Camilo Viveiros

Last updated

Camilo Viveiros is an American political activist.

Early life

Camilo Vivieros was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. His parents are working-class Portuguese immigrants. [1] In 2009, Viveriros received a B.A. Sociology from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. [2]

Contents

Organizing career

Viveiros is a community organizer based in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts area with at least 35 years of experience. [2] Since 2016, he has worked as the Coordinator of the George Wiley Center in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. [3] Related to this position are his activities advocating for utility and tenant justice. [4] [5] [6] He is also a board member of the Somerville, Massachusetts based non-profit organization RESIST. [7]

Viveiros is the Founder and Lead Trainer of independent organization, called Organizing2Activism. The organization conducts training for community organizers, with an emphasis on moving from "tactics-focused activism" to a "grassroots organizing" approach. Training and activities began in 2004. [8] He is also the cofounder of Popular Praxis, which is also an active community organizing organization. [9]

Viveiros is a staff member for the UMass Dartmouth Labor Education Center. [10]

Arrest

On August 1, 2000, police raided a building that Viveiros, along with many others, were using to prepare for demonstrations around the 2000 Republican National Convention. He was subsequently charged with aggravated assault of Police Commissioner John Timoney and threatened with jail time. Two others were also charged with assaulting police. [1] [11] In addition to assault, all three men were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. [12] During the convention, at least 400 people were arrested in what Viveiros' defense committee called the "largest single violation of civil rights since the Vietnam War." [13] Viveiros was one of the few arrestees actively prosecuted, although no evidence could be found. He was acquitted. For nearly all those involved, their charges were dropped or they were acquitted. [14] In an August 17 statement, Viveiros stated that "Basically the commissioner is making a symbol of me" and urged supporters "Don't let them criminalize protest!" [15]

Philosophy

The political philosophy of Viverios centers around organizing the unorganized. In February 2010, during a speech delivered in Boston, he said "Our present economic predicament resulted from years of oppression, fear, and division. Yet now is a moment where, if we organize, we can expand our movements in order to include larger segments of unemployed workers and more community members who are frustrated at corporate policies and government inaction." [16] Viverios also emphasizes that activists can transform into organizers in order to be far more effective. The Activism2Organizing website, which Viveiros operates, states "We need to define the difference between activist approaches and organizing strategies to avoid paternalistic recruitment efforts and make sure that our organizing efforts go beyond rhetoric and events- or tactics-focused activism." [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Indymedia</i> Global open publishing network of activist journalist collectives

The Independent Media Center, better known as Indymedia, is an open publishing network of activist journalist collectives that report on political and social issues. Following beginnings during the 1999 Carnival Against Capital and 1999 Seattle WTO protests, Indymedia became closely associated with the global justice movement. The Indymedia network extended internationally in the early 2000s with volunteer-run centers that shared software and a common format with a newswire and columns. Police raided several centers and seized computer equipment. The centers declined in the 2010s with the waning of the global justice movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts Boston</span> Public research university in Boston, Massachusetts, US

The University of Massachusetts Boston is a public US-based research university. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts Amherst</span> Public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, US

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, and was founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College. It is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts</span> Public university system in Massachusetts

The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses, a satellite campus in Springfield and also 25 campuses throughout California and Washington with the University of Massachusetts Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts Dartmouth</span> Public university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University, it was merged into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Republican National Convention protest activity</span>

2004 Republican National Convention protest activity includes the broad range of marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention and the nomination of President George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S. presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts School of Law</span> Public law school in Massachusetts, US

The University of Massachusetts School of Law is a public law school in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The only public law school in Massachusetts, it is the successor to Southern New England School of Law, a private law school that donated its campus and its assets to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and part of the University of Massachusetts system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trustees of Reservations</span> Preservation and conservation nonprofit organization in MA, US (established 1891)

The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit organization of its kind in the world and has 100,000 member households as of 2021. In addition to land stewardship, the organization is also active in conservation partnerships, community supported agriculture (CSA), environmental and conservation education, community preservation and development, and green building. The Trustees owns title to 120 properties on 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Massachusetts, all of which are open to the public. In addition, it holds 393 conservation restrictions to protect an additional 20,000 acres (8,100 ha). Properties include historic mansions, estates, and gardens; woodland preserves; waterfalls; mountain peaks; wetlands and riverways; coastal bluffs, beaches, and barrier islands; farmland and CSA projects; and archaeological sites.

Jovita Fontánez is the first Hispanic woman to serve as head of the Boston Election Commission and the first Hispanic woman elected to the Electoral College of Massachusetts. In 2014, she was honored for her contributions to the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños archive at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Southern New England School of Law (SNESL) was a non-profit law school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts that operated from 1981 to 2010. At its closure, its assets were donated to the University of Massachusetts system to become the basis for the University of Massachusetts School of Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Darby</span> American Conservative activist and blogger

Brandon Michael Darby is an American conservative blogger and activist. He first became known in the fall of 2005 for actions in New Orleans in efforts to help residents, where he was a co-founder of the Common Ground Collective organized there. It coordinated the efforts of hundreds of volunteers from across the country for years.

Jean F. MacCormack is the past president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, serving in the role from 2014 to 2017. MacCormack is the former Chancellor of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she led from 1999 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward M. Lambert Jr.</span> American politician

Edward M. Lambert Jr. is an American politician and government official who currently served as vice chancellor for government relations and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William A. Flanagan</span>

William A. Flanagan is an American politician and attorney who served as the 42rd Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, from 2010 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Flanagan served as an intern in the city of Taunton's legal department, later joining the Bristol County District Attorney's office as an Assistant District Attorney. He served as Assistant City Solicitor of Taunton before being elected Mayor of Fall River in 2009, succeeding Robert Correia, who was defeated in a preliminary election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Thayer</span> American activist

Andy Thayer is an American socialist, LGBTQ rights and anti-war activist. He is co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, one of the largest LGBTQ direction-action groups in Chicago. He is also the co-founder of Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism.

The George Wiley Center is an American non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1981. Named after chemist and civil rights activist George Wiley, the organization was founded by Henry Shelton, a social activist, and is based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Its stated mission is "local community organizing" to create "social and economic justice through changes in public policy".

Joy Powell is a former community activist and Pentecostal pastor from Rochester, New York, whose career consisted of fighting against gang violence and police misconduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikkita Oliver</span> American civil rights activist, lawyer and educator

Nikkita R. Oliver is an American lawyer, non-profit administrator, educator, poet, and politician. They were a candidate for Mayor of Seattle in the 2017 mayoral election, but finished third in the primary with 17% of the vote. Oliver was defeated again in an at-large Seattle city council race in 2021.

Lindsay Sabadosa is an American activist and politician. She is the first woman to hold the 1st Hampshire district seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Felice Yeskel was an American activist who advocated for LGBT rights, class issues, and economic equality. Yeskel founded and ran, for 14 years, the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Yeskel also co-founded United for a Fair Economy and Class Action.

References

  1. 1 2 "New Trial Date For Camilo Viveiros - Rochester Indymedia". Rochester.indymedia.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Resume". Camiloviveiros.org. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  3. "The George Wiley Center". The George Wiley Center. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  4. "The George Wiley Center wants to help you avoid utility shut-offs". Rifuture.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  5. "Board of Directors - RESIST". Resist.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 "activism2organizing.org". Activism2organizing.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  7. "Popular Praxis". Popular Praxis. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  8. "UMass Labor Extension Program". Umasslep.prometheuslabor.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. Blanding, Michael (8 April 2004). "Justice in Philly (Finally)". Thenation.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  10. "r2klegal.org - DEFEND THE RNC 420". R2klegal.protestarchive.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  11. "In Defence of Justice: The Case of Camilo Viveros Jr". Archive.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017 via Internet Archive.
  12. Kris Hermes. Crashing the Party: Legacies and Lessons from the RNC 2000. PM Press, 18 Jun 2015
  13. "A-Infos (en) Don't Let Them Criminalize Protest!". Ainfos.ca. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  14. "Boston May Day". Bostonmayday.org. Retrieved 17 November 2017.