Whats happening on the Border????

Activist San Diego presents:
What's Happening on the Border???

BORDER ANGELS, BORDER REALITIES, FRIENDSHIP PARK

"Immigration 'Reform': are things really getting much better?"


Monday Sept 21, 2009 7pm

Joyce Beers Community Center

1090 Vermont St, Hillcrest, 1 block north of University Ave, San Diego

(Ralph's Shopping Center, next to Trader Joe's)

Special guests:

Enrique Morones

David Schmidt

Enrique Morones, San Diego native and long time human rights activist will share stories about the realities along the border and what is happening with imigration reform today.

Enrique is the president and founder of BORDER ANGELS "saving migrant lives" ; LATINO ANTI DEFAMATION ALLIANCE "exposing racism, hate and hate groups"; Founding member of FRIENDS OF FRIENSHIP PARK" reopening the heart and soul of operation gatekeeper "MARCHA MIGRANTES "taking it to the streets" where he was part of caravan back and forth from San Diego to DC and told president Obama, "we marched, we voted now its time to deliver immigration reform" .

David Schmidt will present a critical view of the current discussion of "immigration reform", the changes that are on the table in immigration policy and enforcement, in light of the last reform (1986 Amnesty) and the recent history of enforcement on the border. He will consider the future of immigration and immigrants. Unless the US Government drastically increases the ability to legally immigrate to the US and drastically changes US trade policies like NAFTA which push massive migration, the fundamental problems facing immigrants will continue.

David has been involved in urban and rural indigenous communities in Mexico over the last decade, and has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of lopsided trade policies and neoliberal economics on the poorest communities in the world. Schmidt is involved in efforts to promote fair trade and collectively-owned workers' co-ops, and has published a number of articles in English and Spanish regarding the struggle of marginalized peoples for cultural and economic survival.

As the great-grandchild of immigrants from Russia, David is struck by the inherently biased nature of US immigration policy. He notes that his ancestors immigrated for the same reasons as today's immigrants; they were able to do so legally, by no virtue of their own, but simply because US policy favored immigrants from Europe, at the same time as immigrants from Asia and elsewhere were being deported by the thousands.

Friendship Park, at the border, is a unique venue of great historical significance to both Mexico and the United States, and has served as the centerpiece of California's Border Field State Park since its inauguration by then-First Lady Pat Nixon in 1971. Friends of Friendship Park have worked tirelessly to decriminalize the Border, restore Friendship Park & promote peaceful dialogue with our neighbors.
Across two years, grassroots leaders have built a broad coalition to save Friendship Park, the historic location overlooking the Pacific Ocean where people from San Diego and Tijuana have met for generations to visit with friends and family at the border fence.

Having secured the support of California politicians at every level of office, leaders from this coalition are now negotiating with San Diego Border Patrol to restore public access to Friendship Park.



About Friendship Park http://www.friendshippark.org & Border Angels (founded in 1986) http://www.borderangels.org

- donation requested -

Sponsored by Activist San Diego http://www.ActivistSanDiego.