Student organizations that agreed to rally behind the No to APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) coalition held a forum on Nov. 6 in Rosa Parks Conference Room A-C to educate students on APEC and its effects while preparing them for upcoming protests on Nov. 12 and 15.
Young Democratic Socialists of America, Haüs BlàQue, Movimiento Estudiantil para Liberación de las Américas and League of Filipino Students at San Francisco State University were part of the forum.
“Today, we gather not just LFS members but also other student orgs like YDSA, Haüs BlàQue and MELA because we wanted to learn together and prepare ourselves for confronting the politicians or corporations at APEC and also organizing beyond APEC,” DJ Chan, chairperson of LFS said.
According to Chan, heads of states from 21 nations will come to the APEC summit.
Wesley Ueunten, a professor and department chair of Asian American Studies, added that APEC first started in the late ‘80s with the idea of making free trade between nations in the Asian-Pacific region easier.
“I think it can be bad when you make it easier for free trade, but at the same time, you lead to the displacement of many people along with the liberalization and deregulation loss of protections for workers and marginalized people,” Ueunten said.
According to Chan, APEC’s trade deals will exploit workers and put developing countries at greater risk of being in debt. The problem with that summit being hosted in San Francisco is that it will remove funds from the city.
“The Mayor, London Breed, is spending a lot of public funds to increase security, SFPD and also to host lavish parties or dinners for these heads of state,” Chan said. “So it’s really taking away tax money that could be used for social services, for food programs, for housing programs, even programs like Gator Groceries is supported by the city that could have been utilized for us students rather than actually spending on these politicians who make so much money.”
As someone who grew up in Hawaii and has roots in Okinawa, Ueunten knows how tourism can drive money into a city.
“For the city with this, the promise that it’s going to bring a lot of dollars, it’s good for tourism so we’re going to have all these people come in,” Ueunten said. “But, is it worth it? In Okinawa and Hawaii, the money comes in but it filters out quickly.”
According to Ueunten, the summit will benefit larger businesses related to tourism. However, he does not see the long-term benefits that regular workers get out of the summit.
In Annex 1 at SFSU, there will be a summit hosted by the League of Filipino Students on Nov. 11 called People and Planet over Profit and Plunder: the Peoples’ Counter Summit.
According to an Instagram post from the League of Filipino Students, “Attendees will hear about the grassroots efforts of workers, migrants, youth, women, and many more.”
The mobilizations in San Francisco are scheduled to take place at noon on Nov. 12 at the Embarcadero Plaza and on Nov. 15. The times and locations may change.
“I’m in support of them. I’ve learned a lot from the League of Filipino Students,” Ueunten said. “They’re really putting themselves on the line. Coming out of Asian American studies, which is part of the College of Ethnic Studies, that’s what we stand for right?”
