South Florida Witnesses Anti-FTAA Protests

  
Activist groups in South Florida coordinated a series of activities to coincide with many other "hometown" protests throughout the United States before and during the Quebec City Summit (see Jobs with Justice, www.jwj.org and the official direct action Summit protest site, www.a20.org/calendar.cfm for some examples). On April 18, just before the Summit, the Global Justice Group of South Florida sponsored a teach-in at Florida Atlantic University. The 50 people who attended ranged from retirees to young adults and students. Another event, held in Miami on the eve of the Quebec Summit, was described by one of the participants as follows:
    
"On Friday, April 20th, in front of the Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami, there was a street party (as well as other assorted covert actions inside the belly of the corporate/consumer beast) that included: blocked traffic, street performance, giant hula hoops, colorful flags, fire breathing, chalk-covered side walks, drums, tons of information distributed, at least three anti-FTAA banners dropped on mall property as well as stickers inside stores and bathrooms. Participating in the event were: University of Miami students, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Miami Workers' Center, Green Party activists, Catholic Workers and many others Unfortunately, there was one arrest (for chalk writing)."

Palm Beach County was also the site of a dramatic protest action. On the morning of April 23, a 10-by-15-foot banner was dropped off a foot bridge over I-95, northbound, south of West Palm Beach. The banner read, "STOP CORPORATE GREED: NO FTAA."

An activist reporting on the Global Justice Group's list serve offered this analysis: "Although the sentiments of these actions have been largely specific to anti-globalization, the message to be sent is this: Our struggle must become based on creating global solidarity and localizing issues. All over this area [South Florida] there are examples of upscale development and multinational corporations building giant shopping plazas that are glaring examples of what globalization means: gentrification, sweatshop products, monoculture, white supremacy, poverty, natural habitat destruction... It doesn't makes sense to address these problems individually. The urgency is rapidly increasing. There can no longer be 'single-issues' and it seems that nothing short of a complete social transformation will be sufficient. So what are we waiting for?"

These protests were just a warm-up for the World Economic Forum meetings scheduled to be held in Miami in October of this year. South Florida activists are anxious to have their moment on the calendar of world protest events for this Davos-style meeting. Protest organizers have set up an e-mail address for those who would like to become active: [email protected] (an interesting "nom de guerre").

At the end of the message, the Global Justice Group activist added, "To start the real process of social transformation, you might wanna start with turning off your computer and seeing if you can grow some of your own food..."