Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)

Oakland, 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.

Tuesday, April 10, 2001, Oakland: Members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) gathered outside the courthouse today as Vijay Kumar Lakireddy and Prasad Lakireddy faced status hearings, showing that the Bay Area community has not forgotten the sexual and labor exploitation brought to light more than a year ago in this case of United States of America v. Lakireddy Bali Reddy. ASATA's presence at today's hearing indicates disappointment not in the length of Reddy's prosecution sentence, but on the charges for which Reddy was prosecuted.

On April 11, in the midst of Lakireddy Balireddy's U.S. District Court hearing, members of the newly formed Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) were present both inside and outside the court to express solidarity with the victims in this case and to urge immunity from deportation for these victims. Members also raised issues of sexual and labor exploitation, and sought to place these issues within an international economic context.