Special Request from the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

DAYLIGHT NETWORK

Another message just for you…

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See attachment for

the Yancey 2011 April edition

 

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April 13^th was young Louis’ birthday…

A Special Request to you from the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

 

Blessed Wednesday All,   I want to thank everyone who has supported The Peace Institute all these years.   Today, April 13th- is my son, Louis Brown's birthday. He would have been 33. My family and I take this day as a time of reflection; The rain is a sign that spring is here washing away the old and making room for new birth, the flowers will bloom and the grass will be green before you know it.  Today I ask you all to honor Louis' young life by doing the following:   We use these 7 principles to guide us personally, professionally & spiritually on our journey toward Peace- choose ONE to focus on for Wednesday 4.13.11. and I've included some actions- or you can come up w/ your own & share it w/ me.   1)Love: make a love gift to the Survivors Burial Assistance Fund & help another family   2)Unity: create a Mothers Walk team in honor of your loved one or etsablish a virtual walk and help us to meet our fundraisng goal (www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org) 3)Faith: be encouraging & not degrading to self and others   4)Hope: plan to attend Hip Hop 911 Play @ RCC (4/23/11) & watch sibling survivors be the hope & motivation for the next generation   5)Courage: have the courage to give a stranger a compliment   6)Justice: take time to look beyond the surface of the person you are judging (someone is judging you)   7)Forgiveness: meditate on- "the heart that holds forgiveness heals itself." then apologize to someone whom you may have hurt. (This does not have to be physical harm.) In Peace     Clementina Chery

 

info@ldbpeaceinstitute.org |   Peace Institute | 1452 Dorchester Avenue | Dorchester | MA | 02122

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The substance of this message, including any attachments, may be confidential, legally privileged and/or exempt from disclosure pursuant to Massachusetts law. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

CHUCK SPEAKS!!!

FOR ANY FURTHER INFO FROM CHUCK,

GO TO THE ONLY DESIGNATED WEBSITE.

http://supportchuckturner.com

 

 

FOR ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE ORGANIZING MEETING AND NEXT STEPS,

PLEASE GO TO THAT DESIGNATED WEBSITE.

usattywatch.blogspot.com

 

 

 

MAILING ADDRESS

 

Chuck Turner 80641-038

SPC HAZELTON
P.O. BOX 2000
BRUCETON MILLS, WV  26525

 

 

Chuck Speaks 4-5-11

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Admin

April 5, 2011  http://supportchuckturner.com

Transitions: 

Dear Supporters,  

Transitions in life are always difficult given the necessary changes that need to be made in order to adjust to the new realities. I am certainly going through a transition here at Hazelton and I know that the residents of District 7 are certainly going through a transition
with a new District 7 City Councilor.

Many have expressed concern regarding how Councilor Jackson’s approach to the issues facing us will effect the progress that we have been able to make during the last eleven years. From my perspective, the answer to that question is in the hands of the residents of the District 7, particularly the activists.

I ran for office with the specific intention of testing an organizing model of Council representation. Having watched Black Councilors since the late 60s struggle with a majority white, moderate to conservative City Council, I realized that my ability to effect change would rest heavily on organizing a base of power inside and outside of District 7.

Our history in Boston has shown that Black Councilors have been able to build alliances with their fellow Councilors in the past that enabled them to produce change. However, given the composition and relatively conservative Council perspective in 2000, I felt that it
was essential to have a base that could influence the thinking of the other Councilors.

I don’t minimize my ability to work effectively with my fellow Councilors which many doubted initially. However, I believe my success as a Councilor was heavily dependent on the office Terri and I financed in the community, the monthly D7 Roundtable meetings, and the political base that developed around these initiatives. I believe that my fellow Councilors had to respect that base, especially since many would be calling on the base in their own elective efforts.

Councilor Jackson will bring his own style, resources, relationships, and representational model to the District. While there will be similarities, there will also be differences. While i believe he shares many of my views, I also believe that there are issues where we may differ on approach if not goals.

However, what is critically important is for those who have worked with me to build a base of common interests around a variety of issues needs to continue to focus on those issues and demonstrate to Councilor Jackson, especially when he doesn’t share the same perspective, the support in the community and city for the directions we have forged over the last eleven years. It is this process that I believe will achieve an effective balance between our work over the last eleven years and the vision and work that Councilor Jackson will bring to the office.

The key to the effectiveness of this model will be the development of quarterly forums that bring together the organizational activists and residents of District 7 to dialogue with Councilor Jackson as well as our state representatives and state senator. Through this exchange he and the other D7 elected officials will have the opportunity to share their ideas and implementation strategies and receive the feedback from you the residents and activists. This is a process that I believe will create the accountability of our elected officials which is the goal of every community.

Do we have the capability of building and institutionalizing such a model? My unequivocal answer is Yes. During the special election process this year that resulted in Councilor Jackson’s election, there were a number of forums organized to enable the residents of our district to hear and question the candidates.

We have demonstrated not only this year but also in past years our ability to create pre-election forums. It is now time to institutionalize this process by having the forums continue after the election so that District 7 can have a process fostering the growth of
political accountability between our elected officials and our residents.

Later this week, I will review the key issues facing District 7 during the next 12 months that demand the attention of Councilor Jackson and our residents and activists.

The Struggle Continues, 

chuck     -  This entry was posted in Chuck Speaks, updates. Bookmark the permalink.

Chuck Speaks 4-11-11

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Admin

REFLECTIONS FROM BEHIND THE WALL:

April 11, 2011   http://supportchuckturner.com

Topic: Challenges Facing Councilor Jackson and the residents of District 7 during the next twelve months:

Dear Supporters,

In my last reflection, I outlined the need to initiate quarterly political forums as a means of fostering political accountability in District 7 between Councilor Jackson and our other elected officials and residents. In this reflection I will begin to discuss what I see as the key issues facing Councilor Jackson and the residents of District 7. Given the need to go into some detail, I will focus on one issue each week. I have chosen Education this week not only due to its importance but also to the fact that it needs to be a center of our attention during the budget discussions that will begin next week when the Mayor presents his budget to the City Council.

For the following eight weeks, I will focus on a different issue each week. Next week because of the timeliness of the issue, I will focus on the issue of the Summer Cultural Festivals in Franklin Park. Over the seven following weeks, I will reflect on: Land Distribution, Community Development, Implementation of the City’s Affirmative Action Plan,  Public Safety, Youth Unemployment, Community Centers, and Implementation of the City Boston Residency Program for Construction Jobs.

Note: One difficulty I have is that given my incarceration, I do not have access to documents that would help me be totally accurate with my data. So please excuse any errors that you find.

Education:

a) Budget:

Next week the Mayor will deliver his Budget to the Council. While I don’t know what the amount will be for education, given the cutbacks in state funds to Boston, I imagine that its level will raise questions regarding its inability to handle critical needs. Obviously, Councilor Jackson, parents, and educational activists need to put pressure on the Mayor to assure that resources are identified to meet unmet critical needs. However, while the Mayor must be held accountable, we have to keep pressure on the state administration and legislature which has cut funds severely over the last ten years. In 2000, when I entered the Council 28% of the City budget was supplied by the state, last year, the percentage of state support fell to 18%.  In other words the state has cut its support to Boston by one third over the last ten years, with the severest impact on education. If we don’t reverse this trend, we will be in a major financial crisis by 2020 that will critically impact not only our children future but also the well being of all Bostonians.

b) Transportation Component of the Budget:

Since Councilor Yancey has been the only steadfast Council member opposing neighborhood schools, this years budget debate will again see the Councilors the $30 million dollars that enables the Choice Program to operate. They will mislead by saying that the elimination of bussing will provide the $75 million dollar for investment in other areas of the budget. They will not acknowledge that the busing of special needs children which they support costs $31 million dollars.

During my eleven years on the Council, I have maintained that there is no difference between support for transportation for children with special needs and support for providing more educational opportunities for children of color through the Choice Program and its necessary transportation. They are both mitigation programs. The transportation of children with special needs was designed to alleviate the difficulties that they experience.

The Choice program was designed to alleviate the problems resulting from the conscious underfunding of schools in communities of color by previous School Committees as well as the difficulties that followed Judge Garrity’s decision that led to over 70 schools in the communities of color being closed in order to have the bussing program operate as a one way program bussing children of color out of their community. I believe that Councilor Jackson, parents, and educational activists need to demand that the Choice program and the necessary transportation to be maintained until the schools in the communities of color are demonstrating the same level of achievement as those throughout the city. Yes there is a cost for maintaining both programs. However, in both cases, the children need and deserve the mitigation.

c) Achievement Gap:

This is also a critically important issue effecting a significant percentage of our 55.000 students. Simply defined the term achievement gap means that the academic performance of English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, and Black and Latino males is consistency below standards. The Superintendent Johnson and her staff have designed initiatives to address each of the aspects of the achievement gap. Yet performance is not yet trending upward. It is critically important that Councilor Jackson, parents, and our educational activists closely monitor the results of the various initiatives in order to keep the pressure on the administration to improve its practice and process. A lack of improvement in these areas means that we are failing a significant percentage of our city’s children, particularly those most in need.

d) Fairness in the Closing of Schools:

Over the last ten years, the majority of school closing have impacted schools within District 7 and 4. Since I was removed,18 additional schools have been closed, again primarily effecting schools with D7 and D4. The administration argues that given the reduction in students in the system, there are too many open seats to afford keeping all our schools open. In response, our activists question the fairness of the disproportionate impact on District 7 and 4. The Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts have raised these concerns with the US Department of Education through an official complaint filed by the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights. I believe that Councilor Jackson, as well as parents and activists need to stand shoulder to shoulder with BEAM demand fairness.

e) Increasing the Percentage of Teachers of Color:

Federal Judge Garrity’s 1975 decree integrating Boston schools required that the teaching staff have a minimum of 25% Black teachers and a minimum of 10% of Latino, Asian, African, and Cape Verdean teachers. In both areas there are serious concerns. The percentage of Black teachers was slightly over 25% when I joined the Council in 2000. However around the middle of the decade the percentage began to drop and is now hovering around 23%. While the percentage for other teachers of color has increased, there is still a significant imbalance since Latino, Asian, African, and Cape Verdean students comprise from 35 to 40% of the student population.

Since I had been told by many that the state teacher certification test was a major obstacle to increasing the percentages, approximately three years ago I tried to hold a hearing with state and city officials on the issue. However, I was told by state education officials who oversee the administration of the test that they were told by their lawyers to not come to the hearing because of a law suit that had been filed challenging the test. When the suit was withdrawn, I again requested that the state officials come to a hearing.Unbelievably they still said no.

Finally, I was able to raise the issue with the Governor and six months later received a call saying that the officials would come. Unfortunately, Mayor Menino and the Council removed me before I could call the hearing. I believe it is essential that this issue, which receives too little public attention, becomes a major priority for Councilor Jackson as well as parents and activists. I believe that a hearing is critically needed as quickly as possible to question what the state and city are doing to overcome this obstacle. I think we send a very bad message to all the children in a system that is 85% of color when less than half of the teachers are of color.

f) Charter Schools:

This is a very complex issue that I plan to focus on in a full reflection in June. However, as I highlight issues of critical concern, I can not ignore this issue, particularly at budget time. I
support educational innovation and i can appreciate the desire of parents, particularly parents of color, to have more educational options available for their children. At the same time, I think that we all have a responsibility to guard against the destruction of our system of public education.

We must remember that public education is a relatively new practice in this country. In fact, it grew out of the movement to educate children of color in the South after the Civil War. We also have to remember that there are private schools throughout the country supported by the rich and powerful of this country that want access to public funds for the private settings in which they have chosen to educate their children. We must not allow charter school movement to be used as Trojan horse for those who want to have public resources for their private institutions.

To be more specific each time a charter school is approved by the state, resources are taken from the funds available to the city in which the student lives. In addition, despite the fact that charter schools in general do not recruit or maintain English language learners, children with special needs, or students who need significant support, they receive an allotment from the state based on the assumption that their student body includes English language learners, children with special needs, and those black and Latin male students needing significant assistance. If this process is allowed to continue unchecked, in a decade we could have a strong charter school system while the public system has fewer and fewer resources to educate the children with the greatest need. This would lead to the institutionalization of a two tiered system which is rapidly growing in this country.

g) Maintenance of our School Buildings:

While the public is very aware of many of the difficulties if not crises facing our children in the public school system, I’m afraid that they are not aware that our school infrastructure is literally crumbling around our children, teachers, and administrators as we speak. This is not to say that Mayor Menino and his administration are not attempting to do as much as possible to remedy the situation; however, they are dealing with deferred maintenance decisions that they and past administrations have made that have created a deficit in our school repair and improvement budget of $500 million dollars which is equivalent to a half a billion dollars. Last year the administration’s initial budget proposed cutting half of the
maintenance staff while they agreed to pay the highest paid workers in the City, the fire people, for drug testing.

I know that to say that the school buildings are crumbling around our children are harsh words, but I think they are accurate. Lets look at the facts:

A) The administration during my eleven years on the Council has taken the position that it can only invest an average of $35 million dollars out of a total capital repair budget of $100 million dollars a year.

B) The state is making a minimal investment in assisting the repair of school infrastructures across the state. I don’t believe the state has invested any money in Boston schools during the last four years. They now have agreed to provide money for repair of two to three schools, which is helpful but woefully inadequate.

C) Despite the declaration of support for the improvement of public school education, the Obama administration did not put one dollar school infrastructure funding into the $800 billion dollar stimulus package.

I don’t understand the perspective of the Obama administration. They know that the cities and towns of America don’t have the resources to make the necessary repairs. National estimates are that it would take over $200 billion dollars to make public schools of this country safe for our children. Yet not one dime of the stimulus package was directed toward this crisis. I am convinced that the President is deeply committed to the welfare of our children but why is he silent and action-less on this issue. He knows that our children can’t be educated if the environment in which the children, teachers, administrators are working is toxic.

I am focusing on the Federal government rather than city and state government as I discuss how to resolve this problem since I know that we don’t have the resources at the state and local level. I too have to take a share of the responsibility. I was able to bring some attention to the problem without much help from the press; passed two ordinance focused on the issue; worked with the Asthma Coalition and the Massachusetts Committee on Safety and Health in their efforts to build a Coalition focused on Healthy Schools. However, I didn’t try to organize the parents to demand action at every level. I believe that the only answer is for parents and activists to stand up and demand that our political leaders stop being hypocrites and take responsibility for providing safe environments for the education of our children.

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About Chuck - Chuck’s History of Community Service

Chuck Turner has been a community organizer and civil rights activist in Boston, Massachusetts since 1966. Referred to as one of the best-known agitators in the city, he was elected to the Boston City Council in 1999. Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1941. He was raised by an aunt, Mamie K. Faulkner, and a grandmother, Laura Troy Knight. His grandfather, Doctor Charles Henry Turner, was a pioneering animal behavior biologist, while his father, Darwin Turner, was a pharmacist.

Turner graduated from Harvard University in 1963 with his B.A. degree in government. He then spent a year in Washington, DC, reporting for The Afro-American Newspaper. He then moved north, first to New York, then to Hartford, where he joined the influential civil rights group, the Northern Student Movement.

In 1966, he returned to the Boston area, joining the South End Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP) where he worked with families who were losing their homes to gentrification. Turner formed a community action group which pressured local government to provide trash clean-up in black neighborhoods and he led demonstrations which highlighted how inadequately city inspectors enforced building codes in public housing for the poor.

A former leader of the United Community Construction Workers and one-time chair of the Boston Jobs Coalition, Turner spent several years crusading against job discrimination in the city. He campaigned for increased hiring of blacks on city construction jobs. In 1991, unsatisfied with the mayor’s enforcement of fair employment practices, Turner led a four-hour sit-in at the mayor’s office which resulted in a number of key concessions being made.

He has also used his activism strategies and leadership skills to spearhead other community efforts. He played a leading role in a successful campaign to prevent the city from building a highway through predominantly black neighborhoods. Turner has also chaired the Southwest Corridor Land Development Corporation.

As a Boston city council member, Turner has continued his defense of civil and human rights. He authored an ordinance protecting transgendered people from discrimination. He successfully led an effort to protect the affirmative action guidelines of Massachusetts when Governor Mitt Romney sought to change them. And, as chairman of the Education Committee, he has rallied against educational inequality in the Boston public schools.

--From an interview by The HistoryMakers on March 25, 2005.

 

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PARTY for Chuck Turner's Staff on THURSDAY, APRIL 14 State HOuse needs your immediate response re MA Budget Cuts

DAYLIGHT NETWORK

' The Antidote For The Politically Apathetic '

 

The next edition (LATER TODAY) will contain a message to you from Chuck!

 

 

CONTENTS

1.   PARTY REMINDER: The Roxbury Safety Net is throwing a party for Chuck Turner's Staff @ Slades on Tremont St.                                                                       (4/14--7:30-Until)

2.   Grove Hall Update: state budget amendments_youth empl’t_substance abuse step down+ services_violence prevention_METCO_GHSNI Mtg                   (4/14—5:30pm)

3.   Mass Black Empowerment Coalition: Community Organizing Meetings to influence and uphold our rights throughout the Redistricting Process                   (4/16 + 5/14)

4.  Dudley Square Main Streets/Roxbury Collaborative Announcements:   Black Dolls on Parade (4/16)   +   Roxbury Patriots’ Day                                                    (4/16)    +   (4/18)

 

5.   Register now to hear Tim Wise Speaks in Boston They Want Their Country Back:  Racism and the Politics of White Resentment                                              (4/20--6:00pm)

6.   Newmarket Community Meeting                                                                                                                                                                                                                          (4/28—6:30-8:30pm)

 

7.   Heads up Parents, Students + Teachers:  MAMLEO Community Forums (tools) to Address Bullying                                                                                                  (SEE SCHEDULE)

8.   Community Meeting BRA/Jackson Square Ice Rink and Turn Field Recreation Center                                                                                                                          (5/2—6:00pm)

 

9.   State House/Revenue Committee Hearing “Invest in Our Future: Stop Deep Budget Cuts!                                                                                                                     (5/2—10am-3pm)

DETAILS BELOW

 

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1.   PARTY REMINDER: The Roxbury Safety Net is throwing a party for Chuck Turner's Staff @ Slades on Tremont St.  (4/14--7:30-Until)

A COMMUNITY NIGHT OF APPRECIATION    &   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS     Join the Roxbury Community and the Roxbury Safety Net in Thanking Councilor Turner’s staff and partners for their demonstration of commitment to our community by continuing to work until the recent                                 D7 election.   Slade’s Bar & Grill Thursday, April 14, 2011 958 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120 7:00pm – until   Live band “About Tyme” followed by the community DJ from Big City 101.3fm, DJ Dex! 7:30 – 8:00pm buffet Open Mike throughout the night!! Email: roxsafetynet@yahoo.com  for more information     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.   Grove Hall Update: state budget amendments_youth empl’t_substance abuse step down+ services_violence prevention_METCO_GHSNI Mtg (4/14—5:30pm)   The following information was provided by the organizations and individuals listed below:   -GHSNI Community Meeting, Thursday, 4.14.11, 5:30 PM -Contact Your State Representative immediately to support these budget amendments -Youth employment amendment -Substance abuse step down recovery -Substance abuse services -METCO   1) Grove Hall Safe Neighborhood Initiative How Can We Make Our Community Better? What Are Your Ideas?   Come to the Grove Hall Community Meeting Thursday, April 14, 2011 5:30 PM- Reception 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM- Meeting   Grove Hall Community Center 51 Geneva Avenue   For more information Call Project RIGHT, Inc. @ 617.541.5451, x102   GHSNI is a Boston graduated Weed and Seed Site and is provided support through the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Executive Office of Public Safety, Department of Public Health, Boston Police Department, Boston Public Health Commission, Mayor Thomas Menino and MassHousing     2) Please contact your State Representatives to support the following budget amendments (for this stage, we have until Friday at 11 AM to make a difference) ***********     3) Dear Colleagues, Please consider cosponsoring an amendment I will be filing to restore the youth-at-risk employment program (line-item 7002-0012) to the FY12 budget.  After-school and summer jobs for youth are important in helping them develop the skills and habits needed for professional success later in life.  They are also hugely important for preventing youth violence.  The amendment will be to restore this line-item to the budget, and to fund it at $4,400,000.    Below please find the text of the amendment.  To cosponsor it, or if you would like any further information, please either reply to this email or contact Rosie Hunter in my office at 617-722-2060.   Thank you, Liz Malia   Representative Malia of Boston moves to amend the bill in section 2 by inserting after item 7002-0901 the following item: “7002-0012 For a youth-at-risk program targeted at reducing juvenile delinquency in high risk areas; provided, that these funds may be expended for the development and implementation of a year-round employment program for at-risk youth as well as existing year-round employment programs; provided further, that $500,000 of these funds shall be matched by private organizations     … $4,400,000”   4) Dear Colleagues, Please consider co-sponsoring an amendment to restore funding to substance abuse step-down recovery services (line-item 4512-0201) to $4,800,000.  The proposed cut in funding for this line-item – cutting it in half to $2,400,000 – could decimate our ability to help people recover from addiction.   Long-term recovery from substance abuse is much more likely when an individual is able to receive treatment services for a longer period of time.  For most individuals, a short 3 or 4 day detoxification program is not adequate.  Step-down services provide post-detox residential placements (generally 14-21 days) that include case management and therapy.  Step-down recovery services are vital to many recovering substance abusers.   If the step-down program is cut, the number of individuals who go through state-funded detox multiple times would increase, and more individuals would visit emergency rooms with substance abuse problems.  These outcomes are far more expensive than fully funding step-down services, and provide far worse outcomes for people struggling to get healthy.   Attached please find the text of the amendment.  If you would like to co-sponsor it, or if you would like any further information, please either respond to this email or contact Rosie Hunter in my office at 617-722-2060.   Sincerely, Liz Malia Step-Down Recovery Services             Ms. Malia of Boston moves to amend the bill in section 2, in item 4512-0201, by striking out the figures “$2,400,000” and inserting in place thereof the figures “$4,800,000”.   5) From:   MOARfran@aol.com Date:    Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:54:21 To:       m_kozu@hotmail.com   Here is analysis.     Campaign is working on sponsors for amendments to stop the cuts   Alert to follow   House Ways and Means proposes $5.9 million cut to Substance Abuse Services and taken from:   Substance Abuse Post-Detox Step Down services cut 50% ($2.4 million compared to $4.8 million in the Governor's budget)   4512-0202, which funds secure treatment facilities for opiate addition/pilot jail diversion programs, eliminated (was $2,000.000)   4512-0203, (funds intervention, care management, and a young adult treatment pilot program).  eliminated  (was $1,500,000)   If passed, Massachusetts could lose federal matching dollars because at this funding level it will not meet Block Grant Maintenance of Efforts requirements,.   The total loss of funding is estimated $11 million   Everyone's help will be needed to stop this loss from happening.   Alert to follow with next steps   Maryanne Frangules MOAR Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery Executive Director Tel: 617-423-6627 Fax: 617-423-6626 Website: www.moar-recovery.org   6) We need your immediate action!  Please distribute the below METCO Legislative Alert to your network.   We need you to contact your Boston State Representative and the State Representative from your suburban town.  We need you to have your family, friends, neighbors and church members contact their State Representatives to support METCO.  Contact your Town’s School Superintendent, School Committee members, your students’ friends and families to reach out to their suburban State Representatives to support METCO.  If you need assistance in reaching out to your parents, feel free to contact me.   We have until Friday (April 15, 2011) 10 AM to request State Representatives to cosponsor Rep. Jay Kaufman’s amendment to restore METCO’s funding.  If you have any questions, please contact me at 617.839.2847 (m_kozu@hotmail.com).     Michael Kozu for the METCO Parents Legislative Committee   METCO LEGISLATIVE ALERT Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, Inc. METCO, Inc.  40 Dimock Street ¨ Roxbury, MA  02119   Phone : (617) 427-1545 ex 14 ¨ Fax: (617) 541-0550  www.METCOinc.org METCO Legislative Alert # 5 – 2010/11                                       Wednesday, April 13, 2011 TO:                 METCO Superintendents, METCO Directors and School Committee Members From:              Jean M. McGuire, Executive Director and John M. Shandorf, Associate Director Cc:                  METCO Board Members, METCO Parents, METCO Staff, METCO Alumni, MPLC and supporters     Subject:           HOUSE WAYS & MEANS BUDGET CUTS METCO – ACTION REQUESTED HOUSE WAYS & MEANS BUDGET CUTS METCO $1,500,000 or 8.5%   Earlier today House Ways & Means released its 2012 budget, which reflected a $1,500,000 or 8.5% reduction in the METCO line item 7010-0012 from last year. The reduction, although unexpected, did not come as a complete surprise in light of the Commonwealth’s revenue challenges. Representative Jay Kaufman, our chief strategist in the House, is preparing an amendment to restore funding to $17,642,582, the FY11 level. The filing deadline for amendments has been set for this Friday, April 15, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.   METCO supporters must continue to advocate for level funding for the METCO program in a very challenging economic time.  This funding is necessary to serve all the children in the METCO program and we want to ensure METCO receives level funding in the budget process.   We are asking you to reach out to your elected House members IMMEDIATELY to request that they “sign on” as co-sponsors to Rep. Kaufman’s amendment. METCO’s friends and allies in the House should call by 10 AM on Friday, April 15th.  The more House members who sign on to this amendment, the greater the likelihood that funding will be restored.   As we have stressed before, it is critically important that all of our supporters, both in Boston and our suburban partners, communicate to our House supporters that level funding is vital to our ability to adequately serve the 37 participating METCO communities.  Help us contact as many METCO friends and allies as possible before the amendment filing deadline.   Action Recommendation: 1.       Please contact your House of Representatives members immediately and request that they “sign on” to Rep. Kaufman’s amendment restoring the           $1.5 million reduction in the METCO line item 7010-0012.  2.       Thank your Representative for their support.   You can find out who your Legislators are by logging on to www.wheredoivotema.com and entering your home address. If you are not registered to vote, please register today.   Please call John M. Shandorf, Associate Director of METCO, Inc. at 617-427-1545 ext. 14 regarding the content of this legislative alert.   AND…   SOS EMERGENCY Please call or email your state representatives NOW and ask them to sign on as co-sponsors of these budget amendments by the Friday deadline for amendments for these amendments (the deadline is Friday afternoon but try to get them to call/email the lead sponsors by Friday at 12:00. BUT If they don't get to sign on as co-sponsor by this deadline the state representative or his/her aide can still sign on as a co-sponsor by going to the House Clerk's Office between April 19-25 and signing on there) NOTE: This is the list of amendments and what are called the Lead Sponsors filing the amendments, in several cases more than one representative is filing an amendment as lead sponsor and we're asking other representatives to co-sponsor each of the amendments. 1. YouthWorks Youth Jobs-- amendment to restore $4.4 million in funding     7002-0012 Amendment of Rep. Liz Malia       email her aide Rosie Hunter  Rosie.Hunter@mahouse.gov Amenment of Rep. Jeff Sanchez   email her aide Kate-Marie.Roycroft@mahouse.gov, Amendment of Rep. Cheryl Coakley Rivera  email her aide  William.Monnin-Browder@mahouse.gov 2. School to Career Connecting Activities Youth Jobs--amendment to restore $2 million in funding 7027-0019 Amendment of Rep. Marty Walsh---       email his aide   krista.zalatores@mahouse.gov Amendment of Rep. Carlos Henriquez--email his aide   krista.zalatores@mahouse.gov Amendment of Rep. Cheryl Coakley Rivera  email her aide  William.Monnin-Browder@mahouse.gov 3. Shannon Anti-Gang Violence Grant Program--amendment to restore $5 million  8100-0111 Amendment of Rep. Stephen Canessa--email his aide     Kate.Miller@mahouse.gov, Stephen.Canessa@mahouse.gov, (This program provides funding for a variety of prevention programs addressing violence) Thanks, Lew Finfer (617) 470-2912 for the Youth Jobs Coalition Safe Teens/Safe Communities Coalition   The above information was compiled by Michael Kozu, PRI Community Coordinator (617.541.5451.x102)       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.   Mass Black Empowerment Coalition: Community Organizing Meetings to influence and uphold our rights throughout the Redistricting Process   (4/16 + 5/14)       PLEASE JOIN THE MASS BLACK EMPOWERMENT COALITION AT THIS WEEK'S SATURDAY PLANNING MEETING.  VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERSHIP ARE NEEDED TO HELP DEFINE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ORGANIZING FOR INFLUENCE AND EQUAL VOTING RIGHTS.  REDISTRICTING MEANS: ·  MORE REPRESENTATION IN THE CITY COUNCIL ·  MORE REPRESENTATION AT THE STATE HOUSE ·  MORE REPRESENTATION IN THE U.S. CONGRESS GROVE HALL LIBRARY, 41 GENEVA AVENUE, Saturday, April 16, 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM & EVERY SATURDAY   PASS THIS EMAIL ON TO YOUR NETWORKS!           WE HAVE A HEARING SET.  YOU HAVE TO PLAN TO ATTEND.           "Democracy, in a word, is a social, that is to say, an ethical conception.  And upon its ethical significance is based its significance as governmental.  Democracy is a form of government only because it is a form of moral and spiritual association."   --John Dewey     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.  Dudley Square Main Streets/Roxbury Collaborative Announcements:   Black Dolls on Parade (4/16)   +   Roxbury Patriots’ Day (4/18)     THE BLACK GOLD CLUB OF NEW ENGLAND PRESENTS      BLACK DOLLS ON PARADE SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2011   AT THE DUDLEY LIBRARY 65 WARREN STREET, DUDLEY SQUARE, ROXBURY FREE DOLL EXHIBIT, DOLL TEA, DOLLY SHOW AND TELL BRING YOUR BEST DOLL FOR SHOW AND TELL   ROXBURY PATRIOTS' DAY MONDAY, APRIL 18. 2011   AT THE FIRST CHURCH ROXBURY , JOHN ELIOT SQUARE (WHITE CHURCH ON HILL ADJACENT JOHN D. O' BRYANT SCHOOL)   8;00am-1:00pm FREE BREAKFAST , UNSUNG HEROES AWARD, HISTORIC TALK, TROLLEY RIDE   HONORING THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AND THE NATIONAL LANCERS; HISTORIC TALK ON DAUGHTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THEIR AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMBERS   JOYCE STANLEY DUDLEY SQUARE MAIN STREETS/ROXBURY COLLABORATIVE 617 541-4644     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.   Register now to hear Tim Wise Speaks in Boston They Want Their Country Back/Racism and the Politics of White Resentment (4/20--6:00pm)     https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e3mlrhdo5c702f93&oseq=       They Want Their Country Back: Racism and the Politics of White Resentment   with TIM WISE APRIL 20, 2011 - 6:00 PM FIRST CHURCH IN BOSTON 66 Marlborough Street     $20 suggested contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)   ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT COMMUNITY CHANGE, INC.     CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS     This presentation will explore the rising tide of white anxiety since the election of President Obama, and explore the roots of white racial resentment, currently being stoked by the Tea Party, among others. In this speech, Wise discusses the use of nostalgia and historical revisionism as key elements of the right-wing white political narrative, and the importance of pushing back against it: something which, sadly, most liberals have been reluctant to do. Importantly, Wise examines the reasons why the "post-racial liberalism," which downplays racial division and tends to skirt the issue of the right's use of racial imagery, is doomed to fail. Only by confronting racism directly, as individuals and in the larger society, can we hope to defeat the politics of white resentment.      Register Now! https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=npy7msbab&oeidk=a07e3mlrhdo5c702f93&oseq=a0226ffirlu0dq   I can't make it but would like to contribute https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1002841&code=CCI%20General Please forward this announcement widely      For more information:   pmarcus@communityinc.org or 617-523-0555     Click Here for Directions  http://www.firstchurchboston.org/about/directions-parking-public-transportation/         ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.   Newmarket Community Meeting  (4/28—6:30-8:30pm)       Fairmount Corridor Improvements Program Newmarket Commuter Rail Station Project Community Meeting     The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is pleased to announce a community meeting to introduce the General Contractor to the Newmarket Community.   At the meeting, S & R Construction Enterprises, Inc. will provide an overview of the proposed Construction Schedule and Means & Methods of Operation.   A question and answer period will follow.   The Meeting is scheduled for:   Thursday April 28, 2011 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Project Hope Community Room 550 Dudley Street Boston, MA   The MBTA urges all interested parties to attend. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices and / or interpreters are needed, please call Massachusetts Relay Service and request (617) 222-3752.       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.   Heads up Parents, Students + Teachers:  MAMLEO Community Forums (tools) to Address Bullying  (SEE SCHEDULE)                                                 Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers, Inc.        61 Columbia Road, Dorchester, MA  02121      Phone:  617-436-6868  Fax:  617-825-5961                                            Association Email: mamleoinc@gmail.com                                              Members Email:  mamleomembers@gmail.com                                                           Website:  www.mamleo.org   April 2011     Dear Parents and Students:   Our organization has been focusing on issues of bullying and anti-bullying solutions over the past couple of years.   During that time, we have heard terrifying stories from youth regarding how they have been bullied both in school and in their neighborhood.  More disturbing was the fact that they felt they could not talk to a parent, a teacher or a peer.  Those that did speak with a school official regarding an in-school bullying incident, found no solution and in many cases things got worse.  Many of our youth are afraid to go to school, suffer from depression because of bullying and some harbor thoughts of suicide.  We must all STAND UP AND SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN~   M.A.M.L.E.O. has partnered with Dudley Branch Library, thanks to support from the Fellowes Trust Fund of the Boston Public Library, to present a series of Parent and Student Community Forums that will address bullying issues.  Panels will consist of parents, students, teachers, professional workers, etc. who will discuss actual incidents of bullying, how to increase awareness of this issue, how the State Anti-Bullying Law and the Boston Public School Anti-Bullying Plan can assist students and families. There will be an Open Discussion Session after each panel presentation and all sessions are open and free to the public.   PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE REMAINING SESSIONS AND BRING A FRIEND                                         Saturday, April 30      “Your Child has the Right to be Safe at School”        12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.                                     Monday, May 23       “Born This Way”                                                           3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.                                     Monday, June 6         “Love the Way U Lie”                                                   3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.           ALL SESSIONS HELD AT DUDLEY BRANCH LIBRARY  65 Warren Street – Roxbury, MA          If you are a student in a Boston Public School, or the Parent of a Student, and are interested in being a panel member, call Ms. Burke at 617-436-6868     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers   (MAMLEO)   Presents   COMMUNITY FORUMS TO ADDRESS BULLYING                                                 Saturday, April 30, 2011               “Your Child has the Right to be Safe at School”    Family Forum, 12:00 pm                   A discussion of the State Anti- Bullying Law and the Boston Public School Anti-Bullying                                                                        Plan, and how it can assist families and schools deal with bullying incidents Facilitator:                                     Professor Lyda S. Peters, Cambridge College, Boston College and                                                         former Boston Public School Teacher                                                                Monday, May 23, 2011              “Born This Way” Youth Forum 3:30pm                     It’s about being different and its affect on everyday life. Facilitator:                                  Dr. Kenneth Boatner Forum for Successful Solutions Inc. (Atlanta, Boston, NY)   Monday, June 6, 2011               “Love the Way U Lie” Youth Forum 3:30pm                      Relationships, culture clashes, respect, social positioning, Facilitator: Rob Jones                   life skills, parent support and reaching out. T. Lee Associates LOCATION:                                  Dudley Branch Library – 65 Warren Street - Roxbury, MA 02119                                                                     ALL SESSIONS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC     If you are a student in a Boston Public School, or the Parent of a Student, and are interested in being a panel member, Call Ms. Burke at617-436-6868.         ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.   Community Meeting BRA/Jackson Square Ice Rink and Turn Field Recreation Center  (5/2—6:00pm)

 

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9.   State House/Revenue Committee Hearing “Invest in Our Future: Stop Deep Budget Cuts!    (5/2—10am-3pm)

 

Invest in Our Future: Stop Deep Budget Cuts!   What: Revenue Committee Hearing When: Thursday, May 5, 10:00-3:00 Where: State House, Gardner Auditorium

The House Budget will make well over a billion dollars in cuts to essential services for our communities! We need a balanced approach to this deficit so we can still invest in our schools, our children, and our communities, and rebuild our economy.   The Revenue Committee will hear our legislation on May 5th!   Testify or support testimony calling for a fair and progressive solution to the budget crisis: “We can’t cut our way out of this deficit. We need to raise new revenue, in the fairest way, to invest in our future. Support An Act to Invest in Our Communities!”

Support Schools, Towns, Health Care and Services! Co-Sponsor “An Act to Invest in Our Communities” House Lead: Rep. Jim O’Day, HB 2553; Senate Lead: Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, SB 1416

THE PROBLEM: We are just emerging from the deepest Recession of our lifetimes.  With the end of federal stimulus funding, we have a nearly $2 Billion budget deficit.  That means our schools, Local Aid, and emergency and health care services face deep cuts this spring.  Meanwhile, wealthy investors and high-income households have had their Bush-era tax cuts extended, worsening deficits and economic inequality. THE SOLUTION: We need to invest in our communities and keep middle-class families working and earning!  “An Act to Invest in Our Communities” (HD 2261/ SD 1012) does just that.  While there will be substantial cuts in services this year, this bill takes a balanced approach to the fiscal crisis by raising revenue to maintain the services we need and value.  By asking more from high income households and investors who received large windfalls from the Bush tax cuts, while raising the personal exemption as a way to hold down the tax increase for middle-class families, the bill raises needed revenue primarily from those who can best afford to pay.  With that revenue, we can keep the quality schools and services that make our state a good place to live and do business. WHAT THE BILL DOES: Restores the income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.95%, but raises the personal exemption enough to hold down increases for middle-class families. Raises the tax rate on wealthy investors, but provides a targeted exemption for middle-class seniors. Raises revenue to maintain funding for our communities, schools and health care. For more information: Rebekah Gewirtz, 617-227-9635 x12, gewirtz@naswma.org;  or Harris Gruman, 617-316-0443, harris.gruman@seiu.org; or Eldin Villafane, 617-241-3302, evillafane@seiu888.org

SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 888

 

52 Roland St., Suite 101, Charlestown, MA 02129

 

 

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STAY TUNED AS THIS STRUGGLE CONTINUES!!!

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