Pro Dada
Preparations for the Protests! - October 30, 2005
Date: November 7th 2005
View archives of past emails here: http://www.songseek.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/jamie
Photos here: http://www.pbase.com/stevegallagher/jamie
Dear all,
So here I am in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, the week before the Organization of American States has their meetings here. Held at the Sheraton Hotel (as well as a few others) 34 heads of state will meet to discuss and plan the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), an agreement largely based on the highly destructive North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We have come here in opposition to this agreement and are joining hundreds of thousands of fellow activists from all over north and south America who have made the journey to oppose this meeting.
The squat I am staying in here in Mar Del Plata, called Tinta Roja, is an amazing space. It acts as a community center, library, educational space, and much much more. The building sat empty for 7 years before a group of dedicated community organizers opened it as a squat. The folks who started it two years ago are very friendly and have been incredibly hospitable. We have our own key to the building, and they bring us breakfast most mornings. Many of the projects they work on, including providing shelter, food, and access to books to people without access to those things, are the same types of projects we work on at home, though in most cases they are thus far more successful than I have been in Washington, DC. In two years they have built Tinta Roja from a small squat into a formal group that gets money and food from the government and distribute it to many areas around the city. They also hold workshops and classes on many many different topics.
We seem to have social engagements just about every day. We visit with the closest neighbors, Paola and David, very regularly, and their many children ranging from age two to age 15, love to play with and harass us! Lots of time is spent rough-housing, playing soccer, and trying to exchange a few words. Their two year old is a plump child who eats every thing he can get his hands on. It is So cute! We all went over to Davidīs brotherīs house for pizza the other night and the two year old goes around and eats everyones pizza and if anyone ever sets down a beer, it seems to be at the top of his list! We seem to have a different dinner engagement each night, not to mention invitations to all kinds of different community meetings.
Everyone is talking about the Cumbre (summit) since nothing of this caliber has ever happened here in Mar Del Plata. Some days are filled with intense discussions of politics, protests, and community organizing, while others are much lighter, visiting the sea lions sunning themselves by the fishing peer or swimming in the Ocean which is freezing cold but has incredible waves!
It is hard to believe we have been staying at Tinta Roja for a week already, and only have another week or so here. All our thoughts and most of our discussions are in preparing for next weeks protest. Everyone we meet, whether at a community meeting, or at a local store, wants to know why we came all the way from the United States to Mar Del Plata. Many of the folks here, especially in the outskirts of town, have never had visitors from the US., other than the waves of tourists who storm their beaches each summer but have no interest in local community or culture. It seems to be very exciting to them to have interactions with people from afar who share many of the same beliefs and values. It is an incredible learning opportunity for us as well as for them.
The police are also making preparations for the protests. The fences around the city are starting to be erected, and there are already 4 or more police officers stationed at every single intersection. Most international corporations (Citibank, McDonald's, etc.) are all ready boarded up and ready for a storm! Police on horses patrol the streets, and there is a general feeling that this is becoming a police state, filled with repression. Today we saw our first large military vehicle with a cannon mounted on the roof that shoots a mixture of water and paint (to mark people as having been in certain areas).
While most of our energy is going into making plans and preparations for the protest, we are also starting to think about where to go after the summit. Bush arrives here on November 3rd, the meetings are on the 4th and 5th, and then we will probably move on the 6th or 7th. That will leave us about 10 days to travel before we have to fly back home to DC. None of us are looking forward to that day! We might travel south and try to do a little hiking in Patagonia, but it is cold here and we fear we do not have the proper attire to go further south, so we may instead go west to the Chilean border to spend some time in the mountains there. It is all still up in the air and in a sense just barely at the back of our minds.
All is well here and even though our nerves are high, we are excited to be here and are learning a lot. We are taking many precautions and are learning as much as possible about what to expect next week. I am confidant that we will keep ourselves safe and have a successful few days. Our primary motive in being here is to show solidarity against the FTAA and US imperialism, to learn from the Argentine movement, and to take pictures to share with folks back home who were unable to come. In these roles I feel we can stay at a safe distance from the centers of action and still accomplish the goals we set out to accomplish. All trains and buses into and out of the city are shut down all of next week (for the summit) and I have heard rumors that Internet and phone lines will be closed to public use for the days of the Summit. All businesses, schools, etc. are also to be shut down for the days of the meetings. I suspect we will still find some Internet available, but it is hard to s ay, nobody really knows what to expect!
I hope all is well with everyone at home, and I will keep everyone posted as to how the protests go!
Iīll write again when I get a chance, and hope to post photos on-line soon.
Love to all,
Jamie
Photos here: http://www.pbase.com/stevegallagher/jamie
Dear all,
So here I am in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, the week before the Organization of American States has their meetings here. Held at the Sheraton Hotel (as well as a few others) 34 heads of state will meet to discuss and plan the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), an agreement largely based on the highly destructive North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We have come here in opposition to this agreement and are joining hundreds of thousands of fellow activists from all over north and south America who have made the journey to oppose this meeting.
The squat I am staying in here in Mar Del Plata, called Tinta Roja, is an amazing space. It acts as a community center, library, educational space, and much much more. The building sat empty for 7 years before a group of dedicated community organizers opened it as a squat. The folks who started it two years ago are very friendly and have been incredibly hospitable. We have our own key to the building, and they bring us breakfast most mornings. Many of the projects they work on, including providing shelter, food, and access to books to people without access to those things, are the same types of projects we work on at home, though in most cases they are thus far more successful than I have been in Washington, DC. In two years they have built Tinta Roja from a small squat into a formal group that gets money and food from the government and distribute it to many areas around the city. They also hold workshops and classes on many many different topics.
We seem to have social engagements just about every day. We visit with the closest neighbors, Paola and David, very regularly, and their many children ranging from age two to age 15, love to play with and harass us! Lots of time is spent rough-housing, playing soccer, and trying to exchange a few words. Their two year old is a plump child who eats every thing he can get his hands on. It is So cute! We all went over to Davidīs brotherīs house for pizza the other night and the two year old goes around and eats everyones pizza and if anyone ever sets down a beer, it seems to be at the top of his list! We seem to have a different dinner engagement each night, not to mention invitations to all kinds of different community meetings.
Everyone is talking about the Cumbre (summit) since nothing of this caliber has ever happened here in Mar Del Plata. Some days are filled with intense discussions of politics, protests, and community organizing, while others are much lighter, visiting the sea lions sunning themselves by the fishing peer or swimming in the Ocean which is freezing cold but has incredible waves!
It is hard to believe we have been staying at Tinta Roja for a week already, and only have another week or so here. All our thoughts and most of our discussions are in preparing for next weeks protest. Everyone we meet, whether at a community meeting, or at a local store, wants to know why we came all the way from the United States to Mar Del Plata. Many of the folks here, especially in the outskirts of town, have never had visitors from the US., other than the waves of tourists who storm their beaches each summer but have no interest in local community or culture. It seems to be very exciting to them to have interactions with people from afar who share many of the same beliefs and values. It is an incredible learning opportunity for us as well as for them.
The police are also making preparations for the protests. The fences around the city are starting to be erected, and there are already 4 or more police officers stationed at every single intersection. Most international corporations (Citibank, McDonald's, etc.) are all ready boarded up and ready for a storm! Police on horses patrol the streets, and there is a general feeling that this is becoming a police state, filled with repression. Today we saw our first large military vehicle with a cannon mounted on the roof that shoots a mixture of water and paint (to mark people as having been in certain areas).
While most of our energy is going into making plans and preparations for the protest, we are also starting to think about where to go after the summit. Bush arrives here on November 3rd, the meetings are on the 4th and 5th, and then we will probably move on the 6th or 7th. That will leave us about 10 days to travel before we have to fly back home to DC. None of us are looking forward to that day! We might travel south and try to do a little hiking in Patagonia, but it is cold here and we fear we do not have the proper attire to go further south, so we may instead go west to the Chilean border to spend some time in the mountains there. It is all still up in the air and in a sense just barely at the back of our minds.
All is well here and even though our nerves are high, we are excited to be here and are learning a lot. We are taking many precautions and are learning as much as possible about what to expect next week. I am confidant that we will keep ourselves safe and have a successful few days. Our primary motive in being here is to show solidarity against the FTAA and US imperialism, to learn from the Argentine movement, and to take pictures to share with folks back home who were unable to come. In these roles I feel we can stay at a safe distance from the centers of action and still accomplish the goals we set out to accomplish. All trains and buses into and out of the city are shut down all of next week (for the summit) and I have heard rumors that Internet and phone lines will be closed to public use for the days of the Summit. All businesses, schools, etc. are also to be shut down for the days of the meetings. I suspect we will still find some Internet available, but it is hard to s ay, nobody really knows what to expect!
I hope all is well with everyone at home, and I will keep everyone posted as to how the protests go!
Iīll write again when I get a chance, and hope to post photos on-line soon.
Love to all,
Jamie
|
<< Previous: Squating in Mar del Plata!, Argentina - October 26, 2005 |
| Archive Index | |
)
Emails from Jamie Moorby, wherever and whenever he is traveling.
Subscribe to Where's Jamie ?: