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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2016)
Page 4 News Street Roots • August 12-18, 2016 Concert Details What: Rock Against the TPP Where: Director Park 815 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR 97205 When: 5-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 Go to RockAgainstTheTPP.org for a free ticket Teach-in Details BY EMILY GREEN STAFF WRITER diverse faction of well-known performers will take the stage in Downtown Portland’s Director Park on Aug. 20 in an effort to build opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal with a free rock concert. Portland is the third stop in the “Rock Against the TPP” tour, which kicked off in Denver, Colo., with legendary guitarist Tom Morello, the Flobots and Talib Kweli in July. The tour is sponsored by a wide range of organizations, from the Teamsters and United Steelworkers to Sierra Club and Daily Kos. Actress and activist Evangeline Lilly speaks to a crowd in Denver about the Trans-Pacific The Portland concert will feature punk Partnership as part of the Rock Against the TPP tour. groups Anti-Flag and Downtown Boys, comedian Hari Kondabolu, slack rock guitarist Makana, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba, hip-hop artist Son of Nun and other performers, including Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly of television’s “Lost” and “The Hobbit” movie franchise. Lilly will MC the event and lead a teach-in at First Unitarian Church the following day where she’ll educate participants on provisions of the TPP and ways to get involved locally. To gain access to the event, fans must go to RockAgainstTheTPP.org to sign up and add their name to a petition telling members of Congress to stand in opposition to the deal. Most of Oregon’s representatives in Congress say they’re still undecided (See expected future profits - and these a victory that we can create together and “Who’s down with TPP,” page 5). corporations only need to convince those The TPP is a 2,000-plus-page trade deal celebrate,” he said. three corporate lawyers that a U.S. law or One of the tour’s lead organizers is digital written in secret with corporate lawyers and government decision violates the rights group Fight for the Future. Its advisors that covers 40 percent of the global corporation’s new TPP rights.” campaign director, Evan Greer, said the economy. While Obama has already signed the deal, group got involved when it learned how the President Barack Obama has said passing the document is nothing more than a TPP would hurt internet freedom by it through Congress is the number one doorstop unless Congress approves it, said exporting “the worst part of U.S. copyright priority of his administration while he’s still Wallach. policy to other countries without expanding in office. She said the White House plans to push or requiring protections for fair use or Critics of the deal say it grants new rights the TPP through Congress after the freedom of speech.” to corporations while exploiting workers and November elections, “when the retired and Greer said the same type of enforcement the environment, and that it erodes the newly fired get to come back and have one over intellectual property has been used to sovereignty of nations. last vote - perhaps when they are thinking target legitimate political speech in the past, Those who support the TPP say it will about their next job.” for example, the repeated deletion of Martin boost U.S. exports, create jobs and stimulate Similar provisions of the North American Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech economic growth by removing tariffs. Free Trade Agreement enabled TransCanada from YouTube. At the launch of the Rock Against the TPP Corp, to sue the U.S. for more than $15 “The TPP would essentially lock that campaign, organizers said they want to make billion for blocking the Keystone Pipeline. system into place,” said Greer. “It poses a it clear they are not against global trade. The TPP would extend the right to sue threat in that sense to our ability to really What they are against, they said, are deals governments for limiting profits to thousands share, express and gain knowledge on the written behind closed doors without any more corporations housed in the 12 internet. In addition to that, it would also public input that put the rights of countries signed onto the deal. harshen penalties for whistleblowers and corporations ahead of people and the “The TPP gives 9,500 new Japanese journalists that are exposing the wrongdoing environment corporations the right to sue you for trying “This is not about isolationism,” said Jonny of corporations through a section on quote- to protect your wages, your jobs, your unquote trade secrets.” 5 of the Flobots. Rather, he said, “it’s about freedom of speech, your access to affordable Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s saying we have solidarity with people around medicine and your clean air and water,” said the world who also want the ability to protect Global Trade Watch said a key provision of actress Lilly at the launch of the campaign. the TPP would grant new rights to their water, their land, their legal rights - we “And that’s just Japan.” thousands of corporations to sue government want that ability as well.” Greer said concert organizers consulted bodies before a panel of corporate lawyers He said the movement against the TPP is with Morello (of Audioslave, Prophets of who are responsible for issuing a verdict. ’ an exciting opportunity for an international Rage and Rage Against the Machine) and She said, “These lawyers can award the victory transcending political ideology. folksinger Ryan Harvey to explore how to corporations unlimited sums, to be paid by “At a time like now when there is so much use music and culture to build a global despair and violence around the world, this is American taxpayers, including the loss of A Rockin' Against the tpp Anti-Flag and Downtown Boys to headline tour stop in Portland What: TPP Teach-in led by Evangeline Lilly Where: First Unitarian Church 1211 SWMain St. Portland, OR 97205 When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 21 Go to RockAgainstTheTPP.org for a free ticket movement against the TPP. In 2015, the duo founded Firebrand Records, which signs musicians standing up for social justice issues. Some of the label’s artists, such as synth-pop and soul artist Bell’s Roar, have joined the tour. “If we’re not allowed to be part of the conversation, we’ll make our own conversation, and we’ll try to make it louder than theirs,” said Harvey. “Music and political action have always been tightly bound together throughout global history.” Harvey said his business partner’s former band, Rage Against the Machine, took aim at the “exact same economic policies” that are entrenched in the TPP deal. “We see it as the latest attempt by a lot of the same people, and people of the same political and economic spectrum who are trying to push these same old policies to erode human rights and environmental regulations, to push down wages, push corporate profits up,” he said. “It’s a global trade agreement written for and by corporations.” Anti-Flag lead singer and guitarist Justin Sane said his group joined the tour to make it clear that they too stand firmly against the. deal. “People are already sick and tired of the stranglehold that corporations and politicians that serve them have on our democracy,” he said. “If approved, the TPP would hand them even more power to control and exploit us.” Polling suggests an effective way to build opposition against the deal is to tell people about what’s in it. Political consultant Stanley Greenburg worked as a pollster for President Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. He said that in recently conducted focus groups and polling around the TPP, when people learn the details of the deal, “it’s kind of a wow moment.” When his research team begins each survey, respondents are “marginally against it overall,” he said. “But when they are educated, learn how it was created and what its main provisions are - to give corporations more control at the expense of the American government and the American people - they get angry, they get engaged and they want to know what to do.” Rock Against the TPP is currently trying to raise funds for a final showdown concert and protest in Washington, D.C.
