6/25 Raza Prison Conference

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Venceremos
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Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP)
Conference On Raza Prisoners
Bulletin No. 4, June 15, 2005

Justice And Liberation! Not Incarceration!
Conference On Raza Prisoners And Colonialism

Sat., June 25, 2005
Rudy Acuña Cultural Center/Cafe On A Street
438 South “A” Street
Oxnard, CA
(805) 487-8170

I. Towards Justice And Freedom, Not Incarceration!
II. Conference Concerns and Issues
III. Partial List Of Speakers/Panels
IV. Conference Proposals For Consideration
V. Partial List of Endorsers

Towards Justice And Freedom, Not Incarceration!
(article from April-June issue of Las Calles, CMPP newsletter)

On June 25, 2005, the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP) will be organizing its
9th Annual Conference On Raza Prisoners And Colonialism. The CMPP was founded in
1993 and is a member of the Raza Rights Coalition, a coalition under the leadership
of Union del Barrio. The CMPP has three general objectives:
1. Raise the social political consciousness of Raza prisoners and win them over to
the struggle for national liberation and away from crime.
2. Expose to our communities and the world, the role that prison plays in the
maintaining capitalism, imperialism, and colonialism.
3. Struggle for the human rights of all prisoners.

THE UNITED STATES IS THE PRISON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
In an effort to realize our four objectives, for over 10 years the CMPP has
struggle for the human rights of Raza prisoners and in educating our communities to
the role that the prison system plays in the oppression and colonization of La Raza.


Guided by our three general objectives, the CMPP has organized hundreds of actions.
These actions have included: community education (walking through the barrios and
talking to people, handing out flyers, etc. ), forums and workshops, anti-prison
brutality demonstrations, yearly conferences, and the mailing of educational
material to hundreds of Raza prisoners every three months

The prison conferences themselves have served as centros for Raza prison activists
to come together to (1) share and learn from each other's experiences, (2) emphasize
the importance of organization to our struggle and consolidate the network of prison
activists, (3) connect the question of prisons to the Mexican national liberation
struggle, and (4) to unite with all progressives forces in the fight against the
capitalist-imperialist globalization of prisons as institutions of social control
and profit making.

The CMPP has organized conferences in San Diego, San Jose, Oxnard, and Riverside.
This year’s conference will take place in Oxnard, California. Through these
conferences we have networked with almost every progressive prison rights
organization in existence. Hundreds of activists have shared their experiences and
information with those attending to the conferences.

It is important that we all (specially the masses of our people) understand that the
United States has become the prison capital of the world. We must informed our
communities that prisons having nothing to do with imposing justice or
rehabilitating criminals. And the the reality is that prisons are being used as
weapons of social control and profit-making businesses for those who build,
maintain, and management them.

MEXICANS, THE POOR, AND THE WORKERS, MAKE UP THE PRISON POPULATION
Many prisoners are tortured or being denied their human rights. Racism and violence
is rampant in prison and most prisoners are Mexicanos/Raza and other oppressed
nationalities, the poor and the working class. Racist politicians and capitalists
are becoming rich at the expense of the poor and workers.

Therefore, the CMPP calls upon all of our community to help us end the jailing of
our children, parents, brothers, and sisters. United we can find solutions to the
many problems that faced our communities. Don’t be a spectator in the oppression of
our people. Join the struggle for justice, peace, and self-determination.

Venceremos


II. Conference Focus/Concerns

The conference will focus on four key areas:

1. Stop Terrorism and Inhumane Treatment Within Prisons: Addressing the question of
the SHUs, Gang Violence, Guard Abuse, Psychological and Physical Terror, from a
national liberation perspective.

2. Prisoner Rights and Organizing In The Pintas: What Organizations are doing
regarding Freedom/Defense Committees and Campaigns, Organizing Prisoners, and
Prisoner/Family Assistance Programs.

3. Raising Consciousness: Connecting The Prison Rights Struggle To Liberation
Consciousness Raising in the Community/Schools, Within The Movement, and Building A
Network of Raza Prison Activists (NRPA).

4. Globalization/Imperialism and Questions of Prisons: Building and Uniting
Nationally-Internationally With Progressive Forces To End The Mass Imprisonment of
Poor and Working Class People.


III. Partial List Of Speakers/Panelists
David Rico (Brown Berets de Aztlan)
Representative -Mexicanos Unidos En Defensa del Pueblo
Maria Quetzal (Barrio Defense Committee)
Cathy Espitia (Chicano Mexicano Prison Project)
Francisco Romero (Committee On Raza Rights)
Francisco Cardenas (MEChA University of California, Santa Barbara)
Alfonso Gonzales, UCLA Graduate Student and member of La Alianza Latinoamerican
Luis Bato Talamantez (Prison Focus)
Ernesto Bustillos (Union del Barrio)
Rocio Santacruz (Homies Unidos)
Enrique Ochoa (Frente Popular Revolucionario)
John O'Brien Irish Republican Socialist Movement
Enrique “Kiko” Salazar (Ramsey Muniz Defense Committee)
Representative -African People’s Socialist Party
Representative -African People’s Solidarity Committee


IV. Conference Proposals For Consideration

The CMPP believes and strives for uniting prison work to the over-all struggle for
Raza for justice, self-determination, and peace. We also understand that this unity
demands organization and activism. The activism and organization we call for must
not really on government/corporate funding, as creates dependency on our enemy and
creates a poverty pimp approach to prison work.

The organization we are talking about must be made of serious and committed
individuals who see the complete and total liberation of La Raza. It must depend on
no one but its members and community for its existence. Organization must included
structure, democracy, leadership, and accountability.

The activism we are talking about is one that has community activism as its
priority. This activism must be put into practice in the community on a consistent
basis and which enables us to come into contact with the workers and the poor, those
most affected by the racist-profit making prison system.

Therefore, in order to move prison work to higher, liberation level, CMPP will
propose the forming of a networking of progressive-revolutionary prison rights
activists who will work to move our work towards this direction. We will therefore
propose:
1. A Network of Raza Prison Activists be formed.
2. That this Network have some general, but principle objectives.
3. That all who join the Network pledge to move forward progressive and
revolutionary objectives.
4. That a three to four member committee be formed to facilitate communication and
coordination of work of Raza prison activists
5. That Las Calles (newsletter published since 1993) provide space to the Network
for reports and articles.

V. Partial List Of Endorsers

*Barrio Defense Committee *Mexicano Unidos En Defensa del Pueblo *Brown Berets de
Aztlan *African People’s Socialist Party *African People’s Solidarity Committee
*Alvaro Hernandez Defense Committee * Homies Unidos *Theresa Azochar
Chapter-Coalition for Women Prisoners-San Diego*Association of Raza Educators *Irish
Republican Socialist Movement *MEChA de UCR *MEChA de El Camino *MEChA de Fullerton
*MEChA de UC Davis *MEChA SDSU *UCR Mexicans *Artistas Unidos *Estamos Unidos
*Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice *Frente Latinoamericana *Red
Ciudanada Salvadoreña *L.A.I.S.O *Student Coalition for Peace and Human Rights at
UCR *Multicultural Student Organization *Students for Social Justice (Pasadena City
College) *Southern California Human Rights Network *A.N.S.W.E.R. L.A. *San Gabriel
Valley Neighbors for Peace and Justice *Frente Indigena de Organizaciones
Bi-nacionales *Prison Focus *La Raza Graduate Student Association UCLA *Raza Press
Association (RPA) *United Front Against The SHU *Voz Fronteriza *Frente Popular
Revolucionario *MEChA Santa Barbara Chicana/o Studies Department-CSU Dominguez Hills