Call for Indigenous Convergence to Resist ALEC!

Call for Indigenous Convergence to Resist ALEC! – November 29-December 3 – Onk Akimel O’odham Lands (Scottsdale, AZ)
Un-occupy Our Lands!
Indigenous Peoples Gathering in Resistance to Corporate & State Terrorism
Tues. Nov. 29, 6PM – 9:30PM
At Serena Padilla Residence
Onk Akimel O’odham Nation (Salt River)
9312 E. Thomas Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85256

This is an opportunity to share, connect, and build solidarity.
Dinner will be provided. Please bring your own chairs.
Camping for Indigenous participants available.
Please RSVP with oodhamjeved@gmail.com.
Allies and supporters welcome.

Greetings.

My name is Serena Padilla. I live in Occupied Onk Akimel Jeved, now known as the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community.
I am in support of an Indigenous convergence before and during the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) conference, scheduled for November 30-December 2, in hopes to share, connect and build solidarity amongst all the Indigenous Nations that are affected by ALEC.  
At this time, I am opening my grounds to accommodate all Indigenous participants coming to our territory due to the ALEC Conference. I am opening my grounds for camping and access to my outside kitchen. 
I hope this gathering will strengthen our connections as Indigenous Peoples, now and for the future generations to come.

More information: www.azresistsalec.wordpress.com
Energy/Mining Companies & ALEC: http://azresistsalec.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/energymining-companies-and-alec/

MUSIC VIDEO:Shining Soul: 'Papers' Militarization of Border

SHINING SOUL MUSIC VIDEO "PAPERS"

WEBSITE: http://shiningsoul-music.blogspot.com/
DOWNLOAD AT: http://shiningsoulmusic.bandcamp.com/
EMAIL: WORKWITHSHININGSOUL@GMAIL.COM




"The militarization of the U.S./Mexico border
has led only to cultural and environmental destruction
of the indigenous peoples whose land is on or near
the border, such as the O'odham, Yaqui
and Lipan Apache Nations.

Border Militarization brings death and terror
to indigenous peoples from other parts
of the continent migrating to this land.

The immigration struggle is also
an Indigenous struggle. '

http://oodhamsolidarity.blogspot.com/2011/07/music-videoshining-soul-papers.html

BOAF Art Auction

Join us for an excessively fun time. The Boxing Gym(no, it's not a boxing gym anymore) is located in Barrio Anita near the Southwest corner of I-10 and Speedway Blvd. Check out the Art page to see some of the art that's already come in.

O'odham Ofelia Rivas to National Guard: 'We do not want you on our lands'

Ofelia Rivas, traditional O'odham living on the border, released a statement to the National Guard, who are to arrive on the US/Mexico border in Arizona on Monday.

To the United States National Guard arriving in O'odham Lands,

We are not compliant people, we are people with great dignity and confidence. We are a people of endurance and have a long survival history. We are people that have lived here for thousands of years. We have our own language, we have our own culture and traditions.

You are coming to my land, you may find me walking on my land, sitting on my land and just going about my daily life. I might be sitting on the mountain top, do not disturb me, I am praying the way my ancestors did for thousands of years. I might be out collecting what may be strange to you but it might be food to me or medicine for me.

Sometimes I am going to the city to get a burger or watch a movie or just to resupply my kitchen and refrigerator. Some of us live very much like you do and some of us live very simple lives. Some of may not have computers or scanners or televisions or a vehicle but some of us do.

The other thing is that some of us are light-skinned O'odham and some of us are darker-skinned O'odham. Some of us spend a lot of time indoors or outdoors. Sometimes my mother might be of a different Nation (refers to different tribal Nation) or sometimes our father is Spanish or we may have some European grandmother or grandfather.

If you want to question who we are, we all have learned to carry our Tohono O'odham Nation Tribal I.D. Card. It is a federally-issued card which is recognized by the federal government which is your boss. This card identifies us and by law this is the only requirement needed to prove who we are. We do not have United States passports because most of us were born at home and do not have documents, but that does not make us "undocumented people." Your boss, the Department of Homeland Security, and the government of the Tohono O'odham Nation have negotiated an agreement which is, our tribal I.D. card is our identification card and no other document is required.

The O'odham, (the People) as we call ourselves, have been here to witness the eruption of volcanoes that formed the lands we live on. We have special places that hold our great-great-great-great-great great grandparents remains, our lands are a special and holy place to us. Some of us still make journeys to these places to pray. Some of these places hold holy objects that maintain specific parts of our beliefs. When you see us out on the land do not assume we are in the drug business or human smuggling business. Sometimes we are out on the land hunting for rabbits or deer or javelina to feed our families. We may be carrying a hunting weapon please do not harm me, my family loves me and depends on me.
When you are out on our land, be mindful that you are visitor on our lands, be respectful, be courteous and do not harm anything.

Sometimes you may see us gather all night long, dancing and sometimes we are crying loudly, do not approach us or disturb us in anyway, we are honoring a dead relative and preparing them for burial. Sometimes we are conducting a healing ceremony out on the land, do not approach us or disturb us. Sometimes we may be singing and dancing all night long, these are our ceremonies that we have conducted for thousands of years. We are not behaving in a suspicious nature, this is our way of life.

As original people of the lands we honor everything on our lands and we regard all as a part of our sacred lives, do not kill any plants and animals or people on our lands. Do not litter our lands with your trash. When we visit other peoples lands and cities and homes we do not litter or leave behind trash.

We might be driving our cars, sometimes old, sometimes very new, do not try to run us off the roads or tailgate me. I value my life and my family, I might have a newborn in my car or my grandmother or my mother and father, my brothers and sister or my aunts and uncles or my friends. These are all important people to me and I do not want to see them hurt or dead.

If I seem like I do not understand what you are saying, please call the Tohono O'odham Police and ask for an O'odham speaking officer to come and assist you. I might be laughing at you if you talk to me in English, I don't know what you are saying and I am laughing out of nervousness and fear because you are armed.

If you are afraid of us and draw your weapons on me, I am more afraid of you because I am unarmed and my family is in the vehicle with me or they are in my house when you come into my house. Sometimes my house might be in poor condition but it is my home, it is my sanctuary, be respectful. Sometime there are elders in my house that are already afraid of armed people in our communities such as the border patrol and other federal agents.

There are some people that do drug business or human smuggling business but we are not all doing that, we are not all criminals. Do not treat us like criminals.

We might call you killers and murderers as you just came from killing people. To the O'odham you are a dangerous person, to walk onto our lands bringing fresh death on your person is very destructive to us as a people. You may have diseases we do not know, illnesses of your mind that you might inflict on us. Please do not approach us if you are afflicted with fresh death.

Remember we do not want you on our lands, we did not invite you to our lands.

Do remember that we have invited allies that will be witnessing your conduct on our lands and how you treat our people.

From the the O'odham Lands
Ofelia Rivas

Originally posted at Censored Blog:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

Joe Arpaio's Deputies Faced Down by Anti-SB 1070 Protesters in Guadalupe

Demonstrators await the MCSO's response last night in Guadalupe

Chanting, "We will not comply," and, "Whose streets? Our streets," a group of about 70 protesters took over one of the entrances to the square-mile town of Guadalupe Wednesday night, facing down Maricopa County sheriff's deputies in a tense standoff that lasted a little over an hour.

From 11:45 p.m. till a little past 1 a.m., demonstrators blocked traffic going into or out of Guadalupe via Avenida del Yaqui, not far from Arizona Mills Mall. City buses and other vehicles were forced to turn back or take a route around the line of Guadalupe residents and other activists.

MCSO deputies, befuddled by the late night protest

The protesters said they were against the enactment of SB 1070 and opposed to the abuses of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose deputies are contracted by the town for law enforcement services.

Early Wednesday, federal Judge Susan R. Bolton enjoined the most significant provisions of SB 1070, leaving other aspects of it to take effect today, July 29. But the protesters insisted this was not enough.

"We do understand that not all of SB 1070 was passed," said Guadalupe resident Diane Sanchez-Alvarado. "But that doesn't mean it's all right. Regardless of what the law says, we're all human beings. We shouldn't be treated as something else."

"We will not comply," the theme of the event

Regarding Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his boys in beige, who have patrolled the town for years, Sanchez-Alvarado and others complained of a litany of abuses perpetrated by the MCSO in the town, which is half Mexican-American, and half Yaqui Indian.

"We're always being harassed by him," Sanchez-Alvarado said of Arpaio. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants with us."

The postage-stamp size municipality has been the subject of numerous complaints by residents who say they are routinely harassed by MCSO officers. Guadalupanos report that deputies unnecessarily pull guns on them and enter their homes without warrants.

Guadalupe residents Veronica Vargas (left) and Diane Sanchez-Alvarado

In 2008, Arpaio conducted one of his controversial anti-immigrant sweeps of the town, terrorizing people whose families have lived in Guadalupe for generations. Relations between the MCSO and residents have been especially strained since then.

Of the sheriff's deputies, Sanchez-Alvarado stated, "They're vicious with us. They're what we would consider savages."

Savages or not, last night, Arpaio's minions seemed perplexed by the situation, and unsure of what to do.

Around eight MCSO patrol cars responded to the scene, and deputies with the MCSO's gang unit stood around being taunted by the protesters as they contemplated a response.

Andrew Sanchez, organizer of the midnight demonstration

"You're the real gang here," protesters yelled at them.

Eventually one of the deputies approached the double-line of demonstrators, some of them activists from nearby Tempe and Phoenix. Members of a local anarchist group also reinforced the crowd.

The deputy, who declined comment to reporters, asked the demonstrators to leave the street. He was met with stony silence from protesters who had locked arms in preparation for a showdown. Many had stated earlier that they were willing to be arrested.

It seemed as if the protesters and the deputies were fated to butt heads. But a little after 1 a.m., protest organizer Andrew Sanchez told the crowd that he'd spoken with the mayor of Guadalupe and that they'd made their point about MCSO police abuses and SB 1070.

Demonstrators withdrew to the sidewalks, and the deputies drove away to the cheers of those present.

"It was peaceful, it was successful, and we managed to get the cops' attention," Sanchez told me afterward. "We had said previously that we were only going to hold the street for an hour, and we did."

The MCSO was outnumbered last night, and deputies looked worried at the prospect of having to wade in to the crowd and arrest people. The issue now will be, what sort of retaliation, if any, Guadalupe residents will endure from the MCSO.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2010/07/anti-sb_1070_protesters_face_d.php

Radical Resistance: The Bird Lauds One of the Bolder Acts of Civil Disobedience Arizona's Seen Recently

RADICAL RESISTANCE

In one of the boldest acts of civil disobedience of late, a group of Native American, Mexican-American, and white activists occupied U.S. Border Patrol offices at Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on May 21, locking themselves around a pillar in a lobby that was soon filled with shocked Border Patrol agents.

Six of the demonstrators bound themselves together using pieces of PVC pipe around their arms and u-shaped bicycle locks around their necks. A banner was hoisted in front of the lobby's desk reading "Stop Militarization on Indigenous Lands Now."

The protesters had decorated the PVC with slogans such as, "No Militarization of the Border," and "Stop SB 1070." They chanted, sang songs, prayed, and even did freestyle raps, as befuddled BP agents tried to figure out what to do with them.

"It's very empowering to be in a room with 30 officers and know they can't do shit to you," Alex Soto, a Tohono O'odham tribesman and Phoenix group member told me after the action. "It was definitely going to take some force to get us out of there. Force they did not want to use."

Ultimately, the Border Patrol called the Tucson Police Department, and a settlement was negotiated. The demonstrators agreed to leave after 3 1/2 hours. They were arrested, cited for trespassing and disorderly conduct, then released.

Soto, who's working on a degree in American Indian studies at ASU, is originally from Sells, the O'odham Nation's capital, where much of his family still lives. He said this act of "peaceful resistance" was meant to broaden the debate over what's been going on in Arizona in the wake of Governor Jan Brewer's signing Sand Land's new "papers, please" legislation.

"It's not just about one bill or one sheriff," Soto told me, making reference to Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "Our voices are always being marginalized. So we felt the need to take action."

The occupation of the Border Patrol HQ was meant as a challenge not only to Secretary Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security, of which the Border Patrol is a part, but also to the immigration-reform movement itself.

Soto decried what he insists is a trade-off that reform activists are willing to make: increased border security and a border wall in return for a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented residing in the United States.

"We want no walls, no racist, colonial laws that affect people of color, people who come here out of forced migration because of [economics]," he said.

The 24-year-old aspiring hip-hop artist also questioned the Border Patrol's heavy hand on the O'odham Nation, where thousands of migrants cross regularly, and where Border Patrol agents — with their checkpoints in and out of the reservation and their seemingly ever-present vehicles — make O'odham tribal land resemble a police state.

"How are we a sovereign nation when we have an occupying army patrolling our lands, while we're just trying to live?" wondered Soto.

That's a good question, one with no ready answer.

I would also note that it's highly ironic that an agency such as the Border Patrol, which supposedly guards the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border using barriers, helicopters, nighttime cameras, and watchtowers has little or no security vetting access to their own offices on a freaking U.S. Air Force base.

ARIZONA BRUSH FIRE

"Hopefully what we did will inspire other O'odhams and other races to take action," said Alex Soto.

I have no doubt that it will. Indeed, in the wake of SB 1070, the recent ban on ethnic studies, and the declared intent of state Senator Russell Pearce to push the Legislature to deny birth certificates to American-citizen children born to undocumented parents, a brush fire of pro-immigrant activism has swept the state.

On May 17, four students pushing for the DREAM Act were arrested after a sit-down strike in the Tucson offices of U.S. Senator John McCain. The DREAM Act is proposed federal legislation that would allow undocumented students brought to this country as kids to normalize their status.

Three of those young activists were undocumented, and they were held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after hearings before a judge in Tucson. ICE later released them on their own recognizance, but they now face deportation hearings.

Though the three came here from other states, they have vowed to remain in Arizona to organize and agitate on behalf of the DREAM Act.

Fifteen students were arrested days earlier, also in Tucson, in a protest over a ban on classes that promote "ethnic solidarity." The ban is the lame brainchild of Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne, who is beating the nativist drum as he seeks to become our state's next attorney general.

And before that, on April 20, nine college-age men and women chained themselves to the door of the state Capitol in protest of SB 1070, forcing Capitol police to use bolt-cutters to free the activists before they were arrested and shipped to the Fourth Avenue Jail for this display of civil disobedience.

One of the Capitol Nine, as they're now called, was Leilani Clark, a 21-year-old student at Pima Community College whose defiant expression, radical outlook, and massive hair all combine to remind me of a young Angela Davis, the California history professor and political activist whose face was emblazoned on many a poster during the 1970s.

In a sort of echo of those times, an image of Clark getting arrested is now part of a billboard-size digital work of art that's being exhibited on the outside wall of Galeria de la Raza, a gallery in San Francisco's Mission District.

Clark is not Hispanic. Her father is African-American. Her mother is Native American. And she proudly touts herself as the product of the Tucson Unified School District's ethnic studies program. The very one Tom Horne's intent on destroying.

"It's very deep political consciousness that they give you," she told me over lunch in Tucson, referring to her ethnic studies. "So you can see the root factors of things.

"This is not just an immigration problem, it's an economic problem. Because all of the people coming up to the U.S. are economic refugees. They've lost their work, they've lost their livelihood down in Mexico because of U.S. trade policies."

Like many on the left, Clark points an accusing finger at the North American Free Trade Agreement, which critics say has devalued the price of corn in Mexico and helped impoverish many Mexicans, thus forcing them to flee north for work.

The ethnic studies program did not teach her this, per se, rather it taught her how to think critically. At age 16, she was already reading Howard Zinn's influential A People's History of the Unites States and comparing it to other U.S. histories. Pretty advanced stuff for a 16-year-old.

Anglos are not excluded from the classes, according to Clark. She told me that students read Chicano literature, African-American literature, and Native American literature, among other writings.

"It's very diverse," she said. "And it teaches you to have self-consciousness about other cultures. A lot of the students end up studying anthropology in higher education."

It is, in fact, that very diversity and independence of thought that Horne and the racist white Arizona power structure want to eradicate. Indeed, the Arizona Republican Party, in particular, wants to rip it up by the roots, all in a futile attempt to maintain Arizona as a white man's state.

I say futile because in 10 or 15 years' time, young people like Clark will have moved from the barricades to hold positions of influence themselves. And that terrifies the likes of bigots and opportunists such as Horne, state GOP Chairman Randy Pullen, Russell Pearce, and apparently Jan Brewer, as well as the fearful Caucasian community these leaders represent.

That's why these politicians are behind a law like 1070 that declares "attrition through enforcement" to be the policy of Arizona. When I asked Brewer what that meant during her recent press conference with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to promote a push-back to the boycott of Arizona, she tried to tell me it was about people coming here "legally."

Not at all, I shot back. It's about pushing people out — legal and illegal, as many brown people as they can get to leave the state as possible.

The bad news for them is that brilliant young men and women such as Clark are not leaving. They've opted to stay and fight.

WALKING TALL

"Civil disobedience is the next tactic in the escalation of the immigrant rights movement," Leilani Clark said. "We've exhausted every other resource. We've tried to call our senators, set up meetings with the governor. We've done our vigils, done our rallies, our prayers. We've fasted and marched. Our voices are not getting heard. We don't even count."

So Sand Landers can expect more civil disobedience, more passive resistance, and more demonstrations as the war over 1070 goes into a new phase. Unless, perhaps, 1070 is struck down by the courts.

Sigmund Freud had a concept that psychoanalysts call "the return of the repressed," wherein ideas and elements pushed down into the depths of the unconscious will inevitably reappear.

The anti-SB 1070 march to the Arizona state Capitol from Steele Indian School Park on Saturday, May 29, will be part of that return. (Check out www.AltoArizona.com for details.)

So, too, will be the acts of defiance that precede, follow, and accompany the march.

Because the more Arizona's leaders attempt to suppress the state's minority population, the greater the reaction will be, both within the state, and from without.

Long before Freud posited his theory, the American romantic poet William Cullen Bryant put it in more spiritual terms, in a passage the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was fond of quoting:

"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again."

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-05-27/news/radical-resistance-the-bird-lauds-one-of-the-bolder-acts-of-civil-disobedience-arizona-s-seen-recently/

MAY 29th: MARCH ON FORT SNELLING!

Dakota People and Allies relaunch the Take Down the Fort Campaign in response to the racist celebration and re-inactment of genocidal actions, and the 2010 proposed multi-million dollar renovation plans on a replica of what used to be Fort Snelling. Modeled after its 1820s condition, Fort Snelling was rebuilt after it was declared a historical landmark. The replica is crumbling and the Minnesota Historical Society wants Minnesota tax-payers to foot the $6.7 million bill to rebuild the structure at a time when state social services and education system are on the chopping block.

May 29th is the National Day of Action Against SB1070
In response to Arizona’s newly adopted anti-immigration legislation that promotes racial profiling and collective punishment by mandating law enforcement officers to check the citizenship of anyone who looks “suspicious”. A bill nearly identical to SB1070 was recently introduced in Minnesota by a Republican Representative and co-signed by five members of the House.

Immigrants and Allies to Kick Off Boycott Arizona – Minnesota! (BAM!)
An alliance of Minnesota immigrants and their allies are launching a campaign to Repeal SB1070 by encouraging individuals, organizations, and businesses to boycott Arizona, and to show the right wing extremists that we will not tolerate hateful Arizona style laws here in Minnesota.

VISIT THE MAY 29 TAKE DOWN THE FORT PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

TAKE DOWN THE FORT CAMPAIGN

Video: Occupation & Lockdown of Tucson Border Patrol HQ

OCCUPATION OF BORDER PATROL HEADQUATERS
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIRFORCE BASE, TUCSON, AZ

From O'odham Solidarity Across Borders Collective

Native American Community Weighs In on SB 1070

Friday, 21 May 2010
KSAZ Fox 10

TUCSON - Hispanic people have been at the center of Arizona's immigration law. Some of them fear they will be victims of racial profiling, and now Native Americans are having the same concerns.

They made their voices heard at a rally Friday in downtown Tucson. They say they have felt the sting of racial profiling, and that other people could feel it too due to Arizona's new immigration law.

Over a hundred people prayed and stood united against Senate Bill 1070. They think it will lead to racial profiling, and they don't think it will help secure the border.

"For hundreds of years we've been respecting each others' cultures across and along the border. I think with new laws like this it makes things more complicated and causes conflicts between people," says protester Amy Juan.

The Tohono O'Oodham Reservation, southwest of Tucson, straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. It is the size of the state of Connecticut.

Protesters say drug and human smuggling is a problem on tribal land too, but the new law is not a fair way to deal with it.

"It attempts to redefine who an immigrant. White America has conveniently demonized the most recent immigrants -- the brown skinned," says protester Michael Wilson.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa tribal community east of Scottsdale has also weighed in on SB 1070. They say it doesn't present a favorable image of Arizona to international travelers.

Statement from Tohono O'Oodham Nation

"This law creates a hostile atmosphere for minority groups who will have to carry identification at all times just to prove their right to be here. This misguided and detrimental law must be repealed before it inflicts any further harm on Arizona. For its part, the Tohono Oodham Nation will continue its extensive efforts to assist in protecting the U.S. border on its lands. However, it is imperative that comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level is implemented in order to confront all aspects of this problem."

Statement of those arrested at Border Patrol Headquarters at Davis-Monthan Air Force Bace in Tucson, Arizona

OCCUPATION OF BORDER PATROL HEADQUATERS
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIRFORCE BASE, TUCSON, AZ

1st NATION AND MIGRANTS OPPOSE SB1070 DEMAND DIGNITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND END TO BORDER MILITARIZATION

“The militarized border imposed by the U.S. has lead only to cultural and environmental destruction of the indigenous peoples whose land is on or near the border. This militarization brings death and terror for indigenous peoples from other parts of the continent migrating to this land.”
21 May 2010

Tucson, AZ – More than a dozen people occupied Border Patrol headquarters at Davis-Monthan Airforce Base today in an act of peaceful resistance. The group includes members of Indigenous Nations of Arizona, migrants, people of color and white allies. Six people used chains and other devices to lock themselves in the building. These Arizona residents disrupted the Border Patrol operations to demand that Border Patrol (BP), Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), their parent entity, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Obama administration end militarization of the border, end the criminalization of immigrant communities, and end their campaign of terror which tears families apart through increasing numbers of raids and deportations.

The protesters also call on the State of Arizona to repeal the racist Senate Bill 1070 that criminalizes immigrant communities on the state level, makes it illegal to transport or harbor an undocumented person regardless of family relationship, requires police agencies to engage in racial profiling, and ultimately is an attempt to ethnically cleanse Arizona of those with brown skin. This act of civil disobedience was only the latest in an increasing wave of direct action targeting the federal government’s terrorist immigration policies.

Border militarization destroys Indigenous communities.

The development of the border wall has lead to desecration of our ancestors graves, it has divided our communities and prevents us from accessing sacred places.

Troops and paramilitary law enforcement, detention camps, check points, and citizenship verification are not a solution to migration. We have existed here long before these imposed borders, my elders inform us that we always honored freedom of movement. Why are our communities and the daily deaths at the border ignored? The impacts of border militarization are constantly made invisible in the media, the popular culture of this country and even the mainstream immigrants rights movement which has often pushed for “reform” that means further militarization of the border, which means increased suffering for our communities.

Indigenous communities such as the O’odham, the Pascua Yaqui, Laipan Apache, Kickapoo, and Cocopah along the US/Mexico border have been terrorized with laws and practices like SB1070 for decades. Indigenous people along the border have been forced by border patrol to carry and provide proof of tribal membership when moving across their traditional lands that have been bisected by this imposed border; a border that has been extremely damaging to the cultural and spiritual practices of these communities. Many people are not able to journey to sacred sites because the communities where people live are on the opposite side of the border from these sites. Since the creation of the current U.S./Mexico border, 45 O’odham villages on or near the border have been completely depopulated.

On this day people who are indigenous to Arizona join with migrants who are indigenous to other parts of the Western Hemisphere in demanding a return to traditional indigenous value of freedom of movement for all people. Prior to the colonization by European nations (spaniards, english, french) and the establishment of the european settler state known as the United States and the artificial borders it and other european inspired nation states have imposed; indigenous people migrated, traveled and traded with each other without regard to artificial black lines drawn on maps. U.S. immigration policies dehumanize and criminalize people simply because which side of these artificial lines they were born on. White settlers whose ancestors have only been here at most for a few hundred years have imposed these policies of terror and death on “immigrants” whose ancestors have lived in this hemisphere for tens of thousands of years, for time immemorial.

In addition, the migration that the U.S. government is attempting to stop is driven more than anything else by the economic policies of the U.S. Free trade agreements such as NAFTA have severely reduced the ability of Mexicans and others from the global south to sustain themselves by permitting corporations to extract huge amounts of wealth and resources from these countries into the U.S. This has led to millions of people risking the terror and death that so many face to cross into the U.S. looking for ways to better support their families. Thousand of women, men, children and elders have died crossing just in the last decade. If the U.S. really wants to reduce migration it should end its policies of exploitation and wealth extraction targeted at the global south and instead pursue policies of economic, environmental and social justice for all human beings on the planet, thus reducing the drive to immigrate.

The protestors are demanding:

-An end to border militarization
-The immediate repeal of SB1070 and 287g
-An end to all racial profiling and the criminalization of our communities
-No ethnic cleansing or cultural genocide
-No border patrol encroachment/sweeps on sovereign native land
-No Deportations
-No Raids
-No ID-verification
-No Checkpoints

-Yes to immediate and unconditional regularization (“legalization”) of all people
-Yes to human rights
-Yes to dignity
-Yes to respect
Yes to respecting Indigenous Peoples inherent right of migration

8 people cited after protest at Border Patrol Headquarters

KVOA

TUCSON - At least eight people who initially refused to leave the lobby of the Border Patrol headquarters at Davis-Monthan Airforce Base, have been cited and released by the Tucson Police Department.

Protestors are still demonstrating outside of the building.

The demonstrators say they are protesting SB 1070 and any military presence at the border.
(click image for full-size)

In a statement they said, "The militarized border imposed by the U.S. has lead only to cultural and environmental destruction of the indigenous peoples whose land is on or near the border."

These are pictures taken by our crew on the scene.

The protestors inside chained themselves to a pillar in the lobby. They left the building after 4 hours.

In an effort to be balanced, News 4 reached out to Border Patrol, but were told no comment will be released about the incident.

Immigration protest in downtown Tucson

KVOA

UPDATE - The demonstration in downtown Tucson is over. Nearly 100 demonstrators gathered around 11 a.m., to protest Arizona's new immigration law and Ethnic Studies law.

The protest wrapped up just after 1 p.m.

The group, Native and Indigenous Peoples Against SB 1070, contends immigration bills such as SB 1070 rest on the "securing" of the borders in order to manage the flow of migration.

They say, the passage of HB 2281, the Ethnics Studies law, further contributes to the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples by criminalizing the histories of Indigenous peoples in our own lands within the Arizona public school system.

Watch News 4 at 5 for the latest.

TUCSON - More than 60 people are protesting Arizona's new immigration law and Ethnics Studies law.

The group, Native and Indigenous Peoples Against SB 1070, are gathering downtown from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Friday.

According to the group, anti-illegal immigration bills such as SB 1070 rest on the "securing" of the borders in order to manage the flow of migration.

This securing includes and is not limited to a physical wall to be made on Indigenous land (Tohono O'odham/Lipan Apache to name a few).

They say, the passage of HB 2281, the Ethnics Studies law, further contributes to the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples by criminalizing the histories of Indigenous peoples in our own lands within the Arizona public school system.

The immigration struggle is also an Indigenous struggle.

The Tohono O'odham Nation is speaking about the issue.

Its concern is that some members of the O'Odham nation will be questioned often because of their inability to document their citizenship because there is no official United States record of their births.

Indigenous and American Indian Studies Scholars Speak Out against SB1070, Call for an Economic Boycott of Arizona

May 19, 2010, TUCSON -- Indigenous and American Indian studies scholars are condemning Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and related legislation.

"Clearly, and bluntly, the state law is racist and discriminatory against so-called 'illegal immigrants' crossing the borders from the South, namely from Mexico," said Simon Ortiz, a Native American studies professor at Arizona State University, in reference to SB 1070. "Many of the border crossers are Indigenous peoples who are directly affected. Without any doubt, the law is wrong-headed; it targets people who fit a certain profile."

Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholars say that SB 1070 and the recent passage into law of HB 2281, which bans the teaching of ethnic studies in public schools, are violations of human rights. Scholars from nearly 50 universities and communities have signed a statement calling for an economic boycott of Arizona.

"As Native intellectuals, it is important that we not enable this legislative activity," said Julia Good Fox, who signed the statement. "I'm disappointed in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association officers because they have chosen to disregard the boycott. SB 1070 and HB 2281 are dangerous for Indian Country so I hope that Tribal governments and organizations will honor the boycott and put pressure on Arizona to overturn these laws."

These scholars are not alone in calling for a boycott. Since the passage of SB 1070, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest African American Greek-lettered fraternity, has moved its July 2010 meeting out of Arizona. SACNAS, an association of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists, has formally removed Phoenix from its shortlist of potential 2012 conference sites. In addition, the cities of San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles have approved boycotts of Arizona until the new law is overturned.

Scholars who reside in Arizona or neighboring Tribal Lands plan to attend the "Indigenous Peoples Against SB 1070/HB228" rally scheduled for 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Friday, May 21, 2010 at the U.S. Immigration Court, 160 North Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ. This event is open to the public.

INDIGENOUS AND NATIVE STUDIES
SCHOLARS OF CONSCIENCE STATEMENT

We, scholars in Indigenous and Native studies, vigorously protest SB 1070, its amendment HB 2162, and HB 2281, a law that prohibits ethnic studies. Because these Arizona laws instigate vicious attacks on the human rights of Indigenous, immigrant, and peoples of color communities, we seek to honor the economic boycott of the state of Arizona.

Name, Institution and/or Community, Date

1. Joyce Rain Anderson, Bridgewater State College, May 14, 2010
2. Dr. Elizabeth Archuleta, Arizona State University, Women & Gender Studies, May 14, 2010
3. Sonya Atalay, Indiana University Dept. of Anthropology/Anishinabe-Ojibwe, May 17, 2010
4. Laura Beebe, UC San Diego, 05/14/2010
5. Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, Syracuse University, Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, May 14, 2010
6. Kevin Bruyneel, Associate Professor of Politics, Babson College, May 14, 2010
7. Anne Carter Walker, PhD Candidate, Claremont School of Theology, May 14, 2010
8. Venida S. Chenault, Prairie Band Potawatomi/Kickapoo, May 14, 2010
9. Dr. Glen Coulthard (Yellowknives Dene First Nation), First Nations Studies Program and Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, May 14, 2010
10. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, Ph.D.. Diné, Associate Professor, Northern Arizona University, May 15, 2010
11. Dr. Joanne R. DiNova, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, May 16, 2010
12. CJ Dosch, Syracuse University, May 14
13. Qwo-Li Driskill, Texas A&M University, May 15, 2010
14. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Professor Emeritus, Department of Ethnic Studies/Native American Studies, California State University East Bay
15. Larry Emerson, Diné , Diné (Navajo) scholar, artist and farmer, May 14, 2010
16. Michelle Erai, Assistant Professor, Women's Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
17. Paul GhostHorse, May 16, 2010
18. Inez GhostHorse, May 16, 2010
19. Zae GhostHorse, May 16, 2010
20. Julia Good Fox, Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholar, Pawnee Nation, 14 May 2010
21. Bryan James Gordon, MA, Joint PhD Program in Linguistics and Anthropology, University of Arizona, 5-16-10
22. Benjamin Grimshaw, Unemployed Scholar in Detroit, 5-15-201
23. Rev. Clyde E. Grubbs, Unitarian Universalist Minister, May 14, 2010
24. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee), President, The Morning Star Institute, Washington, DC, May 14, 2010
25. Mattie Harper (Anishinaabe - Bois Forte Band), UC Berkeley, May 14, 2010
26. George Hartley, Ohio University, May 14, 2010
27. Patricia Penn Hilden, Professor Emerita, Native American History/Comparative Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley, May 16, 2010
28. Dr. Robert J. Hill, University of Georgia, Institute of Native American Studies, May 16, 2010
29. Lynne Horiuchi, Visiting Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California at Berkeley May 16, 2010
30. Michelle Jacob, University of San Diego/Yakama, 5-14-10
31. Daniel Morley Johnson, University of Alberta, 14 May 2010
32. Val Natonabah Jones, University of New Mexico (NAS/BUS), 5/15/10
33. Neal Keating, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, SUNY Brockport May 14, 2010
34. Penelope Kelsey, Associate Professor, English Department, University of Colorado, May 15, 2010
35. Lloyd L. Lee, Ph.D.. University of New Mexico, May 15, 2010
36. Amy Lonetree, University of California, Santa Cruz, Ho-Chunk Nation, May 14, 2010
37. Sarah Lozo, Syracuse University, May 14
38. Scott Richard Lyons, Syracuse University, May 14
39. Glenabah Martinez, Associate Professor of Education, University of New Mexico College of Education, Taos Pueblo and Navajo Nation, May 14, 2010
40. Erin McCarley, May 15, 2010
41. Lily Mendoza, Oakland University, May 15, 2010
42. Michael Miller, Syracuse University, May 14, 2010
43. Angela Morrill, PhD Candidate, Ethnic Studies Department at UC San Diego, 5/14/2010
44. Jenell Navarro, Claremont Graduate University, May 16, 2010
45. Jose Navarro, University of Southern California, May 16, 2010
46. Lucia Orth, Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholar, May 16, 2010
47. Simon J. Ortiz, Arizona State University, May 14, 2010
48. James W. Perkinson, Intercultural Communication Studies , Oakland University, May 15, 2010
49. Renya Ramirez, Native American Studies, UC Santa Cruz, May 16, 2010
50. Debbie Reese, Nambe Pueblo, Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies, University of Illinois
51. Michelle Richmond-Saravia, Anishinabek Nation, M'Ed. Candidate, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada, May 15, 2010
52. Kimberly Robertson (Muscogee) , University of California, Los Angeles
53. Dylan Rodríguez, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Riverside, 5-14-10
54. Kimberly Robertson, UCLA, May 17, 2010
55. Dean Itsuji Saranillio, University of California, Riverside, May 16, 2010
56. Dr. Jeffrey P. Shepherd, University of Texas at El Paso, May 16, 2010
57. Michael W. Simpson, Citizen of the Universe, Brother to All beings, May 15, 2010
58. Andrea Smith, Media and Cultural Studies/Ethnic Studies – UC Riverside, May 14, 2010
59. Dr. Lisa Tatonetti, Associate Professor, English Department, Kansas State University, May 16, 2010
60. Daphne Taylor-García, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, May 15, 2010
61. Christopher B. Teuton, University of Denver, Citizen of the Cherokee Nation, 5/14/2010
62. Patricia Torres, UCLA Urban Planning PhD Student, INCITE! LA member, 5/14/2010
63. Dr. Edward Valandra, (Sicangu Lakota Oyate), Associate Professor and Chair, American Indian Studies, University of South Dakota, May 14, 2010
64. Myla Vicenti Carpio, Jicarilla Apache, Arizona State University, May 15, 2010
65. Jace Weaver, Cherokee, University of Georgia, May 14, 2010
66. Laura Adams Weaver, Department of English and Inst. of Native American Studies, University of Georgia, May 15, 2010
67. Tisa Wenger, Assistant Professor of American Religious History, Yale University Divinity School, May 17 2010

Raul Alcaraz- Voices From The AZ Struggle STOP SB1070

Raul Alcaraz, Tucson activist for migrants and the LGBT community speaks at a rally against the hate law SB1070 at the University Of Arizona. May 5, 2010

Tucson: Indigenous peoples against SB1070 & HB2281

Mohawk Women Condemn Fascist Arizona Law

Mohawk Nation News
http://www.mohawknationnews.com

MNN. May 14, 2010. On November 7, 2007 the Women Title Holders presented the Mohawk position to the Indigenous ‘Border’ Summit held at the Tohono O’Odham Territory. A wall is being built through the middle by Mexico and the US. Arizona’s new illegal laws on racial profiling and censoring truth in Arizona is trying to declare war on Indigenous and international law. They are destined to lose.

TO: The invaders of Great Turtle Island, all their criminal agencies and their international terrorist allies.

RE: Rotino’shonni:onwe freedom to traverse Onowaregeh, Great Turtle Island, and beyond without hindrance from the invading aliens and their agents; and to conduct trade and commerce without interference.

PREAMBLE: Only we, the original peoples, have sovereign authority on Onowaregeh, Great Turtle Island. We cannot forfeit our natural birthright. We survived mass murder, chemical and biological warfare, starvation, physical and mental torture, lies, ignorance and genocide.

Fabricated colonial nations of Canada, US and Mexico and other corporate ‘franchises’ of Europe are squatting on Indigenous lands that leech off our peoples and resources.

WAMPUM 44 Kaianereh’kowa [our constitution]. We the Kohtihon’tia:kwenio – Women Title Holders – are the caretakers of the land, water and air of “Onowaregeh”; we have the duty to preserve and protect the land for the future generations.

a.WHEREAS the Two Row Wampum Agreement and Wampum 58 of the Kaianereh’kowa, the Great Law, stipulate that no one shall restrict our freedom of passage on our lands and beyond; these imaginary lines [borders] were created by foreign capitalist corporations named “Canada”, “US” and “Mexico”. They illegally usurped and divided up our lands and resources, without our knowledge or consent; and we will continue to assert our sovereignty and alliances among our nations as we have done since time immemorial.

b.WHEREAS respect for our rights to our land are acknowledged in the “constitutions” of Canada and the US; they are not sovereign because they can never have our land.

c.WHEREAS the Charter of the United Nations requires respect by all members for equal rights and self-determination of all peoples; and to resolve differences peacefully.

d.WHEREAS these three colonies must respect our political rights as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide, UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international legal instruments.

e.WHEREAS General Assembly Resolution 1541 [XV] requires the informed consent of the people before they are included in another state, as affirmed by the international Court of Justice in the Western Sahara case. Sovereignty rests only with the people. We cannot become part of the colonial states that are squatting on our land. Canada, US and Mexico cannot force us to become citizens without our knowledge and consent.

f.WHEREAS according to article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Sections 1 and 2, every nation has a right to its nationality; and no nation can change another nation’s identity by imposing restrictions to travel, trade and commerce throughout all of the Americas.

g.WHEREAS these immigrants to our lands are committed to uphold equality of all peoples.

h.WHEREAS Canada, US, Mexico and all other colonial states cannot legally encroach on the true Indigenous people; and our perspectives on us, our land, resources, air and water cannot be ignored.

i.WHEREAS foreign invaders cannot force us to carry alien passports and other identity; we have agreements and identification to travel the lands of our Indigenous allies. The “Haudenosaunee Passport” is for travel outside of Onowaregeh.

j.WHEREAS the Two Row Wampum Agreement provides we are free to pass and re-pass by land or inland navigation or by air onto our territories; to carry on trade and commerce with each other; we may hunt and fish anywhere on our territory; foreigners cannot extort taxes, duties or fees from us; and we shall have free passage over all toll roads and bridges that have been built on Onowaregeh.

k.WHEREAS human life is sacred to us; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that every human being has the inherent right to life and fundamental freedom; these three colonies must stop murdering and detaining our people for crossing their illegally imposed economic borders.

l.WHEREAS the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been adopted by a majority of 144 states; we claim as collectives and as individuals all the human rights and fundamental freedoms provided in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international law, without forced assimilation, destruction of our culture and undermining of our nations.

m.WHEREAS torture is intentional, premeditated, systemic and scientific; it is designed to break down our dignity, social fabric and foment terror within our Peoples.

WE, THE KOHTIHON’TIA:WENIO, GIVE FULL NOTICE THAT:

Canada, US, Mexico and other colonial franchises must cease and desist their attempts to violate our authority; they must deal with us on a nation-to-nation basis as required by our inherent rights and international law; these foreign entities must go through proper diplomatic channels, which are the Governor General of Canada and the Presidents of the US and Mexico.

WE, THE KOHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO, AS MEMBERS OF THE ROTINO’SHONNI:ONWE, DEMAND THAT THE COLONIES OF CANADA, US, MEXICO OR ANY OF THEIR FRANCHISES, CORPORATIONS AND AGENTS:

1.Respect our inherent rights, laws, ancient customs, traditions and agreements.

2.Be held responsible for murder, torture and theft, which are violations of the Great Law, Two Row Wampum, the first laws of the Americas and international law; disarm, stop detaining, murdering, torturing, raping and robbing us; and stop imposing their illegal judicial harassment and prison system on us.

3.Put away their guns and corporate by-laws so we can resolve our differences peacefully by rediscovering the spirit of the Two Row Wampum and the Covenant Chain that affirmed our international relationship centuries ago.

4.Disband their puppet band and tribal councils; restore proper diplomatic relations with our inherent traditional governments; and respect their agreements with us and their obligations under international law.

5.Abuse of people on any basis, especially race, religion, nationality, belief or membership in any social group in unacceptable; colonizers must become partners with us to end the cycle of abuse, criminalization of our people, and to extend dignity, equality and a voice to all.

6.We extend our message to all peoples oppressed by colonizing forces.

KOHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO OF THE KANION’KE:HAKA OF THE ROTINO’SHONNI:ONWE: