Dozens of organizations in Puerto Rico and the United States will
participate in protests on Thursday January 10 and Friday January 11,
2008 against the new wave of FBI repression against Pro Independence
Puerto Ricans. On this occasion a New York City Grand Jury issued
subpoenas to three young Puerto Ricans. Tania Frontera, Christopher
Torres and Julio Pabon Jr. are scheduled to appear before a Federal
Grand Jury on January 11, 2008.
Representatives of 20 Puerto Rican organizations will rally on
Thursday January 10, 2008 at 5 pm in front of the U.S. Federal Court
in Hato Rey. Another 40 Puerto Rican organizations in New York,
Philadelphia , Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and
Orlando will hold rallies on either January 10 or January 11.
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San Juan
U.S. Federal Court House in Hato Rey
Thursday, January 10
5:00 pm
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New York
Rally Against Gran Jury Repression of Puerto Rican Independentista
Activists
Friday January 11 at 9:30 am
U.S. Federal Court, Federal Court 225 Cadman Plaza East Brooklyn,
New York A/C Subway to High Street, 2/3 to Clark Street, ).
Brooklyn, New York
Take (subway) A/C to High Street o 2/ 3 to Clark Street. M/R to
Court St-Boro Hall, 4/5 to Borough Hall, F toJay St-Boro Hall, G to
Hoyt-Schermerhorn
One of the email contracts:The Hostos 111 Grand Jury Resistance
Movement resistgrandjury@ gmail.com
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Los Angeles
Friday, January 11
Rally at the Federal Building in Los Angles
300 N. Los Angeles St.,
4:30 PM Contact: Lawrence, Puerto Rican Allliance Of Los Angeles 310-
460-8586, alianzapr@hotmail. com
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Chicago
Thursday January 10
5:00 pm
Federal Building
Dearborn corner with Jackson
Contact: michellem@boricuahu manrights. org
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Los Angeles
Friday January 11
Rally Federal Building in Los Angeles
300 N. Los Angeles St.,
4:30 PM
Contact: Lawrence, Puerto Rican Allliance Of Los Angeles 310-460-
8586, alianzapr@hotmail. com
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Other activities against Gran Jury Repression and in support of our
boricua brothers and sister are planned for the following cities:
Boston
Cleveland
Philadephia
Orlando
San Francisco
We waiting for the details. (see "add a comment" below to post details, and please also post to the calendar)


Feds target Puerto Ricans in New York

Groups and individuals from diverse sectors of the Puerto Rican pro-
independence movement and the Boricua Community in general, are
currently urgently meeting in Puerto Rico and throughout the Diaspora
to organize against the latest offensive by the U.S. Department of
Justice, after being informed that several young Boricua pro-
independence activists from New York City have been subpoenaed to
appear before a Federal Grand jury investigating the Puerto Rican
Independence Movement in general, and in particular, the Ejercito
Popular Boricua (EPB: Popular Boricua Army) aka the Macheteros.

Tania Frontera, Christopher Torres and Julio Pabon Jr. are scheduled
to appear before a Federal Grand Jury on January 11, 2008. Hector
Rivera, co-founder of the cultural institution The Welfare Poets, is
also expected to be served with a subpoena to appear on that day. In
the past, due to the fact that some pro-independence activists have
traditionally refused to receive the subpoenas from the Grand Jury or
to respond to its questions, many have ended up behind bars.

Both the FBI and U.S. Dept. of Justice have made it clear that there
is an ongoing investigation focused on the Ejercito Popular Boricua
(EPB)-Macheteros. Special Agent Luis Fraticelli, who heads the FBI in
San Juan, has said that the agency intends to capture Comandante
Guasabara of the EPB, who is believed to have succeeded Filiberto
Ojeda Ri­os in the leadership of the clandestine revolutionary
organization. Ojeda Ri­os was assassinated by the federal agents on
September 23, 2005.

The initial rumors that the recent subpoenas had been issued and
served began to circulate almost simultaneously as the new progress
report of the White House committee revewing the colonial conditions
of Puerto Rico was made public. The subpoenas, all served in New York
City are to appear before the Federal Grand Jury on the following
January 11.

Although many are shocked by the identity of some of the particular
individuals targeted, this latest offensive by the U.S. Federal
Government has not come as a total surprise to the Pro-Independence
Movement, which has been organizing to prepare for an expected new
wave of political repression and possibly arrests.


SAN JUAN/Corresponsal EDLP â€" Agrupaciones de diversas vertientes
del independentismo se reunían con carácter de urgencia en San Juan
para trazar un plan ante la nueva ofensiva del Departamento de
Justicia de Estados Unidos, tras recibirse informe de que varios
independentistas boricuas de Nueva York han sido citados a comparecer
al gran jurado.

Debido a que tradicionalmente los independentistas puertorriqueñ os
se niegan a aceptar las citaciones del gran jurado o responder sus
preguntas, los referidos emplazamientos usualmente desembocan en el
encarcelamiento de los luchadores por la independencia de esta
nación caribeña, colonia de EEUU desde 1898.

Los informes recibidos hasta ayer en Puerto Rico eran en el sentido
de que los citados en esta ocasión fueron identificados como la
diseñadora gráfica Tania Frontera, el trabajador social Christopher
Torres y el cineasta Julio Antonio Pabón, hijo. Además, había
indicaciones sin confirmar sobre que el Buró Federal de
Investigaciones estaba tratando de localizar para emplazar también a
Héctor Rivera, uno de los fundadores de la prestigiosa institución
político-cultural con base en Nueva York “Welfare Poets†.

La reunión fue convocada por el grupo La Nueva Escuela, pero se
indicó durante el día que habían confirmado su asistencia
organizaciones de distintas vertientes. Los organizadores anticiparon
que podrían usarse recursos legales y recurrir al derecho
internacional, además de que se arreciaría la campaña para demandar
que el FBI sea retirado de Puerto Rico.

Normalmente ni el FBI ni el Departamento de Justicia dan información
pública sobre las pesquisas en proceso, pero en cuanto al tema del
independentismo puertorriqueñ o han dejado claro que hay una
investigación continua contra el Ejército Popular Boricua-
Macheteros. El Agente Especial a Cargo del FBI en San Juan, Luis
Fraticelli, ha dicho que esa agencia intenta capturar al Comandante
Guasábara, que sucedió en la jefatura de los Macheteros a Filiberto
Ojeda Ríos, a quien mató un grupo comando estadounidense en 2005.

Las nuevas citaciones expedidas en Nueva York son para comparecer
ante el cuerpo investigativo el 11 de enero, cuando en Puerto Rico se
conmemora al prócer Eugenio María de Hostos por lo que la fecha
tiene una gran connotación para los grupos que luchan por la
independencia. De hecho, los primeros rumores de que se habían
emitido las citaciones comenzaron a circular casi a la vez que se
hizo público el nuevo informe de progreso del grupo de trabajo de la
Casa Blanca sobre el caso colonial de Puerto Rico.

Las citaciones no han resultado del todo sorpresivas en Puerto Rico,
donde a principios de mes se llevó a cabo una reunión de grupos
independentistas para discutir precisamente lo que se esperaba sería
una nueva ofensiva de represión policial y posibles encarcelamientos.


ALERT FROM A COMPAñERO:

I am writing to state the conclusive facts to all whom are aware and
those who are not.

Two brothers and a sister are right now facing grand jury subpoenas
on January 11,2008.

The FBI under the guise of carrying out an investigation has
historically attacked the members and sympathizers of the Puerto
Rican Independence movement.

The policy of subpoenas is to initiate a campaign of intense
harassment and intimidation. We will rally and