Why Should we Be Part of the Cucapa Encampment?
from www.infoshop.org
March 20, 2007

1. The Cucapa Camp is an Essential Part of La Otra Campana: The aim of La Otra Campana is no more and no less than TO TAKE MEXICO BACK peacefully— through a democratic process of building a (trans) national horizontal network connecting up all the grassroots local struggles, together developing a new social agenda, social contract or constitution and at a strategic moment, in the near future, taking national coordinated action, like a national strike that is peaceful but massive. The ideal is that Chicanos and Mexicanos and all their relations be part of that strategy–not just supportive of, but and integral part of every stage of this strategy.

2. A Profound Structural Democratic Transformation In Mexico Means Movement Towards a Profound Structural Democratic Transformation In the U.S.: When the bottom left takes back Mexico, the U.S. undemocratic system will be seriously ill and weakened. Neoliberal Mexico is politically an important extension of the U.S. , and the U.S. depends on Mexico economically. When civil society takes Mexico away from the capitalists, it will be a serious amputation of one the U.S.’s major limbs. Such an amputation will cut deep into current U.S. ‘s geographic, political and imperialist psychological domains.

3. La Otra Campana is the Most Correct Immigration Policy : The Mexican Nation-Peoples (as oppossed to the Mex. Nation state) includes about 30-35 million people of Mexican descent that have been economically expelled from Mexico and now live in the U.S., who under an other (real democratic) Mexico would have a right to return and the right of return of land. There will be no more economic need to cross the border under life and death pressure.

4. La Otra Campana Necessarily Entails a Transnational Strategy: La Otra Campana, although at the moment, is focused on taking back the territory of the current Mexican Nation State, is about taking it for and by the Mexican Nation Peoples and inspiring others to do the same wherever they are. La Otra Campana is a struggle of a Nation Peoples living and struggling on both sides of an arbitrary and capitalist based nation-state border line. La Otra Campana is a National Struggle carried out by Trans-National Peoples.

5. The Cucapa Encampment Signals Out the Central Role of the Indigenous Struggles: The Cucapa encampment is the first step of the second phase of La Otra Campana and it initiates, introduces and further develops the pivotal role of the Indigenous Peoples of Mexico, whose wisdom and courage is the back bone of the left and the bottom. The Cucapa Encampment embodies all the typical genocidal policies of neoliberal capitalism. Stripped of their natural sources of food because of the dams, the Cucapa today depend on selling their labor at super exploitive rates and fishing in the mouth of the Colorado River Delta which is now being prohibited. The encampment is to shed global light on this genocide. So important is this particular struggle to the general and long term that La Comision 6xta of the Zapatista will also be part of the campers.

6. The particpation of Chicanos and “naturalized” Mexicanos is key: We as natural bridges and links to local struggles on both sides. We can bring key resources both to the particular Cucapa struggle as well as to the general and long term Otra Campana democratic struggle. We can also camp out with the Cucapa to witness the applied policies of neoliberal capitalism. As such, our role as Chicanos and Mexicanos (or of progressives on this side of the border) is not one of support or solidarity work but one of carrying out our part of a regional and in this case transnational strategy.

How Can We Be Part of the Cucupa Encampment and the Overall Otra Campana?

1. Visit and/or Camp-out: Organize a Caravan to the Cucapa Encampment: We call on all progressive individuals to participate by visiting the camp, and if possible camping out. We expect people from all over Mexico , the U.S. and other countries to participate. We are encouraging all students and student organizations such as MEChA to take group spring breaks at the encampment . The same goes for

2. Fundraising: Individual donations, fundraisers, raffles, t-shirt sales, silent auctions and more ways that you can be part

3. Outreach: Get the information out to others. We especially want to reach out to our multicultural grassroots friends and families.

4. Meetings: Banda Martes, which is dedicated to working as part of La Otra here in Los Angeles, has regular meetings at the Eastside Cafe on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm. The ESC is located at 5469 Huntington Drive North (corner w/Maycrest) in El Sereno, Los Angeles 90032.

Go to Cucapa Website

More Information (on this site)

Cucapá Camp Regulations
International Invitation to Peace Encampments
Watch – Resistir para Existir: La Lucha de los Cucapa (eng subs)