In a surprising and sad moment, Lee Kyang-Hae, a 50 year old Korean farmer, and longtime WTO protester, committed suicide in front of the meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
The farmer saw not only "his way of life" being destroyed by neoliberalism and hyperspeed urbanization, but connected his situation with those of farmers around the world.
Once I ran to a house where a farmer abandoned his life by drinking a toxic chemical because of his uncontrollable debts. I also could do nothing but hear the howling of his wife. If you were me, how would you feel? --Kyang-Hae Lee
His words and photos
The story, at Cancun IMC
Leave your drama, BS and negative energy at home, cuz it's not wanted at the show!
ALL AGES! ABSOLUTELY NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2003
5:00 PM @ Che Café in San Diego
PRICE: $8.00 (Tickets sold at the door)
(Extra Donations Welcome)
MORE INFO AND DIRECTIONS TO CHE CAFE
Hardcore, Hip Hop, Punk, and Spoken word performances will highlight a night of ideals, ideas, music, and mayhem. Sherman Austin and his friends will share their thoughts with the crowd, with special guest Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine. The night will be a celebration - Zack, Sherman, and his friends, will reflect on their experiences with oppression. Come to relax, party, and show your solidarity with every falsely accused victim of the state. Remember, this isn't just about fantastic music, fantastic people, it's about making the world a better place. It's about resistance and fighting for the world we deserve to live in. It's about doing whatever is necessary to resist this system no matter how repressive it might be. The more we are under attack, the more we will continue to intensify our struggle, and the more we will fight until the machine is put to rest. An injury to one is an injury to all. They may have been able to lock Sherman up, but hundreds, thousands, millions more are ready to take his place and continue fighting even stronger.
CONFIRMED BANDS
~> Death to W
~> Yellow Republic
~> Fight Club
~> Saber Tooth Tiger
~> One World Solution
~> Cuauhtemoc
~> KILLRADIO
~> JG of Over The Counter Intelligence from Florida
~> Mona Ibrahim Spoken Word
~> BOMB$KILL
~> Freedom Smugglers
~> Far East Movement
AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
If you would like to contribute to Sherman Austin’s defense fund, please send contributions to:
Jennifer Martin
12115 Magnolia Blvd. #155
North Hollywood, CA 91607
On September 3, 2003, Sherman Austin, webmaster of
RaisetheFist.com,
surrendered himself to federal authorities to serve out his one year sentence. Within 48 hours of his transfer to the
San Bernadino Central Detention Center, a temporary holding facility, the guards moved him into protective custody because of
death threats against him by white supremacists. The white supremacists responsible for the threats have been located, and Sherman's family is planning on taking legal action against them. Because of the imminent threat of danger, the family is also asking that people
send letters/faxes/emails to the prison, as well as making phone calls, requesting his immediate transfer to a federal detention facility.
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Steven V. Wilson, a Reagan appointee, sentenced Sherman Austin to a year in federal prison, three years of strict probation and a $2,100 fine. Nearly two years ago federal law enforcement agents raided Austin's Sherman Oaks, CA home and seized all his computers and other possessions. In late 2002, after months of legal limbo and harassment in between, federal prosecutors formally accused Austin of distributing information on explosives with the intent that the information be used in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, namely arson. The offending web material was part of an Internet tract called the "Reclaim Guide" that Austin didn't author or post, but for which he had offered free hosting on his server, and had a link to it from his site.
If you have any questions please e-mail jmi4678@netscape.net.