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Independent Journalist, Activist John Ross Dies
And the independent journalist, activist and poet John Ross has died. Ross covered social movements in Mexico and Latin America for nearly 50 years. He authored 10 books, including his latest El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City. In a Democracy Now! interview last April, Ross talked about how he first came to the Mexican capital.
John Ross: "I went to Mexico in 1957 with a number of younger Beat poets. We were much younger than the Jack Kerouacs and Allen Ginsbergs. We were about 15-well, not so much younger than Allen, but certainly than Kerouac and Burroughs. We were about 15 years younger. But we had contact with them in New York. I come from the Village. I was born in the Village, and my contact was always with poets and artists, and came to Mexico in 1957, returned in 1958. And I didn't go on the road. I mean, all the Beats were always on the road. I came and stayed. And I lived for seven years in a small indigenous village in the mountains of Michuacán. And truly, you know, I've been very close to the Zapatista movement during the last 16 years. And I could have not been close to the Zapatista movement, if I hadn't spent so many years living in an indigenous community and understanding the dynamic of indigenous life in rural Mexico."
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10 Comments so far
Show AllJohn Ross presente! La lucha sigue!
I first met John Ross in 1994 at the collectively run Black Cat Café in Seattle. He was up doing Zapatista support and solidarity work, and he did a very memorable reading from his _Rebellion from the Roots_.
I last met John last year in Houston, McAllen, and San Benito, Texas. He spoke at UTPA about the centennial of the Mexican Revolution, and read passages from _El Monstruo_ and some of his poetry. He was as irascible and cantankerous and accurate in his appraisals of Mexico, the United States, and the world as ever. While his condition was frail, he remained sharp and critical and also hopeful.
To family, friends, compañer@s: Mi más sentido pésame. Solidaridad.
I admired John enormously - he was a brilliant analyst and spokesman for the Zapatistas, and more importantly , he had a good heart.
It was my privilege to have met him twice at events where he presented: in DC and in Boulder, CO. I was struck by his perseverance and determination in carrying on his profession - writing - in spite of dealing with such severe vision loss that, when speaking, he had to keep his notes within a couple of inches from his eyes.
John was a bright light - he made our world better place.
Arden Buck
Nederland, CO
a huge loss for the forces of good and light. ross was one of the few voices that stood between me and complete and total ignorance on affairs south of the border. thanks to him and too few others, i'm only partially stupid.
rip john.
We'll really miss Jon Ross. I found his weekly reports on CNN and MSNBC to be extremely informative. Oh wait, I forgot that 24hour news doesn't cover Latin America. If more Americans knew how their tax dollars were being used to advance the interests of multi-national corporations by thwarting democracy and equality in Latin America, there might be serious concern.
This country might hold on a little longer if they would stop spreading democracy (read backing violent fascists movements) to people who don't want it. Another big money saver might be overthrowing communist dictatorships (read democratically elected governments) and replacing them with puppets of the USA, that shining city on a hill, that encourages murder, torture, and imprisonment for indefinite terms without charges, trials, or investigations.
See http://climatevoices.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/john-ross-rebel-journalist-dies-in-mexico/.
Shit,me thinks i owe John $20.00 plus interest from 1970.Sorry Bro we will miss you.
peace
i first met john in istanbul with the human shields on our way to baghdad to protest/stop the 2003 US invasion of iraq. i had been a US government employee up to the year before, and sharing a room with john for the next couple of weeks was an education about the left-wing in america that i'd missed the 50 years i'd lived there -- ranging from his being imprisoned for being one of the original anti-viet nam draft card burners in 1964 to his later love affair with mimi baez. john was ready to die from in the US shock&awe attack on baghdad, but the saddam regime no more liked his radical democratic anarchism than the bush regime did -- so he was booted out of irag to continue the fight. john was a guiding elder for me in my middle age -- i'm sure the dude will also get booted out of either heavan or hell by the authorities of wherever the hell he ends up next -- !VAMANOS!
I wasn't even aware of the man's existence, but I feel bad about his being gone now. We need a lot more like him. I feel envious of the "beats". I wish was old enough to have been there with them. I don't think it's even possible to live "on the road" and "off the grid" any longer.