OFFICES OF GUATEMALAN CULTURAL COMMITTEE RANSACKED
October 1, 1992.
The Guatemalan Cultural Committee ("GCC"), established in 1986 and
based at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, is one of
several Central American groups located at the church being
victimized by a series of break-ins on their offices over the past
five months. During this period, the offices of the "Coalition of
Guatemalans for Temporary Protected Status," "Neur"ticos An"nimos,"
"Unitarians in Action for Peace in El Salvador," and the
"Guatemalan Cultural Committee" have been physically damaged and/or
raided on five separate occasions. GCC, who rents office space
from First Unitarian, moved out much of its office equipment (fax,
computer), files and materials over the summer in response to these
incidents, but as a result, the organization has been unable to
effectively operate out of its office since June. On Tuesday,
September 29, 1992, the Los Angeles Police Department was called to
the church in response to a break-in on the offices of each of the
Latino organizations named above. Doors and windows were broken,
and typewriters and answering machines were stolen. Curiously, a
brand new color T.V. set with a high resale value was left behind,
and no non-latino offices were targeted. GCC's office, which
already had a gaping hole in the door from previous incidents, and
which had no major equipment to steal left inside, was nonetheless
particularly hard-hit by the break-in. An entire panel of its
office door was destroyed, desk drawers and remaining files were
ransacked, papers were strewn on the floor, and its answering
machine was also stolen, interrupting telecommunications.
GCC has made many important contributions in its work on
Guatemala. It publishes Guatemala Review, a documentary review of
the current situation in Guatemala, subscribed to by Guatemalan
scholars, solidarity workers, and human rights organizations.
Among its readers are such prestigious offices as the Amnesty
International London office. GCC provides translation services for
indigenous, religious, and popular organizations in Guatemala as
well as organizations in the U.S. such as the International Indian
Treaty Council and the Alliance of Sanctuary Communities. GCC
operates a rapid response network sending telexes and placing human
rights ads in Guatemala's major newspapers. In addition, GCC
organizes tours of Guatemalan peasant Indian, peace, and human
rights activists for the Southern California area, generating
material aid for their work. GCC also provides technical and
language services to local Spanish speaking organizations. Highly
respected by the movement for social change in Guatemala, GCC is
currently providing accompaniment for indigenous leaders Francisco
Cali and Rigoberta Menchu on their return to Guatemala, and
provided services for the IInd Continental Conference on 500 Years
of Indigenous and Popular Resistance held in Xelaju, Quezaltenango,
in October, 1991.
Because GCC works extensively as a communications, translation
and publications center, it needs timely access to its computer,
fax, and other small equipment, secure files and storage space.
Due to the organizational difficulties created by the repeated
break-ins and destruction of its offices, some of its projects are
now behind schedule. Material support to help reestablish GCC's
office operations is thus being sought. Donations can be sent to
the Guatemalan Cultural Committee, P.O. Box 2151, Los Angeles,
California, 90051. Support is also encouraged for the other
organizations victimized by these break-ins, who are in need of
typewriters and answering machines in working order.