From the Streets to the Ballot Box

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
PROGRAM #11296 12:00 PM PT

From the Streets to the Ballot Box. 

As Hispanic Heritage Month ends, the No Kings Coalition is calling on Latino communities to turn their political power into votes. This time, instead of taking to the streets, the focus is on encouraging Latino voters to make a plan to vote early and connect with resources that can help protect their right to vote. Why do organizers say there is a sense of urgency for Latino voters? How will communities mobilize? How can protest power be turned into votes? And how is early voting unfolding in key states?

Guest: Antonio Arellano, National Director of Communications, Indivisible, Durham, NC.

“The Broken Ladder.” Latino working families are putting in the work and doing everything they are supposed to do, yet many still face major barriers to achieving stability, dignity, and economic security. Just weeks before the crucial November election, a new report titled Broken Ladder examines what Latino voters want from their leaders and warns that too few candidates are reaching out.

Guest: Lisette Orellana Engel, Director of the Economic Policy Project, UnidosUS, Washington, DC.

Prescription Drugs Put Latino Families Under Pressure. The high cost of prescription drugs is forcing many Latino families to choose between taking care of their health and paying for basic needs. A new report documents patients delaying treatment, rationing medications, going into debt, or traveling abroad to find cheaper prescriptions. How is this crisis affecting Latino communities? Why are prescription drugs so expensive in the United States? And what changes could ease the financial burden and help more people get the treatment they need?

Guests: Evelyn Pérez-Verdía, President and Chief of Strategy, We Are Más, Miami, FL; Merith Basey, CEO, Patients for Affordable Drugs, Washington, DC.

ICE raids in California. This is a report on the wave of arrests carried out by ICE agents in the Central Valley beginning around a week ago as part of the so-called “Operation Safe California”. Local authorities and immigrant advocacy groups claim that more than 70 people have been detained in the Fresno area alone and around 300 across the state this week, while agents are resorting to racially discriminatory tactics and targeting workplaces mainly and other locations.

Guests: Mayor Maria Pacheco, City of Kerman, Kerman, CA; Samuel Orozco, News and Information Director, Radio Bilingüe, Fresno, CA.

Photo: Mariela/Adobe stock

For more information about Linea Abierta and to find previous shows visit our Línea Abierta