>>> WE HAVE THE LARGEST AMOUNTS OF POLLUTION EMITTED INTO THE
AIR.
>> ME, HIM, HIS SISTER GOT CANCER.
>> WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, ALL THIS LAND OWNED BY BLACK
PEOPLE?
>> THE MAJORITY.
>> YES.
>> WHAT ARE THESE COMPANIES TELLING Y'ALL?
>> THAT IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT.
>> WHO'S DETERMINING IF IT'S SAFE OR NOT?
>> IF MY KIN FOLKS IS DYING FROM CANCER, IT'S NOT SAFE.
>> I'M FEELING TENSE RIGHT NOW.
>> NO OTHER JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN TO CUBA SINCE PROTESTS
ERUPTED LAST JULY. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> THERE'S A VERY, VERY HIGH CHANCE THAT WE'RE BEING WATCHED.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>>> WE WANT JUSTICE!
>>> WE'RE DRIVING THROUGH LOUISIANA, ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER BETWEEN BATON ROUGE AND NEW ORLEANS.
THIS 85 MILE STRETCH HAS ABOUT 150 PETROL CHEMICAL PLANTS AND
REFINERIES. PEOPLE DOWN HERE, THEY CALL IT
CANCER ALLEY, BECAUSE IF YOU LIVE HERE, YOU'RE 50 TIMES MORE
LIKELY TO GET CANCER THAN THE AVERAGE AMERICAN ELSEWHERE.
I MEAN, THAT'S INSANE. AT THE CENTER OF CANCER ALLEY IS
ST. JAMES PARISH, A COMMUNITY OF 21,000 RESIDENTS.
THE PARISH IS BROKEN DOWN INTO SEVEN DISTRICTS.
THE FOURTH AND FIFTH DISTRICTS ARE 61 AND 91% BLACK
RESPECTIVELY AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE PLANTS ARE LOCATED.
IN 2014, THE COUNCIL REZONED THEM FROM RESIDENTIAL TO
RESIDENTIAL/FUTURE INDUSTRIAL WHICH HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR EVEN
MORE PLANTS TO BE BUILT. LEROY FRAZIER AND JANICE
FARBER'S ROOTS RUN DEEP IN THE PARISH.
YOU REMEMBER WHEN NONE OF THIS WAS HERE?
>> NO. THIS WAS SUGAR CANE OVER THERE.
SUGAR CANE AND SOYBEAN. WE USED TO HAVE FRUIT TREES IN
OUR YARD. WE DON'T HAVE THAT NO MORE SINCE
THE PLANTS CAME.
>> WHAT ABOUT THE EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE?
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW PERSONALLY THAT HAVE CANCER?
>> I'M ONE OF THEM. TWICE.
>> ME, HIM, HIS SISTER, MY SISTER.
AND WE ALL WAS FROM HERE. JUST THIS AREA RIGHT HERE.
>> WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE SURROUNDED BY ALL THIS DEATH?
>> EITHER YOU GET USED TO IT AND LIVE ON OR YOU TRY TO GET
SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT. BUT I BEAT CANCER TWICE.
AND I DON'T THINK I'LL BEAT IT A THIRD TIME.
>> WOULD YOU EVER LEAVE?
>> NO. THIS IS MY HOME.
YOU HAVE TO CARRY ME OUT.
>> MANY RESIDENTS OF ST. JAMES PARISH LIVE IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS A
SACRIFICE ZONE, A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE AN AREA WHERE PEOPLE OF
COLOR LIVE NEXT DOOR TO INDUSTRIES WITH HEAVY POLLUTION.
THE EXPRESSION ORGANIZE NATES FROM THE COLD WAR ERA WHEN
PARCELS OF LANDS WERE DESIGNATED AS CONTAMINATED FROM NUCLEAR
WEAPONS PRODUCTION.
>> THIS HOUSE HERE, THIS ELAINE'S HOUSE.
SHE HAS VERY BAD ASTHMA, SHE HAS CANCER.
THE HOUSE IS A SISTER THAT DIED THAT SHE HAD CANCER, AND THEY
BABY SISTER GOT CANCER, STAGE 4 CANCER.
>> ALL THESE FOLKS WITH RESPIRATORY ILLNESS AND CANCER,
WHAT ARE THESE COMPANIES TELLING Y'ALL?
>> THAT IT'S NOT THEY FAULT. IT'S NOT THEY FAULT.
>> FOR YEARS, THE ST. JAMES GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED TO POSITION
ITSELF AS THE IDEAL COMMUNITY AND LOCATION FOR INDUSTRY.
BUT MANY RESIDENTS IN THE INDUSTRY'S PATH HAVE A DIFFERENT
TAKE. DER RE-WHITTINGTON, WHO WORKS IN
A PLANT HAS WITNESSED FIRSTHAND THE EFFECTS WHEN THE PLANTS COME
IN.
>> FROM THAT WHITE TRUCK FROM THE EDGE OF THAT DITCH GOING
BACK WAS BOUGHT RECENTLY. SO THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD A
PLANT AND THAT BRUSH RIGHT THERE, THAT'S PART OF THE
PROPERTY THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK.
IT WILL BE SOLD.
>> YOUR HOUSE IS RIGHT HERE.
>> YEAH, MY HOUSE IS HERE. SO AT SOME POINT THEY GOT TO PUT
A EVACUATION ROUTE, WHICH THEY'RE PROPOSING TO PUT IT
HERE.
>> ON THIS PERSON LAND?
>> IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT PERSON LAND AT SOME POINT WHEN
THEY DECIDE THIS IS WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
>> ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH YOUR HEALTH?
>> YES, I AM. ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S CANCER ALLEY. ENOUGH SAID.
I THINK IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AT ITS FINEST.
>> AND THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS ALL -- ALL OF THIS LAND OWNED BY
BLACK PEOPLE?
>> THE MAJORITY, YES. PROBABLY 80%.
MAYBE MORE.
>> ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IS A RELATIVELY NEW TERM, BUT ITS
EFFECTS HAVE BEEN FELT FOR DECADES.
IT WAS COINED IN THE '80s WHEN A MAJORITY BLACK COUNTY IN NORTH
CAROLINA PROTESTED OVER THE PLAN TO PUT A HAZARDOUS WASTE LAND
FILL IN THEIR COMMUNITY. TODAY YOU SEE IT WITH PIPELINES
IN INDIGENOUS LANDS AND THE WATER CRISIS IN FLINT, MICHIGAN.
ST. JAMES PARISH WAS MOSTLY SUGAR CANE BEFORE THE PETROL
CHEMICAL TOOK OVER. ENSLAVED AFRICANS WERE BROUGHT
IN TO WORK AND BECAME SHARECROPPERS AFTER THE SILL
WAR. WHEN THE INDUSTRIAL BOOM CAME
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE OVERSIGHT.
>> YOU SEE THE ONE OIL REFINERY THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THERE FROM
1930s TO 1950, IT'S NOW 14 FACILITIES AND THAT DRIVES OUT
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITIES.
YOU DON'T SEE GROCERY STORES, FLORISTS.
BUT YOU SEE HOMES AND GRAVE SITES AND SMOKESTACKS OF THE
INDUSTRIES.
>> WOULD YOU CALL THESE PARISHES ALONG CANCER ALLEY TO BE
SACRIFICE ZONES.
>> THEY'VE BEEN TREATED AS THOUGH THEY'RE SACRIFICE ZONES.
FACILITIES WERE ALLOWED TO GO INTO AREAS AND OPERATE AT A TIME
WHEN BLACK PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO VOTE.
THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY OVER
WHERE THOSE INDUSTRIES WOULD OPERATE OR LOCATE.
SO WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE OIL AND GAS AND PLASTIC INJURIES ARE
ROOTED IN THAT SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING SINCE THE DAYS OF JIM CROW.
>> PEOPLE CALL THIS ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM.
HOW DO YOU PROVE IT?
>> SO ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IS THE RESULT OF DENYING
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, HEALTH PROTECTIONS TO BLACK AND OTHER
PEOPLE OF COLOR COMMUNITIES, BUT IT'S A GLOBAL PHENOMENON.
THE SITUATION WE HAVE WITHIN OUR U.S. IS THAT RACISM HAS TO BE
SHOWN TO BE INTENTIONAL. AND A HUMAN RIGHTS AND
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS SPHERE, RACISM IS RACISM.
>> BY U.S. STANDARDS, MAYBE A BIT DIFFICULT TO PROVE
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM. BUT WHAT YOU WILL FIND IS THAT
MOST OF THE CHEMICAL PLANTS IN ST. JAMES ARE LOCATED IN
SPECIFIC DISTRICTS. THE OTHER DISTRICTS, THEY LOOK A
BIT DIFFERENT. AND WHILE MOST PEOPLE WOULDN'T
WANT TO LIVE NEXT TO A PLANT, IT'S ULTIMATELY THE PARISH
COUNCIL THAT APPROVES THE LAND USE PERMITS NEEDED TO BUILD
HERE. AS THE PRESIDENT OF ST. JAMES
PARISH IN HIS FIRST TERM, PETE WASN'T AROUND WHEN THE PLANTS
CAME TO THE COMMUNITY BUT HE'S INHERITED THE ISSUES THAT COME
ALONG WITH THEM. DO YOU BELIEVE WHEN THESE
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS COME TO A COMMUNITY THAT THEY ENHANCE THE
COMMUNITY?
>> THE REVENUE THAT ST. JAMES PARISH GOVERNMENT OPERATES OFF
OF IS 73% FROM INDUSTRY. WHAT WOULD WE HAVE HERE IF WE
DIDN'T HAVE INDUSTRY?
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ST. JAMES PARISH BEING ALONG A
STRETCH THAT PEOPLE CALL CANCER ALLEY AS A RESULT OF THESE
COMPANIES BEING HERE.
>> WELL, I THINK CANCER ALLEY, THE TERM CANCER ALLEY IS A MYTH
THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE DEBUNKED.
THAT OR WE RECEIVED FROM THE TUMOR REGISTRY REPORTS THIS WAS
NOT CANCER ALLEY. THE CANCER RATE HERE IS NOT ANY
DIFFERENT THAN NEIGHBORING PARISHES.
I CAN'T LEAD MY COMMUNITY BASED ON FEELINGS.
>> I RESPECT THAT. I RESPECT THAT.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT YOU WOULD WANT
TO ENGAGE THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR
DESIRE TO JUST WANT TO LIVE.
>> AND I DO, I WANT THAT FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY AS WELL.
WE ALL WANT TO LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY IN A COMMUNITY THAT'S SAFE.
BUT WHO'S DETERMINING IF IT'S SAFE OR NOT?
>> IF MY KIN FOLKS ARE DYING FROM CANCER, IT'S NOT SAFE.
>> IF IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AND THAT A SPECIFIC
INDUSTRY COULD BE IDENTIFIED THAT'S CAUSING CANCER AND
HARMFUL ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS I'D BE THE FIRST ONE OUT FRONT
GETTING RID OF THEM.
>> PRESIDENT DUFRAIN ISN'T NECESSARILY WRONG.
THERE'S NOT MUCH SCIENCE AVAILABLE FROM GOVERNMENT
ENTITIES AND THE GOVERNMENT DATA THAT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED DOESN'T
TELL THE FULL STORY. IN A JUNE TULANE UNIVERSITY
PUBLISHED A REPORT THAT IT IS LINKED TO HIGHER CANCER RATES.
COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH TOXIC AIR POLLUTION HAD CANCER RATES OF
515 CASES PER 100,000 RESIDENTS. SO WITH A LACK OF INFORMATION
FROM THE GOVERNMENT, LOCAL SCIENTISTS HAVE STEPPED UP TO
FILL THE VOID.
>> THIS IS NOT CODE.
>> SCOTT, A COMMUNITY SCIENCE DIRECTOR SAYS FOLKS HAVE BEEN
BEGGING HIM TO HELP GATHER INFORMATION.
SO WITH DONATION FUNDED MONITORS THAT MONITOR PARTICULATES IN THE
AIR, HE'S BEEN TRYING TO COLLECT DATA THAT SUPPORTS THE NUMBER OF
CANCER, ASTHMA AND OTHER ILLNESSES.
WHAT IS IT THAT'S HAPPENING THAT'S SO TROUBLING TO YOU?
>> WE HAVE A LOCATION WITH THE LARGEST AMOUNTS OF POLLUTION
BEING EMITTED INTO THE AIR AND NO STUDIES ON HOW THAT'S
AFFECTING PEOPLE. UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO, THE TUMOR
REGISTRY ONLY RECORDED CANCER INCIDENTS AT THE LOCATION OF THE
HOSPITAL NOT WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND BREATHE.
AND WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND BREATHE IS WHERE WE WANT TO
MEASURE THE POLLUTION.
>> IS ANY OF THIS BEING DONE FROM THE STATE?
>> THE STATE SAYS THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO DO IT.
THEY SAID IT WOULD COST THEM ALMOST 5 MILLION A YEAR.
>> 5 MILLION A YEAR?
>> YEAH. THAT'S APPARENTLY LIKE WAY TOO
MUCH.
>> THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT OF MONEY FOR A STATE BUDGET.
>> IT'S A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE VALUE OF EVERYONE'S
HEALTH.
>> SCOTT, NO DISRESPECT, BUT IF IT'S JUST ME AND YOU DRIVING
AROUND IN THIS HONDA IN THE RAIN AND THAT'S THE HOPE THE
COMMUNITY HAS, THEY MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE.
HUH?
>> YEAH. YEAH.
I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
>> IN APRIL OF 2018, NEWS BROKE THAT A NEW PETROL PLANT WAS
GOING TO BE BUILT. FOR MOST PLASTIC PLANTS TO BUILT
A PLANT IN THE FIFTH DISTRICT. FROM ITS OWN PERMIT, IT'S
ESTIMATED TO EMIT 800 TONS OF TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS PER YEAR.
INCLUDING TWO CHEMICALS THE EPA CLASSIFIES AS CANCER CAUSING
AGENTS. BUT THEY DENY ANY SERIOUS HEALTH
CLAIMS CLAIMS SAYING THEY'RE FALSE AND
UNCLASSIFIED AND THE PLANT WAS APPROVED BECAUSE IT RELIED ON
SOUND SCIENCE AND DESIGN AND MET ALL REGULATORY RULES.
IN AUGUST, THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ANNOUNCED IT WOULD
CONDUCT AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY.
ACTIVISTS SEE THIS AS A MAJOR VICTORY, BUT THERE'S STILL WORK
TO BE DONE. AT LEAST TWO EXISTING PLANTS
HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO EXPAND AND ANOTHER HAS BEEN APPROVED TO
BUILD. SEEMS TO BE INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS
FOLKS LIKE JANICE REMAIN STEADFAST IN THIS BATTLE AGAINST
A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY. THEY SAY THEY'RE BRINGING
$9.5 BILLION FOR THIS COMPANY TO BE HERE.
>> DON'T GET IT. NOT US.
NOT THE PEOPLE OF ST. JAMES. WE DON'T SEE NOTHING BEING
ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE MONEY BESIDE Y'ALL WANT TO PUT A PLANT
HERE AND KILL US. I'M FIGHTING NOW FOR MY KIDS AND
GRANDCHILDREN. I CAN'T SAY I GOT NO MORE FIGHT
IN IN ME. I'M GOING TO FIGHT LIKE MY
ANCESTORS UNTIL I DIE. TO TRY TO STOP THOSE PLANTS
COMING IN THIS AREA AND GIVE OUR CHILDREN THEIR FRESH, FREE LIVES
TO LIVE LIKE WE GREW UP.
>> SO WE'RE IN THE MADRID AIRPORT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ON OUR
WAY TO CUBA. THIS IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE
ONLY WAYS WE CAN GET INTO THE ISLAND AT THIS MOMENT.
WHILE THE CUBAN TOURIST IS BEACHES AND MOW HEE
BEACHES AND MOW HJITOS, CUBANS E BEEN LIVING UNDER A REGIME FOR
THE LAST 40 YEARS. BUT LAST JULY WE ENTER CUBA AS
TOURISTS, THE ONLY WAY TO SEE HOW THE CRACKDOWN ON THE LARGEST
ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST IN DECADES IS PLAYING OUT IN THE
STREETS.
>> A STRICT COVID LOCKDOWN PUSHED CUBANS TO A TIPPING POINT
AND ON JULY 11th, A CROWD FORMED IN TOWN, DEMANDING MORE FOOD,
MORE MEDICATION, AND AN END TO POWER CUTS.
ANY FORM OF DISSENT AGAINST THE COMMUNIST REGIME IS MET WITH
SYSTEMIC REPRESSION. BUT TODAY, MANY CUBANS EXHAUSTED
AND DONE WITH THE U.S. EMBARGO AND RESTRICTIONS HAVE LOST FEAR.
THEY SHARE THEIR PROTEST ON FACEBOOK LIVE AND WITHIN HOURS
IT SPREAD TO OVER 50 CITIES ACROSS THE ISLAND.
IT TURNED INTO THE LARGEST ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST CUBA HAD
SEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF FIDEL CASTRO'S REVOLUTION IN
1959.
>> THE REGIME'S VIOLENT RESPONSE SURPRISED NO ONE.
IN THE WEEKS FOLLOWING, THE MILITARY ROUNDED UP AND JAILED
ALMOST 1,000 PROTESTERS. AND NOW THE REGIME IS ON HIGH
ALERT, READY TO SUPPRESS ANY PERCEIVED THREATS.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> MY MOTHER, WHO WAS BORN HERE, HASN'T BEEN BACK TO THE ISLAND
SINCE THE EARLY '60s WHEN MY GRANDFATHER BECAME A POLITICAL
PRISONER. SHE'S ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF CUBAN EXILES WHO FLED TO THE UNITED STATES FOR A
BETTER LIFE. I WAS HERE BACK IN 2015.
AND THINGS HAVE REALLY CHANGED. ?
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> CUBA IS UNDERGOING ITS WORST ECONOMIC CRISIS IN 20 YEARS.
THE FOOD AND MEDICINE SHORTAGES ARE THE WORST THEY'VE BEEN.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> EVER SINCE FIDEL CASTRO ROSE TO POWER AT THE HEIGHT OF THE
COLD WAR, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS HAD ONE GOAL, TO DISMANTLE
IT. THEY'VE TRIED A MILITARY
INTERVENTION, VARIOUS FAILED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS AND THEY
CONSISTENTLY IMPOSED A TRADE EMBARGO AGAINST THE ISLAND.
>> WE'RE DETERMINED TO BRING THE TRUTH TO THE PEOPLE WHO SUFFER
UNDER FIDEL CASTRO.
>> THEN BARACK OBAMA BECAME THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO EASE THIS
COLD WAR STANCE BY REOPENING THE U.S. EMBASSY IN HAVANA AND
RESUMING COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS. THAT'S THE SAME TIME YOU MAY
HAVE SEEN CELEBRITIES LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN AND MADONNA IN OLD
HAVANA. THIS WITH FIDEL CASTRO'S DEATH
IN 2016 MAY HAVE LED PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT CHANGE WAS COMING,
BUT IT NEVER DID. AND JUST LAST YEAR, DONALD TRUMP
HAD ANOTHER ROUND OF SANCTIONS WHICH LEFT A CRIPPLED ECONOMY,
FORCING WESTERN UNION TO SHUTDOWN KIOSKS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY CUTTING OFF THE $1.5 BILLION EVERY YEAR SENT TO
CUBA FROM RELATIVES OVERSEAS. TODAY, DESPITE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
PROMISES JOE BIDEN UPHOLDS THAT SAME STANCE.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> 17-YEAR-OLD GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WAS RUNNING ERRANDS ON JULY 11th
WHEN SHE SAW THE PROTESTS AND DECIDED TO JUMP IN.
SHE WAS DETAINED, STRIP SEARCHED AND SENTENCED TO EIGHT MONTHS OF
HOUSE ARREST. SHE CAN ONLY LEAVE HER HOUSE TO
GO TO SCHOOL. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>>> FEAR OF CROSSING THE REGIME IS CONSTANT IN CUBA, REINFORCED
ON EVERY BLOCK BY THE CDR OFFICES, WATCHDOGS FOR THE
GOVERNMENT THAT KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON ALL.
BUT DISSIDENTS ARE FINDING A NEW WAY TO CHALLENGE THE REGIME IN A
DIGITAL AGE IN 2018 WHEN CUBANS WERE ALLOWED TO GET INTERNET ON
THEIR SMART PHONES A COLLECTIVE OF ARTISTS WAS BORN.
IT'S GROWN INTO ONE OF THE ISLAND'S MOST POWERFUL
RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS AND ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PRIME TARGETS.
>> WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO MEET LORI RIGHT NOW.
SHE'S ONE OF THE CO-FOUNDERS.
>> CLAUDIA. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> CLAUDIA IS UNDER SURVEILLANCE AND WE KNEW SPEAKING WITH HER
COULD PUT HER ON THE GOVERNMENT'S RADAR, HER
BOYFRIEND, A KEY VOICE IN THE MOVEMENT, WAS ARRESTED DURING
THE JULY 11th PROTESTS. WHILE IN JAIL, HE WAS NAMED ONE
OF THE WORLD'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE BY TIME
MAGAZINE. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> SHE SAW THE PROTESTS SPREADING ONLINE AND THOUGHT
THAT THE CASTRO REGIME WAS FINALLY FALLING.
HE WENT OUT TO PROTEST BUT WAS DETAINED SHORTLY AFTER.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> WHILE WE WERE SPEAKING TO CLAUDIA, LUIS CALLED FROM JAIL.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> THE LONGER WE STAY, THE MORE EXPOSURE WE RISK.
SO WE MOVE ON TO THE SEASIDE PROMENADE WHERE A PROTESTER
RALLIED FOLLOWERS BEFORE BEING ARRESTED.
ALSO ONE OF THE TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS ON THE ISLAND, BUT
TODAY IT WAS EMPTY.
>> A CUBAN POLICE GUARD JUST TOLD ME TO GET OUT.
>> LOCALS WARN US WHY WE'RE TOLD TO LEAVE.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> WE PLAY TOURISTS TO BE SURE NO ONE IS FOLLOWING US BEFORE
VISITING A YOUNG ART HISTORIAN WHO USES PUBLIC PLATFORMS TO
CRITICIZE THE STATE. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> AND WHO'S BEEN UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR OVER 200 DAYS.
HER FRIEND AGREES TO HELP ESCORT US INTO HER APARTMENT FOR AN
INTERVIEW.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> BUT ON OUR WALK OVER, SHE RECEIVES A PHONE CALL FROM A
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO ASKS ABOUT US, THEY KNOW WE'RE TRYING
TO SEE CATALINA. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> THE POLICE STOP US AND ASK FOR OUR DOCUMENTS.
AND AS WE SHOW THEM OUR PAPERS WE SPOT CATALINA WATCHING US
FROM HER BALCONY.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> SO WE JUST TRIED TO GET INTO CATALINA'S APARTMENT.
THERE'S A VERY, VERY HIGH CHANCE AT THIS POINT THEY KNOW WHO WE
ARE AND WE'RE BEING WATCHED. AND IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT THEY
KNOW WHAT WE'RE UP TO.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> I'M FEELING SLIGHTLY TENSE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE TODAY
OFFICIALLY THE STATE ASKED US FOR OUR PASSPORTS AND ASKED US
FOR OUR INFORMATION. AND SO, IT'S 8:54.
THERE'S SIX MINUTES LEFT UNTIL CURFEW IS OVER.
AND WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE OUR RIDE IS.
SO ANY EXCUSE THE STATE WILL FIND ANY EXCUSE TO PUT YOU UNDER
THEIR BELT. OUR RIDE IS FINALLY HERE.
>> AS WE ARE LEAVING, WE LEARNED THAT CATALINA WAS DETAINED FOR
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF HER BUILDING ONTO THE STREET.
SHE WAS LATER RELEASED AND FORCED BACK INTO HER APARTMENT
UNDER THE GOVERNMENT'S WATCH. TO DATE, OVER 500 PROTESTERS
REMAIN IN JAIL OR UNDER HOUSE ARREST ACCORDING TO A HUMAN
CUBAN RIGHTS GROUP. THAT'S THE LARGEST NUMBER OF
POLITICAL PRISONERS HELD BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THE LAST TWO
DECADES. WHILE HARSH REPRESSION AND
JAILING WORKED FOR THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT FOR YEARS THE PEOPLE
HERE SAY THEY HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE.
THEY PLANNED ANOTHER PROTEST FOR NOVEMBER 15th.