Radio Pacifica Evening News 4/17/13 – California Strawberry Festival, Springs Fire Oxnard
[OXNARD, CA, 4.17.13] Local groups and advocates are crying foul over the California Strawberry Festival, an event that celebrates an industry built on harsh labor exploitation in the plantations of agricultural California. This year’s festival comes on the heels of the Camarillo Springs Fire, where 15 workers at Crisalida Farms were fired for leaving the strawberry fields due to unsafe working conditions resulting from the fire. Ernesto Arce of Radio Pacifica Evening News spoke to Elliott Gabriel of the Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective about this recent outrage.
Thandisizwe Chimurenga: Closing Keynote at “Justice For Our Communities” Police Brutality CA Statewide Conference in Oxnard, 4/27/13
The following keynote was delivered by independent community journalist Thandisizwe Chimurenga at the historic CA Statewide Conference, “Justice For Our Communities! Families Organizing to Resist Police Brutality & Abuse,” held at Oxnard College on April 27, 2013
I’m not going to be longwinded. I want to give you just a few words about this struggle that you are now a part of. And I am going to start with some of Kristian Williams’ words from his book, Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America. He says,
“What are police for? Everybody thinks they know. But to assume that the police exist to enforce the law or fight crime is akin to beginning an analysis of military policy with the premise that armies exist to repel invasions. The ends an institution pursues are not always the same as those it claims to pursue. I begin, then, with a call for skepticism, especially about official slogans and publicly traded justifications. Let us focus less on what the police say they are doing and instead asses the institution based on what it actually does.”
You, family members, loved ones of those murdered by the police, as well as activists and organizers, have a charge now: your charge is not only to receive justice for your loved one, but to advocate for other families who have experienced the same pain as you, and to advocate for other families to not experience/share your pain. We have a saying in L.A.: “Get Involved by Choice, Not by Force.” That’s what we’re talking about.
You must tell your stories of your loved ones; of the way they were treated and the way you were treated. You have a responsibility, because in the final analysis, at the end of the day, the poet Khalil Gibran’s words ring true:
“Your children are not your children. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”
In the final analysis, at the end of the day, Manuel Diaz was not murdered because he was the son of Genevieve Huizar; Kelly Thomas was not murdered because he was the son of Ron Thomas; Oscar Grant was not murdered because he was the son of Wanda Johnson; Alfonso Limon Jr. was not murdered because he was the son of Alfonso Sr. Trayvon Martin was not murdered because he was the son of Sabrina and Tracy; Kenneth Harding was not murdered because he was the son of Denika Chatman.
They were murdered because they were wearing the right uniform on that day. This – our appearance, our skin – was the right uniform; because it was not the uniform of the boys in blue, or the boys in black, what the police wear, it was the right uniform.
We live in a white supremacist society. Kelly Thomas’ white skin privilege should have shielded him. But because he had a disability, and was homeless, he was wearing the right uniform on that day.
Your families are needed in the movement, and the movement is needed in your families. You have a responsibility to have as much clarity as possible, to get it and to give it, about the nature of this struggle that you now find yourself in. That means that you have to study; you have to read and analyze and discuss with folks who have been doing this work for years; you have to travel outside of your immediate communities; and you have to travel outside of this country to see firsthand that you are alone in having lost a loved one to police – to the violence of the state; that you are not alone in organizing to extract justice from the police and system that employs them.
This is not an easy fight. This is not a quick fight. At times this may be a bitter and ugly fight, but it must be a fight in collective fashion. In numbers we have strength, we have power, and we will have victory.
A Luta Continua – The Struggle Continues – E Vitoria e Certa – Victory is Certain – We Will Conquer Without a Doubt – The People United Will Never Be Defeated.
- Thandisizwe Chimurenga is an independent L.A.-based fighter and people’s journalist
Agricultural industry shows total disregard for human life in Oxnard // Industria agrícola muestra desprecio total por la vida humana en Oxnard
NBC: Oxnard Farm Workers Fired for Leaving Fields During Wildfire http://tinyurl.com/OxFire
RT: Toxic pesticides burn up in California wildfirehttp://tinyurl.com/OxPesticides
[NBC LA] More than a dozen farm workers in Southern California were out of a job after walking out of the fields last week, forced indoors because of heavy smoke from a massive wildfire burning nearby.
- Air quality in the region was at dangerously poor levels and 15 workers at Crisalida Farms decided they could not handle it any longer. They left, even though their foreman warned them they would not have a job when they returned.
- The ashes were falling on top of us, one of them explained, adding “it was hard to breathe.”
Air quality in the region was at dangerously poor levels and 15 workers at Crisalida Farms decided they could not handle it any longer. They left, even though their foreman warned them they would not have a job when they returned.
“Toxic pesticides burn up in California wildfire”
[RT USA] And while smoke inhalation is never healthy, the fumes of this wildfire are particularly dangerous: fire officials on Thursday warned that a store of highly toxic pesticides caught fire at an agricultural property in Laguna Farms, near the university campus. Fire officials have sent out health warnings, urging residents to avoid inhaling smoke – even if no flames are nearby.
- Inhaling pesticides can burn internal organs and harm the respiratory system, making it difficult to breathe. Doing so may also cause the pesticides to become absorbed in the bloodstream and disperse throughout the body. Severe cases of pesticide poisoning can lead to loss of reflexes, inability to breathe, unconsciousness or death. External exposure to pesticides can also burn through skin and eyes, in some cases causing blindness.
NBC: Campesinos en Oxnard son despedidos por dejar los campos durante incendio (video solo disponible en Inglés) http://tinyurl.com/OxFire
[NBC LA] Más de una docena de trabajadores agrícolas en el sur de California perdieron su trabajo después de salir de los campos de la semana pasada, forzados a salirse por el denso humo por el gran incendio forestal de Springs.
- La calidad del aire en la región se encontraba a niveles peligrosos y 15 trabajadores en Crisálida Farms decidieron que no podían soportarlo más. A pesar de que el jefe los amenazo que no tendrían trabajo al regresar los campesinos dejaron sus puestos, diciendo que era más importante su salud.
- “Las cenizas caían encima de nosotros”, uno de ellos explicó, y agregó que “era difícil respirar.”
RT: Pesticidas tóxicos se queman en incendio forestal (articulo solo disponible en Inglés)http://tinyurl.com/OxPesticides
[RT EE.UU.] Y mientras que la inhalación de humo nunca es sana, el humo de este incendio fue especialmente peligroso. El jueves pasado advirtieron los bomberos que un almacén de pesticidas altamente tóxicos se incendió en una propiedad agrícola en Laguna Farms, cerca del campus universitario. Los bomberos enviaron advertencias sanitarias, instando a los residentes que evitaran la inhalación de humo, incluso si no ven llamas cerca.
- La inhalación de pesticidas puede quemar los órganos internos y dañar las vías respiratorias, dificultando la respiración. También puede causar que los pesticidas sean absorbidos en las vías sanguíneas y se dispersen por todo el cuerpo. Los casos graves de envenenamiento por pesticidas pueden causar la pérdida de reflejos, dificultad para respirar, pérdida del conocimiento e incluso la muerte. La exposición externa a los pesticidas también puede quemar la piel y los ojos, en algunos casos causando ceguera.
GRACIAS A TODOS! Últimas Noticias: Post-Conferencia Estatal de Justicia para Nuestras Comunidades! Familias Organizando para Resistir la Brutalidad Policial y el Abuso
En nombre del Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo – GRACIAS- por hacer la primera conferencia estatal sobre Justicia para Nuestras Comunidades! Familias Organizando para Resistir la Brutalidad Policial y el Abuso, la vigilia y marcha todo un éxito!
Queremos reconocer todo el trabajo duro por nuestros anfitriones, el Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) del Colegio de Oxnard, y todos los voluntarios que ayudaron a lo largo del día, especialmente MEChA y estudiantes de CSUCI, haciendo que nuestros invitados de todo el estado se sientan bienvenidos.
Queremos también dar las gracias a todas las familias y las organizaciones que estuvieron representados, los presentadores principales y los ponentes de los talleres en la conferencia, con representación de todo el estado, desde Sacramento, a la bahía, al Valle Central, en la costa central, de la área de Los Ángeles, Santa Ana a San Diego.
Cumplimos todos nuestros objetivos de la conferencia establecidos durante nuestras reuniones de preparación y ahora tenemos que seguir adelante con el impulso de este evento. ¿Y ahora qué sigue?
En la próxima semana, haremos lo siguiente:
1. PUBLICAR un resumen general de la conferencia desde la perspectiva del Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo, junto con la elaboración de las propuestas de acciones, eventos, etc., que surgieron de las discusiones y las envíaremos a los participantes de la conferencia y de nuestros aliados en todo el estado para su revisión.
2. ESTABLECER una teleconferencia post-conferencia a mediados de mayo para discutir los próximos pasos. Queremos asegurarnos de que todos tengamos tiempo para volver a reunirnos y nuestros pensamientos para organizar y coordinar nuestros próximos pasos. Les enviaremos la información tan pronto como confirmemos la fecha y hora a los participantes y nuestros aliados de todo el estado para su revisión.
En la lucha,
Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo (Oxnard)
Alto a la militarización y la criminalización de nuestras comunidades!
Policías asesinos! Fuera! Si no hay justicia! No hay paz!
THANK YOU ALL! Update: Post-Statewide Conference on Justice for Our Communities! Families Organizing to Resist Police Brutality and Abuse
On behalf of the Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective – THANK YOU- for making the first statewide conference on Justice for Our Communities! Families Organizing to Resist Police Brutality and Abuse, vigil and march a success!!!
We want to acknowledge all of the hard work by our hosts, Oxnard College MEChA, and all volunteers that assisted throughout the day, especially the CSUCI MEChA and students, making our guests from across the state feel welcomed.
We want to also thank, all of the families and organizations that were represented, keynotes and all workshops presenters at the conference, representation that was clearly statewide, from Sacramento, to the Bay, to the Central Valley, to the Central Coast, to greater Los Angeles area, Santa Ana to San Diego Regions.
We met all of our conference objectives set forth during our preparation meetings and now we must move forward with the momentum from this event. SO WHAT’S NEXT?
We will within the next week:
1. PUBLISH a conference overall summary from the perspective of the Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo along with putting together the proposed actions, events, etc. that came out of the discussions and sending those to conference participants and our allies across the state for your review.
2. SET-UP up a post-conference teleconference in mid May to discuss the next steps. We want to make sure we all have time to re-gather ourselves and our thoughts to organize and coordinate our next steps. We will send out information as soon as we confirm the time and date.
In struggle,
-Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective (Oxnard)
Stop the militarization and criminalization of our communities!
Killer cops! Off our Streets! No justice! No Peace!
Declaración del Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo: “¡Justicia para Nuestras Comunidades!” Conferencia Estatal
Buenos días. Estamos reunidos hoy para resistir la epidemia de abuso por parte de la policía en nuestras comunidades. Estos problemas no se encuentran sólo en las pólizas sino que reflejan la enfermedad propia del sistema.
Ahora, más que nunca, esta conferencia es necesaria. Los supuestos “Oficiales de Paz” se han organizado en asociaciones y sindicatos con influencia política indiscutible, legitimando y protegiendo su capacidad de infligir fuerza incontenible. Las comunidades de clase trabajadora en los EE.UU. han sido víctimas de una campaña de asesinatos extrajudiciales por la policía que roban, en promedio, entre una a dos vidas cada día. Estamos aquí hoy para organizarnos, fortaleciéndonos a través de fronteras geográficas, culturas y comunidades.
Aquí en Oxnard, el 23 de junio del 2012, Roberto Ramírez fue golpeado cruelmente hasta la muerte por 7 oficiales después de que amigos de la familia llamaron al 911 para pedir atención médica. Después, el 13 de octubre, Alfonso Limón, Jr. fue asesinado mientras regresaba de hacer ejercicio en un supuesto “incidente” con 9 policías. 2 de esos policías también están implicados en el homicidio de Roberto. Estaremos conmemorando la muerte de Limón, junto con todas las víctimas de la brutalidad policíaca, esta noche a las 6:30 en la Placita del centro de Oxnard y vamos a marchar mañana por La Colonia con la familia Ramírez y otras familias de víctimas que vienen de otras ciudades.
A nuestro gobierno le encanta hablar de las ejecuciones públicas en países como Irán mientras que aquí en Estados Unidos oficiales como Johannes Mehserle y John Moody son capaces de ejecutar descaradamente a jóvenes como Oscar Grant y Ernesto Dueñez, sólo para servir menos tiempo que un cargo menor de robo o, peor aún, recibir vacaciones pagadas en forma de “descanso administrativo”. Está claro que consideran a algunos de nosotros menos que humanos, o tal vez la humanidad simplemente no es un asunto para ellos.
A los innumerables mártires que han caído víctimas de estos asesinatos extrajudiciales, levantamos nuestro puño y decimos: “DESCANSA EN PODER.” Tu muerte no ha sido en vana y tu sangre derramada no ha sido olvidada, ha penetrado nuestras calles y nuestros corazones, y se ha convertido en parte de nuestra memoria y conciencia colectiva.
Nuestro único objetivo es la paz, por lo que vale la pena la vida, sólo hay que preguntarle a las familias aquí presentes! Sin paz nuestras comunidades se sofocan en la ansiedad y se deterioran. Sin embargo, “la paz” no es posible cuando nos enfrentamos a la agresión directa y el trauma de las vidas robadas. No somos ingenuos y no confundimos la “paz” con la pacificación y la represión sancionada por el estado—es por esto que estamos aquí hoy. Nuestro lema es “Sin justicia no hay paz” –esto es por lo que luchamos.
Tenemos que reunir los diversos componentes que están en juego:
El complejo-industrial de prisiones, personas encarceladas en cifras gravemente superiores a las de cualquier otro país en el mundo, con ciudadanos estadounidenses obligados a trabajar en condiciones de esclavitud moderna.
Está el terror constante impuesto sobre nuestros hermanos y hermanas indocumentados ya que bajo la administración de Obama, las deportaciones han aumentado a cifras históricas y la guerra contra emigrantes se ha intensificado.
Ser pobre se ha convertido en un crimen. Ya se trate de una enfermedad mental, una adicción, o la falta de documentación, etc.—todos estos problemas, con raíces en la pobreza y la desesperación, se han vuelto equivalente a crímenes graves.
Luego está el acto de manejar en automóvil y ser afroamericano o Latino, o caminar y ser afroamericano o Latino, ambas cosas hemos visto que son crímenes capitales en los ojos de los policías.
Estos problemas son inseparables de la naturaleza del capitalismo.
Casi todos nuestros supuestos “representantes” elegidos han guardado silencio sobre este tema. Cuando juegan su juego para ganarse votos nos halagan y nos prometen todo tipo de castillos en el cielo, pero al final ellos son como los policías: un juego de llaves que los ricos llevan en sus bolsillos y sus palabras son tan inútiles como ese enfadoso ruido que hacen las llaves. No van a escuchar nuestras demandas a menos que construyamos nuestra fuerza independiente y les mantengamos los pies al fuego.
Los medios de comunicación también han sido cómplices. Parecen máquinas fotocopiadoras para las agencias como el Fiscal del Distrito y los departamentos de policía en todo el país, mostrando una tendencia permanente en favor de estos asesinos.
Las que hemos construido esta conferencia somos organizaciones de resistencia y familias, no colaboramos con la policía ni aceptamos dinero sucio o donaciones corporativas, y rechazamos cada intento de contenernos y de manipular nuestra disidencia. Sin embargo, tenemos que tener cuidado con las organizaciones que no son completamente independientes del sistema ya que los conflictos de intereses son profundos –igual a la corrupción que a veces se esconde detrás de las sonrisas, los guiños y los saludos.
Para concluir, estamos contentos de haber organizado esta conferencia histórica con la ayuda de MEChA del Colegio de Oxnard!
Vamos a terminar esta apertura leyendo un fragmento de la misión del Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo que se formó en el año 2010:
“Un análisis realista de quiénes se benefician de nuestra opresión mostrará claramente que la cabeza y el corazón de nuestro movimiento debe ser la comunidad y que es nuestro estado actual no-organizado que permite que la migra, la policía y los políticos nos acosen. La historia y la experiencia nos han demostrado que la unidad y la organización son capaces de transformar una situación de aceptación pasiva en una donde la gente es capaz de defenderse por sí misma desde una posición de fuerza y puede tomar la iniciativa en la lucha por un futuro digno. Un pueblo optimista, enérgico y autodeterminado son capaces de superar el miedo, la hostilidad y la corrupción general de aquellos que nos atacan.”
Todo Poder al Pueblo Statement : “Justice For Our Communities!” Statewide Conference
Good morning. We’re gathered here to resist the epidemic of abuse from law enforcement that has struck our communities. These aren’t just problems in policy but reflect the inherent sickness of the system itself.
This conference is needed now more than ever. So-called “Peace Officers” have organized themselves into associations and unions that hold unchallenged political sway, legitimizing and protecting their ability to inflict unrestrained force. Working class communities across the U.S. have fallen victim to a campaign of extra-judicial killings by police that claim, on average, between one and two lives per day. We’re here today to organize and strengthen our ties across geographical boundaries, cultures & communities.
Here in Oxnard, 7 officers cruelly beat Robert Ramirez to death on June 23, 2012, after family friends called 911 for medical attention. Then, on October 13, Alfonso Limon, Jr. was shot down in a so-called “incident” involving 9 cops while he was out for a jog. 2 of those cops were also implicated in the homicide of Robert. We’ll be marking Limon’s death, along with all victims of police brutality, this evening at 6:30 in the center of Downtown Oxnard at Plaza Park, and we’ll be marching tomorrow through La Colonia with the Ramirez family and other families of victims from across California.
Our government loves to talk about public executions in countries like Iran but meanwhile, here in the States, officers like Johannes Mehserle and John Moody are able to brazenly execute young men like Oscar Grant and Ernest Duenez, only to serve less time than a minor guilty of shoplifting or worse, receive paid vacation in the form of administrative leave. Clearly they either they see some of us as less than human, or humanity simply isn’t an issue for them.
To those countless martyrs who’ve fallen prey to these extra-judicial killings, we raise our fist and say “REST IN POWER.” You didn’t die in vain, and your spilled blood hasn’t evaporated or washed away —it sank deep into our streets and into our hearts, and became embedded into our memory and consciousness.
Our only goal here is peace; this is what makes life worth living—just ask the families here today! Without peace our communities become gripped by anxiety and they deteriorate. But “peace” isn’t possible when we’re facing direct aggression and the trauma of stolen lives. We’re not gullible; we don’t confuse “peace” with state-sanctioned pacification and repression – that’s why we’re here today. Our slogan is “No Justice, No Peace” – this is why we fight.
We need to tie together the various components that are in play:
There’s the prison-industrial complex, where U.S. citizens are incarcerated in numbers far exceeding those of any other country in the world and people are forced to work in conditions of modern-day slavery.
There’s the terror that’s been imposed on our undocumented brothers and sisters. Under the Obama administration, deportations have skyrocketed and a war has been escalated against migrantes.
The poor themselves have been criminalized. Whether it’s mental illness, drug addiction, an inability to pay child support, a lack of documentation for economic refugees, et cetera – all these problems, rooted in poverty and desperation, have become equivalent to high crimes.
Then there’s driving while black or brown, or walking while black or brown, both of which we’ve seen are capital crimes in the eyes of the pigs.
These problems are inseparable from the nature of capitalism itself.
Just about all of our elected so-called “representatives” have been silent on the issue. When they pander for votes they flatter us and promise us all kinds of pie in the sky, but in the end they’re just like the cops: keys that are held in the pockets of wealthy elites, and their words are as useless as the rattling noise made by keys. They won’t hear our demands unless we build our strength independently and hold their feet to the fire.
The media has also been complicit, acting as Xerox machines for DAs and police agencies across the country, and showing a permanent bias in favor of these killers.
Those of us that have built this conference are resistance organizations and families who do not collaborate with the police or accept dirty money or corporate grants, and we reject attempts to contain us and manage our dissent. However, we need to be careful about organizations that aren’t completely independent from the powers that be, because conflicts of interest run deep – and so does the corruption that sometimes hides behind smiles, nods, and fist-bumps.
In closing, we’re happy to have organized this historic conference with the gracious help of Oxnard College MEChA. (Applause!)
We’ll end this opening by reading a bit of the Mission Statement of Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective, which formed in 2010:
“A realistic analysis of who benefits from our oppression will clearly show that the head and heart of our movement must be the community and it is our present unorganized state which allows the migra, police, and politicians to bully us. History and experience have shown that unity and organization are capable of transforming a situation of passive acceptance into one where people are able to defend themselves from a position of strength and can take the initiative in the fight for a dignified future. An optimistic, assertive, and self-determined people are capable of overcoming the fear, hostility, and general corruption of those who take aim at us.”
