I have a lot of thoughts about this revelation. Most importantly: Was Brandon a Common Ground Mole or get the job later? AND if he was a Common Ground mole: Why would the FBI infiltrate a grassroots humanitarian organization whose main purpose was to help the Hurricane victims of Katrina? AND since the FBI was fully aware of the vigilante whites randomly shooting black people on the streets post Katrina... why did they allow that to continue?
A tour of Jackson Barracks in New Orleans with Gordon Soderberg and an invitation to all military veterans to continue serving your country when you return from war.
Turner takes us on a tour of the fledgling home school he is creating in the former Blair Grocery in New Orlean's lower 9th ward. It was the only grocery store in the area and the 1st black owned business in the lower 9th ward.
Tony Sferlazza is a field director working with the graqssroots relief organization, Plenty International. Plenty is a not-for-profit alternative relief and development organization founded in Tennessee in 1974.
report back from "The Peoples Summit" after the second sunburnt day of the gulf coast's people's summit, we here in new orleans are acting like we have months left before bush comes to town, when in fact he is here enjoying the city, comforted by air conditioning and motorcades. we are already witnessing the effects of his Security & Prosperity Partnership: with the mississippi river bridge's on and off ramps blocked, I-10 was made into an express highway, directing flows of traffic and people, conveniently out of his way, inconveniencing everyone else from having access to the city.
The canal street ferry, shuttling internally displaced traffic across the mississippi river, was circled through the day by coast guard boats fully armed and ready to fire mounted machine guns, in full show of force and what bush intends to mean by 'security,' we on the docks agreed was menacing and intimidating. the imminent, historic, and nation-altering meeting about to take place between the leaders of the "free world'' is being met with little, hardly any, noticeable resistance. Due at least in part to the crippled condition of new orleans, where 3 years after the hurricanes people continue to face daily struggles to survive, with no surplus resources, time, or active community members to lend to what would likely be, in any other city in the hemisphere, an equally historic People's protest to the executive meeting.
Civilian resistance and protest to massive free trade agreements seems to be planned for more by bush than by the american public or the "progressive left", and so new orleans is the perfect backdrop for the announcement of the spp: sweeping decisions adversely affecting millions of people are met with a strangled cry, gone unheard by the rest of the nation.
"Understanding who profits and how: NAFTA + and Katrina Profiteering" was a misnomer, a vague power-analysis turned roundcircle discussion, facilitated by the people's institute for survival and beyond. The session was attended by community organizers, international public service workers union representative, mexican trade unions, activists from chiapas, american and canadian youth, citizen journalists and media activists, farmer union representative, social workers, non-profit organizations, and new orleanians, served more as the critical race theory workshop that the Peoples Institute is known for, and not as any attempt for a coordinated approach or discussion on how to challenge bush, calderon and harper at this critical moment.
ironically, at this international summit, facilitators asked that we divide ourselves into national groups to notice similarities between new orleans and wherever we were visiting from, something that would have been manifold more useful to hear from each other, as it was a rare opportunity to hear voices from across the heavily guarded borders. discussion was derailed and became about how we are gate keepers, moving further and further away from any plan of action. the 6 hours were used as an introduction to social inequality, as if people signed up to take a class on the internalization of inferiority/superiority. in fact people came to act together in the face of big brother government.
for all of our talk on giving voices to disenfranchised people around the world, taking queues from these communities, learning from eachother, creating access to decision-making, none of the mexicans who traveled the long distance were asked what they thought should happen at this summit. there was no mention of their very successful strategies for organizing resistance to destructive neo-colonial economic policies. nobody asked "what can we do now that all of our presidents are in town?" instead was the same old, painfully ineffective naval-gazing
speaking with a gentleman from mexico after the looooong winded sessions were over, he asked what the break-out group of americans discussed, and i said they were just talking and not saying much, like americans do. and he laughed, agreeing said i should have been sitting with the mexican delegation because they were discussing that very point.
Going well beyond the Port of New Orleans, Security and Prosperity Partnership plans for "North American Integration" endanger port, trucking, and railroad jobs, as well as investments, incomes, and State revenues all over the country. The SPP is coming to the Big Easy, why should you care? Let's have a look...
Here's what you can expect.
Go to New Orleans and DO SOMETHING Monday, 4/21 9am – 12pm Community Tour of New Orleans & Story Circles in Congo Square 12 – 1:30pm Opening Ceremony & Lunch in Congo Square 2pm – 5pm Understanding Who Profits & How: NAFTA+ and Katrina Profiteering 6pm – 9pm Understanding Who Profits & How: NAFTA+ and Katrina Profiteering
House Representative Marci Kaptur on Cintra's involvement with the North American Union that will give this Spanish corporation control over a massive swatch of US land. They will divide our country, literally, in 2.
When something is bad for us often people from the right AND left can agree that it is bad for us even though we will have different reasons for thinking so. This video is from The Conservative Caucus and explains why right wingers are against the North American Union. BTW the state run web site Snopes.com claims the North American Union is an URBAN LEGEND; maybe someone should tell the leaders of these 3 countries that they don't need to meet to discus it then.
You can express YOUR disagreement with the North American Union on April 21st & 22nd in New Orleans when the "3 Amigos" (Bush, Calderon & Harper) meet to discuss their plans to make our 3 countries ONE country.
This video premiered at the New Orleans Clean Cities Conference on Thursday, March 27th 2007. This is a trimmed down yet updated version of the Bio Liberty: Energy is Freedom video. ~ Related Links ::: Bio Liberty
The 1st Common Ground Relief owned facility in New Orleans has been dedicated to Anita Roddick, recently deceased owner of the Body Shop and Champion of Humanitarian and Civil Rights issues world wide.
The dedication ceremony took place Saturday, next to where the barge landed in the lower 9th ward and features Malik Rahim, CoFounder of Common Ground Collective; Kone Shakur, media relations director of Common Ground Collective; The Rebirth Brass Band, The Revolution 2nd Line and Fiyaya.
The Bio Liberty relief / redevelopment camp in Slidell Louisiana is pioneering sustainable, off the grid, weather resistant and affordable housing solutions for the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast region. The property itself was a landing/launching pad for numerous groups of grassroots hurricane relief workers and is now being developed as a model for Solar, Geothermal and BioDiesel powered communities.
“Welcome to New Orleans” is a 58 minute documentary about the city of New Orleans during the first year after Katrina. This film depicts ... all » the violence and racism in the impoverished American South. This is a story about the bottom-side of United States--a society that has been left to fend for itself. But more importantly, this film is about hope, in the face of overwhelming adversity. “Welcome to New Orleans” depicts the ravaged city through the eyes of Malik Rahim, a 58-year-old former member of the Black Panthers, who stayed during and after Hurricane Katrina, in order to help residents. He has become a local hero, as he has built up his grassroots organization, Common Ground Collective, over the past two years. Common Ground has served over 170,000 residents with the help of over 12,000 volunteers, who have traveled from all 50 states and 40 different countries. But there is still plenty of work to be done.
The government is scheduled to demolish thousands of UNDAMAGED units of public housing in New Orleans. The city is in the middle of an affordable housing crisis. Rents have skyrocketed and thousands are homeless. Meanwhile these undamaged apartments have remained unoccupied since the hurricane due to the city boarding them up, fencing them off and arresting trespassers who hold legal leases.
These properties are slated to begin demolition on or after December 15th. Press Conference 9AM \ MONDAY December 10th \ City Hall History Lessons and Direct Action Training to follow the press conference.
The NOmadjik Media Bus finally makes it to New Orleans after a grueling cross country adventure. With assistance from our friends @ Bio Liberty and New Orleans BioDiesel Initiative the bus received some much needed upgrades. I learned a lot about Waste Vegetable Oil as Fuel and the empowering process of BioDiesel Production in the Gulf Coast Region. ~~~ The NOmadjik Media Bus is now preparing to start coverage of the Presidential Primary Selections in New Hampshire and beyond. We will be following the primaries south from New Hampshire hitting as many as possible.
We will also be attending BOTH the Democratic and Republican Conventions and Inauguration. If you'd like to visit us or join us on the road, get in touch.
Tax Deductible Donations made now will benefit the project greatly as we still need to gear up a bit and winterize.
HAHO and HUD are intent on destroying over 1000 people's homes. These apartments are minimally damaged and could have easily been reinhabitated immediatly after the hurricane. However, the issue of what to do with the financially challenged people of New Orleans is at the center of the Corporate land grab intended for city. Related Links ::: St. Bernard Projuect Update April '06, NOTV Collective Housing in New Orleans Documentaries