On November 11, 2019, The Intercept published an article confirming our assumption that the US government/military is actively surveilling our peaceful resistance to the ongoing occupation, extraction, and oppression of Gulf Coast communities, cultures, and ecosystems – in this case, focusing on our work aiming to end the racist wall and protesting the unjust treatment of migrants and refugees at the US/Mexico border. Specifically, the article reveals the Pentagon was/is surveilling the groups that were involved with the Rio Bravo Action Camp, an event which we were primary organizers. As such, we would like to clarify and correct the record published on the following counts:
- While we partnered with the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe on the action camp, we are not the organizers or active participants in the Yalui Village. The article conflates our training camp with their resistance camp, and we would like to correct the record in making this distinction, despite our clear connection.
- We are not “extremists”, we are visionaries and historians of the future. We are a women-led collaborative of artists who care for, protect, and defend our communities in the midst of constant attacks on simply trying to create healthy, productive, and joyful lives. We believe in every human’s right to clean water, clean air, nourishing food, and adequate housing – across and despite borders. We believe to fight the combined impacts of rapid climate change and accelerated gentrification, direct action tactics are critical to have in our toolkit for survival.
* Información en español abajo.
Join us for the Rio Bravo Action Camp, four days of direct action training in the Rio Grande Valley borderlands of Texas this coming February 15th – 18th. Take action with us to stop the border wall! Deadline to apply has been extended to February 5th!!
Donald Trump and his racists have inflicted fascist laws on borderland communities and plan to extend the border wall, which already exists as the largest white supremacist monument through our sacred lands. We refuse to allow this happen! This year, border communities, indigenous, and first nation people are rising up in bigger ways to stop these injustices. #NoBorderWall #NoAlMuro
What is a direct action camp?
Direct action is the practice of taking action to stop injustices. The Rio Bravo Camp is four days of direct action trainings and related workshops. The camp is to create a space for individuals to gather and build skills, share community knowledge, and practice.
Camp overview:
The Rio Bravo Action Camp is a four-day direct action camp taking place from Friday, February 15th – Monday, February 18th in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, on the ancestral land of the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe the esto’k g’na. The camp is free to all participants, and food, lodging, childcare, and trainings are provided at no cost. Limited travel stipends will be available for people who need support with transportation to attend the camp. We will provide Spanish and English translation for all trainings and workshops, and will work hard to make the camp accessible to all.
Applying to the action camp is required to attend. Deadline to apply extended to Friday, February 5th. Please only apply if you are from/based in the Rio Grande Valley, TX and other border communities. We are also open to people who reside in these other places: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California. APPLY TO THE RIO BRAVO ACTION CAMP HERE.
The camp is hosted by Another Gulf Is Possible, the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the RGV No Border Wall Movement. If you have any questions, please email anothergulfispossible@gmail.com.
If you live far or near and are interested in supporting the camp and future anti-border wall efforts, please donate to the camp here.
Skills offered:
The camp will offer the following skilled tracks:
Blockades: Blockades are deployed to stop or slow down the building of harmful development. Participants in this track will learn how to occupy space using their own bodies along with different tools and methods.
Creative Resistance: Participants in this track will learn skills to create banners, silkscreening, stencils, effective messaging and communications for street protests, civil disobedience, and direct actions, marches, and more!
Medic: Participants will learn varying degrees of medical training to provide first aid to activists in protests and demonstrations.
The camp will also offer these workshops:
Direct Action Planning/Scouting: Participants will learn how to plan and implement as well as scout locations for different types of actions.
Media: Participants will learn how to build confidence when talking to news and print media, and strategies for social media campaigns (hashtags, posts, consent around photos and live streams.)
Rio Bravo Action Camp goals:
The goal of the camp is to build the skills of participants and overall capacity for direct action. We are prioritizing participants from the borderlands who are marginalized, underrepresented and come from front-line communities. We highly encourage people of color, indigenous, first nation, women, women of color, LGBTQIA and gender non-conforming, and those with limited financial resources to apply.
Who are we?
This action camp is led by organizers from the Rio Grande Valley, organizers from frontline communities, and by others who have been accomplices in the fight for liberation. We are Indigenous, Black, Queer, Women, Non-Binary, Femme, People of Color committed to dismantling systems that seek to continuously enforce the violent militarization of our communities. We are a group of dedicated land defenders and water protectors who do this work for our ancestors, future generations, and all creatures who belong here. This camp is being led with permission and in conjunction with the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, whose ancestral lands – the esto’k g’na- are impacted by the border wall. We say #ChingaTuMuro and are building a collective force to tear down all walls that keep us divided and disconnected.
Spread the word about Rio Bravo Action Camp:
Help us spread the word about the camp. Print out and post a flyer of the graphics below or save the images and share on social media.
Rio Bravo Campamento de Acción Directa
Únete! Al Campamento Río Bravo de Acción Directa, cuarto dias de entrenamiento en accion directa basada en el Valle Rio Grande, la region fonterizas de Tejas a partir del 15 de Febrero hasta el 18 de Febrero. ¡Actúa con nosotros para detener el muro fronterizo! La fecha límite para aplicar es el martes 5 de febrero.
Donald Trump y sus racistas han causado leyes fascistas en comunidades fronterizas y planea extender el muro que ya existe como un gran monumento de supremacía blanca a traves de nuestra tierra sagrada. ¡Negamos a permitir que esto suceda!
Este año, comunidades fronterizas, indígenas y gente de primera nación se están levantando en formas más grandes para detener estas injusticias. #NoAlMuro #NoBorderWall
¿Qué es un campamento de acción directa?
Accion directa es un practica de tomar accion para detener injusticias. El Campamento Rio Bravo es cuarto dias de entrenamiento en accion directa y talleres. El campamento es un espacio para individuos se reunan y desarrollen habilidades, comparten conocimientos comunitario, y praticar lo que aprenden.
Descripicion del campamento:
El Campamento Rio bravo de Accion Directa es de cuarto dias, comenzando viernes 15 de Febrero hasta lunes 18 de Febrero en el Valle del Rio Grande en la region de Tejas, en la tierra ancestral del Tribu Carrizo Comecrudo, esto’k’g’na. El campamento es gratis para todxs participantes. Comida, hospedaje y entrenamientos proporcionadas sin costo. Hay estipendios de viaje disponible pero limitados para personas que necesitan ayuda con transporte para asistir el campamento. Proveeremos Interpretacion en Espanol e Ingles para todo los entrenamiento y talleres. Vamos a trabaja duro para crear un espacio acesible a todxs.
Aplicando al campamento de accion directa es obligado para asistir. El ultimo dia para aplicar es martes, 5 de Febrero. Por favor solo aplique se eres o basado en el Valle Rio Grande de Tejas o de otras comunidades de la frontera. Tambien estamos abierto a personas que son de estos otro lugares: Tejas, Arizona, Nuevo Mexico, y el Sur de California. APLIQUE AQUÍ PARA EL CAMPAMENTO RIO BRAVO DE ACCION DIRECTA.
El campamento está organizado por Otro Golfo es Posible, Tribu de Texas Carrizo Comecrudo, El Capitulo de Socialistas Demócratas de América basado en el Valle del Río Grande, El Movimiento Contra el Muro en RGV. Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor envíe un correo electrónico: anothergulfispossible@gmail.com.
Habilidades ofrecidas:
Durante el campamento vamos a ofrecer la siguiente área de habilidades especializada:
Bloqueos: Bloqueos son formas de detener o retrasar la construcción de sistemas y proyectos de desarrollo prejudiciales. Participantes en estas áreas aprenderán como ocupar espacio utilizando su propio cuerpo con herramientas y métodos.
Resistencia Creativa: Personas que participen en esta área aprenderán habilidades para crear pancartas, serigrafía, plantillas, mensajes y comunicaciones efectivas para protestas de la calle, desobediencia civil y acciones directas, marchas y más!
Médico: Participantes aprenderán varios niveles de entrenamiento médico para proporcionar primero auxilio a activistxs durante protestas y manifestaciones.
El campamento también ofrecerá estos talleres:
Planificación de Acción Directa/Exploración e Investigación: Participantes aprenderán cómo planificar e implementar acción directa, así como investigar y explorar ubicaciones para diferentes tipos de acciones.
Medios de Comunicación: Participantes aprenderán cómo desarrollar confianza al hablar con noticias y prensa escrita, y estrategias para campañas de medios sociales (hashtags, publicaciones, consentimiento para fotos y transmisiones en vivo).
Objetivos del campamento Río Bravo de Acción Directa:
La meta del campamento es desarrollar las habilidades de personas que participen y la capacidad general para la acción directa. Estamos priorizando a las personas de zonas fronterizas que son marginados, subrepresentados y provienen de comunidades de primera línea. Alentamos que aplique si es una persona de color, indígena, primera nación, mujeres, mujeres de color, LGBTQIA, genero no conforme, y personas con recursos financieros limitados.
¿Quienes somos?
El Campamento Río Bravo de Acción Directa está dirigido por organizadores del Valle Río Grande, de comunidades de primera línea y otros que han sido cómplices en la lucha por la liberación. Somos personas indígenas, Negrxs, Queer, Mujeres, género no conforme, Feminino, Personas de color, comprometido a desarmar sistemas que intentan imponer militarización violenta sobre nuestra comunidad. Somos un grupo dedicado a defender la tierra y protectores de agua y hacemos este trabajo por nuestro antepasados, generaciones futuras, y todas las criaturas que pertenecen aquí. Este campamento es dirigido con permiso y en conjunto con la Tribu Carrizo / Comecrudo, sus tierras ancestrales – esto’k g’na – serán impactado por el muro fronteriza. Decimos #ChingaTuMuro y estamos construyendo una fuerza colectiva para destruir los muros que nos mantienen divididos y desconectados.
Another Gulf Is Possible/Otro GOLFO ES POSIBLE 