Angry White Kid

May Day 2007

The origins of modern May Day. Haymarket, 1886.

Probably don't need to tell readers of this blog that May Day is coming up.

In the U.S., the National Immigrant Solidarity Network is calling for decentralized, multi-tactic actions based around these ten demands:

1) No to anti-immigrant legislation and the criminalization of the immigrant communities.
2) No to the militarization of the border.
3) No to immigrant detention and deportation.
4) No to the guest worker program.
5) No to employer sanction and "no match" letters.
6) Yes to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
7) Yes to speedy family reunification.
8) Yes to civil rights and humane immigration law.
9) Yes to labor rights and living wages for all workers.
10) Yes to education and LGBT immigrant legislation.

There are marches, strikes and protests planned.  Here's an incomplete national list of events.  In the Bay Area there are actions in Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and more.  Indybay is the place to check.

Woodfin struggle continues

The actions of Woodfin Suite Hotels in the East Bay city of Emeryville epitomize the term "evil corporation." Since September of last year they have been trying to fire immigrant workers who are simply demanding that Woodfin comply with Emeryville's recently-passed living wage law.

Every other hotel in town had no problem complying, yet the Woodfin apparently feels it is entitled to continue exploiting workers - paying them poverty wages and then trying to fire them when they demand what they are due.

In truly vindictive fashion, just ten days before Christmas the Woodfin made good on its threat and fired twenty one workers. A court temporarily blocked the firings and ruled the workers should be permitted to stay on the job until April 20, which is fast approaching.  Woodfin is even suing the city over Measure C, the living wage law.  Seems they're doing everything possible to avoid respecting workers' rights and meeting the requirements of the measure.

An easy thing to do is send an email to the Woodfin CEO telling him to meet the workers' demands and that you'll boycott the Woodfin. Keep an eye on WoodfinWatch.org for further developments. And of course, spread the word.

A protest on April 10 at Emeryville's City Hall, followed by a march to the Woodfin. It's hard to see, but there are about 10 various monks and priests on the stage.  Even god (in its hypothetical christian incarnations) is pissed off at the Woodfin.

Smug Woodfin workers watching the April 10 rally. Apparently they have yet to learn the boss will be more than happy to kick their asses to the curb, too.

A Christmas protest following the original firings.

They didn't like us dropping by.

Grinch is pissed, too.

End state terror against immigrants

Three children whose parents were kidnapped by federal immigration agents.

Across the country, from Massachusetts to Northern California, undocumented workers continue to be ripped from their homes, families and livelihoods by the racist army of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security. 

Such actions are so revoltingly outrageous and inhuman they leave me speechless.  Immigrant and migrant workers are not the enemy.  The enemy is the neoliberal economic system that forced them from their countries of origin.  The same system that allows greedy corporations to exploit their labor here in the US.  The same system that is imposed - either economically or militarily - on the global south by the US and Europe.  The enemies are ICE, DHS, and the local and state agencies that cooperate with them as they target and attack one of the most vulnerable segments of society.

Only the most depraved of governments kidnap civilians and rip mothers and fathers from their children.  I can only wonder how these thugs with guns whose "job" it is to conduct military raids on innocent, unarmed migrant workers sleep at night, knowing their violent actions have shattered hundreds and thousands lives.  Of course, be it through bombs or prisons or economic policies, the US is well-versed when it comes to destroying families.

As I'm sure is occurring elsewhere, the Bay Area is responding to these raids.  And May Day is coming up.  On these days and every day the horrific war against immigrants and the working class must be denounced and combated.  The actions of ICE and DHS are prime examples of racist, classist state terror and must end immediately.

Marcha Migrante II

The second Migrant March began today in San Ysidro.  Over the next two weeks it'll travel the length of the border with Mexico, demanding the demilitarization of the border and "humane and comprehensive immigration reform."  Five million people participated in last years march - including lots of us in San Francisco.  Check out the schedule at Border Angels:

This coming year MARCHA MIGRANTE II will again start February 2 in San Diego and this time instead of crossing country, they will cross the entire US/MEXICO Border, from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas and back (Feb 2 – 17, 2007) which will culminate with an ALL PEOPLE’S IMMIGRATION HEARING in San Diego on February 17.

The caravan will gather stories along the border journey and share these stories at the February 17th event.

Minutemen: Not so tough without their guns

Minutemen attack protesters at Columbia.

Today a friend chided me for not blogging about the shutting down of the Minutemen at Columbia University last week.  I've been negligent.

For those who missed it, on October 4, Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, and two other anti-immigrant activists were invited by the College Republicans to give a talk at Columbia University.

The first speaker ranted for 45 minutes. Then, as Gilchrist started his speech, students - led by Chicanos and Latinos - took the stage with a banner reading "No one is illegal."  While Gilchrist  quickly fled in the face of opposition, other Minutemen goons attacked the anti-racist protesters, kicking one in the head, as can plainly be seen in this footage from Univision.

The right wing media went nuts, condemning the protesters and coddling the vigilantes. Ignoring the facts, the rest of the mainstream English-language media got in the act and the demonstrators have faced near-universal denouncement.

Even Jon Stewart attacked the anti-racist activists. (Have the White Nationalists he's been interviewing, like Lou Dobbs, Trent Lott, and Pat Buchanan, gotten to him? Is there a direct correlation between the increase in racists and the decrease in humor on that show?)  Yet the protesters remain unbowed:

We want to state clearly: We are proud to send the message to the country that racist and fascist groups are not welcome at Columbia or in New York City.

As Chicanos and Latinos, alongside African Americans and progressive people of other nationalities, we took it as our responsibility to give voice to the undocumented immigrant families who live in fear at terrorist vigilante groups like the Minutemen. Armed patrols by these groups force more and more people desperate for work to find even more hazardous ways into the United States. Over 3,000 people-including hundreds of children-have died in the desert. Their blood is on the hands of Gilchrist and his thugs.

They now face possible disciplinary actions by the university. We can help by signing a petition supporting them.  ANSWER has also set up a way to fax Lee Bollinger, Columbia's president, a statement supporting the demonstrators. As the students' statement says, "Fascist scapegoating is not up for academic discussion."

For more on this, I highly recommend today's Democracy Now! program, where yet again, in the face of reasoned opposition, this time from Karina Garcia, Political Chair of Columbia's Chicano Caucus, Jim Gilchrist stammers and flees like the racist coward he is.  May the Minutemen be greeted similarly wherever they show their heinous faces.

PS: For more anti-racist fun - St. Louis style - check this out.

URGENT: Attack on Oaxaca imminent

See bottom for updates. For more on the situation in Oaxaca, see this post.

The below is from Nancy Davies, who is based in Oaxaca and writes frequently on the situation there for Narco News.  While the threat of a mass attack from the army or federal paramilitary police has seemed to always be in the air, the situation in recent days has really escalated.  Now an attack seems imminent.  Click below for other people to fax and email and a link to the list of Mexican consulates in the US and Canada.

APPEAL FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AID

The word I have now is that there are about 5,000 men wearing army uniforms who are not army, but police, culled from other states like Vercruz and Morelia, that is to say, this is a PRI operation, not the federal troops, altho I don't know how our source explains the "naval" helicopters (maybe not?). The "police" are heavily armed, and the attack is supposed to happen around 10:00 PM Oaxaca time. The attack, code name cicloncinco, was revealed by the same person who informed our friend that there would be a drive-by shooting last night, which came true.

Our friend says there are already a lot of PRD people gathered in the zocalo, thousands have gathered, apparently including some foreigners including univision and CNN.

Aid is asked for food, water, telephone lines. Only one radio station is still operating.

Our friend told us to stay off the streets. Good friend. The one still operating radio station says, stay calm, not respond to acts of aggression which are provocations. Our friend says the city is "surrounded", not sure what that means.

Anybody who can email should do so, to any addresses you have, phone calls, faxes, etc, to Carlos Abascal, Secratary of the Interior and others.  The message is "no a la repression, si a la destitucion de Ulises Ruiz."

La Jornada has a live feed running on their site. Please disseminate news however you can.

There is still a chance that this is psychological warfare, very tiring. Doesn't look good right now.

UPDATE 7:44 PM (PST):  APPO has closed the town center, urging all those who are out to go home.  They are fortifying their barricades, erecting new ones, and have instructed APPO adherents around the state to prepare their defense.

UPDATE 8:00 PM (PST): APPO radio urges everyones to keep calm, that there are 3,000 people at each barricade, that this is not Atenco.  It's now 10 PM in Oaxaca.

UPDATE 2:00 AM (PST): There is no new information from Oaxaca I know of.  Hopefully no news is good news. I'm going to bed.  You can listen to APPO radio here.  On Tuesday, there will be encampments in front of the Mexican consulates in California.  According to this article, the actions will start at 8 AM and last until 9 PM.

UPDATE 11:29 AM 10/1: There was no attack last night, but APPO is still on maximum alert.  Helicopters are hovering over the city and APPO is asking people to go to their roofs with cameras, mirrors, etc. to show the helicopters the people are watching. According to this article, on Wednesday the federal government will decide how to "reestablish order" in the state.

Who cut holes in the Minutemen's fence?

The geniuses known as the Minuteman Project, who thought stringing some barbed wire across the desert would stop migration, have been thwarted by someone with a pair of wire cutters.

An 800-foot section of the three mile barbed wire fence was cut.

"Cut so cleverly that it could not be repaired, it has to be restrung because it's cut right here at the post," says Carmen Mercer of the Minuteman Project.

I toast to you, fence-cutting friend.  May it be imitated wherever fences stand.  In their fencing frenzy, the vigilantes have apparently found a job that vigilantes won't do: putting up miles of fence.

The Minuteman Project has hired a private contractor to finish building its border fence at a local ranch, a spokesman for the group confirmed Wednesday.

Al Garza, the national executive director of the civilian border watch organization, acknowledged that soaring summertime temperatures may have driven some volunteer fence-builders from the Palominas work site. But he said the move to a contractor was made primarily to ensure quality control.

How ironic would it be if some of the workers on contractor's team were "undocumented"?  Though if one doesn't have papers and can afford to avoid that job, they should, for the sake of their own personal safety.  Reminds me of  some other racists whose hiring decision didn't turn out as planned.

UPDATE 6/22: Here's what 's happening  at some places in Texas:

A few Texas ranchers tired of costly repairs to cattle fences damaged by illegal immigrants have installed an easier route over the U.S.-Mexican border - ladders.

"It's an attempt to get them to use the ladders instead of tearing the fences," said Scott Pattinson, who owns one of a group of ranches known as La Copa.

Who will be next?

More flags than brains in San Jose

This piece is by my partner, the self-proclaimed "Angry Asian Girl," reflecting on an anti-immigrant protest we went to counter on Saturday in San Jose.

I was angry today.  Mean, spitting, red in the face about to cry, angry. It was because of these racist, xenophobic idiots. Waving their American flags, preaching their desire to uphold fucked up laws, and smug in their belief that somehow a group of people are to blame for issues our government is clearly responsibly for.  In this case, it was an anti-immigrant group attacking undocumented migrants, but it could have been my people under attack.  It could have been targeting any group of non-white peoples.

I am from this country.  When someone today told me to go back to where I came from, I truthfully told them I was born here.  But I know that as soon as China – the country of my ancestors - does something to threaten the United States, I could start calling an internment camp my home.  I could have to register myself with all the other Chinese.  The Japanese were in interment camps in WWII (not the German immigrants).  The Arabs had to go to special registration.  It is unfortunately an all too real possibility.

Do you remember the spy plane incident?  The U.S. was spying on China, its plane went down, and China kept it a little too long, though they released the crew right away (you know the U.S. wouldn’t have done the same).  Immediately after that, outbreaks of racist attacks against Chinese occurred all over Middle America.  It is because of the threat of detention without cause, the threat of being perceived as smart and untrustworthy, crafty and cunning, that I protested against these racists today.  The fact they have no sense of humanity and are xenophobic morons doesn’t hurt either.

I know when I see them that I am looking into the face of my future oppressor.  These same people first hated the Arabs when they were the trendy group to hate, and now hate Latin@s because that is what is in these days. These people probably blame blacks for high crime rates. These people will hate me when China does something against the interests of the U.S. 

I am not Chinese enough to be even accepted by my own people.  I am a self-acknowledged Twinkie (white on the inside, yellow on the outside) that doesn’t speak the language and learned more about the culture from my white mom.  My Chinese-American dad instead taught me about the Chinese Exclusion Act and how our family got into this country “illegally” as paper sons.  But I look Chinese enough to be untrustworthy.  I look Chinese enough to be interned, to be registered, to be perceived as a threat. 

We as people of color and white anti-racists have got to stand up for our Arab brothers and Latina sisters.  They may be in the hot seat now, but you know it could be me - or you - that suffers the outrage of being blamed for something we are not even slightly responsible for.  Except for the indigenous, we are all descendents of immigrants or colonizers.

Bush's immigration plan: War and servitude

Abajo con las fronteras, carajo!

"America is not going to militarize the border." - Bush this evening.  (full video at Fox "News")

So, sending 6,000 National Guard to the border is doing what to it, exactly?  How does adding 6,000 more Border Patrol, bringing to 9,000 the number of Border Patrol agents added since 9/11, not count as militarization?

To a degree, Bush is correct.  They aren't militarizing the border, because the border has already been militarized.  For example:

Operation Gatekeeper, launched by the Border Patrol in the San Diego area in 1994 as one of the first efforts to militarize the border, was developed with the assistance of the Defense Department's Center for Low Intensity Conflict.

The National Border Patrol Strategy released in March of last year by U.S. Customs and Border Protection calls for:

• Checkpoints, intelligence-driven special operations, and targeted patrols;


• Increased and more mobile personnel and improved air and ground support;


• Increased rapid response capabilities;


• Sensing systems, Remote Video Surveillance and Sensing (RVSS) cameras, air support, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)


• Radiation detection equipment


• Improved communication infrastructure (Land Mobile Radio, cellular coverage, satellite
  communication capabilities)


• Remote access to national law enforcement databases through the use of mobile computing solutions


• 16 Mobile alien processing capabilities to support field enforcement activities


• Checkpoints and high-intensity enforcement zones


• Roads, lights, fencing, and vehicle barriers

And last December's "Secure Border Initiative" calls for:

• Expanded detention capacity, bringing the number of beds to house detainees to 20,000.  And guess who is building those detention centers?  You guessed it - Halliburton.


• More Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), aerial assets, Remote Video Surveillance camera systems, and sensors.


• Improved border infrastructure in certain areas by increasing physical layers of security, building access roads to enable Border Patrol to speed response efforts, installing stadium style lighting to deter border crossers, and providing surveillance cameras to monitor incursion along targeted areas of the border.

These policies, which amount to a declaration of war against migrants, have led to more than 3,000 deaths on the border since 1994.  The National Guard and more Border Patrol will mean many more deaths.  It is not a solution.

Bush's plan for a "Guest Worker" program is no better than any of his other ideas.  It is mere code for "indentured servitude."  Most programs permit workers to only work the one job they were hired for, with few rights.  As Global Exchange notes,

The moving force behind most such programs has been the agribusiness lobby, which wishes to increase the labor supply in order to keep down wages, and moreover prefers a group of workers locked in legal chains and marching social shackles. Many recent bracero or guest-worker programs have discriminatory features we would not countenance in our own society such as only permitting the contracting of male workers. Some proposals have suggested a wage below the national minimum wage. Others suggest exempting such workers from other standard labor rights and benefits.

Killing and enslaving migrants will not solve the problem.  Capitalism, neoliberalism, corporate globalization and imperialist-created borders are the problems.  The only solution is a world where no one is illegal and everyone has complete freedom of movement.  As Propagandhi says: "Fuck the Border!" [download mp3] [lyrics]

Racists have national protest, again; and no one comes, again

Building off the resounding success of their last national protest, the Minutemen today held a national protest in Washington, DC.  This was to cap off their weeklong caravan that began with them getting run out of Los Angeles.

At each stop the Minutemen bragged that they were picking up thousands of supporters and would have a 2 million strong march at the capitol. 

Total Minuteman turnout: 38
Counter-protesters: 50-60

Best chants (see the video):
"You forgot your hoods!"
"You're racists, you're classists, you're xenophobic fascists!"

The Minutemen claim the country is behind them.  Must be waaaaay behind them.