[Sdpg] [starhawk] Our report on organizing for Cancun Mexico on September 10-15.

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

The next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization will take 
place in Cancun, Mexico on September 10-15.  From the 8th on, a huge 
mobilization will greet the meeting with creative protest and visions of 
alternatives.  The governments involved in the WTO are going into this 
meeting with strong disagreements on key areas such as agriculture.  Many 
of the key elements that derailed the Seattle ministerial are in 
place‹strong internal divisions, heavy opposition, and, we hope‹a powerful 
presence of resistance in the streets.  Below is our report on some of the 
preliminary organizing we did last week in Cancun and Mexico City.

If you can come to Cancun, do!  Internationals are needed and wanted, and 
it will be an incredible opportunity to meet and work with people from the 
global south, from students to campesinos.

If you can¹t come to Cancun, consider donating some money to help students 
and campesinos from Mexico come.  Cancun was chosen because it is isolated, 
expensive and inaccessible.  Students and campesinos, the major groups 
mobilizing, have little money but much courage and determination.  Many 
would like to come, but can¹t afford to.  With support and solidarity from 
the north, however, we can mount a large and effective mobilization that 
can derail the meeting.

And if this ministerial fails it will be the third failure in a row, 
dealing a potentially fatal blow to the organization.  The struggle for 
global justice will still continue on many fronts, but the tide will have 
turned.

You¹ll find information on how to donate money at the end of this report, 
as well as information on the organizing and the actions.  Thanks for your 
support, Starhawk.


Cancun Report:


Lisa Fithian and Starhawk from RANT went to Mexico from July 27 ­ August 
7th where we met with organizers and local activists in Cancun and with 
campesino organizers in Felipe Carillo Puerto, three hours south.  We went 
to Mexico City on Aug. 1st and spent the weekend with students at an 
encampment focused on the WTO and then attend a three day gathering meeting 
of Via Campesino.  We also met with lawyers coordinating the legal support 
for the September mobilization.    Our primary interest was plans for 
nonviolent direct action.  Here is a quick summary of what we learned:

In Cancun itself:

Cancun is a new city that was created as a tourist center for the Mexican 
economy.  As such there is no history of social movements or many activist 
based organizations.  And thus few organizers have much direct action 
experience.

The Comite de Bienvenida or the Welcoming Committee in Cancun is focusing 
on logistics - finding spaces for camping and the forums as well as 
food.   They are also working with the global network of NGO¹s called Our 
World is Not for Sale in organizing the forums, fair trade fair, 
etc.  There is more than enough work for what is basically a small group of 
people and they have been having trouble locking down specifics.  They are 
negotiating with the city but there are only so many places for up to 
10,000 people to camp.

Another local Cancun group, more youth and arts is emerging and they are 
focused on organizing youth and beginning to do outreach and mobilization 
in the local community. They are very interested in bring a cultural 
component to the streets in the form of puppets, drum processions and so 
on.  They have a base that hang in the Parque las Palapas which is the 
cultural center of Cancun City

Puente de Cancun is a small group of internationals sponsored by Global 
Exchange that is 1) providing info bulletins to the world, 2) organizing 
the media convergence and 3) serving as a link to internationals.

We felt that a convergence space for organizing and supporting the street 
actions is needed, and Mike, who was working with the Puente, was very, 
very helpful to us, and is looking into housing/convergence space.    We 
are fundraising to help cover the costs and people can make donations to 
RANT in order to secure one.  More info below.

Two of the students from Mexico City are also going down to Cancun this 
week and will be on the ground organizing from now on.  They both have a 
good bit of direct action experience which is great.

Finally on Cancun ­ the criminalization campaign has begun.  There were 
daily articles about foreign instigators, over 200,000 coming, about folks 
bringing explosives and so on.  The usual.   But this all has a chilling 
effect.  Also two years ago at the WEF protests the police were pretty 
brutal so there is a memory of that and some desire on the part of the 
Comite not to see direct actions.   All of this is evolving however as it 
is clear that there are different sectors with different visions and plansŠ..


Students:

The student activists we worked with are great and inspiring and 
experienced, sophisticated organizers.  Over the weekend encampment, they 
formed a new group, Alianza Global S-9/Global Alliance S-9, to be a 
coordinating body for all the groups planning street actions particularly 
on the 9th.

They came from numerous groups and several cities and have some clear ideas 
about what they would like to see happen.  While many want to go it is very 
expensive since the whole trip will be about 10 days with bus travel and 
all.   The students are hoping that international activist will contribute 
to help reduce the individual cost thereby allowing more to go.

They are writing a letter and where people can send money, but short of 
that RANT is also willing to help get money where it needs to go.  (Info below)



Campesinos:

Via Campesino and its related Mexican compesino organizations, (UNORCA 
being one of the main ones) are planning to mobilize 5-10,000 people. 
Again, numbers depend partly on money.   They are organizing their own 
forums on the 8th and 9th and then planning a day of action on the 10th 
which is the opening day of the Ministerial and the day focused on agriculture.

They are planning actions across the hemisphere to disrupt international 
commerce as well as a plan to march to the Convention Center to deliver a 
declaration.  Their intention is to get inside to read it.

They will march on September 10 and probably support whatever actions take 
place on September 9 although it seems unlikely that they will take a major 
role in them.  The student made a proposal to them and they have a big 
meeting soon to make a final determination on their plans.



The rough calendar:

8/30     Festival in Cancun, Student trainings in Mexico Citu
9/1     Convergence Center opens we hope
9/2    Alternative Media-Tech Convergence
9/4     Student busses leave Guadalajara.
9/5    Student busses leave Mexico City.
9/6    Training Weekend, evening assemblies/spokes begin
9/8    Students arrive in Cancun, evening Assembly to plan 
actions.  Compesino Forums
begins
9/9     WTO delegates begin to arrive.  Proposed action day.  Actions will 
depend on
numbers and logistics, but some powerful ideas are in the works.  Compesino
forums begin, NGO Opening Forum.
9/10    Ministerial Opens, focus on agriculture.  March and possible 
actions by Via
Campesino.
Alternative Trade Fair ­ through the 12th  out on the island
9/ 11    Zapatista Encuentro
Dia de la lutoÐmemorials for victims of war and violence, anniversary of 
the coup
in Chile as well as 9-11 in U.S.,  Street processions, offrendas, cacerolazo
(beating pots and pansÐa South American political tradition), and a Chilean 
pena
at night are suggestions.
9/12    Services under discussion at ministerial: suggestion to be in the 
streets of Cancun
City offering services to peopleÐfree food, water, medical care, etc.
9/13    Mass March against War and Free Trade.
9/ 14    Ministerial Closes, possible Fiesta on the beaches?
9/15    Mexican Independence Day


Other aspects:

Legal:  Legal support is being organized by a Mexican human rights 
organization.  We met with their representatives who seem to have a great 
plan.   They will aid internationals who have problems with immigration and 
provide support for the actions, and they seem to have this base well 
covered.  A legal Handbook is almost complete that will be translated into 
English and put on line on the Comite¹s webpage.

Medical: Various teams of street medics are coming down from the U.S. and 
we believe that this, too, will be well covered.

Housing:  Campsites for the major moblizations of campesinos and students 
are still being negotiated.  We have people looking for houses to rent for 
groups of internationals and for a convergence space, but don_t yet have 
anything confirmed.

Visas:   The Mexican government is requiring a special visa for accredited 
journalists and delegates who will be entering the Conference Center area, 
but we have been told that unaccredited people should just come on a 
regular tourist visa.  Passports are required for those flying into Mexico.

Weather ­ hot, hot, hot, oppressive or rain, rain, rain.  Come 
prepared!  Mosquitos also can be a problem, so some good nontoxic bug juice 
could come in handy.

Theft:   Theft is a big problem in Cancun and Mexico City.  We recommend an 
under-your-shirt money belt for your passport and cash and a wary eye when 
on busses, the subway, or in crowds.  Don¹t¹ bring anything of real value 
or consider insuring it.  The Puente House was just broken into and 
computer equipment etc stolen.

There are cheap internet café¹s everywhere!

What¹s Needed from Internationals:   Being there! Cancun is hard to get to 
for a lot of Mexicans, and internationals are needed and welcome in order 
to get the numbers we need for a large-scale mobilization.  Internationals 
present will also change the dynamic with the police the Mexicans believe.

Fundraising:   Funding is needed to bring more students and campesinos to 
the actions.  Anyone who can¹t come is be encouraged to make as big or as 
small a donation as possible.  RANT will help get the money to Mexican 
student organizations or convergence space.

$100 will sponsor one student¹s travel costs to Cancun.  We also need money 
for supplies for the permaculture projects, art supplies, flyers, 
etc.  Even small amounts can help.

Tax deductible donations can be made to:
Daughters/Sisters Foundation (Make check out to Daughters/Sisters, earmark 
it RANT/CANCUN)
PO Box 4492
Rolling Bay, WA 98061
EIN: 91-188-5041A

OR if you do not need a tax-deduction send money directly to:

Lisa Fithian
1405 Hillmont St.
Austin, TX 78704

Checks made out to RANT and what you want it to go for on the memo line!!!!!


Action Support and Coordination: Experienced people who can help coordinate 
actions, run communications, and volunteer as legal observers or to help 
staff the legal office will be extremely useful.  Spanish may be a 
requirement for some roles.

A few links:
Comite de Bienvenida   www.cancuncommittee.org
Indymedia Cancun:   http://chiapas.mediosindependientes.org/
Mexican Space / NGO¹s    http://www.rmalc.org.mx/
Fair Trade 
Symposium:  http://laneta.apc.org/pipermail/acancun-l/2003June/000176.html
The WTO official web-site (http://www.wto.org/)



Contacts:

Puente de Cancun:--bridge to internationals/organizing media convergence
998 887 9326
noomc at buz.org

Juventude Global‹local Cancun youth/cultural organizing
Hector Rodriguez      (52) 998 896 1822

Student organizing:
Alianza Global S-9   ags9 @yahoo.com

Everardo 0445551536067
kapitalbailable at hotmail.com

Legal

Comision de Derechos Humanos y Abogados
C/0Wolf
Cancundh at hotmail.com

Juan Antonio Vega
5523 9992
redtdt at redtdt.org
cancunddhh at hotmail.com