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Reddy caseASATA on Apex ExpressKPFA's Apex Express interviews ASATA member Sabiha about the 10th anniversary of the Reddy case and Seetha's death. Listen online at: Reddy Case on RaceWireGreat post on RaceWire, the Colorlines blog: http://www.racewire.org/archives/2009/11/reddy_case_10_years_on_violence_against_women_of_color_continues.html Reddy Case: 10 Years On, Violence Against Women of Color Continues Violence against women of color is often reported out of context. The deeper social and economic injustices at work are overlooked. Today, a coalition including (partial list) Narika, ASATA (Alliance of South Asians Taking Action), South Asian Sisters, Asian Women’s Shelter, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, Maitri, and California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, will mark the 10th anniversary of the Lakireddy Bali Reddy sex and labor exploitation case with a vigil and press conference in Berkeley. The Reddy Case and the Transgender Day of RemembranceThe Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.” Community Accountability and the Reddy CaseIn 2000, Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy, owner of Pasand restaurant, the Shattuck Down Low and other businesses, was charged with bringing 25-100 people from his village in India to work for little or no pay in his restaurants and businesses. He was also convicted of trafficking at least 3 young women, some minors, for forced sex. ASATA focused on reframing the issues in the case from immigration fraud and sex scandal to issues of sexual and labor trafficking and exploitation, and urged the South Asian community to hold Reddy accountable for his exploitative actions. Human Trafficking is SlaverySexual trafficking is when abuse of power, force, coercion, fraud, abduction, or deception is used to transport people for commercial sex acts. * Sexual trafficking is only one form of human trafficking fueled by the same injustices of ASATA Statement on the 10th anniversary of U.S. v. ReddyInternational and domestic labor and sex trafficking are fueled by social, economic, and gender inequality, xenophobic immigration laws, environmental degradation, civil unrest, militarization, and poverty. We believe that ending the forced and coerced migration of people from their homelands for work abroad is inherently linked to the elimination of the root causes of racism, neo-liberalism, patriarchy, and poverty. Nov 20th- Anti Human Trafficking Action- 10th Anniversary of Seetha's DeathQuick Details: A coalition of South Asian community members, agencies and allies is hosting a vigil to remember the life of Seetha Vemireddy. One of the many victims of Lakireddy Bali Reddy, she died of carbon monoxide poisoning on November 24, 1999. November 20th Action Action: The rally will gather for 20 minutes and then march to Bancroft to the building where Seetha (also referred to as Chanti) died, for a memorial and press conference. (please NOTE we will NOT be traveling to city hall) Lakireddy Bali Reddy denied early release.Joint press release from ASATA, Maitri, and South Asian Sisters Judge Claudia Wilkens reinstated the sentence of Lakireddy Bali Reddy, and all the conditions of release after the completion of 97 months was reinstated. This was a huge victory for community organizations, who have been working on the case for the past six years, and have put in tremendous effort to educate the community about the heinous crimes committed by Lakireddy Bali Reddy. India Abroad: "The Lakireddy saga"India Abroad At the center of this real life drama that rivaled the best efforts of Bollywood's storywriters was Lakireddy Bali Reddy. It had all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler - the rich, respected businessman-philanthropist unveiled, dramatically, as a womanizer who exploits hapless young women. At the center of a real-life drama that rivaled the best efforts of Bollywood's storywriters was Lakireddy Bali Reddy - the wealthy owner of over 1,000 apartments, two restaurants and assorted other businesses; a philanthropist known for his charitable contributions to the needy in his hometown, Andhra Pradesh. Article: Very American CrimesThis article has appeared in India West and The Voice of the Turtle. Very American Crimes This April, we witnessed that increasingly rare thing in Californian politics -- a good day. On Wednesday 7 April, the mostly African-American and Hispanic residents of Inglewood in Southern California were faced with a ballot measure sponsored by Wal-Mart, an attempt by the corporation to buy its way around democracy, and drop a "supercenter" into the center of Inglewood's community. The community said, overwhelmingly, no. On the same day in San Francisco, in Courtroom #9 of the U.S. District Court, we saw a rather more muted community victory in a civil suit against Lakireddy Bali Reddy. In 1999, when Reddy was Berkeley's richest landlord with an estate valued at $100m, Chanti Pratipatti, a 17 year old girl whom he had trafficked into the country, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in one of his properties. On 7 April, the suit brought by Pratipatti's estate was settled for an undisclosed sum. SF Chronicle: "Landlord's son avoids jail time"San Francisco Chronicle The son of a wealthy Berkeley landlord sentenced to prison for smuggling teenage girls for sex and work will not serve time in custody, under a plea agreement tentatively accepted by a federal judge on Friday but criticized by protesters as too lenient. San Jose Mercury News: "Reddy scandal fades from memory"San Jose Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Two years after one of Berkeley's wealthiest landlords was arrested for masterminding a scheme to bring dozens of Indian immigrants to the Bay Area for sex and cheap labor, the Lakireddy Bali Reddy scandal is a fading memory. A trickle of reporters _ instead of media swarms _ now attend Reddy court hearings. The South Asian women's rights groups that rallied against sexual and labor exploitation are too busy responding to hate-crimes stemming from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Press Release: Reddy Case Hearing: South Asian Community Group Supports Victims of Labor and Sexual ExploitationOakland, CA: On September 12, a hearing in the case of USA v. Reddy will occur at 9am at the United States District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland Division, 1301 Clay Street, Suite 400. Members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) will be present, once again, to express solidarity with the victims in this case and to call for Reddy to be held accountable to the South Asian community. SF Chronicle: "U.S. to aid human-trafficking victims"San Francisco Chronicle U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, citing a recent case against a Berkeley landlord who was sentenced to prison for smuggling in teenage girls from India for sex and cheap labor, announced yesterday that federal agencies would give greater protection and assistance to victims of human trafficking. Daily Californian: "Reddy Gets Eight Years"Daily Californian Lakireddy Bali Reddy, a 64-year-old Berkeley landlord convicted of bringing young Indian girls into the country for labor and sex, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison. Citing the victims' severe psychological damage, U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Armstrong extended Reddy's sentence one and a half years from the original plea agreement, negotiated in March by Reddy's attorneys and federal prosecutors. AsianWeek: Reddy SentencedAsianWeek After a year of litigation, the case concerning the death of 17-year-old Chanti Pratipatti has come to a close. The man indirectly responsible for her death, Lakireddy Bali Reddy, was finally sentenced to 97 months — just over 8 years — in prison, and will pay $2 million in restitution to three victims and the family of Pratipatti. Agence France Presse: "Judge throws out plea bargain in India prostitution ring"Agence France Presse OAKLAND, California, June 19: A federal judge on Tuesday rejected as too lenient a carefully crafted plea bargain negotiated with a wealthy Indian landlord suspected of importing young girls from his homeland for sex. Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong said her conscience forbade her from allowing Lakireddy Bali Reddy, 64, to serve only 6 1/2 years in prison and pay two million dollars in restitution. Berkeley Daily Planet: "Many applaud judge’s ruling"Berkeley Daily Planet OAKLAND – Members of the organizations involved in the campaign for a just punishment for Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy reacted positively to U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong’s decision Tuesday to sentence the Berkeley landlord to eight years in prison. Daily Californian: "Reddy to be Sentenced Today"Daily Californian The attorney for a Berkeley landlord convicted of illegally importing young Indian girls for sex and labor will argue a "cultural defense" today, saying that sex with girls is acceptable in India. The argument immediately offended Indian American groups, who have said the claim is inaccurate because it is illegal for minors to marry in India. Berkeley Daily Planet: "Group wants stiffer penalty for Reddy"Berkeley Daily Planet As the sentencing of Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy approaches, an increasing number of community members are joining the protest against the prosecution’s recommendation to submit Reddy to a minimal punishment of six years in prison and a $2 million fine.  |