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Date Posted: 03:27:25 03/27/08 Thu
Author: JMR (Why Illma was arrested)
Subject: Brazilian strife

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1727681004


Arrest of former president opens old fissures in Framingham
By Liz Mineo/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Mar 27, 2008 @ 01:13 AM

FRAMINGHAM —
With the arrest of well-known Brazilian community leader Ilma Paixao nearly two weeks ago, a new chapter of the internal strife that has fraught the Brazilian American Association for years came to light.

Paixao, former president of the seven-year-old association, was arrested and charged with trespassing the evening of March 14, after Charlene Cabral, a member of the board of directors, called the police.

The police report said Cabral called police after Paixao, who was about to hold a meeting at the association's headquarters at 100 Concord St., refused to leave.

Cabral, who identified herself as the person in control of the office, said to police she was unaware of any meeting scheduled or approved by the board and that she wanted to close the office and leave. Paixao, the report said, was asked to leave several times, and when she refused, she was arrested.

Paixao could not be reached for comment yesterday. She was released the same day. She is scheduled for an April 23 pre-trial conference in Framingham District Court.

The latest chapter of the power struggle within the organization surprised many in the Brazilian and American communities, who thought the association had overcome the internal strife that beleaguered it in the past few years.

"If there is an issue internally, it could have been handled in a different manner," said Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany. "To involve police produces undesirable results."

The incident put a spotlight on the infighting that began in mid-February, when Frank Kavanagh, Paixao's ex-husband who was elected president in late 2006, was removed from the presidency. Kavanagh, the board said, had violated rules in the bylaws and had interfered with contractual relations the group was engaged in. He was served trespass notices.

Three of the four members of the board of directors voted for his removal: Cabral, Knox Trail Council executive director Dennis Prefontaine, and Bill Robinson of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Brazilian businessman Roberto Da Silva, the fourth member, didn't attend the meeting. Neither did officer Jose Natal, the group's treasurer.

With the same votes that make the board's majority, Cabral, who joined the association in late 2006, was elected the facility manager to safeguard the group's records.

In a phone interview, Cabral said the incident could have been prevented if Paixao would have informed the board of the meeting and would have left when she was asked to leave.

"I recognize Ilma has done a lot for the community and the organization," said Cabral. "I don't want anybody to be demonized, but we need to do things in a way that's going to promote the organization. We need a group of people that work together, not people that work alone in individual missions."

Paixao, who has been involved with the group as its "president emeritus," had been working on several projects on health and education. The March 14 meeting was to be attended by people who had traveled from Brazil to secure an agreement for a distance learning program for local Brazilians.

Da Silva, who missed the March 14 meeting by minutes, said the event was scheduled 40 days in advance, but in the interim many things have changed. Cabral, who sublets two of the six rooms on the third floor of 100 Concord St. from the association, was given control of the office and anyone who wanted to use it had to contact her, said Cabral.

Da Silva regrets the way things turned out and that Paixao ended up at the police station.

"I was expecting a reaction from all the people that Ilma has helped over the years, but I have yet to see that," he said. "She's a good woman and she has done a lot for the Brazilian community. She didn't deserve that."

Kavanagh felt the same way. He said Paixao is the group's public face and a sort of "ambassador" that has been responsible for raising most of the money and grants the association has gained. The group is in a quagmire, and it's up to Brazilians to rescue it, he said.

"It was really outrageous," said Kavanagh. "It was totally unjustified what Cabral and the police did to Ilma. Cabral and the other members have gotten beyond and far what is reasonable in their attacks to Ilma."

Despite their differences, Kavanagh, Silva and Cabral agreed one thing. They all hope the crisis will unite the community to save the only local Brazilian civic group in town.

Cabral said the current group's board of directors is trying to reconstitute the organization and invite members of the community to join them in that effort.

"Maybe something good will come out of this," said Kavanagh. "Brazilians need to wake up and take more initiative and interest in their local organization. That's the only way they can be respected."

(Liz Mineo can be reached at

(508) 626-3825 or lmineo@cnc.com.)

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