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)
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