The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from LACUJAE Continuing series.

May 14, 1980

President Carter proposes an official US sealift and airlift of Cuban refugees with careful screening of those wishing to enter the US.

President Carter's Statement

-calling for a halt to "Freedom Flotilla."

-offering a government-run air & sealift

-instructing Coast Guard to stop boats going to Cuba.

-making it illegal to do so

During  the week of July  21st, 1980

                      (Our Apartment on the second-floor balcony)

            On our first attempt to leave military police came to pick us in, the daytime then people came out when they heard about us leaving, and this is the story about us and the CDR(Committee for the Defense of the Revolution). They started their chants of Escoria(Scum) and Gusanos(Worms) I remember them saying you are going to starve in the U.S.A.  The crowd threw  potatoes at our balcony, eggs were thrown at the front door and Papi said: “You sure you what to waste all that food  you will need it tomorrow.” In a part of the crowd, there was, the mother of my two best friends who lived upstairs Papi was carrying me and had Jose by the hand and Mami had Ernie by the side and Yoyi in her arms someone pushed and hit Papi with me in his arms. Papi turned around, and the mother of my best friend shouted throw a rock at Hectico to her son mine my Papi told her  “If your son hits mine I will throw yours against the wall till he stops breathing” she said he is not going to, do anything. The military police surrounded us to protect us from the crowd, which the government controls remember that. We were all quite the kids thru out the whole ordeal my Mami said, but, we had no idea what was going on. And neither did I ask what was going on.  The Military drove us to Abreu Fontan (Before 1959 it was a luxurious upper-class club) about 15 minutes away, but when we got there, they took our passports pictures hence my picture of outer terror from the day's events  Yoyi Capote was not claimed by Tio Jorge no documents he was nine months old.   They told Papi we could go and leave the kid and Papi said: “sure leave the baby of  9-months to open the door and cook for himself”. Papi called Tio Jorge to fix the paperwork we were five days locked up at home the front door full of insults graffiti. 

After the long day, we went to our Abuelos house in Fontanar  Oyo told Papi you could not stay here the University would kick me out. Oyo had just gotten his  Doctors Degree in Science in 1979 and was a Professional so he would not be allowed to leave the country and I think he had no desire too. They were in the dark about us going till that tense moment, but their decision not to let us stay really hurt my mother; they are her parents with their grandchildren. It’s maybe easy to say we would do differently, but we have never felt the fear. He would have lost his job and would not have been allowed to leave the country and even possible prison time. When we got home, to our apartment in LACUJAE it was full of eggs and potatoes and graffiti on the door with words like Gusano(Worms), Escoria(Scum), Putas(Bitches).  We were there at the apartment for a week mostly inside then Tia Bibiana would come to visit, and Rafelito(her son) very brave of them the Abuelos came once. Abuela wanted me to stay with them she cried and told Mami and Papi to leave Hectico with them, and they said they wanted to leave and to ask Tio if they had space. Mami felt like it was Abuela that put Abuelo up to it to ask for them to leave. My Abuelos left our apartment. I would not see them again till Dec. 2001 almost 22 yrs later.  My Mami and Papi and Abuelos never spoke about it even later on. We were according to my Mami the first to leave thru the Port of Mariel in our barrio(neighborhood).  

(Where it all happened when the taxi came for us)

(My Cuban passport picture from that terrifying day)

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from La CUJAE Continuing series.

In an editorial in the newspaper Granma on April 21, 1980, the decision of the Cuban government was made public, that the boats arriving from the United States to the Island. Can pick up those who wish to emigrate to that country also they would not be stopped.

Apr. 21: Fishing boats Dos Hermanos and Blanche III arrive in Key West with the first 48 refugees. Apr. 22: U.S. State Department warns boat owners that bringing undocumented aliens into the United States is a felony.

May 2, 1980

Cubans seeking word on their requests for U.S. visas were attacked on steps of US Interest Section in Havana by a pro-Castro crowd - Interest section virtually under siege.  About 400 individuals take refuge in ISINT.

May 5: '' . . . We'll continue to provide an open heart and open arms to refugees seeking freedom from Communist domination.'' President Carter's words taken by many as a wholesale invitation.

May 17: The overloaded Olo Yumi sinks north of Mariel in the Florida Straits, killing 14. At least 38, including skipper Salvador Ojeda, are rescued by the Coast Guard. Confirmed at-sea deaths in the exodus reach 25

May 19, 1980

A US Coast Guard blockade is establishing to prevent boats from traveling to Cuba to take out refugees.

The brother of Tia Nydia Rosa Capote age 50  the wife of Tio Jorge Enrique Capote Corzo age 46  got a call with a message for Papi. Sometime in May 1980 that he had a message from Tio Jorge and to meet at the brother’s house in Santo Saurez. It was far Mami and Papi had to take two busses they went alone. So Papi got the message, and it was a question from Tio Jorge if we wanted to leave with the family from Cuba. Papi had said I never thought about it, but he kept thinking about it. And then Tia Nydia and Tio Jorge(never forget them they are the reason our family got out of Cuba) came in a large shrimping boat in July to pick us up and Tia Nydia’s family and at that time Mami y Papi decided to leave.
Papi and Mami were worried about their kids being sent to war or if his four boys decide to go and jump on a raft, and then they die on it in the ocean or be put in jail. And Mami said she was terrified because she had no family only Capotes in Miami.  But Mami told Papi, “if you tell me to go to the moon, I will go with you.” Papi said my family would take care of us. My Mami always believed in my Papi and together in a dark corner in an apartment building in Habana that my Papi built with his own hands (Construction Worker) in silence they decided to leave it all behind and not let the walls hear their plans. It was a secret outside of Tio’s and Tia’s family knowing the truth they had to do it. It was a dangerous time, and they had four boys to protect.

Nobody knew when it was their turn to leave till they got a phone call, but back then few people had home phones in Cuba, we did not have one our Abuelos did. Our Abuelo Jose "Pepe" Folgueras Mendez “Oyo”  age 40 and my Abuela Silvia “Tata” Erlinda Santiago Sanchez, 46   also my Abuelo  Oyo's  Sister had a home phone too Bibiana Folgueras Mendez age 37. She lived in Habana Vieja(Old) (When Papi went to visit Tia Bibiana she told him he had a message from Tio  Papi called on a public telephone in this one I can not take two families per the guards at Mariel port. Then Papi gave Tio the number to Bibiana, and he told Bibiana about us leaving. But at that time of Mariel when you came to pick up family you could only pick one family on your list so we could not leave on the Shrimp Boat we would have to wait, but the secret was still safe.

One of the stories Papi told and I sorta remember was when I was 7 yrs old in 1980 during Mariel when people were starting to leave and the violent acts against them started. One day I saw from the balcony of our apartment below us an act of violence. They were beating a man and he was falling unconscious and I asked Papi why do they do that to that man Papi? Papi told me, son because he wants to leave Cuba. And I being only 7 yrs old told him Papi and just because someone wants to leave they have to do that to them? Papi told me son I can not answer your question here now but one day I will answer it. 

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from La CUJAE Continuing series.

My Papi Hector L. Capote soon became disappointed with how Cubans were treated by the government in Habana and told his boss about human rights violations he was seeing. His boss told him, “Capote do what I say  and don’t look at anything else.” My Mami told me she would ask Papi “what's wrong?” she would see him sad and conflicted, and he says to her  “I can not take it anymore the things I am seeing. The names people are calling each other, and the government is encouraging it all.”  What did Dad see? Well in Cuba you have a committee called  CDR (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution) in all the neighborhoods they have such a committee. They have meetings every month or so, and more importantly, they keep an eye when someone is “unrevolutionary.” So when someone hears that a family is leaving for the Port of Mariel, they tell the local CDR. They then organize people and do a  protest at the house of the family going or wanting to go. Then they would throw eggs and sometimes frozen they would become hard as a rock also they would chant Gusanos(Worms) and Escoria(Scum) and chase families down the streets. Countless of Cubans families were beaten and some deaths accorded while the police did nothing to protect the people wanting to leave. Soldiers at the Embassy would beat people trying to get into the embassy.

My Papi tells the story of one day after the embassy escape of many Cubans. He and another man an engineer named Tony were guarding the streets by his job on 5th street and 42the embassy was by 5th and 20th something. He saw an old man coming by him been followed by around 300 people the old man was running and threw himself at my Papi. The old man said kill me before all those people do my Papi said take easy I am not going to kill you or either is those people they are not going to touch you. When they got close my Papi told the crowd however gets close will have to die with me. And Tony said the same thing to the crowd. My Papi told them you can not hit someone because they want to leave. So the crowd dispersed and Papi took the old man to the bus station. The old man took the bus and went home. 

Papi also tells the story of a young man an engineer that wanted to leave and had a permission slip from the government.  Papi had asked the young man you came from the embassy and he answered yes and I am an engineer. Papi asked to see the slip out of curiosity of what one looks like. Then some 12-13 yr old kids tried to take the slip from Papi and my Papi told them kid get lost or I am going to kick so hard in the ass that you will get to Miami before all these people in Mariel. The kids wanted to take it to rip up the slip. I gave it back to the young man and the kids followed him so I went with him to the bus so they would not touch him. The young man said I will never forget what you did my Papi told him I do not do it for you to remember. And that is what made Papi start to change. My Papi thought I am revolutionary but if another one of these things happens and my kids want to leave the country and one of these acts of violence happens to them I will have to kill a general. 

Then on Apr. 9 1980: Andean Pact ministers ask other nations to accept some refugees from the embassy. Followed by Apr. 11 1980 President Jimmy Carter announces the U.S. will accept up to 3,500 refugees, by provisions in the Refugee Act. Next on Apr. 13 1980: Costa Rica offers San Jose as a staging area for refugee resettlement. Also on Apr. 16 1980: Evacuation flights to Costa Rica begin. Castro suspends flights two days later.

 And then a scary moment for those in the embassy on Apr. 19 1980: An estimated one million Cubans march past the US Interest Section as the focal point of an island-wide series of anti-US demonstrations. Dad was a part of that march per his job at the university.  In Miami, exile Napoleon Vilaboa readies a flotilla of 42 boats to bring back refugees.   And the moment a lot of Cubans were waiting for Apr. 20 1980: Castro announces he will open the port of Mariel for exiles to pick up relatives who want to leave the island.

                            The brave people that refused to leave the Peruvian embassy.

                               

                    Cuban secret police beating Cubans wanting to leave at the US                                                embassy

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from La CUJAE Continuing series.

 Papi  was assisting the Cuban guards at the Peruvian embassy a few days after the incident on April 6. He guarded around the streets of the Peruvian embassy thru his job at the university(Lacujae) in which he was required to be there but the government claimed it was “volunteer,” and he was in civilian clothes dad had been in the Cuban Military and drove tanks. In 1980 Papi was still loyal to Communism, but he soon started to see horrible things that changed his mind. During those dark grey, dangerous times in Habana 1980 everyone in the streets was talking about leaving and the economic situation plus did Castro mean what he said about the Port of Mariel?  But Castro had plans to control the riots that had brought Habana to a stop, and the  city was  about to begin one of the many dark chapters in Cuban history in a long, tense, hot summer in Cuba, but for the first time Cuban turned against Cuban something we had not seen in our past as a nation. Cuba always dealt with outside forces we had never come to Civil War like most nations. From Fidel’s Gusanos (Worms) speech. “And the Gusanos and the privileged the parasites and the sons of parasites that want to abandon the flag and creating crime and treason against our homeland!.” And from his speech “Quien no Tenga Sangre revolucionaria” (However does not have Revolution in their blood.) “However does not have revolution in their genes, however, does not have revolution in their blood, That does not have the mind to adapt to a revolution who does not have a heart that can adapt to the effort and heroism of a revolution we don’t want them we do not need them.” 

Peru Embassy 1980 

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from La CUJAE Continuing series.

The year is 1980

Jan. 30, 1980: The sand dredge Cinco de Diciembre, is hijacked from Varadero, Cuba. After a 32-hour voyage that ends in Miami Beach, 66 Cubans are granted asylum. Then on Feb. 16, 1980, Eight Cuban stowaways hijack Liberian freighter Lissette from outside Habana Harbor and sail to Key West. Followed by Feb. 26, 1980: Using two rusty revolvers, 26 Cubans commandeer government-owned pleasure craft Lucero from Habana Harbor and sail to the Florida Keys. And last on Mar. 8th  1980: Reacting to recent hijacking, Cuban President Fidel Castro hints at the possibility of mass emigration in a speech.

Then came the day that everything changed for Hector L. Capote, a young Communist who believed in the so-called “New Man” and his young family.

Apr. 1 1980: Six Cubans that were seeking asylum hijacked a bus and crashed it through the gates of the Peruvian Embassy in Habana. A Cuban guard, struck by a ricocheting bullet, dies in the chaos. The ones in the bus have no guns as guns by citizens is outlawed in Cuba.

Apr. 4: Peru extends asylum to the gate-crashers. Cuban Government removes embassy guards; Havana radio announces embassy is open.  Then all hell breaks loss in Habana on Apr. 6 1980: 10,856  Cubans crowd onto the embassy grounds; Peru grants them asylum. These people would wind up eating tree leaves and bark because the government gave them virtually no food while they were at the embassy. These brave people are the reason we are here in the U.S.A. never forget that they opened the Port for our family to rescue us from oppression.

photo credit: Edgardo W. Olivera <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/124137421@N04/46316088044">Tras las rejas</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a