This workshop will discuss the deep poverty and inequality that is the continuing legacy of the criminal justice policies and racism both in the U.S. and our policies abroad. It will explore the connections between a human society that invests in prisons, building walls at the border, exporting our post 911 war on terror security policies, and the so called "war on drugs" rather than meaningful support systems and livelihood opportunities. Continued focus on law enforcement and punishment rather than the suffering in New Orleans, other parts of the U.S., abroad, increases criminalization of human beings rather than addressing the root causes. The Security Prosperity and Partnership agreement being negotiated in Bush's meetings has a built in mechanism to respond to civil unrest (anticipated as a result of the negative impacts of the agreement) includes plans to streamline security forces in the three countries, forming a regional security force for "emergency response." It also includes a $1.4 billion three year package called the Merida Initiative. Modeled after the War on Drugs in Colombia (Plan Colombia), the Initiative provides military aid to Mexico. Moreover, a large part of this new funding package for Plan Mexico is to further militarize the border in order to stop the flow of immigration. This workshop will strive to work with participants to unpack these connections and explore joint strategies for fighting them.