NFWM staffers Lucy Boutte and Margarita Mota, along with other NFWM supporters from the Los Angeles area, traveled to Stockton, CA to join hundreds of farm worker supporters and the UFW for a two day vigil calling for justice in the 2008 heat death of pregnant 17-year old farm worker Maria Isavel Vasquez Jimenez. The vigil, held on March 8 & 9 outside the San Joaquin County courthouse, protested the plea agreement offered to two California farm supervisors charged in Maria’s death. The defendants accepted the plea agreement and were sentenced to community service, probation and a small fine.
In his statement after the court hearing, UFW President, Arturo Rodriguez said, in part, “The life of Maria Isavel is not worth very much in the courts of justice of California. The government failed Maria Isavel at least four times—and it failed to protect the other 14 farm workers who died from the heat since Gov. Schwarzenegger issued the state heat regulation in 2005.”
NFWM California Organizer Lucy Boutte was interviewed by the Sacramento Bee. To view the 2 minutes video, click HERE.
