Save the Redwoods/Boycott the Gap
Boycott the Gap: EMPOWERED!!!!!
Posted by Mary Bull (chalicenew@earthlink.net)
Thursday, December 9, 1999
GREETINGS, Environmental and Social Justice Activists Across the Globe!
Please join me in hailing the TRIUMPHANT VICTORS of the Battle of Seattle:
WE, THE PEOPLE!!! How do we feel? EMPOWERED!!!!!
In this update:
-WTO PROTESTORS VICTORIOUS: Objectives Accomplished on All Fronts!!!
-Debrief and Celebrate Our Victory: Where and When!
-Demand Immediate Amnesty for WTO Political Prisoners!!!
-SHUT-DOWN FEVER: What's Next:
-->Gap Holiday Protests: Starting Dec 9!
-->Shut down CDF?! The Governor's Office?! WHY NOT???!!!
-->Coalition With Labor: Keep it Going!
-Palo Alto, Michigan, & Amsterdam Report on Nov 26 Gap Actions!
WTO PROTESTORS VICTORIOUS!!!
******************************************
Did we accomplish our objective to shut down the WTO? Did we bring this elitist club to its knees and subject it to widespread public scrutiny??? YES, YES, & YES!!! Here's a sampling of front-page headlines from around the country: Summit Ends in Failure (Seattle Post Intelligencer), Talks Collapse; Meeting Ends (Seattle Times), WTO: A Turning Point (Seattle Times), Trade Officials Rethink WTO After Collapse (SF Examiner), Skewered in Seattle (L.A. Times, WTO Is Humbled, Changed Forever by Outside Forces (L.A. Times)...
Seattle was incredible.
In the face of outrageous police brutality toward peaceful demonstrators
(perpetrated hours before any incident of vandalism occurred on Tues, Nov
30), the creation of a "No First Amendment Rights" zone at the behest of
Bill Clinton for his corporate club, and the unjust and unconstitutional
treatment of our friends who were jailed for days as political prisoners
without legal representation, we--50,000 of us-- marched together, proudly
chanting "THIS is what DEMOCRACY looks like!" TALK ABOUT
E-M-P-O-W-E-R-M-E-N-T!!!
And was there coalition??? The teamsters brought hundreds of us (Direct
Action Network activists) hot coffee during our occupation and lockdown of
the entrance of the Westin Hotel (where Clinton and various delegates were
staying and holding meetings) from 4 pm Friday, Dec 3, to 6 am Saturday in a
final protest of the WTO and an effort to get our jailed comrades released.
Without exception, every labor leader who spoke, spoke first and foremost
for coalition--with environmentalists, human rights activists, indigenous
peoples, and so on. The steelworkers led the march of direct action activists, who ultimately shut down the WTO on Tuesday morning, and Native Americans led the final Labor march on Friday, Dec 3 (during this march, we walked inside a movable rope boundary labeled "Peaceful Protest Zone," a play on Mayor Paul Schell's goon-guarded "no protest zone," which activists quickly dubbed, "the No First Amendment Rights Zone.") YES, THERE WAS COALITION!!!
Everyone has great stories to tell--cameos of heroism--and our terrific Save
the Redwoods/Boycott the Gap affinity group is no exception. (At one point,
the SRBG AG faced-off mounted dragoons, chanting "The horses are with
us!!!"; later, we confronted triple rows of riot police and chanted to
them:"We're non-violent--how 'bout you?!") We returned miraculously
unscathed; all of us inhaled multiple doses of tear gas and are bruised from
billy clubs, but there were no arrests and the worst injury was a cracked
rib: This was not for lack of heroics, courage, and heart--just the
blessings of the Universe! Various members of the group appeared in local
and national media throughout the week and our powerful banner--a
collectively developed concept executed beautifully by Joan Norman (our
73-year-old artist/activist--arrested 61 times in 30 years!) --appeared to
be the most photographed banner during the entire mass protest!!! PHOTOS
WILL BE POSTED AT OUR WEB SITE SHORTLY!!!
HATS OFF TO THESE INCREDIBLE ACTIVISTS:
ALEX, ALEXA, CARLOS, CHAD, DIAN, JEAN, JED, JOAN, LINDY,
LON, LYDIA, MARY PJ, RICHARD, SCHAFER, & VANESSA!!!
Debrief and Celebrate Our Victory: Where and When!
***********************************************************
-Thursday, December 9, 4-5:30 pm, Science Center, Room 101, College of
Marin, 835 College Avenue, Kentfield. Behind the "Battle in Seattle": COM
Students Tell Their Story. Students for Social Responsibility of College of
Marin will host a community forum on the experiences of 13 members who
demonstrated last week in Seattle against the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
-Thursday, December 9, 8 pm. Justice League (Dance Club and Bar) 628
Divisadero St @ Hayes. LET'S GET FUNKY VICTORY CELEBRATION. Festivities
include: open mic for those wishing to share their stories from Seattle,
guest speakers, spoken word, video footage shot on the streets of Seattle
and lots of dancing and celebrating into the night. Bring your friends,
bring your family, EVERYONE is invited (especially those who didn't go to
Seattle!) Donations gladly accepted but not required at the door for the
Direct Action Legal Defense Fund. HEAD ON OVER AFTER THE GAP DEMO (see
below!)
-Saturday, December 11, 6 pm, my house (call or email for directions) SRBG
Affinity Group / Bay Area Core Group PARTY. If you want to SHARE THE GLORY
and/or CHARGE YOUR LIFE WITH ACTIVISM, join us! Besides eating and drinking,
we'll plan upcoming Gap and forest actions and the formation of the SRBG
Fife and Drum Corp (You were wondering what could we possibly do to top
"We'd Rather Wear Nothing...".... Well, this is it)!
-Sunday, December 12, 11 am, Black Cat (2852 Folsom, SF, between 24th and
25th). Black Cat in SF cordially invites the Reclaiming Cluster and Support
(including but not limited to Ruckus, Global Exchange, Rainforest Action
Network, Art & Revolution and all support people) to a potluck brunch to
reconnect and talk about the future!
Demand Immediate Amnesty for WTO Political Prisoners!
***************************************************************
The following report and call-to-action is from SRBG AG member Mary Pjerrou
and is also posted at our web site (www.elksoft.com/gwa):
The Seattle City Council is holding a hearing this Wednesday, December 8,
beginning an investigation into charges of police brutality and other civil
rights violations that occurred last week during the World Trade
Organization (WTO) protests. Please contact City Council members and other
officials and demand that all charges against peaceful protestors be
dropped. See contact information for Seattle officials at the end of this
article.
Over 600 peaceful WTO protestors were arrested during the police riots in
Seattle, and kept in jail for 3 to 4 days without arraignment and without
counsel. Most prisoners have been released, but many must return to
Seattle for hearings on minor charges. The continued legal harassment of
these people must be stopped. See this article for an eyewitness account
of rampant police violence in Seattle.
_______
In Seattle, many of us personally witnessed six hours of rampant police
brutality against peaceful protestors starting in the morning on Tuesday,
November 30, before any windows were broken or other vandalism. The
mainstream media got this wrong--and reported it backwards, as if the
police brutality were justified by the later vandalism.
Riot squad police, clad in black "Darth Vader" armor, hosed thousands of
peaceful protestors with pepper spray, and then shot tear gas canisters and
plastic bullets at peoples' heads and bodies, at several intersections
starting with the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle Tuesday morning. We
saw them continue to pepper spray and tear gas people who were obviously
disabled and extremely sick, lying on the ground. We helped an elderly
Asian couple (WTO delegates) who had been tear gassed escape the scene. We
got tear gassed ourselves. We witnessed the same police violence at
several downtown sites throughout Tuesday morning. These police actions
were horrible--it was as if they were exterminating insects. Their
creation of a "no protest" zone--50 city blocks in downtown Seattle--was
unconstitutional. And their arrest of peaceful protestors in these
circumstances was illegal.
The police failed to arrest the kids who were breaking windows and burning
trash bins in the late afternoon on Tuesday!
Due to the wrongful reporting by the mainstream media, and possibly at the
direction of political leaders, the police then rampaged through the
downtown area and into the Capitol Hill neighborhood, tear gassing and
brutalizing everyone in their path, including several public officials,
people sitting in cafes, and people merely opening the doors of their homes
to see what was going on. The arrests occurred mostly on Wednesday, and
were largely of people who were protesting the creation of a police state
in downtown Seattle.
Washington State Governor Gary Locke and Mayor Paul Schell should declare
an amnesty for all peaceful protestors who were arrested last week in
Seattle. The obvious intention of the police to provoke violence and to
cause a riot needs to be exposed. The 10,000 peaceful protestors who shut
down the WTO meeting should be congratulated for NOT rioting in the face of
extreme provocation by the police. The 50,000 people who came to Seattle
to protest the illegal and unconstitutional powers of the World Trade
Organization should receive an apology from the city of Seattle for this
police effort to divert attention from the profound political issues that
the protestors sought to raise. Is this Seattle's answer to political
debate? The club? The tear gas canister? The plastic bullet?
Please write or call to:
Gary Locke, Governor, State of Washington
www.governor.wa.gov
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
(360) 902-4111
Paul Schell, Mayor of Seattle
Mayors.Office@ci.seattle.wa.us
600 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
fax (206) 684-5360
tel (206) 684-4000
Seattle City Council
600 4th Ave. #1100
Seattle, WA 98104-1876
tel. (206) 684-8888
fax (206) 684-8587
Sue Donaldson, Pres.
sue.donaldson@ci.seattle.wa.us
Members:
Jim Compton
Richard Conlin
Jan Drago
Nick Lacata
Richard McIver
Margaret Pageler
Tina Podlodowski
Peter Steinbrueck
SHUT-DOWN FEVER: What Next?!
***************************************
Thursday, December 9, 5:30 p.m. Powell and Market Streets, San Francisco.
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DEMO AT GAP FLAGSHIP! Community demonstration, march, and
candlelight vigil to celebrate Human Rights Day and the National Labor
Committee's Third Annual Holiday Season of Conscience to end child labor and
sweatshop abuses. Hundreds of human rights activists and groups are expected
to participate; lots of good speakers, too, e.g., Medea Benjamin of Global
Exchange. NOTE: *** Don Fisher founded the Committee on Jobs, the political
apparatus of the largest corporations in San Francisco, which is the main
opposition to the proposed San Francisco Living Wage Law.***
Friday, December 10, Oakland Federal Building, 12 noon. RALLY FOR JUDI BARI
and Darryl Cherney. The civil rights lawsuit trial starts at 1:30 (after the
rally).
Saturday, December 11, Gap, El Camino Real, Palo Alto. GAP PROTEST! Join Bay
Area Action Schools Group in the South Bay to protest Fisher Family
deforestation and Gap exploitation of garment workers! Contact
BAAction@igc.org for more info.
Sunday, December 12, 10 am, Stafford, CA, 240 miles north of San Francisco
on Highway 101. JULIA'S SECOND ANNIVERSARY RALLY! There's a lot going on
around Julia Butterfly Hill's second anniversary living in Luna (the
1,000-year-old-redwood that she has been protecting for the past two years),
starting with a Bonnie Rait/Joan Baez concert this evening in Redway, CA.
HANG IN THERE, JULIA!!!
Monday, December 13th, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. RALLY 12 NOON. Oakland Federal
Building (originally scheduled to take place at the State Building). FDA
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD! The hearing was open to the
public by RSVP only, and may be full.
Saturday, December 18, Gap, Stanford Shopping Center. GAP PROTEST! Join Bay
Area Action Schools Group in the South Bay to protest Fisher Family
deforestation and Gap exploitation of garment workers! GO, OLYA & THE
SCHOOLS GROUP!!! Contact BAAction@igc.org for more info.
Date, time, and place: TBA! SHUT DOWN THE CA DEPT OF FORESTRY! ...An ironic
thing about our protest of the WTO is that we are demanding environmental
protections to be part of any trade agreement that affects natural
resources, while in the US and California, where we already have such
protections in place, these laws--due to political pressure--are not being
enforced. Consequently, people, such as the FISHERS of GAP, INC., are
destroying our watersheds and exterminating endangered species...
Why not shut down CDF? They are not doing their job (and they treat the
Public with utmost contempt). Why not shut down the Governor's Office? He
has back-pedaled shamelessly and arrogantly on all his environmental
campaign promises. Why not make our political leaders say, "What the hell's
gotten into YOU??? Why aren't you just shutting up and changing the
channel--? Remaining dumb and numb--working, obeying, and consuming???"
...CUZ, BRO', WE GOT THE POWER!!!
COALITION WITH LABOR. We came back from Seattle with many inroads to the
Labor movement and a strong commitment to coalition. One of our foci in the
upcoming months is to strengthen that alliance!
Reports From Nov 26 Gap Boycott Anniversary Demos!
*************************************************************
PALO ALTO, CA. WOW!!! The Bay Area Action Schools Group (Coordinator is the
intrepid Olya Milenkaya) has been working double-time while we were away!
With Gap Protests on Nov 26 and Dec 4--and two more on the horizon (see
above)! Here's an excerpt from the report:
"The Gap Inc. protest that took place this Friday, Nov.26th 1999, was a
great success! ...We made 13 signs and one huge one that read "GAP = ABUSE."
WE GOT 8 PAGES OF SIGNATURES WHICH EQUALS 240 PEOPLE THAT SIGNED SAYING "HEY
FISHERS, I DON'T LIKE SWEATSHOPS AND I DON'T LIKE CLEARCUTTING!!!!" Hurray!
The manager of the GAP came out and talked to us several times, as well as
the head guy of Stanford Security. No problems though. Most people were
really receptive and interested. We got a few people to join in for our
protest. We also met others that came later and joined in as well! Several
shoppers told us this: "I just returned something because of you guys!"
WOW!!! How great was that! We definitely achieved our goal of (a) educating
(b) being visible and getting the point across and (c) getting signatures!"
THREE CHEERS FOR THE BAA SCHOOLS GROUP!!!
MEANWHILE IN MICHIGAN... Sabine Fischer reports, "Well I gave my huge hour
and a half presentation on Gap Inc. it went really well. We did our own
version of 20/20 where Jon stossel interviewed Don fisher It was great every
one in the audience was really interested and we got tons of questions. We even showed a video clip of when we visited some Gap stores and they turned down our questions - we were kicked out quite rudely but it was a great added hidden camera presentation for our report."
GOOD WORK, SABINE!!!
AND IN AMSTERDAM... The Clean Clothes Campaign did a "We'd Rather Wear
Nothing Than Wear Gap!" action! Vivian sent this report with a bunch of
great photos of Dutch women in the buff: "Hi Gap watchers, For the minimal
action (not a lot of preparation costume-, press- and location-wise) we had
a lot of fun and (press) attention. National newspaper and radio. Does
anybody know if Gap is still producing in Saipan? Reading their
consumer-pr-letter i figured they still do. But i am not sure. Anyway, keep
up the watch. Warm regards, Vivian."
THANK YOU VIVIAN & THE CLEAN CLOTHES CAMPAIGN!!!
_________
Clearly, shutting down the WTO is only the beginning!!!
Mary Bull
Save the Redwoods/Boycott the Gap Campaign, SF
_________________________________________
Other Contacts/Information Sources:
www.elksoft.com/gwa
----------------------------
Mary Pjerrou, Redwood Coast Watersheds Alliance
707-877-3405 pirohuck@mcn.org
----------------------------
Norman de Vall, Greenwood Watershed Association
707-877-3551 ndevall@mcn.org www.gapsucks.org
----------------------------
Redwood Mary
Plight of the Redwoods Tour redwoodm@mcn.org
http://sites.netscape.net/redwoodmary/redwoodmary
----------------------------
Mary Bull,
Save the Redwoods/Boycott the Gap Campaign
415-731-7924 chalicenew@earthlink.net
----------------------------
----------------------------
Gap Labor Exploitation URLs:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/14
/MN19190.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/20
/MN49132.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/22
/MN49806.DTL
http://www.house.gov/resources/105cong/democrat/cnmifin.html#contractlabor
----------------------------
http://sweatshops@globalexchange.org
http://www.globalexchange.org
For further information on the WTO:
http://www.seattle99.org
http://www.seattlewto.org
http://www.ifg.org
http://www.tradewatch.org
http://www.globalexchange.com
http://www.peopleforfairtrade.org/
http://www.wto.org
http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/gattwto/gatthome.html
http://www.adbusters.org
http://www.zmag.org/CrisesCurEvts/Globalism/GlobalEcon.htm
http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/rulemakers/topTenReasons.html
"God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there...
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