Harlem-based anti-gentrification organizers come from Occupy Wall Street in NYC to visit Montreal
Driven by multi-national corporations and profit-seeking landlords and facilitated by city officials, gentrification has swept New York causing the grand-scale displacement of low-income people of color and immigrants from their communities. East Harlem is experiencing a wave of harassment, abuse and intimidation in attempts by greedy landlords to evict the community from our homes in order to raise rents and increase profits. Movement for Justice in El Barrio is fighting back: “We Will Not be Moved!!! No Nos Moverán!!”
Movement for Justice in El Barrio was founded by immigrants and low-income people of color fighting back against the effects of neoliberalism and discrimination in all of its forms and operates on a commitment to the ideals of self-determination, autonomy and participatory democracy. Movementbelieves that the community has the right and responsibility to lead their own struggle for justice by making decisions collectively and democratically and by developing their own political analysis through the examination of the root causes of oppression.
3 upcoming events:
Monday, October 24th, 7pm:
2 FILMS will be followed by discussion periods with Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio representatives Juan Haro & Maria Mercado.
“Our Fight Against Global Displacement” (25 min.) Produced by Movement for Justice in El Barrio, & “Atenco Vive: The Struggle from 2001 to 2010” (43 min.) Both films are in Spanish with English Subtitles).
Cinema du Parc, 3575 Avenue du Parc, $5-10, sliding scale. Nobody will be turned away.
Tuesday, October 25th, 6pm:
Gender and Gentrification: workshop & discussion
Representatives of the Movement for Justice in El Barrio, an immigrant-led organization from New York will discuss their struggle for equitable housing. For this group, the struggle for justice means fighting for the liberation of women, immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.
2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, 1500 de Maisonneuve, #404.
Wednesday, October 26th, 7pm:
2 FILMS will be followed by discussion periods with Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio representatives Juan Haro & Maria Mercado.
“Our Fight Against Global Displacement” (25 min.) Produced by Movement for Justice in El Barrio, & “Atenco Vive: The Struggle from 2001 to 2010” (43 min.) Both films are in Spanish with English Subtitles).
Concordia University, School of Community & Public Affairs, 2149 Mackay, free.
FILM DESCRIPTIONS:
“Our Fight Against Global Displacement” (25 min.)
Produced by Movement for Justice in El Barrio
This film shows how the immigrant members of Movement for Justice in El Barrio fight for dignity and against neoliberal displacement in New York City as they practice self-determination, autonomy, and participatory democracy.
Deeply inspired be the Zapatistas and part of the Zapatista initiated The Other Campaign, Movement has implemented “Urban Zapatismo” to combat the gentrification and displacement policies being promoted by multi-national corporations and profit-seeking landlords, and facilitated by city officials.
The documentary show how the nearly 700 members of Movement have gone block by block, building-to-building and door to door to organize with their fellow neighbors to build a neighborhood-wide movement for dignity and justice—from below and to the left.
“Atenco Vive: The Struggle from 2001 to 2010” (43 min.)
In Mexico, a member organization of the Zapatista initiated The Other Campaign, the People’s Front in Defense of the Land, organized in their community of San Salvador Atenco and in 2002 successfully put a halt to the federal government’s project to take away their land in order to build an international airport.
In May of 2006, the government of Mexico avenged this victory by savagely attacking the population of Atenco. During this military and police attack, two youth were killed, thirty women were tortured and raped, and they incarcerated more than 200 people. Some of the political prisoners were sentenced to up to 112 years.
In response to the repression, our sisters and brothers Zapatistas, Movement for Justice in El Barrio and other organizations belonging to The Other Campaign and beyond expressed our commitment to “an injury to one is an injury to all” by launching a worldwide campaign to ensure the liberation of the political prisoners. This fight for the freedom of the political prisoners led by the People’s Front in Defense of the Land, successfuly resulted in the liberation of all the political prisoners of Atenco.
Despite the government’s attempt to destroy the community of Atenco’s powerful struggle, the People’s Front in Defense of the Land is now stronger than ever.
Their resistance and courage has been an inspiration as well as a powerful reason to keep fighting.
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For more information, please call The 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy at 514.937.2110 or email campaigns@genderadvocacy.org
This event is co-sponsored by: the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, CKUT 90.3 FM, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University, Geograds Concordia, and the Concordia Urban Planning Association.