La Otra in the U.S. meets with Subcomandante Marcos @ Tijuana on May 20

Compañer@s,

Abajo y a la izquierda you will find links [and videos] to the convening of the encuentro transfronteriza on May 20, 2007 in Tijuana to discuss struggles al norte de la frontera and a summary of the points discussed at the encuentro by Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos/Delegado Zero.

The main thing that came out of this encuentro is the beginning of finding affinity with each other about what are the common struggles that we can organize around together and support each other's unique local struggles in an effort to develop a strategic post-structural struggle where we can link those local efforts to each other. In order to do this it was recognized that we must move quickly as there are many emerging dangers that are looming over us. The EZLN believes that the people of Mexico are at the point of exploding. Will that explosion be channeled toward real change or quickly evaporate and be disbursed through brute force and fear? These words have meaning and are a call for us in the United States to recognize that we are also at the point of exploding and we must work together to channel that collective energy into something real like many of you are committed to doing in your own spaces.

I look forward to working more with all of you and for those that weren't present at the encuentro, the road was started towards the horizon of having a national encuentro for this work in the United States. The first step in that process is a call to have regional encuentros simutaneously on August 12, 2007 all around the United States come to an agreement on how to advance “la otra geografia del otro lado” and points of affinity to convene at a national encuentro on the US Border in the Fall of 2007 with communities in Mexico, the EZLN and the World.


Introduction: Encuentro Transfronteriza May 20, 2007 in Tijuana, MX


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-250359145930890983&hl=en

Summary: Encuentro Transfronteriza May 20, 2007 in Tijuana, MX


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3449799212903399190&hl=en


Seven points of affinity discussed:

1. La identitad y Culturas (Identity & Culture)– Indigenous, Queer, racial, artists, etc.

2. Migracion (Immigration)– Immigrant labor justice, social justice, ecological justice and health.

3. Militarizmo y estado policial (Militarization and Police State) Police Brutality, War, Virtual border, immigrant detention centers, databases, vigilance

4. Situacion laboral y situacion economica (Economics and Labor) –There are struggles for self-sustainable and autonomous economic spaces. There are also efforts to organize workers to fight for their rights with their bosses. There is also a struggle against multinational corporations like wal-mart and the economic impacts of these corporations in local spaces.

5. Los caminos politicos (Policy) Policy is the most dangerous road to walk. EZLN belives that what unites us is that we have our gaze directed on the reality of the people and not on the good will of the government. We need to talk amongst ourselves and not just to congress, we elicit you to write letters amongst ourselves and not our representatives in congress. The moment may come when we need to align ourselves with people who do, but we believe that we must join together to do something. At the moment we continue being individuals, we do not have the strength to mobilize and are still not able to treat each other on equal terms.

The danger in focusing on policy is that it is at this level that opportunists come out to capitalize the movement in order to gain status, a political appointment or to benefit their personal business. We need to establish a base that would impede being used in such way. To be organized in such a way that it won’t be capitalized by these people.

6. Genero y Generacion (Gender and Generation): Gender is a recurring theme in these encuentros and is something we must continue to put forth.

Generation that of the elderly, the youth and also the children. Each generation has different ways of conducting business and we must break with the manner in which the youth see the elders as stuck in their ways and vise versa how elders see the youth as inexperienced.

7. La relacion sobre los collectivos quienes son parte de la Otra. (Relationship of collectives who participate in La Otra): Conflicts about affirmation, about competition and always about ignorance of each other. This is all about Dignity. Dignity is about respect for oneself, about respect for others, and about respect for the environment. If we are able to create a world where there is truly dignity, everything fits there. Everyone is recognized because each person recognizes their differences and ask that others recognize those differences. In dignity there is respect, for oneself and to others. We ask each collective to explicitly renounce being homogeneous, hegemonic.