About 30 Baltimoreans including students, activists, steelworkers and regular locals gathered at Broadway and Fayette Streets to March in solidarity with those demonstrating in Miami against the FTAA meetings on Thursday.

At first glance the demonstration was tiny, but proved quickly to be quite energetic. Participants had dressed up as Baltimore industries which werer shut down or are on their way out including Behlehem Steel, London Fog, National Bohemian, Proctor and Gamble and Joseph A. Bank.



Hank Loeb, steelworker
Nobody was intimidated by the overwhelming, space-age number of police surrounding us: Their numbers doubled ours. Protesters were also followed and individually photographed by at least three presumed FBI agents who identified themselves with a newspaper called The Baltimore Frequency, which nobody had ever heard of.

The group marched to Broadway Square in Fells Point, where steelworkers spoke on the impact that the FTAA would have on Baltimore and South America.

Michael Lewis, USWA Local 9477, addressed the protestors and on-lookers, "What the outsourcing of America does is taking good-paying American jobs, taking food off the table of hard-working Americans families and sending them overseas. And it's not even raising the standard of living of our brothers and sisters in South America and in Mexico."


Steelworkers Michael Lewis and Bob Barry address crowd

Lewis also said "We don't want to see the poor countries in Latin America exploited like we've already seen happening to Mexican workers and workers in Asia. We're here for fair trade not free trade." He called FTAA "NAFTA on steroids."

Daughters of steelworkers attended the march who were fearing that their parents' jobs would soon be lost.

Chris Kolb, a Hopkins student who has met with maquila workers and administrators in Nicaraqua explained the effects there, "Free trade amounts to little better than slavery. We met with the sweatshop administrators and then with the workers and heard about the working conditions- Days that pretty much don't end. Things that people say in favor of free trade are that it is better for these people to have this crappy job granted than no job at all. Of course what you have to realize is that a lot of the free trade policies force people to migrate from the countryside where there may have been a smaller medium that can no longer compete with international business that's given free reign under these types of policies."


Throughout the speeches flyers about the FTAA were given out in Spanish and English. Participants estimated giving out at least 1,000. Two young women from a local group called Art not Ads were giving out free art. Art not Ads promotes expression over consumerism. "Because there's just so much taking in that people do, rather than putting out how they feel, and I think that's where a lot of the anger stems from," explains Christa Kilduff.

The group continued the march west to the Inner Harbour, where we stood as rush hour traffic passed. The police, with numerous vans and cars, stood on the opposite side of the street. Several cars honked and waved supporting us.




Many felt the small demonstration reached many people, at least making them consider the discussions happening in Miami. There was an air of reclaiming America. As one steelworker voiced, "Bethlehem Steel is gone, bankrupt, 100 years of history - the company that built the Golden Gate Bridge. Now ask yourself this question: How good will America be when the company that build the Golden Gate Bridge is bankrupt and gone? Yes, and the Empire State Building, and the St. Louis Arch, I could go on all day about what Bethlehem built."

Gathering in front of the World Trade Center at the Inner Harbor, a speaker said, "This has become a Walmart society. When a factory was opened in a community, houses were built, shops were built. That industry supported the whole town. You don't see that anymore and that's what's missing. It's up to you, you young people in college, it's up to you to lead the way.

Passing Constellation Energy Group, one activist said, "Constellation Energy Group is a multinational company - the parent group for BGE and we know how many problems they cause in the community. Constellation Energy's idea of corporate citizenship is golf tournaments for charity.

In closing, a young woman passing by asked to say something into the megaphone. She then shouted "F the FTAA!" Everone agreed in excitement, then dispersed.

See also "USWA Calls for Congressional Investigation into Police-State Tactics in Miami" www.uswa.org/uswa/program/content/737.php