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Indybay Feature

Santa Cruz Rally for Oaxaca at UCSC on Nov. 20th

by socialst organizer and others
Monday, November 20th
12 O~Clock
Quarry Plaza
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In support of the Oaxacan struggle, we plan to march to the Chancellor's office and demand that he issue a statement of solidarity with the Oaxacan people. The state of Oaxaca, Mexico has been in turmoil for the past five months culminating with the teachers' struggle to demand an end to the privatization of public schooling. With the refusal of these demands, the struggle turned into a general strike with the goal of removing governor Ulises Ruiz from his position, which is believed to have been fraudulently obtained. Please come join us in support for this struggle to end the oppression of human rights and violence against the Oaxacan people.

Sponsored by Socialist Organizer, Others TBA
Contact: 415-793-2640
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imc_photo.gif Photos

In response to the Zapatista call for global solidairty with the people of Oaxaca and in coordination with demonstrations all over the world on November 20th, about 40 students and workers rallied and marched at UC Santa Cruz. Ashish Sahni, UCSC's Assistant Chancellor since May 15th, 2006, met outside with students who marched to Kerr Hall. Students requested that George Blumenthal, UCSC's Chancellor since July 14th, 2006, issue a public statement supporting the people of Oaxaca. Sahni listened to students explain their concerns about the situation in Oaxaca and ensured the students that he would bring their concerns to Blumenthal, who according to Sahni, was in Oakland at the time of the rally.

Students rallied in the Bay Tree Plaza before marching to Kerr Hall. Though relatively small in numbers, the march was energetic with chants such as:

"Ya cayó, ya cayó, Ulises ya cayó! (He’s out, he’s out, Ulises is out!)",

"Oaxaca no es cuartel, fuera ejército de el (Oaxaca is not an army base, army* out of Oaxaca)",

"APPO aguanta, el pueblo se levanta (APPO leads, the community rises)",

"Oaxaca vive, la lucha sigue, Oaxaca vive, vive, la lucha, sigue, sigue (Oaxaca lives, the struggle continues, Oaxaca lives, lives, the struggle continues, continues)",

"los maestros luchando también están enseñando (the teachers struggling are also teaching)"

"la gente pintando también están luchando (the people painting are also struggling)" and

"el pueblo unido, jama's sera' vencido" (the people united will never be defeated).

* It is the Federal Preventative Police (PFP), that are currently occupying Oaxaca City, not the Mexican army.

For more information, please see:
Oaxaca Solidarity Demonstrations in the US on Monday, November 20th

El Enemigo Común || Oaxaca Resources || Donate in Solidarity with Oaxaca
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by fired up
i like the sentiment here, but why the fuck invest energy in the chancellor issuing a statement of solidarity? first of all i don't think it will happen, second of all even if it did happen, it won't mean anything. i'm all for people gathering up at ucsc in solidarity but i would suggest that folks then work out a plan to carpool to san jose and target the mexican consulate. or get up to S.F. or do something more in that spirit at least. jamming phone lines and websites like the EZLN call to action suggests is also a better use of energy in my opinion.
by iup
yep - to be honest, it seems like this should even be an area for arguably trying to get the traditional-conservative Buchananite/Lou Dobbs fan people to do some of the work here. Because they should be in favor of removing the unelected Governor Ruiz who is making people so poor that they have to leave the area to basically survive. Perhaps this is wishful thinking, and they really just desire central american and Oaxacan people to just happily embrace poverty and stay home, but not be able to democratically reform their region. However, this really shouldn't be a radical issue at all - everyone in the bottom 70% economic class in the U.S., plus anyone else with a clue should be on the side of favoring democracy over there.
by student
dude, FORGET the chancellor. why:

1) it aint gonna do shit
2) when you ask the chancellor to issue a pointless statement, you are REINSCRIBING the chancellor's position of power. In other words, when you say that HIS statement is more important than any of OUR statements, you're reaffirming the fucked up hierarchical system.
by another activist
I agree that it is a bad idea to demand the chancellor issue a statement of solidarity with the Oaxacan people. Those of us who show up at the Quarry Plaza will determine how things go. If people have others ideas, then bring them to the plaza, or add your comments here. There are Mexican Consulates in San Jose and San Francisco, but it is also important to raise awareness and solidarity in the communities where we live. One of the most important things we can do is educate ourselves about the resistance in Oaxaca and see how we can apply that knowledge to other regions of the world.
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