Well, here's what I did. I tried SirAndy's trick with the coat hanger and it did not work. Not sure what I was suppossed to be hooking.
So, because the passenger tail light was crumpled and cracked here and there, I removed it from the outside with every imaginable tool.
Once I got it out, I reached in the trunk and still could not open it, so I stuck in a ratchet with a 10mm and unscrewed both bolts on the latch bracket and viola', open she did.
And there was very much rust - especially considering the very thorough paint job this car had several years ago (PO).
Here's a few pictures of the trunk when I opened it, how I began to straighten it out, and what it looks like now. I will start a new thread for advice on how to continue the trunk project.
First look (cannot tell that the passenger rear light is moved forward about 2-3 inches.)
How I moved the rear back out (there's still more to do)
Days end progress:
Any insights, please let me know.