A Look at Rio's Homeless Occupation Movements
kilo,

from kilo: Faced with a situation where even professed left-wing political parties refuse to take the measures necessary to prevent the deaths of people who have lost their homes and livelihoods, homeless families in Rio de Janeiro have taken matters into their own hands. Across the city, occupations by families of empty government and private buildings have sprung up. The occupations are very diverse in nature – some are organized out of pure necessity without any kind of political agenda, others are carefully planned out by the different movements operating in Brazil, while yet others are set up as temporary political stunts. I had the chance to visit five different occupations in Rio and one social/cultural center and witness the unique challenges and characteristics of each space.

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Human Rights Demo Mexican Consulate 9AM Monday
repost from e-mail,

RESPECT CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN OAXACA
Violence of the State and Federal Police Must END
DEMONSTRATION Monday July 23 9AM
Mexican Consulate
1549 India St, Little Italy

The Indigenous Binational Front (FIOB acronyms in Spanish) calls for a boycott for the for the official Guelaguetza Organized by Ulises Ruiz Ortiz government through a vigil at the Consulate of Mexico to demand the respect of human rights.

The FIOB condemns the recent use violence by the state and federal government of Mexico towards the Oaxacan Indigenous people and calls for tourists to boycott the official Guelaguetza

El Frente Indígena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB), Pronunciamos nuestro apoyo total al Pueblo Oaxaqueño con la idea firme del BOICOT TOTAL A LA GUELAGUETZA OFICIAL a través de una vigilia frente al consulado de México ante los recientes acontecimientos en el Estado de Oaxaca,

Reprobamos los actos de violencia, abuso de autoridad y represión por parte del Gobierno Estatal y Federal y pronunciamos nuestro apoyo total al Pueblo Oaxaqueño, Manteniendo su firme apoyo: * BOICOT TOTAL A LA GUELAGUETZA OFICIAL

¡La resistencia del pueblo Oaxaqueña continua!
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Convergence for Climate Action - August 8-14
Rising Tide North America,

COME CO-CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE TO AN ENERGY-DEPENDENT WORLD!

Just under a month from now -- August 8-14th -- regional North American Convergences for Climate Action will bring hundreds of social justice and environmental activists together to fight the fossil fuel empire and create truly sustainable, bio-regionally appropriate and community-based responses to climate change. The events on the West Coast and in the Southeast are modeled after the inspiring 2006 Climate Camp in the UK, which will reemerge this year at Heathrow Airport from August 14th-21st.

Part networking and activist skills training, part community sustainability demonstration site, the Convergences aim to invigorate the Climate Movement by pulling together communities of resistance. We aim to inject an anti-oppression, justice-focused agenda, and to demonstrate examples of truly sustainable, less energy-intensive lives that don't depend on the oppression, thievery, and destruction attached to fossil fuel extraction.


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A Story From An ICE Detention Facility
Annie Nimmety and Sismo,

Sr. X is an undocumented worker who resides in the West Coast. In 2007 he was taken in hand cuffs from his town by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and transported to a West Coast detention facility. There he was forced to put on one of three colors of jumpsuits. His jumpsuit was blue, the other colors being orange and red. Red signified the highest level of “illegality,” orange the medium level and blue the lowest threat level. Sr. X was put into a large room that, while he was there, held 200 human beings. There were five toilets for everyone stuck there. Brazilians, Argentineans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, “Africans” and “Asians” (Sr. X’s terms) made up the population of that cramped room.


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Gender Savagery in Guatemala
Michael Parenti and Lucia Muñoz,

On the outskirts of Guatemala City the body of an 18-year-old woman of indigenous ethnicity was recently discovered by her frantic parents who had been searching long and hard. Forensic evidence showed that she had been repeatedly raped and tortured and that her head had been severed from her body with a blunt knife while she was still alive.

This killing was more than just a passing aberration. Nightmarish crimes against women have been occurring with horrifying frequency in Guatemala. In the last seven years, over 3,200 Guatemalan women have been abducted and murdered, with many of them raped, tortured, and mutilated in the doing. The number of victims has shown a striking increase in the last few years with some six hundred murdered in 2006 alone.

Related: Guatemala Femicide: Happy Mother's Day???? | Video: Violent Evictions at El Estor, Guatemala || More Info: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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Friday the 13th HONK TO IMPEACH
The Impeachment Committee of San Diego,

Enthusiasm for impeachment is alive and well. Nearly half of the US public wants President George W. Bush to face impeachment, and even more favor that fate for Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a poll released on July 6, 2007.

Join us at the intersection of 11th Ave and A St in downtown San Diego from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM this Friday, July 13th, 2007. Bring signs, banners, noisemakers, etc.

Stay tuned to this website for future “HONK TO IMPEACH” actions.

Download Petition to Push SD City Council to Pass An Impeachment Resolution

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San Diego State Court Judge Breaks Law!!
Nathan Archer,

Update on current court status of Medical Marijuana patient, Nathan Archer: I am a qualified and verified medical marijuana patient going through a medical marijuana trial process in San Diego.

The first day we entered the court we were to decide what is admissible evidence, which format of instructions would be read to the jury and still jury selection. The judge exhibited her first willingness to break the law by supporting with the DA, Robert Bruce, requested that my doctors recommendation that I use medical cannabis would not be admissible as evidence. [ this left me absolutely defenseless, being unable to support my status as a valid medical marijuana patient.]...

Previous Coverage || Related: DEA Raids SD Medical Marijuana Dispensaries | DA Dumanis Lies About Law | The Love and Death of a San Diego Activist | Medical Cannabis Advocates Decry Increase in State's MMJ Patient Cards
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Teen Producers Project Honors Local Activists
Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger’s Newsmagazine,

The Media Arts Center's Teen Producers' Project showed "Voices of Change," a program of four short films honoring local activists in the Latino community, at the San Diego Public Library downtown June 27. The most moving part of the evening was the appearance of Herminia Enrique, one of the activists profiled, who spoke movingly about the need to stay positive and her gratitude that young people are continuing the struggle for human dignity and equal rights.
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Encuentro Anark@galactico en Chiapas / Anark@galactic Conference in Chiapas
from newswire: Comision de San Cristobal de las Casas / Luis Tellez (tr),

CONVOCATORIA ENCUENTRO ANARK@GALACTICO / CALL TO THE ANARK@GALACTIC ENCOUNTER
DEL 15 AL 18 DE JULIO / JULY 15-18, 2007
JOVEL (San Cristóbal de las Casas), CHIAPAS

Durante el Primer Encuentro entre Pueblos Zapatistas y Pueblos del Mundo, celebrado en Oventik del 30 de diciembre de 2006 al 2 de enero de 2007 cerca de una centena de anarquistas nos reunimos para encontrar puntos en común que promuevan una relación mas estrecha y dinámica entre los colectivos y compañer@s de distintas partes del mundo. En estas reuniones decidimos formar una red global anarquista, compuesta por una lista de correos, una página web y una publicación bilingüe con el fin de apoyarnos mutuamente, compartir y aprender de nuestras experiencias.Con la esperanza que esta red pueda servir como una herramienta práctica para comunicarnos, pero sobre todo, para organizarnos buscando medios para globalizar la resistencia y combatir las miserias de los estados, del capitalismo y del patriarcado y para resistir la represión ejercida contra los movimientos sociales y específicamente contra l@s anarquistas.--Leer Mas--

During the First Encounter between the Zapatista Peoples and the Peoples of the World held in Oventik from December 30, 2006, to January 2, 2007, about a hundred anarchists met to find common ground for bringing about a closer, more dynamic relationship between collectives and comrades in different parts of the world. At our meetings we decided to form a global anarchist network consisting of a mailing list, a web page and a bilingual publication aimed at mutually supporting each other, sharing our experiences, and learning from them. The idea is for this network to serve as a practical communications tool but, above all, a way to get organized and find ways to globalize resistance and combat the atrocities committed by the states, capitalism, and the patriarchy and to resist the repression that comes down on the social movements, especially the anarchists.--Read More--

Segundo Encuentro de los Pueblos Zapatistas con Los Pueblos del Mundo | Second Encounter of Zapatista Peoples with the Peoples of the World || Encuentro Zapatista y de Comunidades Internacionales | First Meeting of Zapatista and International Communities || San Diego Report from First Encuentro || Sin Fronteras! Global Day of Action and Camps (Proposal) || No Border Camp
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Medea Benjamin Gets Pied At US Social Forum
Bakers without Borders, repost from indybay.org,

From San Francisco Bay Area IMC: On June 30th, Bakers without Borders and Co-optation Watch placed a pie in the face of Medea Benjamin at the US Social Forum. Bakers without Borders state that they took action "to demand accountability from a self-appointed "spokesperson" whose actions further the commodification of resistance and sabotage our movement's sustainability and credibility. This person's actions benefit the NGO Industrial Complex at the expense of real democracy and solidarity."

In particular, Bakers without Borders and Co-optation Watch hold Medea Benjamin accountable for, "Publicly siding with the police and municipal authorities against direct actions performed at the World Trade Organization protests of 1999. Administrative authority in an organization that hordes funds raised for community organizations in Guatemala. Exploiting and dominating movement space, resources, and publicity in the global justice and associated movements."

Read More With Photos and Video!

Immigrants Rights at the U.S. Social Forum | More Coverage From The U.S. Social Forum

Response from Medea Benjamin: It’s particularly odd that this group of pie-slingers chose the Social Forum for their attack. The first ever Social Forum in the United States was supposed to be a place to grow our movement, to build unity, to respect differences, to embrace each other... Instead of a “pie-by”, they could have dropped by any of the five open workshops where I was speaking and we could have had a great discussion. Or they could have easily found me at the Global Exchange or CODEPINK tables where I was hanging out for days, chatting with anyone who wanted to talk...--Read More of the Response--

Comment from @/Another pie is necessary!: ...Global Exchange (and by extension you) have been able to negotiate a compromise with the state and with funders that allows you and other staffers to do good work and get paid. Out of the millions of hours of activist work that get done in the U.S., almost all of it is unpaid. Us volunteers are happy to help build movements, but there are power dynamics where staffers have more say over what gets done because they have more time to spend doing activist work. So their voices are louder and the bigger and better funded their organization is, the bigger and louder the voice. That is privilege. We need you to listen and work to abolish the system that creates that privilege (capitalism, the IRS 501(c)3 model, and foundations) and treat the rest of the movement as peers... --Read More of the Comment--

Communique from the Co-optation Watch Cell of Bakers Without Borders: All of us ... have collaborated with Global Trade-Off and Code Pinkerton, at some point, to some extent. That's how big they are. And sadly, many of our allies, feel like we cannot publicly express our concerns. But know this—we are many. We call Code Pinkerton, Global Trade-Off, and the many non-profits like them to account for co-opting, manipulating, and exploiting local community organizing and resources, the world over, as they engage in "parachute activism" where they drop into communities with no meaningful attempt at equal-footing collaboration with long-standing community groups. ----Read More of the Communique--

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RECLAIM THE BEACH!!!!!
Lady Birds,

RECLAIM THE BEACH!!!!
It's hot! And time to get wet!

Wet Hot Anarchist Summer is here to announce a day of sandy ruckus, and Radical Beach boogie. Come equipped with your water wear and pirate gear cuz we're takin back the beach! Bring snacks, water, and whatever else you need for the fun by the sea!

Yo ho ho ho the reclaim life for me!!!!!!

Join us for
Reclaim the Beach
Saturday June 30th 11AM
La Jolla Shores

from Exited Bird: WOW... 1st reclaim the streets NOW reclaim the beach. I know it's going to be a ton of fun. This time without the brutality... i hope. Just SAND AND SUN.... our only worries would be the sun burns... so bring protective sun lotion stuff. WOW... who else is super stoked about this crazy radical event? I cant wait to put on pirate gear and run around making sand castles... and playing water games...
from ecstatic bird: im so going. this is going to be alot of fun. i get really annoyed when i go to the beach and im surrounded by a bunch of beer drinking fratties and tourists. this summer, we'll have our fun! YO HO!...
from melodramatic bird: ello loves, this is super exciting... reclaim the streets was a profound moment in all our lives...and now we get to take the same idea and recreate it in different settings...i soooo happy!!! EVERYONE SHOULD COME DOWN AND FUCKING HAVE SOME RADICAL FUN!!! fucking ride your bikes...i've been inspired by this zine to create fucking amazing memories with my bike...haha. let us be empowered and once again be moved by each other to do amazing things....we are the revolution...we can create a space for our empowerment and create moments in which we once again feel free....

More Info: o.r.g.a.n.i.c. collective | city heights free skool
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UCSD Students Remember George Winne, Jr.'s 1970 Self-Immolation
queer-j brad,

George Winne, Jr., who self-immolated in Revelle Plaza at UCSD May 10, 1970 in protest of the Vietnam genocide, was memorialized by UCSD undergraduate students Christin Turner and Sasanna Yee on June 7.

Winne was a former ROTC student at UCSD not associated with the widespread student protest movement at that time, and had developed an interest in Eastern philosophy. He followed americans Alice Herz, Norman Morrison (outside of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's office) and Roger Allen LaPorte (all in 1965) in employing self-immolation as a protest against the attack on Vietnam. Winne self-immolated next to a sign that read "in god's name stop the war," and was quickly tackled and put out by a safety officer or a student, but died 10 hours later after asking his mother to write a letter to Nixon telling him to end the war.

Winne's action prompted a phone call from Nixon's administration to university administrators, and his sacrifice, along with student activism, caused administrators to redesign the rapidly growing campus to discourage large gatherings of students in uncontrolled settings.

The permanent memorial to Winne -- a skeletal art piece overlayed on an arrangement of bricks (not unlike those on which he self-immolated) and a difficult to locate plaque -- sits in a secluded, wooded area well-removed from the site of the event, close to the fountain in Revelle Plaza.

As part of a Social Architectures class, Turner and Yee designed and built a temporary memorial on the fountain that projects the permanent memorial to the place where Winne self-immolated. Turner expressed the hope that "the atmosphere of UCSD back then wasn't a dead thing of the past and could possibly repeat itself."

Video || More Information || Event Announcement
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PEACE ACTIVIST FACES TRIAL
Stephanie Cauchon,

The City Attorney’s office has filed charges against Dr. Robert Omar Clay, one of four individuals arrested Sept. 25, 2006, when the Jail Bush contingent of San Diego Civil Disobedients moved their downtown protest of the crimes of the Bush Administration onto Broadway, blocking traffic.

The four were arrested, cited and released. It is unclear why local authorities filed charges against Dr. Clay and not the other three participants in the civil disobedience action. Dr. Clay is a physicist and nuclear weapons analyst, and associate of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

At the trial Dr. Clay will seek to present a necessity defense, drawing from the tradition of non-violent civil disobedience practiced by peacemakers such as Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Clay felt it necessary to violate the law to prevent a greater harm, in defense of our democracy and the lives of innocent people. He believed it to be the only means left to call attention to the failure of our representatives in Washington to protect our constitution and our nation from the severe and imminent threat posed by the Bush administration, and to end the violations of national and international law.

CALL TO ACTION for TUESDAY 6/26/07:
* PEACEFUL PRESENCE AT TRIAL gather 8:00 am San Diego Superior Court 220 Broadway, look for person with peace sign for directions
* DEMONSTRATION 5:30 to 6:00 pm Horton Plaza, in front of the Lyceum Theater

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Students Fight for Academic Freedom at UCSD
san diego indymedia volunteer,

Funeral for Academic Freedom: The Lumumba-Zapata Coalition at UCSD held a Funeral for Academic Freedom on June 7. The funeral was prompted by the UCSD adminstration's admission that the dismissal of two TAs in the Dimensions of Culture curriculum of Thurgood Marshall College stemmed from their criticism of its commitment to social justice, not for teaching performance.

The Lumumba-Zapata Coalition called on Dr. Abraham Shragge, director of the DOC program, to resign immediately "due to his recent violations of academic freedom, abuse of administrative power and absolute negligence for student voices and concerns... Dr Shragge's failure to address the recent concerns of the Lumumba-Zapata Coalition and his aggressive response to constructive critiques show a lack of commitment to the principles of community at UCSD and has served to provide for a hostile educational environment for both undergraduate and graduate students within the Dimensions of Culture program, as well as across campus."
--Read More-- | Video of the Funeral for Academic Freedom

UCSD Students Confront Vice-Chancellor: On thursday, June 12th, over 75 students met for a very quickly organized meeting to respond to UCSD's proposed change to their free speech policy. Vice-Chancellor Watson sent out an email with a proposed change to UCSD's policy on speech, literature and demonstrations, changing the policy from a one page document to a 19 page document including free speech zones, restrictions on political speech by faculty and staff and administration approval requirements for demonstrations.

The vice chancellor promised to push back the deadline to fall. Originally the proposal said it would be decided in september, not allowing for student input at all. The day after this rally the administration sent out a notice that the policy would not be changed until december and only after a "public forum" on the policy change. This policy was last modified in 1981, so it has been in place for 26 years. This was an obvious attack on free speech on campus, announced days before finals week with a deadline before class would resume for fall.--Read More--

Videos: Teach-In Part 1 | Teach-In Part 2 | Confrontation with the Chancellor
Reports: Confrontation with the Chancellor | Rule Change | Teach-In | Background | Lumumba-Zapata Coalition Demands


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ICE Raid in Vista
Tina Jillings - repost from e-mail,

From Tina Jillings: June 21, 2007. This morning I witnessed for the first time an ICE raid. It happened right here in Townsite. I must be honest and say that I have never seen anything like this except on television and watching this activity unfold live I must admit it is traumatizing. One can only imagine what the families are going through because of this horrible experience.

This morning I witnessed a mother and father being taken from their home while their children stood by and watched. The children ranging from ages 9 to 1 years old witnessed the entire arrest and were horrified by the events. I do not know if they understood that their lives would never be same. They watched helplessly as their little worlds were falling apart right in front of their face. The two oldest were crying hysterically, as far as the two younger ones go, one was in total shock and unable to speak until about 45 minutes, and the baby was clutching onto his Aunt.

After their parents were gone they began to sob and cry for their mama y papi. The oldest child (Cristal, 9,) gave me a description of what happened inside the home while we were waiting outside. She said that early in the morning someone was pounding on their door. "They screamed to open the door or they will knock it down". She said that they hid under the bed because they were afraid, because this type of thing never happened before. She said her father answered the door and that the men began to scream at him "get down on the floor or they will shoot him. " They all came out of their hiding places because the "Police/ICE guys were going throughout the house with guns and rifles drawn. They began to question all of them and eventually they took her Mom and Dad away. Their Aunt was called to collect the four children. I obtained information from the Aunt and videotaped the aftermath of this operation.

The separation of families must stop! These atrocities will not stop until we unite, and with one voice make it clear that we demand the passing of compassionate, fair, humane immigration reform! These children are American citizens and their basic right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been violated. These abuses must stop now! The time to act is now!


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UCSD Students Confront Chancellor
san diego indymedia volunteer,

"When i hear that this an academic affairs issue, it upsets me. This is about the marginalization and silencing of identities. You are silencing my identity. You are taking away my voice. You are telling me as a queer student I do not belong in your college or your curriculum..."

On May 29, over 50 members and supporters of the UCSD Lumumba-Zapata Coalition marched to the chancellor's complex to confront chancellor Marye Anne Fox about the watered down Dimensions of Culture (DOC) curriculum and the firing of two teaching assistants for the course because of their political views and criticisms of the curriculum.

The chancellor, associate vice-chancellor Mark Appelbaum and vice-chancellor Joseph Watson emerged from their normally quiet sanctum to the chant of the energized protesters: "Keep DOC Real!"

Speakers at the rally confronted chancellor Fox with the negative response the students have received from adminstrators, the injustice and assault on academic freedom of the firing of Benjamin Balthaser and Scott Boehm as TAs in the DOC program, and the hypocrisy of the chancellor in trumpeting her commitment to diversity while failing to protect the DOC curriculum.

The chancellor and her associates responded by blaming the union representing the TAs and appealing to procedures and university rules. The actual response came ten days later in the form of a proposed rule change to ban meetings with ten or more people on university grounds without a permit, a rule that would have prevented students from confronting the chancellor. This is how chancellor Fox reacts when students of color have the audacity to tell her what is on their minds.

Video of the Confrontation | Partial Transcript of the Confrontation | Rule Change | Teach-In | Background | Lumumba-Zapata Coalition Demands


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Member of Religious Delegation Reports on Visit to Iran
Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger’s Newsmagazine,

Last February 13 U.S. religious leaders traveled as a delegation to Iran and met with high-ranking Iranian officials, including current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former president Muhammad Khatami. Joe Volk, a member of this delegation, reported on the trip June 13 at the Church of the Brethren in a meeting sponsored by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), of which Volk is national executive secretary. The meeting dealt with the prospects for avoiding a U.S. war with Iran and the Iranian government's willing to negotiate if the U.S. gives up its officially stated goal of "regime change" in Iran.
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O'odham Burial Ground Unearthed During Border Wall Construction
Jeff Hendricks,

Remains of the indigenous O'odham people were unearthed last month during the construction of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. Local O'odham residents are demanding that the remains be returned to them.--Read More--

Statement from the Elders of Ali Jegk Community of the Tohono O'odham Nation: ...On May 17th and May 21st of 2007 the remains of at least three humans were unearthed during the construction of a border zone "Vehicle Barrier" wall. These remains were found buried near the International Border, inside of Tohono O'odham Nation lands in Arizona.

The unearthed people are the direct ancestors of five families living in the Ali Jegk community of the Tohono O'odham Nation....Margaret Garcia cried and asked, "Why do these non-O'odham continue to mistreat us? We are humans, we do not go to their [Anglo] graves and dig them up and put them in boxes.�"... --Read More and Sign the Petition--

O'odham Solidarity Project || O'odham protest military home invasions at border || O'odham Youth Collective
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Arab-American Teach-in Explores U.S. Policy
Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger’s Newsmagazine,

Any resemblance between what the mainstream U.S. media say about American involvement in the Middle East and reality is, if not purely coincidental, at least far-fetched, said three speakers at a teach-in on Middle East issues May 31 at the Four Points Sheraton on Aero Drive. Sponsored by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Alternate Focus public-access cable-TV program on Middle Eastern issues, the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice and the San Diego chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, the event showcased UCSD Iranian studies professor Babak Rahimi, UCSD history professor Michael Provence, and San Diego ADC president Nasser Barghouti, all of whom built their presentations around the contrast between what our media tell us about the Middle East and what’s really going on there.
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UCSD Attempts to Stifle Student Free Speech With Policy Change
concerned student,

The UCSD administration is trying to change their policies on "Speech, Advocacy and Distribution of Literature", asking for public comment between now and june 25th, of course, finals week and a week in the summer, right after graduation, to ensure that no one will comment. PLEASE review this and comment!

The document says that any demonstrations of 10 or more people require a permit, that they must be 25 feet from the doors of any administration buildings, that amplified sound can only occur between 11am-1pm and 5pm-7pm.

The most egregious part of this is that it says that UCSD employees, TA's and faculty, must not express their political views on campus.

This is obviously in response to the rallies of the last few weeks where TA's, students and faculty have all come out to criticize the school for the firing of two TA's for political reasons, regardless of their teaching abilities.

Stand Up for Student Free Speech!
Meeting With Vice Chancellor Watson
Tuesday June 12 @ 11AM
Chancellor's Complex/Library Walk

Current Policy (html) || Proposed Policy (pdf)

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