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Writer's pictureKaren Brittingham-Edmond

Reformation of the Sanctuary Movement: An American Dilemma and the Untold Story of Griselda Blanco on Netflix

Updated: Jul 11

July 11, 2024

Retrospective Chat


Welcome to today's chat with the relaunched Echo!


The picture below: "Weeping Black Church" by Abrah


BELOW SANCTUARY MOVEMENT ADVOCATE

Van Jones Qoute

"People care. Their hearts are open, but people don't know exactly what the Dreamers are going through or who sanctuary cities are for."


GIF Source Wix Media: Its still easy to see what Black leaders do not have

Black citizens best interests at hand.


In the late 1970s through the 1980s, The Sanctuary Movement emerged in the United States to support and provide sanctuary for immigrants and asylum seekers without a legal status of U.S. citizenship. In the 70s, Americans witnessed the rise of the Sanctuary Movement activists (internationally and nationally), who organized to bring millions of sanctuary seekers from Central America into North America by simply breaking the law. Central American immigrant activists believe that "America is the sanctuary of God for the oppressed of Central America."


The success of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States led some citizens to seek a new movement that aimed to diminish and replace its achievements. This new movement systematically shifted rights and resources away from vulnerable American citizens and toward non-citizens in an attempt to hinder the progress of the Black vote. This strategy was particularly effective in states like California, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Illinois, Miami, and Philadelphia, where strict policies enforced by each state led to the overrepresentation of Black citizens in the prison system for petty reasons like owing a fine. Black citizen lawyers located in N.J., for example, held unknown biases against Black citizens and underrepresented Black citizens on purpose. This contributed to the mass incarceration problem linked to the cradle-to-prison pipeline created by state policymakers in the 70s. https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/history/timelines/entry?etype=1&eid=46

Picture Source Wix Media.


The activists of the Sanctuary Movement effectively established cross-border support networks for Central Americans in the United States at a crucial time. From the mid-70s, the Sanctuary Movement also concentrated in states previously designated as sanctuaries. Additionally, it brought aspects of Central America's violent culture to the doorstep of American citizens who had not anticipated this. Netflix recently released a series featuring the life of Griselda Blanco, a powerful female drug lord from Central America with Columbian and Cuban heritage. Griselda had a difficult upbringing, which involved being forced into child prostitution by her own family and later becoming involved in gang activities and drug trafficking, primarily in the United States, which was easily accessible thanks to the Sanctuary Movement activists and policymakers. According to an article in Rolling Stone by Kalia Richardson titled "The True Story of Griselda Blanco," as a teenager, Blanco fled from home to escape her mother's abuse and resorted to pickpocketing to survive on the streets of Medellín. https://www.academia.edu/23767536/Griselda_Blanco


Blanco initially entered the world of marijuana trafficking with her first husband, Carlos Trujillo, before divorcing him and moving to Queens, New York, in the 1960s. It was there that she became exposed to cocaine trafficking through her second husband, Alberto Bravo, a cocaine smuggler for the Medellín Cartel, and the two set up a cocaine business in New York City. In a DEA/NYPD investigation called "Operation Banshee," law enforcement intercepted 150 kilograms of cocaine that the couple intended to sell. In April 1975, Blanco, Bravo, and their associates faced drug trafficking charges, but they fled to Colombia before authorities could apprehend them. According to Richardson's report, shortly thereafter, Blanco fatally shot her second husband, Bravo, in the head, believing he had stolen millions from their drug business. This earned her the notorious moniker "The Black Widow." https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/griselda-blanco-sofia-vergara-netflix-cocaine-miami-drug-trafficking-murder-1234965871/


The movie portrays Blanco's motherly side as she navigates life with her children, but it also sheds light on the traumatic sociopathic and psychopathic behavior exhibited by a segment of Central America's population. This aspect was omitted from the narratives of Sanctuary Movement Activists such as Michael Bloomberg's New American Economy and the Christian Coalition. Despite Hollywood embellishments, this movie offers valuable insights into the consequences of lax enforcement of laws against illegal immigration. It highlights significant societal flaws, including preventable deaths, issues, and misallocating American citizens' tax dollars.


Through the movie's portrayal of Blanco's life and the cultural context surrounding her, viewers can gain insights into some of the underlying reasons behind the increase in violence, disappearances, gang activity, and growing animosity and disregard towards Black citizens by both Democratic and Republican parties over the past five decades. (Their insourced allies have their backs.) It also sheds light on the reasons for the adversarial policies and laws against Black individuals since the 1970s, coinciding with the growing influence of Hispanic activists and lobbyists in political offices, law enforcement agencies, and the U.S. military. It is essential for American citizens to thoughtfully assess whether The Sanctuary Movement warrants reformation and alignment with existing federal laws. Or face the consequences of racist White America's non-thought-through decisions.


So hey, want to dive into the world of Netflix's The Griselda Blanco Story and take a wild ride through the lingering influence of conquistador mentality and the shenanigans of the Christian Coalition..I mean, Confederates in North America? Grab your favorite popcorn and sit back and learn. As always, the Echo will provide links to the journalist's study to verify information in today's article that has tracked the reckless behavior of government officials putting non-citizens' needs before citizens' needs. In hopes of replacing a portion of Black citizens' voting power? It's like a crazy soap opera! Scandalous, right? And let's not even get started on what non-citizens have cooking for us. It's like a plot twist in a never-ending show! But please believe American citizens do have the power to turn the T.V. off. Because the revolution shall not be televised. And Black citizens need to be paid their reparations pronto. Because this 50-year mess is uncalled for!


How do you feel about this article? We appreciate your feedback because we think cathartic behavior can be good for you and fun, per Tyler Perry's Madea.


Define Cathartic Behavior:

"Catharsis theory purports that the act of purging strong or repressed emotions, sometimes called "venting," can alleviate psychological suffering. The process of catharsis is undertaken with the intention of preventing undesirable behaviors by releasing negative emotions such as anger, unacknowledged trauma, or fear."


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