Page A2 • June 11, 2015 • Inland Empire Community Newspapers • El Chicano
PHOTO/ERIKA PAZ
California Partnership organizer Maribel Nunez.
Jessica Garth, right, hugs Nanka El Hassanieh.
PHOTO/ANTHONY VICTORIA
“Instead of fighting each other, hurting each other, and killing one another, we should be helping people when they are down. Sam did that for people...He couldn’t see a family struggling without offering to help and that’s beautiful.”
PHOTO/ANTHONY VICTORIA
Bassem El Hassanieh’s wife, Nanka, speaking to the audience during a prayer vigil at the Temple Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino on June 5.
Westside cont.
were all the same to him. He didn’t see color or race. He only saw brothers and sisters. He always made me so proud.” El Hassanieh, 39, passed away on May 24 after being hit by a car the day prior. He succumbed due to injuries to his head. San Bernardino councilwoman Virginia Marquez, who lives across the street from both the church and the store, decided to contact Pastors Dr. Raymond Turner and Alfredo Rodriguez to hold the prayer vigil as a means to allow the community to pay their respects. “This is just a testament of how my friend Sammy impacted all of
you here,” said Marquez. “At the end of the day, he was an important part of the community.” Approximately 50 people attended the vigil and spoke of Sam’s outgoing personality, his gentleness, humility, sense of humour, and commitment to serving the customers of the Westside Food and Liquor store. Teresa Ramirez, a mother of five children, recalls El Hassanieh’s commitment to helping customers deal with serious issues. She said his unfortunate death is a “wake up” call to the community. “Instead of fighting each other, hurting each other, and killing one another, we should be helping people when they are down,” said Ramirez. “Sam did that for people.
I remember going into the store sometimes struggling to pay for food for my child and he would say, ‘Hey mom, get him what he needs and that’s it.’ He couldn’t see a family struggling without offering to help and that’s beautiful.” Jessica Garth of Redlands--a close friend of the El Hassanieh family--said it pains her to see them dealing with Sam’s untimely death, but is satisfied to see the outpour of community support they have received. “It is hard, but it is so good to see the community come here in numbers to celebrate his life,” Garth said. “It is wonderful to see the impact he had on all of you.”
SB-4 cont.
sign up for Medi-Cal and allow some low-income adults to register for a different program that gives the same services if state funding allows it. High income earners will be able to purchase unsubsidized coverage through Covered California on federal government approval. Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) told several media outlets last week that the bill is a decisive step forward that will be “transformational” to thousands of families. "Ensuring every kid in California grows up healthy with an opportunity to thrive and succeed is the right thing to do," Lara said. Proponents of the bill in the Inland Empire believe it is a comprehensive step in the right direction. For over a year organizers from the California Partnership, the Training Occupational Development Educating Communities (TODEC) Legal Center, the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition (IEIYC), and the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance (CIYJA) have organized demonstrations, press conferences, and traveled to Sacramento in hopes of ensuring the bill’s passage. “I think it is a key,” said California Partnership organizer and Riverside Community College professor Maribel Nunez. “We’re looking at 122,000 residents in Riverside and San Bernardino possibly benefiting from this. That’s the figure we have for both counties. For the first time in their lives, these people will have a pro-
gram that will help them with their health.” For IEIYC organizer Dianey Murillo, 22, the ability for undocumented immigrants to receive affordable health care would be essential, not only for the wellbeing of the Latino community, but also for the prosperity of her family. “Being the daughter of undocumented parents is difficult because I qualify for Medical because of DACA, but my parents don’t have coverage,” explained Murillo. “Without the amendments, my parents wouldn’t have qualified.” When asked what she thought about the concerns over state costs, Murillo said the state should focus on divesting from Prisons-an institution she believes is only contributing to the demise of lower income communities. “The thought is always the money. ‘How much is this bill going to cost? The state doesn’t have enough money,’” she said. “Yet, you still see the percentage of funding to prisons growing. There’s a possibility that the Riverside County jail will expand. Why don’t they question that? Why does money have to be more important than someone’s life?”
Anthony Victoria is a Staff Writer with the Inland Empire Community Newspapers (Colton Courier and El Chicano) and can be reached at (909) 381-9898 ext. 208 or at (909) 637-6369; victoriaanthony91@gmail.com.