Boston SDS

It’s been months since our last post, but Boston SDS has been busy continuing our work!  At our last meeting, we created a working group to being to develop a brand new website with lots of cool new features.  Check back here soon to see it!!!

 In the meantime, we’ve got a busy week ahead of us, and we hope you’ll join us.

 Come rally against the government’s raids and deportation of immigrants in the Boston area!  We’ll be at the JFK Building (which houses the I.C.E. offices) downtown from 4:00-6:00 this Friday, January 25.  Look for us standing with our huge white and blue banner that reads:  NO ONE IS ILLEGAL!

SDSers who attended the National Convention in Detroit last July passed 9 proposals on topics ranging from SDS Vision to our National Structure.  Each chapter now gets to vote up or down on each of the proposals that are now pending ratification.  On Sunday, January 25 we’ll meet up at 7:00pm to continue our discussions on how Boston SDS will vote on each proposal.  Email me (Lindsay) at maydayhagerman@gmail.com to get directions to Lauren’s house where we’ll be gathering!

Our next Boston SDS meeting will at 7:00pm on Thursday, January 31st on the second floor of the Community Church of Boston in Copley Square.  Directions are available at www.commchurch.org/directions

Peace!

Thursday, September 20: STOP THE BIOLAB!  Safetynet and the Stop the Biolab Coalition is calling for folks to attend a Public Hearing from 7:00-9:00 PM at Faneuil Hall (near State St. and Government Center T stops). 

“Did you know the fight to stop BU’s proposed Bio-Terror Lab is heating up?  Are you upset at the idea of deadly pathogens such as Ebola, Anthrax and the Plague being stored and transported in your area?  Are you concerned that, in the case of an outbreak, there is still no safety plan?…This may be our last chance to show the National Institute for Health and the federal and state courts that this lab is unwanted, unnecessary and a clear example of environmental racism.  This lab is already being built but can be stopped and large amounts of people at the hearing could make the difference!  For more information or questions call 617.921.3659 or email kait@riseup.net.  Visit www.stopthebiolab.org to learn more.” [info. from the Stop the Biolab flyer]

After the Public Hearing, we’ll remain at Faneuil Hall and meet to continue the final push to get the Disorientation Guide ready for distribution in October!

Saturday, September 22: The next Boston SDS meeting/potluck will begin at 7:30 PM at Jon’s house [31 Haskell St., Apt. 2 in Allston]   For additional directions, call Jon at 508-838-8246

Boston sds will have a presence TODAY, September 18th at the Rally on the State House steps for CORI Reform.  Let everyone you know that this is an important event/action for the local struggle on communities against CORI discrimination. 

<< please forward widely >>

ALL OUT FOR CORI REFORM!

On Tuesday, September 18th, all concerned residents are called to the State House to demand CORI reform, now! This is our opportunity to demonstrate the urgency of the CORI crisis.

When: This Tuesday, Sept 18th

Rally / Press Conference
11:30am~12:30 pm @ Steps of the State House

CORI Reform Hearing
1pm~6pm @ State House Room B1

Demand passage of the Public Safety Act of 2007 (H.1416) to win comprehensive CORI Reform this year.

Call us @ (617) 427-8108

www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

————————–—-

Have You Called Your Legislators Yet?

Find out who your elected officials are by going to www.wheredoivotema.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find your Rep. and Senator in the General Court.

Call the State House operator at (617) 722-2000 and ask the operator to transfer you to your Rep or Senator.

Once you are speaking to your legislator’s staff, tell them that you support “The Public Safety Act” House Bill 1416, and ask them what they are doing to help pass CORI reform.

Please voice the two demands below:

1) Lower the waiting period for sealing a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law requires a 10-15 years waiting period to seal a record. These long waiting periods prevent us from moving on with our lives and securing decent employment.

2) Demand an “anti-discrimination” law that only allows employers to check a CORI after they decide that the applicant is qualified for the job. Employers that ask about a criminal record on job applications generally weed out job seekers before they even consider our resumes or qualifications. The CORI should not be used unless it is directly related to the job at hand.

Other key figures to call:

Governor Deval Patrick (617) 725-4005
Undersecretary Heffernan (617) 727-7775, Patrick’s point person on the CORI

Speaker of the House DiMasi, (617) 722-2500
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Representative O’Flaherty (617) 722-2396

Email cori.reform@gmail.com to let us know you called! Thank you for helping the movement for jobs and CORI reform.

————————–—-

What would the Public Safety Act of 2007 do?
H.1416 Fact Sheet

CORI Access

- It would ensure that anyone who has access to CORI other than criminal justice agencies would only get convictions and pending cases.

- It would require that those with access to CORI be trained and pass an examination in reading and understanding a CORI report.

CORI Sealing and Purging

- It would begin sealing all records of felonies more than 7 years old and all misdemeanors more than 3 years old, unless there has been an intervening conviction punishable by 1 year of incarceration or more.

- It would allow for the complete purging of juvenile records upon petition and require the judge to take into account a number of factors before making a decision.

Non-discrimination

- It would make it a discriminatory act to take adverse action against an applicant or employee for merely having a criminal record, but would allow adverse action based on one or more convictions that “substantially relate to the circumstances of a particular employment.”

Mandatory Minimums

- It would allow people sentenced under “mandatory minimum” drug laws to seek parole after serving 2/3 of their sentences, thereby making them eligible for drug treatment and other rehabilitative programs prior to release.

Certificate of Commitment to Rehabilitation

- It would create a “Certificate of Commitment to Rehabilitation” so that a record of programs completed in prison or afterwards would be included in a person’s CORI.

Some important upcoming events for the week of September 15:

Tues 9/11-CORI Reform coalition meeting at the Dudley Library at 3:00PM.  Directions: http://www.bpl.org/general/directions.htm#Dudley

Wed 9/12-Phone banking to get people out for the 9/18 Public Hearing for the CORI reform bill.  Chuck Turner’s office in Dudley Square at 2:00PM

Thurs 9/13- Disorientation Guide meeting to work on the physical layout.  Jon’s house [31 Haskell St., Apt. 2 in Allston] at 6:30PM.   For additional directions, call Jon at 508-838-8246

Sat 9/15- Boston SDS meeting at the Community Church of Boston.  Meeting will begin at 5:00PM.  Directions: http://www.commchurch.org/directions

…Keeping in mind some huge events next week:

Tues 9/18-Public Hearing for the CORI reform bill.  State House at 1:00PM THIS IS a CRITICAL hearing.  Address: 24 Beacon St. by the Boston Public Garden.

Thurs 9/20- Biolab forum at Faneuil Hall at 7PM–This is the last hearing with the NIH.  BU will be legally obligated to report comments and numbers.  Directions: http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/information_directions.html

Peace!–Lindsay

Since the last post, SDSers in Boston have been busy planning for the Fall.  Some of us returned from the first ever SDS action camp in Lancaster, PA with great experiences and skills to share.  The following week, a number of us went to Providence for the Rally Against Police Brutality.  To see images from the action camp and the IWW march that sparked the Rally, check out Jonathan McIntosh’s photographs at http://jonathanmcintosh.smugmug.com/ 

The next meeting of Boston SDS will be:

Saturday, September 8 at the Community Church of Boston (565 Boylston St. in Copley Square)

From 3:00-5:00, we’ll be making posters for our first Iraq Moratorium action later this month.  Bring cardboard, poster board and/or markers if you can. 

At 5:00, the regular meeting will begin.

Look forward to seeing you there!

-Lindsay

So the SDS action camps are now over and SDSers across the country are now hopefully returning to their chapters enthusiastic and inspired.  We have a bunch of stuff on our plate:

Wednesday, 4:30, Providence (Near the Train Station?):  Another rally in support of the Justice for Janitors campaign spurred on by the SEIU.  For people interested in going to this rally, contact Tristan.

Thursday, 7:30:  Dis-Orientation Guide meeting.  Place:  Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square.

Sunday, 1:30-4:30:  March to Protest Police Brutality in Providence.  As Boston SDSers were very much involved in the march in which we experienced and witnessed the police brutality, in would be awesome if we could go to this.  It’s at North Providence Town Hall, 2000 Smith Street.  For people interested in trying to organize a ride, contact Tristan.

Sunday, Time?  Location?  We need to have a general meeting at some point.  Just a reminder, at the last meeting we discussed having people bring suggestions for possible kick off events this fall, so that we don’t spend the meeting going over generalities.

That’s it for right now.  Expect updates soon.

Tristan

For those not in the know, Boston SDS was present at the IWW march in Providence on August 11th, as a way to support our friends in Providence SDS. During that march there were two arrests, several macings, and a serious leg injury. For media reports on the issue, look below. Also below is the IWW’s Press Release on the subject.

Providence Journal 1
Providence Journal 2
Providence Journal 3
Belo Blog 1

Belo Blog 2

Nebraska Newspaper

Also check out the Blog to support Alex, the woman maimed by the Providence Police.

Our own Johnathan McIntosh took photos of the event. Go to his website and check them out.

IWW Press Release:

On Saturday, August 11, 2007, Alexandra Svoboda, a member of the labor union Industrial Workers of the World, was brutally assaulted by North Providence Police officers as she was peacefully demonstrating with a group of fellow union members and supporters in support of workers at HWH/Dragonland in

New York City. She was attacked while she was complying with orders given by the NPPD to move towards the sidewalk. Alexandra was then tackled and brutalized by the officers, suffering a grotesquely broken and dislocated knee and a ruptured vascular artery. She is currently recovering from her first operation at the

Rhode Island Hospital and is awaiting a second surgery scheduled for Wednesday. The severity of her medical condition is yet to be determined. Following the attack, the police put three felony charges including assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice. Jason Friedmutter, another member of the IWW, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. The North Providence officers indiscriminately maced demonstrators, including one female supporter from Boston who is suffering chemical burns. The peaceful demonstration was organized in order to highlight that the chain restaurant, Jacky’s Galaxie, is supplied by HWH/Dragonland Trading Company, a food distribution company, out of

New York City, guilty of a wide variety of unfair labor practices. HWH/Dragonland has a long history of paying its employees subminimum wages, denying overtime pay, forcing over one hundred hour work weeks, firing known union members, and engaging in industry-wide blacklisting of such workers.

The Providence General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World informed the owner of Jacky’s Galaxie restaurants, Jacky Ko, of these allegations and the ongoing investigations of HWH/Dragonland by the District Attorney of New

York. The action on Saturday, August 11, 2007, was strictly an informational picket.
Due to the fact that the Jackie’s Galaxie chain has yet to prove that they have ended business relations with HWH/Dragonland, the IWW will continue to pressure for a resolution that respects workers rights. The severity of Alexandra Svoboda’s condition and the unmitigated brutality by the North Providence Police Department is forcing members of the Industrial Workers of the World to organize a series of actions and demonstrations in order to raise awareness of this heinous crime. The IWW will be organizing a vigil outside of the main entrance of the Rhode

Island Hospital, located at 593 Eddy Street in Providence, tomorrow, Tuesday, August 14 at 4:00 p.m. Faith leaders, community activists, and concerned citizens will be among the participants of this vigil. The IWW is also contacting the Attorney General’s office, demanding a full-scale investigation of her attack. Information packets, which will include a copy of the letter to the Attorney General and pictures of the demonstration and assault, will be available to the press.

For more information, contact IWW organizer Mark Bray at 201-669-0714. He can be also contacted via email at
albiorix80@yahoo.com

Posted by Tristan

Next Dis-Orientation guide meeting: Thursday, August 9th, 7:30, the Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square

Next SDS meeting: Sunday, August 12th, 5:00 PM, Community Church of Boston (may be subject to change. Keep a head’s up for more announcements).

Also, on Saturday (the 11th) a bunch of us are planning on heading down to Providence to support an I.W.W. rally and then go to a Providence SDS meeting. Providence has been very supportive of our work and have been to a bunch of our meetings so it seems fitting to return the favor. If you are interested in getting in on a car pool, contact Tristan.

Posted by Tristan

Facilitation Resources
As we want to encourage as many different people to facilitators as possible, we have some links to resources on how to facilitate a good meeting.

From Sim:
The USAS manual for Campus Organizing is a great read, even if you aren’t interested on organizing around labor issues. The part on facilitation is on page 265.

USAS Organizing Manual Link

From Vera:
Seeds for Change is a non-profit co-op in the UK that provides free trainings and resources for social justice advocates. My school’s SDS chapter was consensus trained by 2 folks who had worked for a few months with Seeds for Change, and those were the people I was initially hoping would come a do a training for us.

Anyways, here’s the link to their resource list. The first 2 are all about Facilitation, and other about organizing without hierarchy, hand signals, and more on consensus. They’re really comprehensive, these folks know their stuff. Just thought I’d pass it along.

 Seeds for Change Link

Links for Liberation
After our anti-oppression training with Ground Work, we were interested in continuing the discussion on race, class, gender, sexual orientation, amongst other things and how these identities and the privileges and oppression that our society assigns to certain groups affects the dynamics within our group. So some SDSers gave out some links so that people can continue learning:

WEBSITES

Colours of Resistance
http://www.colours.mahost.org

Class Matters
http://www.classmatters.org

Challenging White Supremacy Workshop
http://www.cwsworkshop.org

Tim Wise Website
http://www.timwise.org

ARTICLES

Two Different Kinds of Weirdness: Essential and Inessential - By Betsy Leondar-Wright
http://www.classmatters.org/2006_07/its-not-them.php

Going to Places That Scare Me: Challenging Male Supremacy - by Chris Crass
http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/267

MORE -> 13 amazing articles from COR about anti-oppression ( ! )
http://colours.mahost.org/org.html
http://colours.mahost.org/articles/martinez.html

Where Was the Color in Seattle?: Looking for reasons why the Great
Battle was so white
By Elizabeth Betita Martinez
http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=82

AUDIO TALKS

Privilege, Power and Institutional Racism - By Allan G. Johnson
http://www.tvw.org/MediaPlayer/Archived/REAL.cfm?EVNum=2006070073&TYPE=A

What is White Privilege? - by Tim Wise
http://216.162.217.3/mpgs/071502tw.mp3|

Institutional Racism - Part 1 & 2 - by Tim Wise
http://mbanna.radio4all.net/pub/archive4/mp3_2/ug79-hour1mix.mp3
http://mbanna.radio4all.net/pub/archive4/mp3_2/ug79-hour2mix.mp3

Race and Racism in America - by Ron Daniels
http://www.zmag.org/audio/daniels.ram

Patriarchy: The Gender Knot - By Allan G. Johnson
http://ia311516.us.archive.org/1/items/GenderTalkAllanGJohnsononPatriarchyPrivilegeandPower/patriarchy.mp3

More audio talks Jonathan has collected on many issues:
http://capedmaskedandarmed.com/talks/index.html

BOOKS

White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son
by Tim Wise

Gender Knot : Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy
by Allan Johnson

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: The Development of Racial Identity
by Beverly Daniel Tatum

That’s Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation
by Matt Bernstein Sycamore

The Color of Violence: The Incite! Anthology
by Andrea Smith, Beth E. Richie, and Julia Sudbury

Ain’t I a Woman?
by bell hooks