News
Street Roots • August 12-18, 2016
Page 5
Who’s down with TPP?
How Oregon's office holders plan to vote
f the Obama administration can build enough
I
support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade
deal will come to a vote this fall. But many
representatives claim they are still undecided.
Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens’ Global
Trade Watch, said it is already likely the administration
will find enough support in the U.S. Senate to pass the
deal, it still has work to do in the House. All that’s
needed is a simple majority in both the U.S. House and
PHOTO BY NORLAM OLIVO/GIRLIE ACTION MEDIA
Joey La Neve DeFrancesco, far left, and singer Victoria Ruiz, far right, with fellow Downtown Boys bandmates, past and
present. The punk artists are performing in Portland with the Rock Against the TPP event Aug. 20.
Punk’s political powerhouse
Downtown Boys don't mince words when it comes to TPP
BY JASON MEKKUM
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T^Xunk is politics, and in that
I— game, the band Downtown
JL Boys leaves nothing on the
table. No one walks out of its shows
without a chance at enlightenment
- on workers’ rights, police
accountability and punitive
immigration policies, among other
issues. And with singer Victoria
Ruiz on the mic, Downtown Boys
have no trouble getting their
message across loud and clear - in
English and Spanish - before,
during and after their shows.
On Aug. 20, the Providence, R.I.,
band will be in Portland performing
with Rock Against the TPP, the
traveling “education concert” calling
for the defeat of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership. The touring event
seems like a perfect fit for band
members Ruiz, Joey La Neve
DeFrancesco, Norlan Olivo and
Mary Regalado. The TPP, with its
massive labor, environmental and
human rights implications, merges
multiple issues that have been
woven into Downtown Boys’ sax
punk party sound for years.
Fresh from a Rock Against the
TPP event in Denver, Ruiz and
DeFrancesco spoke with Street
Roots about their passion for the
project and the issues. But first,
given that their recent album is
titled “Full Communist,” we were
curious: Are they or aren’t they?
Joey La Neve DeFrancesco:
When we’re talking about
communism we’re not talking about
a 20th century, state imagination of
top-down communism. It’s more of
a small “c” communism that is
creating a more participatory,
democratic alternative to the kind
of global capitalism that the TPP is
putting into place. The idea is the
opposite of full-on capitalism and
what that means to be ruled by a
complete corporate oligarchy and
that is something the TPP is
certainly pushing us toward. It’s
literally putting control of state
governments across the world in
the hands of corporations which are
inherently undemocratic. I think at
the moment, fighting that idea is
where our heads are at.
Jason Mekkum: You guys are
known for heavy political messages in
your music. What specifically about
this compelled you get involved in this
event?
Victoria Ruiz: I think that a lot
of our stage banter and what we
tend to talk about is fighting
institutional racism and bringing
together this idea that we’re never
going to have worker justice until
we have racial justice. And that’s
part of this same movement against
oppression. (The TPP) is planting
the seeds of fascism in the United
States.
J.M.: Have you had any issues
with the fact that not a lot of people
are familiar with the TPP? Is it
challenging to get your listeners
concerned?
J.D.: It’s designed from the
beginning to be secret and hard to
understand. It was negotiated
completely in secret and agreed
upon before even being revealed to
the citizens of any of these
countries. And now all that’s left to
happen is this up or down vote. It
can’t be changed further at this
point. People kept saying at the
rally in Denver - right or left,
people universally for one reason or
another opposed this deal for how
much power it concedes to the
people at the very top. When
people learn about the details of it
they are almost universally against
it. But it is just completely shrouded
in secrecy.
Only about six of 30. sections of
the deal have anything to do with
trade. You can talk about unfair
trade policies and that’s a huge part
of this as well, but then all of these
other sections are entirely about
getting corporations the power to
deregulate labor laws,
environmental laws, about
strengthening copyright laws that
mostly serve corporate interests.
And giving pharmaceutical
companies these monopoly rights
over drugs, which is going to make
it harder for people all over the
world - particularly in the Third
World - from getting HIV drugs,
from getting cheap drugs for all
sorts of illnesses, which at this
point shouldn’t be an issue any
See D'TOWN BOYS, page 12
On August 4, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown came out in
support of the TPP with an announcement that drew
criticism from local labor unions.
“Oregon’s unions continue to stand united in our
opposition to the TPP, because it’s a bad deal for
working people in our state,” wrote Oregon AFL-CIO
President Tom Chamberlain in response to Brown’s
announcement
Many of Oregon’s representatives who say they are
undecided on the controversial trade deal also voted in
favor of Fast Track, which was written to expedite the
passage of TPP through Congress. Trade deal watchdog
groups have used votes in favor of Fast Track as an
indicator of who is likely to also vote in favor of the
Here’s a rundown of where Oregon representatives
stand, along with contact information:
Oregon’s US. Representatives
Suzanne Bonamici (D-District 1)
Position on TPP: Undecided
Vote on Fast Track: Yes
Email her at bonamici.house.gov
’ Phone: 503-469-6010
»Greg Walden (R-District 2)
Position on TPP: Likely In favor
SVote on Fast Track: Yes
(His office did not respond with his current standing, but
he has expressed support of the deal in the past.)
Email him at walden.house.gov
iPhone: 202-225-6730
Earl Blumenauer (D-District 3)
^Position on TPP: Undecided
gVote on Fast Track: Yes
Email him at blumenauer.house.gov
Phone: 503-231-2300
Peter Defazio (D-District 4)
Position on TPP: Opposed
Ipte on Fast Track: No
Email him at defazio.house.gov
jione: 202-225-6416
Kürt Schrader (D-District 5)
Position on TPP: Supportive, but stHI reviewing the bill
»te on Fast Track: Yes
Email him & sch rader. house .go v |
»one: 202-225-5699
Bregons U.S. Senators
■on Wyden (D)
Position on TPP: Undecided
Bote on Fast Track- Yes
Email him at wyden.senate.gov
Shone: 503-326-7525
jeff Merkley (D)
»sition on TPP: Opposed
Bote on Fast Track: No
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone:503-326-3386
-By Emily Green