Reply-To: Aviva Chomsky

 

Date: Aug 13, 2006 6:08 PM

Subject: [colombia] Boston group working plan

 

Hello, North Shore Colombia friends!

 

I'm still working on a full report-back from our delegation. But in the meantime, I send you this, which I wrote up for members of the delegation. (Available in Spanish, let me know if you need it.)

 

Avi

 

During our long day of collective travel from Bogota to Boston, Avi, Ellen, Lisa and Michael put together a working plan for the next few months. I'm attaching a copy of my notes here. I attach it for your comments and perhaps inspiration. I will be translating this into Spanish to share with Jose Julio, Armando, Remedios, Francisco, and others in Colombia so that we can coordinate our activities.

 

I hope that we can coordinate state-and Canada-side too. Please give me any feedback you have!

 

Avi

 

Boston group working plan

 

1. Oct. 31-Nov. 4 mini-delegation to La Guajira

 

The goal of this trip/delegation is to accompany the start of the Sintracarbon union's negotiations with El Cerrejon, which will include among the union's demands that the company engage in collective negotiaions and relocation of the communities affected by their mining operation. The second goal is to take a doctor and/or nurse practitioner to spend 4 days in the communities and carry out some kind of health survey, and provide some medical relief to the communities, especially Tamaquito.

 

Tasks

--recruit doctor/nurse practitioner

--collect medical supplies

--coordinate medical visits with communities

--seek union and other accompaniment for the entire period of negotiations (Nov. 1-20 for initial negotiating period, then 20 further days, then the possibility of a strike)

--bring photographs of our delgation to share with communities

--coordinate purchase of woven bags and other products for the delegation to bring back to the US/Canada for continuing fundraising/fair trade sales

 

1a. Organize accompaniment for the entire period of negotiations--November-December

 

2. Medical products drive

 

Tasks--in coordination with communities and doctors, establish what medical supplies are needed, and work to collect them so that the mini-delegation can take them to La Guajira

 

3. Congressional visit

 

Meet with Rep. John Tierney (Peabody, Mass.) to discuss the results of our delegation, and ask him to take on a drive in Congress to pressure the U.S. Embassy and the mine regarding the communities

 

4. Report-back/fundraising events

 

We discussed several venues for these including a UU church, a house party, a bookstore. We will show pictures, a copy of the Tamaquito document, serve arepas and hot chocolate, sell woven bags and other artisanry that we brought back.

 

5. Fair trade

 

Possible venues: our own events, Ellen's bookstore, through a website, through socially-conscious local stores in Salem. We will accompany items for sale with photos, the Tamaquito document, Salem City Council resolution, and other information. The proceeds will be returned to the communities so that they can continue to produce items that we can bring back in November.

 

6. Salem City Council. We will give each member of the city council, and the mayor, a small gift (bracelet) from Tabaco, with some photographs from our delegation and a note from Jose Julio.

 

7. Identify agencies that have certified the mine's environmental and social practices, and develop a plan to pressure/inform them about abuses.

 

8. Continue pressure on the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to contact Cerrejon regarding the need for collective negotiation, reparations, and relocation of communities.

 

9. Try to find a local venue--perhaps a public library--to mount an exhibit of photos from the delegation.

 

10. Develop a website (perhaps use the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee's website) with a report-back from the delegation, including photos.

 

11. Obtain more copies of Armando's book to sell at our events, and work on trying to find a U.S. publisher to make it available in English.

 

12. Translate this work plan into Spanish and share with our Colombian counterparts, so that we can work on it collectively (Avi will do that in the next few minutes!)

 

 

----------------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 11:29 PM EDT

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Reply-To: Aviva Chomsky

World's largest open-pit coal mine forces Afro-Colombians to abandon their lands: U.S. coal consumers and trade unionists join forces with small farmers in rural Colombia

by Aviva Chomsky and Cindy Forster

Wednesday, 9 August 2006

Riohacha, Colombia

Delegates from coal-burning communities up and down the Atlantic seaboard of North America are joining forces with Afro-Colombian villagers today to protest forced removals by the multinational Cerrejón coal mine, commemorating the resistance of a community called Tabaco that was razed five years ago on August 9.

"We are Blacks and Indigenous of the mining corridor and before the mine came, the entire region was fertile in yucca, plantains, rice, we had cows and goats. The rivers were so full of fish we'd pull them out in nets," said Jose Julio Perez whose face bears the scars of the blows he received trying to videotape the police destroying his village.

The mine was owned by Exxon-Mobil in 2001 when the police attacked, and it supplies coal to power plants from Florida to Nova Scotia. For centuries Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities shared the remote peninsula that juts into the Caribbean, where some of their ancestors liberated themselves from slave ships. Said Enrique Epiayu, an elder of Colombia's largest Indigenous community called the Wayuu, "We are the first people here, the founders, and now the mine has shut us into this tiny piece of land that our houses stand on. A few days ago they threatened to kill our animals. We don't want to fight. We are here because it is ours."

The mine began operations in the 1980s. Coal is Colombia's second export, after oil, and transnational companies have been deeply involved in developing Colombia's oil and coal industries. First the sector was privatized, then the company lawyers were given free rein to impose reforms that favor foreign investors. Soldiers guard hundreds of thousands of tons of Colombian coal as they leave the open pits by company rail, making their way to the company port. This Latin American country is the third largest recipient of U.S. military aid in the world, and much of that aid goes to repress peaceful organizing in the mining and energy regions.

"My father almost died that day from the beating they gave him," said Ines Perez talking about the forced removal of Tabaco. Other communities suffering the same process of expulsion are Patilla, Chancleta, Roche, Tamaquito. Said Perez, "I went to get our goats that day and the security forces had a barrier and wouldn't let me through. They said they had orders to kill."

The health situation in the region is grave, and the corruption of local officials worse. "My husband is very sick, his lungs are shot," said a woman requesting anonymity. Her small daughter is hacking dry coughs as she tells us, "If you think the coal dust is bad now you should have seen it a few days ago before it rained. My adolescent son has constant pain in his chest. The doctors always give us the same three prescriptions and they never cure us."

Said another villager listening to the conversation who did not give his name, perhaps because the army had just wandered through the meeting, "Look at all these medicines, and nothing helps me." He holds out his baseball cap filled with prescription medicines and two respirators. "If I walk 100 meters, I have to stop to rest 50 times. I don't even work at the mines, I just eat the falling coal dust all day long."

One of the 20 delegates investigating the displaced communities in Colombia is Debbie Kelly, a grandmother and consumer of the Cerrejon company's coal, and also a national vice president of the union representing thousands of public sector workers. "In 27 years as a union activist I've lived through waves of mine closures in northern Canada. Because of our industries, we have the highest cancer and child asthma rates in the entire country."

A Wayuu man with a sleeping child across his knees said "People are terrified and manyn't say anything." He was crying silently. "The other day my livestock were hacked to death with a machete."

When Jose Julio Perez, representing the displaced village of Tabaco, visited Salem, Massachusetts in March, 2006, the City Council there declared, "as a community hosting a coal powered generating facility, we encourage the establishment of an ongoing relationship with organizations in the Guajira working peacefully for the human and democratic rights of the Wayuu indigenous people and the villagers of Tabaco." Dominion Energy, which imports the coal to Salem, stated that it was "sympathetic to the problems this village faces" and asked for a "just resolution."

Mining used to be a heavily regulated sector in the United States and boasted a strong union, which contributed to the decision of companies to open overseas operations. Since the 1980s the unions have been decimated and the regulatory system undermined. Meanwhile coal from the ancestral lands of the Wayuu and the descendants of communities of free blacks, fires power plants across Europe and the U.S. A swathe of villages standing in the way of the multinationals went "from being productive communities, to become communities of paupers," in the words of another community leader.

The Cerrejon Mining Company recently changed hands to joint British, Australian and South African capital, but the issues remain the same, as do most of the mine officials. They insist that the communities are neither Afro-Colombian nor Indigenous, until decreed as such by the Colombian state. So far, neither police nor company lawyers have crushed the spirit that guided these communities over centuries. An Afro-Colombian farmer from Chancleta, a community slated for disappearance, comments, "It many be the largest coal mine in Latin America, but they've taken our land and our jobs, they are starving us out and I ask you, if there is a company that is slowly killing us, is that not terrorist?"

Posted by nscolombia at 11:26 PM EDT

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To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Date: Aug 5, 2006 5:32 PM
News from Colombia

Hello from the Witness for Peace office in Bogota, Colombia. We're right
in the middle of our delegation--we've been in Bogota for five days, and
leave tomorrow for the Guajira.

Our time in Bogota has been packed with events and meetings, and
incredibly overwhelming. There are 19 of us on the delegation, including
5 from the North Shore, 3 from Los Angeles, and 3 from Nova Scotia. This
morning we visited Soacha, an "informal" community clinging to the
mountainside outside of Bogota, home to 40,000, mostly Afro-Colombians
displaced by the violence in the Choco and other rural areas, who have
fled to the capital. Yesterday we met with members of CODHES, the
national organization working for the human rights of displaced people, in
their empty office--it had been raided early the previous morning and
their computers stolen. We heard from Alirio Uribe, a lawyer with the
Jose Alvear Restrepo lawyer's collective, who works on cases involving
human rights violations by multinationals, including the Tabaco case. We
met with representatives from different mining and energy sector unions,
including Francisco Ramirez, who told us about human rights violations by
foreign companies in coal, oil, and mineral extraction. And too many
others to even list.

One thing in common about what everybody has said to us: they can't
continue their work without our solidarity, and the most important thing
we can do is to change U.S. government policy towards Colombia. "When
your house is on fire, a good neighbor brings you a bucket of water. What
the United States is doing is pouring on buckets of gasoline" one human
rights lawyer told us.

In the Guajira we'll be visiting the Cerrejon mine, meeting with people
from the displaced community of Tabaco, including of course Jose Julio,
and visiting other communities like Chancleta and Patilla that are
currently faced with destruction. On August 9, the anniversary of the
destruction of Tabaco (in 2001) we'll be holding a conference with
representatives of unions, communities, and solidarity organizations from
the U.S. and Canada.

More when we get back---

Avi
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 9:59 PM EDT

Updated: 6 August 2006 10:05 PM EDT

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Reply To: Marguerite Rosenthal Date: Jun 5, 2006 2:30 PM Subject: Thursday Evening: Presentation on Undocumented Central American Immigrants Friends, Jim Harney, a photojournalist who spent a month interviewing Central Americans and Mexicans risking their livees to cross the US border will be presenting his lecture and Powerpoint presentation on: Thursday, June 8 6:00 pm Forten Hall (4th floor of the Library). I initially invited Jim (his organization, located in southern Maine, is called Possibilidad) to present his material to my Human Diversity class. I also invited my colleagues, and their classes, in the School of Social Work--and we now have 3 classes and some individual faculty members who will be attending (about 45 students in all). Since we can't find a suitable space here on South Campus to accomodate our numbers, we're coming to North Campus and hope that some of you will be interested in joining us. I know that Jim is eager to share his material with as many as he can. FYI, Lois Martin accompanied Jim for part of the trip during which the information for this presentation was gathered. Hope to see you. Marguerite Marguerite G. Rosenthal, Ph.D. Professor & MSW Coordinator School of Social Work Salem State College Salem, MA 01970 978-542-6530 (o); 617-524-2127 (h) 978-542-6936 (fax) ---------------------------------------- North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 12:18 AM EDT

Updated: 21 July 2006 9:31 PM EDT

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Below is a press advisory and a link to a copy of the lawsuit filed on June 2, 2006 against The Coca-Cola Co. and its largest bottler in Colombia, Coca-Cola FEMSA, by the International Labor Rights Fund and the United Steelworkers union. We are sending this lawsuit to Campaign supporters worldwide for your information. We hope that you will find the information useful to inform others that human rights abuses against Colombian workers and leaders by Coke continue to this day.

From: KillerCoke.org
-------------
ILRF & USW Bring New Complaint Against Coca-Cola,
Alleging Complicity with The Colombian DAS
and AUC Paramilitaries In Killing of Labor Leader

June 5, 2006

Contact:
Terry Collingsworth (202) 347-4100, Ext. 104;
Daniel Kovalik (412) 562-2518

On Friday, June 2, 2006, the ILRF and USW filed a new Alien Tort Claims Act case against the Coca-Cola Company and its Latin American Bottler, Coca-Cola FEMSA. This new Complaint charges that managers at the Coke bottling plant in Barranquilla, Colombia conspired with both the Colombian Administrative Department of Security (?DAS?) and the AUC paramilitaries to intimidate, threaten and ultimately kill SINALTRAINAL trade union leader Adolfo de Jesus Munera on August 31, 2002. The Complaint further alleges that, despite a number of warnings to Coca-Cola management in Atlanta that the management at the Barranquilla bottler has continued to meet with and provide plant access to paramilitaries, the paramilitary infiltration of this bottling plant continues unabated to this day. Meanwhile, these same paramilitaries have continued to threaten SINALTRAINAL members and leaders with death and even kidnapped the child of one SINALTRAINAL leader to pressure him into refraining from his union activities.

These allegations come at a time when the DAS in Colombia has come under fire for collaborating with paramilitary forces. In particular, credible allegations have surfaced in recent weeks that the DAS, which has responsibility to protect trade unionists under threat has actually been creating and maintaining hit lists of trade union leaders and providing these lists to the paramilitaries to act upon. These allegations also come at a time when the Coca-Cola Company has been kicked off of numerous campuses throughout the U.S. over allegations that it has failed to adequately address such labor and human rights abuses in Colombia.

According to ILRF Executive Director Terry Collingsworth, ?This new Complaint underscores the need for The Coca-Cola Company to spend more of its effort and resources in protecting the lives and well-being of its workers in Colombia in lieu of focusing on its public relations campaign to deflect the allegations of abuse being leveled against it.? There is no question, however, that it is the Coca-Cola Company that is the proper defendant in this case because it has complete control of its empire and Coca-Cola managers have been traversing the United States claiming that the Coca-Cola Compnay is taking all possible steps to address human rights violations in its bottling plants in Colombia. USW Associate General Counsel Daniel Kovalik states that ?The continued assassination of trade unionists in Colombia with the complicity of the Colombian DAS and military, as well as corporate interests, calls into grave question the propriety of the U.S.?s continued commitment to aid for the Colombian military forces.?

To read the entire complaint, click here.

###

Campaign to Stop KILLER COKE

We are seeking your help to stop a gruesome cycle of murders, kidnappings, and torture of union leaders and organizers involved in daily life-and-death struggles at Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, South America.

"If we lose the fight against Coca-Cola, we will first lose our union, next our jobs and then our lives." SINALTRAINAL VIce President Juan Carlos Galvis
Please donate to the Campaign.

Learn the truth about The Coca-Cola Co.

"We believe the evidence shows that Coca-Cola and its corporate network are rife with immorality, corruption and complicity in murder."
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke/Corporate Campaign, Inc. Director Ray Rogers

Visit www.KillerCoke.org
(718) 852-2808
(917) 779-0735

Posted by nscolombia at 12:05 AM EDT

Updated: 6 June 2006 12:12 AM EDT

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Coal no boon to Colombian city
DUST COATS TOWN, POLLUTES WATER AND CHASES OFF TOURISTS
By Chris Kraul
Los Angeles Times

SANTA MARTA, Colombia - This historic port city was once touted by the Colombian government as the next Acapulco, with its scenic bay, white sand beaches, colonial history and the ecotourism potential of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, home to one of the largest and oldest pre-Columbian settlements in the Americas.

Then came the coal dust.

``It covers the plants, the furniture, enters into the reception area and even the rooms,'' said Leonor Gomez Gonzalez, owner of the beachfront Park Hotel. ``It's a permanent condition. Nothing stays clean.''

Officials say tourism is down significantly and that only one new hotel has been built in three years -- ever since coal shipments began to increase dramatically.

Riding high on the global commodities boom, Colombia is reaping an enormous windfall from exports of its high-quality coal, and millions of tons of it are being shipped a year from this sweltering, desert-like coastal area to the far corners of the earth.

But in Santa Marta, officials and residents complain that the only dividend they're getting is an unwanted one: the fine layer of coal dust spread over much of the town each morning after La Loca, or the Crazy One, blows. That's what locals call the gusts that scatter the black dust through much of the city -- from the poor barrio of San Martin to the wealthy beach enclave of Bella Vista -- hurting tourism, fishing and possibly the health of the residents.

The mining industry now overshadows tourism here in Colombia's first city, which was founded in 1524. Its deep-water port has made it a leading embarkation point for coal mined in La Guajira and Cesar states, and the dust and residue from thousands of loads of coal passing through or near here daily on trucks and trains have smudged the city's image and cooled visitors' ardor.

At the same time, construction in the rest of Colombia is booming, as is tourism in selected areas.

Mayor Francisco Zuniga said in an interview last week that the growing presence of coal had robbed Santa Marta of jobs and economic growth.

Contamination of the Santa Marta Bay by coal dust and by at least two major spills from coal-laden barges since 2001 has severely damaged the marine ecosystem and reduced the once-rich fishing grounds, experts say.

``Right there, that's hunger,'' fisherman Humberto Grande, 20, said as he contemplated the measly load of sardines that he and his nine companions had harvested from the sea after 12 hours of backbreaking work, setting and then hauling in their quarter-mile-long net. The catch was worth about $2 each to them.

Residents worry that the coal, well known for causing severe pulmonary problems such as black-lung disease and silicosis in miners, could be a public-health time bomb.

``Many children have come down with respiratory and skin problems,'' said Hector Ortiz, community leader of the poor San Martin barrio. ``It's because of the coal dust that the air current brings here.''
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 1:18 PM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
Date: Jun 1, 2006 4:43 PM
Subject: Drummond coal in Colombia [Incident: 060525-000135]

I thought you might be interested in seeing the State Department's
satisfying response to the letter many of you signed regarding the murders
and Drummond---

Avi


----- Original Message -----
From: "U.S. Department of State"
To:
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 4:30 PM
Subject: Drummond coal in Colombia [Incident: 060525-000135]



Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support
center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

Thank you for contacting the State Department.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
Drummond coal in Colombia


Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Support Agent) - 06/01/2006 04:30 PM
The Bureau of Public Affairs is in receipt of your message. Please know
that all views are welcome and are taken into account. For more information
on this topic, please visit our website at http://www.mepi.state.gov/.
Thank you for contacting the U.S. Department of State.


Question Reference #060525-000135
---------------------------------------------------------------
Category Level 1: Foreign Policy
Date Created: 05/25/2006 10:51 AM
Last Updated: 06/01/2006 04:30 PM
Status: Solved


[---001:000783:00953---]

Posted by nscolombia at 1:14 PM EDT

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Most of you know something about the US-owned Drummond coal mines in Colombia, where three union leaders were killed in 2001. Drummond workers have been out on strike since Monday, May 22, as contract negotiations broke down.

The negotiating period has tended to be when union leaders are at greatest risk.

This seems like a very opportune time for us to remind our Secretary of State that we know that the U.S. government plays a crucial role here, both because of its military aid to Colombia, and because of it support for U.S. companies operating there. The U.S. has done nothing to hold U.S. companies, nor the Colombian government, accountable for human rights violations there.

There are two ways you can act now. Click on the link below to send a message directly to Condoleezza Rice. You can write your own message, or copy and paste the one below, adding your name at the bottom.

Or, you can "reply" to this message, giving me your name and address, and I will send a petition-style copy of the message below with all of the names that people send me.

Avi

Here's the link, and a sample message:

http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid=D8BDNj8i&p_lva=&p_sp=&p_li=

To the Secretary of State,

We are very concerned about the situation of workers at the U.S.-owned Drummond coal mine in Cesar province. As you know, three union leaders were killed at the mine in 2001, and Drummond is being charged in U.S. court with collaborating with the paramilitaries in their murders.

We hope that the United States will take a strong stand in favor of human rights in Colombia by 1) ending military aid to Colombia; 2) demanding that U.S. companies operating in Colombia abide by U.S. law and human rights standards; and 3) investigate any instances of violence or human rights violations connected with U.S. companies, U.S. forces, or U.S. aid to Colombia.

Sincerely,
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 12:13 AM EDT

Updated: 25 May 2006 12:17 AM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky

Date: May 24, 2006 10:14 AM

La Jagua--owned by Glencore, which is also part owner of El Cerrejon, the mine that displaced Jose Julio's village--is where Salem's most recent Colombian coal shipments are coming from.

Avi
----------
Strike begins at Drummond's La Loma mine - Colombia
Monday, May 22, 2006

Colombia's national mining and energy union Sintramienerg?tica has begun a strike at multinational coal producer Drummond's La Loma mine and shipping port.

The union decided to go ahead with the stoppage because it failed to reach an agreement with the company over the workers' list of demands, said union member Orlanda Acosta.

"At 6:00 am [Monday] the strike was declared. We are in proceedings and waiting for the labor ministry representative to arrive to seal off plant equipment and implement the contingency plan," he said.

The plan refers to the maintenance and protection of machinery equipment "to prevent unknown hands from doing something to the equipment that would make the strike illegal," he said.

Although a few days remained before the deadline expired to reach an agreement with the company, the union member said that workers voted for the strike because the available time would serve no purpose. "It already was time and there was no other option."

Sintramienerg?tica represents workers at Drummond and also at the Carbones de la Jagua coal operations, where strikes have been going on for several days. Carbones de la Jagua is operated by Swiss commodities group Glencore International.

Some of the demands - presented jointly by workers from Carbones de la Jagua and Drummond - include more humane working conditions, the direct employment of subcontracted workers, wage increases and investment in charitable community works.

A Drummond press official said that the strike started at exactly 6:00 am, adding that the company would comment officially on the matter during the day.

In the mine and the port, Drummond has 2,900 direct and more than 5,000 indirect employees. A stoppage would affect mining activities, transport and coal exports.

Last year, US-based Drummond exported 22Mt and the goal for 2006 is 26Mt of coal from C?sar department, where Santa Marta is located, BNamericas previously reported.

Harvey Beltr?n
BNamericas.com
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 12:01 AM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky

The Drummond case is heating up, on several fronts.
------------
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
RUSSELL HUBBARD
News staff writer

A lawyer representing Drummond Co. miners killed in Colombia was fined $500 Tuesday for defying the orders of U.S. District Judge Karon Bowdre.

Fined was Daniel Kovalik, who represents the relatives of slain Colombian labor leaders in a suit filed under an 18th century federal law that allows people to sue American corporations in U.S. courts for their conduct overseas. Birmingham-based Drummond operates a coal mine in Colombia that produces more coal by itself in a year than all the coal mines in Alabama combined.

Kovalik was fined for filing a sworn statement as a public document with the court that contained allegations against Drummond by a Colombian federal law enforcement agent in jail in his country on corruption charges. In the affidavit, Rafael Garcia said he witnessed a Drummond official in Colombia give money to the head of an armed group with a history of hostility to organized labor. In 2001, two union activists at the Drummond mine were killed.

But the affidavit, details of which were reported on by the Miami Herald before it was sealed by the court, violates rules of evidence and defies orders issued by Bowdre, who has told lawyers on both sides the case will not be tried in the media.

Filed under seal:

A great number of the documents in the case have been filed under seal. Judges sometimes allow documents to be kept secret to protect people and organizations that might be endangered by the filings. The filing of the Garcia affidavit as a public document had the effect of "public dissemination" of his allegations, Bowdre said.

"Mr. Kovalik is zealous in his cause and didn't give good thought to his actions, or he is very crafty in circumventing court orders," Bowdre said from the bench. "I don't know which."

Drummond lawyers pointed out during the hearing that the Garcia affidavit was obtained long after the period during which details about a case are collected and shared- a process called discovery - had lapsed.

"This is not admissible evidence," Drummond lawyer Paul Enzinna told Bowdre during an open court hearing Tuesday at the Hugo Black Courthouse. "It is hearsay and it was obtained long after the close of discovery."

Bowdre agreed and fined Kovalik, acknowledging that she reduced the penalty to $500 from its original amount after the lawyer told her the mitigating circumstances in a 10-minute closed-door session. Kovalik left the courthouse without comment.

Visited jail:

In early May, Kovalik visited Garc?in jail near Bogota. The former agent of the Colombian version of the FBI said he saw Augusto Jimenez, Drummond's top executive in Colombia, give $200,000 in cash to the leader of an armed group with right-wing sympathies, the Miami Herald reported last week. In 2001, two Drummond labor leaders were pulled from a bus full of company employees, and shot.

Drummond has maintained it had nothing to do with any of it. Tuesday, the company said the Garcia affidavit is not a true depiction of events.

"The allegations are false," said Drummond lawyer William Davis III, of the Birmingham firm Starnes & Atchison.

Garcia has made a string of statements recently linking Colombian law enforcement agencies to armed right-wing groups that have been active in Colombia's 45-year civil war, the Herald reported last week.

The trial about the killings of Drummond union leaders is set to begin later this year. The Colombian labor union representing Drummond workers and families of the slain men - V?or Hugo Orcasita and Valmore Locarno Rodriguez - filed their civil suit against Drummond in 2002, alleging the company hired the assassins.

E-mail: rhubbard@bhamnews.com
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 11:55 PM EDT

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FILM NIGHT AT THE FIRST CHURCH PRESENTS



From the Borderline to the Colorline, a Report on Anti-Immigrant Racism in the
United States

UPROOTED:

REFUGEES OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY



Look behind the national debate on immigration to the global changes that have
contributed to the rise in immigration in the late twentieth century.



GUEST SPEAKERS:

GABRIEL CAMACHO Coordinator of New England American Friends Service Committee
“Project Voice”; Centro Presente

CYNTHIA TSCHAMPL Sr. Legislative Organizer, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee
Advocacy Coalition



WEDNESDAY MAY 24, 7:00 PM

FIRST CHURCH IN SALEM (316 Essex St.)



Admission is free. For more information call 978-744-1551 or visit http://www.firstchurchinsalem.org/.

----------------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity
Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 11:51 PM EDT

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Reply-To:
Avi Chomsky
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
Date: May 19, 2006 9:07 AM

You may remember when we had Francisco Ruiz, a union leader from the Drummond mine, here a few years ago.

Avi

U.S company accused of having union leaders killed in Colombia

BY GERARDO REYES

El Nuevo Herald

A former Colombian intelligence officer has claimed that he saw the head of the Colombian branch of a U.S. coal company hand over a suitcase full of cash to pay for the assassinations of two labor leaders, according to a document filed in a U.S. court.

The sworn statement by Rafael Garc?a was made to U.S. lawyers for U.S. labor rights groups who filed a civil suit in 2002 alleging the killers were ''acting as employees or agents'' of the Alabama-based Drummond. The trial in Birmingham is scheduled to begin in October.

Drummond has steadfastly denied any involvement in the 2001 murders of Valmore Locarno and V?ctor Orcasita, president and vice president of one of the labor unions representing workers at its coal operations in northcentral Colombia. A Drummond attorney Thusday declined any comment.

Garc?a, a former official of Colombia's equivalent of the FBI, is jailed in Bogot? on charges of corruption. He has made a recent string of allegations of DAS links to illegal paramilitary groups and electoral fraud that have unleashed a mayor scandal there.

His allegations about Drummond came in a sworn statement he gave earlier this month during a jailhouse visit by U.S. lawyer Dan Kovalik, who represents the relatives of the slain labor leaders in their suit against Drummond, supported by U.S. labor groups.

The suit was filed under the U.S. Alien Tort Claims Act, an 18th Century law passed to fight piracy abroad but lately used by individuals to file suit over a broad range of allegations, from torture by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan to Central American human rights abusers and the Cuban firing-squad execution of a boat hijacker.

In his statement to Kovalik, Garc?a said he was present at a meeting during which Augusto Jim?nez, Colombian president of Drummond's Colombian branch Drummond Limitada, produced a briefcase with $200,000 in cash that was to be paid to a paramilitary leader, Rodrigo Tovar Pupo.

''That money was to be delivered to ... Tovar Pupo to assassinate specific labor leaders at Drummond,'' he said in the statement, obtained by El Nuevo Herald. Garc?a identified the victims as V?ctor Hugo Orcasita and ``a gentleman by the name of Locarno.''

Garc?a did not claim to know the actual killers of the two leaders of the labor union at Drummond, Sintramienerg?tica. The right-wing paramilitaries have regularly killed leftist guerrillas and suspected supporters, among them scores of labor union and human rights activists.

Colombian prosecutors Thursday said the investigation into the Sintramienerg?tica leaders was still in its preliminary stages, with no arrests or official suspects.

Garc?a has previously told Herald and Colombian journalists that the DAS at one point drafted a list of union leaders and others, alleged collaborators with leftist guerrillas, that was to be killed by the paramiliaries.

Drummond Limitada exploits a large coal mine in the northern Colombia province of C?sar that employs about 3,000 workers.

----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 7:12 PM EDT

Updated: 21 May 2006 7:44 PM EDT

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FILM NIGHT AT THE
FIRST CHURCH PRESENTS

UPROOTED:

REFUGEES OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY



Look behind the national debate on immigration to the global changes that have
contributed to the rise in immigration in the late twentieth century.



GUEST SPEAKERS:

GABRIEL CAMACHO Coordinator of New England American Friends Service Committee
“Project Voice”; Centro Presente

CYNTHIA TSCHAMPL Sr. Legislative Organizer, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee
Advocacy Coalition



WEDNESDAY MAY 24, 7:00 PM

FIRST CHURCH IN SALEM (316 Essex St.)



Admission is free. For more information call 978-744-1551 or visit
http://www.firstchurchinsalem.org/.
----------------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/

Posted by nscolombia at 12:22 AM EDT

Updated: 12 May 2006 12:41 AM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
Date: May 2, 2006 10:12 AM

Only a few people from Salem State made it to this rally--I've never felt the town-gown divide quite so strongly as yesterday, when the dramatic events downtown were utterly invisible from the campus. While other colleges actually sponsored events and activities related to immigrant rights yesterday, Salem State would not even allow a message about the activities to go out on the ssc-community e-list.

Avi
---------

Stores close, students miss school for national rally
By Tom Dalton
Staff writer

SALEM — It was unusually quiet yesterday on Lafayette Street as many Latino-owned businesses closed their doors in support of the national "Day Without Immigrants."

The lights were out even at Reymira's Market, normally one of the busiest stores on the street. There was a homemade sign on the door in blue lettering: "May 1 we are going to be closed due to our support of the immigrants' causes."

Steven Nova, the store's owner, spent most of the day in Salem's Riley Plaza with his wife and children, holding signs and waving at passing motorists to show solidarity with immigrants across the country who stayed home from work, refused to shop or skipped school to demonstrate the contributions that immigrants — legal and illegal — make to the United States.

"We know we are going to have a lot of loss," said Nova's wife, Reyna Ramirez, "but we don't think about money. We just think about the community."

By 1 p.m., around 100 people were standing in Riley Plaza, a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who demonstrated across the country. The Salem rally was organized hastily on Friday and advertised over the weekend on Spanish radio stations.

Many of the sign holders said they were not supporting illegal immigration but do believe strongly that the laws should be changed to make it easier for those who are already living, working and attending school in this country to become U.S. citizens.

Yesterday's rallies and demonstrations were held as the U.S. Congress debates what to do with the estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants living in this country.

"Those who are here, let them stay," Antonio Santiago, 77, a U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic, said with the help of a translator.

"We don't find jobs in our country, we are hungry, we got kids," said Raquel Garcia, 56, who works at the Wal-Mart in Danvers. The mother of six children, she said she came here illegally from Mexico 30 years ago and became a legal resident under a general amnesty in the late 1980s. She said she worked for years in the laundry room of a Route 1 hotel before becoming a manager at Wal-Mart.

"They try to tell us we are criminals," she said. "We aren't criminals. We come for work."

There was one counter-demonstrator in Riley Plaza. Bob McClory, 63, of Beverly held a sign on which he had written, "Illegal immigrants take Americans jobs and drive down wages. Go home and wait your turn. Do it right."

McClory, a firefighter, said he is "not a bigot," but a person who supports laws and fairness.

"I was in the civil rights movement in the 1960s down South," said McClory, dressed in a dungaree jacket and wearing a hat that with the word "Choppers" on it. "I'm a member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). I just believe in controlled immigration."

Not every Latino-owned business in the city closed yesterday. Los Amigos, another popular market on Lafayette Street, was open and doing a brisk business.

"The owner is on vacation," said Angel Guerrero, an employee. "If I was the owner, I would close down the store."

School absences up

Many schoolchildren stayed home yesterday. Salem public schools reported 842 absences, which was about 18 percent of the student body and higher than usual, according to a school official.

'My husband says the bus stop was empty," said Altagracia Gomez, president of The Point Neighborhood Association.

'There were a lot of kids who wore white today to support the cause," said Raquel Pena, a senior at Salem High School.

Domingo Dominguez, a community leader who closed his business, said two of his children stayed home and two went to school.

"We didn't want to push," he said of the children who went to school. "They had projects they didn't want to miss."

In Peabody, high school Principal Patrick Larkin said the school "definitely had a significant number of students out," but he did not have actual figures. While administrators expected some absences, they were surprised by the magnitude, he said.

He said one student came to him last week to let him know that she would not be at school yesterday because she wanted to show solidarity with family members who are illegal immigrants.

Several people at the Salem rally said they demonstrated because they are worried about what could happen to legal immigrants like themselves if they help an undocumented friend or family member.

"That is a big problem," said Yoleny Ynoa of Salem. "If I have my brother in my house ... we both will be sent" back.

Ynoa, one of the organizers of the rally, said about 30 employees at his Peabody company missed work yesterday.

"We got a good boss," he said. "He lets us not work today."

While not condoning illegal immigration, several people said the U.S. government should recognize that illegal immigrants are here, and most are contributing members of society. Something should be done, they said, to help them become legal citizens.

"We support all kind of immigrants who come here with a dream," said Ramirez, wife of the Salem market owner. "The dream came true for us. ...We just want some kind of law to give these people the dream come true."

----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 11:55 AM EDT

Updated: 4 May 2006 11:56 AM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky

To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Date: May 3, 2006 6:44 PM

Here’s a copy of the resolution passed by the Salem City Council at its last meeting, reiterating the city’s support for the displaced villagers of Tabaco. Thanks to Lucy Corchado for sponsoring the resolution, and to the entire council for the warm reception it gave to Jose Julio. Feel free to post/redistribute.



Avi



Salem City Council

Resolution on the Cerrejon Mine in Colombia





The following resolution was passed by the Salem City Council, Massachusetts, USA, on April 26, 2006, and forwarded to the Colombian government and the mining companies accused of human rights violations in the Guajira:



WHEREAS, Salem Harbor Station, located in the City of Salem, MA, consumes coal produced in the Cerrejon Zona Norte mine in La Guajira, Colombia;



WHEREAS, since the development of the mine in 1982 the indigenous Wayuu people of La Guajira have been displaced from their lands and had their traditional means of livelihood destroyed by loss of land and industrial contamination;



WHEREAS, in August 2001 the Afro-Colombian village of Tabaco was bulldozed by Exxon Mibil, then half owner of the mine, which included the destruction of many homes, the town’s church and school to make room for expansion of the mine;



WHEREAS, residents of Tabaco appealed to the Colombian Supreme Court for the relocation and reconstruction of their towns;



WHEREAS, the Colombian Supreme Court ruled in May, 2002, in favor of the villagers and their request for relocation and reconstruction of their town, and ordered the Mayor of Hatonuevo to oversee the reconstruction;



WHEREAS, two Colombians, Wayuu leader Remedios Fajardo and Tabaco’s lawyer Armando Perez Araugo, visited Salem in May, 2002 and in April, 2006 Mr. Jose Julio Perez visited Salem to ask for Salem’s support in expressing solidarity with and demanding justice and relocation for the people who live in the mining zone;



WHEREAS; officials of Dominion issued a statement as follows: “Dominion is sympathetic to the problems this village faces. We expect all of our suppliers—domestic and foreign—to adhere to all rules and regulations governing their operations. Dominion would like to see a just resolution to these issues.” (Daniel A. Weekly, Director, Northeast Government Affairs, Dominion Resources, Tuesday, April 18, 2006)



NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Salem, that the City Council supports the Colombia Supreme Court’s decision and requests that said decision be carried out promptly and effectively, so that the inhabitants of Tabaco can rebuild their community and lead productive, shared lives;



BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council urges that any further mine expansion be conditioned on peaceful and just negotiations that guarantee residents in the mining area basic human rights: right to live, right to subsistence by one’s own labor, and the right to human dignity;



BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that as a community hosting a coal powered generating facility, we condemn violations of human rights by all actors involved in Colombia’s conflict, including guerrilla groups, military, paramilitary, police, multinational corporations and foreign agents, including U.S. defense contractors; we express our solidarity with all Colombians working for nonviolent, just, political solutions to the conflict in Colombia, and we encourage the establishment of an ongoing relationship with organizations in the Guajira working peacefully for the human and democratic rights of the Wayuu indigenous people (Yanama) and the villagers of Tabaco (Comite Pro-Reubicacion de Tabaco).



BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council supports the site visit of La Guajira, Colombia and the Village of Tabaco by the Witness for Peace Delegation.
----------------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Posted by nscolombia at 11:36 AM EDT

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From: Jason Silva
To: Avi Chomsky
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 2:20 PM

Hi Avi,

Attached is the proclamation that the Mayor presented to Jose Julio Perez. Please feel free to use the proclamation as you'd like. Thanks!

Best Regards,
Jason Silva
Chief Administrative Aide
Office of Mayor Kimberley Driscoll
93 Washington Street
Salem, MA 01970

--------------

CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS


Kimberley Driscoll

Mayor



Proclamation



WHEREAS: Jose Julio Perez, President of the Community Council of Tabaco, has come before the Mayor and the Salem City Council in support of his fellow villagers; and


WHEREAS: Mr. Perez has been working as an activist on behalf of his fellow villagers whom have been displaced from their homes due to the expansion of the neighboring coal mining plant; and


WHEREAS: Mr. Perez is not only speaking in support of his family and friends in the Northern Columbian village of Tabaco, but also for the rights of employees everywhere; and


WHEREAS: Mr. Perez is seeking support from local Salem officials to administer pressure on Cerrejon Norte, the world’s largest open pit coal mine, to find homes for his fellow displaced villagers, treat their workers humanely, submit to stricter environmental regulations, promote public health and respect human rights; and


WHEREAS: in his campaign to raise awareness of these issues, he also hopes to raise funds in order to hire area scientists to conduct health and environmental impact studies of the mine; and


NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, MAYOR KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL, DO HEREBY HONOR, RECOGNIZE AND SUPPORT

JOSE JULIO PEREZ


for his exceptional example of leadership and activism on behalf of his fellow villagers in their fight for public health, the environment, employee rights and social awareness, and, on behalf of the City of Salem, express sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to him for sharing his valuable time, knowledge, and extensive efforts for the well-being of all people and purposes for which he continues to advocate for.



________________________

Kimberley Driscoll

Mayor

Posted by nscolombia at 9:22 PM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky achomsky@salemstate.edu
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

Date: Apr 28, 2006 2:38 PM

RILEY PLAZA-------SALEM------12-6 PM------MONDAY, MAY 1


Just to let you know that some Salem residents will be gathering at Riley
Plaza, across from the Salem Post Office, in solidarity with the "A Day
Without Immigrants" movement on Monday, May 1 from 12-6pm. If you aren't
planning on driving into Boston, we'd love to have your support and
presence!

You can also show your support for immigrants rights by wearing a white
shirt and/or a white armband on Monday.

Avi



----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee:
http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/

Posted by nscolombia at 8:26 PM EDT

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Reply-To: Avi Chomsky achomsky@salemstate.edu
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Date: Apr 27, 2006 7:47 PM

Jobs with Justice is one of the many organizations supporting the national effort to make May 1 a day in support of immigrants' rights.

Avi

Greetings,

Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes
A Day Without Immigrants
May 1, 2006
Quedarse en casa
Stay At Home
Todo el Dia
All Day
No ir a trabajar
Don?t Go to Work
Si tienes que trabajar usar un liston blanco en el brazo o una playera
If you have to go to work, wear a white arm band or a white shirt
No ir de compras ? Don?t go shopping
No Comprar gas o licor ? Don?t buy gas or liquor
No Usar Transporte Publico ? Don?t use public transportation



Los Estudiantes
The Students

Usar un liston blanco en el brazo o una playera blanca
Wear a white arm band or a white shirt.


Invita: Coalicion de Organizaciones de Massachussets por una Reforma Migratoria Justa y Humanitaria
Sponsored by: Coalition of Massachussets Organizations for Just and Humanitarian Immigration Reform


UNIDOS LO PODEMOS LOGRAR!
Together, we can do it!


The following actions are being led by community organizations across Massachusetts and New England
More information on immigrant rights and flyers for some events can be found at www.massjwj.net and

www.miracoalition.org :
Amherst, MA: 12:00 PM, Monday May 1st Rally on the Amherst Town Common (Eduardo Suarez, 413-687-0399)
Boston, MA. SEIU 615 will hold a rally at 1PM at P.O. Square for the Miami U. Hunger Strike and then Rally the state house at 3PM for UNICCO workers
Cambridge, MA: Support and organize a City Council hearing at Centro Presente (617-497-7247)
Cambridge, MA: 1:00 PM, Harvard University walkout and teach-in (contact the Harvard May Day Coalition)
Chelsea. MA: 2:00 PM ? 6:00 PM, Circle training for the community, 101 Park Street, Chelsea (Marina, 617-889-5210 x255)
Chelsea, MA: 3:00 PM ? 4:00 PM, March from Central Square East Boston to Chelsea City Hall (Chelsea, 617-889-6080 or East Boston, 617-686-5018)
Framingham, MA: 6:30 PM, Immigrant Workers Mass (English and Spanish), Saint Stephen's Catholic Church, 251 Concord Street
Framingham, MA: 8:00 PM (Sunday, April 30, 2006), Community's expression of their will and vigil (Portuguese and English), a 24 hour event, Saint Tarcisius Catholic Church, 562 Waverly Street (Bill Black, Metropolitan Interfaith Congregations Acting for Hope, 978- 443-6027)
Lowell, MA: 2:00 PM ? 5:00 PM (Sunday, April 30, 2006), Bread & Roses: A Cultural Event to celebrate workers and support immigrant rights, Boardinghouse Park, (978-452-7523)
Manchester, NH: 4:00 PM ? 6:00 PM, Rally at Manchester City Hall Plaza, (Leticia Ortiz, 603-219-6542)
Providence, RI: 3:30 PM, March from Central High Scholl to State Capitol (Rachel Miller, Jobs with Justice, 401-454-4766)
Somerville, MA: 4:00 PM ? 6:00 PM, Rally and vigil in front of Foss Park Put together by local immgrant rights coalition (617-623-7370 ext. 118)
Worcester, MA: 4:00 PM ? 6:00 PM, Rally for Immigrant Rights, City Hall


We need volunteers! Can you be on call to go on a delegation May 2nd in cases where workers were fired? Please email jennifer@massjwj.net with your contact info! Thanks!



Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Statement of Support



As a coalition of eighty labor, community, and religious organizations we support the goals of the May 1st Day of Action for immigrant justice. Even as we speak, leaders in Congress are creating a climate that condones the denigration of human rights of a community of people whose contributions to our social, civic and economic life make our society strong.


Yes, our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. In fixing this system that has gone wrong we must keep in mind the principles on which this country was founded. We are a nation of immigrants. For hundreds of years, people seeking refuge from poverty, starvation, persecution and war migrated in hopes of a better life. The same is true today. Even as we enjoy material comforts here in the U.S. we are connected to the billions of people who live under dire conditions around the world. It is just these conditions that force so many people to make the difficult decision to leave their families and homes.


The tradition of May Day started in the US in 1886 during the struggle for the 8-hour day, a struggle lead by immigrants. On May 1st, 2006 immigrants and their allies across the nation will make the courageous decision to join a national boycott. Hundreds of thousands of people will decide not to go work, not to go to school, to close their business for the day and to participate in actions throughout the day.


This is not a decision the immigrant community has come to lightly, this is a response to brutal attempts in Congress and in local government to suspend and further erode the basic human rights of immigrants. We are proud to stand with every worker and student who chooses to participate in the boycott at whatever level they are able to and we will continue to stand with every community member on May 2nd and beyond.


We will continue the call for comprehensive immigration reform that creates a plan for legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, that creates a path to citizenship, that allows for the reunification of families across borders, that promotes labor rights, that promotes pathways to education and to success and that creates ways for immigrants to become educated citizens of the United States.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Posted by nscolombia at 8:13 PM EDT

Updated: 29 April 2006 8:20 PM EDT

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