By March 18, 2020
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas on March 17.
California Bay Area
Even the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic could not keep the Sanctions Kill coalition from holding its March 14 program in California’s Bay Area to oppose U.S.-imposed sanctions and war. Originally scheduled to be held at Restore in Oakland, in response to community concerns about holding an in-person event, the coalition changed its program into both a Zoom webinar and a Facebook livestreaming event that was accessible nationally.
The Sanctions Kill event was moved to a virtual realm with the help of the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ) in less than 24 hours. Nearly 90 people attended the Zoom webinar, and over 5,000 people watched the livestream on Facebook.
Speakers included Pierre LaBossiere of the Haiti Action Coalition; Rhonda Ramiro, chair of BAYAN USA; Omowale Clay of the December 12th Movement; Bilal Mafundi Ali of the Black Alliance for Peace; and Nesbit Crutchfield of the Venceremos Brigade Bay Area.
Others on the program were David Paul of the (Venezuelan) Embassy Protectors; Sara Flounders, International Action Center; K.J. Noh, scholar, writer and KPFA correspondent; Dave Welsh, delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council; Jeff Mackler, United National Antiwar Coalition; and Elane Spivak-Rodriguez, AFGJ. The event was chaired by Judy Greenspan, local Sanctions Kills coalition organizer and member of the Oakland Education Association.
The speakers addressed the impact of sanctions from Haiti to Palestine to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Panelists also raised the devastating impact of these U.S.-imposed economic sanctions in countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Syria. A Q&A session followed the presentations.
