DEAL TO SELL 14 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER FOR BEER, THE MEXICAN CULTURE

Deal to sell daughter for beer, cash part of Mexican culture
By LARRY PARSONS - MEDIANEWS
Posted: 01/13/2009 06:55:33 PM PST

The story of the Greenfield man who allegedly sold his 14-year-old daughter to a young suitor for cash and beer went worldwide, and the police chief who ordered the arrest said Tuesday the incident arose from a clash of cultures.
The social mores in parts of rural Mexico, where arranged marriages are common for young girls, ran head-on into California law designed to protect juveniles from sexual predators.
"It's kind of a clash of two different cultures, but I have to uphold the local law," Greenfield Police Chief Joe Grebmeier said.
The case involves a father, Marcelino DeJesus Martinez, 36, a young male neighbor, Margarito DeJesus Galindo, 18, and Martinez's 14-year-old daughter who Galindo sought to marry.
Police said the young man and girl spent a week together in Soledad, the girl having gone along willingly, after a marriage deal was brokered that called for Martinez to receive $16,000, 150 cases of beer, 150 cases of soda and Gatorade, and several cases of wine and meat.
Police said Martinez first reported the girl as a runaway in an apparent effort to get their help in having her returned because the young man hadn't paid.
The District Attorney's Office on Tuesday charged Martinez with providing a child for lewd acts, and aiding and abetting statutory rape, both felonies. He is also charged with causing or permitting cruelty to a child, a misdemeanor.
His arraignment was continued until this afternoon Wednesday because the
Sheriff's Office failed to transport him to court. Salinas defense attorney Miguel Hernandez said he was meeting with Martinez's family Tuesday afternoon and may be retained in the case.
Martinez was arrested Sunday and is in custody at the Monterey County Jail. There is no bail set in his case because federal immigration agents put a hold on him, indicating he is in the country illegally and would be subject to deportation proceedings after the local prosecution.
The individuals involved in the case are all members of Greenfield's sizable Triqui community - an indigenous Mexican people from the state of Oaxaca. Grebmeier would not comment on the immigration status of those involved.
The story about Martinez's arrest was carried in newspapers from Australia to Croatia, and CNN news was scheduled to interview Grebmeier on Tuesday.
He said the cultural nuances in the story were being overlooked by the crude outline of a "selling-a-14-year-old for beer" story.
"The real picture is the cultural clash," he said. In an arranged Oaxacan wedding, the $16,000 would be considered the bride's dowry, and the food and drink would be supplies for the wedding party, Grebmeier said.
"Everything they were doing would be legal in Mexico. When I'm in Mexico I respect Mexican laws," Grebmeier said. "But you respect the law here when you are here. This involved a juvenile."
Still, Grebmeier expressed dismay at the tone of many comments that readers posted on media accounts of the case.
"You hate to demonize these folks," he said. "It never occurred to anyone involved they were breaking the law."
Grebmeier said his officers have been hearing rumors for the past year of arranged marriages involving young girls and older men. He said he spoke about the issue at community meetings with Triqui leaders. At a meeting scheduled next week, the subject likely will be on the agenda again, he said.
The girl apparently was not forced into going with the young man, Grebmeier said.
"Within the Triqui community if the girl objects, the deal is off," he said.
Police also alerted child welfare officials, and a child protective services team was going to interview the girl and her family Tuesday, he said.
"They will make an independent determination as to the welfare of the young girl," Grebmeier said.
Herald Staff Writer Virginia Hennessey contributed to this story.