AIM West, March 2010

Antonio Gonzales eltonyg@earthlink.net


Greetings all my relations,

You are invited to the monthly meeting of AIM-WEST, a community based advocacy organization in San Francisco. The meeting is open to the public, our friends and supporters are welcome. Please bring snacks and foods, refreshments to share.
The AIM-WEST meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at the Baha’I Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco. This month Wednesday, March 10, 2010 the gathering will be from 6-9 pm. The items on the evening agenda are intended to help AIM define and frame issues, develop a political analysis, organize, and coordinate activities, including but not limited to:
1. Summary report for February meetings;
a. Liberation Day at Ocean Beach, February 15th;
b. Demo and met with Canadian Mission in support of Elders and boycott of Winter Olympics, Tar Sands, failure to Sign UN DRIP, unceded stolen lands;
c. Prayer circle in Sacramento in support of sacred sites, Vallejo and Glen Cove, workshop held to plan for March gathering;
2. Financial report;
3. Brief report of where AIM-WEST is assisting in mediation, resource and technical assistance, conflict resolution in communities;
a. Veterans Administration and Sweat lodge shut down in Menlo Park, what next;
b. Met with new state appointee for the Veterans Administration, Mr. Pedro Molina;
c. Description of situation at VA in Menlo Park;
4. Report on California Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Department of Justice, and with disenrolled tribal members;
a. Issues are tribal elections, evictions, disenrollment, and general lack of accountability;
b. Need for BIA to establish a policy to allow quick response to disenrollment, members to an appeal process;
c. Elections on reservations and with tribal councils in need of monitor system, and validation, verification process;
d. Immediate call for new elections, suspend evictions and allow for fair and equal elections with observers from BIA/DOJ staff;
e. Invite disenrollment members throughout California to a meeting with DOJ and BIA and strive to develop a solution;
5. Report on Sacred Sites and Vallejo shellmound;
a. Gathering being planned for this month;
b. Development will begin this month at Glen Cove;
c. Next steps and recommendations, a political solution is to consider a political candidate from the Indigenous community?
6. Explanation of how and why USA is conducting listening sessions across the country, two in SF bay area March 25 and 26th;
a. Support community efforts to prepare to submit statements of violations of human rights and in support of clemency for Leonard Peltier;
b. USA will be reviewed of their human rights record before the United Nations, Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, November 2010;
c. Issues to provide testimony of violations include-sacred sites, prisoners and Leonard Peltier, National sacrifice areas i.e. mineral extraction, DRIP;
d. Attend the listening sessions and also consider submit statements directly to the UN by April 19, 2010;
7. Report from LPDSG on campaign to challenge appeal denied parole for Leonard Peltier by US Parole Commission;
8. International AIM conference, November 22-26, 2010 in SF at the Baha’I Center;
9. Website development report;
10. Climate Change and green jobs, economy, and related speaking engagements, Strategies for survival;
11. UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, April 19-30;
a. Side event, panel discussion on UN Treaty Study by AIM-WEST (tentatively);
b. UN Youth training in Human Rights applicant from AIM-WEST;
12. Announcements
a. Mexica New Year activities, March 12, 13 and 14th;
b. Bolivia and Declaration for Mother Earth gathering April 19-20;
c. Show support for Knife Lake aka Medicine Lake March 10 at U.S.Court of appeals, rm 1, in San Francisco, 1:30 pm;
d. Anarchist Bookfair at Golden Gate Park in SF?
e. March 20, Rally against the WAR, Bring the troops home!
f. Powwow March 20 at Horace Mann Middle School;
g. Radio access in bay area to report on issues as part of outreach and achievements by AIM;
13. Closing prayer.
This is just some of the issues AIM-WEST attempts to address on a daily basis. AIM-WEST is an advocacy organization struggling for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Join us in the fight for justice and dignity for our families, the land and spiritual freedoms, and the return of our ancestors bones. If you can’t make the meeting Wednesday night stay posted, check out our terrific website for news and information. Tell your friends about us or drop a note that you are there with us better yet send in a donation if you can spare it, and be there when we need you.
If you wish to add to the agenda just call at 415-577-1492. Thank you all my relations! J
AIM-WEST
http://www.aimwest.info/
415-577-1492