Luis Renteria

Dreaming of red, white, and blue

March 4, 2020March 30, 2020 Luis Renteria

Life Now

The alarm goes off at 7 a.m., reminding Paola Lopez that she has a long day ahead. After getting ready she packs a lunch with snacks for the day, and heads to the EmX bus station. It’s now 9:15 a.m., as she boards the bus for the campus. The 15-minute bus ride allows her time to relax while listening to her favorite tunes. Sporting black leggings, a yellow UO sweatshirt, and a red Osprey backpack – she walks into the Multicultural Center at the Erb memorial union to check her email before her 10 a.m. accounting class. When she’s not in class she is studying and doing homework on-campus until 3:30 p.m. and working one of her two jobs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is her schedule from Monday through Friday. Each day and hour is planned out because you don’t have time to waste when you’re in a race against time. A junior at the University of Oregon, Lopez is working two jobs and has been paying for her education herself. This past fall she received a small scholarship from the Mexican Consulate in Portland, and she will have to re-apply for it every year. Lopez wants to become an accountant and dreams of buying a home for her parents. Taking 16 credits a term and working 30 hours a week is enough to stress anyone out. Add the uncertainty of not knowing the fate of your legal status in the United States until sometime this spring, and you’ll understand the pressure of a typical day for Paola.

Paola Lopez is a Dreamer. Fighting for her version of the American Dream. When Lopez thinks about the negative comments she hears regarding immigration and DACA, she gets emotional. She said her mother did not want to come to the United States, but she didn’t have a choice. Her mother graduated from the University of Guadalajara with a degree in Communications, but could not find work. They did not have any support from the family and needed to leave. “Immigration is a sacrifice for a better life that you can’t find anywhere else,” said Lopez. “My mom didn’t want to clean toilets or work at a fast-food restaurant but you sacrifice everything for a better life.”

Lopez aspires to graduate from the UO before DACA is rescinded. “DACA has given me a little light of hope,” she said. I can work legally, something my parents still can’t do.” Lopez said she understands how much her parents have sacrificed for her and her brother. “I see my mom break her back to only make minimum wage,” she said. “I notice my dad’s blistered hands.” People tell me our family should have done it legally, she states. They say we need to go back to our country and come here the right way, she cries “But there’s no straight path to citizenship, it’s not as easy as people think it is,” she said. “Despite everything, I’m lucky to be here.”

She said DACA has given her the freedom to no longer be scared at a traffic stop. She no longer worries about getting rejected at a bank because she does not have a social security card. “I’m proud of how far I’ve come,” she said. “Despite all the obstacles, I look forward to seeing all the things I have ahead of me.”

That’s the reality for millions of immigrants and Dreamers in the United States. DACA is in limbo because Congress has not made a decision regarding the future of the program. There are currently 687,000 Dreamers with active DACA status in the U.S. with an uncertain future.

Surviving the journey – a new world

Lopez was 6-years old when she crossed the border from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego, California. With fake passports, Lopez said she walked across the border holding hands with her mother and her younger brother. “At the hotel in Tijuana we had to memorize information from our passports,” said Lopez. “We got through really easily.”

Lopez said they left their hometown Jalisco, Guadalajara by plane in the morning and flew into Tijuana. Within an hour, they had their passports. They memorized birthdates, home addresses and were instructed to say they were going to Disneyland. “I remember the first restaurant we stopped at before we crossed was Carl’s Jr,” she said. “That’s where we met our coyote.” A “coyote,” is a Mexican-Spanish term referred to a person who smuggles migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. By the evening, they were reunited with her father.

Her father was already living and working in San Jose, California – but not legally. Because of that, her mother was not able to get visas for her and her brother in order to travel. She didn’t know much about her father, but she had small memories of him from Mexico. Lopez said she believes her father’s pictures and the need to reunite with her father kept him alive in her mind – her heart. “I didn’t have a dad in Mexico, so when we met him my brother Carlos was scared of him,” she said. “I was excited.”

Lopez said they lived in San Jose until they could no longer afford it. They moved to Springfield, Oregon, when she was in the 6^th grade.

At 16-years-old, she applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and recently renewed it before the 2018 deadline. She then graduated from Springfield High School in June of 2017 and will be a senior at the University of Oregon this fall. “You work so hard and one piece of paper decides what you can and can’t do,” she said. “It disappoints you.” Her DACA will expire this year.

This past June, she saw her grandmother for the first time in 12 years. Her grandmother is 85-years-old with medical issues and was able to spend two weeks in Eugene. Lopez said she believes it was the last time they will see her alive.

DACA

On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the United States would not deport qualifying undocumented youth who came to the United States as children. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency, The Obama administration called this program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. Under DACA, undocumented immigrants without felonies or misdemeanors are eligible for a work permit and safe from deportation within a two-year period. Unlike the DREAM ACT, DACA recipients do not have a clear path to citizenship or permanent lawful status.

MPI DACA stats

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) research shows that only 18% of DACA recipients are currently enrolled in college. Out of that 18%, only 4% will graduate. However 44% of DACA recipients have earned a secondary education, and 97% percent of DACA recipients are currently employed or enrolled in school.

Lopez understands all of this. She knows that DACA has granted her privileges that many undocumented immigrants do not have. They are privileges that her mother does not have, such as having a work permit, the opportunity to apply and earn a driver’s license, and the freedom from not getting deported. Despite the political climate, negative sentiment towards immigrants delivered from the white house or rude customers at her work, she endures.

The article written by Michelle Ye Hee Lee for The Washington Post titled, Donald Trump’s false comments connecting Mexican immigrants and crime brings light to the negative attitude towards people like, Lopez. Lee mentions that according to our President, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

But, there’s no evidence showing immigrants commit more crimes than native-born Americans. In his article written for The Washington Post titled, Two charts demolish the notion that immigrants here illegally commit more crime Christopher Ingraham mentions that, according to a study published by the libertarian Cato Institute in 2015 which examined criminal conviction data by the Texas Department of Public Safety, “native-born residents were much more likely to be convicted of a crime than immigrants in the country legally or illegally.” A study published in March of this year in the journal Criminology found that, “from 1990 through 2014, states with larger shares of undocumented immigrants tended to have lower crime rates than states with smaller percentages,” said Ingraham.

The U.S. Supreme court will decide on the fate of DACA later this spring.

Moving forward

Lopez knows that not everyone cares to understand her struggles and her family’s journey. She doesn’t hold a grudge toward anyone who thinks she should go back to Mexico. Instead, she’s open to having a conversation, and educating anyone who’s willing to listen.

With the uncertainty of DACA, Lopez is in a race against time. She’s busy going to class and studying to be an Accountant while working two jobs in order to pay for it all. Her short term goals are to graduate from the University of Oregon before her DACA expires. Her long term goals include finding and keeping a job. She wants to get married, and have a family. She would also like to buy her parents a home. Lopez wishes they could travel to Mexico to see her grandmother and the rest of her family.

Lopez understands the significance of her parents sacrifice. Risking it all to provide her and her brother with a better future. Understanding their struggle, and fulfilling their dreams for a better future makes her own battles easier to handle. “What keeps me going is knowing that I’m making my parents proud,” said Lopez. “I’m not wasting the sacrifice.”

Dealing with anti-immigrant rhetoric, and sleepless nights from studying and working two jobs – tolerable. “My parents left everything behind in order for me to be here – in order for me to do it,” said Lopez. “One day, I will be where my parents wanted me to be.”

One More Round

September 23, 2022September 23, 2022 Luis Renteria

Jacob “Stitch” Duran rushes into the octagon. After an action-packed first round, Duran applies the endswell to Griffin’s face – checking for swelling as the bell for round two is about to ring. Easy fight for Duran so far – no cuts. Round two begins and Stitch becomes a big fan – witness to a classic battle – then it happens.

At three minutes and forty-six seconds of the second round, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua lands a vicious right elbow to the forehead of Forrest Griffin and opens up a nasty cut. After absorbing punishment for an entire minute, Griffin fights Rua off and gets back on his feet. His face is a bloody mess. Both fighters take a second to admire each other’s work before the war resumes. Griffin’s blood has painted the octagon into a beautiful masterpiece. A mix of blood – pain – sweat. War paint oozing grit – splatters the canvas as the horn sounds to end the round. Both fighters struggle to get to their corner.

Duran, 70 years old, 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and a charming smile – remembers that historical fight night fondly. “That fight has been one of the best moments of my career within the fight game,” said Duran. The date was Saturday, September 22, 2007. UFC 76: Knockout. It was the third time in UFC history that a PRIDE FC fighter fought against a UFC fighter. But the first time the winner of the Ultimate Fighter tournament was matched against a former PRIDE tournament champion. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was already considered a legend in mma.

Duran is one of many cutmen from around the world. Their job is to protect the fighter. Minimize the damage during the fight to keep a fighter in the fight. Cutmen don’t get the credit they deserve from fans – managers and promoters alike. Fighters get the credit for winning the battle, and rightfully so – but they acknowledge the cutmen in their corner. The reason most fights with bad cuts are not stopped – a great cutman. They are allowing a battle to turn into a classic – giving their fighter – a shot at winning.

Duran is an Air Force veteran and former kickboxer. He grew up picking cotton and fruit in a San Joaquin Valley migrant camp with aspirations of playing professional baseball. His work ethic and passion have taken him to countries and fights in the biggest stadiums in the world and, ultimately, the bright lights of Las Vegas and the historical grounds of Madison Square Garden. Stitch has done it all. No wonder his first book is titled ‘From the Fields to the Garden.’ “Who would have thought that a kid growing up in a migrant camp would one day bring his talents to Las Vegas, and make it to Madison Square Garden – The Mecca of boxing,” said Duran. It wasn’t all glamour and glitz for Duran. Despite all of his accomplishments – success did not come easy.

In 1996, Stitch found out his company, RJ Reynolds was downsizing. He requested to transfer to Las Vegas a year before receiving the call for a vacant position. Stitch had to make a decision. Try to make ends meet with coaching and training fighters at his kickboxing school in Fairfield, California, or take a $25,000 pay cut and move. Within two weeks, he transferred his kickboxing school to a friend and moved his family from Fairfield, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada. He never looked back.

As the second round ends – Duran rushes into the Octagon to greet Griffin with a towel in hand. He realizes he must work quickly. The cut was deep. It began at the top of Griffin’s right eyebrow and stopped somewhere in the middle of his forehead. It looked like the creation of a jagged sword wielded by a drunken samurai. At this moment, Jacob “Stitch” Duran knew the fight could be in his hands.

There are many cutmen in prizefighting, but only one “Stitch.” Highly recognized as one of the best cutmen and outstanding personalities in the fight business. Duran has a way of keeping fighters cool – calm – confident while taping their hands before the fight. Similar to a Sports psychologist who helps athletes deal with distractions and improve focus. When Duran walks into a fighters dressing room – Vitor Belfort, former UFC Light heavyweight and Heavyweight champion calls this – the “calming effect.”

After 11 years of hard work and sacrifice in the fight game – Stitch’s favorite MMA moment started as most of his fight nights do. Double-check that his cutman supplies are in his medicine bag before taping the fighter’s hands. An endless amount of towels. The K.O swell to bring down swelling. Vaseline and Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 mix (blood vessel constrictor) along with Avitene (coagulant) to close cuts. An ice pack, swabs, athletic tape, gauze, and a bucket. All of the essentials needed to protect the fighter’s hands and reduce damage to keep the fighter in a fight.

Duran rolls out four inches wide of two-inch gauze at a time until he counts to 16 and repeats it one more time. This is called padding. He continues to rip six half-inch tape strips and sticks them on the chair where the Griffin rests his forearm. He stretches Griffin’s hand and fingers – asking him if there are any current issues with the hand he’s wrapping. “I’ve broken my hands twice in my career but never when Stitch wrapped them,” said Griffin. Confident in his striking abilities – Griffin prefers to leave his thumbs unwrapped – unique for a fighter. Duran continues to speak with Griffin while he wraps his hand – he doesn’t want to wrap it too tight and cut off circulation. “Don’t worry about anything,” said Stitch. “I’m going to take care of you during the fight.” Rolls of gauze and one-inch athletic tape create a cast-like wrap. “How does it feel,” asked Stitch. It’s time to fight.

Before the horn sounds to end the round – Stitch gets his mix of Vaseline and Adrenalin 1/1000 ready. Vaseline is used on a fighter’s face and cuts to diminish the impact of an opponent’s punches. Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 closes blood vessels on open cuts along with Avitene, a coagulant. These three things along with water and ice – are the only liquids and medicine most athletic state commissions allow in a fighter’s corner. In a professional fight, as in life – seconds count. Stitch knew he had to work on Griffin’s cut as soon as round two was over.

With only one minute to work with between rounds – Stitch goes to work on the cut immediately. He wipes Griffin’s bloody face with a clean towel to find the wound. The cut is deep and to the skull. Griffin’s corner fears that the ringside Doctor will stop the fight if Stitch doesn’t stop the bleeding. Stitch covers the cut with his Vaseline and Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 mix. Griffin’s forehead looks like someone slapped it with a baseball bat and then tried to cover it with a bar of butter. The bleeding stops, and the bell to begin the third round goes off. The fight resumes.

Stitch wonders if he did enough. He remains calm in the corner – now a spectator – observing his work. Griffin’s cut is visible – no longer bleeding. With a minute left in the third round, Griffin pounds Rua’s face with elbows. A once impregnable defense – Rua’s head bounces off the canvas with every blow. The crowd’s cheers give Griffin the energy needed to keep punching as both fighters continue to fight fatigue. With 23 seconds in the fight, Griffin takes Rua’s back and slips in a rear naked choke. With 15 seconds left in the round, Rua taps out. The fight is over! Forrest Griffin has submitted the great Mauricio “Shogun” Rua!

Displaying the severe cut above his right eye, Forrest Griffin gets his hand raised in victory in the Honda Center of Anaheim, CA as Jacob “Stitch” Duran finishes wiping the blood from Griffin’s shoulders and back at UFC 76: Knockout, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007. (Photo/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

After his win versus Rua, Griffin sent Stitch a thank you card and a gift card for a fancy dinner for him and his wife. “It was unexpected but a great gesture,” said Stitch. Griffin’s win versus Rua – propelled him to a title fight. In the 2008 fight of the year, Griffin beat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. “If I get distracted because of the blood from my cut while fighting Shogun Rua – I don’t get the title fight,” said Griffin. “Stitch did a great job – kept me in the fight – he’s always been great to me – he’s one of my favorites.”

With so much success in the fight game all of these years – Stitch remains motivated. “I’m driven by accomplishments, reaching goals, maximizing my potential,” said Stitch. “Challenging myself in moments when I’m scared motivates me.” An author of two books, and an entrepreneur with his line of cutman supplies and creator of the K.O swell, he believes this is still only the beginning for him. “Giving a fighter one more round – using my skills to keep the fighter in a fight – a legacy of leaving the game of combat sports safer,” said Stitch. “That’s what keeps me going.”

The fight between Griffin and Rua proved to both Duran and Griffin that they belonged. It showed the world that Stitch – would always give a fighter one more round.

One round – like one second in someone’s life – can make all the difference.