

Etel Haxhiaj's Statement Nine months ago, federal agents kidnapped a member of our community, a mother and my constituent. They separated a family and inflicted irreparable harm. My heart breaks at the brutality being unleashed on our neighbors and many others held captive in detention camps. On May 8, we did what ordinary people are doing across the country: we stood between masked armed federal agents and a mother. The murders of Keith Porter Jr, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, the killings and kidnappings of Black and brown immigrant neighbors, remind us who the real aggressors are. Worcester's leaders chose to vilify us, a community that responded with love. They remained silent and demanded no accountability when our police department violently arrested a traumatized 17-year-old. They enabled the Police Union's bullying and blamed the community for the Worcester Police Department's lack of preparation to de-escalate a situation that posed danger to unarmed civilians... The special prosecutor asked that I repent by issuing a direct apology, in exchange for dropping the charges with probation. I chose the truth. I have dedicated my life to building community and defending people's rights. We must demand accountability when the Police Union officials abuse their power. When they push fabricated charges on their critics to silence them or sue journalists for reporting the truth. We must challenge prosecutors who, as constitutional attorney John Bonifaz said: "Use their prosecutorial discretion to pursue charges that are not in the interest of justice." In the interest of justice, today I am calling for three immediate actions; establish a civilian review board with subpoena powers, a formal commitment that Worcester Police will protect our residents from federal aggression and a pledge from District Attorney Early to prosecute federal agents who break the law. We will not give up on our immigrant neighbors. We will not give in to fear. We will always choose love. Full Statement in image.

After court today, I hugged Etel and told her I'm so proud of her and I love her. But it was insufficient. What I really meant was I'm so goddamn grateful for Etel. I'm so grateful we have her as part of our community, as part of our universe. It is during these times when character matters more than outdated societal scripts. Ones that precisely confined us so well that we are at this stage of fascism and genocide. Our legal system has always had to catch up to the people- from civil rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights. It has NEVER been the other way around. Today's verdict says more about the crisis we find ourselves in. "Love has never been a popular movement and no one's ever wanted really to be free. The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of very few people." - James Baldwin Thank you Etel for holding the many worlds collapsing before us together. We are so goddamn grateful for you. Image: Throw back to when we were just elected with the sun shining upon us.

ETEL'S TRIAL DAY 2 Etel Takes the Stand Come at 9am Courtroom 22 Worcester County Courthouse 225 Main Street, Worcester STAND WITH ETEL & ASHLEY! PACK THE COURTROOM!

Etel Haxhiaj, a former Worcester city councilor, defended herself from city police officers during a chaotic arrest on Eureka Street last spring, her attorney argued Tuesday during her trial’s opening statements. Haxhiaj, who served as the city’s District 5 councilor, faces charges of assault and battery on a police officer and interference with police in connection with an immigration enforcement arrest of a 40-year-old woman on May 8. A trial for Spring was also scheduled for Tuesday, but she tendered a plea agreement with prosecutors. The conditions of her agreement include administrative probation until May 8, 40 hours of community service and a requirement to commit no new crimes. Haxhiaj raised her hands and defended herself only after being “grabbed and pulled and shoved” by Worcester police officer Shauna McGuirk, according to defense attorney Elizabeth Halloran. “As Officer McGuirk is escorting her away from the vehicle, the defendant breaks free and then shoves the officer with both hands, making physical contact with the officer,” Gagne said. “The officer isn’t thrown back. She doesn’t fall to the ground, she’s shaking a little bit. But that is the assault and battery upon a police officer.” After “having shoved” McGuirk, Gagne said, Haxhiaj went down the street and put hands on McGuirk again as the police officer arrested the 17-year-old girl. Two Worcester police officers called to the stand testified that they did not witness Haxhiaj push McGuirk. Two civilian witnesses called by the defense also said they did not witness Haxhiaj push the officer. A Worcester resident testified that she saw McGuirk move Haxhiaj with two hands. “It appeared forceful,” the woman said. “(McGuirk) moved her without her consent.” On cross-examination, the woman said she did not witness Haxhiaj “shove” the officer at any point. Gagne played a video clip, which only the jury and the woman could see, and the woman reaffirmed she did not see a shove. “I can’t tell from that video,” the woman said. Halloran said she expects to call one more witness before resting their side of the case. Jurors are expected to begin deliberations on Wednesday.

Etel's jury trial and Ashley's day in court is THIS Tuesday. Nothing would be better than for Ashley and Etel to see frinedly faces at court on Tuesday. If you are able, please come to the Worcester Courthouse on Tuesday. Come in the morning, come mid-morning at 10am, or stop in at 2pm after the lunch break. Tuesday is when we need your support so the court sees our community is standing strong against ICE, against the WPD union and with Ashley and Etel. Court procedures, jury selection, trial and jury deliberation are expected to take the whole day. Hopefully we're done by 4:30 when the courthouse closes, but there's a chance the jury hasn't finished deliberating by then and we need to come back. • Come a little early, you'll need to get through security, so leave the pocket change and extra jewelry at home. • Wear Black if you can, but leave any posters or political T-Shirts and pints at home. • Best behavior so we're there supporting our sheroes and not raising the temperature in the courtroom.