features archive

A 19-year old Swedish human rights worker had her cheekbone broken by an Israeli settler in Hebron today. Tove Johansson from Stockholm walked through the Tel Rumeida checkpoint with a small group of human rights workers to accompany Palestinian schoolchildren to their homes. They were confronted by about 100 settlers in small groups, who started chanting in Hebrew "We killed Jesus, we'll kill you too!", a refrain the settlers had been repeating to internationals in Tel Rumeida all day.

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Update Nov 21: Tove is still in hospital where she will remain for the next few days before returning to Sweden to receive ongoing treatment there. As well as a broken cheekbone Tove has a fractured skull and damage to her eye muscles. A complaint was filed with the police in Kiryat Arba where eye-witness statements and photo evidence was submitted. However, according to a report by Israeli human rights group Yesh Din 90% of complaints filed against Israelis to the "Samaria and Judea District" police were closed without indictments being issued.

A 19-year old Swedish human rights worker had her cheekbone broken by a Jewish extremist in Hebron today. Earlier the same day at least five Palestinians, including a 3-year-old child, were injured by the settler-supporting extremists, who rampaged through Tel Rumeida hurling stones and bottles at local residents. Palestinian schoolchildren on their way home were also attacked. The Israeli army, which was intensively deployed in the area, did not intervene to stop the attacks.

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The campaign to Un-Dam the Klamath and Bring the Klamath Salmon Home to Oregon has reached it's most important point. The campaign to Un-Dam the Klamath and Bring the Klamath Salmon Home to Oregon has reached it's most important point. Please help the fishermen, Native people, and residents of the Klamath to Save the Salmon. Send a write a comment this month.

Related: 9/27/06: FERC under GW Bush regime contributes to genocide | 3/29/06: Fishermen Protest after Coho Die-off | 9/25/05: Tribes host film/discussion in Portland | 7/12/04: Tribes host protest in Southern Oregon and Scotland for Klamath Salmon

klamathrestoration.org

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Is it a crime to publicly honor black death-row prisoner and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal (convicted of killing white Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in a 1982 trial that Amnesty International has declared a "violation of minimum international standards that govern fair trial procedures and the use of the death penalty")?

Future Philadelphia mayoral candidate Peter J. Wirs thinks so. Acting as the Chairman of Philadelphia's 59th Republican Ward Executive Committee, Wirs has filed criminal charges against the French cities of Paris and St. Denis. Their crime?

In 2003 Abu-Jamal was declared an honorary citizen of Paris—the first time since Pablo Picasso was similarly honored in the 1970s. This April, the French city of St. Denis (a Paris suburb) named a major street after him. Located in the Cristino Garcia District of the city (named after an anti-Franco Spanish Republican), Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal leads directly to the largest sports arena in Europe: "Nelson Mandela Stadium."

www.insubordination.blogspot.com

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Omoyele Sowore is a Nigerian Oil activist traveling through the United States educating people about tragic conditions in his country caused by our planetary addiction to petroleum. He spoke of the pollution of the Niger delta in Africa, of torture, of rampant and escalating poverty in a country producing 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, 25% of which goes to the U.S. Niger is the 6th largest producer of oil in the world.

RealPlayer | MP3

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Oaxaca occupies a sacred place in my heart; her mountains, coast, mole and native corns nourished my spirit for a good part of the years I lived in Mexico and her people-mis companeros/as-have been my teachers and friends.

But this has been a sad couple of weeks.

October 31 I found myself locked to the front door of the Mexican Consulate in Portland, Oregon to protest the violent repression against the People's Popular Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO), a peaceful resistance movement in Oaxaca. ((more))

pdx oaxacan solidarity actions monday n20 -- The people of Oaxaca are engaged in a courageous struggle to build a popular democratic government that values citizens over corrupt political and economic interests. They are taking back their government from a discredited governor and those who use violence to keep him in power. The people of Oaxaca now face a repressive occupation by Federal military police forces and terrorist acts of disappearances. ((more))

Oaxaca Solidarity Demonstrations in the US on Monday, November 20th -- "On November 20, blockades will be set up to show the Mexican government we mean business. We are calling upon YOU to join in these blockades. That could mean blockading the consulates' websites, jamming their phone lines with calls about the conflict in Oaxaca, occupying the offices of the consuls, or shutting down the roads around the consulates in whatever way you see fit." ((more))

FLYER: Oaxaca Resources -- Here is a flyer which can be printed, copied and distributed as an organizing resource. It is available in color, black and white, rotated, jpg and pdf. Oaxaca Indymedia, Centro de Medios Libres, Narco News, Oaxaca Revolt, Indybay's Americas page and El Enemigo Común are the resources printed on the flyer, as well as an email address, oaxaca-subsrcibe@lists.riseup.net, which can be used to join the Oaxaca solidarity alert list. ((more))

Zapatista Intergalactic Call to Action - November 20 -- To the people of Oaxaca who are calling on us, and because of this we are also making a CALL. We should show our commitment to each other in our actions. They are not alone. Just as the compañer@s of the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca are showing us their dignity in struggle. The call is to create peaceful actions. The occupation of embassies, blockades, marches, encampments, meetings, and protests everywhere in the world on the 1st of November 2006 and again on the 20th of November of the same year. Let us create this global mobilization together on November 1st and November 20th. ((more))

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The press has almost completely blacked out this news in mainstream press. A long time Chicago activist, artist and contributer to the Chicago jazz scene has burned himself alive in an act of protest against the iraq war. He is only one of 10 Americans in history to have done this. Buddist monks did this during the VietNam war. On Friday, November 3, a man doused his body with gasoline and set himself afire to protest the war in Iraq. He died quietly in flames. His name was Malachi Ritscher.

Haven't seen it in the news? Me neither, which is kind of strange if you ask me, considering that it happened right here in downtown Chicago in front of hundreds of commuters during morning rush hour. The only conventional newspaper coverage to date was a tiny paragraph that appeared in the Saturday edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. Since then...nothing.

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Bummer! I just learned that Free Geek, Portland's computer recycling non-profit ("Helping the needy get nerdy") has been broken into and several laptops / LCD monitors were stolen. Please report suspected stolen laptops / LCD monitors (being sold on Craigslist, on the street, etc.) to Free Geek. They track the serial numbers of items and could likely tell you if something was stolen from them, if you are able to obtain the serial number. If someone tries to sell you any of these things and refuses to give the serial number, or otherwise acts suspicious, notify the police (on the chance that they can distract themselves from harassing immigrants and shooting mentally handicapped people) and give them as much detail as you can. [ Read More ] [ Free Geek Breakin \ Free Geek ]

IPRC Robbed!

Portland Independent Publishing Resource Center, a nonprofit devoted to facilitating creative expression, was broken into and robbed on Sunday night sometime after 8 p.m. Thieves stole our main computer (an apple G5), which housed the records for our library of over 5500 zines, our member/user database, and more. Theives also took two computer monitors, and in true grinchy fashion, the covers of the couch cushions (presumably to carry away our items). If you know anything about this robbery, or can help in some way, please email our temporary email address: iprcoutreach@yahoo.com or call (503) 827 0249 thanks! [ Read More ] [ IPRC ]

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For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, and eat the traditional turkey, please consider making this year a more compassionate one and skipping the animal. Many people choose "free range," thinking the welfare issue is solved, but as it turns out, "free range" frequently isn't much better than factory farmed, in terms of animal welfare.

What about Free-Range Turkeys? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the single condition for the term "free-range" is that birds have access to the outdoors. All other facets of a free-range turkey's life can be indistinguishable from the living conditions of a conventionally raised bird. Like all other turkeys raised for food, free-range turkeys receive no protection under the law. Turkeys - all birds, in fact - are excluded from coverage under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. All animals raised for food are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. Free-range turkeys suffer the same inhumane transportation and slaughter processes as factory-farmed turkeys. Their flesh is also subject to many of the same contamination issues as factory-farmed turkey flesh because free-range turkeys are taken to the same slaughterhouses as factory-farmed turkeys. As line speeds in slaughterhouses increase, so does the frequency of fecal contamination.

[ Read More ] [ Investigative rescue at a free-range turkey farm in Northern California | PETA's undercover investigation of Butterball | Gentle Thanksgiving ]

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For Immediate Release: 11/17/06
Green Scare Continues, Further Subpoenas Possible

After spending almost six months in jail without being accused of any crime, Jeff Hogg has been released from imprisonment. On May 18, 2006, Hogg, a nursing student and caregiver for disabled adults, was jailed for civil contempt after he declined to testify before a federal grand jury allegedly investigating "eco-sabotage" cases. His incarceration led to public outcry and support efforts in Eugene and beyond. Hogg was released from the Josephine County jail in Grant's Pass, Oregon, Wednesday evening, rejoining his partner and community.

"I'm happy to be free and not to have compromised my principles in the face of the abusive grand jury system." Jeff Hogg stated from his home in Eugene, Oregon. Hogg's attorney, Paul Loney, of Portland, Oregon added, "While Jeff Hogg's liberty is restored, he is still subject to a new subpoena from a future empanelled grand jury..."

Civil Liberties Defense Center | Thank You From Grand Jury Resistor Jeff Hogg

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Animal Rights Activist Found in Civil Contempt but Not Jailed

San Francisco -- Animal rights activist Nadia Winstead was found in civil contempt today [November 17] by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston for invoking her constitutional rights and refusing to testify before a federal grand jury. Winstead's attorney, Mark Goldrosen, immediately requested that Winstead be released on her own recognizance pending an appeal that will be filed with the Ninth Circuit Court. Instead, judge Illston stayed enforcement of the contempt order for two weeks to allow Winstead to file the appeal. Winstead had previously been denied a motion to compel the government to reveal whether unlawful electronic surveillance was used to obtain information included in her subpoena.

Independent journalist Josh Wolf remains in jail as a result of a civil contempt ruling after he refused to provide unpublished video footage of a July 2005 anti-G8 protest to a federal grand jury in San Francisco. After losing his appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court, Wolf has remained in prison since September 22. The federal grand jury to which Wolf was subpoenaed convened in early 2006 to investigate alleged damage to a police car that supposedly occurred during the protests. Wolf could be imprisoned until July 2007.

FBIWitchHunt.com | joshwolf.net/grandjury

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I am a 48 year old man living in Keizer. I am a Business Professional, my wife is a career Oregon State Corrections Officer. I was at my son's apartment, he's 26, on X-mas eve 2005 with him and a friend of his. We had been there about half an hour playing cards when a knock came to the door. I answered it to find two police officers standing outside and inquiring about a Hispanic man that they thought to live there. I told them I didn't know them and that my son lived there. They asked my son's name and checked my ID. Fifty minutes later they came to the back patio area looking for my son who apparently had a 7 year old misdemeanor warrant still outstanding. This was at midnight and the back area was completely in darkness. I was inside just coming out of the restroom when I seem a light being shown on my son and his friend. I stepped through the sliding glass door and not even realizing it was the police or that there was trouble I told them to get in the apartment. My son stepped in and I followed and started to shut the door when the police broke through the fenced patio and rushed the door. The first one pushed me aside and commanded my son to get to the ground, which he did. I asked the police what this was all about and he told me about the warrant. I was confused and kept looking at my son. The cop continued to shout to get on the ground which only confused me more because he was already down. About the time I figured out that he was talking to me another cop came in and threw me into the sliding glass door and then to the carpet. I fully cooperated and offered my hands to be restrained. Within 5 seconds of being on the ground, with one hand cuffed and the cop sitting on my back a police dog came in and started to rip at my right foot. It pulled off my shoe and began to mutilate my foot. I began to scream and try to get my foot out of it's mouth. The police tried 5 times to get the dog to release and the more I struggled the more the dog would try to pull me out from under the cop. The cop "Tased" me to get me to quit moving so the dog would stop. The "Tasing" lasting 20-30 seconds and blood came out of both ears...

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Can you believe it?

Brunch with Gordon did not happen again, he was a no show for the fourth consecutive week. I think he may be avoiding me. I guess he is fearful of debating an old vet who just wants to know why he continues to support the murder of our military and the people of Iraq.

I was listening to Thom Hartmann on Friday and his guest was Bernie Sanders, senator-elect from the state of Vermont. Bernie Sanders is not a democrat or a republican, he is an independent socialist. He cares about the veterans who are being screwed by the Bush Administration and the Gorgon Smith. He will serve on the committee that oversees veteran's benefits and will work for the complete treatment of injuries of our beloved soldiers who are injured during their time serving as our protectors from our enemies. Soldiers do not question, they obey orders and will go where "We" tell them to go. They trust us to send them to places where they are needed, and "We" have lied to them. We must bring them home as soon as possible. Stop talking and get them out of Iraq.

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Today, the Secretary of State issued a letter stating his intent not to implement any of Measure 47, despite the fact that it was enacted by voters in the November election.

"I am not going to comment a lot on the Secretary of State's letter, until I have a chance to discuss it with Hardy Myers." said Dan Meek, a volunteer lawyer with FairElections Oregon. "No one in Oregon government consulted with any of the supporters of Measure 47 before issuing this letter."

"I disagree that the substantive provisions of Measure 47 can be disregarded. The letter assumes that all of the limits on political contributions are unconstitutional, without any judicial determination of that conclusion. The reasoning in the letter appears to be circular, and assumes the existence of a court decision on Measure 47 that does not exist," said Meek.

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Tonight, the Citizens' Movement to Impeach Bush/Cheney were joined by about 40 supporters to ask the Olympia City Council to pass a resolution calling for an investigation to launch impeachment proceedings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

George Hartwell, the spokesperson for the group, stated, "We do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that our government has been taken over by a clique of extremists in Washington, DC who are bent on shredding the Constitution and our democracy."

In three short months, the Citizens' Movement collected over 2,000 signatures in support of an impeachment investigation.

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soooo... while the lame-duck congress in the US goes ahead with passing some of the most draconian laws yet, like the one they passed yesterday that makes protesting animal cruelty at a circus or an animal lab a terrorist act (!) -- which, by the way, goes right along with their stated priorities of 'who is a threat'...... ie. not bin laden or the saudis who fund him.... but instead, as the FBI has stated publicly on multiple occasions, their 'Number One Domestic Terrorist Threat' is the 'animal liberation front', an organization that has never ever been charged with killing or hurting anyone, but whose only purpose is to rescue animals from cruel conditions (!)....

and while a bunch of afghanis who were swept up in U.S. raids during the brutal U.S. invasion of their country in 2002 sit rotting away, forgotten by the world, in Guantanamo Bay prison -- a prison built on foreign soil by the U.S. military explicitly so that torture could be practiced there....... most of those prisoners probably civilians, and even if not, still subject to international regulations regarding the treatment of prisoners-of-war.....

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Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, New Orleans has remained in a state of devastation in many areas, especially poor and black neighborhoods. The city is in danger of losing its cultural diversity and character as a result of the plans of big developers to buy up land that poor people cannot afford to remediate and turn NOLA into a theme park version of itself!! In some neighborhoods such as the Lower Ninth Ward, many residents have been able to remain and retain a sense of community, albeit changed, through the support and solidarity of organizations such as Common Ground Relief. As many as 5,000 New Orleanians are displaced to Seattle and the Puget Sound. Many of these people are living in FEMA funded housing, but the assistance will run out.

Assistance is needed to help create a multimedia website that will also serve to help reunite people who have been separated since the hurricanes. Independent media support is needed to help record audio and video interviews with evacuees and build global awareness and support for Lagniappe Caravan and hurricane survivors in the Puget Sound and all around the nation. There will be a meeting for independent media support for this project in Seattle Dec. 16 or 17th. Please respond ASAP if you would like to attend.

Seattle Common Ground / Lagniappe Caravan | Common Ground Relief in NOLA
Sunday 11/19: Hip Hop Artist Talib Kweli Speaks in Solidarity with Katrina Survivors in Seattle

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After assaults, vandalisms, failed TRO attempts, a lawsuit, and recent police raids against 7 Los Angeles animal rights activists, one under-age protestor is found "not guilty" in juvi court on Wednesday. After 3 protests, activists are raided and cops can't even convict on "noise ordinance" violation.

Activists maintain that the fruit juice company, POM Wonderful, engages in cruel and unnecessary experiments on animals in an effort to exhort the supposed health benefits of pomegranate juice. Currently, the FDA does not require that animal tests be conducted in order for health claims to be made about food products. POM employees have been the subject of a total of three demonstrations and after failing on two occasions to obtain restraining orders against the protestors, POM Wonderful proceeded with a lawsuit against the small group of activists.

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San Francisco Federal Grand Jury Threatens Local Animal Activist with Jail

On Friday, Nov. 17, activists will rally at 10 a.m. in front of the Federal Building (450 Golden Gate Ave) in support of local animal advocate Nadia Winstead. Winstead may be ordered to jail at a hearing that morning by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the animal liberation movement.

Winstead and fellow activists were subpoenaed in June to appear before the grand jury. They asserted their constitutional rights against self incrimination and refused to cooperate with what they call government-sponsored harassment. These activists have been targeted before; they were also subpoenaed last year by a previous grand jury investigating the animal liberation movement. "This grand jury, like the last, is being used as a fishing expedition and as a way to intimidate activists in the animal liberation movement," Winstead said. "I refuse to participate in unconstitutional grand jury proceedings that have been used time and time again by this government to harass movements fighting for social change."

GreenIsTheNewRed.com | FBIWitchHunt.com

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I went to see Omoyele Sowore speak tonight at PSU. The room was filled with a good sized crowd, and the speaker was well worth listening to. I went, in part, because of the plans afoot to build a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) plant along the Columbia river and I wanted to know what we might be in for if that is allowed to proceed. I came away with a feeling of connection stretching from the gas tanks of our cars all the way across the oceans, to the oceans of blood flowing from Nigeria to Ecuador.

Omoyele Sowore spoke about the oil wars raging across the globe. Everywhere that oil has been discovered, he said, the people suffer. He described the once-pristine lakes and waterways in his home land on the Nigerian Delta. The water was crystal clear, the night sky filled with stars, and, as he said, "life was good." But oil was discovered there in the late 1950s, and slowly the poison of avarice spread across the land. He saw the waters of the lakes turn from crystal clear to murky, to black as oil as he neared the oil strongholds. He saw fish floating dead in the water, and then livestock floating dead in the water. And he saw the human sacrifices offered up to the multinational conglomerations making up Big Oil.

His words made a clear path of understanding through the haze of obfuscation that the corporate media has created to isolate and pacify the people of this country into silent complicity. And he shared with us his perception that we, too, are victims of this new, rising, corporate police state. He talked about the victimization of Americans through the Patriot Act, and I had the sense that we are all in this together. In the end, he asked us not just to be "inspired" by his words, but to ACT. We need to stop taking more than we need. As he put it, "It is in this compulsive consumption that all these killings take place." He reminded us that we are all complicit so long as we continue to over-consume without considering the cost.

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Plant-inspired Teachings on Gaian Evolution, Culture Change, and the Flowering of Humanity, a lecture with Dr. Morgan Brent Sponsored by City Repair and PIECEL Friday, November 17th, 7-9p Saturday, November 18th, 10a-3:30p Sponsored by City Repair and PIECEL Friday, November 17th, 7-9 pm on PSU Campus, SBA #190(631 SW Harrison) The sylvapolitan represents our potential to survive this era of great extinctions, to act as co-creative partners with the great Evolutionary intelligences of the planet, and flourish as a species.

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National Organization for Women's national Vice President Latifa Lyles coming to Oregon!

Latifa will be talking about Racial and Gender Justice: NOW's Platform for Action
Friday, November 17th noon-1:30PM In Other Words, Women's Books and Resources;
Friday, November 17th -- 6:30 PM NW Student Leaders Conference, PSU

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SDS/MDS Northwest Conference

THIS WEEKEND - Portland Students for a Democratic Society (PDXSDS) is hosting the First Northwest Regional SDS/MDS conference November 17th-19th. Workshops and discussion groups will be going on all day in the Miller Building at Lewis and Clark (0615 SW Palatine Hill Road) from November 18-19th. SDS is currently trying to form a radical, multi-issue, democratically organized group that is broad and inclusive - encompassing of the Left. A sister organization, Movement for a Democratic Society, was also created for those who did not consider themselves students. If you would like more information on the conference go to: www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org/nwregional

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Portland IWW Radical Bookfair & 17th Annual Joe Hill Night

Sunday, November 19th, Book fair 2PM, Joe Hill Night 7PM Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy, Portland (One block South of N. Fremont, 2 Blocks West of Vancouver) The first in what is planned as an annual event, the Portland Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is hosting a Radical Book fair. We're expecting over 20 New and Used Booksellers, Publishers and political organizations to participate, All donations collected will be used to help establish the Glaberman Memorial Library, the US' largest independent Labor Library. Local Bands, "General Strike" and "The Joe Hillbillies" will perform rabble-rousing songs interspersed with dramatic readings of action inspiring stories of Joe Hill and the IWW.

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November 17-19, 2006: Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action to Close the SOA! People from all walks of life from across the Western Hemisphere have begun to converge in Columbus, Georgia for the November vigil and nonviolent direct action to close the School of the Americas and to change the racist system of violence and repression that the school represents.

Civil rights veterans and other social justice activists who have been walking since November 12 in an historic march from Montgomery, Alabama to Columbus, Georgia, are expected to arrive here tomorrow to join the thousands who will converge at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia. Together, we will stand in solidarity with the people in Oaxaca, Mexico, and with all the people throughout the world who have become the targets of SOA-style repression, torture and injustice. Simultaneous internationally coordinated actions against the School of the Americas and U.S. militarism in Latin America are taking place over the next three days in Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, El Salvador and Colombia.

www.SOAW.org

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PAN Latin America partners in Paraguay seek global solidarity in response to the death of 11-year-old Silvino Talavera from pesticide spraying. The men responsible for Silvino's death have yet to be brought to justice, but Silvino's mother, Petrona Villasboa, continues to press forward, "One has to have strength to struggle. I will struggle to the very end, because I think of the large number of children that live in my community." The case is currently scheduled to expire in December. Your action is needed to help keep the case and court process moving forward.

RAP-AL: People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty

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