On the night of August 30, a group of drug dealers attacked and burned down the house of Neka Jara and Alberto Spagnolo, in Florencio Varela, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Neka and Alberto are well-known for their years of social justice organizing with the MTD Solano and currently with the Movement of Collectives. Their house was built collectively on squatter-occupied land and served as a gathering space for organizing the movement and community.

Solidarity with Neka & Alberto in Argentina

Hello compañer@s,

On the night of August 30, a group of drug dealers attacked and burned down the house of Neka Jara and Alberto Spagnolo, in Florencio Varela, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Neka and Alberto are well-known for their years of social justice organizing with the MTD Solano and currently with the Movement of Collectives. Their house was built collectively on squatter-occupied land and served as a gathering space for organizing the movement and community.

The arson came after days of increasingly hostile threats from this drug dealer and the police's refusal to intervene, even after numerous complaints. The previous night the same group had attacked the house, threatening to kill Neka and Alberto. A quick response from the neighbors was successful in driving away the attackers that night but the following night the police abandoned the zone, clearing the way for the group to return and burn the house. Finally, with the house already destroyed and after repeated calls to officials in the national government, the police sent one patrol car to the area. Yet the threats on Neka and Alberto's lives and the homes of their relatives and other activists continue.

This was not an isolated event but an example of how drug-related organizations in Argentina are operating with increasing force and impunity, and with disturbing ties to law enforcement agencies. It was a clear attempt to destroy any form of neighborhood organization opposed to the narco-police apparatus, to destroy ties of solidarity and confidence in collective projects. It is part of a larger conflict over the neighborhood's youth, to expand the drug market and gain control over the territory. The explicit goal of the action was to drive Neka and Alberto, and thus their organization, out of the neighborhood. Despite being shaken, Neka and Alberto remain as committed as ever to continuing their struggle for life and new forms of community.

Friends, neighbors, relatives and other activists in Buenos Aires have come together to support Neka and Alberto and have found a new house for them. The fire (and subsequent robbery), however, destroyed nearly all of their possessions, and they will need a lot more support in the coming days and months. We are asking for monetary donations to help Neka and Alberto restore their household and to continue the Movement of Collectives' work in the neighborhood.

Please donate now at this link: http://colectivos.chipin.com

en solidaridad,

matt

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