March for the people of Venezuela,Hugo Chavez, & the Bolivarian Revolution!

When: May 18th, 2002 at 12noon.
Where: Federal Building 11000 Wilshire, Los Angeles (go to mapquest.com to get good directions)

Why we march and rally:

On April 11, 2002 a coup took place in Caracas the capitol of Venezuela orchestrated by big business, old guard generals trained at the school of the America's, the nations right wing, and corrupt oil union leaders. Working with agents of the CIA and with members of the military group that the Pentagon maintains in Caracas to supervise U.S. arms sales in the region. Coup plotters worked to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Hugo Chavez. Bankers, businessmen and politicians donated funds to create the marches and protests that detonated the coup. Money from the wealthy served to influence union elections and the control of the petroleum workers union, the most important in Venezuela. Paul Richter of the L.A. Times wrote on April 17, 2002 "The Bush Administration's first response Friday to word of Chavez's ouster was to suggest that the mercurial leader got what he deserved. Officials of other Western Hemisphere nations, including Mexico, Paraguay and Argentina, were quicker to condemn the action." Luckily on April 13th, much to the anger of the Bush Administration, the poor came down from the hills, marched and rallied in cities across Venezuela and overthrew the coup and Dictator for a day, Businessman Carlos Ortega. Hugo Chavez and his government have now returned, but U.S. intervention and threats to democracy have not yet been quelled.

Chavez won in a giant landslide victory at the polls in 1998, in what is called the Bolivarian Revolution supported by Venezuela's poor majority. The U.S. and Venezuelan corporate media immediately labeled Chavez as a dictator. Despite these moves to discredit him, since 1998 Venezuela has experienced the most rapid development in human rights, fair and free elections, and press freedom of any Latin American nation during any time in its history. Human Rights Watch, in 2000, cited Venezuela as the only Latin American country where Human Rights had improved. To improve education and social programs for the masses of Venezuelans in Poverty, Chavez revitalized OPEC and championed a system of regulated, higher oil prices. Chavez has also refused to cooperate with Plan Colombia, an attempt by the U.S. government and multinational corporations, under the guise of the war on drugs, to silence all resistance in Colombia against wealthy landlords and economic inequality. Unless the people of the United States demand that our government respect human rights and democracy- the corporate elite in Washington will continue to support military junta's in south and central America to fill their pockets. Come show your solidarity with the people of Venezuela on Saturday, May 18th, 12 noon, at the Federal Building in Los Angeles (11000 Wilshire Blvd).

LIST OF DEMANDS

1. That our nation ends it support in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Venezuela and any democratically elected government.

2. That the Bush Administration ends its attempts to destabilize the government of Venezuela through its influence with the IMF and WTO.

3. That the U.S. corporate media such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and CNN give accurate and fair coverage on current events in Venezuela and on U.S. intervention in Latin America.

4. That the U.S. government declares that Gen.Efrain Vasquez, Gen. Eddie Ramirez Poveda, the corrupt oil union boss Carlos Ortega, and the leader of the nations business lobby and dictator for a day Pedro Carmona are criminals for there leading roles in the coup against the democratically elected government of Venezuela and deny any future visa requests by any of these four men for entry into the United States.

5. That the CIA ends its covert support for coup's and assassinations in Latin America.

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So far groups sponsoring this are the CSULB Campus Progressive, POWER (People Opposed to Wars, Empires, and Rulers) and soon other progressive groups. If you are interested in adding your group as a sponsor or want to help promote then email wa2ta [at] hotmail.com