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May 15, 2005
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| Gerardo Cajamarca moved to Minnesota in 2003. He protested against the government in his native Colombia, and says he left after receiving death threats. (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness) |
Minneapolis, Minn. — For Gerardo Cajamarca, it was his fight against globalization that brought him to Minnesota.
Cajamarca organized labor unions in his native Colombia and protested against Plan Colombia, the United States' proxy war on coca growers and traders in Colombia.
He says it was after fellow dissidents were killed and he received death threats that he sought political asylum here.
Cajamarca arrived in Minnesota in 2003. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.
He says living here is bittersweet. He holds the United States responsible for aiding corruption in his country, where he says government leaders are complicit in drug trafficking. But he also enjoys the liberties of being able to speak freely here and live without fear of retribution.
Cajamarca is a member of the Steelworkers Union, and spends his time speaking around the country against Plan Colombia, globalization, and the Coca Cola Corp.
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