Brad Will 1970-2006: Friends Remember Indymedia Journalist and Activist Killed in Oaxaca

Indymedia journalist Brad Will had been covering the situation in Oaxaca for four weeks. In his last dispatch from Oaxaca, he wrote about a demonstrator named Alejandro García Hernández who was killed on the barricades.

Brad wrote "one more death... one more martyr in a dirty war... one more time to cry and hurt... one more time to know power and its ugly head... one more bullet cracks the night."

On Friday, Brad died at those same barricades. He had his videocamera in his hand. His camera kept recording even after he was shot.

* Footage from Brad Will's camera.

Brad Will died as he was being taken to the hospital. He was 36 years old.

The Mexican daily El Universal has published photos of the alleged executioners. On Saturday, the mayor of Santa Lucia del Camino, Manuel Martinez Feria, said five men had been turned over to state authorities for possible involvement in the killing. He identified them as two members of the local city hall, two municipal police officers and the former justice of the peace of a nearby town.

Reporters Without Borders said it was deeply shocked over the killing of Brad Will. The organization called for Oaxaca governor Ulises Ruiz to be summoned before the new prosecutor's office dealing with attacks on press freedom. It also urged federal authorities to investigate Ruiz and the Oaxaca municipal police.

John Gibler joins us on the line from Oaxaca. He is an independent journalist who knew Brad Will.

* John Gibler, U.S.-based journalist based in Mexico.

Here in New York, demonstrators are gathering outside the Mexican Consulate at 9 a.m. this morning to protest the murder of Brad Will and the killing of other peaceful protesters in Oaxaca. Brad Will was a well-known and much loved activist and journalist in New York and around the world. He was involved in countless struggles over the past decade.

Many in New York remember him standing on the roof of a squat on 5th Street in Manhattan just as the city was trying to demolish the building. The scene was captured in a documentary made by Paper Tiger Television.

Brad would later play a key role in trying to protect the city's community gardens. He hosted his own radio show on the pioneering microradio station Steal This Radio.

For years he was involved in the Indymedia network in New York as well as in Latin America. He spent much of the past few years documenting the people's movements in Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and most recently Mexico.

On Saturday night, an emergency rally was held outside the Mexican consulate in New York. Speakers included longtime New York activist Beka Economopoulos.

* Beka Economopoulos, New York City activist speaking, October 28, 2006.

Brandon Jourdan of the New York City Independent Media Center also spoke outside the Mexican Consulate.

* Brandon Jourdan, New York City Independent Media Center speaking, October 28, 2006.

Joinsing us in our firehouse studio are two guests who knew Brad:

* Dyan Neary, was a close friend of Brad's. Together they traveled extensively through Latin America to help build Indymedia centers.
* Leslie Kauffman, longtime New York activist and friend of Brad's.

Since Friday hundreds of activists from around the world have paid tribute to Brad Will. Many have posted their memories on the New York City Indymedia website. On Sunday we reached one Indymedia activist in Brazil named Toya who worked closely with Brad.

* Toya, Indymedia activist in Brazil.

LISTEN ONLINE AND READ TRANSCRIPT AT:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/30/1535239