Workers Resistance

Author: Fight Back

United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) Demands “US Hands off Ukraine and Venezuela”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC).

The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) Demands “US Hands off Ukraine and Venezuela”

The United States government is the main instigator of the present crises in both countries.

The hypocrisy of Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement on Face the Nation, “You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext,” is beyond belief. What about the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, or regime change in Libya, or the threats to bomb Syria and attack Iran?

The US has waged a massive propaganda campaign of misinformation, distortion, and outright lies and the national media has taken the State Department’s “facts” and disseminated them without question or challenge. News about the US/EU role in creating the current crisis is buried.

The US is the only country that has its troops throughout the world in over 120 countries. It sends drones and special operations forces to kill anyone and anywhere it chooses and uses its vast economic power to undercut any government that will not submit to its policies. Although there is lip service to concerns about democracy and sovereignty, the reality is that the US acts in the interests of preserving its imperialist power and wealth.

Ukraine and Venezuela are not exceptions to this rule of imperialist intervention. For 20 years, $5 billion was invested in Ukraine to support the opposition and to create tens of thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to move the country more towards the US and EU and their policies. In an intercepted phone call between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine, she discusses who the US wants to be the head of the new illigitimate government, and lo and behold, the US pick, Arseniy Yatseniuk, is named as the interim Ukrainian leader. This is clearly outside intervention in the affairs of a sovereign country that would not be tolerated if directed at the US or its allies.

What are the real objectives and why is Russia so alarmed? Could it be the US-NATO campaign to militarily surround Russia and bring neighboring countries into the western military and financial orbit? Might it be that the largest supply of natural gas in the world is in Russia and the pipelines go through Ukraine, or that global warming is opening the Arctic to oil drilling and Russia borders the Arctic? It is clear that Russia will not passively sit by while the Western-backed coup, led by violent fascist forces and local billionaires, overthrows a democratically elected government and installs a puppet regime on its border.

By treaty, Russia can have 25,000 troops in Crimea. To protect its military base there and to protect the people in the Eastern and Southern parts of the country, where the coup is not supported, Russia has moved some troops to the Ukrainian border and into the Crimean peninsula. Many in the east and south are fearful of the new coup government and the neo-Nazi and nationalist forces that led the street demonstrations.

The escalating threats of military and economic aggression towards Russia should not be taken lightly. Washington’s recklessness and disregard for humanity have resurrected the worst vestiges of cold war politics. They have created a dangerous situation that can generate a real war with an adversary with a powerful military of its own.

The US is similarly intervening in Venezuela. There, the US government wants a return to policies which brought the benefits of that nation’s oil wealth to a privileged few. The Bolivarian Revolution has been supported by a majority of Venezuelans in election after election. Yet the United States persists in violating the sovereignty and self-determination of the Venezuelan people. In 2002, the US supported a coup against the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. During this coup, Chavez was forced onto a US military plane to be taken out of the country. The Venezuelan people and military were able to rescue Chavez and defeat the coup. However, the US has continued to intervene in Venezuela causing the government of Nicolas Maduro to expel three US officials for trying to organize students for anti-government protests.

As long as the United States is committed to aggression, the whole world is endangered, just as Ukraine and Venezuela are. Libya fell, Syria is under attack, there is a “pivot to Asia”, and Africom controls the military in almost every African nation. We must demand that our government stop its policy of imperialist domination which generates conflict throughout the world.

NO TO US WARS, THREATS, ATTACKS, SANCTIONS, AND COVERT OPERATIONS IN UKRAINE, RUSSIA, VENEZUELA, AND ALL OTHER SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES!

MONEY FOR JOBS, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE AND MEETING SOCIAL NEEDS, NOT WAR AND AGGRESSION TO BENEFIT THE RICH!

March 10, 2014
Miami celebrates International Women’s Day

Miami, FL- Activists in South Florida celebrated International Women’s Day here, March 8, at the Wynwood Art Walk. The anti-war group People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) organized the event, which included a spoken-word performance of speeches by women freedom fighters, past and present.

About 15 activists from anti-war, immigrant rights, and pro-Palestine organizations spoke to hundreds of passersby who stopped to listen to the inspirational and powerful speeches. Sabrina Bracero of POWIR led the event, which included readings of speeches written by Sojourner Truth, Helen Keller, Leila Khaled and Isabell Allende. Didier Ortiz of Students for Justice in Palestine read the first speech by prominent anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

“I cannot call myself an ‘anti-war’ activist if I don’t recognize that the dots of poverty, neo-liberalism, and environmentalism must be connected,” Ortiz read. “We can’t separate one cause from the other.”

POWIR also gathered over 180 signatures for the petition to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh. Odeh, a prominent Palestinian women’s rights activist and community leader, is being zeroed-in on by the U.S. government as part of an ongoing witch-hunt against Arab-Americans and anti-war activists. She has been charged with phony immigration charges and faces jail time and deportation for her activism and pro-Palestinian activities. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is circulating a petition to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh.

“We support Palestine, we support women and we support Rasmea,” said Pamela Maldonado of POWIR. “Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day by calling on the government to drop these ridiculous charges against Rasmea Odeh, a powerful and important female leader in the activist community.”

The Miami crowd proved to be extremely receptive to the message of solidarity and empowerment. Many expressed concern over the U.S. government’s continued repression of activists and immigrants from the Middle East.

March 9, 2014
U.S. and EU face opposition in Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine is driven by outside forces, the U.S. and the European Union. Their aim is to gain control of the country and plunder it of everything they can get their hands on.

Ukraine has been atrociously run for a long time. It has almost $140 billion in foreign debt. There is little prospect of it being able to repay without help or devaluation. The U.S. and the EU have played on this economic weakness and other internal divisions to overthrow the government of President Victor Yanukovich, which, however imperfect, was democratically elected. In February, a junta with no constitutional legitimacy was imposed by violence. It was quickly designated as the ‘government’ by the U.S. and the EU.

Ukraine lies to the southeast of Poland. It is almost as big as Texas. The population is 45 million. The Russian language and identity as a people originated in Ukraine. It is closely bound to Russia. Historically, that separation was a prime goal of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. People have not forgotten. There is massive and intense rejection in both countries of the aims of the U.S. and the EU. The people’s opposition to the U.S. and the EU is an important political factor in the crisis.

Protests began last year in the Euromaidan square of the capital city, Kiev. Many people were there because they were sick of seeing one gang of thieves in power follow another in power to line their pockets, while the overall economic conditions got worse and worse.

The protests were polluted by other influences. Since the Orange Revolution of 2004, the U.S. has poured $5 billion into Ukraine in order to buy friends, set up NGOs and find political allies. Beneficiaries include the CIA-linked National Endowment for Democracy. Another is the Nazi-connected Svoboda Party. It traces directly back to the Organization of Ukrainian Unity (OUN) that, during WW II, set up a partisan army that fought against the Soviet Union alongside the Nazi invaders [see note 1]. The Nazi connection is so flagrant that there have been some misgivings about Svoboda even in the thoroughly tamed U.S. media.

At first there was little violence in the protests. The security forces generally had control of the streets. The situation turned bloody on Feb. 20 as dozens of people were killed by sniper fire. The western media were quick to blame the government of President Victor Yanukovich, despite the fact that 13 policemen were among the dead. It has since been revealed that the snipers were put there by some force outside the Yanukovich government [see note 2].

The tide turned against the security forces as Svoboda and a neo-Nazi faction called the Right Sector resorted to Molotov cocktails, bricks and baseball bats to overwhelm police forces that still were forbidden the use of deadly force. On Feb. 21 the police forces were withdrawn to the police stations and Yanukovich abdicated.

The circumstances were spelled out in a March 4 press conference by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He confirmed something that had been rumored already.

Putin said: “President Yanukovych, through the mediation of the Foreign Ministers of three European countries – Poland, Germany and France – and in the presence of my representative (this was the Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin) signed an agreement with the opposition on February 21. I would like to stress that under that agreement (I am not saying this was good or bad, just stating the fact) Mr Yanukovych actually handed over power. He agreed to all the opposition’s demands: he agreed to early parliamentary elections, to early presidential elections, and to return to the 2004 Constitution, as demanded by the opposition.” [see note 3].

On the basis of its imposition by the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland, the Feb. 21 coup d’etat has been called Munich II. The reference is to the infamous Munich Conference of September, 1938 in which Britain, with the cooperation of France and Italy, connived to hand the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia over to Adolf Hitler. The joint aim was to provide Hitler with a corridor to the east by which he could infiltrate, subvert and break up Ukraine prior to a full invasion of the Soviet Union.

Munich ended what little hope there was to avoid World War II.

At about the same time as the March 4 press conference, Russia moved 6000 troops into the Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that is the southernmost region of Ukraine. U.S. President Barack Obama reacted by saying, “Since the Russian intervention, we’ve been mobilizing the international community to condemn this violation of international law and to support the people and government of Ukraine.” He also threatened sanctions.

Obama’s statement was a strange thing coming from the government with the worst record in the world for violations of other countries’ sovereignty. Russia has large military bases in Ukraine and by treaty has rights to station up to 25,000 servicepersons there. The troop movement was within the treaty limits, therefore lawful.

The Russian reaction to the U.S. threats was fury, in the government and among the people [see note 4]. The parliament passed a measure allowing Mr. Putin full authority to take whatever military action he felt necessary. A plebiscite for independence from Ukraine is scheduled for Crimea on March 16. Crimean secession would unsettle the grip of the junta. The war of words is heating up but there is little the U.S. can do.

The U.S. has landed itself in another quagmire. It has seized control of a heavily indebted country it cannot bail out except through draconian measures that would further rouse the people. It has gained power through the neo-Nazi Svoboda and Right Sector, and this will place it conflict with the broad masses of people.

The Nazis have toppled statues of Lenin and defaced monuments to the heroes of WW II. The people’s fury has been expressed already in huge rallies against the junta and the Nazi brown shirts in Donetsk and Dniepropetrovsk.

The EU is lukewarm about economic sanctions, which would especially cost Britain and Germany a lot of business. They have little reason to pass up profits so the U.S. could heap the plunder on Washington D.C.’s plate. A lot of daylight has opened up between Europe and the U.S. Coming out of Munich I, Britain thought it had a deal with Germany to fight the Soviet Union. It did not turn out that way.

The situation is very dangerous. The track record of U.S. imperialism is that it is great at going into other countries and getting into trouble, but terrible at getting itself out. It is losing in its effort of more than two years to destabilize and subvert Syria, and doing badly at the same game in Venezuela. Hawks like John McCain and Lindsey Graham make political hay by tough talk about things that would only bring disaster. The people of the world must take a strong stand against these aggressions and help defeat them. That is the only way to safeguard world peace.

Notes:
March 9, 2014
Twin Cities celebrates International Women’s Day 2014

Minneapolis, MN – Trade unionists, students, anti war and low income activists came together here, March 8, for a spirited celebration of International Women’ s Day. The event, “Women’s Liberation from the U.S. to Palestine,” was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Held annually in the Twin Cities, this year’s International Women’s Day celebration emphasized the case of Chicago Palestinian leader Rasmea Odeh, who is facing prison and deportation on trumped-up immigration charges.

Jess Sundin’s speech

Jess Sundin, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, gave the opening speech on the oppression of women and the need for liberation, the fight against political repression and the need for revolution and socialism.

Sundin began by telling the crowd about the history of International Women’s Day, stating, “This day came from the struggle of working women right here in the U.S. In 1908, women garment workers in New York City came together to demand a strong union for themselves and the right to vote for all women. They went on strike for 13 cold winter weeks and in the end they won. Inspired by them, German revolutionary Clara Zetkin proposed that March 8 be celebrated around the world as International Women’s Day.”

Sundin concluded by saying socialism “engages people in transforming society to meet all of our needs. The riches of a socialist society are used for the benefit of all. Socialism is based on internationalism, rather than criminalizing freedom fighters and international solidarity. Under socialism, our government would be dedicated to ensuring equality, rather than allowing some to profit, while others go hungry. These are values that would make it possible for women to throw off the chains of oppression, to win our own liberation. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, let us rededicate ourselves to a life of struggle. Let us commit to build movements where women lead. And let us march together towards revolution.”

From U.S. to Palestine

Hatem Abudayyeh, a leader in Chicago’s Palestinian community, spoke via Skype on the case of Rasmea Odeh. Abudayyeh told of the many contributions that Odeh had made to the fight to free Palestine and to end the oppression of women. Stating that Odeh’s case is linked to the repression directed against Palestine and international solidarity activists, he expressed confidence that everyone at the Twin Cities event would be part of the struggle to get the charges against Rasmea Odeh dropped.

Misty Rowan, of the Twin Cites-based Anti-War Committee, spoke about the role that strong women leaders play in the anti-war movement and the push back against FBI repression. The Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization were the targets of FBI raids in September 2010.

Steff Yorek read a message from Cherrene Horazuk, the president of AFSCME Local 3800, noting the fight of women workers past and present.

The event concluded with a speech by Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee, who demanded that state government raise the welfare grants.

March 9, 2014
Moral Monday rally at Florida State Capitol draws hundreds

Tallahassee, FL – More than 200 people from Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami met at the steps of The Old Capitol in Tallahassee for Florida’s first Moral Monday rally, March 3. The NAACP organized the rally and was joined by other coalition members. Protesters discussed a people’s agenda for the next 60 days of the Florida legislative session, which began on March 4.

The rally was modeled after the giant Moral Monday rallies in North Carolina. Moral Mondays are a response to the North Carolina General Assembly’s extreme right-wing attacks on working people, women, immigrants and African Americans. Facing the Florida legislature’s equally extreme right-wing politicians and Republican Governor Rick Scott, protesters demanded a state government committed to justice for working and oppressed people.

Protesters united behind the demands for affordable health care and Medicaid expansion, ex-felon rights restoration, jobs, public education, voting rights and an end to Governor Scott’s infamous voter purges.

Out of all the demands spoken about during the rally, higher wages, ending Stand Your Ground laws, and freedom for 33-year-old African American mother Marissa Alexander received the most enthusiasm from the crowd. Alexander, a resident of Jacksonville, received a 20-year prison sentence for firing a warning shot to fend off her abusive husband in 2012. She has a new trial scheduled for July 2014 and progressive activists across the country are mobilizing to demand her freedom. However, Florida State Attorney Corey is now seeking a 60-year sentence for Marissa Alexander. Corey is the same Florida prosecutor who notoriously flubbed the murder trials of the men who separately killed Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis.

The crowd heard from many speakers and groups, including Reverend William Barber of the North Carolina Moral Monday rallies, the NAACP, the Florida AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood and progressive churches, mosques and synagogues.

Congresswoman Corrine Brown also addressed the crowd, “The truth is when we are in politics, we only have two choices: one is the low road to destruction, and the other is the pathway to higher ground.” Invoking Dr. Martin Luther King, Barber stated, “I’m reminded that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

Bearing signs that read, “We march to end racial profiling” and “We march for jobs and freedom,” the crowd chanted on the steps of the Capitol for more than four hours. Energy remained high for the entire event as activists from across Florida discussed future efforts to fight the state politicians’ right-wing policies.

March 7, 2014
New York students protest education cuts

Albany, NY – Students from campuses across New York rallied against education cuts in Albany on March 6. The students protested Governor Cuomo’s proposal to cut $1 million from the City University of New York (CUNY) and $2 million from the State University of New York (SUNY) budgets. The bill comes on the heels of Governor Cuomo, a Democrat, proposing $2 billion in tax cuts to benefit the wealthiest New Yorkers.

Students held teach-ins, a summit and a press conference condemning the assault on education. Students chanted, “Education is a right! Fight, fight, fight!” and held signs that read, “Liberate public education!” Student leaders spoke about the need to defeat the 1% agenda of austerity and pointed out the hypocrisy of raising the cost of education while cutting taxes for rich capitalists.

The students, including activists from Students for Educational Rights at City College of New York, New York Students Rising at New Paltz and Albany’s Students Revolutionary Coalition, demanded an immediate freeze on tuition and restoration of $1.5 billion cut from the SUNY and CUNY’s budgets.

The cuts proposed by Cuomo force African American, Latino and other working class students to bear the costs of keeping colleges open in a state where 67 billionaires live. In the 2011-2012 academic year, students on average graduated with $25,537 in student debt. Nationally student debt increased over 63% in the past decade.

The day of action provided a networking opportunity for students who vowed to continue organizing on their respective campuses to unite a broad movement to fight against the cuts proposed in Albany, the state capital.

March 7, 2014
UPS escalates worker repression, issues working discharges to 249 NYC strikers

New York, NY – In the wake of a walkout of UPS drivers on Feb. 26, at the Queens hub in New York City, UPS reportedly issued ‘working discharges’ today, March 6, to 249 workers who participated in the strike.

After the dispute protesting the company’s abuse of workers, including selectively targeting union fighters, UPS ratcheted up tensions to dangerous levels by issuing working terminations. This constitutes a serious threat to the livelihoods of hundreds of workers providing for families and their children.

Currently, negotiations to resolve the dispute continue between the leadership of Local 804 and UPS management. Local 804 enjoys wide support as President Tim Sylvester and his leadership team rebuilt 804 into a militant rank-and-file union in the tradition of Ron Carey over the past few years.

Outrage spread quickly across the country as many Teamsters involved in the Vote No on the UPS contract movement heard the news. Hundreds of comments poured in on the group’s facebook page pledging solidarity with Local 804 and the drivers. With several supplements still outstanding, and dissatisfaction among many UPS workers over the proposed national contract, many workers expect such harsh retaliation by UPS could spark a national pushback at Big Brown.

Several 804 members, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation, reflected this as they went so far as to declare their willingness to walk out and organize a local-wide strike if the company refused to back down and pressed firing the 249 drivers. “I will risk my job and walk, and get as many as I can to follow me if those unfair discharges are upheld,” said one UPS worker.

“If they fire our brothers and sisters, we are going to fight back and do whatever is necessary. This is a fighting union and UPS better realize that if New York City stands up, other locals will follow,” said a part-time 804 member.

March 7, 2014
Milwaukee protests U.S. intervention in Venezuela

Milwaukee, WI – Despite freezing cold temperatures, Milwaukee students and anti-war activists rallied in solidarity with the Venezuelan government on March 3. They stood waving flags and held up signs reading “U.S. hands off Venezuela,” and “Soy Chavista!” Standing on ice and snow, they chanted against U.S. intervention and in support of Venezuela’s President Maduro. They are joining progressive people around the world holding rallies in solidarity with the Venezuelan government.

The Milwaukee protesters support the powerful Bolivarian movement and the Venezuelan government’s progressive reforms of the past 15 years. Millions of Venezuelans are no longer living in poverty, have learned to read and write and work at new jobs. Venezuelan President Maduro’s government spends billions from state oil revenues on jobs, education, health care and housing, for the benefit of the many. Wealthy Venezuelans and some college students are upset and protesting the government.

The U.S. government is backing the right-wing protests. After 15 years of losing election after election, the wealthy reactionaries are attempting to reverse the Bolivarian Revolution and the progress made by poor people. The majority of Venezuelans reject the turn towards violence by the reactionaries.

Chance Zombor of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization fired up the crowd, “When we occupied the capitol building in Madison, we were fighting for workers’ rights against an extreme right-wing agenda. When we marched with Occupy Wall Street, we were saying that the wealthy should not control our country.” He explained about the protests, “What’s happening in Venezuela is the opposite! The demonstrators there do not represent the majority of Venezuelans, who voted to support Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.”

Milwaukee Anti-War Committee organized the protest along with other organizations. Leaders plan to do more outreach rallies like this one in the Riverwest neighborhood to educate people about U.S. wars and intervention.

March 7, 2014
Reid: Senate to vote “in next few days” on Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC)

Washington D.C. – Senate Majority leader Harry Reid announced this evening, March 4, that he had filed a bill to renew Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC). In a twitter message he stated that, “We’ll vote on it in the next few days.”

More than 2 million jobless workers have lost unemployment benefits and the number is rapidly rising each day. Many are facing home foreclosures, car repossessions, utility cutoffs and hunger.

The stage was set for the massive cutoff in Dec. 2013 when the Senate’s Democratic leadership failed to insist on including extended unemployment benefits in the budget agreement. This gave the Republicans, who are generally opposed to benefits for the long term unemployed, the power to block any extension of unemployment insurance.

If the Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) passes the Senate, it will need to be approved by the Republican-controlled House.

Commenting on these developments, Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Congress needs to act now. The working class is sick and tired of hearing about hand outs to the so called ‘job creators’ while those of us who have been laid off and can’t find work get nothing.”

Yorek continued, “Both Republicans and Democrats have failed the unemployed. They serve the big corporations and the wealthy. In the next few days, all of us should call our Senators and tell them to do whatever it takes to pass Extended Unemployment Compensation.”

March 5, 2014
Interview on United We Dream Congress, hunger strike

Gabriela Genova is a member of DREAMers Moms Orlando, Florida. Genova recently traveled from her home in Orlando to Phoenix, Arizona to join the United We Dream Congress and the hunger strike.

Fight Back!: What is the hunger strike about?

Gabriela Genova: The hunger strike is an action that started on Sunday, Feb.16 and ends March 3, 2014. The strike is happening in Phoenix, Arizona and it is an action called by two organizations: National Day Laborer Organization [NDLON] and Puente Human Rights Campaign [Puente]. Six very brave immigrants, Hermina Gallego, Anselma Lopez, Lourdes Hernandez, Alejandra Sanchez, Jose Valdez and Jovana Renteria began their strike on the Feb. 16. All six strikers have family members who are currently being detained in immigration detention centers.

Fight Back!: What made you travel to Arizona to join the strikers?

Gabriela Genova: I’m an undocumented Argentine mother who has been fighting for the undocumented for many, years. One of the strikers, Alejandra Sanchez, is a long-time friend of mine and I needed to be there to support her and the other five hunger strikers. I needed to be there for them, their families and for all of those who are affected by the simple existence of these detention centers. I’ve seen first-hand how unfairly we are treated for simply not having a few papers to prove our ‘worth’ to be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Fight Back!: What was it like being in Phoenix, and with the six hunger strikers?

Gabriela Genova: Arizona is sometimes freezing, or windy and cold at night. It was beautiful to see these six hunger strikers not budging despite the weather and despite the wind. There were many supporters constantly, coming and going and joining the strikers every day and every hour. There were doctors always present monitoring the health conditions of the strikers and there was overall great support for all of those involved. I was there the entire day of Saturday, Feb. 22, and fasted with them while I was there.

Fight Back!: You also attended the 5th United We Dream (UWD) 2014 Congress which started on Feb. 21 and ended Feb. 23, while you were in Phoenix. What was that like?

Gabriela Genova: There were so many young people who attended one of the biggest, national immigration congresses that weekend! The UWD Congress had so many workshops that were beneficial to young people in the immigration movement but also, older people like myself. This year, DREAMers Moms USA was invited to attend and because DREAMers Moms Orlando the group that I am with, is a part of that, I was able to attend. There were many presentations and workshops available for all of us to attend and the ones I participated in were, “Can You Hear Me Now? Fundraising is Organizing!” “1:1’s: Often Talked About, Rarely Ever Done – Why You Need That QT,” “Tapping Into Legal Networks: How To Build Relationships With Attorneys and Legal Representatives” and a workshop on “Know Your Rights & Defend Your Family.” The workshops were very well organized and I learned so much to bring back to my group.

Fight Back!: What do you think is necessary to stop the deportations? And what thoughts did those who attended the UWD Congress have on stopping the deportations?

Gabriela Genova: DREAMers Moms Orlando as well as so many of those who attended the UWD Congress agree on one thing: we must continue calling out President Barack Obama for not stopping the deportations. I know as well as everyone knows, that President Obama has the power to stop the deportations. I personally think we should keep pressuring Republican Speaker John Boehner to keep having him pinned against the wall. If we keep doing that with all of those in office, we have a lot of power to move things around. What I have noticed is that groups closer to the Mexico-U.S. border center all of their movements and actions on the border and stopping the deportations. Groups and organizations further away like ours in the state of Florida, organize around pushing for broader wins for immigrants, like driver’s licenses.

Fight Back!: What did the hunger strikers have to say about the movements for driver’s licenses?

Gabriela Genova: The strikers were surprised when I told them that in Florida we are very much persecuted for driving without a driver’s license. In Arizona, I traveled in vehicles with many different undocumented immigrants and so many of them seemed to not even remember they did not have a license. When I drive in Florida, I am terrified; always looking back at my mirror and making sure I do not break a single rule of the road. In Florida, I was pulled over three times and only one of the times was it for going five miles over the speed limit. The police in the state of Florida uses technology that flags your license plate for the authorities so that they know where you have your vehicle registered and they know exactly who to look for when you are on the road. There is a recent push to have this system available in the entire country and that is very bad news. We all know that the majority of the reason undocumented people are deported is due to driving without a valid driver’s license. Perhaps those driving me around in Arizona wanted me to feel comfortable, because we know it is always a danger to drive without a valid driver’s license and to be undocumented.

Fight Back! note: Since Gabriela Genova’s return to Florida, there were threats and arrests of the hunger strikers and those joining them. Authorities attempted to take down their canopies and arrest them all. Some of the strikes like Gabriela Genova’s friend, Alejandra Sanchez were hospitalized for malnutrition and dehydration. The hunger strike is now over, ending on March 3. One family member, Arturo Martinez, the son of hunger striker Martha Espinoza, was released after 13 months in detention. The movement is celebrating this victory and calling for a stop to deportations.

March 5, 2014