Tucson S26 Event

The Tucson event was another great outcome of the coalition building we have been doing here in Southern Arizona. It was organized by members of several diverse groups including the Southern Arizona Alliance for Economic Justice (SAAEJ), Students Against Sweatshops, Earth First!, Pueblo por la Paz, and others. It was held in front of the National Law Center (NLC), a powerful corporate "free trade" advocate based in Tucson. The NLC is one of the main proponents of the "NAFTA-like" trade agreement for the entire western hemispher that is currently being discussed. In fact, the NLC represents the United States in those trade negotiations.

The protest started out well with over 100 people in attendance. Some of the people who were there included the President of the Southern Arizona Central Labor Council, and members of CWA, the Teamsters, and Machinists unions. We were chanting and holding signs and banners and handing out information to passers by. A gaint shoe arrived at the protest to gleefull cheer and applause. The shoe is a representation of the sweatshops that are operating in Central America as a result of the work of the National Law Center.

Soon after the shoe arrived a delagation went into the building to try and talk with represntatives of the NLC. After finding the NLC offices empty, the delgation began to head back to join the protest. While they were inside, the police arrived at the scene. They began acting hostilly towards our peaceful demonstration. As the delegation was walking out of the building, the police chased after and tackled to the ground a well known activist from our community. While they had him on the ground they became very physical with him, to the disbelife of the peaceful crowd. When people began to speak out against the police abuse of this individual, the officers took out their pepperspray and began to indiscrminantly spray the crowd. At least 20 people were hit with the pepperspray, with several people having severe reactions. Shortly thereafter more officers arrived and intimidated the crowd with loaded shotguns. After the police took the activist away they asked us to leave the scene. We regrouped and discussed the situation. We decided not to leave a broke into a defiant rendition of "We Shall Not Be Moved". As we sang song after song we began to hold our signs higher and we were overcome with a greater sense of empowerment and purpose.

It seems the police violence had the opposit effect of what they had intended. Instead of dividing us or causing us to leave, it worked as a unifying event bringing us closer together in the struggle for global justice. We ended up staying in front of the NLC for another hour after the incident happened and recieved very positive local media coverage.

This event ended up becoming the first step in what will be a long-term campaign against the National Law Center.

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