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Based
on discussion at a Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) Strategy Meeting
held in NYC on Sept. 10 of over 100 activists from around the country:
- We call upon the antiwar movement to support and embrace this
proposal, and to make it central to the program at the anti-war march
in Washington DC on September 24th.
A
Proposal to Establish an
International Network of Solidarity with Katrina Survivors & Their
Communities
The network's initial focus will be the following demands:
Stop
the execution of Frances Newton
The scheduled
execution of
sister Frances Newton on Sept 14 must be stopped. The systemic racist
injustice in the so-called criminal justice system, that overpopulates
death row with poor Black people, is part of the same racism behind the
government’s criminal behavior regarding Katrina. For the State of
Texas to execute Frances Newton (making her the first Black women to be
executed in Texas since 1853) in the wake of Katrina would be like
throwing salt into the fresh wounds suffered by Black people, and an
affront to freedom loving people everywhere. The execution is an
outrage that we must not allow to happen.
Stop the Real Looters
Freeze the awarding Of Katrina reconstruction contracts By FEMA Until the local community organizations, leaders, activists, and trade unionists have made public their ideas and plans. Local people must control the $52 billion reconstruction fund for New Orleans & the Gulf Coast, Not Halliburton and President Bush’s rich friends. Pres. Bush and Congress has given FEMA a $52 billion check for Katrina reconstruction, but this check is not being handed to the people who have lost everything - the Black community, the poor, and the hundreds of thousands of workers that have lost jobs because of Katrina. Right now, the White House’s rich friends are sitting around a table dividing up the loot. This money most go to the people who need it to create living wage jobs and housing. The people of the Gulf Coast must have the decisive say over the allocation of all government reconstruction funds.End the military occupation of New Orleans - No Forced Evacuations
Let human
rights observers into New Orleans. Human rights observers,
independent of military, federal, state or local governments and law
enforcement agencies, must be allowed in to New Orleans and all of the
areas in the Gulf Coast affected by Katrina, and under military
occupation, to monitor the conduct of military and police personal, and
document conditions in occupied areas.
The Right of return
All of the
people who have been forced from their cities and towns must be assured
of the right to return to their communities. Katrina must not be
turned into an excuse for ethic cleansing and gentrification.
Accept the
1,100 Medical Doctors that Cuba has offered, and free resources that
Venezuela has offered
Pay
the prevailing wage
Congress and
the president must rescind the waiver of the Davis-Bacon Act, which
bars federal contracts to businesses that do not pay the prevailing
wage to workers. No contractor should be allowed to proceed with any
work until they have publicly stated that they will pay prevailing
wages in their industry.
Extended unemployment benefits, back pay, and a guarantyeed job for all workers displaced by Katrina
The
Establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the U.S.
Government's response to Katrina
Money for
Katrina Recovery & Human Needs - Not War! Bring the Troops Home
Now!
The Katrina Solidarity Network will aggressively solicit all activists
and progressive organizations committed to working in a united front,
and who understand the necessity to take direction from the activists
in the Gulf Coast. The network’s goals, demands and activities will be
modified and expanded in conjunction with its consultation with
community and labor activist in the Gulf Coast. The Solidarity Network
was announced at September 12 National Day Of Outrage events
across the country.