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Cutting the Wire
The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement is the largest social movement in Latin America and one of the most successful grassroots movements in the world. Hundreds of thousands of landless peasants have taken onto themselves the task of carrying out a long-overdue land reform in a country mired by an overly skewed land distribution pattern. Less than 3% of the population owns two-thirds of Brasil's arable land.
Cutting the Wire
By Mike Rhodes
January 25, 2005
Porto Alegre, Brazil - The Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) has occupied and controls huge amounts of arable land in Brazil. Because of militant action, and in some cases ambiguous land ownership issues, the MST has given hope to the millions of Brazilians living in poverty and who are without land. Over the last 20 years these landless farm workers have taken over and now occupy more than 20,000 square miles of land - that is about the size as the entire Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties combined.
Vardoci Mostarda is typical of the landless farmworkers who are driven by poverty and desperate conditions to participate in land seizures with the MST. “I lost my job in the rice fields and was forced to move to a slum in a large city. There, I began to sell fruit from a cart, but there was no future in that.” Mostarda said he met a militant from the MST who told him about the movement and showed him that it was possible to have a better life and return to the land. He ended up at Camp Monte Pill, outside of Porto Alegre in Southern Brazil, about a year ago. The camp sits on the roadside next to 1,800 hectors of land (approximately 4,450 acres) which is now occupied by 110 families.
Within a month of occupying the land at Monte Pill, the families were evicted by the police. Jaqueline, one of the leaders at the camp, says that it is not unusual for groups to be evicted by the police. “In response, we marched to the capital and demanded our right to this land,” Jaqueline said. The march and new encampment by the families at the government building in Porto Alegre ended in an agreement that they could return to Camp Monte Pill. There, by the side of the road, they built temporary housing out of sheets of black plastic. Jaqueline and the others are confident that they will soon move onto the land.
Already, one of the families has cut the barbed wire and is living on the property. What gives the MST the strength to take over land and defy the police, landowners, and government is their ability to organize and mobilize the people. There are over one million Brazilians living on land that has been taken over by the MST, they are active in almost every state, and they even run their own training schools.
But the road to land ownership is not always easy. Hundreds of MST members have been killed by the police and the landowners death squads as they attempt to threaten and intimidate MST members into giving up there struggle for land. “We can’t rely solely on the courts to settle land ownership disputes,” said long time MST activist Edda Isernhagen. “We have lawyers and friends in government who can help us determine the legal ownership of the property that is being considered.” Most property that is occupied by the MST is not currently under production, has been abandoned, or is owned by the government. In the case of Camp Monte Pill, the government has agreed to pay the owner of the property for the land. The government will then provide the MST with loans so they can establish the cooperative.
At the MST schools that operate throughout the country, members learn how to successfully run a farm, process crops, and get their products to market. The collectives that are established on the occupied lands are not set up to be “for profit” businesses. They are cooperatives who define success by their ability to help build the movement and to provide a better life for their members. Successful cooperatives share their food and resources with the camps that are in the process of establishing themselves.
Some MST militants like Jaqueline move from camp to camp helping them to get established. She said she lived on a cooperative for 10 years but now is motivated by helping others return to the land. Jaqueline believes “a new world is possible” and is doing what she can to empower the landless workers of Brazil.
For more information about the Movement of Landless Rural Workers in Brazil see:
http://www.mstbrazil.org/
For a detailed account of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers in Brazil see the book by Sue Branford and Jan Rocha - Cutting the Wire. The book was published in 2002 by Latin America Bureau, 1 Amwell Street, London EC1R 1UL
By Mike Rhodes
January 25, 2005
Porto Alegre, Brazil - The Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) has occupied and controls huge amounts of arable land in Brazil. Because of militant action, and in some cases ambiguous land ownership issues, the MST has given hope to the millions of Brazilians living in poverty and who are without land. Over the last 20 years these landless farm workers have taken over and now occupy more than 20,000 square miles of land - that is about the size as the entire Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties combined.
Vardoci Mostarda is typical of the landless farmworkers who are driven by poverty and desperate conditions to participate in land seizures with the MST. “I lost my job in the rice fields and was forced to move to a slum in a large city. There, I began to sell fruit from a cart, but there was no future in that.” Mostarda said he met a militant from the MST who told him about the movement and showed him that it was possible to have a better life and return to the land. He ended up at Camp Monte Pill, outside of Porto Alegre in Southern Brazil, about a year ago. The camp sits on the roadside next to 1,800 hectors of land (approximately 4,450 acres) which is now occupied by 110 families.
Within a month of occupying the land at Monte Pill, the families were evicted by the police. Jaqueline, one of the leaders at the camp, says that it is not unusual for groups to be evicted by the police. “In response, we marched to the capital and demanded our right to this land,” Jaqueline said. The march and new encampment by the families at the government building in Porto Alegre ended in an agreement that they could return to Camp Monte Pill. There, by the side of the road, they built temporary housing out of sheets of black plastic. Jaqueline and the others are confident that they will soon move onto the land.
Already, one of the families has cut the barbed wire and is living on the property. What gives the MST the strength to take over land and defy the police, landowners, and government is their ability to organize and mobilize the people. There are over one million Brazilians living on land that has been taken over by the MST, they are active in almost every state, and they even run their own training schools.
But the road to land ownership is not always easy. Hundreds of MST members have been killed by the police and the landowners death squads as they attempt to threaten and intimidate MST members into giving up there struggle for land. “We can’t rely solely on the courts to settle land ownership disputes,” said long time MST activist Edda Isernhagen. “We have lawyers and friends in government who can help us determine the legal ownership of the property that is being considered.” Most property that is occupied by the MST is not currently under production, has been abandoned, or is owned by the government. In the case of Camp Monte Pill, the government has agreed to pay the owner of the property for the land. The government will then provide the MST with loans so they can establish the cooperative.
At the MST schools that operate throughout the country, members learn how to successfully run a farm, process crops, and get their products to market. The collectives that are established on the occupied lands are not set up to be “for profit” businesses. They are cooperatives who define success by their ability to help build the movement and to provide a better life for their members. Successful cooperatives share their food and resources with the camps that are in the process of establishing themselves.
Some MST militants like Jaqueline move from camp to camp helping them to get established. She said she lived on a cooperative for 10 years but now is motivated by helping others return to the land. Jaqueline believes “a new world is possible” and is doing what she can to empower the landless workers of Brazil.
For more information about the Movement of Landless Rural Workers in Brazil see:
http://www.mstbrazil.org/
For a detailed account of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers in Brazil see the book by Sue Branford and Jan Rocha - Cutting the Wire. The book was published in 2002 by Latin America Bureau, 1 Amwell Street, London EC1R 1UL
For more information:
http://www.mstbrazil.org/
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This is a report from an Indymedia journalist from New York. He was arrested shortly after making this report. You can read more at: http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/141760/index.php
so this is a report i started the day before the eviction to give you some
background -- this is an independant autonomous urban landless group that
came together spontaneously and reclaimed abandoned land
hey everyone
i cant tell you how good it feels to be alive -- these last few days have
been incredible -- really inspiring working in solidarity with a huge land
occupation in the interior of brazil in the city of Goiania -- it has been
horrifying as well -- two nights ago while i was in a bus on my way here
police began terrorizing the community with random gunfire -- just before a
judge had ordered their eviction after 9 months buildinga new life in an
abandoned industrial park lost in speculation for years -- at least 12,000
people in the country with the deepest division between rich and poor in the
world -- after the week of carnaval there were police mobilzed from all over
into the interior and now was an obvious time to strike -- 2500 police were
said to be mobilized to evict the encampment -- the day i arrived me and
companeros of the local indymedia went to the encampment, named A Dream Made
Real, to watch and report on further police harassment -- the community had
been building huge barricades of tires and steel pieces of cars and debris,
they had dug moats across roadways, there was barbed wire strung across, 24
hour security post at 8 such barricades encircling the new villiage at the
edge of the city -- there were weapons of poverty, molotovs, fireworks,
clubs with nails, homemade shields, slingshots, crudely constructed
bazookas, much talk of bombs waiting for the invasion -- and that is what
the press kept calling the community, invaders -- the militancy was palpable
-- we arrived after dark and it was pretty disorienting but were welcomed
due to a lot of work making certain the community knew we were covering them
differently than the local media -- i didnt even have time to get my barings
and suddenly while stumbling in the dark fireworks started going off in 3 or
4 different parts of the camp, a siren sounded like an air raid, chaos --
this was it -- the police were making their move -- as we entered the dirt
avenue which was the main entrance the air turned sour and dark with tear
gas letting loss on all sides of us -- none had even time to get their
bandanas on or even be sure what was happening and all of us were blinded
and coughing and running in the opposite direction of the barricade into
another cloud of gas -- minutes later we were set up with vinegar and back
out with a flurry of fireworks and scores of resisters slinging rocks at
their attackers -- there were percussion grenades from the police and the
gas dropped from the sky in front and behind -- a woman clutching her baby
ran past me screaming for help -- soon several people were dousing the
infant with water and were certain it was breathing -- suddenly the
barricade erupted into flame -- it was huge burst into a dark night -- a
cheer rang through the resistance -- it seemed to go on for an hour, the
community charging, disbursing the gas, hurling stones, screaming and
cursing -- i was more than a little disoriented and having a hard time with
the gas -- and suddenly an alarm from another barricade shot up and exploded
like the fourth of july and we realized the police had left after only about
10 minutes -- they were moving from barricade to barricade with gas and
rubber bullets -- we regrouped and had a quick meeting and suddenly the
sirens calmed and we realized the police had moved on -- everyone assumed
this was temporary -- a loudspeaker appeared and announcements begging for
calm and voices from different perspectives in the community were heard -- a
community meeting commenced -- we headed for another barricade and we
greeted warmly as the police had moved on and the tension started to float
away -- really wonderful people -- it was inspiring after an attack like
that they were busy offering us coffee and making sure we were alright --
the night stretched on and we lowered our guard more and more and started to
drift off to sleep next to a fire of tires and debris -- with the morning
came a new sense of security -- if they didnt come at daybreak everyone
assumed they had at least another day -- word was that if they could make it
another 24 hours the police mobilization would return to their local posts
and the judicial decision shoulkd expire -- we left the camp with thanks
from people, i guess in reality we were being human rights observers while
the corporate media would hide behind the police and would only venture into
the camp to do interviews after the fighting -- we slept some -- i returned
the next night around midnight and assumed since the police hadnt attacked
yet we were in the clear until dawn -- at around 2 am 9 military police cars
drove up to main entrance -- a pattern of nightly harrasment had turned into
nightly attacks -- immediately the sky was ablaze with fireworks and then
from the police tear gas and flares and concussion grenades -- the police
attack was fierce and the community had less time to mobilize -- a battle
ensued like i have never seen -- a lot of people were talking about civil
war and i thought this was an exageration but that night i started to
believe -- the police used every kind of weapon and the sound of explosions
was everywhere -- the barricades started burning again and twice explosions
rumbled through the barricade sending tires flying -- the fighting was firce
and i was much closer this time shooting video -- a group of police were
using a friends car as a safe place to send all kinds of chemical and
exploding agents into the resistance -- suddenly shots rang out and i
realized the police were using pistols and semi-automatics -- i heard
screaming as i ran for cover -- a young man had been shot on the other side
of the barricade later i saw imc video of a bullet hole clean through his
bicept -- suddenly it was over -- they just left -- it was senseless -- it
was not an eviction it was terrorism -- a military policeman was also taken
away in an ambulance -- quickly members of the community pulled me over to
wall where you could clearly see the bullet holes riddled all over the metal
sheeting -- right behind my back a huge explosion nearly knocked me to the
wall -- i didnt even have time to duck -- it had come from the burning
barricade and people assumed the police hasd thrown un detonated cannisters
into the blaze hoping they would explode -- they took me to a house where as
a bullet had passed through a brick wall then through the bed curtains and
through the next brick wall -- on the other side i exrtacted the bullet --
these were military grade semi automatic rifles -- later i interviewed a
woman who was in bed and showed the bullet holes that fly over her head as
she was hiding from the fighting -- she didnt even realize the bullet was
lying on her bed after it had struck the inner wall of her bedroom -- we
assumed the worst and slept inside the encampment -- when morning came i
thought it was a vicroty -- the 24 hour limit had passed -- then i heard
word that a different person had claimed ownership to the land and there was
a new judicial process and the huge police mobilization was not being called
home --
so in this same time the mst (landmess peasants movement) had been evicted
twice from differnt new rural land occupations in the countryside of goiais
-- they sent word that they knew it would help the urban squatters and sent
them their solidarity --
all the next day reports of the eviction were flying around -- one from
undisclosed police informant said they were coming in the evening not with
2500 but with 8000 police -- a force of 30 mounted military police slowly
made their way around the camp -- by the time i arrived at dusk they were
wound up and paranoid -- false alarms kept punctuating the night with
fireworks going off and no one knowing what to expect -- there was a uhge
rally near the main barricade with a sound system and mostly the evangelical
christian sector of the camp represented -- definitely a different take on
jesus than the george bush voting crowd -- also there were some local
politicians and a representative from Dereches Humanos (human rights) -- ti
was beautiful with singing and prayer and a display of the majority of the
camps residents who were young families and elderly grandparents who were
not going to fight -- it was a long night and twice small groups of police
snuck up on barricades and opened fire with pistols and fled -- there were
also hired goons or undercover police with gas thrown at the barricades --
no one was sleeping and everyone was keyed up and nervous -- word came they
were definitely coming in the morning -- i went to sleep for an hour or so
near the main barricade
there is a protest right now and i need to go
i will write more this afternoon
so this is a report i started the day before the eviction to give you some
background -- this is an independant autonomous urban landless group that
came together spontaneously and reclaimed abandoned land
hey everyone
i cant tell you how good it feels to be alive -- these last few days have
been incredible -- really inspiring working in solidarity with a huge land
occupation in the interior of brazil in the city of Goiania -- it has been
horrifying as well -- two nights ago while i was in a bus on my way here
police began terrorizing the community with random gunfire -- just before a
judge had ordered their eviction after 9 months buildinga new life in an
abandoned industrial park lost in speculation for years -- at least 12,000
people in the country with the deepest division between rich and poor in the
world -- after the week of carnaval there were police mobilzed from all over
into the interior and now was an obvious time to strike -- 2500 police were
said to be mobilized to evict the encampment -- the day i arrived me and
companeros of the local indymedia went to the encampment, named A Dream Made
Real, to watch and report on further police harassment -- the community had
been building huge barricades of tires and steel pieces of cars and debris,
they had dug moats across roadways, there was barbed wire strung across, 24
hour security post at 8 such barricades encircling the new villiage at the
edge of the city -- there were weapons of poverty, molotovs, fireworks,
clubs with nails, homemade shields, slingshots, crudely constructed
bazookas, much talk of bombs waiting for the invasion -- and that is what
the press kept calling the community, invaders -- the militancy was palpable
-- we arrived after dark and it was pretty disorienting but were welcomed
due to a lot of work making certain the community knew we were covering them
differently than the local media -- i didnt even have time to get my barings
and suddenly while stumbling in the dark fireworks started going off in 3 or
4 different parts of the camp, a siren sounded like an air raid, chaos --
this was it -- the police were making their move -- as we entered the dirt
avenue which was the main entrance the air turned sour and dark with tear
gas letting loss on all sides of us -- none had even time to get their
bandanas on or even be sure what was happening and all of us were blinded
and coughing and running in the opposite direction of the barricade into
another cloud of gas -- minutes later we were set up with vinegar and back
out with a flurry of fireworks and scores of resisters slinging rocks at
their attackers -- there were percussion grenades from the police and the
gas dropped from the sky in front and behind -- a woman clutching her baby
ran past me screaming for help -- soon several people were dousing the
infant with water and were certain it was breathing -- suddenly the
barricade erupted into flame -- it was huge burst into a dark night -- a
cheer rang through the resistance -- it seemed to go on for an hour, the
community charging, disbursing the gas, hurling stones, screaming and
cursing -- i was more than a little disoriented and having a hard time with
the gas -- and suddenly an alarm from another barricade shot up and exploded
like the fourth of july and we realized the police had left after only about
10 minutes -- they were moving from barricade to barricade with gas and
rubber bullets -- we regrouped and had a quick meeting and suddenly the
sirens calmed and we realized the police had moved on -- everyone assumed
this was temporary -- a loudspeaker appeared and announcements begging for
calm and voices from different perspectives in the community were heard -- a
community meeting commenced -- we headed for another barricade and we
greeted warmly as the police had moved on and the tension started to float
away -- really wonderful people -- it was inspiring after an attack like
that they were busy offering us coffee and making sure we were alright --
the night stretched on and we lowered our guard more and more and started to
drift off to sleep next to a fire of tires and debris -- with the morning
came a new sense of security -- if they didnt come at daybreak everyone
assumed they had at least another day -- word was that if they could make it
another 24 hours the police mobilization would return to their local posts
and the judicial decision shoulkd expire -- we left the camp with thanks
from people, i guess in reality we were being human rights observers while
the corporate media would hide behind the police and would only venture into
the camp to do interviews after the fighting -- we slept some -- i returned
the next night around midnight and assumed since the police hadnt attacked
yet we were in the clear until dawn -- at around 2 am 9 military police cars
drove up to main entrance -- a pattern of nightly harrasment had turned into
nightly attacks -- immediately the sky was ablaze with fireworks and then
from the police tear gas and flares and concussion grenades -- the police
attack was fierce and the community had less time to mobilize -- a battle
ensued like i have never seen -- a lot of people were talking about civil
war and i thought this was an exageration but that night i started to
believe -- the police used every kind of weapon and the sound of explosions
was everywhere -- the barricades started burning again and twice explosions
rumbled through the barricade sending tires flying -- the fighting was firce
and i was much closer this time shooting video -- a group of police were
using a friends car as a safe place to send all kinds of chemical and
exploding agents into the resistance -- suddenly shots rang out and i
realized the police were using pistols and semi-automatics -- i heard
screaming as i ran for cover -- a young man had been shot on the other side
of the barricade later i saw imc video of a bullet hole clean through his
bicept -- suddenly it was over -- they just left -- it was senseless -- it
was not an eviction it was terrorism -- a military policeman was also taken
away in an ambulance -- quickly members of the community pulled me over to
wall where you could clearly see the bullet holes riddled all over the metal
sheeting -- right behind my back a huge explosion nearly knocked me to the
wall -- i didnt even have time to duck -- it had come from the burning
barricade and people assumed the police hasd thrown un detonated cannisters
into the blaze hoping they would explode -- they took me to a house where as
a bullet had passed through a brick wall then through the bed curtains and
through the next brick wall -- on the other side i exrtacted the bullet --
these were military grade semi automatic rifles -- later i interviewed a
woman who was in bed and showed the bullet holes that fly over her head as
she was hiding from the fighting -- she didnt even realize the bullet was
lying on her bed after it had struck the inner wall of her bedroom -- we
assumed the worst and slept inside the encampment -- when morning came i
thought it was a vicroty -- the 24 hour limit had passed -- then i heard
word that a different person had claimed ownership to the land and there was
a new judicial process and the huge police mobilization was not being called
home --
so in this same time the mst (landmess peasants movement) had been evicted
twice from differnt new rural land occupations in the countryside of goiais
-- they sent word that they knew it would help the urban squatters and sent
them their solidarity --
all the next day reports of the eviction were flying around -- one from
undisclosed police informant said they were coming in the evening not with
2500 but with 8000 police -- a force of 30 mounted military police slowly
made their way around the camp -- by the time i arrived at dusk they were
wound up and paranoid -- false alarms kept punctuating the night with
fireworks going off and no one knowing what to expect -- there was a uhge
rally near the main barricade with a sound system and mostly the evangelical
christian sector of the camp represented -- definitely a different take on
jesus than the george bush voting crowd -- also there were some local
politicians and a representative from Dereches Humanos (human rights) -- ti
was beautiful with singing and prayer and a display of the majority of the
camps residents who were young families and elderly grandparents who were
not going to fight -- it was a long night and twice small groups of police
snuck up on barricades and opened fire with pistols and fled -- there were
also hired goons or undercover police with gas thrown at the barricades --
no one was sleeping and everyone was keyed up and nervous -- word came they
were definitely coming in the morning -- i went to sleep for an hour or so
near the main barricade
there is a protest right now and i need to go
i will write more this afternoon
For more information:
http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/1...
my story from violent eviction of homeless encampment in brasil -- check
out http://www.indymedia.org and link to nyc and brasil sites for info and photos
-- i will write more soon
massacre in brasil: dreams made real, part2
dawn came on confused and quiet a few milling about it was the quietest
i had ever seen the camp -- so beautiful at dawn with the light low and
cool then the alarm sounded I could see it wasn't happening now
people started appearing slowly from all points gathering around a car
with a sound system for news it was plain and simple 30 trucks on their
way all full of military police all the time the siren didn't stop
ringing more people came up to the barricades many ran off to tell
their loved ones what a diverse group, old and young of every color and
description with young children in their arms and little dogs running wild
surprisingly it was less panicky than the night before they were
solidifying the barricades quickly but there was little more to do there
was a quick interview of police brass for the corporate press -- the
traffic had stopped on the street outside the encampment -- they had
blocked all the roads leading to the camp -- i had no idea what was
happening on the other side but hoped there might be an escape route there
-- in the distance i could see the military police unloading from buses --
they were geared up like storm troopers with green and black war paint -- i
photoed a line of women who had formed in front of the barricades and were
praying and crying, some with their children in their arms -- soon there
were about a hundred troops lined up in formation in three squadrons -- i
started to realize just how hopeless this was -- a call went out for
everyone to be at the barricade -- huge block of peaceful pilgrims
collected there -- all ages and races with their hands in the air --
theresistance fighters had mostly vanished -- the military started to move
in in formation with sheilds raised tight like a turtle shell -- i didnt
see anyone even throw a stone -- suddenly behind me there was an explosion
-- it was a concussion grenade launched from a tear gas rocket -- i was
hiding behind the edge of a brick wall and was completely confused how it
could be behind me with my eyes on the police -- another explotion directly
behind me and i felt the slam against my skin and my ears went deaf ringing
-- they were already in the camp -- it was pandemonium -- everyone was
running and screaming -- as i ran i saw them coming from my flank -- and
aiming to shoot again not more than thirty feet away -- then all hell broke
losse -- suddenly there was gas, rubber bullets, concussion grenades on all
sides -- immediately i recognized the sound of real bullets -- i tried
twice to stop and film but only for seconds until bullets flew near by --
they were advancing on either side of me in large groups -- it wasnt safe
anywhere in the streets -- i saw two women face down in the street -- i
dont know if they were alive -- at my feet i saw blood mixed in the dry
dirt -- everywhere people running in panic and screaming and trying to find
some shelter from the barrage -- i headed to a back yard trying to cut
through the backs of houses and was slowed by barbed wire between all the
yards -- there was tall yuka plants giving me some cover as i ran -- the
military units were already past me on the main avenue and running rampant
shooting everything -- it was so terrifying -- they were shooting at
anything that moved -- there was no where to go -- i looked up and a door
opened and a woman was motioning for me to come in -- i ran inside with
another older couple and they slammed the door to total darkness -- inside
there were two babies trying to scream but the were gagging on the tear gas
-- they showed me a bucket of water to wash off the gas -- a man opened the
door to look out and i came around to film -- i saw military point at us
and yell something -- we had our hands in the air but he and another raised
there guns to shoot -- as the door slammed shut the bullets hit the house
-- we all hit the ground -- one woman was having a panic attack -- i could
smell gas from just outside creeping in -- they cracked a window the
breathe and i could see two women with babies and a tiny yound girl on the
bed -- the whole home was one small room and made of simple bricks and used
furniture with two beds right next to the kitchen -- it was really
beautiful and simple -- i imagined the bulldozer destorying it all with us
inside -- the babies started to recover from the gas and the man opened
another window but was seen by military and there was more shooting --
everyone was screaming i htink to get on the ground -- i didnt know what to
do -- i tried to film but paced and walked over to the corner to cry --
what in gods name was happening out there -- the sound of shots and
screaming was contant -- i was trembling -- there were police right outside
yelling orders to come out -- the man yelled something back about being
peaceful -- i yelled that i was international press -- he opened the door
-- i raised my hands high with video camera in one hand -- they were in
regular uniforms the woman who was panicked before passed out right in
front of her husband as she walked out -- he grabbed for her -- the police
made they they were going to shoot -- screaming at him i guess to put up
his hands but they couldnt see his hands were holding his wife -- i yelled
we needed a doctor -- it meant nothing to them -- finally he raised his
hands and dropped her there on the ground -- i started walking out -- they
had pistols drawn and pointed at my head -- i couldnt understand what they
were screaming at me but they looked like they would shoot -- i kept
repeating i didnt understand -- i was an international journalist -- they
mimed to keep my head down -- as i walked out with my head down a few of
they ran up and slammed into me, twisting my arms and kicking my feet out
-- i got punched in the head and another jumped on top of me -- after they
ripped the camera out of my hand and had me in plastic cuffs they started
kicking me again -- i got one of the officers names who beat me, torres --
he seemed like he was in command and picked me up and started screaming
questions at me -- i asked if he spoke spanish and he screamed no one
speaks spanish in here -- one of the others handed him my camera and i got
a woman cop to put my glasses in my front pocket -- they started ripping
through my bag -- i told them again i was a journalist from new york city
-- they started to cut my bag off my back but i managed to explain how to
get it off -- there were other more official looking officers in white
uniforms who appeared near by and seemed to pretend they were not
interested with their name tags turned away from me
-- they yanked me back to the main avenue and motioned me to head off
toward the main entrance -- the plastic cuffs were so tight even the
adreneline couldnt stop the pain -- i was completely confused but saw women
with children walking the same direction and just followed them leaving my
video camera still running in torres´s hands -- there were troops still
coming in with different kinds of uniforms -- there was still shooting but
a lot of it was further away deeper in the camp -- there was a long empty
street and i saw a cat scurry across and crouch under a fence -- everyone
was getting evicted today -- as i was walking i recognized a policeman from
the corporate press interview -- he stopped me and started looking through
my bag -- i told him i was a journalist from the usa -- it seemed to mean
nothing to any of them -- as he was rifling through my things a huge
military policeman with a mask pulled up and black bullet proof vest
stopped and looked at my credencials -- he said they were fake and slammed
me upside the head with an open hand so hard i almost fell off my feet
except the other officer who was smiling now still had me by the arm and
was holding me steady for the other --he led me toward the entrance where
the barricades had been pushed aside -- in front of me were hundreds of
detainees kneeling on the ground -- two cuffed together at the wrist --
there was black smoke coming up in a half dozen different parts of the camp
-- i could still here the shooting -- they pushed me onto my knees with the
other prisoners -- what the fuck next
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