RE: Sat. June 20th, 2009, Chicano Mexicano Prison Project Annual Conference/Summit On Raza Prisoners and Colonialism.

June 8, 2009

On June 20th, 2009, the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP), under the theme of “WE ARE ALL PRISONERS”, will organized its 12th annual conference on “Raza Prisoners and Colonialism”. The CMPP (a project of Unión del Barrio), since its founding in 1993, has pointed to the fact that one of the sharpest struggles against U.S. Capitalism/Colonialism (world domination by US. Imperialism) is concentrated in the fight against Police/Ice and Prison Terror faced Mexican, African, and other oppressed nations within what some people call the “United States”.

We continue to witness how more and more, Raza are being sent to jails or prisons; and our young people are found by the thousands in detention centers, camps, and juvenile halls. Not only are these concentration camps used to terrorize and break the spirit of resistance, they are also utilized to keep the masses of our people from exercising their human and democratic rights, and from joining a movement that will liberate us politically, as well as liberating the lands that were stolen from us by European setters and colonialists.

TODOS SOMOS PRISIONEROS

For more than 15 years now, the CMPP has been one of the few Raza groups that explains the question of mass incarceration of Mexicanos/Raza as part of the struggle for national liberation and one connected to the struggle between the forces of liberation and oppression being fought throughout the world. We have exposed to the world, that the locking up of hundreds of thousands of Raza and the ongoing raids in our community by ICE and other police agencies, have literally made all of us, both those in and outside of the institutions, prisoners.

Those who have attended or are informed about the CMPP conferences know that the conferences demonstrate our consistency and commitment to struggle. They have been spaces where like-minded Raza have gathered to share ideas, experiences, and tactics of struggle. Literary hundreds of people have had an opportunity to speak out and to learn by attending CMPP events.

BREAKING THE CHANINS OF OUR OPPRSSION AND TEARING DOWN THE WALLS

One of aims of the CMPP is to inform the world, that one of the communities most affected by Prison Industrial Complex has been La Raza (Mexicanos, Centroamericanos, Puertoriqueños, etc.). Yet, the truth is, there have been attempts by some forces within left (so-called socialists) and NGOs (non-government orgs), both consciously and non-consciously, to deny us a voice and leadership in this particular area social struggle. A practice which has led, more often than not, to a wall of isolation between Mexicano/Raza prison rights activists and the anti-prison movement in general and specifically in relationship to how the world understands the conditions in which of the Mexican Raza communities exist within the borders of the United States.

Hence, breaking the chains of our oppression from the capitalist colonialist system and tearing downs walls of isolation that separates us from the national liberation movements throughout the world, have become central goals of the work of the CMPP.

JOIN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITALIST-COLONIAL PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

As we have expressed before, if you tired of the reformist response to the question of prison brutality and terror, and want to be part of a gathering where activist are thinking “outside the box” and searching for more effective methods to use in our struggle against the Capitalist-Colonial Prison Industrial Complex –then definitely– this conference is an event should attend.

The conference is set to begin promptly at 11 AM and end at 4 PM. It will be held at 1000 Cesar Chavez Los Angeles, Ca. 90033. There will be literature, books, posters, art display, and other information. More information on the conference and the days’ agenda (program), will posted on the net by June 12, 2009. The conference is free, but if you would like to ensure a space, please pre-register by communicating to us through the e-mail address below. Send us your complete name, organization affiliation (if any), your address and phone numbers.

See web: uniondelbarrio.org

Send message to: ebustill@aol.com

2009 CMPP CONFERENCE BULLETIN #1.

May 22, 2009

“Todos Somos Prisioneros/We Are All Prisoners!”

On Sat. June 20th, 2009, the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP) will be organizing its annual conference/summit on the question of “Raza Prisoners and Colonialism”. The conference will be held in Los Angeles, Califaztlán.

Under the theme of “Todos Somos Prisioneros (We Are All Prisoners), the objectives of the conference will be:
1. To provide Raza activists an opportunity to share and learn from each other’s experiences.
2. To network and unite prisoner rights activists/workers as a way of building a movement that can really challenge those institutions that oppress and exploit our communities.
3. To inform our community and the world, the terror and brutality faced by Mexican/Raza locked-up in prisons throughout Occupied America (United States).
4. Expose the Prison Industrial Complex and its relationship that capitalism and colonialism (imperialism).

The conference will include a panel-presentation of activists and a “circulo de discusión” (discussion circle) where everyone attending will have a voice in finding solutions to the colonial oppression of our communities and the mass incarceration of Mexican/Raza men, women, and children. The CMPP’s aim is to create a revolutionary response to the racist-colonialist imprisonment of our people; a response that opposes the policies of the ruling class and upholds the interests of the workers and the poor, who are the majority of our community.

If you are tired of reformist reactions to the daily oppression and racism faced by our communities, then this is the conference for you attend.

Share, Learn, and Struggle. Join us on June 20, 2009