South Tucson's El Independiente, 1980-02-22

              Store dealers
back repeal of
firearm laws
News/page 2
Vol. III, No. 18
By CARLOS A. CARRIZOZA
and
ALBERT J. COUNTRYMAN JR.
Staff Writers
The legacy printed at the right was
written by an unknown alcoholic and now
serves as the motto for Agrupacion
Progreso Alcoholic Anonymous (AAPA) in
South Tucson.
Bernardo U.. Barron, 56, is a àson,
plumber, electrician, marriage counselor,
and director of APAA.
"I was an alcoholic for 27 years,"
Barron said. "I lived through all the hell of
alcoholism. That's why I devote all the
time i can to help those who want to be
cured."
Agrupacion Progreso, 200 E. 33rd St.,
offers 24-hour service and has meetings
every Wednesday añd Sunday at 7 p.m., he
said. "There are 49people in the program
now, and only four or five of them are
women."
Barron, waving his hands and talking
loudly, said "Alcoholism is the base of
poverty. A person who is an alcoholic is a
poor person, materially and morally. This
person owes everybody money and never
has enough food and clothing for his
family. Even if this person is rich, sooner
or later he ends in poverty."
APAA was founded by Barron two years
ago, and he still pays many of the expenses
out of his own pocket, he said.
"Expenses run about $175 a month,
including rent, pone, coffee, food, and
( cookies. It also rceives small donations
from its members, he said.
\I '_1 L..
South Tucson's
Center offers
aid for women,
needy children
La Familia/page 4
I tk'p endiente
Published By The Jourizalism Department Of The University Qf Arizona
Alcoholism is devastating to both the individual and his family.
The APAA offfice consists of a kitchen,
living room, and bedroom. On the wall
there are pictures of Dr. Bill and Dr Bob,
the two unknown alcoholics who started
Alcoholics Anonymóùs.
"Alcoholism is a sickness that is in the
head," Barron said. "It is an obsession."
"In the house of the alcoholic there is no
harmony, there is just poverty," he said.
"In the family, the one who suffers most is
the wife of the alcoholic."
My wife threw me out of my home 12
years ago," he said. "I was an alcoholic
and my family suffered tremendously.".
'4Eventually, I met Angelita Torrez, and
with her help I overcame alcoholism six
years ago," he said.
"When a person in our program corn-pletes
one year without drinking, we
celebrate with a big cake," Barron said.
Reformed alcoholic counsels
drinkers at Agrupacion Progreso
More Pueblo
alumni seek
college education
Schools/page 5
"The cake is adorned with an elephant
replica looking at an emptygoblet.
"The elephant represents the person's
memory, and the goblet represents
alcohol," he said.
"Sometimes APAA helps poor people
because they don't have anything to eat,"
Barron said. "Usually these people are
poor because the father drinks too much."
"Because there is a lot of poverty in
South Tucson, Angelita and I are going to
form a program called 'La Familia'," he
said. "In this program, poor people will
receive help, such as food and clothing."
APAA will celebrate its second an-mversary
on March with a mass at the St.
Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave.
After the mass there will be a barbecue at
the APAA building, Barron said.
February 22, 1980
City short
on youth
recreation
By MAUREEN WARD
Staff Writer
Activities for recreation in South Tucson
are scarce due to the lack of funding and
inadequate facilities said the director of
.he Civic Center at 1625 5 Third Ave
In a sense, said Ruben Robles, the
center is the only recreation facility in
South Tucson
Boxing is the only program offered for
children during the school year Howevei
between the months of June and August
various activities such as ping pong pool
basketball and football as well as rented
feature films are provided free of charge
foi local children Robles said
See amateur boxing story
in sports, page 8.
The city is tryirg to iiegotiate the con-struction
of a seven acre linear park on
abandoned Southern Pacific Tran-sportation
Co. right-of-way between 33rd
and34th streets and South Sixth and 10th
avenues.
"If the railroad would let us have the
land, that would be great," Robles said.
The new park would provide the needed
expansion of present facilities whiçh in
turn would offer a place for children to go.
he said. Many of the children coming to the
center now live in the nearby, Colonia
Progreso projects.
"Everything costs," Robles said, "but
I'm still hoping for something to happen."
The center tries o help those children
who want to stay out of trouble, yet without
adequate facilities for a comprehensive
recreation program it is difficult to
maintain their interest, Robles said.
8 graffiti artists
booked following
police stake-out
By BRIAN MCGUINN
Staff Writer
A stake-out by South Tucson Police
resulted in the arrests of eight juveniles
charged with "criminal damage" for
spray-paInting the walls of local
businesses.
Detective Judy Johnson said five youths
were caught by a surveillance detail
allegedly before they were able to deface
the wall of a building with spray painted
slogans.
Johnson said a rash of such slogan
writing had occurred here in the last two
weeks.
Most of the slogans were of a Chicano
nature, but she suspected some were
names of gangs -- "Barrio Viejo, Barrio
Central, Barrio Hollywood" -- would be
territorial markers;
Johnson said it was "fronic" that the
youths made the signs out of a sense of
pride -- when in effect, they were making
the city look like a ghetto.
. , ed O 3
The legacy of an alcoholic
To society, I leave a detestable character, a regrettable
example and a hateful memory. . .
To my parents, I leave a grief I don't know how they will be
able to bear in their old age.. .
To my brothers, I leave all the shame and regret that I caused
them with my life...
To my wife, I leave a broken heart and a life of poverty and
anguish...
To my sons, I leave poverty, ignorance and the sad memory
that their father died a victim of alcohol,
anonymous alcoholic