Jan 12 National Day of Action : support FTAA protestors

[corporatewhore]

**Please Distribute Widely**

JANUARY 12 NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION:

On November 20 and 21, the Free Trade Area of the Americas Ministerial was held in Miami. The Miami police, known for brutalizing poor and immigrant communities in Miami for years, extended their tactics into a systematic campaign to repress and chill first amendment rights. Living up to their reputation, the police then brutally arrested over 250 people and used excessive force to squash the demonstrations.

Dozens of charges have now been dropped, yet the City is continuing to harass people in the legal system. They recently announced that they would not seek jail time, thereby making it impossible for defendants to access public defenders. Thankfully, lawyers in the City of Miami are stepping up to insure that everyone is represented. But we believe it is time to let the City of Miami know that the world is still watching!


DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE MIAMI FTAA PROTESTORS!
CALL – FAX – AND/OR EMAIL the following political officials all day on January 12th!

DEMAND THEY:
- DROP THE CHARGES Against the Miami FTAA Protestors!
- CALL FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION and Hearings on the Miami Police Repression and Violence

1. KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE, State Attorney
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

2. ALEJANDRO VILARELLO, City Attorney
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

3. ALEX PENELAS, Mayor, Miami-Dade County
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

4. MANUEL A. DIAZ, Mayor, City of Miami
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

CONTACT THE FOLLOWING CONGRESSIONAL FLORIDA REPRESENTATIVES (and your own too!) to demand that they make a public statement condemning police misconduct and the dropping of all charges. For a draft letter that they can author go to: http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/misc/sample_letter.html In addition we are urging these Representatives to call for a Congressional investigation into excessive police force during the FTAA Ministerial protests. A "Congressional Info Packet" can be referenced at: http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/static/packet.shtml

To send an email to any Congressional Representative, you can enter the state and zip code on this website: http://www.house.gov/writerep/


Kendrick Meek (D-FL)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Zip Code: 33169

Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

Peter Deutsch (D-FL
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Zip Code: 33026


Initiated by the SAVE OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES CAMPAIGN www.saveourcivilliberties.org

The Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign has formed to raise public awareness about the shocking suppression of political dissent and the unjustified use of force at the Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA) meetings in Miami and to hold accountable the individuals and organizations who were responsible for those violations.

The Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign is a diverse collaboration of global justice, anti-war, labor, environmental, community, and other organizations working at the local, state and national level. We believe that the attack on anti-FTAA protesters in Miami is just one reflection of the ongoing, systemic attack on human rights and civil liberties in this country that is primarily being felt by communities of color. The detention of Arab Americans, the growth of the prison industrial complex in nearly every state, and the Patriot Act are just some of the examples that demonstrate the immediate need to organize in defense of civil liberties.

In the long run, the Campaign hopes to foster cooperation among the many groups and individuals already working to save and expand our human rights and civil liberties and to make links between the criminalization of dissent, police brutality, criminal injustice, the Patriot Act, and the widespread assault on immigrant rights in the aftermath of 9-11.

For more information, contact [e-mail].

*********************************************

In addition to the January 12 Day of Action, SOCL is continuing to organize around the following demands in response to Miami:
- Drop all charges
- Begin prompt independent investigations
- Fire Timoney and criminally charge those responsible
- Repeal anti-civil liberties ordinances

Here are some other things you can do:

1. SIGN AND CIRCULATE A PETITION - Circulate the Save Our Civil Liberties petition to local, state and federal officials and urge your friends and co-workers to do the same. Download the petition or sign the "E-Petition" online:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/petition>

2. ENDORSE THE CAMPAIGN- Encourage your organization, church or union to endorse the Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign. Make a commitment to ongoing support and add your group's name to the list of participating organizations. Endorse the Campaign here:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/join>

3. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Write a letter to the editor of your city newspaper about civil liberties and human rights abuses in Miami and the Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign, then post it to our website. See a sample letter to the editor here:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/static/write.shtml>

4. VISIT <http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org>The Campaign has created a web portal that will serve as a repository of information and materials for groups and individuals working on, affected by, or otherwise interested in the civil liberties organizing in the aftermath of Miami. It is much like an Indymedia site - a place where information-seekers and information-providers and go to exchange information, including news, commentary, testimonials, evidence (video/photo/audio), announcements, press clippings, flyers, fact sheets, etc.

5. TELL YOUR OWN STORY OF MIAMI Your testimonials and evidence are needed for legal, political and educational work and are a critical part of getting our demands met. However, before you tell your story Miami Activist Defense (MAD) points out that testimony and evidence can affect criminal cases (possibly more than just your own) and any civil rights claims made in the future.
Before making your story public, read their concerns here:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2003/12/49.shtml>

* Where should you tell your story? If you are ready to move forward after reading MAD's concerns, you can post your story to our website at http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org. A number of groups, media outlets and Miami officials are asking for testimonials and evidence. The Campaign is also seeking to help facilitate those needs through our website.

6. EDUCATE OTHERS Include information/articles in your group's newsletter, website, and send out this message to your lists, networks and friends. Copy and distribute informational/what you can do flyers. Download flyers here: <http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/category/flyers/>

7. SHOW VIDEO FROM MIAMI Sponsor public events, meetings and video screenings about the civil liberties and human rights abuses in Miami. The FTAA IMC video working group is working on a polished documentary for February - in the meantime, download short videos here:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/2003/12/94.shtml>

8. DONATE TO THE CAMPAIGN OR SUPPORT THE LEGAL EFFORT Contribute or hold a fundraiser. To support the Campaign's continuing political, educational and media work, go to:
<http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org>; to donate to the Miami Activist Defense go to: <http://www.stopftaa.org/article.php?id=156>.

[truthspeaker]

1. kick

A great injustice was done to those protestors. If we keep the heat on maybe we can get the word out about what really happened.

[G_j]

2. Some Background:

The abuses in Miami have prompted strong response from Amnesty International and the ACLU, the Steelworkers and AFL, the Sierra Club, and a broad coalition of labor, antiwar, direct action, global justice, civil liberties and community groups.
==================*=====================
****Personal Voices: Hope and Fear in Miami
David Solnit, AlterNet

A veteran activist finds much to fear, but also bits of hope, after being jailed in Miami.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17342
------------------
St. Petersburg Times: Miami Crowd Control Would Do Tyrant Proud
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1130-07.htm

Miami police Chief John Timoney must be mighty proud of the social order he maintained during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit a couple of weeks ago in Miami - sort of the way Saddam Hussein was proud of quieting dissension in his country.
--------------------
Arresting The Future
Tom Hayden, AlterNet

Even as FTAA protestors and trade ministers poured out of town in droves, the city's Robo-Cops continued to demonstrate the 'Miami model' of suppression -- with pepper spray, rubber bullets and drawn weapons.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17246
--------------------
Information Control:

The 'Miami Model' used during the anti-FTAA protests represents a new police strategy whose aim is to control not just the streets, but also the story told by the media.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17293
------------------
Starhawk's Miami Journals,
www.starhawk.org/activism/activism-writings/miami_journals.html
------------------
This is a link to all of the Miami Herald coverage..
 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/special_packages/ftaa/
-----------------
photos of 'projectiles'
http://www.hulla-balloo.com/ftaapics/projectiles
-----------------
www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7538538.htm
Judge: I saw police commit felonies

A judge who said he witnessed some of the anti-free trade protests complains in open court about how police handled the demonstrations.

A judge presiding over the cases of free trade protesters said in court that he saw ''no less than 20 felonies committed by police officers'' during the November demonstrations, adding to a chorus of complaints about police conduct.
Judge Richard Margolius, 60, made the remarks in open court last week, saying he was taken aback by what he witnessed while attending the protests.

''Pretty disgraceful what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my entire career,'' he said, according to a court transcript. ``This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace for the communitty"
...more..
============================================
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1219-08.htm
Reuters

-FTAA Protests: Amnesty Says Miami Police May Have Broken UN Laws
==

===================*=====================

[G_j]

3. kick thanks for posting

[G_j]

4. kick!

:kick:

[tom_paine]

5. KICK -- Good stuff here