August 23, 2006

Please Distribute Widely

Dear Colleague,

The revolutionary actions and resultant state repression in the

Mexican state of Oaxaca continue to escalate. In the wake of the

violent expulsion of the popular movement from the occupied Channel 9

state television facilities, the people have seized at least ten

commercial radio stations and converted them into popular

communications media. In the neighborhoods surrounding these stations

and other parts of Oaxaca City, residents have, in many cases

spontaneously and without organized leadership, barricaded the

streets and organized their own security patrols.

Correspondent James Daria reports from one of these neighborhoods:

"At night, wandering through the blockade, this reporter was able to

witness the birth of not simply just another roadblock but the birth

of social and community consciousness among neighbors, friends and

family. The small numbers of teachers were aided by local residents

who joined the encampment, making up the majority of the people.

Women brought food and drink to the protesters and children ran

throughout the occupied streets free of traffic. The atmosphere was

one of a radical block party and an excuse to socialize with one

another. Walking further I bumped into my two of my neighbors who

brought hot coffee. We walked through the encampment and met up with

other neighbors, friends and family.

"Walking back to the house to make more coffee, the first reports of

police attacks against encampments at other antennas began to be

heard on the many radios. Fireworks began to sound throughout the

city. One bang means alert, two bangs mean we are being attacked. We

returned to our block together for security. Leaving the pots and

pans in the house, the neighbors grabbed sticks, broom handles and

metal rods. As they armed themselves with homemade weapons of self

defense, they hatched a plan to ring the church bell.

"The ragged group of instant revolutionaries roamed the streets of

the neighborhood as we discussed why resistance to the state

government was so important. My neighbor, a housewife who is

originally from the coast and is raising four children alone while

husband is away working in the United States, talked as she walked

towards the church with stick in hand. 'All of us here have been

fucked over in one way or another by the government,' the mother

explained. The other family, made up of parents and two daughters-one

of whom was eight months pregnant but armed with a stick and a

shopping bag filled with rocks, reiterated their commitment to defend

their neighborhood. 'We are poor. We are the people,' was the common

sentiment. 'We poor people have nothing to lose, the rich do.'"

Follow this remarkable story, with new updates daily, on this special

page of The Narco News Bulletin:

http://www.narconews.com/otroperiodismo/oaxaca/en.html

From somewhere in a country called América,

Dan Feder

Managing Editor

The Narco News Bulletin

http://www.narconews.com

dan@narconews.com