A coalition of grass-roots organizations, activists and union members stood before the flickering Torch of Friendship in downtown Miami on Wednesday and invited the public to join a week's worth of peaceful protests against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Events will include a 34-mile march -- one mile for each nation that would be included in the free-trade agreement -- three days of teach-ins, a musical ''people's gala,'' a mock trial of the FTAA, and the symbolic presentation of thousands of ''ballots'' cast against the proposal.
''What we want is fair trade that respects human rights, not free trade that exploits human dignity,'' said Julia Perkins of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworkers' rights organization.
The coalition included representatives of the Citizens Trade Campaign, the AFL-CIO, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Jobs With Justice, Root Cause and others. They are part of a broad spectrum of groups expected to protest trade talks that will be held in the Hotel Inter-Continental in downtown Miami on Nov. 20-21. Related trade discussions start Sunday.
One of the earliest major events is the three-day march, sponsored by Root Cause, which begins Sunday in northern Fort Lauderdale and winds up with a rally in downtown Miami on Tuesday. Exact locations are still under discussion, but the march will generally follow U.S. 1, organizers said.
The teach-ins will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, organized under the general themes of ''sustainability and democracy,'' ''health and social development'' and ''faces of the global economy.'' The events, co-sponsored by the Citizens Trade Campaign, will be held at various downtown locations.
The biggest march, sponsored in part by the AFL-CIO, is set for next Thursday, starting at Miami's Bayfront Park and circling through downtown Miami. Police have estimated that up to 20,000 people might attend.
''The American worker built this country -- we're its backbone,'' said Fred Frost, South Florida AFL-CIO president. Under the FTAA, he said, ``we become disposable spare parts. And that's why we're marching.''
The march will be followed the same day by a ''People's Gala for Global Justice,'' at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater. Artists including Billy Bragg, Dead Prez and Steve Earle are scheduled to perform, along with presentations from cultural, labor and environmental leaders. Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the show running from 7 to 11:30 p.m.
The public also is invited to visit the ''convergence center'' -- a gathering place for protesters -- which is set to open this weekend.
Situated at 2300 N. Miami Ave., the center will offer training in nonviolent resistance and other techniques, according to Starhawk, an anarchist from California.
''Come on down and see what's happening,'' she urged.
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