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Mission Statement/basic platform



Drafted in February-March 2011, the Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective are proud to present our Mission Statement/basic platform:



OUR MISSION

The Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective is an independent, grassroots formation organizing for the self-defense and empowerment of our community as a response towards the escalation of repressive measures aimed at migrantes, families and workers.

PERSPECTIVE

Migrant communities of color have been increasingly targeted and criminalized since the establishment of US borders with legislation designed to maintain and exploit a permanent low-skilled labor pool. Laws have been introduced on a yearly basis, and are enforced locally and nationally, resulting in the separation of thousands of families through raids, deportations, and the wide scale violation of legal rights to due process. 

The Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS-ICE) are actively recruiting local police and politicians to act as their enforcers on the ground level through programs such as 287(g) and “Secure Communities”(S-COMM); additionally, the militarization of the border is leading to countless deaths. In short, our community is now faced with increased economic pressure and a denial of basic rights and protections.

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.

OUR DEMANDS

The Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective calls for an immediate end to ICE raids, deportations, police/migra collaboration, the theft of our cars at sobriety/driver’s license checkpoints and other tactics that threaten the livelihood and security of our families, neighbors, co-workers, and communities.

  • Documents and permanent residency rights for all: the right to work, higher education, drivers’ licenses and public benefits.
  • An immediate end to raids and deportations.
  • No to new “Bracero”/Guest Worker programs (modern indentured servitude).
  • Workers must have the unconditional legal right to organize.
  • No to the militarization of the border and our communities.


GOALS

We must always practice accountability to the communities we serve. The Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective is a community-based and action-oriented group organizing demonstrations, fundraisers, workshops and trainings. Whenever possible we will network, collaborate, and dialogue with allied organizations on the basis of principled unity. While we welcome strategic engagement with lawmakers and public officials, our demands for justice can only be won if they are backed by an organized social force working tirelessly and deliberately to secure meaningful change. Engagement and communication with those forces that oppress and attack our community are inevitable – but our dignity is non-negotiable. 


 A goal which we will consistently work towards is the general participation of our communities in the broad undertaking of common defense, preparation, and mutual aid. As such, our goal is the development of organized, independently-led networks and “Barrio Defense Committees” which are capable of looking out for one another on a neighborhood level.

OBJECTIVES 

  • Monitor trends in policy, enforcement, and resistance on the global and local levels – a key to overcoming the limitations and challenges of local organizing.
  • Further build and develop a culture of resistance by promoting the imagination of the community through music, art, theater, etc.
  • Develop media tools (audio, video, and print).
  • Distribute community educational materials.
  • Build awareness by organizing training exercises, educational forums, and basic “Know Your Rights” workshops.
  • Maintain a rapid-response and alert system in case of checkpoints and raids.
  • Document and expose violations of people’s rights by police/migra.
JOIN US!

The Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective is a democratic and inclusive space devoted to working class, undocumented, and oppressed communities. Realizing the common source of the various forms of oppression on the basis of social class, ethnicity, color, nationality, gender, and sexuality, we invite all honest forces to actively participate in this resistance campaign for community power.

2 thoughts on “Mission Statement/basic platform”

  1. Have you ever thought of obeying the laws of this country. Americans do. I, and most of my friends will do what needs to be done to stop you.

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  2. How do I join.Finally, a group of people are standing up to the illegal checkpoints.What can the people do to get back the $223,000 pension former sheriff Chrombach robbed from the city. He never paid a dime into the pension system. All Oxnard city employees get free pensions, free health care, and are all exempt from social security taxes(FICA)…..then they go and set up checkpoints to shake down poor workers.I have been banned from posting in the Star comment section online for saying these same things

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