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November 15, 2007
3rd National Liaison
The third National Liason meeting will be hosted by MEChA de UIUC at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus in the Tierra Mid-Atl region. The meeting will take place on Saturday, December 1st, 2007. For more information visit the national conference section: http://www.nationalmecha.org/nationals2008.html.
November 12, 2007
Border Patrol Attacks Demonstrators as No Borders Camp Closes
Calexico, CA – November 11, 2007 – Border Patrol officers attacked Sunday evening participants in the closing rally of a week-long bi-national camp protesting borders in Calexico/Mexicali. The rally took place on both sides of the fence just east of the pedestrian border crossing. Nearly 100 Border Patrol agents used pepper gas pellets, tazers, and batons to assault demonstrators on the U.S side.
As people attempted to disperse, Border Patrol agents chased and detained them in groups, forcing them to their knees with their hands on their heads. In one case, a person already badly injured by pepper pellets shot at close range, was pursued and pulled away from a companion treating his wounds. “They were shouting at us to move so I was walking away when I tripped. They grabbed me and tackled me and held me down. A few minutes later, I saw more than a dozen of them beating on another guy with batons and jabbing tasers into him.” says Geoff Boyce.
The Border Patrol made three arrests: Steve Murphy, Erik Wackernagel and one other person. All three have been charged with impeding a federal officer and are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge Tuesday morning. The detainees maintain that they partook in a peaceful protest and were shocked by the Border Patrol's brutal attack. All others who were temporarily detained on the street have now been released.
More than 500 people participated in the No Borders Camp during the week of November 7-11. The bi-national camp was a networking forum for activists opposed to the militarization of the border. Actions during the camp included a rally and march on November 9 at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Centro, CA and a memorial service on November 10 at a cemetery in Holtville, CA where the remains of some of the more than 4000 migrants who have died crossing the border are buried. All activities during the camp were peaceful and intended to build connections across borders. Sunday's march and rally was the culmination of the No Borders Camp.
SOURCE: http://www.noborderscamp.org/
November 5, 2007
March on Burger King Headquarters
CIW announces march on Burger King headquarters to coincide with BK's annual shareholder meeting
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers recently announced the MARCH ON BURGER KING HEADQUARTERS in Miami, Florida, to coincide with Burger King’s annual shareholder meeting. This march is part of the current campaign toward an agreement with Burger King to address human rights abuses in Florida's tomato fields.
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MEChA, along with the Student/Farmworker Alliance and other organizations, have supported the CIW in both the Taco Bell and McDonald's campaigns. MEChA continues to support the CIW as we take on the King.
Mark your calendars for Friday November 30th, 2007 and start organizing today to join the CIW at Burger King’s headquarters in Miami this November for:
A march with the CIW through downtown Miami, Friday, November 30th. The march will start at the offices of Goldman Sachs, a major shareholder in Burger King, and culminate at Burger King headquarters in a rally featuring farmworkers, national and local supporters of the Campaign for Fair Food, theater, music, art and more. Major speakers will be announced in the coming weeks…
A weekend of events to follow, including a Concert for Fair Food on Saturday, December 1st and activities with Miami-area faith communities on Sunday, December 2nd.
Email workers@ciw-online.org for more details on the upcoming action. Check http://ciw-online.org/2007_BK_March/ for more background and campaign information, it is where you can find all the information you need to join the march on November 30.
November 2, 2007
Public Press Release
On October 25th, 2007 a hoax website, made to look like CNN, falsely reported that MEChA claimed responsibility for setting the wildfires that have recently devastated southern California. MEChA would like to make clear that our organization had no part in starting these fires. We condemn the slanderous act committed by those who created the website, and our condolences are with those who have been affected by the wildfires.
As MEChA we feel that the actions of those individuals who created the website are not to be taken lightly, and view this incident as yet another malicious attack on our community and those who fight for social justice. Their actions have not only caused us to receive large amounts of hate mail, but have also undermined the hard work and efforts of those investigating the true cause(s) of the fires. In addition, these acts have created an atmosphere of animosity towards the Chicana/o Latina/o community at large and the community as a whole has felt the negative consequences. We are thankful to those who helped to expose the hoax as it could have led to violence against members of our community.
Currently, MEChA is working in collaboration with other social justice organizations and community members to build solidarity. Our community is tired of the passive responses to discriminatory and oppressive acts and they stand beside us as we look into pursuing further legal action.
Founded in 1969, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (MEChA) is a student organization that promotes higher education, cultura, and historia. MEChA was founded on the principles of self-determination for the advancement of our people. We believe that political involvement and education is the avenue for change in our community. MEChA has played an important role in the creation and implementation of Chicana/o Studies and support services programs on campuses and communities throughout the country.
Elizabeth Chavez NMCC Co-Chair David Partida NMCC Co-Chair
November 1, 2007
National Conference Pre-Registration Deadline
January 1, 2008 is the final day to pre-register for the 2008 National MEChA Conference being held at Sacramento State University in California. On-site registration fees will apply to any forms postmarked after the January 1st deadline.
The pre-registration form can be downloaded from the National Confernce forms page. For more registration information, please visit the registration page at: http://www.nationalmecha.org/registration2008.html.
