From September 10 to 14, the World Trade Organization (WTO) will hold its Fifth Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Pushed by multinational corporations, the United States, the European Union, and other developed countries are seeking to launch a new round of "free trade" negotiations and expand corporate globalization - further eroding human rights, workers' rights, environmental protections, and democracy - in the interest of corporate control.

Popular movements in Mexico and their international allies will mark these meetings with massive demonstrations to demand a world that puts democracy and human dignity ahead of corporate profits. Solidarity actions around the world will focus on September 13 as a Worldwide Day of Action Against Corporate Globalization and War. Read More...

In solidarity with the international call for a global day of action, NO FTAA Towson is issuing a call for a "Tour of Shame" and autonomous street theater in and around the Baltimore area.

Call to Action:

Friends and comrades,

In solidarity with the international call for a global day of action against war and corporate globalization on September 13 coinciding with the anti-WTO actions in Cancun, the NO FTAA Towson group is issuing a call for a "Tour of Shame" and autonomous street theater actions on that date in and around the Baltimore area.

Hoping to inspire actions that highlight the dangers of corporate-led globalization, so-called free trade, profit-based wars and occupations, and capitalist oppression of the poor we are prepared to coordinate independent actions by various groups within and around the city. We urge every organization or affinity that opposes the aforementioned injustices to create and perform an action on this date, using theater, puppetry, poem, song, music, performance art (acting, dancing), and any other creative methods to educate the public about the urgency of opposing war and free trade, and/or to disrupt business as usual by forcing people to think about the effect their lives have on the lives of others in the global south and poor communities at home.

We will begin on September 13 with a "Tour of Shame" around downtown Baltimore starting at 12:30 PM at War Memorial Plaza.
David Rovics will on hand to share a few songs before the march, which will end back in War Memorial Plaza around 3:00 PM, where Food not Bombs will serve food and Towson-based Art not Ads will give away free art.

See www.noftaatowson.cjb.net for various calls for street theater, so far including a Bum Bloc, temporary sweatshops, and a festive and brightly colored music/dance group!

The tour will be stopping at federal sites, banks, corporations, and symbols that represent the domination and destruction of the planet through the use of sweatshops, funding slum landlords, funding international finance institutions like the World Bank and IMF, contributing to homelessness and profit-based housing operations, funding and participating in warfare on the basis of private gain, and jacking prices on utilities and services for the poor. The tour will begin with a brief rally at War Memorial Plaza located at the intersection of East Fayette and Gay streets and will include a number of speakers who will be discussing the connections between stops along the tour and the global injustices of war and corporate globalization.

Following the tour of shame affinity groups will spread throughout the city and head to their pre-determined targets to begin doing street theater-style actions vocalizing their opposition to injustice and war and/or promoting alternatives to destructive policies.

The following are ideas for street theater actions that your organization or affinity could utilize on the 13 to highlight the injustices described above:

* Mock evictions of companies that evict the poor

* Temporary privatization of public resources on behalf of multinationals

* Temporary sweatshops outside of slave-abusing corporate targets

* Zombies walking around detailing the horrors of war

* Grim reapers carrying coffins representing dead civilians in the War on Terror and War in Iraq

* "Business people" explaining to real business people the exploits of corporate globalization

* A representation of the Patriot Act, walking around with a chained up slave who will try to urge people to condemn it's captor

* A massive costumed conga line through business districts that will shout out the absurdity of war and free trade

* A super-patriot bloc representing the image of modern American apathy

* A "bum bloc", which will attempt to spare freedom/democracy from the passer-by

* A drum circle or drum line to beat out the message of unity, solidarity, and mutual aid
* TV-headed people or fake camera people to highlight the absurdity of the corporate-spine of the media

These are just ideas, some have already been claimed and will be utilized and performed on the 13. If you wish to perform theater, please contact us so that we can coordinate all the actions and make sure that there are not overlapping actions at different sites. Please email or call us and give us a little info on your action and your location. If you wish for your action to remain secret, please maintain legal and non-violent status and document your action with photo or video.

In closing, we wish to urge all organizations and affinities who are concerned about war, occupation, and corporate globalization to act on September 13 in solidarity with people all over the globe and join us on the streets of Baltimore. Finally, and once again, in an attempt to coordinate this massive effort we ask that you please contact us about your action idea and location.

In solidarity,

NO FTAA Towson

towsonftaa-AT-lists.riseup.net

www.noftaatowson.cjb.net

*To endorse this call please contact towsonftaa-AT-lists.riseup.net

List of Endorsers:

Towson Anti War Coalition

Active Peace

Art not Ads

Food Not Bombs - Baltimore

ACORN