FTAA Miami Moblization Update #4

Greetings from Citizens Trade Campaign! This is the fourth of our updates on the Mobilization against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), as activists around the country engage their local communities and prepare for the marches, rallies, teach-ins, and the People's Gala that will all be part of activities during the FTAA Ministerial in Miami November 17-22nd.To see past newsletters, go to http://www.citizenstrade.org/miaminewsletter.php

In case you are new to the list, the newsletter comes out once a week to inform people about events happening against the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) all over the country. Also, our website is updated daily as we learn about more and more events and efforts, so please continue to check back www.citizenstrade.org.

1. Road to Miami Events

2. Nov 20th March Update

3. Local Miami organizing

4. Independent Media Center

5. Medic Training

6. Travel Update

7. Donate to help stop the FTAA!

8. Housing needed

1.Road to Miami:New announcements for events leading up to the Ministerial meeting in Miami:

FLORIDA:

THE GREAT TRADE DEBATE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2003

From 6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Miami-Dade County Commission Chambers

111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL

Speakers:

Eric Farnsworth, Vice-President, Council of the Americas

Gihan Perera, Executive Director, Miami Workers Center

Peter Riggs, Director, Center on Trade and Democracy

Lori Wallach, Director, Global Trade Watch

Siegfried Marks, President, Sigmar International

Contact: bobbie@sgiinc.biz

THE FIRST AMENDMENT & THE FTAA IN MIAMI: WILL OUR LEADERS PERMIT THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE FTAA NEGOTIATIONS TO COEXIST IN MIAMI THIS NOVEMBER?

WEDNESDAY , OCTOBER 29, 2003at 7:00 p.m.

Miami Dade County Commission Chambers

111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL

Featuring Panelists:

Professor Michael Masinter, Nova Law School

Alberto Milian, Attorney & Free Speech Activist

Al Crespo, Author & Renowned Protest Photojournalist

Melodie Malfa, Lake Worth Global Justice Group

Max Rameau, Miami Workers Center

Representative from the City of Miami.

Contact: bobbie@sgiinc.biz

Wednesday October 29, 2003 at 11:30 AM:

The Downtown Bay Forum

Luncheon meeting on the topic: THE PROPOSED FTAA AGREEMENT (FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS): WHAT IS IT?? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO US?? HOW WILL IT AFFECT US??

Speakers:

Carl Cira- Director, Summit of The Americas Center at FIU

Pepe Diaz- Miami-Dade County Commissioner and Chairman, International
Trade Consortium

Max Rameau, Community Organizer

Enter at Biscayne Bay Marriott-1833 N. Bayshore Drive and go to the
auditorium up the escalator in the shopping area north of the hotel
lobby. Paid reservations requested by Friday, October 24, 2003
Call Annette Eisenberg (305) 757-3633 / Fax (305) 754-2015
Lunch: $22.00 for non-members, $18.00 for members with reservation

GEORGIA:

Fri-Sat, Oct 17-18, in Atlanta:

The Inter-American Economic Council will convene the next Andean Trade Ministers Meeting on Oct. 17 and 18 in Atlanta. This key meeting will provide a forum for developing strategies for the FTAA Negotiations. Attending will be high level ministerial delegations from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela and government trade
officials from Canada, Chile, Mexico and the deputy assistant United States trade representative.

ILLINOIS:

March Against the Race to the Bottom

Nov. 1, 10:45am

Brach’s 401 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago

Contact: Ray 219-881-6235

INDIANA:

Rally, Music, Food

Oct. 20, 5-7pm

CYO Field (1502 W. 16th St.), Indianapolis

Contact: Bob 317-638-3455 or Markeya 317-639-1479

Rally in South Bend, IN

Oct. 29, 6pm Notre Dame University Library Parking Lot

Contact: Joe 574-674-6645

MARYLAND:

November 1st, 9:00a.m.

Press Conference

Washington Monument in Mt. Vernon Square

Baltimore, MD

Take a look around Baltimore. Our once thriving manufacturing area is hurting. Dozens of factories have gone to rust. Corporate executives make millions of dollars per year even while they lay off workers and cut health care and pension benefits. Husbands and wives work three or four low-wage jobs to feed and clothe their families and afford the exorbitant cost of health care and prescription drugs. Meanwhile, a flood of cheap imported goods, produced in sweatshops, fill the shelves at the Wal-Marts and Targets. Even the "high-tech" jobs that were supposed to replace the ones lost in manufacturing are being "out-sourced" to India and other countries. As jobs leave, city budgets are strained, further cutting our public services.

We are citizens of Maryland who have come together to oppose the FTAA. Call 410-931-6900 for more information on the FTAA and to join our efforts. WE CAN STOP THE FTAA!

MISSOURI:



March in St. Louis

Oct. 17, 5pm

Kiener Plaza (7th and Market)

Contact: Dennis 618-452-1130

OHIO:

Argentina's Alternative Media & Social Movements
Lecture by freelance journalist Marie Trigona with video presentation:

-The Face of Dignity: A Memory of MTD (Unemployed Workers Movement) of Solano_

-Crónicas de Libertad (organizando la resistencia) [Chronicles of Freedom (organizing resistance)]

WHEN: Thursday, October 16, 7:30 PM

WHERE: Journalism Building, Room 300, 242 West 18th Ave. (at the corner of 18th and Neil Aves.), Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Sponsors: Al-Awda-Ohio, Center for Latin American Studies, Social
Welfare Action Alliance, Solidarity, & Student International Forum

Contact: Yoshie Furuhashi, 614-668-6554,
furuhashi.1@osu.edu; and

Keith Kilty, 614-292-7181, kilty.1@osu.edu

Street Puppet Making Session

Sat, Oct 18, 1:30pm: IRTF Art & Revolution group. We're getting ready for the Nov 20 march and rally to stop the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the Nov 23 vigil to Close the SOA!
Please RSVP at maryann@erielink.com or call 216.961.0003.

TENNESSEE:

Just Say No to the FTAA!

Monday, October 20th at 6:00 pm

UTC Catholic Student Center

510 Palmetto Street, just off the UTC Campus

Downtown Chattanooga, TN.

"Just Say No to the FTAA!" will be an evening presentation and discussion on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Chattanooga will be one of 20 cities to host this speaking tour in order to give communities a chance to share their views about the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).



•

There will be a potluck dinner at 6:00 pm, and the presentation will be at 7:00 pm.
An open discussion will follow the main speaker. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact john at 949-5922 or johnjef@bledsoe.net

TEXAS:

Austin! Derail the FTAA!!

Sunday, October 19

2:00 - 5:00 pm

**The NEW LOCATION:

Central Christian Church

1110 Guadelupe St., Austin, Texas

Find out more about the FTAA and why mobilizing against the Summit in Miami is critical right now. Learn about who's involved, the schedule of events andactivities, maps and more. Explore transportation and housing options. Get organized! Form affinity groups and practice your participation!  Refreshments provided



Join the Houston Mobilization to Stop CAFTA!!

Monday, October 20th, Rally begins at 4 pm, March Begins at 5 pm

Where: Rally at Grady Park (1700 Yorktown), March to the Westin Galleria (5060 Alabama)

The rally will begin at 4 pm in Grady Park, located at 1700 Yorktown, and march at 5 pm to the Westin Oaks and Westin Galleria hotels to confront the CAFTA meetings. All sponsors and endorsements for the Houston Mobilization to Stop CAFTA are welcome and encouraged. The Houston Mobilization to Stop CAFTA is also calling for continued vigilance, protest and education against CAFTA the rest of the week of the talks and is helping organize, coordinate and facilitate these events.



Sponsors: The Texas Fair Trade Coalition;Houston Young Democrats; Houston Campus Greens;Centro de Recursos para Centroamericanos (CRECEN); Not In Our Name-Houston; The Houston Global Awareness Collective; SACRED; In Solidarity With Animals; School of The Americas Watch;Houston ANSWER;The Art Car Museum and The Station;The Maryknoll House;La Colectiva,University of Houston; many other endorsing organizations.



The Houston Mobilization to Stop CAFTA
stopcafta@yahoo.com;hgac@riseup.net

Houston 832-725-6220; Austin 512-472-1915
www.stopcafta.org

2. Nov 20th Miami March Update:

The route for the permitted march on Nov. 20th in Miami has been established. The prominent feature of the route is that it provides for considerable exposure on Biscayne Blvd in view of the Intercontinental Hotel, site of the FTAA Ministerial. The march will kick off between 1 and 2 after a noon rally at Bayfront Amphitheater. The route is as follows:

Leaving the Rally at the Bayfront Amphitheater from NE 2nd St, marchers will proceed north to NE 4th St and loop around into the southbound lane back to NE 3rd St where they march west into the city. The route follows NE 3rd St west past Miami-Dade College to NE 1st Ave, north passing by the Federal buildings to NE 6th St, west to NW 2nd Ave, south past the Police Headquarters to NW 3rd St, east to NW 1st Ave, south passing by Government Metro Rail station to NW 2nd St, east to Biscayne. (NW 2nd St changes to NE 2nd ST) Emerging onto Biscayne at NE 2nd St, marchers take a right, south to Flagler.



The fence will be on the south side of Flagler, and marchers will use the north half of the St as they loop around to Biscayne. Marchers continue to NE 2nd St, their starting point, having completed approximately 2.3 miles. A closing rally of music and speakers will welcome marchers back into the Amphitheater.

3. Local Organizing

Updates on what CTC afiliate coalitions throughout the country are doing to mobilize for Miami:

The Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition delegation to the Miami Mobilization will be 212 strong! This number does not include any of the 30-50 Minnesota Steelworkers members going to Miami, or the many students mobilizing!

The Ohio Conference on Fair Trade is bringing 100 Ohioans on buses!

NYC JwJ Global Justice Project is flying 40 activists from low-income communities! 

4. Independent Media Center

Preparations are under way for an Independent Media Center in Miami! If you are interested in working on it, the email list is: imc-ftaa-miami@lists.indymedia.org. To see what IMC’s are all about and how they work, go to www.indymedia.org.



5. Medic Training:

Trained Medics will be needed throughout the events in Miami to make sure everyone is safe and healthy. Get involved in your area:

South:

Practical Community First-Aid: At home and on the streets
Learn how to keep yourself and your community healthy with practical knowledge and skills that everyone should know! A-Team Medics, a group of progressive activists and healthcare providers, is hosting an intensive 20+ hour first-aid training October 30th- November 2nd. The training will encompass basic first-aid and also focus on activist-specific health issues, treatment and prevention with a focus on protest first-aid; this training will enable folks to run as "street medics" at demonstrations. Childcare, housing, vegan breakfast & lunch will be provided free of charge.

Day 1: Oct. 30th or Oct. 31st 6-10p Day 2: Nov. 1st 9a-7p Day 3: Nov. 2nd 9a-7p

To register or for any questions, contact A-Team Medics at:
PO Box 2152, Asheville, NC 28802 (828) 350-0419 a-teammedics@riseup.net

register online at: http://www.artlessentropy.org/ateam

Northeast:

Basic Street Medic Training: October 17-19, 2003 @ Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT; hosted by Wesleyan Organized Medical Action Network

This training is an intensive training that will take place Friday evening (6 to 9PM) , Saturday (9AM to 6PM), and Sunday (9AM to 6PM). It is highly interactive, including presentation of information, practice scenarios, and role plays. We will cover Basic Street First Aid--from treating bleeding wounds, to splinting, to calling 911 for emergencies; weather-related injuries, street operations/tactics, initial patient assessment, psychological first aid, chemical weapons treatments and aftercare, stress management and treatment. To register for this course (of if you've got any questions), please email middletownmedics@yahoo.com with "registration" in the subject line. Registration is on a first come, first signed-up basis. The suggested cost of this training will be somewhere between $20 and $40 (more information will be made available as we try to get funding). Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.



Midwest:

Basic Street Medic Training: Date TBA @ Location TBA in Bloomington, IN

3-day, 20-hour intensive training. Contact Ari at yeti@rescueteam.com if you are interested in possibly attending/helping to organize.

6. Travel Update:

If you are flying into one of the airports, this might be a good way to get into the city.

Super Shuttle offers cheap transport to and from the airport if vans are reserved in advance. Each van holds eleven passengers, and goes for $55 one-way (only $5 per person!) For more information, or to book a van, call 305-871-8210 or go to http://www.supershuttle.com

7. Donate to help stop the FTAA!

The campaign against the FTAA takes resources! Donate today to help provide funding to build the grassroots and legislative campaigns necessary to win the fair trade fight!

http://www.citizenstrade.org/donate.php

8.  Housing needed

As everyone knows the FTAA meetings in Miami are fast approaching. I’ve been amazed with all the awesome things people are doing throughout the country to spread the word. Thousands of people will be converging on Miami to express our resistance, all of whom will require a place to stay. All people need is a backyard, a couch, a floor, anyplace that a person can sleep and hopefully catch a shower. So even if you don't live in Miami, maybe you know somebody who does, maybe you have a retired grandparent, or know of a church or union hall that might be able to host people. Please rack your brain and rifle through your rolodex, and then sign up at http://www.citizenstrade.org/housingoffer.php . Feel free to direct any questions toward me at pbertelson@citizenstrade.org

Pamela Bertelson

Citizens Trade Campaign

PO Box 77077

Washington, DC 20013

(202) 778-3320
fax (202) 293-5308

www.citizenstrade.org