Globalization hits home
Spokane resident Julie Smith hadn't heard much about the Summit of the Americas.
"I started doing some research and was amazed at the ramifications this summit can have," Smith said.
So the Green Party member organized a gathering of about 25 people on Wednesday night in downtown Spokane to discuss this weekend's gathering in Quebec.
She's also forming a Spokane coalition against the proposed Western Hemisphere free trade agreement being discussed at the summit.
Many of those who came to Smith's meeting have been involved in environmental issues before. But the main speaker was local union activist Robert Kenyon.
"I do not see a future for myself or my kids or my grandkids," said Kenyon, a member of the United Steelworkers for 34 years. "We are an expendable commodity in the corporate world's eyes."
After watching a video about the negative consequences of the North American Free Trade Agreement, discussion flowed to ways local residents can fight the expanded pact.
Smith said she would like her new coalition to make presentations to other entities, including high school classes.
"We just want to keep the pressure on as much as we can," Smith said.
A few of those at the meeting planned to participate in weekend protests, including a march from Northport to the Canadian border.
More than 40 United Steelworker members from the Spokane area are taking a bus to a rally in the border town of Blaine, Wash., Kenyon said.
"I just want to wake up the people in this community," Kenyon said. "We are not just asking for a voice in these closed-door secret meetings, we are demanding a voice for the people and the environment."