General

POOR PEOPLE FIGHT BACK, 3 short documentaries and a national speaker

Friday, 19 November 2004
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Organizer: POOR PEOPLE UNITED, ROCHESTER POOR PEOPLE'S COALITION, SOCIAL WE

Takeover (1 HOUR) On May 1st, 1990, homeless people in eight cities around the country seized empty (HUD) federal housing simultaneously. It was the first national coordinated homeless housing takeover ever. 12 crews in the eight cities documented the secret planning, the illegal occupations, and the hopeful aftermath of this bold endeavor.

Crack The CIA (9 minutes, Winner of 2002 Sundance On-Line Film Festival) Tracks the covert history of CIA drug smuggling from Nicaragua to Arkansas and South Central Los Angeles, features explosive footage of Mike Ruppert's historical televised confrontation with CIA Director John Deutch.

Drug War Reality Tour (22 Minutes)
"When we talk about the 'Drug War,' we have to understand that it functions in a very specific way: it functions as a form of chemical warfare on the people in this country and throughout the world." Takes you on a guided tour through Kensington Philadelphia, the heart of America’s heroin capital. Throughout the tour, street-wise Kensington Welfare Rights Union members break down facts about the narco-culture and how forces like police complicity and corporate investment are aiding and using the drug epidemic to drive Kensington’s people out of their own neighborhood in order to make room for new urban development.

Ron Casanova has served as Vice President of the National Union of the Homeless, Editor of the Union of the Homeless National News, former Director of The Kansas City Union of the Homeless, and a leader of the historic Tompkins Square Park tent city. He authored EACH ONE TEACH ONE: a memoir of a street activist and currently has paintings showing across the country. He will share from his personal experience with drugs and AIDS and more than a decade of experience organizing other poor and homeless people.

Location:
St Joesphs House of Hospitality, 402 South Avenue

Cost: donation