::fibreculture:: deletetheborder.org - august 27-28th, san diego

[Ricardo Dominguez]

Linking Struggles Against The Border: A Call to Come to San Diego and Strategize
Against Borders and The Minutemen

deletetheborder.org - august 27-28th, san diego

Schedule of Events
http://deletetheborder.org/?q=node/87

Hola todos. Crazy times we find ourselves in. Millions of people forced to live
underground, more than 3200 dead and tens of thousands more incapacitated
crossing the border. Communities and families split by the wall. As if the
border and its myriad forms of violence were not enough, racist paramilitaries
are openly organizing across the US and finding enthusiastic partners in
politicians and corporate press outlets alike. And then there are the numerous
Neo-nazi groups crawling out from beneath their rocks, thrilled with the
“Trojan Horse” of growing anti-migrant sentiment.

So, here we are. There is a huge amount of incredible organizing around these
issues happening all around us. As one small contribution to this struggle for
liberation and dignity, the o.r.g.a.n.i.c. Collective has organized a two-day
(no)border encuentro, in San Diego, in the spirit of the Zapatista Encuentros.
We hope that many different people can make it and we hope for it to truly be
an encounter, with many people sharing space, dreams, ideas and strategies.

Despite our many backgrounds and areas of focus, we hope that we can learn and
walk together, hashing out answers to questions like: How do we strengthen
current struggles? How do we create a de-colonization movement and what would
that look like? How do we construct autonomy in the border region and what
would that look like? How do we help broaden and show solidarity with
indigenous struggles like that of the Zapatista’s and others? How do we build a
sustainable movement for freedom of movement and the right to stay with full
rights?

As we prepare for this event and the upcoming months here are a few thoughts and
observations gleaned from recent struggles against the Minutemen. Perhaps they
are obvious or you disagree with some point(s). That is fine. We can talk about
this. At the encuentro there will be at least one officially designated time and
space for discussing the September 16 mobilizations against the Minutemen. Also,
we have created a website with open publishing (participation encouraged) in
order to link border struggles at www.deletetheborder.org. While we are at this
Encuentro, there will be No Border actions in Greece and Bulgaria and we are in
solidarity with their international call for No Border actions.

Some Thoughts

The Minutemen and their supporters are racist, but this is not only about race.
There is an ongoing fight for identity within the empire, with nationalist
anglo-protestants wanting to make the wall a point of sharp demarcation between
a white english-speaking Protestant country, and the feared and hated other.

This is also about the war on terror, with all of its heavy religious
intonations. Grounded in the premise of a clash of civilizations (“us” versus
“them”) the Minutemen truly believe they are fighting a neglected front of the
“war on terrorism.”

This is very much about colonization. Parallels with Israel and Palestine, and
others are useful. The desire to control and exploit resources and labor, while
also controlling the movement and legal status of a population is key part of a
colonialist project, particularly when the headquarters of the operation is on
stolen land. There are various forms of control leveraged, from requiring
unobtainable “documents” to the use of police, courts and prisons. We are all
subject to control, some much more then others.

And as we all know in times of economic precarity, migrants all too often become
the scapegoats. Currently, a variety of groups (the media especially) are
actively collecting and amplifying all of the misguided fears and anxieties of
the nation into a wretched stew of hatred against migrants, all people of color
and political dissent. To fight this escalation of fear, safe spaces for
critical dialogue and long-term strategizing between organizers, community
members, and youth are needed. We hope our encuentro can foster such a space.

<<MORE>>

Schedule of Events
http://deletetheborder.org/?q=node/87

Saturday, August 27th

10:00 am - Maquiladora/Border Tour - RSVP required, email us at info at
organiccollective dot org

7:00 pm - Benefit concert - Flyer Here

Presentation By: Roy San Filipo, formerly of the Love and Rage Revolutionary
Anarchist Federation and currently of Bring the Ruckus will be giving a talk on
reflections on anti-racist organizing.

Performing live:
Entartete Kunst - Malatesta (DJ Slo-Mo) - 187 (Raw Knowledge) - Drowning Dog - a
class-conscious worker-owned collective that produce and distribute hip-hop,
various electronic stylings and radical literature that promotes positive
social change. We have performed in the following countries over the past 18
months; England, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Scotland and the U.S.A. With
"potent anti status quo hip hop mixes" and spoken word, we spread ideas that
promote the self emancipation of the working class.

Boomerang Politick - A break-beat signature scripted with the resonance of Drum
& Bass, the “boom-bap” of Classic Breaks, the Diasporatic rhythms of
Afro-Haitian-Racine and the visceral energy of Punk. An uncompromising message
of Social Justice for the disenfranchised masses and the inevitability of the
Proletarian victory – despite the Empire’s onslaught – delivered through
breathtaking, rapid-fire rhyme and venom, no frills, stick-em’ up Emceeing.
LA’s Hip Hop group Boomerang Politick brings an imminent and vital revolution
to a genre all but unrecognizable to the Beat-Street poets who originally paved
the way for their conception. They denounce the unabashed hypocrisy of Bourgeois
Elitism, the politics of war economies, neo-colonization, globalization, white
supremacy and privilege, in a violent rebuttal, expressed in such a way
entirely unique to their music, to their interpretation of Hip Hop.

Sunday, August 28th, 10am-6pm

For full Sunday schedule, click here

Schedule:

10:00-10:30 - Café Anarquista

10:30-11:30 - Workshop Session I

History of The US/Mexico Border and Operation Gatekeeper
Presented by Enrique Morones of Border Angels, more speakers TBA.

Direct Action Training Part I, presenters TBA

11:30-11:45 Break

11:45-1:00 - Migration and Indigenous Nations
Panel and discission with Marta Frausto of the Otomí Coordination Project and
members of various indigenous Nations including Otomi and Mixteca discussing
the impact of the border on their communities and their current struggles.

1:00-2:00 Lunch and Video reportback from Campo

2:00-3:00 - Anti-Minutemen strategy session
Reflections on Campo, strategies for September 16th. Organizers who were in
Campo, including members of Gente Unida and the o.r.g.a.n.i.c. collective, will
talk about their experiences and about their ideas for stopping the Minutemen in
September. There will also be an open space for discussing goals, strategy, and
effectiveness.

3:00-3:15 Break

3:15-4:15 - Workshop Session II

Border Disturbance Art
A space created by Ricardo Dominguez of Electronic Disturbance Theater, Emily
Hicks of the Border Institute of Advanced Studies in Nonlinear Events and
Structures and Shannon Spanhake of The Department of Ecological Authoring
Tactics, Inc. (DoEAT). http://post.thing.net/blog/rdom

Direct Action II - Presenters TBA

4:15-5:15 - Zapatismo and Solidarity with Migrant People
Panel and discussion including members of the Frente Zapatista and a speaker
from Schools for Chiapas to talk about the 6th Declaration of the Selva
Lacandon.

5:15-5:30 - Break

5:30-6:30 - Ashanti Alston - Flyer here
Ashanti Alston was the Northeast regional coordinator for Critical Resistance,
is a former member of both the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army,
and was a political prisoner for over 12 years. Currently, he is a member of
Estacion Libre, a people of color Zapatista support group, as well as a board
member for the Institute for Anarchist Studies. Mr. Alston also authors the
zine Anarchist Panther. He recently spent 6 months in Chiapas with the EZLN.
More info here, talk on black anarchism, more audio here .

Please RSVP - if you are planning on attending, please drop us an email at
encuentro-registration at organiccollective.org

against the border and racism
against capitalism and empire
for freedom of movement, dignity and autonomy

Oradores, talleres, foros, accion directa, hacer medios, estrategia, teoria.

contra la frontera y racismo
contra el capitalismo y imperio