Break The Lock Political Prisoner Program
Break The Lock Political Prisoner Program believes that every prisoner locked up behind enemy lines ( The Prison Industrial Complex) is a political prisoner because of the social conditions we are living under. In this society of the Haves and Have Nots, those who are poor are more likely to end up behind bars
- victims of the (in)justice system. Break The Lock Political Prisoner Program aims are to build a support group that connects The Movement on the inside to The Movement on the outside. Learning from revolutionaries like George and Jonathan Jackson, "Most of today's black convicts have come to understand that they are the most abused victims of an unrighteous order."
We will be raising money to write letters, send books and literature, supporting political prisoners and their families. Our goals also are to give rides, help with visitation and legal support. Break The Lock! Free All Political Prisoners! The Black Riders Liberation Party is putting out a call to all organizations in solidarty and support of to please help out if possible with the materials list below;
Wish List
Stamps, envelopes, pencils,paper, volunteers, books, money, literature, copies, lawyers.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE !!
Contact Etana at Yabastaorganize@gmail.com or (707) 616-9774
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
2nd Annual Southern California Anarchist Conference and Feria Cultural Libertaria -- Flyer and Schedule
2nd SoCal Anarchist Conference
Sunday, August 1st 2009
SCHEDULE
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| 12:00-12:30PM | WELCOME |
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| Opening remarks by the Southern California Library Staff & the Conference organizing collective | | Main Room |
| 12:30-2:00PM | WORKSHOPS/ | Session Topic | Presenters | Location |
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| PANELS | “Local Indigenous Struggles” | Angie Burhns, Tongva | Main Room |
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| “Piracy & Hooliganism: The eclipse and re-emergence of the Prole from Utopian pirates to the L.A. Lakers riot” | Vlad & Chimatli from the IDP& Colectivo Acratas |
Reading Room |
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| “Building Autonomous Resistance through Mutual Aid” | Revolutionary Autonomous Communities | Upstairs Room |
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| “Time Banking: Alternatives to the cash economy” | Manny, Echo Park Time Bank | Garden |
| 2:15-4:00PM | WORKSHOPS/ | Session Topic | Presenters | Location |
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| PANELS | “SoCal (A), Anti-authoritarian & Autonomous Collectives & Projects: Past, Present and Future” | Various | Main Room |
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| “Institute for Anarchist Studies” | Cindy Milstein | Reading Room |
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| “Building Autonomous Alternatives in Education” | Sirena Pellarolo | Reading Room |
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| “Class War in Time of Economic Crisis: Anti-Capitalist Struggles Today” | Insane Dialectical Posse | Upstairs Room |
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| “The U.S. Labor Movement & The Anarchist Tradition” | IWW- Los Angeles GMB | Upstairs Room |
| 4:00-5:00PM | INTERMISSION |
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| Food | By Food Not Bombs | Main Room |
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| “Resist the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh” | By Pittsburgh Organizing Group | Main Room |
| 5:15-7:00PM | STRATEGIZING/ | Focus | Presenters | Location |
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| NETWORKING | “The arrest of Alex Sanchez” | Oscar Sanchez, Mirna - Homies Unidos | Main Room |
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| “Anarcha-Feminism” | Anarcha-LA & CLIT Fest Los Angeles | Reading Room |
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| “Media/ Cop-watch” | Sherman Austin | Upstairs Room |
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| “Survival Guide for Obamamania New Millennium” | Black Riders | Garden |
| 7:00-8:30PM | POPULAR ASSEMBLY | A space to converge, share, reflect, give feedback, and further network with other attendees |
| Main Room |
| 8:30-9:00PM | CLOSING | Closing remarks by the organizing collective and other announcements. |
| Main Room |
Press Release: Campaign for Justice for Baby Susie
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ***Press Conference* **
Contact:
Kelly Flor
October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation
323-485-3654
mskeldel@yahoo.com
www.copwatchla.org
Campaign For Justice for Baby Susie
Los Angeles, CA, 7/27/09 — Community Organizations are calling for a press conference and action, Monday, July 27th at 8 a.m. in support of Susie Lopez. The press and action will be held in front of court building at 111 N. Hill Street, on the corner of Hill and 1st St, in Downtown Los Angeles. She was a 19 month year old killed while she was in her father's arms by the Los Angeles Police Department four years ago. Community organizations, as in the October 22nd Coalition, Cop Watch Los Angeles, the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police and others, are supporting Lorena Lopez who is in trial vs. Chief William Bratton and the L.A.P.D. for the wrongful murder of her daughter for the next 20 days.
Kelly Flor an organizer with the October 22nd Coalition and Cop Watch Los Angeles said, "We feel that it is important to support Lorena Lopez, so she knows that the community supports her fight to bring justice to her daughter that was wrongfully murdered by those who are there to 'protect and serve' her. We know that Susie Lopez was not an isolated incident, there will be other families who have had loved ones taken from them unjustly by local law enforcement."
For additional information or a sample copy, Contact: Kelly Flor 323-485-3654
Press Release: "Campaign for Justice for Baby Susie"
# # #
Contact:
Kelly Flor
October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation
323-485-3654
mskeldel@yahoo.com
www.copwatchla.org
Campaign For Justice for Baby Susie
Los Angeles, CA, 7/27/09 — Community Organizations are calling for a press conference and action, Monday, July 27th at 8 a.m. in support of Susie Lopez. The press and action will be held in front of court building at 111 N. Hill Street, on the corner of Hill and 1st St, in Downtown Los Angeles. She was a 19 month year old killed while she was in her father's arms by the Los Angeles Police Department four years ago. Community organizations, as in the October 22nd Coalition, Cop Watch Los Angeles, the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police and others, are supporting Lorena Lopez who is in trial vs. Chief William Bratton and the L.A.P.D. for the wrongful murder of her daughter for the next 20 days.
Kelly Flor an organizer with the October 22nd Coalition and Cop Watch Los Angeles said, "We feel that it is important to support Lorena Lopez, so she knows that the community supports her fight to bring justice to her daughter that was wrongfully murdered by those who are there to 'protect and serve' her. We know that Susie Lopez was not an isolated incident, there will be other families who have had loved ones taken from them unjustly by local law enforcement."
For additional information or a sample copy, Contact: Kelly Flor 323-485-3654
Press Release: "Campaign for Justice for Baby Susie"
# # #
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Campaign for Justice 4 Baby Suzie / Lorena Lopez vs. Chief Bratton Monday 8am
Campaign for Justice 4 Baby Suzie
Lorena lopez vs. Chief Bratton
Four years ago Susie Lopez was murdered by the LAPD in Watts, CA. The SWAT team shot her dead in her father's arms, she was only 19 months.
Lorena Lopez is her mother, and she is fighting Chief Bratton and the LAPD in court for the next 20 days.
Community organizations are calling for a press conference/action Monday 7/27 in front of the court building on the corner of Hill and 1st
There will be a press conference and action at 8am
We are also asking people to show support with court solidarity whenever they can throughout the trial. Monday-Friday for the next 20 days at 111 N Hill st dept 58 on the 5th floor 8:30-4:30 approximately.
Sponsored by the October 22nd Coalition, Cop Watch Los Angeles, Coaltion for the Community Coalition for Control Over the Police
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Justice for Christian Portillo, 1 year anniversary of his murder
Justice for Christian Portillo! Killed 23 July, 2008 by L.A. County Sheriffs, shot while unarmed, sitting in his parked car, in the driveway of his home.
Matado el 23 de julio, 2008 por L.A. Sheriffs disparodo mientras estaba desarmado, sentado en su propio automóvil estacionado, en el driveway de su casa.
Matado el 23 de julio, 2008 por L.A. Sheriffs disparodo mientras estaba desarmado, sentado en su propio automóvil estacionado, en el driveway de su casa.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Statement of Solidarity from L@s Partisan@s
The anarchist-communist collective of L@s Partisan@s stands firmly in solidarity with Joaquin Cienfuegos. We demand that his conviction be overturned and the he be paid reparations for his firearm, any legal fees (including impound), and for the pain and suffering that he was forced to endure. We ask that those who want to show solidarity distribute his statement and endorse the aforementioned demands (at a minimum). Indeed, if we thought it realistic that the state and their armed forces could abolish themselves then we would demand that.
We anarchists believe that direct action, solidarity, and a militant libertarian mass movement will bring about the dissolution of the state and private power. Carrying a weapon is not wrong by moral or legal standards. Joaquin has been targeted for extraordinary repression because of his political activity and his "race".
The state apparatus wants to assert that it has the sole monopoly on the use of force. This is a view that many capital "P" Pacifists and gun control advocates support, albeit sometimes subconsciously. These people should focus their attention on the state, with its sale of heavy weapon to other countries, huge military expenditures, militarization of the police, stockpiling of nuclear arms, and the genocide being waged against the Iraqi and Afghan peoples. To say that a real person (in contrast to an artificial nation-state) does not have the right to be ready to defend oneself is either taken from a position of privilege or suicidal.
The state apparatus wants to make an example out of Joaquin. It was not as successful as initially hoped and therefore they are continuing to harass him in hopes of being able to put him away on a technicality or invented charges. Joaquin should be an example; one of hope and the realization that repressive arm of the state is not as powerful as it pretends. L@s Partisan@s calls on all leftists and anarchists to support Joaquin because an injury to one is an injury to all. Let him know he does not have to be alone in this struggle.
Although we do not have much faith in the state, those who are far away can contact L.A. area politicians or sign petitions calling for an end to the harassment of him and others. Make his plight visible; pass on his story and how it is representative of the repression facing social movements everywhere. Struggle for direct democracy, militancy, and mutual aid within your own communities. Every bit of pressure will concretely show solidarity with Joaquin.
In Solidarity,
L@s Partisan@s
We anarchists believe that direct action, solidarity, and a militant libertarian mass movement will bring about the dissolution of the state and private power. Carrying a weapon is not wrong by moral or legal standards. Joaquin has been targeted for extraordinary repression because of his political activity and his "race".
The state apparatus wants to assert that it has the sole monopoly on the use of force. This is a view that many capital "P" Pacifists and gun control advocates support, albeit sometimes subconsciously. These people should focus their attention on the state, with its sale of heavy weapon to other countries, huge military expenditures, militarization of the police, stockpiling of nuclear arms, and the genocide being waged against the Iraqi and Afghan peoples. To say that a real person (in contrast to an artificial nation-state) does not have the right to be ready to defend oneself is either taken from a position of privilege or suicidal.
The state apparatus wants to make an example out of Joaquin. It was not as successful as initially hoped and therefore they are continuing to harass him in hopes of being able to put him away on a technicality or invented charges. Joaquin should be an example; one of hope and the realization that repressive arm of the state is not as powerful as it pretends. L@s Partisan@s calls on all leftists and anarchists to support Joaquin because an injury to one is an injury to all. Let him know he does not have to be alone in this struggle.
Although we do not have much faith in the state, those who are far away can contact L.A. area politicians or sign petitions calling for an end to the harassment of him and others. Make his plight visible; pass on his story and how it is representative of the repression facing social movements everywhere. Struggle for direct democracy, militancy, and mutual aid within your own communities. Every bit of pressure will concretely show solidarity with Joaquin.
In Solidarity,
L@s Partisan@s
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Congreso Nacional Indigena
CONGRESO NACIONAL INDÍGENA
CONVOCATORIA
CONSIDERANDO que 516 años de historia han significado para los nuestros, pueblos primeros, explotación, discriminación, despojo y exterminio, y que la Nación Mexicana, nacida de nuestra sangre, de nuestra semilla y de nuestros corazones, ha sido edificada por los poderosos negando nuestra existencia y negando nuestro supremo derecho a caminar nuestro propio camino;
CONSIDERANDO que la traición de los Acuerdos de San Andrés por parte de la clase política mexicana intensificó la guerra de explotación, despojo y desprecio desatada por los grandes intereses económicos en contra de nuestros pueblos y sus territorios, pero también nuestra resistencia y el fortalecimiento de las autonomías indígenas a lo largo de todo el territorio nacional;
CONSIDERANDO que en nuestro país hoy la violencia e impunidad se han instituido como política de Estado en complicidad con los intereses de grandes empresas transnacionales, ajenos a cualquier interés patrio por salvaguardar la soberanía nacional, promoviendo el despojo, el asesinato, la represión y el encarcelamiento del@s herman@s que se oponen a ellas en defensa de los territorios indígenas y de nuestros modos y maneras de ser, vivir y resistir como pueblos indios;
CONSIDERANDO que la recuperación de una importante franja de tierras colindantes con el Océano Pacífico pertenecientes al pueblo nahua de la Costa de Michoacán, junto con la proclamación y el ejercicio del derecho a la autodefensa indígena, realizados a partir del día 29 de junio del año en curso por la comunidad nahua de Santa María Ostula, en alianza con las comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro, invitan a todos nuestros pueblos a fortalecer las luchas que tienen como fin detener la guerra de destrucción desatada en nuestra contra y de la madre tierra; hemos acordado CONVOCAR URGENTEMENTE a las autoridades y representantes de los pueblos, naciones y tribus indígenas a la celebración de una:
ASAMBLEA NACIONAL INDÍGENA EXTRAORDINARIA
Que tendrá lugar los días 7, 8 y 9 de agosto de 2009 en el nuevo poblado de XAYAKALAN, campamento en resistencia de la comunidad indígena nahua de Santa María Ostula, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, de acuerdo al siguiente programa:
DÍA 7 DE AGOSTO
10:00-20:00 HORAS.- REGISTRO DE DELEGADOS, INVITADOS Y OBSERVADORES.
DÍA 8 DE AGOSTO
11:00-12:00 HORAS.- INAUGARACIÓN DE LA ASAMBLEA NACIONAL INDÍGENA.
12:00-15:00 HORAS.- INSTALACIÓN DE CUATRO MESAS QUE TRABAJARAN SIMULTANEAMENTE EL SIGUIENTE TEMARIO:
A) BALANCE DE LA LUCHA INDÍGENA A PARTIR DEL CUARTO CONGRESO NACIONAL INDÍGENA REALIZADO EN LA COMUNIDAD NAHÑU DE ATLAPULCO EN EL MES DE MAYO DE 2006.
B) DIAGNOSTICO Y EVALUACÍÓN DE LA GUERRA DE CONQUISTA Y DEVASTACIÓN NEOLIBERAL EN CONTRA DE LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS, DE LA NACIÓN Y DE LA MADRE TIERRA.
C) EL EJERCICIO DE LA AUTONOMÍA INDÍGENA, LA PROTECCIÓN DE LOS TERRITORIOS INDÍGENAS Y EL DERECHO A LA AUTODEFENSA INDÍGENA.
15:00-16:00 HORAS.- COMIDA.
16:00-20:00 HORAS.- CONTINUACIÓN DE LAS MESAS DE TRABAJO.
DÍA 9 DE AGOSTO
10:00-14:00 HORAS.- PLENARIA RESOLUTIVA.
14:00-15:00 HORAS.- CLAUSURA.
15:00-16:00 HORAS.- COMIDA.
Dada en el territorio de la Costa Nahua de Michoacán, comunidad indígena de Santa María Ostula, a los quince días del mes de agosto de 2009.
NUNCA MÁS UN MÉXICO SIN NOSOTROS
POR LA RECONSTITUCIÓN INTEGRAL DE NUESTROS PUEBLOS
POR EL CONGRESO NACIONAL INDÍGENA
MICHOACÁN
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE EL COIRE
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE POMARO
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE NURÍO
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE CHERÁN
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE COMACHUÉN
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE ARANTEPACUA
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA
UNIÓN DE COMUNEROS EMILIANO ZAPATA
OAXACA
CONSEJO INDÍGENA POPULAR DE OAXACA-RICARDO FLORES MAGÓN
CONSEJO CIUDADANO UNIDALGUENSE
GUBIÑA XXI
MOVIMIENTO DE UNIFICACIÓN Y LUCHA TRIQUI
UNIÒN DE ORGANIZACIONES DE LA SIERRA JUAREZ DE OAXACA
SERVICIOS DEL PUEBLO MIXE
SONORA
GUARDIA TRADICIONAL DEL PUEBLO DE VICAM, PRIMERA CABECERA DE LA TRIBU YAQUI
BAJA CALIFORNIA
COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DEL MAYOR CUCAPÁ
KUMIAI INTEGRANTES DEL CNI EN LA COMUNIDAD DE LA HUERTA
KUMIAI INTEGRANTES DEL CNI EN LA COMUNIDAD DE JUNTAS DE NEJÍ
JALISCO
COMUNIDAD WIXÁRIKA DE SANTA CATARINA CUEXCOMATITLÁN
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE AYOTITLÁN
ORGANIZACIÓN DE COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS Y CAMPESINAS DE TUXPAN
DURANGO
COMUNIDAD AUTÓNOMA WIXÁRIKA DE BANCOS DE SAN HIPÓLITO
GUERRERO
COMUNIDAD AMUZGA DE SULJAA'
COMITÉ DIRECTIVO DE LA RADIO ÑOMNDAA, SULJAA’
ESTADO DE MÉXICO
COMUNIDAD ÑAHÑU DE SAN PEDRO ATLAPULCO
DISTRITO FEDERAL
COMUNEROS DE MILPA ALTA
CONVOCATORIA
CONSIDERANDO que 516 años de historia han significado para los nuestros, pueblos primeros, explotación, discriminación, despojo y exterminio, y que la Nación Mexicana, nacida de nuestra sangre, de nuestra semilla y de nuestros corazones, ha sido edificada por los poderosos negando nuestra existencia y negando nuestro supremo derecho a caminar nuestro propio camino;
CONSIDERANDO que la traición de los Acuerdos de San Andrés por parte de la clase política mexicana intensificó la guerra de explotación, despojo y desprecio desatada por los grandes intereses económicos en contra de nuestros pueblos y sus territorios, pero también nuestra resistencia y el fortalecimiento de las autonomías indígenas a lo largo de todo el territorio nacional;
CONSIDERANDO que en nuestro país hoy la violencia e impunidad se han instituido como política de Estado en complicidad con los intereses de grandes empresas transnacionales, ajenos a cualquier interés patrio por salvaguardar la soberanía nacional, promoviendo el despojo, el asesinato, la represión y el encarcelamiento del@s herman@s que se oponen a ellas en defensa de los territorios indígenas y de nuestros modos y maneras de ser, vivir y resistir como pueblos indios;
CONSIDERANDO que la recuperación de una importante franja de tierras colindantes con el Océano Pacífico pertenecientes al pueblo nahua de la Costa de Michoacán, junto con la proclamación y el ejercicio del derecho a la autodefensa indígena, realizados a partir del día 29 de junio del año en curso por la comunidad nahua de Santa María Ostula, en alianza con las comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro, invitan a todos nuestros pueblos a fortalecer las luchas que tienen como fin detener la guerra de destrucción desatada en nuestra contra y de la madre tierra; hemos acordado CONVOCAR URGENTEMENTE a las autoridades y representantes de los pueblos, naciones y tribus indígenas a la celebración de una:
ASAMBLEA NACIONAL INDÍGENA EXTRAORDINARIA
Que tendrá lugar los días 7, 8 y 9 de agosto de 2009 en el nuevo poblado de XAYAKALAN, campamento en resistencia de la comunidad indígena nahua de Santa María Ostula, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, de acuerdo al siguiente programa:
DÍA 7 DE AGOSTO
10:00-20:00 HORAS.- REGISTRO DE DELEGADOS, INVITADOS Y OBSERVADORES.
DÍA 8 DE AGOSTO
11:00-12:00 HORAS.- INAUGARACIÓN DE LA ASAMBLEA NACIONAL INDÍGENA.
12:00-15:00 HORAS.- INSTALACIÓN DE CUATRO MESAS QUE TRABAJARAN SIMULTANEAMENTE EL SIGUIENTE TEMARIO:
A) BALANCE DE LA LUCHA INDÍGENA A PARTIR DEL CUARTO CONGRESO NACIONAL INDÍGENA REALIZADO EN LA COMUNIDAD NAHÑU DE ATLAPULCO EN EL MES DE MAYO DE 2006.
B) DIAGNOSTICO Y EVALUACÍÓN DE LA GUERRA DE CONQUISTA Y DEVASTACIÓN NEOLIBERAL EN CONTRA DE LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS, DE LA NACIÓN Y DE LA MADRE TIERRA.
C) EL EJERCICIO DE LA AUTONOMÍA INDÍGENA, LA PROTECCIÓN DE LOS TERRITORIOS INDÍGENAS Y EL DERECHO A LA AUTODEFENSA INDÍGENA.
15:00-16:00 HORAS.- COMIDA.
16:00-20:00 HORAS.- CONTINUACIÓN DE LAS MESAS DE TRABAJO.
DÍA 9 DE AGOSTO
10:00-14:00 HORAS.- PLENARIA RESOLUTIVA.
14:00-15:00 HORAS.- CLAUSURA.
15:00-16:00 HORAS.- COMIDA.
Dada en el territorio de la Costa Nahua de Michoacán, comunidad indígena de Santa María Ostula, a los quince días del mes de agosto de 2009.
NUNCA MÁS UN MÉXICO SIN NOSOTROS
POR LA RECONSTITUCIÓN INTEGRAL DE NUESTROS PUEBLOS
POR EL CONGRESO NACIONAL INDÍGENA
MICHOACÁN
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE EL COIRE
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE POMARO
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE NURÍO
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE CHERÁN
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE COMACHUÉN
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE ARANTEPACUA
COMUNIDAD PURHÉPECHA DE SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA
UNIÓN DE COMUNEROS EMILIANO ZAPATA
OAXACA
CONSEJO INDÍGENA POPULAR DE OAXACA-RICARDO FLORES MAGÓN
CONSEJO CIUDADANO UNIDALGUENSE
GUBIÑA XXI
MOVIMIENTO DE UNIFICACIÓN Y LUCHA TRIQUI
UNIÒN DE ORGANIZACIONES DE LA SIERRA JUAREZ DE OAXACA
SERVICIOS DEL PUEBLO MIXE
SONORA
GUARDIA TRADICIONAL DEL PUEBLO DE VICAM, PRIMERA CABECERA DE LA TRIBU YAQUI
BAJA CALIFORNIA
COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DEL MAYOR CUCAPÁ
KUMIAI INTEGRANTES DEL CNI EN LA COMUNIDAD DE LA HUERTA
KUMIAI INTEGRANTES DEL CNI EN LA COMUNIDAD DE JUNTAS DE NEJÍ
JALISCO
COMUNIDAD WIXÁRIKA DE SANTA CATARINA CUEXCOMATITLÁN
COMUNIDAD NAHUA DE AYOTITLÁN
ORGANIZACIÓN DE COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS Y CAMPESINAS DE TUXPAN
DURANGO
COMUNIDAD AUTÓNOMA WIXÁRIKA DE BANCOS DE SAN HIPÓLITO
GUERRERO
COMUNIDAD AMUZGA DE SULJAA'
COMITÉ DIRECTIVO DE LA RADIO ÑOMNDAA, SULJAA’
ESTADO DE MÉXICO
COMUNIDAD ÑAHÑU DE SAN PEDRO ATLAPULCO
DISTRITO FEDERAL
COMUNEROS DE MILPA ALTA
Audios de Radio Ñomndaa por el pueblo nahua en Ostula, Michoacan, Mexico
Hola,
Esperando se encuentren bien, les mando algunos audios ke los compas de Radio Ñomndaa, han compartido, para seguir visibilizando la digna lucha que el pueblo nahua de Michoacán ha iniciado
Córranlos con sus contactos, para que puedan ser escuchados
saludos y favor de difundir
Esperando se encuentren bien, les mando algunos audios ke los compas de Radio Ñomndaa, han compartido, para seguir visibilizando la digna lucha que el pueblo nahua de Michoacán ha iniciado
Córranlos con sus contactos, para que puedan ser escuchados
saludos y favor de difundir
Saludos
Priscila
¡Obtén la mejor experiencia en la web!
Descarga gratis el nuevo Internet Explorer 8.br> http://downloads. yahoo.com/ ieak8/?l= mx
__._,_.___
Archivos adjuntos de Priscila Ehecatl
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[Más abajo se incluyen archivos adjuntos de Priscila Ehecatl]
| va 2 audio |
¡Obtén la mejor experiencia en la web!
Descarga gratis el nuevo Internet Explorer 8.br> http://downloads. yahoo.com/ ieak8/?l= mx
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Archivos adjuntos de Priscila Ehecatl
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Ostula-_2_Posesion_de_la_tierra.mp3va el audio 3
Se convoca a apoyar la justa lucha que están dando, el pueblo nahua de Ostula este apoyo puede ser con su presencia física en la nueva comunidad de Xayakalan, puede ser con víveres, todo tipo de acción para presionar al gobierno federal y estatal a respetar y reconocer el derecho al territorio y a la autonomía; también se requiere del apoyo económico,
Se ha avisado que se puede depositar en la “CUENTA “PERFILES” BANAMEX A NOMBRE DE VICTOR SELESTINO GRAGEDA, TESORERO DE LA COMUNIDAD. CUENTA NO. 7989603, CLAVE NO. 002497044779896031” , y sobre todo, sigamos fortaleciendo nuestra organización desde el lugar en donde estamos, para entre tod@s empujar los cambios de raíces que nuestro país necesita.
¡Obtén la mejor experiencia en la web!
Descarga gratis el nuevo Internet Explorer 8.br> http://downloads. yahoo.com/ ieak8/?l= mx
__._,_.___
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Archivo 1 de 1
Feministas en Resistencia en Honduras
Este video me emocionó tanto. En medio de tanta barbarie golpista, feministas en Honduras resisten, transforman.
Ochy Curiel
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=UXLeikI0tdg
Ochy Curiel
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=UXLeikI0tdg
Mayor Villaraigosa Statement on Termination of the Federal Consent Decree
MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA
City of Los Angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2009
CONTACT
Matt Szabo
213-978-0741
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA STATEMENT ON TERMINATION OF THE FEDERAL CONSENT
DECREE
LOS ANGELES – Today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the following
statement in response to U.S. District Court Judge Gary A. Feess’
termination of the federal consent decree forced on the Los Angeles
Police Department in 2001:
“It is truly a new day at the Los Angeles Police Department. The
shackles of a necessary but burdensome federal consent decree have been
broken, but the benefits of reform have already been realized.
“For the first time in my lifetime, residents of our most
crime-plagued neighborhoods view our brave men and women in blue as
partners, not adversaries. That partnership has enabled the most
efficient police force in the nation to reduce crime rates to levels not
seen since the 1950s. And as crime has plummeted, it has sparked a
renaissance of hope in our most historically troubled neighborhoods.
“I want to personally thank and congratulate Chief William Bratton,
the Los Angeles Police Commission, Inspector General Andre Birotte, Jr.,
and each and every one of the nearly 10,000 men and women of the Los
Angeles Police Department for a job well done.”
# # #
City of Los Angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2009
CONTACT
Matt Szabo
213-978-0741
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA STATEMENT ON TERMINATION OF THE FEDERAL CONSENT
DECREE
LOS ANGELES – Today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the following
statement in response to U.S. District Court Judge Gary A. Feess’
termination of the federal consent decree forced on the Los Angeles
Police Department in 2001:
“It is truly a new day at the Los Angeles Police Department. The
shackles of a necessary but burdensome federal consent decree have been
broken, but the benefits of reform have already been realized.
“For the first time in my lifetime, residents of our most
crime-plagued neighborhoods view our brave men and women in blue as
partners, not adversaries. That partnership has enabled the most
efficient police force in the nation to reduce crime rates to levels not
seen since the 1950s. And as crime has plummeted, it has sparked a
renaissance of hope in our most historically troubled neighborhoods.
“I want to personally thank and congratulate Chief William Bratton,
the Los Angeles Police Commission, Inspector General Andre Birotte, Jr.,
and each and every one of the nearly 10,000 men and women of the Los
Angeles Police Department for a job well done.”
# # #
Thursday, July 16, 2009
NYM Warriors Lalo and Megcenetkwe Pass onto the Spirit World
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artscphoto/172421671/#preview--- On Tue, 7/14/09, NYM Communications
From: NYM Communications
Subject: Update: NYMWarriorsLalo & MegcenetkwePass on to the Spirit World
To: secwepemcnym@yahoo.ca, silentdojo@gmail.com
Received: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 4:11 PM
Native Youth Movement
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
On Sunday, July 12th, 2009 a family of Warriors from the Native Youth Movement got into a tragic car accident in Utah while returning to California from Sun Dance in LakotaTerritory. Lalo, Tepehuano Nation and his infant daughter Megcenetkwe Assata, Tepehuano/Secwepemc/Ktnuxa Nation passed on to the Spirit World. Lalo's wife NatlutkatNana Snutetkwe (Snut) and their other daughter Malinalli Zapatista miraculously survived.
Lalo was a member of the Warrior Alliance, he believed in Uniting all Warriorz, he lived by the Warrior Code, committed to his family, People and the Land. Lalo knew people from throughout North amerikkka, he ran twice in the Peace and Dignity Journeys, running from Alaska to Panama, where he met and fell in Love with his wife NatlutkatNana. Everywhere he went people remember him as a great Man, Father and Warrior. NatlutkatNana and Lalo have two beautiful childern, raising them in the Indian way, their family are Warriors committed to Defending Mother Earth and our Way of Life.
While Lalo and Megcenetkwe Assata will be greatly missed by his blood family and his blood type family (Brothers and Sisters in NYM), he was a Warrior, always standing in-between danger and his people and we know his death was not for nothing, he was protecting us once again. Kukstemc Lalo and Megcenetkwe, you are always with us. This tragedy stengthens our resolve and determination to Unite Warriors and Take Back Our Land! Lalo always kept kept it Strictly Movement, the best thing we can do to Honour his Sacrifice is to Never stop Fighting for Land and Freedom.
We are asking all Warriors who know Lalo and his family, to come to his services and ceremony at Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 7pm in Los Angeles, California, see below for exact directions and contact information.
"When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." -- Chief Aupumut, Mohican. 1725
Dear Family and Friends:
Funeral Arrangements for Olegario (Lalo) Angulo and Megcenetkwe Angulo will be held Thursday 16 July 2009 at 7 p.m. at the
Funeraria Del Angel-Morrow's
Serving Pico Rivera
9107 Washington Blvd
Pico Rivera, CA 90660-2564
1 (562) 949-2564
Burial will OddFellowsCemetery Friday 17 July 2009 (Time To Be Announced)
Odd Fellows Cemetery
3640 Whittier Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90023-1789, United States
(323) 261-6156
Condolences and Messages Can Be Sent To:
nymcommunications@hotmail.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
Southern California Anarchist Conference Aug. 1st / Feria Cultural Libertaria Aug. 2nd.
The Southern California Anarchist Conference-- a weekend long conference centered on the political philosophy of Anarchy and Anarchism-- brings together anarchist ideas and practice, through speakers, panels, workshops, images, music, theater and film to represent everyday struggles for justice, dignity and collective liberation.
Throughout history, freedom-loving peoples have found ways to liberate themselves from the grasp of authoritarianism. It is these collective strategies that we as anarchists of the 21st century now seek to re-implement in a more efficient way. We stand in solidarity not merely in order to sidestep the exploitative powers that keep us poor, afraid, and underrepresented, but as a means of ensuring our own survival through the creation of sustainable and genuinely democratic alternatives.
This is a call out to individuals and collectives who want to share their ideas, skills and experiences as a means to contribute to the development of stronger Culture of Resistance and, ultimately, a more just society.
CONFIRMED ARTISTS:
Aztlan Underground
Sherman Austin,
Guerrilla Queenz,
Cihuatl-Ce,
Rebels to the Grain,
Sacrifice,
Black Riders,
Fresher Fresh,
Send the Dogs,
Olmeca
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANARCHIST CONFERENCE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANARCHIST CONFERENCE
FERIA LIBERTARIA
FERIA LIBERTARIA
Sunday
August 2, 2009
Fair
Art, Music, Theatre, Food
Tabling & more
UCLA Downtown
Labor Center
675 S. Park View St. Los Angeles
CA 90057
Check out these websites for Updates and Fliers:
http://www.anarchistconference.org/
www.diyzine.com/2009
Throughout history, freedom-loving peoples have found ways to liberate themselves from the grasp of authoritarianism. It is these collective strategies that we as anarchists of the 21st century now seek to re-implement in a more efficient way. We stand in solidarity not merely in order to sidestep the exploitative powers that keep us poor, afraid, and underrepresented, but as a means of ensuring our own survival through the creation of sustainable and genuinely democratic alternatives.
This is a call out to individuals and collectives who want to share their ideas, skills and experiences as a means to contribute to the development of stronger Culture of Resistance and, ultimately, a more just society.
CONFIRMED ARTISTS:
Aztlan Underground
Sherman Austin,
Guerrilla Queenz,
Cihuatl-Ce,
Rebels to the Grain,
Sacrifice,
Black Riders,
Fresher Fresh,
Send the Dogs,
Olmeca
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANARCHIST CONFERENCE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANARCHIST CONFERENCE
FERIA LIBERTARIA
FERIA LIBERTARIA
Sunday
August 2, 2009
Fair
Art, Music, Theatre, Food
Tabling & more
UCLA Downtown
Labor Center
675 S. Park View St. Los Angeles
CA 90057
Check out these websites for Updates and Fliers:
http://www.anarchistconference.org/
www.diyzine.com/2009
Lalo Angulo Passed Away
I just received sad news that Lalo Angulo has passed away. Lalo of 31 years old and his newborn baby daughter did not survive a car accident. His wife Snutetkwe of 22 years old and other baby Malinalli 4 years old, are in critical condition. Lalo was a 2004 Peace & Dignity Journeys runner and made the commitment from Alaska to Panama.Some of you knew him from his visit to Fresno in 2004.He was from Nayarit, Mexico, of the Tepehuano people and married Snutetkwe of Secwepemc and Ktunaxa First Nations in Canada. They had thier first child soon after 2004 run. Lalo and his entire family joined us in Canada and California to run for 2008. I have attached photos of Lalo for anyone who is curious of who he was and who he always will be. Life is not promised to us and we must take advantage of every moment that we have with those that we love on this journey. ...please say a prayer for Lalo as he and his daughter pass to the spirit world! i will keep you all posted on his wife and baby Malinalli. Peace Hector Armando Cerda
Attack on Ostula, Michoacan / Agresion contra Ostula, Michoacan
Urgent Communiqué from the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), July 30th, 2009.
URGENT COMMUNIQUE
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
On June 29th around seven in the evening, a group of hired
mercenaries, carrying high powered weapons, ambushed and shot
indiscriminately at the men, women and children of the indigenous
Nahua community of Santa María Ostula, Municipality of Aquila,
Michoacan. These mercenaries were contracted by a small group of
mestizos who say they own property in La Placita, Municipality of
Aquila, Michoacan. Our people were carrying out a peaceful and legal
action to protect the possession of our communal lands in the area
known as La Canaguacera, which has been invaded by so-called private
property owners for many years.
The indigenous community of Santa María Ostula has been recognized by
a presidential resolution confirming and giving them title to their
communal goods/lands (resolucion presidencial sobre confirmacion y
titulacion de bienes comunales) on April 27th 1964. However, when we
tried to process and carry out our rights given to us by the
presidential resolution, the agrarian authorities committed
irregularities on the paperwork, and this has culminated in a
defective resolution. This lack of clarity in the legal framework has
led to the slow invasion of our lands by so-called small private
property owners from La Placita, who over the years has illegally
occupied over 700 hectares that correspond to our community.
There have been many attempts to negotiate a solution to this problem
over the years, but we have not been able to come to an agreement. The
so-called private property owners refuse to acknowledge any boundaries
between their lands and those that correspond to our comity. We have
also tried using different legal means to this problem but have not
reached a definite solution.
We had applied for federal protection and were under the protection of
the law (amparo) while this problem was resolved and had taken the
necessary precautions to protect our lands, when the so-called private
property owners contacted people who began occupying our communal
lands on June 10th. It was under these conditions that our general
assembly of joint land holders (comuneros) decided to reinforce our
possession of these lands, which the so-called private property owners
claim as theirs.
At these moments the situation our community is living is very hard, a
group of more than 300 comuneros, along with many women, are without
communication and trapped by the hired assassins in the area of La
Canaguacera. We don’t know if there is anyone injured or how many are
injured. The Mexican Military and Navy have set up two large
detachments during the night at the outskirts of our community and at
La Placita. On the other hand our community has closed access to our
21 villages and more than two thousand of our comuneros have began to
conduct security at different points in our communal territory. Also,
our sister communities of El Coire and Pomaro are now organizing
themselves to take different actions in defense of our united pueblo
Nahua of Michoacan.
We demand that the FEDRAL and STATE governments:
1. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the cowardly attack
suffered by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the bullet wounds
that our comrade Manuel Serrano is suffering from the attack mentioned
above.
3. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
4. Respect our traditional form of communal organization, including
the resolutions adapted by our general assembly and the actions our
community takes in the protection of its legitimate communal lands.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community and we urge the government to
respect our historical territorial rights.
We call on the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world, Civil
Society both nationally and internationally to support our just
struggle in anyway you can, like mobilizations to stop any further
repression or paramilitary violence against our existence and our
fundamental rights.
Lastly, we say to the indigenous peoples of Mexico that the cowardly
action that was supposed to terrorize us, separate our civil
population from our traditional communal police, and to stop us in our
struggle, WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. We will move forward in recuperating our
territory, peacefully and legally, we will continue strengthening our
unity and organization with the indigenous communities that have
offered their support so that our children and future generations of
native peoples in this country have a future.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, June 30th 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Second Communiqué from the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), July 2nd, 2009.
URGENT COMMUNIQUE No.2
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA communicates that the cowardly attack
committed last June 29th against our communal land holders (comuneros)
by a mercenary group hired by six so-called private property owning
meztisos from La Placita, in the Municipality of Aquila, Michoacan,
was finally defeated by means of occupation. More than two thousand
comuneros, our communal police force and our sister Nahua communities
of El Coire and Pomaro came in defense of the land in conflict. Our
current situation is as follows:
1. The area of La Canaguancera and the rest of the lands, which had
been invaded by the rich caciques, are now under our control and in
the rightful custody of the communal police, our community and our
sister communities of El Coire and Pomaro.
2. All of our territories, all 23 villages, are under the protection
of the communal police from all three Nahua communities.
3. The Nahua communities of Ostula, Coire and Pomaro find ourselves in
a state of maximum alert and are realizing permanent actions for the
protection of our territories.
4. The federal and state governments have not made any efforts to
inhibit further paramilitary attacks against us. We demand that these
governments intensify their vigilance around the area of La Placita.
5. It is false that we have people held hostage in our community. If
they did exist or will exist the detained would be held accordingly,
in the framework of our traditional system of justice and with full
respect to the human rights.
We demand that the FEDERAL and STATE governments:
1. 1. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the cowardly
attack suffered by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the bullet wounds
that our comrade Manuel Serrano is suffering from the attack mentioned
above.
3. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
4. Respect and recognition of the traditional indigenous communal
police of Santa Maria Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro as guardians of the
integrity of our lands and families.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community by organized delinquent groups
and we urge the government to respect our historical territorial
rights.
We call on indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world, Civil Society
both nationally and internationally to support our just struggle, any
provisions, medicine and financial resources. We urge our indigenous
brothers and sisters and organizations in solidarity to send a
delegation to reinforce our struggle, which is the struggle of all
native peoples.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 2nd, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Third Communiqué from the Commission in defense of communal lands from
the indigenous community of Santa Maria Ostula.
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA informs on the current situation that
exists in our community and the state of our communal lands that had
been invaded by so-called private property owners from La Placita:
1. Our community has recuperated approximately one thousand hectares;
these lands are now under our control and in the rightful custody of
the communal police, our community and the communities of El Coire and
Pomaro.
2. In five days we have built twenty-five homes. We are currently
working on building the Communal Center of Order (Engargatura del
Orden), a Chapel and a Communal Health Center in the new village we
are founding, which we have named according to the ancestral memory of
our elders, Xayakalan.
3. Our community has not reached agreements with the government, nor
is their peace and tranquility in our zone, such rumors are false. We
have comuneros that are still wounded and are being cared for by our
own community. Our schools, from all 21 villages, have been closed
indefinitely since June 30th because of the lack of safety in the
region. Our stores and warehouses are running out of supplies and our
families cannot dedicate themselves to their labors because of the
heavy task of building on and guarding our lands.
4. This past election day, July 5th, we did not allow any voting
booths to be installed in the Nahua territory that corresponds to the
communities of Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro. We unanimously decided not
to vote because no political party, no government has ever given us a
solution to the serious problems we face. They have all lied and
deceived us.
5. Our community has detained the following delinquents: TRINIDAD
GÓMEZ BARAJAS, RAMÓN GÓMEZ BARAJAS and FELIPE MARTÍNEZ DE MIGUEL. They
have been detained for the crimes committed on June 29th, 2009. These
individuals were morally condemned by our community and were handed
over to the state government as detainees. At all moments were their
human rights respected and were treated fairly.
We demand that the FEDERAL and STATE governments:
1. Immediate punishment to J. REFUGIO DÍAZ a so-called private
property owner and those responsible for the cowardly attack suffered
by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Respect the irreversible possession that our community has on the
lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong to
us from the beginning of time.
3. Respect and recognition of the traditional indigenous communal
police of Santa Maria Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro as guardians of the
integrity of our lands and families.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community and any action taken by
organized delinquent groups. We urge the government to respect our
historical territorial rights.
Despite the great tension that are communities are living because we
currently have to maintain our security and the necessities of
constructing our new village of Xayakalan, we make a call out to:
1. The indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world; that a peaceful
indigenous camp be set up immediately in the recuperated lands.
2. Civil society both nationally and internationally and to
alternative media; that an OBSERVATION camp be set up immediately in
the recuperated lands so that our current situation can be broadcasted
and to protect the human rights of our community.
3. To all men, women and children who have in their heart the
conviction to fight for justice and the rights of native peoples; our
community urgently needs provisions, medicine and financial resources.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 5th, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Fourth Communiqué from the commission in defense of communal lands
from the indigenous community of Santa Maria Ostula, Michoacan,
Mexico.
To the people and governments of the world.
To the people of Mexico.
To all media communications.
The Commission in Defense of Communal Lands from the indigenous
community of Santa Maria Ostula makes it known that we have set up a
bank account where economic deposits can be made by those that wish to
be in solidarity with our struggle:
"Prefiles" Account from Banamex. Account number 7989603, Key number
002497044779896031. In the name of Victor Selestino Grageda, Community
Treasurer.
We call on the indigenous people of Mexico and the world to continue
sending support delegations to the lands recuperated by our community.
We ask that civil society both national and internationally set up an
OBSERVATION CAMP immediately in the conflict zone so that human rights
laws are not violated, to pressure for a peaceful solution in this
current struggle for the land, and to pressure the federal and state
governments to comply to the demands of our past communiqués.
We continue to demand:
1. Immediate punishment to J. REFUGIO DÍAZ, the so-called private
property owner, and those responsible for the cowardly attack our
community on July 29th, 2009.
2. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
3. Recognition and respect of the indigenous communal police of Santa
María Ostula, El Coire and Pómaro. They are the guardians of our
lands, families and communities.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 5th, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
=================
COMUNICADO URGENTE
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
El día 29 de junio del presente año, alrededor de las siete de la tarde, un grupo de choque contratado por un reducido grupo de supuestos pequeños propietarios mestizos de La Placita, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, que portaba armas de alto poder, emboscó y disparó indiscriminadamente sobre hombres, mujeres y niños pertenecientes a la comunidad indígena nahua de Santa María Ostula, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, que, con fundamento en la garantía contenida en el artículo 27 constitucional y en los derechos que protegen los artículos 13, 14 y 15 del Convenio 169 de la OIT, se ENCONTRABAN REALIZANDO UNA ACCIÓN PACÍFICA Y LEGAL PARA PROTEGER LA POSESIÓN de nuestras tierras comunales en el paraje conocido como La Canaguancera, lugar que ha sido invadido por los supuestos pequeños propietarios durante años.
La comunidad indígena de Santa María Ostula fue reconocida en su personalidad y en sus propiedades ancestrales a través de la resolución presidencial sobre confirmación y titulación de bienes comunales de fecha 27 de abril de 1964. Sin embargo, al tramitar, dictar y ejecutar nuestra resolución presidencial sobre confirmación y titulación de bienes comunales, las autoridades agrarias incurrieron en serias irregularidades, derivadas de los deficientes trabajos técnicos e informativos que en su momento efectuaron, y que culminaron en la emisión de una resolución defectuosa. Esta falta de certeza jurídica ha derivado en la paulatina invasión de nuestras tierras por parte de los supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita, quienes a través de los años han ocupado en forma ilegal más de 700 hectáreas correspondientes a nuestra propiedad y posesión comunal.
En los últimos años han sido numerosos los intentos por alcanzar una solución negociada a tan grave problema, pero, no ha sido posible alcanzar un acuerdo entre nuestra comunidad y los supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita, pues, éstos se niegan a reconocer los linderos que de manera real separan sus terrenos de aquellos que corresponden a nuestra comunidad. Asimismo se han promovido diversas instancias legales, sin que se haya alcanzado una solución definitiva a tan grave problemática.
Es el caso que existiendo diversos amparos y medidas cautelares favorables a nuestra comunidad, personas contratadas por los supuestos pequeños propietarios empezaron a ocupar nuestras tierras comunales el pasado 10 de junio. Fue en dichas condiciones que nuestra asamblea general de comuneros resolvió reforzar su posesión en las tierras que los supuestos pequeños propietarios reclaman como de su propiedad.
En estos momentos la situación de nuestra comunidad es difícil, pues, un grupo superior a los 300 comuneros, incluidas varias mujeres, se encuentran incomunicados y cercados por los mencionados sicarios en el paraje de La Canaguancera, razón por la que no sabemos si existen heridos en dicho lugar y cuantos puedan ser. Asimismo en los alrededores de la comunidad y de La Placita se han establecido a lo largo de la noche dos numerosos destacamentos pertenecientes al Ejército Mexicano y a la Marina. Por otro lado la comunidad ha cerrado los accesos a los 21 poblados que la integran y cerca de dos mil comuneros se hayan haciendo vigilancia en diversos puntos del territorio comunal, en tanto que las hermanas comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro se encuentran organizando diversas acciones para la defensa conjunta del pueblo nahua de Michoacán.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y
ESTATAL:
1. El inmediato castigo a los responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestras comuneros y comuneras este 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El inmediato castigo a los responsables de las lesiones de bala causadas a nuestro compañero Manuel Serrano este 29 de junio pasado en el ataque antes referido.
3. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
4. El respeto a nuestras formas tradicionales de organización comunal, incluidas las resoluciones adoptadas por nuestra asamblea general y las acciones que adopte la comunidad para la protección legítima de sus bienes comunales.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Llamamos a los PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO, ASI COMO A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL a apoyar nuestra justa lucha del modo que les sea posible, así como a movilizarse para impedir una acción represiva o de violencia paramilitar que atente contra nuestra existencia y contra nuestros derechos fundamentales.
Por último les decimos a los pueblos indígenas de México que la cobarde acción que tuvo como propósito aterrorizar a nuestra comunidad y separar a nuestra población civil de nuestra policía comunitaria tradicional, con el claro fin de frenar nuestra lucha, NO TENDRÁ ÉXITO. NO DAREMOS UN PASO ATRÁS EN LA RECUPERACIÓN DE NUESTRO TERITORIO Y EN FORMA PACÍFICA Y LEGAL SEGUIREMOS FORTALECIENDO NUESTRA ORGANIZACIÓN Y LA UNIDAD CON LAS COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS QUE PRONTAMENTE NOS OFRECIERON SU APOYO PARA QUE NUESTROS HIJOS Y LAS FUTURAS GENERACIONES DE LOS PUEBLOS INDIOS DE ESTE PAÍS TENGAN UN FUTURO.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 30 DE JUNIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNICADO URGENTE NO. 2
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
La COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA comunica que el cobarde ataque perpetrado el pasado día 29 de junio en contra de nuestros comuneros y comuneras por parte de un grupo de choque contratado por seis supuestos pequeños propietarios mestizos de La Placita, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, pudo ser finalmente inhibido mediante la ocupación plena de las tierras en conflicto por más de 2 mil comuneros y el resguardo de dichas tierras por las policías comunitarias de nuestra comunidad y de las hermanas comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro. En consecuencia la situación actual es la siguiente:
El paraje de la Canaguancera y las restantes tierras que nos habían sido invadidas por los ricos caciques están bajo nuestro control y debidamente custodiadas por LAS POLICIAS COMUNITARIAS DE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y DE LAS COMUNIDADES HERMANAS DE EL COIRE Y POMARO.
La totalidad del territorio correspondiente a nuestra comunidad, incluidos los 23 poblados que lo integran, se hayan bajo el resguardo y protección de las policías comunitarias de las tres comunidades.
Las comunidades nahuas de Ostula, Coire y Pómaro nos encontramos en estado de alerta máxima y realizando acciones permanentes para la protección de nuestros territorios.
Los gobiernos federal y estatal no han realizado acciones tendientes a inhibir futuros ataques paramilitares en nuestra contra, por lo que exigimos de dichos gobiernos intensificar la vigilancia en torno al poblado de La Placita.
Es falso que existan personas secuestradas en nuestra comunidad y EN CASO DE QUE EXISTIERAN O LLEGARAN A EXISTIR PERSONAS DETENIDAS, LO ANTERIOR SE HARÍA CONFORME A DERECHO, EN EL MARCO DE NUESTRO SISTEMA DE JUSTICIA TRADICIONAL Y CON PLENO RESPETO A LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS DE LOS POSIBLES DETENIDOS.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y ESTATAL:
1. El inmediato castigo a los responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestras comuneros y comuneras el 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El inmediato castigo a los responsables de las lesiones de bala causadas a nuestro compañero Manuel Serrano este 29 de junio pasado en el ataque antes referido.
3. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
4. El respeto y reconocimiento de las policías comunitarias de las comunidades indígenas de Santa María Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro como salvaguardas de la integridad de las tierras y de las familias de nuestras comunidades.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad o de cualquier ataque por parte de grupos de delincuencia organizada y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Llamamos a los PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO, ASI COMO A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL a apoyar nuestra justa lucha del modo que les sea posible y a través del inmediato y urgente traslado de víveres, medicinas y recursos financieros a nuestra comunidad, instando a nuestros hermanos pueblos indígenas y a las organizaciones fraternas para que envíen comisiones encaminadas al reforzamiento de nuestra lucha, misma que es la lucha de todos nuestros pueblos.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 02 DE JULIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNICADO
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
La COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA comunica la situación que actualmente existe en la comunidad y el estado que guarda el conflicto relativo a las tierras comunales que anteriormente fueron invadidas por supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita:
1. Actualmente nuestra comunidad ha recuperado la posesión de aproximadamente mil hectáreas de tierras que le pertenecen, mismas que se encuentran bajo nuestro control y debidamente custodiadas por las guardias comunales pertenecientes a LAS POLICIAS COMUNITARIAS DE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y DE LAS COMUNIDADES HERMANAS DE EL COIRE Y POMARO.
2. En cinco días hemos edificado 25 casas y se encuentran en proceso de construcción las casas de la Encargatura del Orden, de la Capilla y de la Casa de Salud Comunal correspondientes al nuevo poblado que estamos fundando y que, de conformidad con la memoria ancestral de nuestros abuelos, llevará el nombre de Xayakalan.
3. Es falso que nuestra comunidad haya alcanzado acuerdos con el gobierno y que exista tranquilidad en la zona, en tanto que, existen comuneros heridos que están siendo atendidos por la propia comunidad; las escuelas de los 21 poblados pertenecientes a Ostula fueron cerradas en forma indefinida desde el pasado 30 de junio ante la inseguridad que priva en la zona; existe desabasto en las tiendas y almacenes de la comunidad y nuestras familias no pueden dedicarse a sus labores ante las enormes tareas de resguardo comunal y debido a las obras de edificación del nuevo poblado.
4. En todo el territorio correspondiente a las comunidades nahuas de Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro NO SE INSTALARON CASILLAS ELECTORALES y aún cuando esto hubiera ocurrido NOSOTROS DECIDIMOS EN FORMA UNÁNIME NO VOTAR, PUES, NINGÚN PARTIDO Y NINGÚN GOBIERNO HAN DADO SOLUCIÓN A LOS GRAVES PROBLEMAS QUE NOS AQUEJAN, TODOS NOS HAN DICHO MENTIRAS Y SOLO NOS HAN ENGAÑADO.
5. Nuestra comunidad tenía detenidas y encarceladas, a raíz de los sucesos ocurridos el pasado 29 de junio del año actual, a los siguientes delincuentes: TRINIDAD GÓMEZ BARAJAS, RAMÓN GÓMEZ BARAJAS y FELIPE MARTÍNEZ DE MIGUEL. Estos sujetos fueron moralmente condenados por nuestra comunidad y entregados el día de hoy al gobierno del estado en calidad de detenidos, aclarando que en todo momento fueron tratados con justicia y respetando sus derechos humanos.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y ESTATAL:
1. Se castigue inmediatamente al supuesto pequeño propietario J. REFUGIO DÍAZ y a los restantes responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestros comuneros y comuneras el 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
3. El respeto y reconocimiento de las policías comunitarias de las comunidades indígenas de Santa María Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro como salvaguardas de la integridad de las tierras y de las familias de nuestras comunidades.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad o de cualquier ataque por parte de grupos de delincuencia organizada y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Ante la gran tensión que se vive en nuestras comunidades y ante las necesidades que actualmente tenemos para sostener nuestra seguridad y edificar el poblado de Xayakalan, llamamos:
• A LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO para que en las tierras recuperadas por nuestra comunidad INSTALEN EN FORMA INMEDIATA UN CAMPAMENTO INDÍGENA CIVIL Y PACÍFICO.
• A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL Y A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN ALTERNATIVOS para que en las tierras recuperadas por nuestra comunidad INSTALEN EN FORMA INMEDIATA UN CAMPAMENTO DE OBSERVACIÓN que distienda la actual situación y verifique la protección de los derechos humanos de nuestra comunidad.
• A TODOS LOS HOMBRES, MUJERES, NIÑOS Y NIÑAS QUE EN SU CORAZÓN TENGAN LA CONVICCIÓN DE LUCHAR POR LA JUSTICIA Y POR LOS DERECHOS DE NUESTROS PUEBLOS a realizar el inmediato y urgente traslado de víveres, medicinas y recursos financieros a nuestra comunidad.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 05 DE JULIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
URGENT COMMUNIQUE
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
On June 29th around seven in the evening, a group of hired
mercenaries, carrying high powered weapons, ambushed and shot
indiscriminately at the men, women and children of the indigenous
Nahua community of Santa María Ostula, Municipality of Aquila,
Michoacan. These mercenaries were contracted by a small group of
mestizos who say they own property in La Placita, Municipality of
Aquila, Michoacan. Our people were carrying out a peaceful and legal
action to protect the possession of our communal lands in the area
known as La Canaguacera, which has been invaded by so-called private
property owners for many years.
The indigenous community of Santa María Ostula has been recognized by
a presidential resolution confirming and giving them title to their
communal goods/lands (resolucion presidencial sobre confirmacion y
titulacion de bienes comunales) on April 27th 1964. However, when we
tried to process and carry out our rights given to us by the
presidential resolution, the agrarian authorities committed
irregularities on the paperwork, and this has culminated in a
defective resolution. This lack of clarity in the legal framework has
led to the slow invasion of our lands by so-called small private
property owners from La Placita, who over the years has illegally
occupied over 700 hectares that correspond to our community.
There have been many attempts to negotiate a solution to this problem
over the years, but we have not been able to come to an agreement. The
so-called private property owners refuse to acknowledge any boundaries
between their lands and those that correspond to our comity. We have
also tried using different legal means to this problem but have not
reached a definite solution.
We had applied for federal protection and were under the protection of
the law (amparo) while this problem was resolved and had taken the
necessary precautions to protect our lands, when the so-called private
property owners contacted people who began occupying our communal
lands on June 10th. It was under these conditions that our general
assembly of joint land holders (comuneros) decided to reinforce our
possession of these lands, which the so-called private property owners
claim as theirs.
At these moments the situation our community is living is very hard, a
group of more than 300 comuneros, along with many women, are without
communication and trapped by the hired assassins in the area of La
Canaguacera. We don’t know if there is anyone injured or how many are
injured. The Mexican Military and Navy have set up two large
detachments during the night at the outskirts of our community and at
La Placita. On the other hand our community has closed access to our
21 villages and more than two thousand of our comuneros have began to
conduct security at different points in our communal territory. Also,
our sister communities of El Coire and Pomaro are now organizing
themselves to take different actions in defense of our united pueblo
Nahua of Michoacan.
We demand that the FEDRAL and STATE governments:
1. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the cowardly attack
suffered by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the bullet wounds
that our comrade Manuel Serrano is suffering from the attack mentioned
above.
3. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
4. Respect our traditional form of communal organization, including
the resolutions adapted by our general assembly and the actions our
community takes in the protection of its legitimate communal lands.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community and we urge the government to
respect our historical territorial rights.
We call on the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world, Civil
Society both nationally and internationally to support our just
struggle in anyway you can, like mobilizations to stop any further
repression or paramilitary violence against our existence and our
fundamental rights.
Lastly, we say to the indigenous peoples of Mexico that the cowardly
action that was supposed to terrorize us, separate our civil
population from our traditional communal police, and to stop us in our
struggle, WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. We will move forward in recuperating our
territory, peacefully and legally, we will continue strengthening our
unity and organization with the indigenous communities that have
offered their support so that our children and future generations of
native peoples in this country have a future.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, June 30th 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Second Communiqué from the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), July 2nd, 2009.
URGENT COMMUNIQUE No.2
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA communicates that the cowardly attack
committed last June 29th against our communal land holders (comuneros)
by a mercenary group hired by six so-called private property owning
meztisos from La Placita, in the Municipality of Aquila, Michoacan,
was finally defeated by means of occupation. More than two thousand
comuneros, our communal police force and our sister Nahua communities
of El Coire and Pomaro came in defense of the land in conflict. Our
current situation is as follows:
1. The area of La Canaguancera and the rest of the lands, which had
been invaded by the rich caciques, are now under our control and in
the rightful custody of the communal police, our community and our
sister communities of El Coire and Pomaro.
2. All of our territories, all 23 villages, are under the protection
of the communal police from all three Nahua communities.
3. The Nahua communities of Ostula, Coire and Pomaro find ourselves in
a state of maximum alert and are realizing permanent actions for the
protection of our territories.
4. The federal and state governments have not made any efforts to
inhibit further paramilitary attacks against us. We demand that these
governments intensify their vigilance around the area of La Placita.
5. It is false that we have people held hostage in our community. If
they did exist or will exist the detained would be held accordingly,
in the framework of our traditional system of justice and with full
respect to the human rights.
We demand that the FEDERAL and STATE governments:
1. 1. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the cowardly
attack suffered by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Immediate punishment to those responsible for the bullet wounds
that our comrade Manuel Serrano is suffering from the attack mentioned
above.
3. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
4. Respect and recognition of the traditional indigenous communal
police of Santa Maria Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro as guardians of the
integrity of our lands and families.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community by organized delinquent groups
and we urge the government to respect our historical territorial
rights.
We call on indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world, Civil Society
both nationally and internationally to support our just struggle, any
provisions, medicine and financial resources. We urge our indigenous
brothers and sisters and organizations in solidarity to send a
delegation to reinforce our struggle, which is the struggle of all
native peoples.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 2nd, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Third Communiqué from the Commission in defense of communal lands from
the indigenous community of Santa Maria Ostula.
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD.
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO AND ALL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA informs on the current situation that
exists in our community and the state of our communal lands that had
been invaded by so-called private property owners from La Placita:
1. Our community has recuperated approximately one thousand hectares;
these lands are now under our control and in the rightful custody of
the communal police, our community and the communities of El Coire and
Pomaro.
2. In five days we have built twenty-five homes. We are currently
working on building the Communal Center of Order (Engargatura del
Orden), a Chapel and a Communal Health Center in the new village we
are founding, which we have named according to the ancestral memory of
our elders, Xayakalan.
3. Our community has not reached agreements with the government, nor
is their peace and tranquility in our zone, such rumors are false. We
have comuneros that are still wounded and are being cared for by our
own community. Our schools, from all 21 villages, have been closed
indefinitely since June 30th because of the lack of safety in the
region. Our stores and warehouses are running out of supplies and our
families cannot dedicate themselves to their labors because of the
heavy task of building on and guarding our lands.
4. This past election day, July 5th, we did not allow any voting
booths to be installed in the Nahua territory that corresponds to the
communities of Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro. We unanimously decided not
to vote because no political party, no government has ever given us a
solution to the serious problems we face. They have all lied and
deceived us.
5. Our community has detained the following delinquents: TRINIDAD
GÓMEZ BARAJAS, RAMÓN GÓMEZ BARAJAS and FELIPE MARTÍNEZ DE MIGUEL. They
have been detained for the crimes committed on June 29th, 2009. These
individuals were morally condemned by our community and were handed
over to the state government as detainees. At all moments were their
human rights respected and were treated fairly.
We demand that the FEDERAL and STATE governments:
1. Immediate punishment to J. REFUGIO DÍAZ a so-called private
property owner and those responsible for the cowardly attack suffered
by our comuneros and comuneras on June 29th, 2009.
2. Respect the irreversible possession that our community has on the
lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong to
us from the beginning of time.
3. Respect and recognition of the traditional indigenous communal
police of Santa Maria Ostula, El Coire and Pomaro as guardians of the
integrity of our lands and families.
We hold the federal and state governments responsible for any
repressive action against our community and any action taken by
organized delinquent groups. We urge the government to respect our
historical territorial rights.
Despite the great tension that are communities are living because we
currently have to maintain our security and the necessities of
constructing our new village of Xayakalan, we make a call out to:
1. The indigenous peoples of Mexico and the world; that a peaceful
indigenous camp be set up immediately in the recuperated lands.
2. Civil society both nationally and internationally and to
alternative media; that an OBSERVATION camp be set up immediately in
the recuperated lands so that our current situation can be broadcasted
and to protect the human rights of our community.
3. To all men, women and children who have in their heart the
conviction to fight for justice and the rights of native peoples; our
community urgently needs provisions, medicine and financial resources.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 5th, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
Fourth Communiqué from the commission in defense of communal lands
from the indigenous community of Santa Maria Ostula, Michoacan,
Mexico.
To the people and governments of the world.
To the people of Mexico.
To all media communications.
The Commission in Defense of Communal Lands from the indigenous
community of Santa Maria Ostula makes it known that we have set up a
bank account where economic deposits can be made by those that wish to
be in solidarity with our struggle:
"Prefiles" Account from Banamex. Account number 7989603, Key number
002497044779896031. In the name of Victor Selestino Grageda, Community
Treasurer.
We call on the indigenous people of Mexico and the world to continue
sending support delegations to the lands recuperated by our community.
We ask that civil society both national and internationally set up an
OBSERVATION CAMP immediately in the conflict zone so that human rights
laws are not violated, to pressure for a peaceful solution in this
current struggle for the land, and to pressure the federal and state
governments to comply to the demands of our past communiqués.
We continue to demand:
1. Immediate punishment to J. REFUGIO DÍAZ, the so-called private
property owner, and those responsible for the cowardly attack our
community on July 29th, 2009.
2. Respect to the irreversible possession that our community has on
the lands known as La Canaguancera and all communal lands that belong
to us from the beginning of time.
3. Recognition and respect of the indigenous communal police of Santa
María Ostula, El Coire and Pómaro. They are the guardians of our
lands, families and communities.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, July 5th, 2009.
THE COMMISSION IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNAL LANDS FROM THE INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITY OF SANTA MARÍA OSTULA.
=================
COMUNICADO URGENTE
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
El día 29 de junio del presente año, alrededor de las siete de la tarde, un grupo de choque contratado por un reducido grupo de supuestos pequeños propietarios mestizos de La Placita, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, que portaba armas de alto poder, emboscó y disparó indiscriminadamente sobre hombres, mujeres y niños pertenecientes a la comunidad indígena nahua de Santa María Ostula, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, que, con fundamento en la garantía contenida en el artículo 27 constitucional y en los derechos que protegen los artículos 13, 14 y 15 del Convenio 169 de la OIT, se ENCONTRABAN REALIZANDO UNA ACCIÓN PACÍFICA Y LEGAL PARA PROTEGER LA POSESIÓN de nuestras tierras comunales en el paraje conocido como La Canaguancera, lugar que ha sido invadido por los supuestos pequeños propietarios durante años.
La comunidad indígena de Santa María Ostula fue reconocida en su personalidad y en sus propiedades ancestrales a través de la resolución presidencial sobre confirmación y titulación de bienes comunales de fecha 27 de abril de 1964. Sin embargo, al tramitar, dictar y ejecutar nuestra resolución presidencial sobre confirmación y titulación de bienes comunales, las autoridades agrarias incurrieron en serias irregularidades, derivadas de los deficientes trabajos técnicos e informativos que en su momento efectuaron, y que culminaron en la emisión de una resolución defectuosa. Esta falta de certeza jurídica ha derivado en la paulatina invasión de nuestras tierras por parte de los supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita, quienes a través de los años han ocupado en forma ilegal más de 700 hectáreas correspondientes a nuestra propiedad y posesión comunal.
En los últimos años han sido numerosos los intentos por alcanzar una solución negociada a tan grave problema, pero, no ha sido posible alcanzar un acuerdo entre nuestra comunidad y los supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita, pues, éstos se niegan a reconocer los linderos que de manera real separan sus terrenos de aquellos que corresponden a nuestra comunidad. Asimismo se han promovido diversas instancias legales, sin que se haya alcanzado una solución definitiva a tan grave problemática.
Es el caso que existiendo diversos amparos y medidas cautelares favorables a nuestra comunidad, personas contratadas por los supuestos pequeños propietarios empezaron a ocupar nuestras tierras comunales el pasado 10 de junio. Fue en dichas condiciones que nuestra asamblea general de comuneros resolvió reforzar su posesión en las tierras que los supuestos pequeños propietarios reclaman como de su propiedad.
En estos momentos la situación de nuestra comunidad es difícil, pues, un grupo superior a los 300 comuneros, incluidas varias mujeres, se encuentran incomunicados y cercados por los mencionados sicarios en el paraje de La Canaguancera, razón por la que no sabemos si existen heridos en dicho lugar y cuantos puedan ser. Asimismo en los alrededores de la comunidad y de La Placita se han establecido a lo largo de la noche dos numerosos destacamentos pertenecientes al Ejército Mexicano y a la Marina. Por otro lado la comunidad ha cerrado los accesos a los 21 poblados que la integran y cerca de dos mil comuneros se hayan haciendo vigilancia en diversos puntos del territorio comunal, en tanto que las hermanas comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro se encuentran organizando diversas acciones para la defensa conjunta del pueblo nahua de Michoacán.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y
ESTATAL:
1. El inmediato castigo a los responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestras comuneros y comuneras este 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El inmediato castigo a los responsables de las lesiones de bala causadas a nuestro compañero Manuel Serrano este 29 de junio pasado en el ataque antes referido.
3. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
4. El respeto a nuestras formas tradicionales de organización comunal, incluidas las resoluciones adoptadas por nuestra asamblea general y las acciones que adopte la comunidad para la protección legítima de sus bienes comunales.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Llamamos a los PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO, ASI COMO A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL a apoyar nuestra justa lucha del modo que les sea posible, así como a movilizarse para impedir una acción represiva o de violencia paramilitar que atente contra nuestra existencia y contra nuestros derechos fundamentales.
Por último les decimos a los pueblos indígenas de México que la cobarde acción que tuvo como propósito aterrorizar a nuestra comunidad y separar a nuestra población civil de nuestra policía comunitaria tradicional, con el claro fin de frenar nuestra lucha, NO TENDRÁ ÉXITO. NO DAREMOS UN PASO ATRÁS EN LA RECUPERACIÓN DE NUESTRO TERITORIO Y EN FORMA PACÍFICA Y LEGAL SEGUIREMOS FORTALECIENDO NUESTRA ORGANIZACIÓN Y LA UNIDAD CON LAS COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS QUE PRONTAMENTE NOS OFRECIERON SU APOYO PARA QUE NUESTROS HIJOS Y LAS FUTURAS GENERACIONES DE LOS PUEBLOS INDIOS DE ESTE PAÍS TENGAN UN FUTURO.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 30 DE JUNIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNICADO URGENTE NO. 2
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
La COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA comunica que el cobarde ataque perpetrado el pasado día 29 de junio en contra de nuestros comuneros y comuneras por parte de un grupo de choque contratado por seis supuestos pequeños propietarios mestizos de La Placita, municipio de Aquila, Michoacán, pudo ser finalmente inhibido mediante la ocupación plena de las tierras en conflicto por más de 2 mil comuneros y el resguardo de dichas tierras por las policías comunitarias de nuestra comunidad y de las hermanas comunidades nahuas de El Coire y Pómaro. En consecuencia la situación actual es la siguiente:
El paraje de la Canaguancera y las restantes tierras que nos habían sido invadidas por los ricos caciques están bajo nuestro control y debidamente custodiadas por LAS POLICIAS COMUNITARIAS DE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y DE LAS COMUNIDADES HERMANAS DE EL COIRE Y POMARO.
La totalidad del territorio correspondiente a nuestra comunidad, incluidos los 23 poblados que lo integran, se hayan bajo el resguardo y protección de las policías comunitarias de las tres comunidades.
Las comunidades nahuas de Ostula, Coire y Pómaro nos encontramos en estado de alerta máxima y realizando acciones permanentes para la protección de nuestros territorios.
Los gobiernos federal y estatal no han realizado acciones tendientes a inhibir futuros ataques paramilitares en nuestra contra, por lo que exigimos de dichos gobiernos intensificar la vigilancia en torno al poblado de La Placita.
Es falso que existan personas secuestradas en nuestra comunidad y EN CASO DE QUE EXISTIERAN O LLEGARAN A EXISTIR PERSONAS DETENIDAS, LO ANTERIOR SE HARÍA CONFORME A DERECHO, EN EL MARCO DE NUESTRO SISTEMA DE JUSTICIA TRADICIONAL Y CON PLENO RESPETO A LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS DE LOS POSIBLES DETENIDOS.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y ESTATAL:
1. El inmediato castigo a los responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestras comuneros y comuneras el 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El inmediato castigo a los responsables de las lesiones de bala causadas a nuestro compañero Manuel Serrano este 29 de junio pasado en el ataque antes referido.
3. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
4. El respeto y reconocimiento de las policías comunitarias de las comunidades indígenas de Santa María Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro como salvaguardas de la integridad de las tierras y de las familias de nuestras comunidades.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad o de cualquier ataque por parte de grupos de delincuencia organizada y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Llamamos a los PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO, ASI COMO A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL a apoyar nuestra justa lucha del modo que les sea posible y a través del inmediato y urgente traslado de víveres, medicinas y recursos financieros a nuestra comunidad, instando a nuestros hermanos pueblos indígenas y a las organizaciones fraternas para que envíen comisiones encaminadas al reforzamiento de nuestra lucha, misma que es la lucha de todos nuestros pueblos.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 02 DE JULIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
COMUNICADO
A LOS PUEBLOS Y GOBIERNOS DEL MUNDO.
AL PUEBLO DE MEXICO.
A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN.
La COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA comunica la situación que actualmente existe en la comunidad y el estado que guarda el conflicto relativo a las tierras comunales que anteriormente fueron invadidas por supuestos pequeños propietarios de La Placita:
1. Actualmente nuestra comunidad ha recuperado la posesión de aproximadamente mil hectáreas de tierras que le pertenecen, mismas que se encuentran bajo nuestro control y debidamente custodiadas por las guardias comunales pertenecientes a LAS POLICIAS COMUNITARIAS DE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y DE LAS COMUNIDADES HERMANAS DE EL COIRE Y POMARO.
2. En cinco días hemos edificado 25 casas y se encuentran en proceso de construcción las casas de la Encargatura del Orden, de la Capilla y de la Casa de Salud Comunal correspondientes al nuevo poblado que estamos fundando y que, de conformidad con la memoria ancestral de nuestros abuelos, llevará el nombre de Xayakalan.
3. Es falso que nuestra comunidad haya alcanzado acuerdos con el gobierno y que exista tranquilidad en la zona, en tanto que, existen comuneros heridos que están siendo atendidos por la propia comunidad; las escuelas de los 21 poblados pertenecientes a Ostula fueron cerradas en forma indefinida desde el pasado 30 de junio ante la inseguridad que priva en la zona; existe desabasto en las tiendas y almacenes de la comunidad y nuestras familias no pueden dedicarse a sus labores ante las enormes tareas de resguardo comunal y debido a las obras de edificación del nuevo poblado.
4. En todo el territorio correspondiente a las comunidades nahuas de Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro NO SE INSTALARON CASILLAS ELECTORALES y aún cuando esto hubiera ocurrido NOSOTROS DECIDIMOS EN FORMA UNÁNIME NO VOTAR, PUES, NINGÚN PARTIDO Y NINGÚN GOBIERNO HAN DADO SOLUCIÓN A LOS GRAVES PROBLEMAS QUE NOS AQUEJAN, TODOS NOS HAN DICHO MENTIRAS Y SOLO NOS HAN ENGAÑADO.
5. Nuestra comunidad tenía detenidas y encarceladas, a raíz de los sucesos ocurridos el pasado 29 de junio del año actual, a los siguientes delincuentes: TRINIDAD GÓMEZ BARAJAS, RAMÓN GÓMEZ BARAJAS y FELIPE MARTÍNEZ DE MIGUEL. Estos sujetos fueron moralmente condenados por nuestra comunidad y entregados el día de hoy al gobierno del estado en calidad de detenidos, aclarando que en todo momento fueron tratados con justicia y respetando sus derechos humanos.
Por lo anterior es que EXIGIMOS de los gobiernos FEDERAL y ESTATAL:
1. Se castigue inmediatamente al supuesto pequeño propietario J. REFUGIO DÍAZ y a los restantes responsables del cobarde ataque sufrido por nuestros comuneros y comuneras el 29 de junio de 2009.
2. El RESPETO IRRESTRICTO A LA POSESIÓN QUE NUESTRA COMUNIDAD TIENE SOBRE EL PARAJE CONOCIDO COMO LA CANAGUANCERA Y SOBRE TODAS LAS TIERRAS COMUNALES QUE LE PERTENECEN EN FORMA INMEMORIAL.
3. El respeto y reconocimiento de las policías comunitarias de las comunidades indígenas de Santa María Ostula, El Coire y Pómaro como salvaguardas de la integridad de las tierras y de las familias de nuestras comunidades.
Responsabilizamos a dichos niveles de gobierno de cualquier acción represiva en contra de nuestra comunidad o de cualquier ataque por parte de grupos de delincuencia organizada y los instamos a respetar y hacer que se respeten nuestros derechos territoriales históricos.
Ante la gran tensión que se vive en nuestras comunidades y ante las necesidades que actualmente tenemos para sostener nuestra seguridad y edificar el poblado de Xayakalan, llamamos:
• A LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE MÉXICO Y EL MUNDO para que en las tierras recuperadas por nuestra comunidad INSTALEN EN FORMA INMEDIATA UN CAMPAMENTO INDÍGENA CIVIL Y PACÍFICO.
• A LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL Y A LOS MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN ALTERNATIVOS para que en las tierras recuperadas por nuestra comunidad INSTALEN EN FORMA INMEDIATA UN CAMPAMENTO DE OBSERVACIÓN que distienda la actual situación y verifique la protección de los derechos humanos de nuestra comunidad.
• A TODOS LOS HOMBRES, MUJERES, NIÑOS Y NIÑAS QUE EN SU CORAZÓN TENGAN LA CONVICCIÓN DE LUCHAR POR LA JUSTICIA Y POR LOS DERECHOS DE NUESTROS PUEBLOS a realizar el inmediato y urgente traslado de víveres, medicinas y recursos financieros a nuestra comunidad.
SANTA MARÍA OSTULA, A 05 DE JULIO DE 2009.
LA COMISIÓN POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS BIENES COMUNALES DE LA COMUNIDAD INDÍGENA DE SANTA MARÍA OSTULA
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Beneath the Surface Show with Hamid Khan on May Day 2007 and State Violence 07/09/09 / Liberals and May Day 2007
The link to listen to the show Beneath the Surface with Hamid Khan of the South Asian Network on May Day 2007 and State Violence 07/09/09
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_090709_170130bts_hamid.MP3
John Imani wrote this piece after he listened to the show:
Liberals and May Day 2007
By John Imani
Carol Sobel (paraphrase): This occurred because of insufficient planning on the part of the police.
Bullshit.
The police knew exactly what they were doing. And the police violence and intimidation began long before we got to the park.
They denied us the permit and thereby compelled us to break the law. It was a physical impossibility for the number of people attending to march down the sidewalk from 3rd and Vermont to the Park. They knew that this would happen.
They did this to project a political position on immigration. In this society the cops are held up as being above the politics of class. They will arrest just as quickly the rich man as the poor man for sleeping under the bridge on a rainy night. Or, so they say and so would have us believe those who foster the idea that insufficient planning and/or an insufficient number of cops led to the police riot in MacArthur Park.
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_090709_170130bts_hamid.MP3
John Imani wrote this piece after he listened to the show:
Liberals and May Day 2007
By John Imani
Carol Sobel (paraphrase): This occurred because of insufficient planning on the part of the police.
Bullshit.
The police knew exactly what they were doing. And the police violence and intimidation began long before we got to the park.
They denied us the permit and thereby compelled us to break the law. It was a physical impossibility for the number of people attending to march down the sidewalk from 3rd and Vermont to the Park. They knew that this would happen.
They did this to project a political position on immigration. In this society the cops are held up as being above the politics of class. They will arrest just as quickly the rich man as the poor man for sleeping under the bridge on a rainy night. Or, so they say and so would have us believe those who foster the idea that insufficient planning and/or an insufficient number of cops led to the police riot in MacArthur Park.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Cop Watch L.A. Patrol 6/23/09 Lennox - A block from where Christian Portillo was murdered by sheriffs
This patrol happened in Lennox on 6/23/09 a block away wher Christian Portillo was murdered on 7/23/08 a year ago by the sheriffs in Lennox. On the corner of Dalerose and 111th Lennox Sheriffs are known to harass youth and...
This patrol happened in Lennox on 6/23/09 a block away wher Christian Portillo was murdered on 7/23/08 a year ago.
On the corner of Dalerose and 111th
Lennox Sheriffs are known to harass youth and the community.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjhPPaQa-zc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVqWwfmC-IE
This patrol happened in Lennox on 6/23/09 a block away wher Christian Portillo was murdered on 7/23/08 a year ago.
On the corner of Dalerose and 111th
Lennox Sheriffs are known to harass youth and the community.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjhPPaQa-zc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVqWwfmC-IE
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
(COINTELPRO TODAY) Policing Terrorism in the United States: The Los Angeles Police Department's Convergence Strategy
You thought COINTELPRO was dead? Think again.
This article was taken from The Police Chief Magazine, and internal law enforcement journal. It speaks to the targeting of specific organizations in particular the Black Riders Liberation Party. We can connect this also to the case of Alex Sanchez. Please read carefully, fascism is already here and has been here.
To highlight some things from this article:
"Black Rider Case: The Black Rider Liberation Party, a spinoff of the Black Panther Party, threatened to take over four police stations in Los Angeles and shoot and kill as many police officers as possible in furtherance of its black separatist and antigovernment agenda. Traditional policing tactics, including surveillance (using both technical and nontechnical methods), source development, search warrants, and the introduction of an informant, resulted in the arrest and prosecution of this domestic terrorist group. Property recovered during the investigation included numerous large-caliber automatic and semiautomatic weapons; a military handbook on intelligence and interrogation; night vision goggles; bulletproof vests; knives; a crossbow; a police scanner; and manuals on police field operations, sniper procedures, and bioterrorism."
Free Alex Sanchez and all political prisoners! Support those coming under attack by the state!
Policing Terrorism in the United States: The Los Angeles Police Department's Convergence Strategy
By Michael P. Downing, Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer, Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, Los Angeles, California, Police Department
ocal law enforcement agencies around the world face an increasingly complex set of problems with the emergence of globally coordinated criminal networks and national security threats. Modern-day criminals have proved themselves to be transnational in reach, linked by sophisticated networks and highly adaptive in their thinking. In response, local police agencies such as the Los Angeles, California, Police Department (LAPD) are developing strategies that are equally adaptive and networked. The linchpin of these strategies is and must remain convergence.
The word convergence is used variously by different disciplines. In this context, the intent is to describe the process of bringing different elements together to achieve a result beneficial to all. As a real-world example, the U.S. Army’s Human Terrain Project (http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/) puts anthropologists and other social scientists alongside combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq to help the military better understand local cultures.
This concept translates well to policing in the context of counterterrorism. To face a relatively new adversary, police have been required to bolster old strengths, such as investigative skills, while acquiring new information, such as specific knowledge of terrorist organizations. These developments are fostered often by collaborative, multidisciplinary environments, which can cast light on the way forward. This article highlights some of the efforts the LAPD has undertaken to achieve a high level of convergence in working to prevent terrorist activities on U.S. soil.
A New Reality: Global Events with Local Effects
For local police to successfully meet the challenges posed by terrorism, the time-tested approaches that emphasize prevention must converge with new ones that focus on prediction. The systems designed to protect sensitive information must converge with efforts to cooperate and collaborate with law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad. Self-contained, territorial methods of operation must give way to strategic relationships and the development of an international consciousness that remains anchored in local communities.
In relation to terrorism, these strategies are driven by a new reality: extreme ideologies often have global implications. The groups that hew to these ideologies and embrace the use of violence can achieve a global reach. The impact of this new reality is that terrorist attacks can have devastating effects on the United States and its interests—no matter where in the world such attacks occur.
Local law enforcement agencies in the United States must assume that an attack that takes place in a remote location could be part of a global effort with a local operational component. The attack could be replicated locally, could be supported or advanced by local operators, or could even be exploited by local extremists to advance their political agendas. Therefore, it is essential that local law enforcement agencies start to look beyond U.S. shores for the harbingers of future regional issues.
Two examples of geopolitical changes in the past several years demonstrate the need to appreciate international perspectives. According to World Bank estimates, the number of poorly governed “fragile” states—those characterized by weak institutions and vulnerability to conflict—jumped from 17 in 2003 to 26 in 2007.1 This is significant because failed states can serve as breeding grounds for criminals such as terrorists, who are all too eager to exploit a weakened government and population and who often develop transnational reach. In terms of tactics, it is interesting to note that suicide attacks took place in seven countries from 1981 to 2000. The number of countries has jumped to at least 20 since 2001.2 Although it is not a foregone conclusion that the United States will suffer a suicide attack, this is a trend that merits the close attention of the law enforcement community.
Already, the United States faces a vicious, amorphous, and unfamiliar adversary. In simplistic terms, the terrorist threat can be separated into three categories: homegrown terrorists inspired by an ideology promoted by al Qaeda or other groups; terrorists who come to the United States to raise money to conduct operations here or abroad; and terrorists who have footholds both in the United States and overseas and operate in both arenas.
In the experience of the LAPD, the principal threats are local, self-generating, and self-directed. If there are direct connections with overseas groups, these are most likely to be initiated by the local actors. One such example was found in Lodi, California (see figure 1 for a timeline of terrorist activity since September 11, 2001), where U.S. citizens sought terrorist training in Pakistan. This consideration is not intended to minimize the international threat, but it serves as a caution that the number of U.S. local threats will likely increase.
Figure 1. The graph illustrates that over time, terrorist attacks have become more inspired
by rather than controlled by al Qaeda. For U.S. law enforcement agencies, this means a
greater emphasis must be placed on identifying homegrown, al Qaeda–inspired terrorists and
developing a greater understanding of the local environment that produces them.
Strengths of Local Agencies in Counterterrorism Efforts
The United States has many more layers and jurisdictions than countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Australia. One need only look at the numbers. Covering 3.79 million square miles and home to more than 300 million people, the United States contains roughly 3,000 counties and about 2,500 cities with 10,000 or more people.
The country boasts more than 16 federal intelligence agencies and 17,500 local law enforcement agencies that employ more than 750,000 local law enforcement officers. This decentralization of law enforcement responsibilities presents both a challenge and an opportunity: a challenge to develop lasting, effective collaboration among diverse agencies, but an opportunity for special skills and expertise to be developed and shared throughout the U.S. law enforcement community. Whether that opportunity will be realized will be decided by how effectively agencies collaborate—with each other, with the private sector, with academia, and with their communities.
The strengths of U.S. local law enforcement agencies are drawn from the powers of search, seizure of evidence, and arrest; a community policing infrastructure; the growing ability to manage, share, and analyze information; the proven ability to identify and interpret suspect behaviors; and established relationships that can carry an investigation from inception to completion.
Local police also add the critical elements of speed, resources, and numbers to any situation. They are able to deploy rapidly and can quickly summon more forces if needed. Managers in the field are accustomed to making decisions in dynamic and high-stakes incidents. Investigators, particularly in large police departments, have considerable resources at their fingertips and are supported by a solid investment in their training. Many police departments throughout the country are faced with a high workload. The natural outcome of this fast pace is that the officers and investigators have substantial breadth and depth of field experience.
These strengths all make local police supremely capable of being valuable contributors to U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Just as terrorists’ modus operandi evolve, so do policing efforts. Police are designed to quickly adapt and align their resources to changing circumstances in the field. They are also the force most attuned to subtle changes and warning signs in the community.
In the terrorism arena, the main strength of local agencies is their experience in investigating individuals and enterprises. The investigation of individuals has created a robust understanding of how broad networks and enterprises with varying degrees of culpability are linked through relationships. The crime-fighting model used to investigate organized crime, gangs, and narcotics trafficking enterprises—their structures, the players, and their strategies—is being applied regularly to the investigation of terrorist networks.
This modern approach was embraced after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in recognition of the dearth of information about other possible terrorist activity in the country. Agencies following the model cast a wide and deep law enforcement net that both attempts to catch culpable individuals and targets the larger enterprise. Resources are focused on detecting more traditional crimes such as fraud, smuggling, and tax evasion to assemble the puzzle pieces and understand the networks of terrorist operatives in local communities. This approach has helped agencies develop a richer picture of the operational environment and likely has played a significant role in preventing another attack in the United States.
The convergence of these tried and true policing strategies when applied to the problem of terrorism has yielded success. Local police, particularly those from the larger antiterrorism units, are contributing to the knowledge base of their state and federal colleagues—particularly when it comes to understanding the dynamics of networks and decentralized groups. These cases and the resulting lessons learned have increased the stature of local law enforcement operations and earned local agencies a legitimate seat at the intelligence table.
Progress since September 11
In the past, turf battles and the need for jurisdictional supremacy at all levels of the U.S. law enforcement community led to key intelligence failures. Although there is still much work to be done, in the last seven years, information sharing in the United States has improved both vertically and horizontally: vertically, meaning between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the nation’s 17,500 state and local police departments, and horizontally, among the state and local departments themselves. The changes made in communication between local and national intelligence units since the September 11 attacks can be put into three categories: culture, capability, and awareness.
Culture: Local and state law enforcement agencies are now recognized as critical to intelligence efforts to prevent terrorism—efforts that blend seamlessly with their core mission to detect and deter crime and protect communities. This was not always so. Only after the September 11 attacks were these agencies woven into the national security fabric, and the art of policing was acknowledged and embraced. The change in the culture has been reflected in numerous documents, studies, and initiatives in the past seven years, including the president’s National Strategy for Information Sharing and a recent RAND Corporation study that stated that “policing and intelligence should be the backbone of U.S. efforts” to defeat al Qaeda because its network of individuals needs
to be tracked and arrested.3
Capability: Analytic capabilities have improved in large part because of the establishment of 58 fusion centers in 46 states.
Awareness: Local police are becoming better able to recognize behaviors consistent with the crimes related to terrorism.
Role of Local Agencies in Intelligence Gathering and Analysis
As the U.S. government and federal law enforcement agencies have embraced police as true partners, local law enforcers themselves have rallied. For the first time in U.S. law enforcement history, senior officers from every major city police intelligence unit in the nation have come together to form an Intelligence Commanders Group (ICG), part of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Major city police departments are those that employ more than 1,000 law enforcement officers and serve a population of 500,000 or more. The 64 top-level intelligence commanders that constitute the ICG work in concert to share intelligence and ensure interagency cooperation.
In May 2008, this group delivered a position paper, Twelve Tenets to Prevent Crime and Terrorism, that detailed the priorities of local law enforcement agencies.4 This paper addresses 12 issues ranging from the classification of intelligence documents to the federal grant process and calls for changes in all.
The ICG document is a prime example of how police are collaborating in new ways to influence homeland security policy at the federal level. Their newfound voice is coupled with a desire to consider thoughtfully all of the serious responsibilities that come with their role as “first preventers” of terrorism—particularly when it comes to intelligence gathering and sharing.
With an increased role in the intelligence arena comes the increased responsibility on the part of police to protect civil liberties and operate in a legitimate and transparent fashion. The growth of intelligence-gathering operations at the local level must be proportionate with the creation of safeguards against abuses. It is important that local law enforcement agencies carefully and accurately define those they suspect will commit a criminal terrorist act. This task must be executed with a balance and precision that inspires the support and trust of the U.S. population so that local residents will partner with the police in the pursuit of their lawful mission.
The support and the trust of the public are essential to “softer” law enforcement strategies aimed at countering extremist ideologies and influence at the local level. Although the primary objective remains to hunt terrorism suspects and disrupt their operational capability (that is, recruiting, funding, planning, surveilling, and executing operations), the broader strategy must include efforts that target terrorists’ motivations.
Outreach and partnership efforts aim to increase the safety and stature of communities to create a network of individuals who feel it is in their best interest to create an environment hostile to criminals of all stripes. Such a network can be achieved by providing excellent police service and building solid relationships with community members.
This point is not merely an academic one—it has operational consequences. By getting communities, including those that may be breeding grounds for violent ideologies, to buy into the idea that local agencies are operating in the communities’ best interests, these agencies foster an environment in which tips and leads can come from those same communities, increasing the ability to gather information. Ultimately, it is these communities—aided by law enforcement and other resources—that foster environments hostile to the proliferation of criminality in any form.
Recent LAPD Counterterrorism Cases
The LAPD created its Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau in 2003. It now has close to 300 officers dedicated to counterterrorism, criminal-intelligence gathering, and community mobilization efforts.
The LAPD Counter-Terrorism Bureau’s mission has four goals:
Prevent terrorism by effectively sharing information aimed at disrupting terrorists’ operational capability and addressing the underlying causes associated with the motivational component
Protect the public and critical infrastructure by leveraging private-sector resources and hardening targets
Pursue terrorists and the criminal enterprises that support them
Prepare the citizenry and the city government for consequences associated with terrorist operations against the city
The LAPD has gained considerable counterterrorism case experience over the past few years. The following cases are but a sample of those that have come onto the LAPD’s counterterrorism investigative radar.
Hezbollah Funding Case: The arrest of a major terrorist funding group by a task force comprising members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the LAPD working alongside the FBI illustrated the interrelation of criminal acts and the funding of terrorism, as well as the increasing global reach of local cases. This group raised money for Hezbollah by selling narcotics. It then laundered a portion of the funds by selling counterfeit products such as clothing and cigarettes in the United States and Latin America.
Black Rider Case: The Black Rider Liberation Party, a spinoff of the Black Panther Party, threatened to take over four police stations in Los Angeles and shoot and kill as many police officers as possible in furtherance of its black separatist and antigovernment agenda. Traditional policing tactics, including surveillance (using both technical and nontechnical methods), source development, search warrants, and the introduction of an informant, resulted in the arrest and prosecution of this domestic terrorist group. Property recovered during the investigation included numerous large-caliber automatic and semiautomatic weapons; a military handbook on intelligence and interrogation; night vision goggles; bulletproof vests; knives; a crossbow; a police scanner; and manuals on police field operations, sniper procedures, and bioterrorism.
Jam’yyat Al-Islam Al-Saheeh: One case serves as an excellent example of the prison radicalization process, the nexus between street-level crimes and terrorism, and how homegrown terrorists are often inspired by ideology and events overseas but have no affiliation with a larger terrorist organization. It also illustrates how local police are key to identifying terrorism suspects who were not previously on the federal law enforcement radar.
Kevin Lamar James was a former Hoover Street Crip gang member who, while in prison, founded a group called Jam’yyat Al-Islam Al-Saheeh (JIS). While serving a 10-year sentence for robbery and possession of a weapon in prison, James converted a fellow inmate who, once released in 2004, was instructed to recruit others for terrorist operations against the United States and Israel. The convert did as instructed; in 2005, the four-person cell actively started researching such targets as military installations, Israeli offices, and synagogues and funded its operations through a series of gas station robberies—all orchestrated by James from behind prison walls.
One of these robberies led to the cell’s discovery and capture by local police in the summer of 2005. The search warrant that resulted from the robbery of a Torrance, California, gas station led to the discovery of jihadist propaganda and an overarching conspiracy to wage war against the United States. The four men involved were indicted in October 2006. Three of the four, including James, have pleaded guilty. The fourth was found mentally unfit to stand trial and is in a federal prison facility under psychiatric care. One of the four—the man whom James sent out to recruit others—was the first to be sentenced, receiving a 22-year federal prison term in June 2008. During his sentencing hearing, Levar Haney Washington told the judge that the members of JIS waged war against their own country because they opposed U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and stated that “calamities affecting the Muslim world” had influenced his outlook. The cell had robbed gas stations because oil is a political symbol, he said.5
Animal Liberation Front: The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an extremist group whose members have committed arson, vandalism, and other crimes that often do not rise to the level of a federal violation—placing them directly in the wheelhouse of local law enforcement agencies. The leaders of this underground movement often cloak themselves in the protections of the First Amendment right to free speech while leading a criminal lifestyle, committing crimes such as petty theft and robbery to sustain both themselves as individuals and the larger criminal enterprise. This rejection of authority enables local agencies to track and ultimately catch the leadership culpable for more pedestrian crimes such as burglaries. The ALF’s ultimate objective is to eliminate animal euthanasia and the use of all animals in laboratory testing in universities and science centers. In the pursuit of these objectives, elements of the group have become more violent.
California Department of Motor Vehicles: Another case provides an example of a crevice criminal market—in this case, embedded in a trusted government institution—that provides the logistical support for lower-level crimes all the way to potential terrorism-related cases. Workers at the California Department of Motor Vehicles provided a significant number of suspects with false documents. The documents in question appeared legal in every way other than the assumed name. This enterprise is in the process of being disrupted and dismantled through such traditional policing methods as extensive investigation and using informants against the targets.
LAPD Counterterrorism Programs
Even as the LAPD gains valuable real-world experience through cases such as those mentioned in the previous section, it must keep improving its capabilities and methods to stay ahead of the threat. The LAPD must also continuously develop ways to forge partnerships and foster collaboration among agencies. Sun Tzu, the oft-quoted Chinese general from the sixth century, wrote that “if you know your enemies and you know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.”
The following programs (some of which are identified in figure 2) demonstrate just some of the areas in which the department has concentrated its efforts to achieve its ambitious goals.
Figure 2. The graphic depicts a convergent approach to information/intelligence
collection that feeds into operational decision making, both in terms of
critical operational decision making and deployment or tactical resource allocation.
The double-sided arrows illustrate the fact that in this system, intelligence can feed operations or operations
can feed intelligence collection requirements.
Suspicious Activity Reports: The LAPD developed and implemented the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) process for reporting suspected terrorism-related incidents and tying them firmly into information collection procedures, tracking systems, and intelligence analysis. This is considered the first program in the United States to create a national standard for terrorism-related modus operandi codes. The SAR program is an example of the convergence of skills that police have used for decades to observe traditional criminal behavior with the new behavioral indices of those associated with terrorist recruitment and the planning and execution of operations. This initiative, which fits nicely with the federal government’s National Strategy for Information Sharing, is in the process of being rolled out nationally. Once the SAR program is institutionalized throughout the country, local, state, and federal agencies will have a common standard for collecting, measuring, and sharing information about suspected terrorism-related incidents. This program has the potential to become the bread and butter of U.S. fusion centers, and it can inspire the so-called boots on the ground and the community to get involved in the counterterrorism effort.
Operation Archangel: More than 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in the United States is privately owned. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the LAPD implemented Operation Archangel, which has become a national model for critical infrastructure protection. This program, which represents convergence of the private sector with the police system, was recently documented in the award-winning film Archangel: Protecting Our Freedom, which was distributed to 64 major cities and to the U.S. Congress.
National Counter-Terrorism Academy: The LAPD pilot tested the National Counter-Terrorism Academy (NCTA), the first such academy created by local law enforcement agencies for local law enforcement agencies. During the five-month pilot program, which ended in July 2008, nearly 60 police, fire, and private security personnel from 25 agencies received a comprehensive overview of international and domestic terrorist threats and were aided in the development of intelligence-led policing (ILP) strategies to counter those threats in their jurisdictions. This multiagency, multidisciplinary student body served as a prime example of the convergence of various disciplines in the counterterrorism effort. The NCTA will train many more in 2009, with NCTA programs in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California. The LAPD has also formally proposed the creation of a National Consortium on Intelligence-Led Policing (NCILP) that would serve as an ILP training and education resource for state and local police departments across the United States. The NCILP would design five separate curricula to teach state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies how to apply ILP strategies to the fusion of intelligence on counterterrorism, narcotics trafficking, gangs, organized crime, and human trafficking.
Hydra: The LAPD facilitated the acquisition of a training system, called Hydra, that tests and improves the decision-making skills of agency personnel during simulated critical incidents. This will be the first Hydra system in the United States and will grant the LAPD access to the training scenarios of 32 other installations throughout the world. In doing so, the department will firmly converge its training efforts with those of major police departments in such countries as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Terrorism Liaison Officers: Terrorism liaison officers (TLOs) are casting an ever-wider net to train more people in the city as public data collectors. They are trained on what and how to report suspicious behavior/activity that has a nexus to terrorism. This is one prong of an effort to institutionalize counterterrorism awareness in the area commands and throughout the LAPD. The ultimate goal is to blend crime-fighting and counterterrorism efforts seamlessly.
Muslim Forum: The LAPD recently held its first-ever Chief’s Muslim Community Forum, hosted by Chief William J. Bratton. This meeting brought police and Muslim leaders from throughout the greater Los Angeles area together to enable the LAPD to better understand how it can protect and serve their communities. The LAPD is in the process of developing a documentary film that will highlight the diverse Muslim communities in Los Angeles, their relationships with local law enforcement agencies, the challenges faced by both U.S. Muslims and law enforcement agencies, and the way forward. Community mobilization, an essential part of the crime-fighting model, is particularly important when applied to populations that may feel targeted by society or the police. One goal with Muslim communities has been to converge their community-building efforts with those of the LAPD; by opening channels of communication and fostering trust, opportunities to improve police service to those communities would arise.
Additional Capabilities
The following list enumerates some of the LAPD’s capabilities that best enable it to work toward its goal of convergence.
Information Sharing: Working in concert with regional and federal partners in the seven counties served by the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, the LAPD continues to build its capacity to collect, fuse, analyze, and disseminate both strategic and operational intelligence (see figure 3). The LAPD is aligning the information collection and dissemination process with an eye toward accountability to ensure that “first preventers” have the needed information in a timely manner. The “all crimes, all hazards” approach to this center ensures analysts’ ability to bring to light relevant trends to generate actionable intelligence. This fusion center epitomizes the model of convergence.
Figure 3. This graphic illustrates the LAPD’s preventive and predictive model of intelligence
collection and distribution. The LAPD’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau’s Major Crimes Division
and Emergency Services Division, as well as the Joint Regional Intelligence Center and
the Real-Time Analysis and Critical Response Division, create a real-time, four-lane
superhighway of information and intelligence. The CompStat process, criminal and
intelligence investigations, crimes that provide funding mechanisms for terrorist networks,
and technology that provides even more
focused information all provide for a richer
picture of local intelligence
RPPICS: The LAPD has developed a technological tool, called the Regional Public Private Infrastructure Collaboration System (RPPICS), that enhances communication both within the LAPD and with the private sector. This program converges technology with the goals of hardening targets and the inclusion of the private sector in counterterrorism efforts.
Human Intelligence: The LAPD created a human source development unit to increase its ability to develop actionable intelligence in specific areas—a measure taken with an eye toward understanding the environment of homegrown extremists and what to target in that environment.
Intelligence Investigators: The pioneering of the Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section demonstrated the success of a hybrid model of cross-training that equipped intelligence officers with the tools traditionally available to analysts. The new model requires that each investigative team be responsible for producing link charts, timelines, financial analysis, and so on. This helps investigators to see the criticality of analysis by identifying their own knowledge gaps and adjusting their investigations accordingly. This new approach has shortened the time span from the identification of a problem (a terrorist indicator) to its representation (in the form of analyzed intelligence) and the realization of investigative goals.
Cyber Investigations: The LAPD has developed the ability to hunt for signs of radicalization and terrorist activities on the Internet—a capability that provides a plain-view means of identifying and gathering information on potential threats. Information gleaned from this open source, fed into the radicalization template, and combined with a thorough understanding of operational indicators is critical to articulating suspicion and justifying the increased application of enforcement measures.
Conclusion
U.S. local law enforcement agencies have come a long way in terms of adapting to the increasingly complex threats of today’s world. However, as terrorist groups embracing asymmetric warfare tactics attempt to create a larger footprint on U.S. soil, agencies must not grow complacent.
Police hold the key to mitigating and ultimately defeating terrorism in the United States. Local agencies throughout the country have the ideas and the technology to create counternetworks and to mount effective defenses and offenses. Through multijurisdictional, multiagency efforts, police can cast a redundant network of trip wires to determine whether individuals or enterprises represent an active threat that warrants investigation or enforcement action. But agencies will need to be flexible, adaptable, and transparent enough to collaborate with one another. They will need to develop more meaningful and trusting partnerships and to create policy that maximizes law enforcement resources. Most importantly, they will need to work with communities to counter the extremism that foments acts of terrorism. Policing must be a convergent strategy that fights crime and disorder while creating hostile environments for terrorists.
The theme of convergence illustrates the coupling of local resources, namely police, with the ability to recognize ordinary crimes that terrorists have been known to commit in preparation for their operational attack: committing traffic violations, obtaining fake identification papers, smuggling, human trafficking, counterfeiting, committing piracy, drug trafficking, or participating in any other criminal enterprise that intersects with terrorists’ needs. Local police serve as the eyes and ears of communities; as such, they are best positioned to observe behaviors that have a nexus to terrorism. It has been the LAPD’s goal to institutionalize the idea of counterterrorism efforts throughout the department and the communities it serves—not to make counterterrorism measures the priority, but a priority.
Converging community policing and counterterrorism strategies and implementing them under the guiding philosophy of intelligence-led policing will focus law enforcement efforts and better equip agencies to partner with communities in the pursuit to make the United States safe. Ultimately, the success of all of these convergent strategies will be measured by the prevention of terrorist acts, the countering of extremist ideologies and their local influence, and the resiliency of U.S. communities in the face of man-made and natural disasters. ■
Notes:
1Karen DeYoung, “World Bank Lists Failing Nations That Can Breed Global Terrorism,” Washington Post, September 15, 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401859.html (accessed December 23, 2008).
2Louise Richardson, What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat (New York: Random House, 2006).
3White House, National Strategy for Information Sharing: Successes and Challenges in Improving Terrorism-Related Information Sharing, October 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/infosharing/index.html(accessed December 23, 2008); and Seth G. Jones and Martin C. Libicki, How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa’ida (Santa Monica, California: RAND Corporation, 2008), xvi,http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG741-1.pdf (accessed December 23, 2008).
4Major Cities Chiefs Association, Homeland Security Committee,Twelve Tenets to Prevent Crime and Terrorism, May 2008,http://www.majorcitieschiefs.org/pdfpublic/MCC%20Twelve%20Tenet%20Final%205%2021%2008.pdf (accessed December 23, 2008).
5H. G. Reza, “Man Sentenced to 22 Years in L.A.-Area Terror Plot,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2008, http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/23/local/me-cell24 (accessed December 23, 2008).
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This article was taken from The Police Chief Magazine, and internal law enforcement journal. It speaks to the targeting of specific organizations in particular the Black Riders Liberation Party. We can connect this also to the case of Alex Sanchez. Please read carefully, fascism is already here and has been here.
To highlight some things from this article:
"Black Rider Case: The Black Rider Liberation Party, a spinoff of the Black Panther Party, threatened to take over four police stations in Los Angeles and shoot and kill as many police officers as possible in furtherance of its black separatist and antigovernment agenda. Traditional policing tactics, including surveillance (using both technical and nontechnical methods), source development, search warrants, and the introduction of an informant, resulted in the arrest and prosecution of this domestic terrorist group. Property recovered during the investigation included numerous large-caliber automatic and semiautomatic weapons; a military handbook on intelligence and interrogation; night vision goggles; bulletproof vests; knives; a crossbow; a police scanner; and manuals on police field operations, sniper procedures, and bioterrorism."
Free Alex Sanchez and all political prisoners! Support those coming under attack by the state!
Policing Terrorism in the United States: The Los Angeles Police Department's Convergence Strategy
By Michael P. Downing, Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer, Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau, Los Angeles, California, Police Department
ocal law enforcement agencies around the world face an increasingly complex set of problems with the emergence of globally coordinated criminal networks and national security threats. Modern-day criminals have proved themselves to be transnational in reach, linked by sophisticated networks and highly adaptive in their thinking. In response, local police agencies such as the Los Angeles, California, Police Department (LAPD) are developing strategies that are equally adaptive and networked. The linchpin of these strategies is and must remain convergence.
The word convergence is used variously by different disciplines. In this context, the intent is to describe the process of bringing different elements together to achieve a result beneficial to all. As a real-world example, the U.S. Army’s Human Terrain Project (http://humanterrainsystem.army.mil/) puts anthropologists and other social scientists alongside combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq to help the military better understand local cultures.
This concept translates well to policing in the context of counterterrorism. To face a relatively new adversary, police have been required to bolster old strengths, such as investigative skills, while acquiring new information, such as specific knowledge of terrorist organizations. These developments are fostered often by collaborative, multidisciplinary environments, which can cast light on the way forward. This article highlights some of the efforts the LAPD has undertaken to achieve a high level of convergence in working to prevent terrorist activities on U.S. soil.
A New Reality: Global Events with Local Effects
For local police to successfully meet the challenges posed by terrorism, the time-tested approaches that emphasize prevention must converge with new ones that focus on prediction. The systems designed to protect sensitive information must converge with efforts to cooperate and collaborate with law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad. Self-contained, territorial methods of operation must give way to strategic relationships and the development of an international consciousness that remains anchored in local communities.
In relation to terrorism, these strategies are driven by a new reality: extreme ideologies often have global implications. The groups that hew to these ideologies and embrace the use of violence can achieve a global reach. The impact of this new reality is that terrorist attacks can have devastating effects on the United States and its interests—no matter where in the world such attacks occur.
Local law enforcement agencies in the United States must assume that an attack that takes place in a remote location could be part of a global effort with a local operational component. The attack could be replicated locally, could be supported or advanced by local operators, or could even be exploited by local extremists to advance their political agendas. Therefore, it is essential that local law enforcement agencies start to look beyond U.S. shores for the harbingers of future regional issues.
Two examples of geopolitical changes in the past several years demonstrate the need to appreciate international perspectives. According to World Bank estimates, the number of poorly governed “fragile” states—those characterized by weak institutions and vulnerability to conflict—jumped from 17 in 2003 to 26 in 2007.1 This is significant because failed states can serve as breeding grounds for criminals such as terrorists, who are all too eager to exploit a weakened government and population and who often develop transnational reach. In terms of tactics, it is interesting to note that suicide attacks took place in seven countries from 1981 to 2000. The number of countries has jumped to at least 20 since 2001.2 Although it is not a foregone conclusion that the United States will suffer a suicide attack, this is a trend that merits the close attention of the law enforcement community.
Already, the United States faces a vicious, amorphous, and unfamiliar adversary. In simplistic terms, the terrorist threat can be separated into three categories: homegrown terrorists inspired by an ideology promoted by al Qaeda or other groups; terrorists who come to the United States to raise money to conduct operations here or abroad; and terrorists who have footholds both in the United States and overseas and operate in both arenas.
In the experience of the LAPD, the principal threats are local, self-generating, and self-directed. If there are direct connections with overseas groups, these are most likely to be initiated by the local actors. One such example was found in Lodi, California (see figure 1 for a timeline of terrorist activity since September 11, 2001), where U.S. citizens sought terrorist training in Pakistan. This consideration is not intended to minimize the international threat, but it serves as a caution that the number of U.S. local threats will likely increase.
Figure 1. The graph illustrates that over time, terrorist attacks have become more inspired
by rather than controlled by al Qaeda. For U.S. law enforcement agencies, this means a
greater emphasis must be placed on identifying homegrown, al Qaeda–inspired terrorists and
developing a greater understanding of the local environment that produces them.
Strengths of Local Agencies in Counterterrorism Efforts
The United States has many more layers and jurisdictions than countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Australia. One need only look at the numbers. Covering 3.79 million square miles and home to more than 300 million people, the United States contains roughly 3,000 counties and about 2,500 cities with 10,000 or more people.
The country boasts more than 16 federal intelligence agencies and 17,500 local law enforcement agencies that employ more than 750,000 local law enforcement officers. This decentralization of law enforcement responsibilities presents both a challenge and an opportunity: a challenge to develop lasting, effective collaboration among diverse agencies, but an opportunity for special skills and expertise to be developed and shared throughout the U.S. law enforcement community. Whether that opportunity will be realized will be decided by how effectively agencies collaborate—with each other, with the private sector, with academia, and with their communities.
The strengths of U.S. local law enforcement agencies are drawn from the powers of search, seizure of evidence, and arrest; a community policing infrastructure; the growing ability to manage, share, and analyze information; the proven ability to identify and interpret suspect behaviors; and established relationships that can carry an investigation from inception to completion.
Local police also add the critical elements of speed, resources, and numbers to any situation. They are able to deploy rapidly and can quickly summon more forces if needed. Managers in the field are accustomed to making decisions in dynamic and high-stakes incidents. Investigators, particularly in large police departments, have considerable resources at their fingertips and are supported by a solid investment in their training. Many police departments throughout the country are faced with a high workload. The natural outcome of this fast pace is that the officers and investigators have substantial breadth and depth of field experience.
These strengths all make local police supremely capable of being valuable contributors to U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Just as terrorists’ modus operandi evolve, so do policing efforts. Police are designed to quickly adapt and align their resources to changing circumstances in the field. They are also the force most attuned to subtle changes and warning signs in the community.
In the terrorism arena, the main strength of local agencies is their experience in investigating individuals and enterprises. The investigation of individuals has created a robust understanding of how broad networks and enterprises with varying degrees of culpability are linked through relationships. The crime-fighting model used to investigate organized crime, gangs, and narcotics trafficking enterprises—their structures, the players, and their strategies—is being applied regularly to the investigation of terrorist networks.
This modern approach was embraced after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in recognition of the dearth of information about other possible terrorist activity in the country. Agencies following the model cast a wide and deep law enforcement net that both attempts to catch culpable individuals and targets the larger enterprise. Resources are focused on detecting more traditional crimes such as fraud, smuggling, and tax evasion to assemble the puzzle pieces and understand the networks of terrorist operatives in local communities. This approach has helped agencies develop a richer picture of the operational environment and likely has played a significant role in preventing another attack in the United States.
The convergence of these tried and true policing strategies when applied to the problem of terrorism has yielded success. Local police, particularly those from the larger antiterrorism units, are contributing to the knowledge base of their state and federal colleagues—particularly when it comes to understanding the dynamics of networks and decentralized groups. These cases and the resulting lessons learned have increased the stature of local law enforcement operations and earned local agencies a legitimate seat at the intelligence table.
Progress since September 11
In the past, turf battles and the need for jurisdictional supremacy at all levels of the U.S. law enforcement community led to key intelligence failures. Although there is still much work to be done, in the last seven years, information sharing in the United States has improved both vertically and horizontally: vertically, meaning between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the nation’s 17,500 state and local police departments, and horizontally, among the state and local departments themselves. The changes made in communication between local and national intelligence units since the September 11 attacks can be put into three categories: culture, capability, and awareness.
Culture: Local and state law enforcement agencies are now recognized as critical to intelligence efforts to prevent terrorism—efforts that blend seamlessly with their core mission to detect and deter crime and protect communities. This was not always so. Only after the September 11 attacks were these agencies woven into the national security fabric, and the art of policing was acknowledged and embraced. The change in the culture has been reflected in numerous documents, studies, and initiatives in the past seven years, including the president’s National Strategy for Information Sharing and a recent RAND Corporation study that stated that “policing and intelligence should be the backbone of U.S. efforts” to defeat al Qaeda because its network of individuals needs
to be tracked and arrested.3
Capability: Analytic capabilities have improved in large part because of the establishment of 58 fusion centers in 46 states.
Awareness: Local police are becoming better able to recognize behaviors consistent with the crimes related to terrorism.
Role of Local Agencies in Intelligence Gathering and Analysis
As the U.S. government and federal law enforcement agencies have embraced police as true partners, local law enforcers themselves have rallied. For the first time in U.S. law enforcement history, senior officers from every major city police intelligence unit in the nation have come together to form an Intelligence Commanders Group (ICG), part of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Major city police departments are those that employ more than 1,000 law enforcement officers and serve a population of 500,000 or more. The 64 top-level intelligence commanders that constitute the ICG work in concert to share intelligence and ensure interagency cooperation.
In May 2008, this group delivered a position paper, Twelve Tenets to Prevent Crime and Terrorism, that detailed the priorities of local law enforcement agencies.4 This paper addresses 12 issues ranging from the classification of intelligence documents to the federal grant process and calls for changes in all.
The ICG document is a prime example of how police are collaborating in new ways to influence homeland security policy at the federal level. Their newfound voice is coupled with a desire to consider thoughtfully all of the serious responsibilities that come with their role as “first preventers” of terrorism—particularly when it comes to intelligence gathering and sharing.
With an increased role in the intelligence arena comes the increased responsibility on the part of police to protect civil liberties and operate in a legitimate and transparent fashion. The growth of intelligence-gathering operations at the local level must be proportionate with the creation of safeguards against abuses. It is important that local law enforcement agencies carefully and accurately define those they suspect will commit a criminal terrorist act. This task must be executed with a balance and precision that inspires the support and trust of the U.S. population so that local residents will partner with the police in the pursuit of their lawful mission.
The support and the trust of the public are essential to “softer” law enforcement strategies aimed at countering extremist ideologies and influence at the local level. Although the primary objective remains to hunt terrorism suspects and disrupt their operational capability (that is, recruiting, funding, planning, surveilling, and executing operations), the broader strategy must include efforts that target terrorists’ motivations.
Outreach and partnership efforts aim to increase the safety and stature of communities to create a network of individuals who feel it is in their best interest to create an environment hostile to criminals of all stripes. Such a network can be achieved by providing excellent police service and building solid relationships with community members.
This point is not merely an academic one—it has operational consequences. By getting communities, including those that may be breeding grounds for violent ideologies, to buy into the idea that local agencies are operating in the communities’ best interests, these agencies foster an environment in which tips and leads can come from those same communities, increasing the ability to gather information. Ultimately, it is these communities—aided by law enforcement and other resources—that foster environments hostile to the proliferation of criminality in any form.
Recent LAPD Counterterrorism Cases
The LAPD created its Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau in 2003. It now has close to 300 officers dedicated to counterterrorism, criminal-intelligence gathering, and community mobilization efforts.
The LAPD Counter-Terrorism Bureau’s mission has four goals:
Prevent terrorism by effectively sharing information aimed at disrupting terrorists’ operational capability and addressing the underlying causes associated with the motivational component
Protect the public and critical infrastructure by leveraging private-sector resources and hardening targets
Pursue terrorists and the criminal enterprises that support them
Prepare the citizenry and the city government for consequences associated with terrorist operations against the city
The LAPD has gained considerable counterterrorism case experience over the past few years. The following cases are but a sample of those that have come onto the LAPD’s counterterrorism investigative radar.
Hezbollah Funding Case: The arrest of a major terrorist funding group by a task force comprising members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the LAPD working alongside the FBI illustrated the interrelation of criminal acts and the funding of terrorism, as well as the increasing global reach of local cases. This group raised money for Hezbollah by selling narcotics. It then laundered a portion of the funds by selling counterfeit products such as clothing and cigarettes in the United States and Latin America.
Black Rider Case: The Black Rider Liberation Party, a spinoff of the Black Panther Party, threatened to take over four police stations in Los Angeles and shoot and kill as many police officers as possible in furtherance of its black separatist and antigovernment agenda. Traditional policing tactics, including surveillance (using both technical and nontechnical methods), source development, search warrants, and the introduction of an informant, resulted in the arrest and prosecution of this domestic terrorist group. Property recovered during the investigation included numerous large-caliber automatic and semiautomatic weapons; a military handbook on intelligence and interrogation; night vision goggles; bulletproof vests; knives; a crossbow; a police scanner; and manuals on police field operations, sniper procedures, and bioterrorism.
Jam’yyat Al-Islam Al-Saheeh: One case serves as an excellent example of the prison radicalization process, the nexus between street-level crimes and terrorism, and how homegrown terrorists are often inspired by ideology and events overseas but have no affiliation with a larger terrorist organization. It also illustrates how local police are key to identifying terrorism suspects who were not previously on the federal law enforcement radar.
Kevin Lamar James was a former Hoover Street Crip gang member who, while in prison, founded a group called Jam’yyat Al-Islam Al-Saheeh (JIS). While serving a 10-year sentence for robbery and possession of a weapon in prison, James converted a fellow inmate who, once released in 2004, was instructed to recruit others for terrorist operations against the United States and Israel. The convert did as instructed; in 2005, the four-person cell actively started researching such targets as military installations, Israeli offices, and synagogues and funded its operations through a series of gas station robberies—all orchestrated by James from behind prison walls.
One of these robberies led to the cell’s discovery and capture by local police in the summer of 2005. The search warrant that resulted from the robbery of a Torrance, California, gas station led to the discovery of jihadist propaganda and an overarching conspiracy to wage war against the United States. The four men involved were indicted in October 2006. Three of the four, including James, have pleaded guilty. The fourth was found mentally unfit to stand trial and is in a federal prison facility under psychiatric care. One of the four—the man whom James sent out to recruit others—was the first to be sentenced, receiving a 22-year federal prison term in June 2008. During his sentencing hearing, Levar Haney Washington told the judge that the members of JIS waged war against their own country because they opposed U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and stated that “calamities affecting the Muslim world” had influenced his outlook. The cell had robbed gas stations because oil is a political symbol, he said.5
Animal Liberation Front: The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an extremist group whose members have committed arson, vandalism, and other crimes that often do not rise to the level of a federal violation—placing them directly in the wheelhouse of local law enforcement agencies. The leaders of this underground movement often cloak themselves in the protections of the First Amendment right to free speech while leading a criminal lifestyle, committing crimes such as petty theft and robbery to sustain both themselves as individuals and the larger criminal enterprise. This rejection of authority enables local agencies to track and ultimately catch the leadership culpable for more pedestrian crimes such as burglaries. The ALF’s ultimate objective is to eliminate animal euthanasia and the use of all animals in laboratory testing in universities and science centers. In the pursuit of these objectives, elements of the group have become more violent.
California Department of Motor Vehicles: Another case provides an example of a crevice criminal market—in this case, embedded in a trusted government institution—that provides the logistical support for lower-level crimes all the way to potential terrorism-related cases. Workers at the California Department of Motor Vehicles provided a significant number of suspects with false documents. The documents in question appeared legal in every way other than the assumed name. This enterprise is in the process of being disrupted and dismantled through such traditional policing methods as extensive investigation and using informants against the targets.
LAPD Counterterrorism Programs
Even as the LAPD gains valuable real-world experience through cases such as those mentioned in the previous section, it must keep improving its capabilities and methods to stay ahead of the threat. The LAPD must also continuously develop ways to forge partnerships and foster collaboration among agencies. Sun Tzu, the oft-quoted Chinese general from the sixth century, wrote that “if you know your enemies and you know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.”
The following programs (some of which are identified in figure 2) demonstrate just some of the areas in which the department has concentrated its efforts to achieve its ambitious goals.
Figure 2. The graphic depicts a convergent approach to information/intelligence
collection that feeds into operational decision making, both in terms of
critical operational decision making and deployment or tactical resource allocation.
The double-sided arrows illustrate the fact that in this system, intelligence can feed operations or operations
can feed intelligence collection requirements.
Suspicious Activity Reports: The LAPD developed and implemented the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) process for reporting suspected terrorism-related incidents and tying them firmly into information collection procedures, tracking systems, and intelligence analysis. This is considered the first program in the United States to create a national standard for terrorism-related modus operandi codes. The SAR program is an example of the convergence of skills that police have used for decades to observe traditional criminal behavior with the new behavioral indices of those associated with terrorist recruitment and the planning and execution of operations. This initiative, which fits nicely with the federal government’s National Strategy for Information Sharing, is in the process of being rolled out nationally. Once the SAR program is institutionalized throughout the country, local, state, and federal agencies will have a common standard for collecting, measuring, and sharing information about suspected terrorism-related incidents. This program has the potential to become the bread and butter of U.S. fusion centers, and it can inspire the so-called boots on the ground and the community to get involved in the counterterrorism effort.
Operation Archangel: More than 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in the United States is privately owned. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the LAPD implemented Operation Archangel, which has become a national model for critical infrastructure protection. This program, which represents convergence of the private sector with the police system, was recently documented in the award-winning film Archangel: Protecting Our Freedom, which was distributed to 64 major cities and to the U.S. Congress.
National Counter-Terrorism Academy: The LAPD pilot tested the National Counter-Terrorism Academy (NCTA), the first such academy created by local law enforcement agencies for local law enforcement agencies. During the five-month pilot program, which ended in July 2008, nearly 60 police, fire, and private security personnel from 25 agencies received a comprehensive overview of international and domestic terrorist threats and were aided in the development of intelligence-led policing (ILP) strategies to counter those threats in their jurisdictions. This multiagency, multidisciplinary student body served as a prime example of the convergence of various disciplines in the counterterrorism effort. The NCTA will train many more in 2009, with NCTA programs in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California. The LAPD has also formally proposed the creation of a National Consortium on Intelligence-Led Policing (NCILP) that would serve as an ILP training and education resource for state and local police departments across the United States. The NCILP would design five separate curricula to teach state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies how to apply ILP strategies to the fusion of intelligence on counterterrorism, narcotics trafficking, gangs, organized crime, and human trafficking.
Hydra: The LAPD facilitated the acquisition of a training system, called Hydra, that tests and improves the decision-making skills of agency personnel during simulated critical incidents. This will be the first Hydra system in the United States and will grant the LAPD access to the training scenarios of 32 other installations throughout the world. In doing so, the department will firmly converge its training efforts with those of major police departments in such countries as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Terrorism Liaison Officers: Terrorism liaison officers (TLOs) are casting an ever-wider net to train more people in the city as public data collectors. They are trained on what and how to report suspicious behavior/activity that has a nexus to terrorism. This is one prong of an effort to institutionalize counterterrorism awareness in the area commands and throughout the LAPD. The ultimate goal is to blend crime-fighting and counterterrorism efforts seamlessly.
Muslim Forum: The LAPD recently held its first-ever Chief’s Muslim Community Forum, hosted by Chief William J. Bratton. This meeting brought police and Muslim leaders from throughout the greater Los Angeles area together to enable the LAPD to better understand how it can protect and serve their communities. The LAPD is in the process of developing a documentary film that will highlight the diverse Muslim communities in Los Angeles, their relationships with local law enforcement agencies, the challenges faced by both U.S. Muslims and law enforcement agencies, and the way forward. Community mobilization, an essential part of the crime-fighting model, is particularly important when applied to populations that may feel targeted by society or the police. One goal with Muslim communities has been to converge their community-building efforts with those of the LAPD; by opening channels of communication and fostering trust, opportunities to improve police service to those communities would arise.
Additional Capabilities
The following list enumerates some of the LAPD’s capabilities that best enable it to work toward its goal of convergence.
Information Sharing: Working in concert with regional and federal partners in the seven counties served by the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, the LAPD continues to build its capacity to collect, fuse, analyze, and disseminate both strategic and operational intelligence (see figure 3). The LAPD is aligning the information collection and dissemination process with an eye toward accountability to ensure that “first preventers” have the needed information in a timely manner. The “all crimes, all hazards” approach to this center ensures analysts’ ability to bring to light relevant trends to generate actionable intelligence. This fusion center epitomizes the model of convergence.
Figure 3. This graphic illustrates the LAPD’s preventive and predictive model of intelligence
collection and distribution. The LAPD’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau’s Major Crimes Division
and Emergency Services Division, as well as the Joint Regional Intelligence Center and
the Real-Time Analysis and Critical Response Division, create a real-time, four-lane
superhighway of information and intelligence. The CompStat process, criminal and
intelligence investigations, crimes that provide funding mechanisms for terrorist networks,
and technology that provides even more
focused information all provide for a richer
picture of local intelligence
RPPICS: The LAPD has developed a technological tool, called the Regional Public Private Infrastructure Collaboration System (RPPICS), that enhances communication both within the LAPD and with the private sector. This program converges technology with the goals of hardening targets and the inclusion of the private sector in counterterrorism efforts.
Human Intelligence: The LAPD created a human source development unit to increase its ability to develop actionable intelligence in specific areas—a measure taken with an eye toward understanding the environment of homegrown extremists and what to target in that environment.
Intelligence Investigators: The pioneering of the Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section demonstrated the success of a hybrid model of cross-training that equipped intelligence officers with the tools traditionally available to analysts. The new model requires that each investigative team be responsible for producing link charts, timelines, financial analysis, and so on. This helps investigators to see the criticality of analysis by identifying their own knowledge gaps and adjusting their investigations accordingly. This new approach has shortened the time span from the identification of a problem (a terrorist indicator) to its representation (in the form of analyzed intelligence) and the realization of investigative goals.
Cyber Investigations: The LAPD has developed the ability to hunt for signs of radicalization and terrorist activities on the Internet—a capability that provides a plain-view means of identifying and gathering information on potential threats. Information gleaned from this open source, fed into the radicalization template, and combined with a thorough understanding of operational indicators is critical to articulating suspicion and justifying the increased application of enforcement measures.
Conclusion
U.S. local law enforcement agencies have come a long way in terms of adapting to the increasingly complex threats of today’s world. However, as terrorist groups embracing asymmetric warfare tactics attempt to create a larger footprint on U.S. soil, agencies must not grow complacent.
Police hold the key to mitigating and ultimately defeating terrorism in the United States. Local agencies throughout the country have the ideas and the technology to create counternetworks and to mount effective defenses and offenses. Through multijurisdictional, multiagency efforts, police can cast a redundant network of trip wires to determine whether individuals or enterprises represent an active threat that warrants investigation or enforcement action. But agencies will need to be flexible, adaptable, and transparent enough to collaborate with one another. They will need to develop more meaningful and trusting partnerships and to create policy that maximizes law enforcement resources. Most importantly, they will need to work with communities to counter the extremism that foments acts of terrorism. Policing must be a convergent strategy that fights crime and disorder while creating hostile environments for terrorists.
The theme of convergence illustrates the coupling of local resources, namely police, with the ability to recognize ordinary crimes that terrorists have been known to commit in preparation for their operational attack: committing traffic violations, obtaining fake identification papers, smuggling, human trafficking, counterfeiting, committing piracy, drug trafficking, or participating in any other criminal enterprise that intersects with terrorists’ needs. Local police serve as the eyes and ears of communities; as such, they are best positioned to observe behaviors that have a nexus to terrorism. It has been the LAPD’s goal to institutionalize the idea of counterterrorism efforts throughout the department and the communities it serves—not to make counterterrorism measures the priority, but a priority.
Converging community policing and counterterrorism strategies and implementing them under the guiding philosophy of intelligence-led policing will focus law enforcement efforts and better equip agencies to partner with communities in the pursuit to make the United States safe. Ultimately, the success of all of these convergent strategies will be measured by the prevention of terrorist acts, the countering of extremist ideologies and their local influence, and the resiliency of U.S. communities in the face of man-made and natural disasters. ■
Notes:
1Karen DeYoung, “World Bank Lists Failing Nations That Can Breed Global Terrorism,” Washington Post, September 15, 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401859.html (accessed December 23, 2008).
2Louise Richardson, What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat (New York: Random House, 2006).
3White House, National Strategy for Information Sharing: Successes and Challenges in Improving Terrorism-Related Information Sharing, October 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/infosharing/index.html(accessed December 23, 2008); and Seth G. Jones and Martin C. Libicki, How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa’ida (Santa Monica, California: RAND Corporation, 2008), xvi,http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG741-1.pdf (accessed December 23, 2008).
4Major Cities Chiefs Association, Homeland Security Committee,Twelve Tenets to Prevent Crime and Terrorism, May 2008,http://www.majorcitieschiefs.org/pdfpublic/MCC%20Twelve%20Tenet%20Final%205%2021%2008.pdf (accessed December 23, 2008).
5H. G. Reza, “Man Sentenced to 22 Years in L.A.-Area Terror Plot,” Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2008, http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/23/local/me-cell24 (accessed December 23, 2008).
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From The Police Chief, vol. LXXVI, no. 2, February 2009. Copyright held by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 515 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA.
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