On June 30th, a meeting was held with the

organizations that were a part of organizing the June

25th event in Baldwin Park. The following is a

summary of that meeting from the participants

involved.

---------------------------------------------------------

At last night's Los Angeles Regional meeting of the

May 28th Coalition the following occurred. The Comite

Pro Democracia en Mexico brought accusations against

Javier Rodriguez of being an infiltrator. They

presented many legal documents which they say proved

that Javier Rodriguez is a man with ties to the FBI,

CIA, DEA and what used to be the INS (now Department

of Homeland Security). After bringing up these

accusations in front of everyone, Javier Rodriguez

said that those accusations had "nothing to do with

anything" and that they were simply accusations with

no backing.

A motion was made to expel Javier Rodriguez from the

meeting and the results were as follows:

To REMOVE him: 15 votes.

To allow him to STAY at the meeting/coalition: 5

votes.

Abstentions: 1 vote (his organization)

Even after the vote, Javier Rodriguez refused to

leave.

We would like to state that we did not attend the

meeting to create division and that we are NOT leaving

the coalition because of infiltrators such as Javier

Rodriguez.

We attended that meeting and we send out this document

that was read out loud at the meeting to make it

publicly known that we CANNOT work with certain

organizations within the May 28th Coalition on THIS

issue of the SOS/Minutemen/migration. Those

organizations will not respect a democratic process in

coalitions and they have been

the ones creating division in our coalition work. We

are resigning from the coalition for POLITICAL

reasons. This does not mean that in the future we

cannot work together on other issues such as the war

in Iraq...etc.

We will continue to organize against the

SOS/Minutemen/Migra/racists...etc and invite ALL of

you who can work within a coalition process to

continue working with us. We know that you will see

that the organizations who are signing this letter are

the ones who have been the most disciplined, organized

and representative of our

people's struggle. We are currently planning the next

meeting and invite all of you to attend.

If you have any questions or would like to continue

working on this issue with us, please feel free to

contact us.

Email us at: FrenteLA@yahoo.com or Lacomite@aol.com

or call us at: (323) 860-9870



The organizations below met to analyze the events that

occurred during the June 25th event in Baldwin Park.

We have concluded with the following:

1. During the event, several organizations that form

part of the May 28 Coalition disrespected the

political agreements that were agreed upon at the

summit that took place at the UCLA Labor Center on

June 12, 2005. The decision that came out of the

Actions committee was that we as the May 28th

coalition would respect the decision of the community

of Baldwin Park in regards to the type of event that

they would organize.

On June 22, 2005 at the Los Angeles regional meeting

some organizations stated “they should be held

accountable to a bad decision”.

2. On June 25th at the “La Reconquista” event,

organized by the Committee in Defense of Danzas

Indigenas, members of those same organizations were

there recruiting people to leave the cultural

celebration in order to confront the SOS/Minutemen.

This went entirely against the agreement reached by

the coalition.

By acting out and such an individualistic manner,

these organizations broke the agreements of the

coalition and disrespected the local wishes of the

Baldwin Park community of having a cultural event to

denounce the racists.

We are not against militant politics or strategy,

however we respected and supported the decision of the

compas of Baldwin Park to protest utilizing our

people’s power of culture. We are a cultured and hard

working people.

Due to the aforementioned reasons we declare the

following:

The organizations that broke the political agreements

of June 12th and 22nd showed a complete lack of

respect to the local organizing committee of Baldwin

Park. Those same organizations that are part of the

coalition had been at local and regional meetings and

were aware that the Baldwin Park event would be of

cultural and pacific character; without confrontation.



In addition, a representative from Baldwin Park

attended a Los Angeles meeting 3 days before the event

to clarify that his community (Baldwin Park) wished to

have a cultural event. Regardless, various

organizations decided to push their own agenda for the

day of the event, rupturing the unity of the

coalition.

We also want to make mention that their behavior was

disrespectful to the local community, we also want to

make mention that the organizations that broke the

agreement do not represent the social base of the

migrant community that are under attack by the

racists.

Due to the aforementioned reasons we declare the

following:

1. WE resign immediately from the May 28 Coalition

2. WE have formed a new coalition under the following

principles of unity:

a. WE will respect the political agreements of this

coalition and those taken from other organizations;

fundamental elements of this new coalition will be

discipline and ethics.

b. WE will respect the decisions made by the local

organizations of the host communities.

c. WE will utilize diverse tactics to struggle and

defend our community and all migrant communities.

Artistic and spiritual tactics will be used when

appropriate.

d. The political leadership will be representative of

the social base of the groups most affected.



Fraternally,

Los Angeles, CA June 29 2005

Alianza Nueva Nacion (Guatemala-LA)

Chicano Moratorium Committee

Comite en Defensa de Danzas Indigenas-Baldwin Park

Comite Pro Democracia en Mexico

Comité on Raza Rights of Oxnard

Danza Cuatemoc

Frente Indigena de Organizaciones Binacionales

Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional

(Nicaragua-LA)

Frente Latinoamericano

Frente Unido de Los Pueblos de Las Americas (FUPA)

Harmony Keepers

MEChA de Fullerton College

MEChA de San Diego State University

Mexicanos Unidos en Defensa Del Pueblo

Movimiento de Liberacion Naciona

Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambo Social

Raza Graduate Student Association of UCLA

Raza Rights Coalition of San Diego

Red Ciudadana Salvadoreña en el Exterior

Suplemento Comunitario- KPFK

Union Del Barrio

Infiltrators are common, but so is the snitch jacket. So it can be difficult to know for sure. Verify the papers and their source the best you can.

The Snitch Jacket, Cover Manipulation to Make a Legitimate Activist Appear to Be an Agent:

An actual agent will often point the finger at a genuine, non-collaborating and highly valued group member, claiming that he or she is the infiltrator. The same effect, known as a "snitch jacket", has been achieved by planting forged documents which appear to be communications between an activist and the FBI.



Helpful links:

http://www.oilempire.us/cointelpro.html

http://www.totse.com/en/politics/green_planet/sec_act.html

http://www.radio4all.org/aia/sec_cointelpro.html

Well, let's call this for what it is. A split with the ISO and, I guess, ANSWER.

Sometimes it makes sense to split with those who won't follow group discipline, and sometimes it doesn't.

Let me be clear. I am no fan of either of these groups, and the arrogance they've displayed toward the Xican@ community goes way further than is outlined in the declaration above. It's not just a single action or two, it's something that permeates their whole relationship with us.

It comes across at every level, including the emotional level.

It's a deep _attitude_.

Unfortunately, such arrogance is inherent in Marxism as it is currently constituted, and until a breakthrough of major dimension is made, the failure of Marxists to understand the real relationships between the colonizer and the colonized will remain what it is.

Marxism fails to grasp the meaning of genocide, as it fails to understand most factors related to culture and psychology.

It also fails in most instances to understand the meaning of the Land, reducing it to "the land question," ie, redistribution of farming patches to the campesinos.

This is true of all Marxists. Note the complete absence of the issue of the Land in the declaration above.

Xican@s, Mexican@s, CentroAmerican@s, along with all other native peoples are, after all, _native_ to this land, this continent, and our antagonists are colonizers. _They_, not we, are the "Migrants."

But, I'd best rein this in.

The point is this. One Marxist splitting with another is hardly anything new.

And while it's true that ISO and ANSWER have been disrespectful, and while they did indeed get themselves in a box by breaking unity on tactics and discipline, one still has to ask oneself if the "line" they broke with was, to use the Marxist term, "correct."

And _that's_ another story.

I will say this straightforwardly. It's _not_ like the ISO / ANSWER crews mobilized 300 people - mostly Xican@ - to go down the way to confront the Nazis.

They didn't lead the 23 who were arrested down the railroad tracks.

Our People led themselves.

That is, unless you want to adopt the racist premise that the Xican@ People are sheep, waiting for some white folks to come along with a bullhorn to lead them to perdition.

No, our people, our youth, wanted to confront their oppressors and took it on themselves to do so.

The event planners made no allowance - exercised no _dialectical_ understanding of where our people are at on this, and they made no allowance for our people, created no flexible alternative approaches, no basis to unite those who wanted to take different approaches, while still maintaining overall unity. They didn't put their ear to the ground and _LISTEN_ to the Xican@ people, most especially the youth.

Instead, they LISTENED to the mayor, the city council, the state, the police, and the moderates.

They allowed the State to set the terms - which to some extent may have been inevitable - but they did so without making allowance for those who could in no way have been satisfied with that. Including our own youth.

It's _no wonder_ people didn't follow their lead, and it was obvious all along that a significant sector of the people - as it turned out it was about 40% - didn't hang for the cultural resistance and went more directly to the source.

What MUDP and others need to recognize is that when those who confronted the SOS returned to us, they were greeted with a deep emotional upwelling of pride and joy and longing by the _whole crowd_, and that the emotion was so intense that Aztlan Underground _stopped their set_ to pay tribute to the returning marchers and called for a moment of silence.

Our people raised their fists in tribute, lining the street in _honor _ of these brave people.

_This_ is where the will of our people was. They upheld all forms of struggle, they were unified, not split. They were empowered with love of their community and resistance to the enemy in all its forms.

The legalism involved in the banning of the ISO pales in comparison, and comes off as a rigid indictment of our community itself - especially the MUDP statements.

I am in deep accord with the frustration of our people with the white leftists and their unconscious racism.

But I also know what it means to LISTEN to our gente, and I know when people aren't listening.



Ometeotl.

Noxtinnomecayotzin

See:

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2003/12/1666652.php

Look at these control freaks complain about individuals who participated in the anti-hate rally who exercised their Constitutional rights and did what they decided to do rather than do what the control freaks wanted them to do.

Amazing.

There were dozens of individuals groups out there protesting against the white supremists, not just one. And all the diverse groups out there that day are fully welcome and free to oppose the fascist racists in any way they choose to. Complaints by one of the groups about how all the others didn't abide by their own notions of how to oppose the racists is totally unwarranted -- not to mention irrelevant since they have no control over anybody, not even those in their own group.

The reason why these overwhelming denouncements of these SOS/MM racists have been so successful is because of the diversity of opinion, race, and creed of the people opposing them. When one group starts to proclaim itself the sole decider of how counter rallies to oppose the racists should be conducted, that's the one certain way that the racist hate mongers will be opposed less and less by the communities they attack.

Jesus frocking hopping wept, but control freaks piss me off. It's not enough that diverse groups meet in diverse ways for diverse motivations and that they are successfully opposing the racists because of it; some group wants to dictate how all the others must abide by _their_ rules.

I -- like so many others -- were there on my own, not part of any group, not some Socialist or Communist advocate, or some other fringe aspect of society. I was there -- WITH MY WHITE FACE -- to oppose race hatred and the white supremist ideologies of the fascist "Save Our State" a.k.a. "Minutemen" hate mongers.

I _wasn't_ there to worry about how some frocking group who attended or organized wanted me to oppose the racist muthers.

Diversity is our strength. Hell, it's what we're opposing the SOS/MM hate mongers for.

Fred, your post is assinine.

It is not diversity that has made these demos - this movement - what it has been. It's _Xican@ Youth_ who've made it.

We are not fighting for "diversity."

We're fighting so armed Nazis don't hunt down our people like dogs at the so-called border, and moreover, so that we as a people are not turned into the next Jews in Amerikkka's New Reich.

From your position as a white man, from your position of privilege, it may seem like a good idea to have a "diverse" society, but that's all armchair bullshit. We are fighting for our survival, not for the refinement of your sensibilities.

You barge in here like you have good sense, dis the organizers as control freaks, and don't even stop for a moment to write about the white arrogance this is a reaction to.

Look, these groups have _every right_ to require unity and discipline from the people in the coalition. There is no fault in that.

Errors were made by the subset of people who actually planned the event - it was wrong not to provide for a range of ways to respond - and they _had_ to have known that there _would_ be a range of responses.

But you're acting just like the ISO and ANSWER people who act like they can come in and tell _us_ what this is "really" all about, like you're some kind of expert on our conditions and our struggle and its meaning.

You may think, as a "mainstream," white, "rational man" (a la Plato) that you are the sole authority over your own actions and that you do not bear the weight of accountability to the communities under attack, but, if so, you are dead wrong.

The debate here is over how _our community_ responds, not over what a lone holier than thou white expert may think of it. I say that even though I happen to agree with you about the question of utilizing a range of tactics.

But that is for _our community_ to decide, not you.

You assert that our people's coalition members are control freaks, but look in he mirror, ese.

Your white liberal sensibilities were offended, the borders of your world were challenged _by our community assuming it has the right to control this movement_.

Well, we have that right, regardless of your posturing.

The question is about how we will exercise it.

That's the only question.

Chill, Fred. I'm going to guess that your arrogance here is illustrating why these Chicano and Indigenous groups don't want to work with the other groups.

If you're not a member of the groups that signed this or even the community they represent, then back off. Who are you to be telling them what to do or who to work with? and especially not 20+ Chicano and Indigenous groups with the nerve to take on the Minutemen.

Your problem isn't with groups like ANSWER, it is your own right-wing tendencies. No one can confront white supremacy with a cultural event and expect it to be a success. That is, at best, a misguided liberal thing to do. Also, these groups worked directly with the police to secure their control over every aspect of the event. You can't control everyone when the fascists come to town. It is ignorant and chauvanistic to think you can.

There can be no unity when there is no political unity and these groups who have split this so-called have put forth no political demands or points of unity. All they do is smear someone as an agent and say they are working in the "community's" interests. Yet, the groups together probably represent no more than 80 people in total.

The hundreds of young people--mostly Latino and Mexican--who also "broke unity" at Baldwin Park were not caught up in your controlling nationalist games. Get a grip on reality. This is why your groups are so small and insignificant. Think about that next time you try to organize and then chastize people over breaking unity with your narrow and right-wing nationalist demands.

> From your position as a white man, from your

> position of privilege, it may seem like a good idea to

> have a "diverse" society, but that's all armchair

> bullshit. We are fighting for our survival, not for the

> refinement of your sensibilities.

And thus we see _why_ there was hostility and hatred against my white face at BP2. The paranoid delusions that "the white man" is out to exterminate non-whites is a notion _zero_ different than the hatred and bigotry advocated by these "Save Our State" a.k.a. "Minutemen" white supremists.

Here's a clue: These white supremist assholes don't pose _any_ threat to anyone; not you, not me, not themselves. Trying to pretend they're out to exterminate people is a paranoid attempt to try to turn them into some supernatural, super powerful enemy that -- Ta Da! -- some non-white Super Hero can come along and defeat.

Our heros!

When people who are supposed to be fighting against race hatred and bigotry themselves consider all whites to be their enemy, such people can stop proclaiming themselves to be opposed to race hatred.

Fortunately it was apparently an extreme minority of people at BP2 who share your views.

Fred wrote: "What total paranoid bullshit"

God, Fred, you are tripping, man.

First of all, what part of the genocide of 100 million native americans DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?

Secondly, what part of the routine reality of border deaths and murder don't you understand?

Thirdly, what part of mass deportations and roundups like "Operation Wetback" don't you understand?

Fourthly, what part of plans like REX 84, for locking a half milion immigrants and leftists in detention centers don't you understand?

Are you concerned about the rise of American Fascism?

If so, what do you think that will mean for Brown and Black people - the mere stripping of our "civil liberties"?

Why is it that you don't seem to grasp the reality that we live in a de facto Apartheid style system - one with its own particularities and ongoing transformations and permutations?

Outright lynching no longer exists, as a rule. It's been replaced by a new form of mass terror aimed at our communities.

What part of mass incaceration of Blacks and Browns _don't you understand_?

What part of the _highest incarceration rates in the world_ don't you understand?

What part of the genocide against the Mayan people in Guatemala - which killed 250,000 people and which was backed by the US, and which drove tens of thousands of Mayans here to LA, and what part of the El Salvadoran death squads, again backed by the US, and which, again, drove untold thousands here - what part of all this don't you understand?

Don't you understand that these survivors are the very targets of these right wing neo-Nazi thugs?

AND TALK ABOUT RACIST PARANOIA!!

NO ONE- I REPEAT NO ONE said all white people are out to harm our peoples. ONLY YOU said that.

The fact is that white America is facing an emergent fascism for the first time. We've already been living under emergent fascism for a minimum of two decades. When white people in the US have the highest incarceration rtates in the world THEN you can dispute the point.

I don't know what the hell you think fascism _is_.

These SOS and Minutemen thugs are not the threat per se. They are only shock troops (look at Turner's methods, fool),

they are the half-organized Brown Shirts of the US. Maybe you need to chck out what the hell Dominionism and the so called Patriot movement _are_. I mean, don't you _read_?

The threat is that this ^%* oil based economy is about to take a huge dive - if you don't understand what it means for an oil based global economy to start running out of oil, then, again, it's time for you to do some reading.

And for those who have a clue, what do you think will happen when the crash comes, if not the same kind of mass roundups and expulsions that happened during the Depression?

And if that kind of scenario is accompanied by a mass left movement in "Latin" America, how the hell do you think an American fascism will deal with _that_? By having a tea party and inviting all the Mexicans?

Let's get real clear.

You are a white racist whining about so-called "reverse racism."

You are just another pathetic Euro-narcissist who thinks that _his_ experience is not only the most important and central thing, but who projects his own conditions as the universal condition and discounts the oppression of others, and who projects his own hero- fantasies onto people who are fighting a real and actual enemy.

Well, sorry, Fred, you're not the hero here. You're not even an ally except in the loosest sense of the word.

With the attitude you bring it's simply NO WONDER people read you like a book and were suspicious of you on sight.

You, like _any other_ white racist label real and potential oppression "paranoid bullshit."

And want us to believe you're the victim.

The problem wasn't you so called "white face," Fred. It was your white racist attitude.

Juan Chacon

Really Fred, Laguna PD and OC Sheriff's have your name, Pic and web site. I called them today. Oh, also Duane, they have yours as well. Keep up the good work!!!

They know about Lagunga, BP I and II. GG and Alhambra.

Could not have made it this far without he two of you goons!!!

Please circulate the statement below to any concerned groups and individuals in the anti-Minutement/SOS movement. We hope that we can get past this episode and continue the urgent work ahead of us, together.

In solidarity,

The LA ISO, along with friends

______________________________________

Los Angeles ISO statement regarding the May 28th Coalition “Letter of Resignation” and other attacks on the ISO’s role in the anti-SOS/Minutemen Movement

• The International Socialist Organization (ISO), side by side with other groups and individuals in California, Arizona, Texas, will continue to organize against the Minutemen Project, Save Our State (SOS), the Border Patrol Auxiliary, and any far right racist group that tries to bring their terror into our communities.

o We are working with numerous others mobilzing for Campo on July 16th (at least) and for San Diego County September 16 and beyond.

o We stand with the basic points of unity that began to take shape at the May 28th summit in Riverside, La Tierra es de Todos. The Southern California Human Rights Network along with brothers and sisters in Orange County circulated the following DRAFT, proposals for a few of them – they’ve developed a total of 9 or so points so far, including ACTIVE support for targets of police repression and brutality. (We highlight these three points of unity since they relate most directly to the purpose of this statement. These and other points of unity need to be drafted and discussed publicly.)

"We believe that no human is illegal and oppose the criminalization, dehumanization, and exploitation of migrants, immigrants and or economic and political refugees, by means of media, legislation, ideology, rhetoric, etc. [This] includes augmenting border patrol units, commissioning other law enforcement agencies to work in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and [includes] such policies as the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and other policies that

exploit the indigenous, peasantry, and environments of countries abroad."

"We believe in, embrace, support and celebrate cultural diversity and therefore will protect all human, civil and political rights, which empowers our incessant struggle for justice; therefore, we will outreach to and toil with all individuals and social sectors, regardless of age, race, gender, social economic status, creed, sexual preference, disability, citizenship status and or nationality."

"We respect the autonomy of each individual, organization and community in the coalition, nevertheless we understand the strategic and practical necessity for unity and collective action; therefore we stand in solidarity to take action against any

attacks on our humanity and will respect the decisions made by the communal coalition and its processes while respecting the ideologies, politics and practices of others. We also encourage individuals to join organizations to become socially active in the struggle for equality, and against racism, fascism, and oppression."

• The charges against the ISO raised by a few groups and individuals in the “Letter of Resignation” sent to members of the coalition and posted on indymedia are based on inaccuracies and distortions about the decisions of the Baldwin Park committee. We don’t place ourselves, as individuals and as members of an organization, above criticism. But we will not be painted with the brush of other groups’ undisciplined actions and we will call out slander for what it is.

• We believe, as did the organizing committee in Baldwin Park, in a democratic, inclusive movement able to bring together folks of all kinds of backgrounds and perspectives on how we build an effective fight against racist terror.

• We do not claim “leadership” of the movement. We like everyone else have much to learn, experience to share, and debates to hold, about what will create the most effective and strongest possible movement against the racist right.

• Nor do we automatically recognize self-proclaimed “leaders” as representing “the community.” Everyone involved in the movement is part of the leadership, whether a seasoned activist or a newly radicalizing student. Democratic organizing, not imposed

leadership, will be most effective in involving the largest number of people in struggle as possible.

• This written response will no doubt generate new charges, or variations on the old ones, launched and “debated” in the undemocratic setting of email and indymedia posts. But our real response is our continued work to mobilize as many people as possible

for action and involvement – on July 16 in Campo and in San Diego in September.

• The accusations themselves stand in a long tradition of red-baiting and race-baiting. If we successfully prove our point against one charge, only new ones will emerge.

o Red-baiting is rooted in the accusation that socialists and the left are not “legitimate” parts of movements against oppression, presumably because we have our own agenda. Race-baiting is the claim that whites or “Europeans” cannot be a legitimate part of

the movement, presumably because we’ll “colonize” it.

• Oppression and violence are not new, neither is resistance to them. What is new is the potential in people’s desire for action – against the SOS and Minutemen, but also against Schwarzenegger and the attacks on working people generally.

• We in the ISO are fighting for a world without borders where the shared interests of ordinary people against ruling classes everywhere form the basis of the international struggle for genuine democracy and liberation. We call that international socialism, not

as it has been, but as we think it can be.

THE CHARGES

We feel that the most significant accusations against the ISO are twofold – that we “disrespected the community of Baldwin Park” and that we acted undemocratically with respect to the coalition and the Baldwin Park organizing committee. They are pretty

much summarized in the following passages from the resignation letter:

"The organizations that broke the political agreements of June 12th and 22nd showed a complete lack of respect to the local organizing committee of Baldwin Park. Those same organizations that are part of the coalition had been at local and regional meetings and

were aware that the Baldwin Park event would be of cultural and pacific character; without confrontation."

And…

"We also want to make mention that their behavior was disrespectful of the local community…[and that they] do not represent the social base of the migrant

community that are under attack by the racists."

The two charges are related, of course, but it’s worth taking them separately.

DID THE ISO DISRESPECT THE COMMUNITY OF BALDWIN PARK?

During Baldwin Park I, it was the people from the community of Baldwin park who took the lead in confronting the racists, as was the case with the communities of Garden Grove, Fallbrook, and Alhambra, as well as in other communities targeted by the racists. Members of the Baldwin Park organizing committee from Baldwin Park talked about how they were on the frontlines of Baldwin Park I, how great it was to be there, and how they have been to confrontations that didn’t invite violence.

It is nothing but pure condescension and real disrespect to the people of Baldwin Park to suggest that direct confrontation at any of these actions including on June 25 is the result of outsiders and instigators, or that such confrontation is “against their wishes,” or that the ISO’s “disrespect” was to “lead the community” away from the permitted rally.

The ISO had in fact participated on a regular basis in the local organizing committee of Baldwin Park. The ISO and others have also, since before the first Baldwin Park action, worked in the community, advertising the SOS’s plans, talking with people about the issues, and about the best ways to respond. This is one way we try to show respect.

Our experiences in the community and the events at Baldwin Park I, and the fact that the majority of people present on June 25 took part in BOTH the counter-protest and the celebration, shows that many in the “social base” of the migrant community and those in solidarity with their struggles want to directly confront and face the racists. Not all feel

empowered only by “turning their backs on the racists.”

The community is multi-faceted, as was the ultimate event agreed upon by the organizers and actually experienced on June 25.

Finally, there’s the question of danger, and the possibility of disrespect in that context. Two points on this:

1) The Baldwin Park community meetings featured ongoing discussion about the fact that there were going to be a substantial amount of people from Baldwin Park and beyond who want to directly confront the racists. The committee voted to support their efforts and encourage them to be organized rather than random. The ISO worked in this spirit, though we’re only one of many organized groups that took part. As at Alhambra the week before and at Baldwin Park I, the ISO tried to assist in an organized, non-violent, and

with regard to the police non-provocative, protest against racists.

2) We need to learn from each other on this, in a spirit of common struggle and openly. But we’re convinced that the real danger comes from racist street thugs organizing and from the police that protect them, from vigilantes being praised by politicians, from politicians and their war machine that intends to scoop youth out of the barrio into their wars and occupations. Our strength against danger is solidarity and common, concrete, diverse, action.

DID THE ISO ACT UNDEMOCRATICALLY TOWARD THE COALITION OR THE BALDWIN PARK ORGANIZING COMMITTEE?

Here’s the real charge, but the claims of anti-democratic behavior are complete distortions and untrue.

Here’s the inaccuracy – really a distortion – that the letter launches into life:

"[A] representative from Baldwin Park attended a Los Angeles meeting 3 days before the event to clarify that his community (Baldwin Park) wished to have a cultural event."

And the already-quoted:

"Those same organizations that are part of the coalition had been at local and regional meetings and were aware that the Baldwin Park event would be of cultural and pacific character; without confrontation."

The truth of the matter (acknowledged by the letter in some places, but not others) is this:

Whether or not to work in solidarity with those who wished to directly confront the racists was debated and discussed deeply and seriously over many meetings of the Baldwin Park community members. The community members voted, unanimously voted, to support and work in solidarity with the people who wanted to directly confront the racists. The community members were concerned that the confrontations remain non-violent and so it was encouraged that those who wanted to confront make every effort to work together in an organized fashion in order to ensure that no one from our side was injured or arrested.

Some members of the committee personally did not support confrontation. However, the full committee democratically voted more than once that it would support ALL forms of protest. This commitment has been reflected in the committee’s support for those arrested and brutalized by the cops on June 25.

Peaceful confrontation was never against the agreement reached by the coalition, rather it was a part of the agreement. On the morning of June 25, a few groups established a line between legitimate and illegitimate protest. THIS was the undemocratic act.

Other statements in the letter and elsewhere also accused the ISO of “recruiting people to leave the cultural celebration,” and “bringing the community along with them.” Any one on the ground that day could see clearly that people were taking part in both events of their own accord. As was agreed upon in the Baldwin Park committee meeting, there were going to be two different kinds of protesting that day. The ISO’s involvement here, along with other groups that day, was to help organize those who wanted to protest in an

effort to help make the protest as successful and organized as possible. How were the actions of the “security team” not exactly the same kind of “recruitment”?

TO END

The ISO takes democracy in our movements extremely seriously – anti-democratic maneuvers plague and weaken many of our movements, not least the anti-war

movement, but also now the anti-Minutemen/SOS movement.

We have to create this democracy, and there aren’t many models in today’s societies.

We’re sure the ISO does not hold all the answers on this. We’re also sure, though, that the attacks on the ISO (and by extension others on the left) by a few members of the May 28th coalition can do nothing but weaken and demobilize the movement against racism and national oppression. We in the ISO wish to turn pointing fingers into linked arms for the struggle for liberation in our lifetime.

In common struggle for a world without borders,

LA ISO

Isn't that special........

As a *Native* and an Indigenous person of lineage here in California I can say to the ISO and SIN Fronturas get out...We don't need your outside influence in a local political matter. Wow, isn't that something you people say?

It was wrong to post this atttack publicly. Below is part of the result.

http://www.saveourstate.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3413



Patriots:

Even as we discouraged many women and the elderly from attending BP II, our turnout increased. It is a testament to our effectiveness and the desire of the people of California to take back their state...even in the face of what seemed like unavoidable violent conflict at the hands of our radical opposition.

We are getting stronger and our opposition is getting weaker. The following is a link to a "discussion" regarding the infighting between the groups who have opposed us in Baldwin Park.

Internationalist Socialist Organization Grovels for Legitimacy

QUOTE

We feel that the most significant accusations against the ISO are twofold – that we “disrespected the community of Baldwin Park” and that we acted undemocratically with respect to the coalition and the Baldwin Park organizing committee. They are pretty

much summarized in the following passages from the resignation letter:

"The organizations that broke the political agreements of June 12th and 22nd showed a complete lack of respect to the local organizing committee of Baldwin Park. Those same organizations that are part of the coalition had been at local and regional meetings and

were aware that the Baldwin Park event would be of cultural and pacific character; without confrontation."

And…

"We also want to make mention that their behavior was disrespectful of the local community…[and that they] do not represent the social base of the migrant

community that are under attack by the racists."



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The lack of organization and discipline in the opposition is showing. We are getting stronger and they are too busy fighting each other. When we go back to Baldwin Park, expect our crowd to be larger and their crowd to shrink in size.

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and they are too busy fighting each other. When we go back to Baldwin Park, expect our crowd to be larger and their crowd to shrink in size.

The infighting is what’s fatal. It'll kill ya everytime.

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As I read that, my thought was "Oh, Boy! Do they have their Aztlanista panties in a propoganda wad, or what?

Sounded a little defensive, they did.

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I think they may be experiencing the difficulties of gathering and fielding members that don't exhibit a secondary agenda. After seeing the make-up of thier army first hand at Alhambra, I would think that if they exercised the same restraint as SOS did, thier number of field representatives would be less than half of ours.

Ahhhh... the frustration of recruiting qualified applicants as seen from the outside



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That seems more like CYA, directed at the political base of BP, while also repremanding their own coalition. It is good to see the contrast, between their lack of restraint, and SOSs demonstrated restraint. The opposition, promoted BP2, as a "BIG BASH" or a "Picnic on the Street", with live bands, and intertainment. That was their "draw", or what they used to manipulate their listeners to attend BP2. What happened there?

If they promised more than they could deliver, or if they failed to deliver on a promise, then they will lose their audience.

The fact they still refer to SOS as "racists", is the problem we need to address, but not to the opposition coalition, we need to speek to their constituency.

The fact that they attack all Americans, who stand with us, based on skin color, ethnicity, and race, calling them "coconut" "traitor to their race", etc., that is what makes their's a coalition of racists. Until, their gente, learn to be independent and think for themselves, their coalition will be larger, than ours, but not stronger.

It is their inner racism -- a Mexcian calling another Mexican a "racist", based on his or her free choice of association --, that will splinter their movement. We need to invite those "splinters", to join us in discussion on the forum, explore their feelings and suspicions, of SOS. We need to act with civility, although cautious, at first, to their enquiries about SOS. We need to allow them to meet with us, face to face, in person, and share our common "humanity", in a situation, separated from the primative nature of the opposition's side of the rallies.