Friday, August 29, 2008

National Radio Project

Rhythms of Zapata (encore edition)

August 13, 2008

Every major social movement has its music, its anthems, its songs. Music tells the story of a people, their dreams, their hopes, their vision for a different world. But what happens when the music crosses borders to embrace new cultures?

In the U.S., people of color have been turning more and more to the Zapatismo, a Mayan indigenous movement in the jungles and mountains of southern Mexico, as a source of hope and as proof that, as the Zapatistas say, a different world is possible.

On this edition, we go to East Los Angeles, where a number of Chicano artists inspired by the Zapatistas have been using music to raise awareness in their own communities and to struggle for a better world.

This show has been a special collaboration between National Radio Project and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Thanks to student producer, Alejandro Reyes who wrote and edited this show under the guidance of independent media producer and UC Berkeley journalism lecturer, Claire Schoen.

Featuring:

Luv the Messenger, Rapper and youth activist; Marisol, Performance artist and activist, member of Chusma, In Lak Ech, Self-Help Graphics, Chicano Records and Films; Nico, Poet and youth activist and Poets del Norte member; Xela, Rapper and youth activist and Cihuatl-Ce member; Olmeca, Hip-hop artist and activist; Joel García, Graphic artist and activist; Tolteka, Hip-hop artist and activist; Roberto Flores, Researcher and Zapatista activist; Elisa Mejía, Activist, Radio Insurgencia Femenina (KPFK, Los Angeles) and Center for Popular Action member; Colectivo Error, Musicians and activists; Sherman Austin, Hip-hop artist and activist against police violence; Cynthia, Priscila, Crystal, fans at concert; Dan Nemser, UC Berkeley student and Zapatista activist; Joaquín Cienfuegos and Josefina Macías, Cop Watch Los Angeles and Revolutionary Autonomous Communities members; Manuel Macías, Cop Watch Los Angeles supporter; Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) spokesman and military leader.

Executive Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Contributing Producer: Alejandro Reyes
Producer: Andrew Stelzer
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Interns: Samson Reiny and Elena Botkin-Levy

For more information:

Eastside Café
5469 Huntington Drive
El Sereno, CA 90032
Eastsidecafe_contact@yahoo.com
http://eastsidecafe.revolt.org/Main/HomePage

Cop Watch Los Angeles
235 W. Martin Luther King Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
copwatchla@riseup.net
www.copwatchla.org
www.myspace.com/copwatchla

Revolutionary Autonomous Communities
rac@riseup.net

Radio Insurgente
www.radioinsurgente.org

Radio Zapatista
radiozapatista@gmail.com
www.radiozapatista.org

Zapatista Army of National Liberation
www.ezln.org.mx

Artists:

Olmeca
Tolteka
Xela
Marisol
Limón
Nico
Joel García
Luv the Messenger
Sherman Austin

Groups/Artist Collectives:

Cihuatl-Ce
In Lak Ech
Chusma
Poets del Norte
Quinto Sol
Fuga
Dilated Peoples
Banda Bassotti
Flor del Fango
Tijuana No
Aztlán Underground
Colectivo Error

Additional Information:

"Harlem community fights gentrification - allied with Zapatistas"
Slingshot
Winter Issue 2008, #96
http://slingshot.tao.ca/displaybi.php?0096010

Cop Watch LA exposed Hollywood PD in 2006

Police beating video from L.A. demonstrates the power of YouTube again
Updated 11/10/2006 10:12 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this
This image shot by a Los Angeles resident shows L.A. police struggling with a suspect on a Hollywood street on Aug. 11. The officers had described repeated blows to the suspect's face in their written arrest report, as well as efforts by the man to resist and their concern that the man might grab one of their guns during the brawl, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
Enlarge AP, from video provided by B. Kwaku Duren
This image shot by a Los Angeles resident shows L.A. police struggling with a suspect on a Hollywood street on Aug. 11. The officers had described repeated blows to the suspect's face in their written arrest report, as well as efforts by the man to resist and their concern that the man might grab one of their guns during the brawl, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An FBI investigation prompted by video footage of a man being punched repeatedly in the face by police has demonstrated anew the power of the Internet sensation of the year, YouTube.com.

In addition to being a monumental time-waster around the office, YouTube could also become a tool for keeping police honest, some say.

VIDEO: Arrest investigated

This week, a clip on the post-it-yourself video website triggered a police-brutality investigation by the FBI. The footage shows the Aug. 11 arrest of alleged gang member William Cardenas, 24. Two Los Angeles officers can be seen holding him down on a Hollywood street; one punches him several times in the face before they are able to handcuff him.

The Los Angeles Police Department is also investigating the officers' conduct.

Police Chief William Bratton said he found the video to be "disturbing," but stressed that the 20-second clip amounts to only a fraction of what transpired.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that a Superior Court commissioner viewed the video nearly two months ago, heard the officers' testimony, and concluded that their conduct was "more than reasonable" because Cardenas was resisting.

Cop Watch LA, a police watchdog group, posted the video on YouTube, said organizer Joaquin Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos said the video was shot by a neighbor of Cardenas with a cellphone camera. The neighbor gave it to Cardenas' family, who then gave it to Cop Watch, according to Cienfuegos.

In recent months, videos posted on YouTube have rocked political campaigns, brought fame — or infamy — to previously unknown talents and cast unwanted attention on the gaffes of the famous. YouTube and similar video sites are also increasingly becoming repositories for videos that purport to detail wrongdoing by police.

Such amateur clips help cast a spotlight on police wrongdoing that could otherwise go unreported, said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California.

"Unless we throw light onto activities of government, all activities, you never find out what happened," Ripston said. "This video is an example."

Police said Cardenas had been wanted on charges of receiving stolen property. In an arrest report obtained by the Associated Press, the officers said they tried to arrest Cardenas after spotting him on the sidewalk, but Cardenas ran.

The officers caught up to him, tripped him and swarmed over him to apply handcuffs, the report said. In their report, they admitted hitting him repeatedly in the face, saying that he was resisting and that they feared he might grab one of their guns.

Cardenas suffered cuts and bruises on his arms, leg and face, and received stitches on an eyelid. His attorney, B. Kwaku Duren, accused the officers using excessive force.

Police spokesman Lt. Paul Vernon said Friday that such videos often do not show the whole story.

"The officers' actions in these situations are based on the totality of what is going on in the officers' mind," Vernon said. "You don't know in the total context of this what occurred."

As of Friday, the clip had received more than 155,000 views on YouTube. It was posted on Oct. 18.

A search on YouTube for the terms "police brutality" found more than 500 videos, including ones that claim to show police violence in the U.S. and as far away as Egypt and Hungary. A search of Google's video site also yielded hundreds of videos.

In response to the surge in amateur videos, some law enforcement agencies have installed cameras in squad cars to protect officers against false allegations.

Police defense attorney John Barnett said the public shouldn't draw conclusions when watching the clip of Cardenas' arrest. Barnett represented one of the officers in the 1991 Rodney King beating and an Inglewood police officer, Jeremy Morse, who was videotaped roughing up a 16-year-old boy.

Two juries deadlocked in Morse's case, and four officers were acquitted in the King trial, touching off riots in Los Angeles.

"It's very difficult to find jurors who haven't already come to a conclusion," Barnett said. "The public has the perception of what the facts are, but you have to figure out a way to get them back to square one."

Legal observers said the public has become somewhat desensitized to questionable police tactics caught on tape because such videos have become more prevalent since the King beating. In many cases, officers have been exonerated.

"The first reaction by people is one of outrage," said Eugene O'Donnell, a professor of police studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. "But the more you see police officers using force on tape, the more you get used to it."

Friday, August 22, 2008

1st Annual Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair - Saturday, December 13, 2008

The 1st Annual Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair - Saturday, December 13th, 2008

Zines, pamphlets, DVD, Cd's, radical bumper stickers, protest shirts, records, tapes, speakers, workshops, panels, open discussions, games, diy distros and much more...

..
Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair
Saturday, December the 13th, 2008
Southern California Library for Social Studies & Research
6120 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca. 90044
$5 (includes free vegan dinner - we want to add free vegan lunch as well but it's not confirmed - if your part of Food Not Bombs chapter and would like to get involved please get in touch)

For this event we will have an open meeting. If your collective/organization would like to take part please get in touch. We would like to make this event huge so any help and ideas are needed. We want this event to be fun and educational.
Feel free to post any suggestions and ideas on this blog.

(more info coming in 2 weeks)

To learn more about Anarchism:
http://diyzine.com/BlogMay162006.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism
and
http://affinityproject.org/groups/anarchistsofcolor.html


How's it going, I'm part of the collective that is helping organize this, it is made up of members from the Revolutionary Autonomous Communities and the folks that organized the So Cal Anarchist Conference last year.

We're building this conference to educate, build, dialogue, and raise funds for our projects and our defense fund (in particular my case and the upcoming APOC - Autonomous/Anarchist/Angry People Of Color SouthWest Regional Conference in Los Angeles in January 2009.

We're going to have speakers, workshops. books, zines, vendors, information tables, organizing/strategy sessions, hopefully an APOC Caucus, and right now we're accepting ideas.

Keep in touch with us, and Keep Fighting.

En lucha,

Joaquin Cienfuegos

Friday, August 15, 2008

Mexico-Anarquismo - ¡Hacia una intervención clasista en el conflicto de Pemex!

A continuación presentamos un aporte desde el Anarquismo Revolucionario para estructurar la defensa clasista de Pemex. Estos puntos nodales son la conclusión de un trabajo analítico mayor en el cual debatimos algunas de las diversas posturas de la izquierda sobre la actual coyuntura. El documento completo se encuentra en: http://opar. ideosferas. org/wp-content/ uploads/2008/ 07/hacia- una-intervencion -clasista- en-el-conflicto- de-pemex.
pdf





Hacia una intervención clasista en el conflicto de PEMEX





La coyuntura actual exige que los Anarquistas Revolucionarios nos posicionemos firmemente e intervengamos activamente desde la trinchera clasista. Por esta razón aportamos a los actuales debates sobre la forma que debe revestir la acción proletaria en el conflicto de PEMEX nuestra postura, con el objetivo de aprovechar la coyuntura ínter burguesa y plantear una salida combativa y popular.




Desde la OPAR aportamos las siguientes 13 tesis que consideramos básicas para desarrollar la acción clasista en torno a la presente coyuntura que atraviesa nuestro país:



1. La actual coyuntura representa una oportunidad inmejorable a nuestra clase para situarse en una posición de mayores posibilidades revolucionarias si ésta consigue parar en seco los embates del Capital/Imperialism o al tiempo que impide que sus fuerzas y acciones sean copadas por el frente populismo del PRD y AMLO.




2. Una derrota abierta infligida por el Capital/Imperialism o en este momento para la clase significaría un retroceso muy grande en la lucha, puesto que dejaría abiertas las puertas al resto de las reformas neoliberales que sumirían a la clase en una sujeción política y una dependencia económica aún mayor de la que actualmente padecemos.




3. Es preciso que la clase sepa que una victoria de la fracción burguesa que representa López Obrador implicaría también una derrota para los trabajadores de la ciudad y del campo, puesto que esta no aportaría mejoras para la situación de vida de los explotados y oprimidos, y sí traería consigo un auge tremendo al Frente Popular que se ha construido en torno a él, y que el centrismo promueve o en el menos peor de los casos reproduce, lo cual fortalecería a las burocracias sindicales que actualmente engordan este frentepopulismo, así como a las que movidas por el oportunismo se sumarían también.




4. La clase trabajadora debe de romper con todos los partidos políticos burgueses puesto que representan intereses opuestos a los suyos. Las pugnas entre ellos no representan en sí quiebres con su condición explotadora sino tan sólo son disputas ínter clase por repartirse las ganancias de la explotación obrera y el saqueo.




5. Los momentos de enfrentamiento entre facciones de la burguesía nos muestran claramente que ésta no es una clase compacta, que se encuentra en permanente disputa de intereses, y que el proletariado en orden de vencer al Capital y al Estado, debe siempre de procurar su unidad más grande en la medida que permanezca como una fuerza compacta, unificada en torno a sus intereses presentes e históricos. Es decir, cualquier alianza con el mínimo sector de la burguesía representaría una derrota para la clase pues los explotadores no tienen intereses en común con los explotados.




6. Puesto que la victoria del proletariado es la victoria de la humanidad, la clase trabajadora debe de buscar atraer a sus luchas a los sectores de la pequeñoburguesí a que no siendo explotados son oprimidos por el Capital y el Estado y se ven igual de afectados que ella por su existencia: campesinos, estudiantes pobres, trabajadores no asalariados, pequeños comerciantes formales e informales. Puesto que con estos sectores existe una unidad de intereses que posibilita una alianza revolucionaria en pos de la destrucción del sistema actual y la construcción del socialismo y la libertad.




7. Las diferencias entre los explotadores los distraen y debilitan, por lo que los espacios que se abren para nuestra victoria en sus filas deben de ser aprovechados por los explotados y oprimidos para detener los ataques más inminentes que se yerguen sobre nuestras cabezas. Se impone en lo inmediato agrupar las fuerzas combativas del clasismo opositor con el firme objetivo de construir el Poder Popular, mejorando gradualmente nuestra posición en la lucha contra todas las facciones de la burguesía y aquellos que defiendan la explotación del hombre por el hombre.




8. Las ofensivas privatizadoras suponen espacios de conflicto entre el Capital/Imperialism o y la burguesía cipaya en oposición a la burguesía nacional más debilitada que es incapaz de competir con los primeros, además implican ataques directos a las condiciones de vida del conjunto de los explotados y los oprimidos, puesto que afectan significativamente sus condiciones económicas.




9. La oposición a la privatización por parte del proletariado es necesaria dado que dinamiza la posibilidad de la movilización conjunta entre todos los sectores antagónicos con el Estado y el Capital, y les posibilita demarcar con claridad la posición de las burocracias sindicales y el Estado en el marco de una confrontación coyuntural que envuelve a todos los sectores sociales.




10. La tarea de los elementos que componen la fracción de avanzada de la clase en la presente coyuntura consiste en actuar para que el resto de la clase así como a los sectores oprimidos se sumen a la tarea de levantar una defensa clasista y combativa de PEMEX que logre una auténtica nacionalizació n de la industria petrolera y del gas a través de la Huelga General.




11. Siendo la clase trabajadora la única clase que verdaderamente puede llevar adelante una auténtica nacionalizació n, la única forma de defender a PEMEX es a través de que los trabajadores logremos poner en manos de los obreros y técnicos el control de PEMEX, así como todas las subsidiarias que han sido privatizadas y todas aquellas compañías necesarias para que la producción y distribución de los recursos energéticos redunde en beneficios directos para el resto de la población.




12. Los trabajadores en conjunto con el pueblo pobre hemos de luchar también por el establecimiento de Comités Populares, conformados por los usuarios domésticos explotados y oprimidos, en los que se decidan las tarifas de la gasolina y sus derivados, así como del gas siempre en beneficio del uso doméstico de estos productos, cargando el coste económico a las compañías que utilizan y lucran con o gracias a estos productos.




13. Golpear a todas las facciones de la burguesía y al Capital/Imperialism o es la tarea imperiosa que tenemos de frente los trabajadores en esta coyuntura y no podemos quedarnos por debajo de estas expectativas. Por esta razón llamamos de manera unitaria y sin sectarismos a todos aquellos que estén de acuerdo en llevar adelante la lucha por poner a PEMEX bajo control obrero, a romper con todos los partidos políticos burgueses y sin hacer el juego a la burocracia sindical, a construir desde abajo la resistencia obrera y popular a través de las asambleas de trabajadores y comités de huelga en cada centro de trabajo, fortaleciendo la unidad del clasismo opositor a través de acciones coordinadas y consignas unitarias, dando de esta manera pasos firmes y cohesionados desde las filas de nuestra clase para vencer al Estado y al Capital.






¡Por la unidad de los trabajadores clasistas y combativos!

¡Construyamos la Huelga General en cada centro de trabajo!







Organización Popular Anarquista Revolucionaria



Julio del 2008



Organización Popular Anarquista Revolucionaria
México
www.opar.ideosferas .
org
contacto_opar@ yahoo. com.
mx

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Entrevista Con Radio Zapatista

http://radiozapatista. org/
http://radiozapatista. org/Audios/RZ01ago08. mp3

Programa en español:

* Actualización sobre la situación en la comunidad zapatista de Cruztón y la caravana nacional e internacional de solidaridad con Chiapas
* Reportaje sobre la 21 reunión de la región Centro Pacífico del Congreso Nacional Indígena (CNI)
* Entrevista con Joaquín Cienfuegos de Cop Watch Los Angeles
* Entrevista a los compas de la Granja Sur Central (South Central Farm)

Solidarity Statement From APOC

APOC Stands with Joaquin Cienfuegos Resisting the Police State

APOC Stands with Joaquin Cienfuegos

Resisting the Police State


On June 27th around 10pm, Joaquin was dropping off a comrade at his house when they drove by the Hollywood police, staring at them as they drove by. Before they got to the end of the block, the pigs hit the lights on them. Joaquin said "they're pulling us over". What they saw- two young males of color in a car. The pigs declared the car doesn't have license plates (he just got his car and it has a DMV permit on the front windshield). His comrade told the pigs that Joaquin needed to get his wheelchair out of his trunk. The pig came to the driver's side of the car and popped the trunk, decided to go into the trunk without consent, and put the wheelchair together.

At that point the cop saw a Machete in the trunk and asked Joaquin "what are you doing with a machete?" Joaquin said he does gardening work from time to time and it shouldn't be "illegal" to have a machete in his trunk. They began to pull out personal belongings, all legal to carry in the trunk. They saw fliers for the Summer Solidarity Festival/Free the Black Rider 3 event on July 12th, and a black case. They pulled out the case and asked Joaquin what was in it and pulled out an all-legal AR-15 rifle that is in his name. They pulled Joaquin out the car, handcuffed him, and went into his pockets to get the driver's license. He didn't have it because he was robbed recently and stripped of almost all possessions. The pigs asked his comrade if he was on parole or probation. The reply was "No". They put him in the back seat of their car, and called their sergeant to plan their story and find something to arrest him for.

A couple members of CopWatch-Los Angeles guerrillas showed up with cameras and they took Joaquin off to the Hollywood div.

After illegally searching his car, the pigs finally booked him around 2 in the morning for carrying a loaded firearm and having four warrants. After spending the weekend in Parker Center, Monday found the pigs had changed their story. They said they stopped Joaquin for passing a stop sign (when he had made a right hand turn), and they had done a legal search of his car, and charged him with an illegal possession of an assault rifle.

Joaquin was in isolation- segregated, and on lock down for the majority of time in a little dungeon at Men's County Jail Twin Towers. The only contact was with his cell mate and the pig deputies. He didn't leave his cell not even to eat. He didn't involve himself in prison-politics and told people he was a revolutionary. This was his reality. As of now, borrowed funds are yet to be paid back, it's up to us to make it happen!

Currently, he just saved his car from the impound lot yesterday and took care of his license. As if paying bail wasn't enough- the impound cost $1,200. He was arraigned on the 23rd of July and its back to court again for a preliminary trial on August 22nd.

Joaquin Cienfuegos writes: "On the inside there were hundreds, over 90%, of Brown and Black men. I met many people who were rounded up illegally by the Los Angeles Police Department. There were many cases, in one instance a Mexican man was stopped by and undercover pig in the Pico Union District, when he was walking, they took his ID and said it was false. He had been in USA for 14 years and was now going to be separated from his family. In another case, a young Chicano was framed for a robbery he did not do and had a year taken from his life, and another Mexican male had been fighting a murder case he was innocent of for 3 years. There was a Black youth, who the police planted some weed on.


This is business as usual in Los Angeles. They need to put the thousands of new police officers to use in Los Angeles, and the jail needs to get that county money. This is the reality for our sisters and brothers, we are pushed into the system, and they want to keep us locked up or kill us off for good. The prison industrial complex exists, and to these people it's all business -- they don't care about us. All they care about is their empire and their profits.

I don't apologize for standing up for my right to defend myself, our peoples and our communities. I could've handled the situation differently to avoid this situation, but anybody who resists will be beat down and smashed by the state, just the law of this motherfucking beast. I'm glad we're organized to deal with it on a small level. This isn't the first or the last time the fascist state has done this. They want to paint me as a gangster because I was legally carrying a gun. Yet if I was a white male member of the National Rifle Association, I wouldn't get hassled for having a legal rifle. The SWAT team and their imperialist army carries them as well. It is obvious that they have waged war on our communities and indigenous people everywhere, and we will continue to build a revolutionary popular movement of different communities to make fundamental changes and take our territories back from the empire. That's what I have decided to live my life for. I understand this process is a struggle, and those in the power structure will not allow this without a fight."

Publicize this! Write about this! Talk about this! Stand up for your right to defend yourself, the people, and our communities. Hold a fun and/or informative fundraising event or hit up individuals to "match" your contribution to the defense fund. Hell, the storm of fundraising ideas is bountiful, let it rain on you and share the harvest! Let's build a critical mass for our brother and show the Pigs- APOC IS A FORCE TO FUCK WITH. He's not doing this alone. Thanks comrades! Together we keep on moving forward.


Monday, August 4, 2008

Build It From Below: Anarchist People Of Color Regional Gatherings

Check out illvox.org for future updates

Build It From Below: A Collective APOC Statement

* Posted by apoc
* July 2, 2008


This is a call to all Autonomous / Anti-authoritarian / Anarchist People Of Color across North America to begin assembling APOC formations in your hoods, communities and regions!

A small but nationwide listserv is in the early stages of planning a national APOC gathering in the coming year. APOCistas on the conference list are encouraged by APOC gatherings that have taken place recently at anarchist bookfairs, conferences and convergences across the country, which have been spurred in part by conversations occurring on a national level.

For APOC to grow and thrive as a viable force for folks of color in the so-called United States, more base-building needs to take place. More input from people across the country is needed to shape what APOC movement will look like, and what it will achieve in the coming years.

Folks on the conference listserv encourage you to start bringing together APOC formations in your hoods, communities and regions, and to develop sustained APOC projects that will help contribute to broad radical struggle, and a national APOC conference too.

These projects could be anything, really. For instance:

* An APOC listserv in your area, if there isn’t one already
* A virtual collective, e.g. print and editorial groups producing and distributing APOC content
* A regular APOC social gathering in your area, at which APOCers can come together, make connections, and spin off projects and ideas
* A specifically APOC collective, meeting regularly in your city/town and developing its own actions
* A community space or social center managed by and for folks of color

The possibilities are really endless. We strongly encourage all Autonomous / Anti-authoritarian / Anarchist People of Color to build from the connections and conversations taking place at APOC gatherings across the country, and develop more sustained APOC movement in their areas. Here are a few gatherings that are coming up in the next few months:

APOC Caucuses at Earth First! Round River Rendezvous
Athens, OH, July 4th at 12pm, July 5th at lunch
www.roundriverrondy.info

Northeast APOC Regional Gathering
Philadelphia, PA, August 8th-9th
northeastapoc@yahoo.com

Northwest APOC Regional Gathering
Portland, OR, August 16-17th
northwestapoc@yahoo.com

Southwest APOC Regional Gathering
Los Angeles, CA, Dates TBA

All Power Through The People!
APOC Conference List

======================================
APOC Northeast Gathering

* Posted by apoc
* July 9, 2008


August 8th-9th in Philadelphia, PA

“La gente fuerte no necesita un lider, ellos por si mismos son lideres” - Emiliano Zapata

Autonomous/ Anti-Authoritarian/ Anarchist People Of Color from across the Northeast (and beyond) are gathering in Philly this summer to build a new vision for the future, and a new plan of action for today. We want to expand our understanding of race, class, gender, autonomy, and freedom - while attacking white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, and ALL borders, boundaries, and barriers.

Please join us Friday and Saturday, August 8th-9th for the APOC Northeast Regional Conference in Philadelphia!

WHAT: APOC Northeast Regional Conference
WHEN: Friday and Saturday, August 8th-9th
WHERE: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA

Friday evening will feature films related to APOC movement.
Saturday will feature a full day of talks, panels, and workshops.
Saturday night will culminate with an APOC Rocks! hip hop, punk rock, and poetry concert.

There will also be free (and cheap) food available as well as APOC ‘zines, books, t-Shirts y mas for the masses.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY EVENING, AUG 8TH • 6PM – 12AM

Film screenings all night (at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St)

Born In Flames • 1983 (6:30PM): Documentary-style feminist science fiction film by anarchist of color Lizzie Borden, that explores racism, classism, sexism and heterosexism in an alternative United States Socialist Democracy.

Notes on A Paper Plane! • 2008 (8:15PM): Short fictional film about a black girl from Harlem who tries to sell an anarchist newspaper in the ‘hood.

Frame Up • 1974 (8:45PM): A documentary examining the case of Afro Rican anarchist/activist and book store owner Martin Sostre, framed on drug possession charges and unjustly imprisoned for nearly a decade.

MACHETERO • 2007 (9:30PM): A French journalist interviews a so called Puerto Rican “terrorist” about his decision to use violence as a means of liberation. A Q&A with vagabond the writer and director of MACHETERO will take place after the screening.

SCREENINGS ARE OPEN TO ALLIES OF ANY COLOR

MOVE DOCUMENTARY @ 7PM
Also screening on the same evening at 7PM (at Clark Park, 43rd & 45th Sts, Between Chester & Woodland Ave) will be MOVE: A documentary on the MOVE Organization and the ongoing repression suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia police department and the US justice system

***SATURDAY, AUG 9TH •10AM – 8PM***

A day of talks/ panels/ discussions related to APOC movement and people of color.

THESE APOC TALKS/WORKSHOPS/PANELS
ARE RESERVED FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR

10AM - 10:45AM

APOC-ALYPSE NOW… AND LATER
What were the trials and tribulations facing APOC regionally following the 2003 conference in Detroit? What lessons have people learned about APOC organizing since then, and what can this tell us about moving forward?

11:00 - 11:45AM

THE BALLOT IS A BULLET
A lot of political discussion and mobilization in the U.S. is currently focused on the Obama campaign. How can we make best use of the energy coming up from the grassroots during the 2008 election, with an eye for local action, responsibility and substantive change instead of politicians and party politics?

12PM - 12:45PM

SEIZE THE TIME
This is an OPEN time allotted for networking, exchanging info, and building together.

12:45M - 1:45PM

BREAK FOR LUNCH

2PM - 2:45PM

PLANNING FOR WHEN THE SHIT GOES DOWN:
What you need to do and what you should know.

How is communication in our movements shaped, directed, and in some cases limited by technology? How can we communicate in spite of and beyond technology, and why is this necessary?

3PM - 3:45PM

AT WAR
Let’s take stock of the continuing (500 years and counting) war on blackness. We are at war)!

4PM - 4:45PM

CLASS BARRIERS
Many people currently involved in APOC movement have moved through a university setting at some point, and sometimes this is a significant part of people’s politicization. But while we examine how APOC relates to already-existing movements of people of color, we also ask: how can people relate to APOC movement and plug in if they do not come from an institutionalized educational background?

5PM - 5:45PM

THE CITY IS KILLING ME
Ever wonder why there are so many Mc Donald’s in the ‘hood, but organic milk is like the holy grail? This workshop will look at how city planning and zoning don’t just affect where we live, but how we live. By looking at epidemics that disproportionately affect communities of color, we can see how a complex network of factors, from farming practices to marketing to health insurance, come together to literally make us sick. We’ll also talk some strategy for the revolutionary act of keeping ourselves healthy without relying on the food and medical systems that are designed to keep people of color in check.

6PM - 6:45PM

By / Buy Black
What are some practical steps toward economic freedom—not just improving your credit report, but controlling the conditions of your labor? What fissures in the power structure exist today that folks can exploit to live freer lives, from getting off the grid to forming collective workplaces?

7PM - 7:45PM

Self Defense For APOCs
You have a right to defend yourself. The question is do you know how? This class will focus on basic physical skills at a beginner level. If you’ve never taken a self defense class or want to check out a new style, this is for you. You won’t leave the class a ninja (if you want that, you might want to take the 45 minute “Ninja 101″ class). Come!

THESE APOC TALKS/WORKSHOPS/PANELS
ARE RESERVED FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR

MUMIA TOWN HALL MEETING @ 12 Noon

Also on the same afternoon at 12 noon, the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition will hold a Town hall meeting to Free Mumia at AFSCME 1199 Union Hall, located at 1319 Locust St. (near Juniper). (OPEN TO EVERYONE)

SATURDAY NITE CONCERT • 8PM – LATE

The Mighty Paradocs www.myspace.com/themightyparadocs

X-Vandals www.myspace.com/xvandalsboricuas

Amerikas Least Wanted www.myspace.com/amerikasleastwanted

MUSIC CONCERT IS OPEN TO ALL ALLIES OF ANY COLOR

=====================================================

Northwest APOC Gathering in August

* Posted by apoc
* July 14, 2008


Something big is in the air! Five years ago 150 Anarchist and anti-authoritarians people of color from all walks of life gathered in Detroit to begin the process of interconnecting struggle and passion towards building a new world empowered from below. Five years on, and many struggles later this movement is being rejuvenated by many old and new comrades internationally!

The one goal of the Northwest APOC Gathering is to build connections in our region and to begin conversations towards building a national anti-authoritarian / autonomous movement of people of color.

The Gathering will be split up into sessions lasting two hours each, with breaks in between. Facilitated discussions will include but are not limited to the following areas:

1. What is APOC? How do we define it? What should an APOC politic encompass?

2. What might an APOC organization look like? Strategy? Structure? Politics?

3. What workshops/discussions would we want to see happen at the 2009 National APOC Conference?

Questions, ideas, suggested pre-gathering readings, expansions of the above questions, additional questions, etc… please get in touch!

Additionally if you can provide or need housing, need any special considerations, can help with facilitation, or can provide rideshares to the Gathering PLEASE GET IN TOUCH ASAP!

Northwest APOC Regional Gathering
Portland, OR, August 16-17th
northwestapoc@yahoo.com

=================================

SouthWest APOC Gathering in Los Angeles in October

We're still hoping to get Feedback from people:

http://diyzine.com/survey

SouthWest Anarchist People of Color Conference 2008 Los Angeles

Name -


Email -




City -


Collective / Orgnization (if any) -



What date in October would you like the Conference to be in -



Proposals for workshops -


What would you like to see at the Conference and
what would you like to get out of it?



How can you help organize for the regional conference?


Would you / collective / organization like to sponsor the -
conference by giving a donation?



Do you need housing? For how many people?


Can you provide housing in L.A. area? For how many people?

New Film Trailer for "We're Still Here! We Never Left!"

Call for Screenings of Film: "We're Still Here! We NeverLeft "
by RAC/Copwatch LA GC

From Revolutionary Autonomous Communities- Los Angeles:

New Film Trailer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKGDWG_6ko
------
In English
(En Español abajo)

The Revolutionary Autonomous Communities is putting out a call for their film, "We're Still Here, We Never Left" to be screened at your university, community center, church and anywhere else.

The film documents the truth about the police repression on May 1st, 2007, and also shows the growing popular movement in oppressed communities.

It has footage never before seen on the mainstream media.

We hope to create dialogue with the film, a space for popular education, and a movement. We are also using the film screenings to raise funds for RAC and its community programs.

We want this film to be seen all over, in different cities and possibly different nations.

The film will also be available soon for distribution.

Contact us at rac@riseup.net if you're interested in organizing an event.
----------
En Español
(In English above)

Las Comunidades Autónomas Revolucionarias están haciendo una llamada para su película, "Todavia estamos aquí, Nunca nos fuimos" para que sea ensenada en su universidad, centro de comunidad, iglesia y en cualquier otro lugar.

La película documenta la verdad sobre la represión de la policía el 1 de mayo de 2007, y también demuestra el movimiento popular que esta creciendo en comunidades oprimidas.

Tiene imagenes que nunca se han visto en los medios de comunicacion.

Esperamos crear diálogo con la película, un espacio para la educación popular, y un movimiento. Quisiéramos que esta película se vea por todas partes, en diversas ciudades y posiblemente diversas naciones.

La película también estará pronto para la distribución después de que el viaje de discurso.

Nuestro correo electronico rac@riseup.net