Prototype Issue
A Cultural Oasis Struggles to Stay Open
By Erick Gallindo
(page 2 of 2)“I met Mario Rocha through activists I knew in the juvenile hall and prison system. I heard about this young Chicano who was imprisoned for many years, apparently for a murder he didn’t do. He impressed all who had anything to do with him with his intelligence, demeanor and talent. He had read Always Running and was apparently influenced by it. Once he sent me a folder of his poems, and I, too, was impressed.”
But Rocha would eventually be set free to help his community.
“I hooked up with him for the first time on the Divine Forces Radio Show with Fidel Rodriguez on KPFK FM. We were both on the air, talking about writing, mentors, injustice and social change. He came to Tia Chucha’s a couple of times since.”
While Rocha’s future freedom isn’t guaranteed, Rodriguez feels positive and hopeful that Rocha will help with the modern problems of the Chicano movement.
“I think there are many Mario Rochas in the so-called justice system. I hope he’s finally and fully exonerated. I understand he still has more court appearances. He shouldn’t be locked up and forgotten. He should be free, and allowed to contribute to the betterment of our communities.”
When he’s not mentoring youth, preserving Chicano culture or helping the movement, Rodriguez keeps busy writing.
“I have seven new book projects in the works, including a new novel, another memoir and another children’s book. They’re all in different stages of development, so it’s not happening all at once. I’m also doing a one-person performance of my long poem “Notes of a Bald Cricket” at the Ford Amphitheater’s Little Theater in June.”
For more info on Tia Chucha’s, visit www.tiachucha.com.
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