ROMAN GRESSIER
/ Highlights /
Pieces that I found particularly challenging, impactful, and/or exemplary of my work
After Spate of Violence, Calls for International Action Echo Across Garifuna Diaspora
El Faro, July 2020 -- After a series of kidnappings carried out by men wearing Honduran police gear on July 18, protestors hit the pavement of Manhattan two days later to denounce the historically entrenched state and state-sanctioned violence against residents of Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras and other coastal Garifuna communities under the illegitimate government of Juan Orlando Hernández, a strategic regional partner of the Trump administration whose roots lead back to the 2009 US-backed coup against President Manuel Zelaya.
Longwood Says Goodbye to a Beloved Pastor
Hunts Point Express, Nov 2019 -- Rev. Danilo Lachapel was respected for his efforts to build solidarity among people from diverse backgrounds and for his support of the disenfranchised, from his local ministry. But as his casket was closing, his closest friends cried out that the church had betrayed him.
A Landmark Environmental Treaty Gets Little Traction in El Salvador
El Faro, Aug 2020 -- The Escazú Agreement, a watershed 2018 UN environmental treaty for LatAm & the Caribbean, could mark a dramatic shift in environmental policy for CentAm. Despite the deepening climate change-related degradation of the country’s environment and violence against environmentalists, though, Bukele hasn’t publicly expressed his intentions regarding the accord.
/ Other Work /
Note: This is a sampling, but not an exhaustive list, of my original reporting.
Corruption Allegations Stain El Salvador’s Promise — What Political Impact Will They Have?
El Faro, Sep 2020 -- Even as investigations have revealed widespread corruption within the Bukele administration, the president has attempted to keep the spotlight on his political opponents and the press. It’s unclear to what extent the evidence of corruption is affecting public opinion as El Salvador approaches pivotal legislative elections next February.
Crisis Group Dissects El Salvador's Historic Dip in Homicides
El Faro, July 2020 -- The reasons for the broad reduction in homicides across El Salvador during Nayib Bukele’s first year in office are “complex and often unclear,” summarized the International Crisis Group in a security policy analysis, arguing that the drop is likely not attributable to Bukele’s flagship security plan, as the president has claimed.
A Bronxite's Guide to the 2020 Census
Mott Haven Herald, Jan 2020 -- On the eve of the new decade, all levels of government are gearing up for the 2020 Census. Starting April 1, households will receive a mailer encouraging them to fill out the census online. The results of the nationwide count will have a profound and lasting effect on the everyday life of all Bronxites, whether multigenerational residents or newly arrived.
Judge to Decide Asylum Case of Immigrants' Rights Leader
Mott Haven Herald, Oct 2019 -- Upcoming verdict in Mott Haven resident’s asylum case could pave the way for the cases of other immigrants’ rights advocates.
The Silenced Voices at the U.S.-Mexico Border
The Crime Report, March 2019 -- A chaotic system created by U.S. authorities keeps destitute asylum-seekers waiting weeks in Mexican border cities like Tijuana for permission to file their claims—effectively reinforcing Washington’s hardline immigration policies. A TCR special report tells their stories.
/ Highlights /
Pieces that I found particularly challenging, impactful, and/or exemplary of my work
Note: This is a sampling, but not an exhaustive list, of my translation work.
The White Flag of Hunger
Carlos Dada, co-founder, El Faro; Jul 2020 (Read)
Long-form investigative essay on widespread & chronic hunger amid the Covid-19 pandemic in El Salvador
Violence against women has not slowed during the pandemic
María Luz Nóchez & Valeria Guzmán, El Faro; May 2020 (Read)
Searing investigation of the heightened incidence of domestic violence under El Salvador's rigid nationwide stay-at-home order
Bukele Spent a Year Negotiating with MS-13 for a Reduction in Homicides & Electoral Support
El Faro; September 2020 (Read)
Groundbreaking investigation into the covert negotiations between the Bukele administration and MS-13, subverting months of official posturing and anti-gang rhetoric.
Series: Retorno
Ximena Villagrán & Elsa Cabria, El Intercambio/Documented NY; 2020
Three-part investigation into the effects of a multibillion-dollar US-led development plan on emigration from Honduras, Guatemala & El Salvador. Translated & edited.
- Part 1: Honduras Pledged Billions to its Deportees; Where Did the Money Go? (Read)
- Part 2, Guatemala: United States v. Griselda Domingo-Godínez (Read)
- Part 3: Why People from El Salvador Still Feel Forced to Migrate to the United States (Read)
/ Photo Essays & Multimedia /
The Pandemic's Deadly Display; El Faro; Jul 2020 (View)
In Jesuit Massacre Trial, Montano Shifts Blame...; El Faro; Jun 2020 (View)
Bukele Places La Libertad under Military Lockdown; El Faro; Apr 2020 (View)
Honduras: A Democracy Shielding Criminals; El Faro; Apr 2020 (View)
If I Stay Home, I'll Starve; El Faro; Mar 2020 (View)
Giammattei Begins Term Alongside Allies of Jimmy Morales; El Faro; Feb 2020 (Read)
Mexico Tricks Another Central American Caravan; El Faro; Jan 2020 (Read)
My Return to Journalism in Nicaragua; Confidencial; Jan 2020 (Read)
Former Soldiers from Atlacatl Batallion Testify...; El Faro; Jan 2020 (Read)
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