La Lucha Continúa…
2013 Mobilizations, Speaking Tours and Delegations to Latin America:
Jan. 22 – Jan. 31: National Days of Action for Venezuela
February 3-13: Speaking tour with Salvadoran Labor Movement leaders
February 9-16: U.S./Mexico Border Delegation
February 9-18: Delegation to Panama
March: Federal trail against Nashua Chantal
March 16-23: Delegation to Honduras
March 17-26: Delegation to El Salvador
March 22 – April 1: Delegation to Colombia
April 7-10: Days of Action in Washington, DC
April 17-23: Delegation to Paraguay
May 1: May Day 2013 national actions for immigrant rights!
May 19-27: U.S./Mexico Border Delegation
July 7-14: Delegation to Chiapas and Zapatista Territory
August 24 – September 7: US tour by Colombia’s Fensuagro agricultural union, sponsored by the Alliance for Global Justice. For information contact james@afgj.org , 202-544-9355, ext. 3.
September 6-14: Delegation to Chile
October 14: March on the U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Florida
October 28 – November 3: Tear Down the Walls Global Justice Week and National Gathering, Tucson, Arizona
November: Justice for Migrants Now – Shut Down the Stewart Detention Center, Lumpkin, Georgia
November 22-24: Convergence to Close the SOA and to Resist U.S. Militarization, Ft. Benning, Georgia
November 24: Honduras Election Monitoring Delegation
U.S. intervention in the Americas continues and it’ll take all of us to push back, and to create the culture of justice and peace. The backbone of the Latin America Solidarity movement is made of small groups of people in many different places working locally. These groups organize carpools and caravans to national mobilizations, coordinate local legislative work, conduct outreach campaigns to educate their local communities about the issues and more. If you are looking for a way to deepen your involvement in this struggle in 2013, connecting with or starting a local group in your area is a good way to begin.
We have a lot to learn from our brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean who have been fighting oppression for the past 510 years. To do so, we must come to grips with our own privilege and recognize how it shapes our assumptions about struggle, organizing and the future. Learn first hand about organizing efforts throughout the Western Hemisphere, and about the reality of U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America. Join one of the delegations, form new friendships, lay the groundwork for further victories, spark creative ideas that help peace-making efforts of both sides of the border. Groups of the Latin America Solidarity Coalition offer delegations to Colombia, Chiapas, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and to the U.S./Mexico border in 2013.
Stop FBI Raids and Harassment of activists opposing U.S. Intervention in Colombia and the Middle East
We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists. We call on the Department of Justice and the FBI to stop this grand jury investigation. Continue Reading »
October 11th Day of Action – Organizing Packet
Growing a Movement to Combat U.S. Militarism in Latin America
National Day of Action: October 11
Objectives:
1. Cancel the threatening and unnecessary U.S. military exercises in Costa Rica.
2. Close the School of Americas (now Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.)
3. End U.S. military presence on bases in Colombia, Honduras, Guantanamo, and elsewhere in hemisphere.
4. End the Merida Initiative and the increase militarization of the U.S. border with Mexico.
5. Support Rep. Barney Frank’s proposal to reduce the social debt by cutting the U.S. military budget immediately by 25%.
Latin America solidarity organizations across the country can get in on the action! Even if your committee has not begun planning a protest, there are a variety of creative actions that you can organize to raise awareness about these militarization throughout the Americas and beyond as well as increase solidarity with those directly affected by U.S. foreign policy. Your outreach can range from the general public, local coalition partners to Congressional allies. Here are some action and pressure ideas for your committee, with accompanying materials to jumpstart your community organizing.
LASC workshop at the USSF: Building a Movement to Combat Increased US Militarism
The Latin America Solidarity Coalition’s Peoples Movement Assembly! More info here
Event Date: Wed, 06/23/2010 – 1:00pm – 5:30pm
Event Location: Cobo Hall: D3-19
The greatest threat to world peace in the 21st century is US militarism. Wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan. Threats of war from Asia, Africa to Latin America. Increased military build-up in Latin America with 7 new bases in Colombia and the recommisioned Fourth Fleet patrolling the Caribbean and South America. Training foreign soldiers in schools such as the School of the Americas. The Pentagon consumes half of the US discretionary budget and equals the military spending of the rest of the world combined. The Pentagon is now one of the top polluters in the world.
Discuss building an unstoppable US movement against militarism and militarization at home and interference abroad. Bring your strategy and campaign ideas to this open discussion about how to build a permanent anti-militarism movement that transcends “specific war” anti-war movements. Discuss the military, political, and cultural changes that need to take place to end the dominance of the military-industrial complex in the United States.
submittted by Latin America Solidarity Coalition www.lasolidarity.org
LASC at the US Social Forum!
The Latin America Solidarity Coalition would like to invite you to participate in the US Social Forum scheduled for June 22-26, 2010 in Detroit. We also invite you to collaborate with the LASC and other solidarity and Latin America focused organizations at the Social Forum.
General Space
The Latin America Solidarity Coalition is grateful to the 1st Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit for providing us with a center for LASC organizing at the US Social Forum, June 22-26, 2010. The church is at 4605 Cass Avenue, a 13 min. bus ride or 45 min. walk from Cobo Hall where the main social forum activities will take place.
The church is available to LASC member groups for basic housing, storage of materials, meetings, and social activities. The Alliance for Global Justice will coordinate space usage. Send inquiries to Chuck@AFGJ.org.
Housing
Housing is limited and will be awarded first come first served to members of LASC affiliated groups. The cost will be $5/person/night and will include coffee in the morning and perhaps simple fare such as donuts and bagels although we encourage people to spend their money while in Detroit in support of local businesses. Where possible we will carpool from the church to Cobo Hall. Send your reservation now to Chuck@AFGJ.org including what nights you wish sleeping bag style accommodations and which LASC group you are affiliated with. (The LASC has a voluntary, dues structure: $50 if budget under $200K, $100 between $200-$500K, $150 over $500K)
Networking
Rooms of varying size are available at the church for LASC member groups to have internal or networking meetings. Large rooms are also available for public events. Continue Reading »
Organizational sign-on letter regarding Honduras
The last joined other organizations in signing onto this letter to Members of Congress:
During her trip to Latin America earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she had sent members of Congress a letter informing them that the administration would be restoring aid to Honduras. “The Honduras crisis has been managed to a successful conclusion” and “without violence”, she told reporters accompanying her on her trip.
Secretary Clinton also stated that the government of Porfirio Lobo had “moved quickly to implement many of the recommendations that (…) were incorporated into the [Oct. 30] Tegucigalpa accord”, including “a truth commission that will be set up.”
In order to put these statements into perspective, we would like to share with you a few short but important recent documents published by respected international and Honduran human rights organizations. They present a picture of recent developments in Honduras that contrasts sharply with Secretary Clinton’s characterizations, and also raise important issues surrounding the current proposal for a “truth commission”.
· Although Secretary Clinton declared that the Honduras crisis has been “without violence”, the unfortunate reality is that violent attacks directed at groups and individuals opposed to the coup d’état have been a regular occurrence since the June 28th coup and continue to this day. Continue Reading »
