From: Rainforest Action
Subject: UWA communique to AL GORE ! 20 solidarity actions around U.S.
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000

U'WA SEND LETTER TO AL GORE! DELIVER IT TO YOUR LOCAL GORE OFFICE!

HELP THE U'WA WITH THEIR MOBILIZING IN COLOMBIA!

In this post :
1. U'wa Letter to Al Gore
2. Press Release Oct 6th National Day of Solidarity
3. Reports from U'wa solidarity actions around the country!
4. U'wa fundraising
5. Plan Colombia: An Assault on Native People by Al Gedicks

The latest we hear from the U'wa in Colombia (Oct 11) is that
50 U'wa remain at the drillsite. The machinery is being assembled
and fortunately things remain peaceful despite the massive military
presence. Grassroots mobilizations around the world have brought a
great deal of attention to the U'wa struggle and are a major force
casting a spotlight on this precarious, militarized region.
We must all keep up the great work and continue to support the
U'wa's struggle for survival.

The U'wa continue to organize around Colombia and around the
world. U'wa representatives are headed to Spain to gather more
documentation on the Royal Land Deeds which granted them the sub-surface
rights to their territory. U'wa leaders will also be participating in
upcoming talks in Costa Rica on the future of Colombia. These talks
will include the government, different guerrilla groups, representatives of
indigenous communities and various civil society organizations.

Time is running out to stop the project before the drilling begins!
Below you will find a letter from the U'wa to Al Gore calling on him to
stand up for the principles of indigenous rights and environmental
protection. The U'wa need our help to make Al Gore listen! Take the U'wa
letter and deliver it to your local Gore2000 or DNC offices. Keep the
pressure up! This mobilization is important not only for the future of
the U'wa people but to educate the public about the fact that both the
"major" political parties have become tools of the corporate agenda.
Regardless of what Bush or Gore says, corporate profit margins are still
more important than human rights, peace and the environment.

Whether its a Letter to the editor, pickets and demonstrations, raising
funds, educational events, non-violent direct action or just prayers
do what you can to spread the word and support the U'wa people.

Keep us informed about your local organizing and send in any media that
you get locally so we can pass it on to the Gore campaign.

Contact Rainforest Action Network 415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN or
organize@ran.org.

FOR BACKGROUND INFO and DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS
www.ran.org www.amazonwatch.org www.moles.org www.arcweb.org

#1
Association of the U'wa Traditional Authorities
Recognized by Decree No. 1088 of 1993
Registy Resolution No. 003, January 1997,
General Address of Indigenous Affairs. Ministry of the Interior
U'wa United Reserve, Cubara, Boyaca, October 6, 2000

Vice President of the United States of America
Mr. Al Gore
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D C 20500

Esteemed Vice President Al Gore:

We, the millennial and sovereign U'wa indigenous people,
with this letter, would like to inform you of our thinking
regarding indigenous cultures and the conservation of a
healthy environment.

For millennia, the U'wa culture has respected the laws of
nature, which imply respect for our mother earth so as to
maintain the equilibrium of planet Earth and to make life
on Earth possible. Today humanity is beginning to understand
that restoring our broken relationship with mother nature
is the only way that we can save ourselves from the grave
error of passing onto our children a world dying from
its own contamination.

To continue, we present to you a synthesis of the problem
involving the U'wa people, Oxy, and the Colombian government.

In 1995, Oxy initiated seismic exploration activities in our
ancestral and sacred territory despite our absolute opposition
to this oil drilling project. For us, Oil is the Blood of our
mother earth. The U'wa don't accept this project because it
violates our cultural and territorial principles, it will
destroy our healthy environment and it will create a zone of
armed conflict where the people most affected will be our
communities.

Mr. Gore, on Saturday September 30, the U'wa territory was
invaded by more than 90 trucks which were transporting the
drilling machinery for the Gibraltar 1 well site in our ancestral
territory. The militarization is impressive: More than 3,000
personnel from the army were escorting the machinery and the
U'wa daily felt that all of our fundamental human rights were
being disregarded and violated. The militarization is part of
the major aid package supported by the United States Government,
known as the Plan Colombia, which was supported by Oxy before
the United States Congress. Despite the fact that we have
demonstrated to Oxy and the Colombian government that we are
the legitimate owners of these lands, a fact which is supported
by Royal Land Title documents that were issued by the Spanish
Crown between 1600 and 1800, they have not responded and today
are continuing with the project.

Mr. Gore, knowing that your family has stock in Occidental
Petroleum and that this company is destroying our culture, our
mother earth and the healthy environment, has been responsible
for the abduction and assassination of three North American
indigenous activists, our brother and sisters, Terence Freitas,
Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahena'e Gay, who had seen how Oxy had
penetrated our sacred territory, for the death of three
indigenous children, for injured indigenous people and for the
multiple abuses by the public forces who used tear gas
against the indigenous and farmer populations with fatal
consequences and for the aggression of the local, regional
and national governments of Colombia, of the guerrillas and
other actors that don't share our mission, we respectfully
ask you as Vice President, as a socially minded shareholder,
as a person who says that he is a defender of the environment,
to make a gesture of humanity, and of the morality and ethics
you profess and order an immediate withdrawal by this company
from our ancestral, sacred territory, Kerachikara.

With a gesture of this magnitude you will be materializing the
concept of respect for the life of people and of nature a mission
which all of humanity is charged to defend.

Only in this way will human beings/humanity have a future.

The last point we will make to you is this:
WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE 
FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR  CULTURE; YOUR SILENCE 
SIGNIFIES THE DEATH OF PLANET EARTH AND 
CONSEQUENTLY OF THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE UPON HER.

We are certain that you are going to make the best decision
in the case of the U'wa, for a man of environmental and human
principle will be a good means to demand respect for the U'wa
culture. This respect, which will only be achieved if the oil
project on our territory is canceled, will be the flag that
future generations will carry to save the environment of
planet earth.

In this way violence and environmental destruction will not become
our history but will instead be of the U'wa people of Colombia and the
world.

Believing that these words contain your very spirit and they will be
welcomed by you and your supporters

Sincerely,
Sovereign U'wa Indigenous People
U'wa Traditional Authorities
U'wa Communities
U'wa Council
Roberto Perez Gutierrez
President of the U'wa Council
U'wa Association

cc: Friends of the U'wa and of life, Environmental and
Human Rights NGO's of Colombia, United States,
Europe and the world.

#2
ACTION RESOURCE CENTER
AMAZON WATCH
PROJECT UNDERGROUND
RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK
For Immediate Release
October 6, 2000

Contacts:
Lauren Sullivan, Rainforest Action Network: 415-305-7246; 398-4404
Kevin Koenig, Amazon Watch: 310-463-3915
PROTESTS HEAT UP AT 20 GORE CAMPAIGN OFFICES

CALL FOR THE V.P. TO TAKE ACTION FOR U'WA PEOPLE

San Francisco-In more than twenty cities across the country today, from
Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, activists demonstrated at Gore 2000
campaign offices, calling on the vice president to take action for the U'wa
people of Colombia. Protests in ten additional cities are planned for next
week.

In Seattle, concerned residents held an all-day vigil and in Portland, Maine
activists hung a banner on the campaign office reading ?Al Gore :
Environmentalist or Big Oil Sell Out? Take Action for U?wa!? In San Francisco and Los
Angeles, ?flashers? donning Al Gore masks and big Occidental Petroleum logos on their
chests made surprise visits to Gore campaign offices. The ?flashers?
exposed the truth behind the vice president?s ties to Occidental Petroleum
and the company?s assault on the rights of the U?wa people of Colombia.

?The crisis facing the U'wa people is a critical issue for Al Gore to
address,"said Lauren Sullivan of the Rainforest Action Network. ?The choice
is simple will Gore stand up for human rights and the environment or will he
continue to let campaign contributions from Big Oil buy his silence.?

This week?s protests follow on a wave of demonstrations at Gore headquarters
in ten cities three weeks ago, resulting in four arrested in protest of Gore
's silence on the U?wa crisis. Since January, activists have held
demonstrations and disrupted more than 50 Gore campaign events. The protests
are aimed at drawing public attention to Al Gore?s controversial ties to the
US-based oil company that is preparing to drill on the U?wa people?s sacred
lands in the Colombian cloudforest. Mr. Gore has deep personal and financial
ties to Occidental, including family investments of up to $1 million in the
company.

The U'wa, a traditional tribe of some 5,000 people living in the
cloudforests of northeastern Colombia, are adamantly opposed to the planned
oil project on their traditional territory and have waged an eight-year,
non-violent campaign to block the drilling and protect the region?s fragile
environment.

For years the U'wa have warned that if the oil project goes forward the area
will become yet another center of violent conflict between the military,
paramilitaries and guerrilla factions in the country?s three decade-long
civil war. The U?wa also fear the environmental devastation like that
delivered by Occidental?s nearby Cano Limon oil pipeline which this year
alone has spilled more than half of the oil of the Exxon Valdez spill,
according to Reuters. This last week Occidental moved drilling equipment
into place and is preparing to begin work at anytime.

Meanwhile, the threat of violence against the peaceful U'wa is growing. 
U'wa leaders have recently reported that the Colombian military has planted
land mines on U?wa territory to protect Occidental?s project, and that the
military has begun shooting at U?wa farms from aircraft circling the
drilling area as an intimidation tactic against the tribe.

To date, Mr. Gore-who stands to benefit economically from an oil find on U?
wa land--has taken no action to stop the project that is widely expected to
result in environmental damage and human rights violations.

For more information on the U'wa people?s campaign and Al Gore please visit:
www.arcweb.org   www.amazonwatch.org   www.moles.org   www.ran.org

#3 OCTOBER 6TH DAY OF SOLIDARITY! ACTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY!
and the actions continue! **** right now Oct 12th ****

BOULDER, CO
Activists from the Boulder Rainforest Action Group and other
local groups engage in 24 hour 35 mile peace walk from Boulder
to Gore 2000 HQ in Denver where they will hold a vigil and press
conference!

ANN ARBOR, MI
On Friday the 6th, the Environmental Action group from the University of
Michigan passed out information on the U'wa and collected close to 200
signatures on post cards on campus. About ten members marched to the
Democratic Party office in Ann Arbor chanting "Drilling is Killing!" while
bearing an eight foot oil derrick constructed of rolled newspapers and
cardboard. The group braved chilly temperatures for about forty-five
minutes outside the office chanting and handing out information to
pedestrians, while representatives went inside to inform the Democratic
office staff of the current U'wa situation.

BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Activists from ACERCA (Action for Communities and Ecology in the
Rainforests of Central America) celebrated indigenous peoples day
with a lively demonstration outside the Vermont Democratic HQ.
Speakers educated the public on the connections between oil drilling,
human rights abuses, and U.S. military aid, calling upon the
US government to stop the spraying of herbicides and the use and
testing of mycoherbicides for coca and poppy eradication.

CLEVELAND, OH
15 Students from the Oberlin Peace Activists League performed guerrilla
theater which culminated with a symbolic die-in on top of an American flag.
Activists chanted and leafleted outside the Gore HQ during rush hour traffic
and educated many passersby.

DALLAS, TX
On Friday, October 6 in response to a national call to action, approximately
20 members of UPROAR!, anarchists, Greens, and others gathered outside the
Democratic Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The demonstrators, clothed in
black shawls and carrying dead plants, held a funeral march for Mother Earth
in protest of the damaging policies of Occidental Petroleum and the removal
of the U'wa Indians from their ancestral lands. Protesters marched,
chanted "No more blood for oil" and banged pots and pans. Employees locked
the gate to the parking lot, fled inside the building and declined the
protester's requests to call Al Gore. Article and a picture can be found at:
http://www.monkeyfist.com/articles/681 and http://www.uproarnow.org.

DELAWARE
Activist handed out flyers in front of the Gore office throughout the day.

EUREKA, CA
Northern Humboldt Direct Action Network called an
emergency picket of Gore's newly opened Headquarters.
At noon. 25 people showed up with signs such as:
"Oxy out of U'wa Land!" and "Gore and Oxy - stop
drilling on U'wa land!". Several people also held a
7'x 12'+ banner that read: "Hey Al, dead U'wa children
are a bad investment, take a stand, demand Oxy off
tribal land." The group handed out flyers and held up signs to
passing cars.

HARTFORD, CT
details unavailable

IOWA
Students from Drake, Grinnell and Iowa state bombarded Gore's local
offices with phone calls demanding that he take action for the U'wa

LOS ANGELES, CA
Chanting "Gore Gore take a stand, Oxy out of U'wa land," and challenging the
vice president to "Use your Oxy ties to save U'wa lives," fifty activists,
including actor Cary Elwes and Green Party Candidate for Senator Medea
Benjamin, rallied in front of Gore's California Campaign Headquarters in
Los Angeles. Activists from Witness for Peace managed to breach building
security and get into the Gore office with Candido Martinez a representative
of Honduras indigenous Lanka (sic?) people who delivered a letter of
solidarity
for the U'wa to Al Gore.

MADISON, WI
15-20 people from the Colombia Support Network and the UW Greens rallied
outside the federal building and marched down to Gore headquarters to
demonstrate and hand out literature.

NY, NY
Activists from Rainforest Relief and the Wetlands Preserve passed out
leaflets in front of Gore headquarters and talked with campaign workers.

PHILADELPHIA, PA
8 activists leafleted outside Gore office and held signs for passing
motorists.

PORTLAND, ME
25 activists rallied outside the Gore HQ and hung a giant banner reading
"Al Gore : Environmentalist or Big Oil Sell-out? Take action for the U'wa!"

PORTLAND, OR
Sixty Portland activists rallied at Gore's campaign offices and
then marched in solidarity with the U'wa around downtown Portland.

SAN DIEGO, CA
details unavailable

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
30 activists rallied outside Gore HQ complete with 4 Al Gore
flashers who were exposing their ties to big oil. Speakers from
Rainforest Action Network, Project Underground, Global Exchange
and Greenaction riled up the crowd and drew connections to struggles
for environmental justice around the world.

SAN JOSE, CA
Members of the Redwood Action Team paid a visit to Gore's campaign office
and educated campaign staff.

SEATTLE, WA
U'wa supporters held a day long vigil outside the Gore office.

STEVEN'S POINT, WI
3 people began solidarity fasts to raise awareness about the U'wa.
 

WASHINGTON D.C.
A coalition of groups spearheaded by Amnesty International organized a
solidarity rally for the U'wa at Gore's DC HQ.

#4
U'WA NEED FUNDS TO CONTINUE MOBILIZATION!
Letter from U'wa leader Ebaristo Tegria

Thank you for the support that you have shown for the U'wa people,
for life and for the environment.

I would like to inform you of the needs of the U'wa community
mobilized at the well site in Cedeno. The people on the Santa Rita
and Bellavista farms need financial support for basic items like food,
medicines and transportation.

It is important that these brothers and sisters remain on the well site as
it is one of the ways to communicate to Oxy and the Colombian government
that the lands that we are occupying are U'wa community lands and for this
we demand respect.

Thank you.
Ebaristo Tegria

*If you would like to help the U'wa with this request, contact Amazon
Watch at 310-455-0617, or send donations to:
Amazon Watch
115 South Topanga
Topanga Canyon, CA 90290
Earmarked: U'wa Defense

#5
Sept 21, 2000 From: Al Gedicks
210 Avon Street # 4
To: Guest Column La Crosse, WI 54603
(608) 784-4399

Plan Colombia: An Assault on Native People

The $1.3 billion U.S. military aid package to "fight drugs" in Colombia
has so far led to escalating violence against U'wa Indians whose traditional
lands are rich in oil. Shortly after President Clinton's announcement of the
grant, four U.S. supplied helicopters carrying Colombian National Police
forces attacked a group of U'wa Indians who had been peacefully blockading
the road leading to the Gibraltar 1 drilling site, owned by the Los Angeles
-based Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) . Hundreds of police attacked
the U'wa with riot batons, bulldozers and tear gas. Three U'wa children drowned
when police forced them into a fast-flowing river. The military forces
declared that "the oil will be extracted even over and above the U'wa people."

The U'wa, a traditional tribe of some 5,000 members living in the cloud
forests of northeastern Colombia, are strongly opposed to the planned Oxy
oil project on their territory and have waged an eight-year, non-violent
campaign to block the drilling and protect the region's fragile environment.
For years the U'wa have warned that if the oil project goes forward, it will
only bring the violence that they have seen in other oil regions of Colombia
where the military, paramilitaries and guerrilla factions have been waging a civil war
for the past three decades.

Within the last week the U'wa received notice of the government's plan to
evict them to make way for Oxy's final shipments of drilling equipment. The
Colombian Agrarian Reform Institute has declared the 500 meter area
surrounding the company's well site a "petroleum reserve zone" and the
military has placed land mines around the contested drill site to keep the U'wa and other
protestors from blockading drilling rigs. At the same time, U'wa leaders
have just presented the Colombian government with legal documents showing that the
King of Spain granted them legal title to the entire area around the drill site as well as
the sub-surface rights. These colonial land claims have legal standing in
Colombian courts.

In the early 1990s, Al Gore had supported the Penan, an indigenous people
in Borneo whose rainforest home was threatened by logging operations.
Despite repeated requests by U'wa supporters to speak out on behalf of the
U'wa, he has been silent. Apparently Gore's concern for the environment and human
rights only matters when it doesn't conflict with personal and financial
connections to corporations like Oxy. The Gore family owns at least half a million
dollars worth of Occidental stock. The Vice President's father, a former U.S.
Senator, also served on Occidental's board of directors for twenty-eight years.

While Gore is silent on the U'wa, U.S. activists have confronted the
presidential candidate at more than 50 stops along the campaign trail. Over
one thousand people marched in Los Angeles during the Democratic party
convention, calling on Gore to take action for the U'wa. In Olympia,
Washington, 200 human rights activists marched on the local Democratic Party office and
then proceeded to take over the building for 6 hours. "It's a time of reckoning
for Al Gore, the supposed 'environmental vice president' said Lauren Sullivan of
the Rainforest Action Network. "Either he takes a stand against this project
which threatens the U'wa people and their environment or expect this conflict to
rear its ugly head at every campaign turn."

Al Gedicks is a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse. This is an excerpt from his forthcoming book, Resource Rebels:
Native Challenges to Mining and Oil Corporations.