Pitch in for CISPES! Now's the time to celebrate successes and make our big move!

Tue Aug 14 14:01:18 UTC 2007

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Dear CISPES Friends,

Some people rest in late summer. At CISPES, though, we kick into high gear,
with big strategy discussions, big solidarity victories, and big
transitions. I’m writing to tell you about a few of our most recent
accomplishments and also ask for your support to keep us going strong
through our big move to Washington DC! It is easy to support CISPES
<https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/>  with online donations - just click
here. 

As many of you know, the Salvadoran government arrested 14 people opposed to
water privatization on July 2 – some were part of the peaceful protest in
Suchitoto, some hadn't even arrived yet. (If you haven’t already seen the
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=246&Itemid=
27>  videos of the protest and police attacks, click here to see them on our
web site.) The government threw 13 people in jail on trumped up charges of
terrorism and even denied them bail in the months preceding the trial. The
social movement in El Salvador immediately mobilized and called for
international solidarity support for these political prisoners. CISPES
together with other solidarity activists mobilized pressure on President
Saca and the U.S. Ambassador, and on July 27, the pressure on the government
was so great that a judge reversed her previous ruling and allowed the
prisoners to be released from jail until trial. The prisoners and their
families immediately thanked all the national and international supporters,
including CISPES, for the important – although short-term – victory.

CISPES was featured on Amy Goodman's “Democracy Now” radio and television
show on August 1 to talk about the charges of terrorism against the
protestors, bringing important nation-wide coverage not only to the issue of
the political prisoners and water privatization, but also to the insidious
role the U.S. government has played in backing this political repression. To
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=256&Itemid=
29>  watch that interview, go to the cispes web site.

During the final weekend of July, we also gathered grassroots CISPES
activists from chapters around the country at the 12th national convention
in Boston. For three days 45 activists and guests from El Salvador
discussed, debated, and decided on CISPES’s strategy for the next two years.
We had Lorena Peña, historic FMLN leader, and Adalberto Cortez, long time
water worker and leader in the water workers’ union (SETA), with us to talk
about the FMLN and social movement’s strategy and priorities in El Salvador
and also taking part in CISPES’s highly participative decision making
process. At the opening night of the convention we were also joined by
scholar and activist Vijay Prishad at a packed, energetic event celebrating
the shift to the Left in Latin America. The convention closed Sunday night,
but before everyone went home we went out to the Salvadoran consulate on
Monday morning to demonstrate our solidarity with the political prisoners
and to call for all charges to be dropped. For
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=257&Itemid=
29>  a video of the street theater at that protest, click here.

In the midst of all this work, CISPES is moving our national office! It is a
decision we made over a year ago – to move to a place where we will be
closer to national ally organizations, closer to the government whose
policies we want to reshape, and situated in the heart of a vibrant
Salvadoran community. Look for a change of address note coming soon!

We’re only able to pull off all this amazing solidarity work AND pack up an
office and move it in the thick of the summer heat thanks to the incredible
commitment of so many CISPES volunteers and supporters. In the lead up to
the convention, the protests, and the national mobilization to support the
political prisoners, countless people have pitched in to make those
activities a great success. Of course it also takes money to keep our work
moving forward – rent, phone bills, travel to conventions, supporting an El
Salvador office, etc. And moving means extra bills this month – moving vans,
security deposits, and helping staff move from New York and the state of
Washington. For that reason, we are asking people who have never given to
CISPES to consider giving at this time, and we’re asking our long-time
supporters to give a little bit more to help keep all our important
solidarity work going in the midst of the move. Please click here and
consider <https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/>  giving $100, $50, $30, or
any other amount you can. Our goal is to raise $10,000 in August to help
cover all the expenses. 

Again, a huge thank you to all of you who support our solidarity work and
take action in the struggle for social justice! This work only moves forward
with your sweat and generosity.

In solidarity,

Sha Grogan-Brown, CISPES Development Director

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© 2006 CISPES - The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador
CISPES National Office | ph. 212-465-8115 | P.O. Box 8560, NY, NY 10116 |
cispes at cispes.org

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