Vol. 77/No. 22      June 10, 2013

Militant/John Naubert

The following statement in support of the Cuban Five is by Sydney Coe, a forklift operator at Davis Wire in Kent, Wash., and member of Teamsters Local 117. Coe is holding sign at right during three month strike at Davis Wire in 2012.

It’s great news and about time René González got out of jail after 14 and half years. It was a torture sentence — way too long and for trumped-up charges against him and the rest of the Cuban 5. His wife was deported and they wouldn’t let her back in the country to visit him.

As for the others, like Gerardo Hernández, how do you get two life sentences plus 15 years, meaning about 175 years, when the average life expectancy for men in this country is 75 years?

I myself was in jail for 40 days. They try to make you die a little at a time. They take away your rights. I could really relate to the story of Roddy Rodríguez. It’s like the proverb “Iron sharpens iron. Men sharpen men.” That was great. Roddy’s life was changed by meeting René and by never giving up. They shared their lives and ideas. [See May 27 issue for interview with Rodríguez.]

The fact that René got out of prison means the day is closer when the other four will be free. He broke the cycle. The government will have to let the others out. Every working class person should support the Cuban Five because we are all the Cuban Five. We are all labeled and paying for something we didn’t do.

May 21 was the one-year anniversary of our strike against Davis Wire. It changed all of us to some degree. I feel like a changed agent and because of the experiences of the strike I will continue to fight for justice, including for the Cuban Five.
 
 
Related articles:
Decades of Cuban rightists’ attacks hit revolution’s backers in US, Puerto Rico:
Fight continues to unearth truth about murder of Carlos Muñiz
FBI labels Assata Shakur ‘terrorist,’ part of US campaign against Cuba
Who are the Cuban Five?
 
 
 
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