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<font size=3 color="#0000FF"><b>"STAND WITH HAITI":<br>
</b></font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=3 color="#FF0000"><b>24 cities and communities in
solidarity with Haiti during Haiti Emergency Earthquake International
Solidarity Week: <br>
</font><font size=3>A partial list of marches, demonstrations and
events:<br>
</b> <br>
<b>1. New York City </b>- Friday 1/29, <b>"Stand with Haiti"
Mass March across the Brooklyn Bridge. </b>Sponsored by New York's
Haitian community. Gather at 4 pm at Cadman Plaza Federal Building in
Brooklyn, and march across the bridge to the Federal Bldg at Foley Square
in Manhattan.<br>
<br>
Earlier in the week, on Wed. 1/27, 4:30 pm, there will be a demonstration
for Haiti and Honduras at Union Square, sponsored by Honduras USA
Resistencia and the International Action Center.<br>
<br>
<b>2. Montreal</b> - Mon. 1/25 at noon - Protest outside the Ministerial
Preparatory Conference on Haiti. The conference, called to plan
reconstruction financing for Haiti, will be attended by the foreign
ministers of the 3 countries that engineered the 2004 coup [US, France
& Canada], including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Bernard
Kouchner. Protest organized by Haiti Action Montreal, part of the Canada
Haiti Action Network (CHAN). Location: 999 University Street. Metro:
Square Victoria. Theme of the demonstration: <b>Haiti needs emergency
relief, not military intervention! </b>Protesters are also demanding a
temporary loosening of immigration controls to allow Haitians to enter
Canada. ** [See below] Interest in Haiti is high. The previous Friday
nearly 400 people packed a theater at Concordia University to see the
film <i>Aristide and the Endless Revolution</i>.<br>
<br>
<b>3. San Francisco</b> - Mon 1/25, Demonstration 5 pm, Powell &
Market (Powell Street BART), followed by a march through downtown San
Francisco. Sponsored by Haiti Action Committee, with sound provided by
the Answer Coalition. Demands include: <b>Get water, food and medicine to
the people now! Denounce the U.S. for militarizing and stalling the
relief effort! Return President Aristide from forced exile in South
Africa, as the vast majority of Haitians demand!<br>
</b> <br>
<b>4. Baltimore</b> - Monday, 1/25, 6:30 pm, demonstration for Haiti in
the well-traveled area near City Hall at 100 North Holliday Street.
Sponsored by International Action Center and the Bail Out the People
Movement. Demands include: <b>Demilitarize the Haiti relief effort! <br>
</b> <br>
<b>5. Toronto </b>- Thurs Jan 28 - 7pm. Eyewitness report from Haiti by
BC Holmes of the Toronto Haiti Action Committee, part of the Canada Haiti
Action Network. Event is being held at OISE, 252 Bloor Street West.
Report on an 11-day visit by a Canadian human rights delegation.
Co-sponsored by Pan African Solidarity Network.<br>
<br>
<b>6. Oakland, California</b> - Two weekend concerts for Haiti relief
capped a week of activities in Oakland to support the Haitian
people.<br>
<b>+++ The Vukani Mawethu Choir</b> and the musical group Troublemakers
Union packed the house at the Bay Area Christian Connection in Oakland on
Sat. 1/23, raising $4,000 for the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund and $1,000
for Partners in Health. [Concert sponsored by Haiti Action Committee and
Vukani Mawethu.]<br>
<b>+++</b> <b>The San Francisco Boys Chorus</b>, with mezzo sopranos
Frederica von Stade and Zheng Cao, filled Oakland's Cathedral of Christ
the Light on Sun.1/24, in a concert to benefit Catholic Charities' Haiti
project. The event was sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Oakland, and
the Bishop of Oakland spoke. <br>
<b>+++</b> Some 200 people came out in the rain on Martin Luther King
Day, to attend a <b>candlelight vigil for Haiti outside the Oakland
Federal Building</b>. Speakers included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, chair
of the Congressional Black Caucus; civil rights attorney Walter Riley,
chair of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, just returned from Haiti where
he witnessed the earthquake; Rev. Phil Lawson, with the Black Alliance
for Just Immigration (BAJI); Sister Maureen Duignan, director of East Bay
Sanctuary Covenant and longtime friend of Haiti; Rev. J. Alfred Smith
Jr., pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland; Supervisor Keith
Carson; and Pierre Labossiere, co-founder, Haiti Action Committee. <br>
<b>+++</b> <b>The Golden State Warriors basketball team</b> joined up
with the <b>Oakland Black Firefighters Association</b> to collect
donations at the next two home games for Haiti Earthquake relief. One of
the recipients will be East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, sponsor of the Haiti
Rural Education Project. At the Warriors' home games on January 20 [vs.
Denver] or January 22 [vs. New Jersey], Oakland Firefighters carrying
firefighter boots will encourage fans to “Fill The Boot” with donations
for Haiti. <br>
<br>
<b>7. Miami </b>- Mon. 1/25, 7 pm, meeting of a newly formed committee
called Haiti Solidarity, at Veye Yo, 54th Street and North Miami Avenue,
in the Little Haiti neighborhood. Members will discuss a proposal to
mount a demonstration in Miami to raise these demands: 1)
Demilitarization of US aid to Haiti and Prioritizing aid to the popular
neighborhoods devastated by the earthquake; 2) Cancellation of Haiti's
debt [there is now a temporary moratorium on repayment of the debt, but
it has not been cancelled]; 3) Opening of US borders to Haitians; 4)
Restoration of Haiti's sovereignty. <br>
<br>
Also in Miami, on Sat. 1/23, a fundraiser at the Tap Tap Haitian
Restaurant in Miami's South Beach neighborhood raised $1,800 for the late
Father Gerard Jean-Juste's What If? Foundation, which provides free meals
to children at St. Clare's Church in Port-au-Prince. [The St. Clare's
food program has just gotten back in operation after the earthquake,
thanks to the efforts in Haiti of Lavarice Gaudin, from the Veye Yo
organization in Miami, who has been shuttling truckloads of food and
supplies from the Dominican Republic.]<br>
<br>
<b>8. London, England</b> - On Wed. 1/20 Global Women's Strike called an
emergency Haiti earthquake vigil, on the steps of St. Martin in the
Fields Church, Trafalgar Square. About 150 people, many of them Haitian,
attended. The vigil was called "to press for <b>urgent relief and
rescue for Haitian people, not military occupation.
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>As the US military
blocks supplies getting through, health providers estimate that 20,000
people perish daily whom they could save</b>." Placards called
for the return of Haiti’s elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
removed by a US Coup in 2004. Global Women's Strike leader is Selma
James, widow of C.L.R. James, author of <i>Black Jacobins</i>, the
definitive historical account of the 1804 Haitian Revolution that
defeated Napoleon's army [then the world's most powerful] and ended
slavery in Haiti. Selma James says that now, after the earthquake,
<b>"only Aristide has the mandate to lead Haiti's
recovery."</b> At the Trafalgar Square vigil, Global Women's Strike
encouraged donations "to </font>the long established Haiti Emergency
Relief Fund, dedicated to helping grassroots people. Funds go directly to
those in immediate need, beginning with women and children, without
taking any 'administrative cut'." <br>
<br>
<b>9. Johannesburg, South Africa (Auckland Park)</b> - On Mon.1/25 the
radio station Channel Africa, affiliated with the South African
Broadcasting Corporation, will tape a program in the English language
devoted to the Haiti Emergency Earthquake International Solidarity Week,
hosted by radio personality Faz da Hall, for airing later in the week.
The program will discuss the many bottlenecks imposed by the US military,
that have prevented aid from getting where it is needed.<br>
<br>
<b>10. Detroit</b> - Sat. 1/23, Emergency public meeting and dinner for
Haiti, at <font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3>5920 Second Avenue,
north of Wayne State University in Detroit, on the theme, "US
Imperialism: No Friend of Haiti; Humanitarian Mission or Military
Occupation?" Speakers raised the demand for <b>the permanent lifting
of the deportation orders on Haitians, withdrawal of U.S. military troops
from the country, and the return of the ousted President Jean Bertrand
Aristide</b>, who was overthrown by the U.S. and exiled in 2004.
Sponsored by Workers World Party and the Harriet Tubman School.<br>
</font> <br>
<b>11. Bronx, New York</b> - Sunday 1/24, 2:30 pm into the evening,
Benefit Concert in Solidarity with the People of Haiti at St. Margaret
Church, 940 East 156th Street in the Bronx. Sponsored by many
organizations, principally from <b>the Garifuna community</b> (immigrants
of African descent from Honduras and other Central American countries).
Featured performers include Tormenta Agrupacion, Amistad Garifuna, T.N.C
Libana Maraza, Paula Castillo, El Maestro and Alagany Band. <br>
<br>
<b>12. Richmond, California</b> - The Richmond City Council voted
unanimously last week to demand immediate and widespread distribution of
water and supplies to the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
They faxed letters to this effect to President Obama, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and Rep. George
Miller.<br>
<br>
<b>13. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada</b> - Mon 1-25, Haiti earthquake relief
fundraiser, at Lo Pub, Ellice & Kennedy. Artists and DJ. Sponsored by
Mass Appel.<br>
<br>
<b>13. Dublin, Ireland</b> - Latin American solidarity activists are
meeting this week to form a countrywide action committee on Haiti. This
will be followed by a speaking tour in three cities of Ireland - Galway,
Cork and Dublin - featuring Elsie Haas from the Haitian community in
Paris, and raising funds for the Haitian doctors' association in France.
Organizers called for <b>"ending the occupation of Haiti by foreign
powers" as a prerequisite for Haiti's sustained recovery.<br>
</b> <br>
<b>14. Portland, Oregon </b>-Sat., 1/23, Haiti-El Salvador Dinner Benefit
attended by 400 at Sunnyside Elementary School. <br>
Sponsored by Salvadorenos Unidos de Oregon, Portland Central American
Solidarity Committee, and Portland Jobs with Justice.<br>
The community event raised $2,500 for Haiti and El Salvador.<br>
<br>
<b>15. Philadelphia</b> - Wed. 1/27, 4:30-6:00, Demonstration for Haiti
and Honduras on the steps of City Hall, 15th & Market. Sponsored by
Honduras USA Resistencia and the International Action Center. Held on the
occasion of the inauguration of the new "President" of
Honduras, elected in fraudulent elections. In both countries, US-backed
governments have excluded from elections candidates of the popular
movements. <br>
<br>
<b>16. Galway, Ireland</b> - Haiti activists will visit Galway next week,
on a speaking tour about Haiti, as solidarity efforts ramp up to include
other cities of the Emerald Isle in addition to the capital. Elsie Haas,
former director of the Haiti Tribune in Paris, will be speaking.<br>
<br>
<b>17. West Oakland</b> - Haiti Relief Fundraiser Sunday evening 1/24 at
the Black Dot Cafe, 1195 Pine St. in the heart of the historic African
American community in West Oakland. Speaking are civil rights Attorney
Walter Riley, chair of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, who was in Haiti
when the earthquake struck, and Pierre Labossiere, co-founder, Haiti
Action Committee. Benefits the Haiti Media/Medical Team, which is being
pulled together by JR, a broadcast journalist and associate editor of the
San Francisco Bay View-National Black Newspaper, and his friend, a young
doctor. They plan on traveling to Haiti "to work in solidarity with
the people, ministering to their medical needs and reporting the truth to
the outside world: the stories of the Haitian people, from their point of
view."<br>
<br>
<b>18. Buffalo, N.Y.</b> - Wed. 1/27, late afternoon demonstration for
Haiti and Honduras, against the US military presence and influence in
both countries. Sponsored by the International Action Center.<br>
<br>
<b>19. Vancouver, British Columbia </b>- Fri 1-22, afternoon panel
discussion on situation in Haiti at University of British Columbia,
Freddy Wood Theatre. Sponsored by a university-wide coalition.<br>
<br>
<b>20. Boston</b> - Sat., 1/23, Forum on Haiti featuring Claude St.
Germain, Fanmi Lavalas representative and exec board member, United Steel
Workers Local 8751 (Boston School Bus Drivers), and Larry Hales, a leader
of the youth group F.I.S.T. (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together). Speakers
at the Workers World forum, held at the International Action Center, 284
Amory Street, denounced the fact that aid is not getting through to the
people who need it, and opposed the militarization of Haiti relief by US
authorities. The School Bus Drivers, a majority of whom are
Haitian, have taken the lead in building support in Boston for Haiti
during this time, starting with an emergency mass meeting at their union
hall on the day after the earthquake. <br>
<br>
<b>21. San Jose, California</b> - Monday, 1/25, 5 pm, Speakout and
leafleting about the situation in Haiti, at south end of Cesar Chavez
Plaza, corner Market and San Carlos, downtown San Jose, to reach many
people pasing by on foot and in cars.<br>
<br>
<b>22. Cork, Ireland</b> - A three-city speaking tour next week,
including Cork and Galway, hopes to expand Haiti solidarity work beyond
the Irish capital of Dublin. Elsie Haas, from the Haitian community in
Paris, will cross the English Channel to make the connections. <br>
<br>
<b>23. Los Angeles</b> - On Thurs, 1/21 Global Women's Strike and the
International Action Center sponsored a picket at the downtown Federal
Building, demanding that U.S. authorities in Haiti <b>"Stop Blocking
Aid to those in Need".</b> They also called for <b>"No
militarization of aid to Haiti" and the return of President Aristide
to Haiti.</b> SEIU Local 721 Latino caucus, the Answer Coalition and the
Filipino American organization Bayan USA participated in the
demonstration. These same organizations are planning a fundraiser for
Haiti in Los Angeles later in the month.<br>
<br>
<b>24. Joseph, Oregon</b> - Vigil for Haiti, late afternoon on Wed.,
1/27, in the small town of Joseph.<br>
<br>
<br>
** <b>Note about the Montreal protest: </b>A background document,
circulated by Haiti Action Montreal, in preparation for Monday's
demonstration, cast a scornful eye on the motives of the US, France and
Canada in planning earthquake relief and reconstruction in Haiti:
<b>"Can these so-called Friends of Haiti be trusted now to respect
the best interests of the Haitian people? In the aftermath of the
earthquake,</b> <b>they've militarized the relief efforts, jeopardizing
the lives of thousands more Haitians who are desperately awaiting food
and medicine, not soldiers</b>. They've refused to temporarily loosen
immigration controls that might alleviate the suffering in Haiti. <br>
<br>
"The development they've controlled in the past have benefited only
the country's small, wealthy elite and foreign investors, while further
impoverishing the majority of Haitians. And they have not hesitated to
brush aside Haiti's democracy when it served their interests. Bay kou
bliye, pote mak songe (Those who deal the blows forget, those who carry
the scars remember).<br><br>
"There is a danger," the Haiti Action Montreal document
continued, "that these major powers will try to exploit the
earthquake to further narrow pro-corporate ends, if reconstruction of New
Orleans after Katrina and in Asia following the tsunami are any
indication. But there is also an opportunity to help our brothers and
sisters in Haiti reconstruct the country according to their needs, to
build back better, to respect Haitian sovereignty, and to welcome
homeless Haitians into Canada. The true friends of Haiti must be in the
streets on Monday, to demand that reconstruction not be carried out at
the expense of justice and democracy."<br><br>
<br>
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