Justice for Robert Ramirez!

We send our most sincere condolences to the family of Robert Ramirez and join them in demanding justice for this young man’s death at the hands of the Oxnard Police Department (OPD).
VIGIL: August 4, Plaza Park

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Enviamos nuestro más sentido pésame a la familia de Robert Ramírez y nos unimos en exigir justicia para este joven que murió a causa del departamento de policía de Oxnard (OPD). 

VIGILIA: 4 de Agosto, Parque La Placita

Image(photo credit: CTPaP Media Ops)

CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS EN LOS RETENES

El Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo comenzará a vigilar los retenes policiales para asegurar que  terminen los abusos y la ganancia por las confiscaciones de vehículos. Una ley reciente, AB 353, garantiza nuevos derechos a las personas que manejan sin licencia y que son detenidas en un retén.

Si usted es detenido en un retén policial y el único delito que ha cometido es manejar sin licencia (Nota: No aplica a las personas con licencias revocadas o suspendidas):

  1. La policía debe hacer un esfuerzo razonable para no confiscar su vehículo, incluyendo: intentar identificar al dueño registrado del vehículo para entregarle el vehículo a esa persona, si él o ella tiene licencia, O, entregarle el vehículo a un conductor con licencia autorizado por el dueño registrado.
  1. Si el dueño registrado, o una persona con licencia autorizado por el dueño registrado, no pueden ser identificados y contactados entonces el vehículo será confiscado.

SIN EMBARGO, la  confiscación de 30 días ya no aplica si su único delito fue conducir sin

licencia. El vehículo puede ser entregado al mostrar la prueba de licencia de California

vigente y el registro del vehículo.

Si usted es detenido en un retén policial y su único delito es que usted manejó sin licencia y su vehículo es confiscado, por favor póngase en contacto con nosotros para documentar este abuso. Nuestra campaña intenta acabar con los abusos en los retenes! También estamos organizando para lograr una póliza con la ciudad para garantizar que los mismos derechos mencionados anteriormente apliquen no solo en los retenes, pero en todas las paradas de tráfico. UNASE A NOSOTROS!

Comuníquese con el Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo en:

Teléfono: (805) 3-AVISO-3

Correo electrónico: poder805@riseup.net

CONOZCA Y DEFIENDA SUS DERECHOS!

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AT POLICE CHECKPOINTS

The Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo will begin monitoring police checkpoints to ensure that the abuses and profiteering end from tows and impounds. A recent law that passed, AB 353, guarantees new rights to individuals detained at a checkpoint that do not possess a drivers license.

If you are detained at a police checkpoint and the only offense is that you are driving without a driver’s license (Note: does not pertain to revoked or suspended licenses):

  1. The police must make a reasonable attempt to not impound your vehicle by attempting to identify the registered owner of the vehicle to release the vehicle to the registered owner if he or she is a licensed driver OR to a licensed driver authorized by the registered owner.
  2. If the registered owner or a licensed driver authorized by the registered owner cannot be identified and contacted, then the vehicle would be impounded BUT, now the 30-Day Impound does not apply if your only offense was driving without a license. The vehicle can be released upon showing proof of current California driver’s license and vehicle registration.

If you are stopped at a police checkpoint and your only offense is that you were driving without a license and your car is impounded, please contact us to document this abuse. Our campaign is to end the abuse at checkpoints! We are also organizing for a city policy to ensure the same rights mentioned above to apply at all general traffic stops.  JOIN US!

Contact the Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo at:

Phone: (805) 3-AVISO-3

Email: poder805@riseup.net

KNOW AND DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS!

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.

Nuestra Misión/Plataforma

Redactada en Febrero y Marzo 2011, el Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo orgullosamente presentamos nuestra Misión/Plataforma:

NUESTRA MISIÓN 

El Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo es una formación independiente de base organizando por la auto-defensa y la capacitación de nuestra comunidad en respuesta al escalamiento de medidas represivas dirigidas a los migrantes, familias y obreros.


PERSPECTIVA 

La comunidades migrantes de color han sido cada vez mas convertidos en blancos y criminalizados desde el establecimiento del las fronteras estadounidenses con legislación diseñada de mantener y explotar una fuente de baja-capacidad laboral permanente. Cada año se han introducido leyes que se esfuerzan a los niveles locales y nacionales, resultando el la separación de miles de familias a través de redadas, deportaciones, y la amplia escala de violaciones de los derechos legales a debidos procesamientos.

El Departamento de Seguridad a la Patria-El Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (DHS-ICE) están activamente reclutando a policías locales y políticos para convertirlos come agentes de migración a través de programas come el 287(g) y “Comunidades Seguras” (S-COMM). Adicionalmente, la militarización de la frontera que a resultado en un sinnúmero de muertes. En corto, nuestra comunidad ahora se enfrenta con una aceleración de presión económico tal como la negación de protecciones y derechos básicos.

Un análisis realista de quienes benefician de nuestra opresión indica claramente que la cabeza y corazón de nuestro movimiento tiene que ser la comunidad y que el presente estado de desorganización permite que la migra, policía y los políticos nos acose. La historia y experiencia nos muestra que la unidad y organización es capaz de transformar a una situación de aceptación pasiva a una donde la gente tiene la habilidad de defenderse por si mismo de una postura de poder y que pueda tomar la iniciativa para luchar por un futuro digno. Un pueblo optimista, afirmativo, y auto-determinado es capaz de superar el temor, hostilidad, y corrupción general de aquellos que dirigen sus ataques hacia nosotros.


NUESTRAS DEMANDAS 

El Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo exige el alto inmediato al las redadas de ICE, deportaciones, colaboración entre la policía/migra, y el robo de nuestros vehículos en los retenes revisión de manejo bajo la influencia/licencia de conducir y otras tácticas que amenazan el sustento y seguridad de nuestras familias, vecinos, compañeros de trabajo y comunidades.

  • Documentos y derechos de residencia permanente para todos: el derecho de trabajar, educación de alta superioridad, licencias de conducir y beneficios públicos. 
  • El alto inmediato a las redadas y deportaciones. 
  • No a nuevos programas de huéspedes/ “bracero” (servidumbre obligatoria moderna) 
  • Derecho incondicional del obrero para organizarse. 
  • No la militarización de la frontera y nuestra comunidades 



METAS 

Siempre tenemos que poner en practica de ser contables a las comunidades cuales servimos. El Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo es una formación comunitaria con orientación de acción, organizando manifestaciones, levanta fondos, talleres y entrenamientos. Cuando sea posible formaremos redes, colaboraremos, y dialogaremos con organizaciones aliadas bajo unidad con principios. Mientras nos parase entrar en batallas estratégicas con legisladores y oficiales públicos, nuestras metas por la justicia solo se podrán ganar si esta respaldada por una fuerza social organizada incansablemente y deliberadamente para lograr cambios significativos.

Una meta principal hacia la que lucheremos consistentemente es la participacion general de nuestras comunidades en el empeno amplio por la defensa comun, preparacion, y ayuda mutual. Al fin, nuestra meta es el desarrollamento de organizacion, redes lideras a niveles independientes y “Comites en Defensa del Barrio”, que seran capaz de cuidarse uno al otro en niveles vecindarios.


OBJECTIVOS 

  • Monitorear las tendencias de póliza, aplicaciones de leyes, y la resistencia en niveles globales y locales- una clave para superar las limitaciones y retos de organizar a nivel local. 
  • Promover la imaginación de nuestra comunidad, utilizando la música, el arte, teatro, etc. para avanzar la construcción y desarrollo de un cultura de resistencia. 
  • Desarrollar herramientas mediáticas (audio, video, visual). 
  • Distribuir materiales educativos comunitarios. 
  • Organizar entrenamientos de capacitación, foros educativos, y talleres de “Conozca Sus Derechos.” 
  • Mantener un sistema de alerta y respuesta-rápida en caso de retenes y redadas. 
  • Documentar violaciones de derechos del pueblo por parte de la policía/migra. 


¡ÚNETE! 

El Colectivo Todo Poder al Pueblo es un espacio democrático y inclusivo comprometido a la clase obrera, indocumentada, y comunidades oprimidas. Realizando que se encuentra una fuente común de las varios formas de opresión según por la clase social, étnica, color, nacionalidad, genero, y sexualidad, invitamos a todas las fuerzas honestas para que participen activamente en la campaña de resistencia y por la fuerza comunitaria.

Report Back: Manauia Youth Group hosts an Informational Community Forum on Gang Injunctions in Santa Barbara, Ca.


Manauia Youth Group, La Juventud Organizada, welcoming guest speaker Francisco ‘Chavo’ Romero of Unión del Barrio (Oxnard) and the Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective
Report Back: Manauia Youth Group hosts an Informational Community Forum on Gang Injunctions in Santa Barbara, Ca.

~Raza Press and Media Association, Special Report (3/17/2011)

First, a special thanks to the hard work of the Manauia Youth Group for inviting us to present today at the Westside Community Center in Santa Barbara. This was the third presentation in the past 2 years that they have invited us to present on gang injunctions. Tonight, Thursday March 17th, about 50 youth, parents, community members, local organizations and non-profit advocacy groups (PUEBLO, Esperanza, La Palabra) attended the informational presentation on “civil gang injunctions.”

Before the presentation, we met with several youth that had been “served”  by the civil gang injunction and they expressed their concerns about the process and why they were targeted. One young man, shared that he had nearly seven years without having been in trouble with the law. He shared that he has been working and going to school and now, he felt, he was being punished and criminalized. Several parents also expressed sadness and concerns about the injustice of these gang injunctions affecting their sons and daughters.

Francisco ‘Chavo’ Romero of Unión del Barrio – Oxnard, who participated in the community organizing efforts against two gang injunctions in Oxnard from 2004-2006, spoke today for nearly an hour, over viewing the general history of civil gang injunctions, the procedures, and some suggestions for initiating a coordinated, broad, public and vocal response to the gang injunction. He stated, “The authorities are hoping that the community will remain silent, and, that the civil gang injunction will be enacted without any legal or community opposition or response. The last thing they want to see is a youth-led organizing effort with mothers, fathers, and community having press conferences, marches, city council presentations, and packing up the courtrooms as they struggle in defense of their civil and human rights. The authorities and politicians want this all to be swept under the rug. So, get out there and take it to the streets, council chambers, and courtroom, don’t let them silence your call for justice, jobs and education.”

After reviewing the injunction paperwork the youth had been served with in Santa Barbara this week, Romero indicated there was a clear contradiction from what Santa Barbara Police Chief Sanchez stated at this week’s press conference that this injunction would only target the 30 individuals served.  The current petition for the injunction includes the name of the 30 individuals and also adds “Does 1-300”, where police will be able to add names to the list later if the injunction goes into full effect. This is exactly the “new breed” of gang injunctions that have spread across California. It is also most likely that the majority of those served live with the “Target Zones”, which, according to the map we were provided, covers nearly every inch of working class neighborhoods in all of Santa Babara. The “Target Zones” include every single major park in the city limits, all major streets leading in and out of the city, as well as the “Special Events” centers plus the entire beach zone and all of downtown’s State Street and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Romero ended by stressing the importance of finding legal pro-bono representation for the youth that have already been “served” as soon as possible so that a legal response can be made within the set forth time. Although this case is a “civil matter” where it is assumed that defendants do not have a right to public defender, Romero informed that contacting the public defenders office is important, where they may be able to assist, because this “civil matter” leads inevitably to “criminal charges” for defendants and will impact the public defenders ‘s office, as was the case with the Oxnard injunctions. 

Tonight, various discussion and meetings were set by the Santa Barbara community to regroup to plan out the next stages of this campaign on the media, legal, and community actions. 
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Click here for the Police press conference: 

Click here for local newspaper article: 

Also, some notes and excerpts from Thursday evening’s PowerPoint presentation:   

CHALLENGING CIVIL GANG INJUNCTIONS:  THINGS TO CONSIDER-
LEGAL REPRESENTATION:  Immediate efforts to get a legal team to review the injunction paperwork and documentation and to get defendants to challenge and appear for the hearings, litigation appointments etc. Close attention should be paid to if there was community input/participation in developing the injunction proposal (or was it only testimony of police officers, most of which do not live in the community) Also, review language description of Santa Barbara and study if it is an accurate description of the conditions in the community or was it a carbon copy.

“THE FIREFLIES IN THE JAR”: Carefully review the data utilized to develop the case and especially the “DOT MAPS” for the Target Zone.  Incidents over time… clustered together to create a misrepresenting case of “nuisance” and the need for “injunctive relief”.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, ALLIANCES & COALITIONS : Grassroots organizing with local youth, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, non-profits working on justice issues, etc. should form alliances and coalition to mobilize support to challenge the injunction. Community input and declarations may be needed during a legal challenge as well to propose actual community-based proposals and alternatives to incarceration/injunctions/criminalization.

For copies of the entire presentation and video, please contact Chavo at: todopoderalpueblo@yahoo.com