Killer Coke
A Never-ending Story of Exploitation, Greed, Lies, Cover-ups and Complicity in Kidnapping, Torture, Murder and other Gross Human Rights Abuses

Killer Coke Update | April 28, 2004


1. Victories

Bard College, in New York State, removed Coke from its campus some time ago. However, the company tried to make a comeback, but failed. In an e-mail sent out this week, organizer AndreaMuraskin wrote: "The excellent report by Councilman Monserrate's commission thoroughly convinced our administrative buddy and put the nail in the coffin of our relationship with Coke." Congratulations Bard. Please use Councilmember Monserrate's report in your organizing. It's terrific!

The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, NY, with a membership of over 10,500 adults, passed a resolution last night that stated: "RESOLVED that the Park Slope Food Coop severs all ties with The Coca-Cola Co., its units and subsidiaries and will no longer sell the company's products, which have "The Coca-Cola Co." logo on the packaging or are advertised as Coca-Cola products, such as, Odwalla or Minute Maid products." The reasons will be attached to the resolution.

2. Anti-Coke Event in Massachusetts

Campaign Director Ray Rogers, Amit Srivastava of India Resource Center and Dan Kovalik, council in the Coke lawsuit today went to the University of Massachusetts for a teach-in tonight and a rally tomorrow to help the student Campaign pressure the university to sever its contract with Coca-Cola.

3. New Photos

We have new photos online in our "Protest Pics" section: There are three photos of the removal of the Coke vending machines from Carleton College, Minn. Congratulations Carleton! There's also a new picture of Campaign Director Ray Rogers speaking at the Coca-Cola shareholders' meeting in Wilmington, Del. before he was attacked by six security guards and carried out of the meeting room.

4. Article

In our "News" section, there is a new article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, " Labor activist bubbly over Coca-Cola fight," on April 24, about Campaign Director Ray Rogers at the Wilmington, Del. Coke shareholders' meeting and the Macalester College, Minn. Campaign.

5. Radio/TV Interviews

SINALTRAINAL's Luis Adolfo Cardona and Jana Silverman of the Committee for Social Justice in Colombia were on WBAI's (Pacifica Radio) Building Bridges on Monday night. We will try to get her terrific interview linked. You can hear it tonight via webcast at www.wbix.org at 8 pm. (est).

Ray Rogers was interviewed on Pacifica's Democracy Now by Amy Goodman on Tuesday morning. We have a link to www.democracynow.org in the "News" section of our website where you can hear the audio, watch the video or read the transcript at DemocracyNow.org

6. International Caravan in Solidarity with Colombian Workers

***Join the International Caravan in Solidarity with Colombian Workers
United Students Against Sweatshops/Committee for Social Justice in Colombia
Summer 2004 Delegation to Colombia***

Are you an activist in the Coca-cola campaign or global workers' rights movement? Do you want to see for yourself how Colombian unions continue to creatively struggle for labor justice in the face of an escalating civil conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 3,800 union activists since 1986? Do you want to meet other activists from around the world who are also part of the process of building solidarity to demand truth, justice, and reparations in response to the human rights abuses that have been committed against Colombian workers?

If so, you should join United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and the Committee for Social Justice in Colombia (CSJC), who are partnering with the Colombian Coca-cola workers union SINALTRAINAL to participate in the International Caravan of the Colombian union movement, in June 2004.

The delegation will visit different regions of the country, including Bogota, Cali, and Medellin, and meet with unions, human rights, and student groups to learn about their struggles and strategize with them on how to promote solidarity with and understanding about the Colombian popular movements. The International Caravan will also include encounters with other Colombia solidarity activists from Australia to Ireland. In addition, the delegation will accompany protesting workers at occupied factories in Medellin, hear the hip hop beats of urban youth movements in Cali, and see Colombia's ecological richness at an environmental project in Bogota.

The trip will take place from June 20 - June 30, 2004. Approximate cost of the trip is $1,500/person (including airfare) and some scholarships may be available. No Spanish speaking ability is necessary to participate in the delegation. For more information or to apply for the delegation, contact Lenore at USAS: lenore@usasnet.org or Jana at CSJC: jks95@columbia.edu or check out www.usasnet.org or www.socialjusticecolombia.org

"In order to continue living and constructing new dawns for our Colombia, it is necessary that the international union movement, human rights organizations, social organizations and democratic personalities visit the country and share with us this harsh reality." - SINALTRAINAL