Tuesday, September 30, 2008

CELEBRATE WORLD COMMUNION THROUGH THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER FENCE

Sunday, October 5, 2:30 p.m., Friendship Park.

Experience the true meaning of World Communion Sunday as we break bread together and share the cup through the border fence. See Friendship Park, the historic meeting place slated for elimination by border fence construction. Meditation for peace begins at 2:30, followed by 3 p.m. interfaith communion with U.S. and Mexican clergy. Directions: from I-5, exit West on Dairy Mart Road. Dairy Mart turns into Monument Road, which leads to Border Field State Park ($5 per vehicle on entrance). Valid U.S. identification required.

“COMUNIÓN ECUMÉNICA” EN LA LÍNEA INTERNACIONAL. Domingo, 5 de octubre, 2:30 PM, Playas de Tijuana, Parque de la Amistad.
El gobierno estadounidense planea eliminar el pasaje público al lado norte del famoso Parque de la Amistad. Por esta razón, nos vamos a reunir en la línea internacional el día 5 de octubre, lo cual se celebra como “Domingo de Comunión Mundial.” Nos reuniremos en silencio a las 2:30 PM, y a las 3 PM se dará una comunión ecuménica. Por medio de este acto sencillo y humilde ofreceremos un testimonio poderoso e impactante. ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!

Auxiliado por/Sponsored by: American Friends Service Committee; Border Angels/Angeles de la Frontera; Border Meet Up Group; Center for Justice & Reconciliation, PLNU; Foundation for Change; St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral; Sí Se Puede Immigrant Rights Organization; Sweetwater Zen Center.

¡Todos y todas son bienvenidos!

Info:

John Fanestil
Executive Director
Foundation for Change
www.foundation4change.org
(619) 692-0527

Monday, September 29, 2008

El Paso Protests Against the Border Wall

We have completed another week of protests against the wall at the construction site, Yarbrough and Cesar Chavez Highway (also called Border Highway).Every day, more and more border people are joining our cause. On Wednesday October 1, 2008, at 6:30 p.m., we begin our campaign "ENOUGH! EVERYBODY AGAINST THE WALL!" with a vigil ceremony at the construction site. The meeting point is the park located at Yarbrough and Cesar Chavez Highway.The vigil will be lead by representatives of many faiths. We are inviting everybody to join us. Invite your relatives, friends and co-workers. Bring your signs and candles.We also continue protesting at the construction site every day from about 7 a.m. to about 8 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

ESPAÑOL
Hemos concluido una semana mas de protestas en contra del muro en el sitio de construcción, en la carretera Cesar Chavez (también conocida como Border Highway) y Yarbrough. Cada día, mas y mas gente se une a esta causa. El viernes 26 de octubre, mas de 30 personas participaron en la protesta de la tarde. Poco a poco estamos levantando un movimiento realmente de la comunidad en oposición al muro.Este miércoles 1 de octubre a las 6:30 de la tarde, empezamos nuestra campaña "YA BASTA! TOD@S CONTRA EL MURO!" con una ceremonia de vigilia en el mismo sitio de construccion. Nos juntaremos en el parque que se encuentra en la Yarbrough y carretera Cesar Chavez. Esta vigilia estará encabezada por representantes de distintas religiones. Estamos invitando a todo mundo a que nos acompañe a esta vigilia. Les pedimos además que inviten a sus familiares, amigos y colegas de trabajo. Traigan sus pancartas de protesta y velas.También continuamos protestando todos los dias en el sitio de construccion de como poco antes de las 7 a.m. a las 8 a.m. y de las 4:30 p.m. a las 6 p.m.Sientase libre de distribuir y hacerle cambios a este mensaje.For information/Para informacion hable al (915) 873-8933

Help us stop the construction of the border wall!

Currently, we have a permanent protest at the site where construction of the wall started on September 12. We are protesting at this place daily during the mornings and evenings and are committed to intensify our protests if they intensify their construction. We are confident that the construction of the wall can be stopped if we continue pressuring.

The proposed activities are:
October 1: Vigil at the construction site.October 12: Indigenous ceremony at construction site.
October 25: International Day of Action Against the Wall of Death.
October 26: Interfaith Action Against the Wall.November 2: Day of the Death at the border.
November 9: Celebration of the 19th Anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall.
November 27: No Thanks we Don't Want the Wall Day.December 18: Action for Justice for all Migrants That Died at the border.
January 1, 2009: Probable Joint Action at the border.
January 17, 2008: Human Action to Suspend the Construction of the Wall.

These are the proposed actions that still require work (and resources) for our campaign. At this point we are not making some of these actions public but we want to inform you about it to gain your support and participation. We will keep you informed of the details and developments of this campaign.

In solidarity, we send you fraternal greetings from the US-Mexico border.
Carlos Marentes

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

National Campaign Against the Border Wall: Activist Kits Available

No Border Wall Coalition has developed two national campaigns designed to amplify the anti-wall message during the presidential campaign season. (See below for details.) We hope that these projects can help diverse groups and individuals unite and build a strong national movement against the border wall ahead of the new Congress and new administration.

We would appreciate your help publicizing and distributing materials and facilitating these initiatives. If you are interested, we can send you a kit that includes a slideshow presentation CD, project worksheets, and a border wall factsheet. The slideshow is a 12 minute overview of the border wall issue and covers the entire southern border. Please request materials from noborderwall@yahoo.com.

Here are descriptions of the campaigns:

National Letter Writing Campaign: This campaign is targeted to those groups working outside of the border region or to border groups for which the wall has not been a central focus. It consists of a Letter-Writing Campaign Kit, which we will send upon request. The kit contains a 12-minute slide presentation which is an overview of the damages that border walls cause or will cause and features compelling photos from all along the border (thanks to many of you), a factsheet, and a letter-writing worksheet. The ideal use for the kit is for groups to set aside 45 min to 1 hour in their meeting program to view the slideshow, discuss the issue and write letters to their US senators.

Border Wall Documentation Project: This campaign is designed to bring together all of the activist groups and individuals along the border for a single mission: to document the negative impacts of the border wall and border wall construction, as well as the abuse, neglect and incompetence of DHS, CBP and Border Patrol in its implementation of the border wall project. It calls upon border residents to bear witness to the destruction caused by the border wall and the abuse perpetrated by DHS and to report the destruction and abuse to Congress. Many border residents were able to document the potential damage of the border wall in their areas during the Environmental Impact Statement process. However, now that Chertoff has waived the laws, there is no longer any official process through which damages will be documented. What we would like to do with the border wall documentation project is reinstate such a process border-wide and compile documents for use in anti-wall lobbying efforts, Congressional hearings and lawsuits. If we get a good response, we might also be able to assemble an online database which could be useful well into the future, even in future efforts to bring down existing walls. Joining together for such an important project will also help us all get to know one another and other sympathetic border groups, create solidarity, and give us an opportunity to speak with one voice.