PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

get on the bus from Pgh to Miami- Nov 20-21st ftaa meetings
by fghgjgfj Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003 at 8:42 AM
pittsburgh_ftaa@hotmail.com

Information on the largest, most important, global justice protest in years. Join 300 of your closest friends from Pittsburgh as we take on corporate power.

Nov 20-21st Trip to Miami: Join the Thomas Merton Center FTAA campaign as we head for the biggest, most important, global justice protest in years.

Pittsburgh is mobilizing to bring more then 300 concerned citizens to Miami to take part in the historic events opposing the Free Trade Area of the Americas. If you're interested in coming with the Pittsburgh Contingent to Miami please email pittsburgh_ftaa@hotmail.com. We are starting to reserve seats and work out the logistics of this trip. Logistical details are at the end of this message and it would help us out a lot to start getting in contact with those who want to go. Additional educational and group information is at http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/ftaa

This November 20th-21st, the 34 Governments of our Hemisphere (except for Cuba) will be meeting in Miami, Florida to continue negotiations toward a final Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA is a trade agreement that expands the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the rest of our hemisphere. Identified by multinational corporations and the Bush administration (Bush himself will be attending) as the top US trade priority for the coming years, the FTAA (if ratified) will set the progressive movement back decades. In one sweep it will eliminate gains it took decades of orqanizing to achieve. For more then 8 years groups across our hemisphere have been waging a struggle to see that the FTAA negotiations fail. Unions, churches, environmental and animal/human rights organizations, and the rest of civil society are pitted against corporate power to see what we as a society prioritize. The Bush administration hopes to leave Miami with a final draft agreement for countries to ratify, but this is by no means a certainty. The negotiations are on shaky ground and many feel that if an agreement is not pushed through soon there will not be an agreement. The longer we can delay, the greater the chance of killing it. Because of the importance of these meetings a massive coalition of groups is mobilizing for Miami. All the elements of civil society will be there to greet Bush and company at the most important global justice protest since the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle. The government expects 20,000 to 100,000 people to attempt to derail the summit and we see no reason to disappoint them.

The diverse range of events already planned include:
forums, teach-ins, trainings, a massive outdoor concert by the AFL-CIO, a steelworkers rally, a mass march and rally, a padded contingent to shut down the meetings, a puppet extravaganza, non-violent direct action to surround the meeting site, street parties, a bike caravan to Miami, and more.

Preliminary Details of the trip are as follows:
Cost: the estimated cost of the trip is 50$ (or 65$ to go to Miami and then the School Of the Americas events in Georgia the following weekend on the way back to Pittsburgh)
Departure: We envision the majority of people leaving on Tuesday Nov. 18th. The exact times will be staggered depending on when people are able to leave.
Return: We will likely leave Miami on Friday Nov. 21st. As with departure, the times will be staggered depending on what different groups want to do.
Housing: We are working to arrange free group housing at a friendly location. This will be floor space (sleeping bags and pillows recommended). We will have a limited number of hotel rooms available for those who need them (at a cost of 25$ a night).
Jail: There will be a wide variety of tactics employed by groups opposed to the FTAA meetings. Some of these will likely involve the possibility of arrest. Because of this we are making arrangements to make sure that anyone arrested will have a way back to Pittsburgh. We Will Not Leave Anyone Behind!
School of the Americas Protests in Georgia: The annual School of the Americas protests are taking place Nov 22nd-23rd at Fort Benning (Georgia). Due to the FTAA meetings in Miami, SOA Watch has shortened the annual vigil events to the 22nd-23rd so that there is no event overlap. Fort Benning is about 10hr directly north of Miami on the way back to Pittsburgh. For anyone who is interested we will be offering transportation directly from Miami to Georgia and then back to Pittsburgh. You would leave Miami on Friday, attend the SOA events, and return to Pittsburgh early Monday morning. This option would be an additional ~15 dollars.

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wow. numbers for once
by John Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003 at 8:51 AM

From all indications Miami is going to be a massive event. There haven't been this many progressive groups working on a global justice event since the 99 WTO meetings.

Below are endorsers of one of the calls to action to come to Miami and protest the ftaa-

AFL-CIO, Agricultural Missions, Alliance for Retired Americans, Alliance for Responsible Trade, Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment, American Friends Service Committee, Democratizing the Global Economy, American Lands Alliance, Center of Concern/US Gender and Trade Network, Citizens Trade Campaign, Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras, Communications Workers of America,
Development GAP, Ecumenical Program on Central America and the Caribbean, Florida Fair Trade Coalition, Friends of the Earth-USA, Global Exchange,
Grantmakers without Borders, Institute for Policy Studies, Global Economy Project, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers,
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Jesuit Network for Development, Jobs with Justice,
Mexico Solidarity Network, Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, OXFAM America, Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty & Genocide, Public Citizen
Public Services International, Inter-Americas Region
Resource Center of the Americas, Sierra Club
UNITE!, Unite for Dignity, United Auto Workers, United for a Fair Economy, United Mine Workers of America,
United Steel Workers of America, United Students Against Sweatshops, Witness for Peace

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holy jeez.
by willie hortens Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2003 at 8:26 AM

the planning for miami seems to
really be coming along. you folks in
pittsburgh have your shit together.
folks from erie will be joining you
up the punks!

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