[Imc-newsroom] Hi (fwd)

[Regina Day Langhout]

Hi Pedro-

Thanks for the lead. I'm posting your e-mail to the urbana-act listserv,
which is the listserv that includes many people who went to Q.City or
provided home support. I'm also posting it to the Indy Media Center.

I'm not sure if your friend wants info to set up an interview, or just
wants a short statement. So, I'll include a short statement and also let
you know that people should be returning today and tomorrow. Someone who
went to Q.City who wants to do an interview, if one materializes, should
contact Pedro directly. Pedro, you may also want to direct your friend to
the IMC web page at www.urbana.indymedia.org. From there, he can read
stories and link to other imc's that are near him. On our IMC page, we
have some stories that were aired on WEFT. If he has the technology, I
bet he could play the stories on his radio program. Oh, does he want
someone who speaks English, Spanish, another language?

Here's something to give to him in the meantime:

On Wednesday, April 18, 16 activists and Independent Media Center
reporters left Urbana, IL for Quebec City, Canada to join approximately
40,000 others to protest and document protests and activities at the
Summit of the Americas. The Summit of the Americas took place from Friday,
April 20 to Sunday, April 22. The main agenda item for the Summit was the
Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA. Many protestors and opponents
are concerned that the FTAA document has been kept secret from the general
public and elected officials. Those who have access to the document are
the Trade Ministers from each nation (34 in all) and approximately 500
corporations.  Protestors would like the document to be made public so
that others, besides corporations, can comment and potentially make
changes to the document. The FTAA would extend Free Trade to all of the
Americas except for Cuba. Based on the the information that is available,
it appears that there are no working groups with sanctioned power around
labor or environmental issues.  Like NAFTA and the WTO, it is believed
that the FTAA would sacrifice the environment and worker's rights for
corporate profit, and would make it possible for corporations to sue
countries if their environmental, labor, or safety regulations served as a
"barrier" to free trade. Corporations could sue companies not only for
lost profits, but profits they project they would have received had there
been no "barriers" to free trade.

Activists in Quebec City were met by a 4 meter high steel fence, set into
concrete bases and tipped with barbed wire, to keep them from the Summit
of the Americas. The wall is symbolic of the lack of democracy and general
refusal to listen to people's concerns with free trade. Activists were
also met by tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and bean bag bullets.
Currently, a class action lawsuit is being put together because of the
violation of civil rights faced by many who were arrested. Additionally,
two high profile organizers were kidnapped by plain clothes police.

Over three days of protests, activists were able to disrupt the meeting
for a few hours. Some individuals participating in the Summit elected to
leave early. Additionally, a draft chapter of the FTAA document has been
released. Other chapters may also be released, but the timing is currently
unknown.

In order for the FTAA to be law, countries must enact the provisions. In
the United States, it is important to pressure our elected officials to
not reinstate fast tracking. Fast tracking will limit debate on the FTAA
provisions when they are introduced, and make it impossible for
legislators to make amendments to the provisions.

The 16 activists from Urbana, Il are returning to Urbana on Monday and
Tuesday, April 23 and 24. They will be available for comment and
interviews upon their return. They can speak to their own experiences and
news that they gathered while in Quebec City. For more information and
breaking news, visit the Independent Media Center's web page at
www.urbana.indymedia.org

______________________________________________________
How does one become a butterfly? she asked pensively.
You must want to fly so much that you are willing to
give up being a caterpillar.
				-Trina Paulus

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 13:01:15 -0500 (CDT)
From: Pedro Poitevin <poitevin at math.uiuc.edu>
To: Regina Day Langhout <rlanghou at s.psych.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Hi

Hi Gina,

I have a contact in the Bilingual Community Radio of Fresno, California
(its programs are often aired throughout the whole State of California)
who is interested in interviewing people in Quebec City.  All I need is a
brief statement describing who we are and the situation we are in. I
thought it would be better for you or someone else to write this
statement.  I will forward it to him, and hopefully push for another
interview with them ASAP, with the advantage that we can set it up in
advance.

Pedro.