Freedom accidented be anybody offered in the decentralized an naar tis project. Join me in welcoming them. Goodgood good evening, its nice to speak with everyone else who has spoken and to be in baltimore, city that has distinguished itself by its courage, by the courage of people here, asserting. Thes and stabbing up against the police and the authorities. Want to speak about our collective, just for starters. Crime think is three things. We are a publishing collective. We publish books, we publish pamphlets, posters, a table back over there if you want to pick up anything we publish. In addition to that we arnettwork, a network of organizers and activists stretching around the United States and other parts of the world. So, when theres an uprising in brazil or in turkey, were in dialogue with participants in these, and we try to circulate information and tactics and knowledge, so that the whole social movement biosphere around the world can be as intelligence and as equipped as every particular social movement. And finally, we represent a vision of social change. So, we are not utopians but we believe that it is important to keep a vision of the world you want to live in, in front of you, like a star on the horizon that you can navigate by. Right . So, what connects, what connects all of the different struggles we report on and all the different activities were involved in, is this vision that we call anarchism, we mean opposition to all forms of oppression, a system of values, you could say, like ethics, an idea of what it is that makes life most fulfill, that can connect people, that can make our connections worthwhile. And when i say opposition, all forms of oppression, all of the mechanisms that impose differences in power between people, that make it more difficult for people to carry out selfdetermination to live their lives on their own terms and i mean White Supremacy issue mean pate patriarchy, the state that concentrate powers in who holds the reins, the institution of property that exists to separate the haves from the havenots. Thats what property does on a fundamental level. Mean home phobia, all the different mechanisms, some thousands years old that impose power differentials. What we do is we are participant inside social movements. We try to help learn from the struggles going on, and to spread different tactics. So, a tactic, one tactic would be in the ton i come from, we have a monthly market where everything is available for free. If you need somethingor, go take it from the market. If you have something to share, you set it out. A kind of economics that doesnt depend on exchange and it doesnt enrich someone at everybody elses expense. Another tactic could be support for prisoners, where everybody month youre writing to at the people in prison so theyre not disconnected or forgetten by everybody else elf build from the base, bottom up, rather than putting energy into trying to elect a politician or gate Political Party into power. We believe if we do the work at the grassroots the bait, the politicians have to chase behind us. Anything that is valuable or worth doing, we have to do the work ourselves. So, today we published two books of the summer from democracy to freedom and no wall they can build. Well be focusing more on no wall they can build. From democracy to freedom is out of a series of uprisings over the last teen year, from egypt, that overclue mubarak, to the upriding that followed that in other parts of the world, like spain this occupy movement and then black lives matter in the United States. There were a series of other up risings in slovenia and bosnia in brazil, turkey, online social movements. This book is a product of discussions from participants in those movements, about the ways that decisions were made in those movements and the things that people learned about organizing structures in that. But today, chiefly, what we want to present on, what we want to pitch to you, is this most recent book about no wall they can build. Its about all of the different structures and forces at work in society that compel people to migrate, whether they want to or not, and all of the different institutions that make that difficult. Right . So, an attempt to make it clear why people would travel without documentation, and what its like when you have to do that. This book came out of work that people were doing in arizona on the border between the United States and mexico. People involved in a number of organizations there, one organization is called no more deaths. No more deaths is a group that they work in the desert where people are crossing, they make sure that those people who are crossing get have enough food and water and medical care to survive the trip. And there are thousands, tens of thousands of people crossing the space all the tile, and thousands of people die every year in the desert. Thats no more deaths is trying to do. Another tactic. Being positioned in the desert, they have a unique Vantage Point to see who it is that is traveling in central and north america and why they are. The Border Patrol, they only see the people they catch. You might cross that border yourself but your only going do it a few times at the most. These comrades of ours are positioned there, doing the work day after day, seeing who is traveling, and this book is a work of solidarity to try to convey what they have seen and what they of learned in the process of this. A document of the kind of solidarity that we need in this society where people act together against the forces that would otherwise separate us. That would otherwise turn us against each other. So, the authors of the book, everything they we publish we public anonymously but the authors are at work right now. So what were going do is read to you the servings from at the book to give you a sense of what is going on there. I appreciate yall very much being here, and ill be back in a few minutes to answer questions and talk with you. Thank you. [applause] im going read a few sections from book which im not the narrator or the author but i adore this book. I think it really presents a lot of great personal narratives what its like to work mismigrants goings to the border and giving a systemache analysis of the forces that drive migration and the struggles people face. The border is not just wall. Its not just a line on a map. Its not any particular physical location. Its a power structure, a system of control. The border is everywhere that people live in fear of deportation, everywhere mights are deny the rights accordedded . S, every human beings are segregated. The border does not divide one world from another. Theres only one world. And the border is tearing it apart. They are coming, theyre coming, it was clear and cold and the big dipper had been revolving over our heads women were puddled together trying to stay warm. For the First Time Since i met her maria was panicked. Heavy boots were pounding temperatures new can do. One agent threw alas sew around us and grad me by the neck. Im going to remain silent. Id like to speak to a lawyer. Tried to sound as calm as possible but my voice probably broke. I had been hiking well north of the border in southern california. Ran into jose josement they hadn lost for days and getting sick issue by the hour. This is back during the bush years were miles from the car in a desolate place issue didnt know what to do. I decided to stay with them. Marias husband had abandoned her and her four children. She gave to understand she had been doing sex work to put food on the table have say had written the freight trains to the perioder and couldnt talk about it itch didnt know what exactly happened to him during the trip. I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. A helicopter had circled over us earlier. On a cold night like this we let up their infrared like a christmas tree. We were dead meat. Are you her husband . What are you doing out sneer what the hell is going on, youre under arrest. Im going to remain silent. Id like to speak to a lawyer. They threw us into a van. Maria had regained her composure. She put her arm around my shoulder. Dont worry, well survive. Jose dropped his head, shook it back and forth, looked up at me, filed, and dropped his head again smiled and dropped his head again. They brought us to the Border Patrol detention facility. There were 200 of news rows under the lights, waiting to be taken in. They had sprayedded hoe and i maria from me itch could see them way over on the other side of the yard wife. Never see jose again. The man next to me spoke perfect english. Im completely fucked. My life is totally destroyed. Im nose doing to good either issue told him. Where are you from . Detroit, the said, motown, 313, now know. Wife and kids are there, everybody. This is the third time ive gotten caught trike to get back home. Im going to jail for sure this time if they cav me again i dont know what theyll do. How my wife will be the bills, who i picking up the kids from school if dont know anything. Me neither issue said. I issue wish could but these in my shoes and do them like theyre doing me and turn their legs upsidedown, make somebody pay for this. I leaked over to a sea of faces. So do i. They put 80 of news intoed a hog cell the side of a bedroom. We were piled on top of each 0 to the point people had to take turns lying underthe toy. Each arm and leg was stacked underneath or on top of another person. One mass walk wearing a plastic hospital gown. The bandages were soaked through with blood. The dogs had attorney up his jacket and chew up is arm. Every once in a while the guards pull me out of the cell. What do you care about what happens heaps to these people in what re real doing im good to remain silent. That it would put me back in with in the others. The heat and stench and overcrowding got bad i thought there would be a right. People were stating for lose it. One person tried to reason with the guard, too many of news here. The people are going to start fighting with each other. We would be easier to control if you split us into two cells. Fuck you, wet baeck, shouldnt have gotten picked up on a weekend. One of the younger men tried also. Sir, i take psych meds. You want your method nations ill give you youre medication, they took him out of the cell, punched him in the tase and tased him in front of all us. Theres your fucing medication, an old are man stood up on the toilet. A younger man falled suit and then another and another and ten gull odds the group kept its composure. After three days of this one guard opened up the door spirited at me. You, u. S. Citizen, come with me. Theyre letting you go. On the way out the facility the guard had to take a phone call. Stay here, he told me, and when he left me alone in front of a window of the womens holding expel there was marieover ya in the back. Waved at her me and iraq up to the front of the cell. Pointed at myself and made the youthful walking sign. She pointed at me and then toward the exit down he hall itch nodded and she nodded book. The put her hand up to the glass and i put my hand up to hers, i made a fist with my other hand and tapped three times. She made a fist and tapped three times back. I could hardly keep it together. She wasnt going to los angeles to send money home to her children and mom. She was going back to sex work in mexicali. It just wasnt right. I broke eye contact at the last possible moment, turn around and tried to look normal. The guard ran in the corner, lets go, buddy, youre going home. And i walked out the door hip hick, blinking back tears, into back into the sun, some years later i moved to arizona. From 2008 until 2015 i worked in Southern Arizona as part of a humanitarian Aid Organization named no more deaths. Acting in solidarity with migrants and refugees from mexico and Central America who walked across the desert into the United States. Over more than 20 years, the government of the United States had increasingly remote areas and many thousands of people have died from heat, cold, sickness, injuries, hunger and theirs, as a direct result. The mission of know mar deaths is to end this death and suffering of the on the borderlands. No more deaths was established in 2000 and people from all over the world and all walks of life have volunteered with us since then. We have spent years farmizing hosers with the sew sonoran desert. We provide medical care and we have a base camp in the desert where can provide more extensive care. If the situation is bad enough we can get an plans or helicopter to bring people to hadnt. We have tried to act in accordance with the travelers wishes and we never call bored patrol on those who. Our efforts have unquestionably helped to reduce the number of deaths on the arizona border. During the time i worked in the desert i was directly involved in many extraordinary situations, and indirectly involved in many more. Some things have been waterwarming and some deeply sad and wrong. I see people who were too sick to hold down water to badly authority kin to scared to sleep to sad for wood, hopelessly loss, desperately hungry, literally dying of thirst, never going to be able to see their children again, vomiting blood, pennyless and torn shoes 2,000 miles from home can suffering from heath heat stroke, kidney dang, wounds, hypothermia, posttraumatic distress and every a tribulation you can imagine. I have been to places where people are robbed and raped and murdered. My friends have found bodies. In addition to bearing witness to the suffering of others, i myself have gone off a cliff, turned my face open on barbed wire, had guns pointed at , mr. Headquartered, arrested, jailed, charged by bulls, circled by vultures, stalk beside mountain lion, jumped over rattlesnakes, pulse p. M. Peekses of cactus with players. Had to pull off my pants because theyre full of fire antis, gray hairs and no small amount of my own sweat, blood and tears into the efforts. I have been humbled countless times by the encriminal selflessness and courage of the people i met there. And i have been driven nearly out of my head with rage at the heardless economic and political system that drives people to such lengths to provide for their family. I met thousands of people like jose and maria, each with a unique story to tell but one thing in common. To the people who write border policy their life holds no value and their deaths bring no consequences. Its good that you keep the bones here, jesus told me. Were standing in front of a large pile bones that volunteers collected from the desert. The animals severed from hunger and thirst was we do. Theyre hunted as we are. They die alone as we do and nobody knows or cares. Its good that they should be remembered also. Jesus was working at muffer shop in bakerfield when we was deported. His wife and children were waiting for him there, waiting six months when he was stuck back in he had been walk neglect desert for six days, alowe alone and half mad. Miss shoulder length pair was in a ponytail. He was wear a leather jacket, fadessed bluejeanses, a necklace and a black tv shirt from a motorcycle club. Even after such a terrifying ordeal there was no deny agency that man had styled. They treat us like animals, he said. Jesus is home now, welding mufflers and raising childrenment before he walked out of the camp and back interest the desert he found a gigantic heart shaped piece of driftwood, painted it blood red and placed on a pile of rock. His thisunder heart, the heart of the people, of everyone who walks here, everyone who works here, of everyone who has died here. Of the cows and the deer and the rabbits, too, maybe some day things will be different. Ill come back down here to visit and well all sit around and tell stories about everything that happened. May we live to see that day. And i have a couple other of my favorite sections. Thank you for bearing with me. These are incredible stories. As i hope i made clear a policy of pushing migrant track into extremely dangerous areas dot not imply an actual expense to stop or defer team from entering the country illegally. This complex and perverse strategy has too numerous advantages. Its lous politics to look tougher for cameras while still providing the American Economy with the farm workers workers at packers it depends on. It provides ample opportunity to swing huge contracts to giant corporations. To transfer migrantses to their corrections appropriation of america to detain them, to boeing to build surveillance infrastructure, justifies the hefty sal arrives 20,000 people who work for the Border Patrol and other beneficiaries benefici will speak of shortly. On the hold border militarization is a massive government pork and corporate welfare project that is only surpassed by the war in iraq. Like the three kings, nacho showed up just before christmas. They had been together through thick and thin. He was from mexico city in this early 20s. Big, strong, and iconic. You can tell he knew how to handle this business in a fistfight. Chew basically he was a b boy and he would have fit in anywhere around the world where hiphop is recognize. He had an active social media presence. Nacho was in this late 30s and and honduran. He lived and work without papers in mexico for 15 years. He had developed an amazing ability to go between human beingsan and honduran spanish him could sound like a hob touran, he could turn on a dime or calibrate much of his vocabulary in slang, as well as a fair amount of his grammar and sound exactly like mexican to this day ive never met anybody who is quite so good at this. Additionally nacho was an astoundingly industrious person. He would come everybody breakfast, do all the dishes, clean up the kitchen, sweep up the medical tent, organize all the clothes and back peaks and shoes, check the oil in the truck, take out the crash sort the recycling, fill buckets of compost for the toilets and bags of water for she showers and crawl under the trailer to chase away raccoons with a broom, all before noon. He would do more in an hour than a normal volunteer does in a day. We should have paid to day toe stay at camp. He liked to hug people. Would we give me a good morning hug as, a hug when i left camp, hug when i returned, hug for dinner and a hug at night, and never got old. Nacho was a truly good are hearted human being and also very short. Ive never don was the real prize. He was 54 and tougher than a boot. Born he had lived for 35 years in the United States, working all over the country as a pipe fitter, heavy equipment operator, hard rock miner, oil field roughneck and other hard labor. He wore a moustache so huge so fierce and so virile that it could only be referred to in the honorrivic and be he was called mr. Mustache or sir mustache. He had a rumbling drawl and had drawdropping curses and turns of phrase. This