At every full collective gathering we acknowledge that we live in a society founded on stolen land and stolen lives. Someone researches and presents a relevant topic and then we take a moment of silence to reflect. We share the research here for others as well:

The majority of relations between the United States and Central America has been a history of imperialism imposed at varying levels to ensure the political and economic interests of the U.S. Although the early 20th century saw more overt imperialism through U.S. military occupations such as in Nicaragua, financially backing right-wing groups and dictators in overthrowing democratically-elected governments became a more common tactic as the century progressed to ensure that Central America remained within its sphere of influence.

One example of this sort of tactic is the funding of counter-revolutionaries against the successful revolution of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, also known as FSLN, in 1979. After the FSLN overthrew the Somoza regime, a regime which came into power after U.S. occupation in Nicaragua and largely contributed to rising inequality and political corruption, the Reagan administration began to secretly fund the Contrarrevolucion, or the “Contras”, who targeted peasant collectives, schools, and clinics in an attempt to spread fear, disrupt the already-unstable Nicaraguan economy, and undermine Sandinista social programs. Although the Sandinistas were officially elected to office in 1984, the continual war with the Contras funded and armed by the U.S, despite the International Court of Justice condemning these actions and ordering the U.S. to stop, only to be ignored, resulted in the Sandinistas losing office in 1990.

There are a number of examples of the U.S. contributing to the conflicts and destabilization of nations in Central America, such as overthrowing the democratically-elected government of Guatemala in 1954, financially backing the Salvadoran government military during the Salvadoran Civil War in the ‘80s which proceeded to commit a number of atrocities, and pushing free trade policies such as NAFTA on Latin America and furthering economic instability and unemployment.

However, these problems remain relevant as conditions continue to worsen for people in Central America. It is no wonder that after decades of meddling in Latin American affairs in pursuit of personal interests, and then making minimal to no effort in reparations for the damages, that some of these nations are incredibly unstable. For a myriad of reasons, including politically corrupt governments, ruined economies, drug cartels partially created by the U.S. itself, and more, people are fleeing their countries to seek asylum in the United States in pursuit of a better and safer life. In 2016, the U.S. Border Patrol captured a record 17, 512 unaccompanied minors coming from El Salvador alone. The narrative that the current administration spins would have you believe that many of the refugees coming in are here only to take advantage of benefits available to U.S. citizens or are gang-affiliated, such as the gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, that originally (and ironically) began in Los Angeles by refugees from the Salvadoran Civil War and only spread to Central America through deportation from the U.S. Rather, the reality is that these refugees are a direct result of U.S. intervention and imperialism.

Despite the fact that many of these issues are a result of the decisions of the very few elite in power, it is important to stand in solidarity with our neighbors to the south and do what we can to support the immigrants who come to find sanctuary and a better quality of life.

Resources:
https://www.redpepper.org.uk/us-imperialism-in-central-america/
https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/09/us-policy-latinx-immigration/
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/el-salvador-women-gangs-ms-13-trump-violence/554804/

How can you help?
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/7-ways-to-help-undocumented-immigrants/
https://cldc.org/organizing-resources/know-your-rights-for-immigrant-communities/

At every full collective gathering we acknowledge that we live in a society founded on stolen land and stolen lives. Someone researches and presents a relevant topic and then we take a moment of silence to reflect. We share the research here for others as well:

Efrîn is the western province of Rojava which is now a part of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria and is isolated from the other provinces. It is currently being invaded by Turkey, the second largest military in NATO, backed by Syrian rebel groups. Turkey views the PYD, one of the main parties in the DFNS administration, as a terrorist organization due to its links to the PKK, which has been fighting a guerilla war in Turkey for the last 40 years. The United States has been working with the rest of the DFNS through their military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces, as part of the coalition against ISIS. However, due to Efrîn’s isolation from the other cantons and lack of proximity to either ISIS or the Syrian regime, the coalition has not deemed Efrîn as a useful proxy in either conflict. This had led Efrîn to have stronger diplomatic relations with Russia, who until shortly before the start of the Turkish invasion was guaranteeing the safety of Efrîn with a small military police force operating inside the province. However, a deal was struck between Turkey and Russia, the latter recalling its forces from Efrîn in exchange for Turkish cooperation on a proposed division of rebel-controlled Idlib. Despite the United States current protection of the eastern DFNS, they have made it clear they care nothing for the actual project or its forces/governance by repeatedly stating they have no issue with the Efrîn invasion. This is imperialism on a global scale, super powers negotiating for spheres of influence and territory in foreign lands at the expense of the groups they supposedly support on the ground.

Efrîn has been resisting for 45 days against a vastly superior military force. So far the land lost has been mostly confined to the border regions but estimates of lives lost vary from around 200 according to the SDF to over 2500 according to the Turkish military, with a more accurate count being estimated around 700. This with an additional roughly 200 civilian lives lost. Turkish/Rebel losses are estimated between 150 and 1200. Recently militias aligned with the regime have joined the defense of Efrîn to resist the Turkish invasion. This is due in large part to the SDF in Efrîn helping neighboring Shia towns when they were besieged in the past by rebel Sunni Islamist forces, but also due to the necessity of warming relations with the Syrian regime to ensure the survival of their democratic project. Negotiations are ongoing between the regime and the DFNS in Efrîn for the handover of the province to the regime in exchange for protection from Turkey and some degree of autonomy.

Currently there is not much that can be done to support the resistance in Efrîn. There aren’t any ways to get money or supplies in. The limited and dangerous volunteering that used to be possible is now largely impossible do to the political changes in Iraq. The only thing that we can do now is largely symbolic solidarity actions, and the dubious route of trying to persuade the government to take action to defend Efrîn, which it has already ruled out doing. Other than that, we must stay informed and keep on our own path of resistance in solidarity with those also trying to make a better world. Hopefully their defense will be successful and we can support their recovery from its toll in the future.

At every full collective gathering we acknowledge that we live in a society founded on stolen land and stolen lives. Someone researches and presents a relevant topic and then we take a moment of silence to reflect. We share the research here for others as well:

The U.S. has a history of slowly and grudgingly making social progress, but we are still far from being done. In honor of Black History Month, we will cover a brief (and racist) history of mass incarceration of the Black community and statistics, political prisoners, and different ways to provide support for them.

In the years following the end of legal slavery, it is no coincidence that the U.S. found ways to criminalize Black folks under certain laws to imprison a disproportionate amount as the prison system became a new way to provide free and cheap labor for plantations. These laws, known as the Black Codes and designed after racist laws existing since colonial times, were intended to restrict their freedoms and control their movement and labor, and within a century, their labor was being used for governmental contracts and private industries.

With these already disproportionate numbers, President Nixon’s “war on drugs” in 1971 was a response to the social unrest across the country as the Black community struggled for civil and human rights. The laws that passed under this new “war”, such as the Rockefeller drug laws in New York, fueled a surge in prison populations with numbers continuing to increase to this day.

Statistics:
-Between 1980 and 2015, the number of people incarcerated in America increased from roughly 500,000 to over 2.2 million.
-Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of white people.
-Imprisonment rate of Black women is twice than that of white women.
-African American children represent 32% of children who are arrested, 42% of children who are detained, and 52% of children whose cases are judicially waived to criminal court.
-Though Blacks and Latinos make up approximately 32% of the US population, they comprised 56% of all incarcerated people in 2015.

Besides these reasons, there are also many Black folks who have been incarcerated for their activism and political activities who have served long sentences or remain in prison. The NYC Anarchist Black Cross has an extensive list of folks, including a list of Black political prisoners such as Herman Bell, Reverend Joy Powell, and Russell Maroon Shoatz, who are still incarcerated today:
Herman Bell – Herman joined the Black Panther Party in Oakland, CA and became active around human rights issues in the Black community. In 1971, due to relentless FBI attacks on the Party, Herman went underground. While underground, Herman joined the Black Liberation Army, and in September of 1973 he was captured and extradited to New York on charges of having killed 2 New York City police officers—a case for which other Panthers were serving time. No witnesses were able to put Herman at the scene of the crime. The first trial ended in a hung jury, but Herman was convicted at his second trial and sentenced to 25 years to life. Herman remains a prison activist, having coached sports teams inside the prison system, as well as mentoring younger prisoners. More info: freehermanbell.org

Revered Joy Powell – A reverend from Rochester, New York who was active in opposing police brutality, violence, and oppression, she was falsely accused by the Rochester Police of burglary and assault in retaliation for her activism. Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. An all-white jury tried her; the state provided no evidence and no eyewitnesses. Rev. Joy was not allowed to discuss her activism or say that she was a pastor. She was convicted and given 16 years and seven years concurrent. More info: freejoypowell.org

Russell Maroon Shoatz – Shoatz was a dedicated community activist and founding member of the Philadelphia based organization Black Unity Council, which eventually merged with the Black Panther Party (1969). In 1970, Maroon was accused along with 5 others of attacking a police station, which resulted in an officer being killed. This attack was said to have been carried out in response to the rampant police brutality in the Black community. For 18 months Maroon functioned underground in the Black Liberation Army. In 1972 he was captured. Twice he escaped—once in 1977 and again 1980, but both times he was recaptured and today he is held in Pennsylvania where he is serving multiple life sentences. More info: russellmaroonshoats.wordpress.com

NYC Anarchist Black Cross U.S. Political Prisoner and Prisoner of War Listing: https://nycabc.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/nycabc_polprisonerlisting_12-9-1november2017.pdf

The Education project also does a monthly Incarcerated Comrade Support Night to write letters and support political prisoners, so if you would like to get involved and support in any way that you can, be on the lookout for future announcements about these events!

Angela Davis – Political Prisoners, Prisons, and Black Liberation:
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/davispoprprblli.html

At every full collective gathering we acknowledge that we live in a society founded on stolen land and stolen lives. Someone researches and presents a relevant topic and then we take a moment of silence to reflect. We share the research here for others as well:

Before white settlers, the original peoples residing in what is now the Willamette Valley were the Kalapuya. The Kalapuya were not a single tribal entity, but rather thirteen autonomous groups loosely related by dialects, and these dialects made three distinct language groups. The thirteen groups, identified by their dialects, are as follows (from north to south): Tualatin, Yamhill, Ahantchuyuk, Luckiamute, Santiam, Chepenefa, Chemapho, Tsankupi, Mohawk (of no relation to the Mohawk Nation of New York and Canada), Chafan, Chelamela, Winefelly, and Yoncalla. Each of these groups resided along different areas of the Willamette, Umpqua, and McKenzie rivers. The Kalapuya were hunter-gatherers, gaining food by fishing and hunting, and gathering nuts, fruits, and roots. Their villages were occupied year-round, with smaller groups departing only to gather seasonal food and raw materials, and they used obsidian from the Cascade ranges to make projectile points for their weapons. Before contact with white settlers, it is believed the Kalapuya numbered as much as 15,000 people.

Much of the information of the tribes of greater Oregon was gathered by the Southwest Oregon Research Project started in 1995 at the University of Oregon. Initiated by the Coquille Nation, Native student researchers started a collection of photocopies of original documents that had been scattered and generally overlooked in the National Archives and National Anthropological Archives. These documents pertained to the history of Native peoples of greater Oregon and were established as a collection at the U of O within the Special Collections program of the library. This collection was intended by the project to allow Native and university scholars to continue to research and rewrite the histories of colonization that have been imposed on Native people, and has helped the tribes of Oregon and Northern California recover missing and lost histories and cultural information.