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