WTO ACTION ALERT & INFO

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URGENT UPDATE on WTO/GLOBAL JUSTICE ACTIONS, NOV 9-10

New Delhi, India: 50,000 people participated in a massive rally in India’s capital city to protest the World Trade Organization on November 6th. The rally titled, “Indian People’s Campaign Against the WTO” called for a sustained movement to stop the government from surrendering India’s economic sovereignty and destroying the Indian economy and people’s livelihoods.

All over the world, protest demonstrations are taking place against the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha, Qatar in order to use grassroots, external pressure to support dissent by Southern nations within the WTO. Protests have either taken place or are planned in Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway Philippines, South Korea, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UK and the United States.

Join this historic international mobilization in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Action Info below)

GLOBALIZE JUSTICE- NOT WAR!
GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION AGAINST THE WTO MEETING IN QATAR

FRI NOV 9, 12 NOON
MARCH TO PG&E, FESTIVAL OF ALTERNATIVES
JUSTIN HERMAN PLAZA, SF
Foot of Market St. (Embarcadero BART)

SAT NOV 10, 12 NOON
PEACEFUL MARCH FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE, NOT ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
Richmond BART
2 pm: Festival at Chevron Refinery, Point Richmond

Two years after its defeat in Seattle, the World Trade Organization(WTO) will meet again, November 9-13, in Doha, Qatar,a Persian Gulf dictatorship where protest is all but illegal. In response, people across the globe are localizing their resistance to once again stop the WTO's destructive agenda.

After the tragedies of September 11, as the world mourns, as the US government bombs Afghanistan, as racist attacks take place, as our freedoms come under fire, and as the government manipulates this tragedy to push "free trade" agreements including dangerous new WTO agreements at the November meeting, it is now more important than ever to stand up for global justice as the foundation for real security. Our work for global justice is inseparable from our local community efforts against the day-to-day impact of the global system at the root of our social, economic and ecological problems, environmental racism, skyrocketing incarceration, attacks on immigrant rights, housing displacement, low wages, lousy working conditions and cuts in social services.

On Friday, November 9, and Saturday, November 10, we will support local environmental justice movements' fights against the toxic pollution from PG&E facilities across San Francisco and from ChevronTexaco and other industries in Richmond. PG&E and ChevronTexaco epitomize the corporations that benefit from WTO "free trade" policies, devastating local communities and environments across the globe from San Francisco, to Richmond, to Nigeria, to Ecuador and everywhere in between. On Friday November 9 we will join with Bayview-Hunters Point residents to demand PG&E shut down it’s dirty, polluting Hunters Point power plant and also that PG&E relocate, compensate and pay for health damages to Midway Village residents. On Saturday November 10th we will support the local environmental justice movement’s demands for zero dioxin emissions, meaningful local control through an Industrial Safety Ordinance and compensation for damage to residents’ and workers’ health. November 10 is the anniversary of the execution of Nigerian environmentalist and Ogoni leader Ken Saro Wiwa. Oil is both the essential fuel of WTO-led corporate globalization and the underlying strategic US government and corporate interest behind the War in the Middle-East.
Another world is possible and a global & local movement is rising up to make it happen. Join us!
ACTION INFO

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9TH: San Francisco
Schedule:
12 noon: Gathering: Community groups from Bayview-Hunters Point and Midway Village and Global Justice Groups will very briefly speak out against the WTO and PG&E, before marching to PG&E.

Where: Justin Herman Plaza, Market at Steuart, east end of Market St (Embarcadero BART)

12:45: March arrives at PG & E Headquarters on Beale St
12:45-2pm: Festival of Alternatives and direct action:
the Mobile Mural Project; “Another World is Paintable” will be displayed, participatory theater/games about the WTO, artmaking, spiral dancing, music, examples and demonstrations of alternatives to corporate globalization, local problems and the system will be displayed, a living river in solidarity with the people of Cochabamba, Bolivia who reclaimed their water from Bechtel, whose Corporate Headquarters are across the street, much, much more….
Bring: Art, music, flags, examples or images of your alternatives, theater, friends…..

Where: PG&E Headquarters: 77 Beale St., between Market and Mission, 3 blocks West of Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero BART).

Parking: It is extremely difficult to park in this area and many meters are only a half or one hour long. If you can take public transportation, do. If public transit is not possible, you could park somewhere away from downtown and take BART or MUNI. Some of the less expensive parking is at the giant parking garage on the south side of Mission St between 4th and 5th Sts. You can park there all day. It is eight blocks from Justin Herman Plaza.
Direct Action: We are planning direct action at the Friday Nov. 9th at PG&E. Most of the Festival is planned for people who do not wish to risk arrest, although we can never plan for the behavior of the police. There will be an action spokescouncil on Thursday, Nov 8 from 6-9pm are the Redstone Bldg, 1st floor 2940 16th @Capp Street in San Francisco. Those interested in direct action are asked to join or form an affinity group. This action was organized to support the local communities of Bayview-Hunters Point and Midway Village as we oppose the WTO. All participants are asked to plan actions that will further the ongoing struggles of these communities.
Legal: Midnight Special will provide some legal support and legal observers and the National Lawyers Guild will have attorneys available to help until people are released. We will have a legal support phone # at the action. People planning to participate in direct action are asked to join or form an affinity group that can support them through the legal process.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10; RICHMOND
Schedule
12noon: Gather: Community activists from Richmond will welcome everyone and prepare to peacefully March for Global Justice, Not Environmental Racism and War

March: The march is just over two very flat miles. The march will go west (right as you come out of BART—towards the Bay) on MacDonald through Richmond and residential areas, left on Richmond Parkway, right on Garrald Blvd. Under Highway 80 into the town of Point Richmond, right on Richmond Ave, first right on Railroad Ave, in one block as Railroad ends-- left on Tewksbury Ave, first right (under the Highway again) on Castro, left on Chevron Way to the Refinery Gate. Driving directions below.

2 pm: Festival of Resistance: at the gates of Chevron Refinery—lively protest, ceremony for victims of globalization and environmental racism, street theater, spoken word, Chumpi Ramiro—indigenous representative of the Achuar of Ecuador, Nigerian activist, Hiz Panic Latin Hip Hop. At the request of local environmental justice groups we are acting in solidarity with, we are not planning direct action for Saturday Nov 10th.

Where:
Richmond BART, last stop on the Richmond BART line, on the MacDonald side, which is to the right as you come up the stairs/escalator. We encourage people to take public transit, if possible. Driving directions below. There is plenty of free parking at BART.

Food/Water:
On Saturday people are encouraged to bring water and some food. There will be some water available and some food provided by East Bay Food Not Bombs and Seeds of Peace.

Volunteer:
To volunteer on the day of the actions, arrive at the designated location at 10:30am. We need volunteers to help carry art, images, murals and puppets, to help with traffic, leafleting the public, take sign ups for future work and more.
We need volunteers to help get out postcards and posters that URGENTLY need to get out into windows and on the street. You can pick up posters at Project Underground at 1916A Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley. Or in San Francisco pick up materials at JustAct in San Francisco (333 Valencia #325), near 14th St. People are usually in 9-6pm Call (415) 431-4204 extensions 201 thru 211

We need volunteers to help answer phone calls about the actions and generally help out the organizing at Project Underground. Please leave a message for David or Catherine after the message if you can come in and help.

Driving Directions to Richmond Bart Station from San Francisco, Oakland or the South Bay.

1. Take I-80 East
2. Take I-580 West towards Point Richmond/San Rafael
3. Take the Harbour Way North exit
4. Turn Right onto MacDonald Ave.
5. Bart is at 16th and MacDonald Ave.


To the Richmond Bart Station from the North Bay

1. Take US 101 South or North (depending on which side of 580 you are coming from)
2. Take I-580 East exit towards Richmond Bridge/Oakland
3. Merge onto I-580
4. Take the Cutting Blvd exit towards Harbour Way
5. Turn Left on Cutting Blvd.
6. Turn Left onto Harbour Way South
7. Turn Right onto MacDonald Ave.
8. Bart is at 16th and MacDonald Ave.


... going to the Chevron Refinery in Pt. Richmond (if you miss the march)

From I-580 (East or West) Take the exit towards RICHMOND PKWY/PT RICHMOND.

1: Keep RIGHT at the fork in the ramp.

2: Turn LEFT onto CASTRO ST.

3: Turn RIGHT onto CHEVRON WAY.

Action for Local/Global Justice: Cosponsored by: West County Toxics Coalition, Communities for a Better Environment, West Contra Costa County Rainbow Coalition, Richmond Greens, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Freedom Rising Affinity Group, Art and Revolution, Project Underground, Solidarity, Left Turn, Bridges, People for Children’s Health and Environmental Justice, Laotian Organizing Project of Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Revel Alliance Affinity Group, Fog Town Action Avengers Cluster, Cultural Links, Bay Area Police Watch, JustAct, Greenaction , Direct Action Network-Sonoma County, Vandenburg Action Coalition, East Bay Peace Action, The Ecology Center, ACT UP/East Bay, Berkeley Stop the War Coalition, Books Not Bars, BREAD, Justice Now, Critical Resistance, Food First/ Inst. on Food & Development Policy, Bay Area CISPES, Chiapas Support Committee, East Bay Coalition Against the War, Literacy for Environmental Justice

Action for Local/Global Justice
510 705-8981
http://www.globalizethis.org