Peace and Justice Coalition
Meeting Notes
On Sunday we had our monthly Willamette Peace & Justice Coalition meeting at the Unitarian Church . (I believe it was our fourth meeting already!) In attendance were Carolyn L (Alternatives To War), LoErna S (Raging Grannies, Corvallis Amnesty International Writers, and FUMC Active For Peace & Justice), Aleita HH (1st United Congregational Church, Witness For Peace), Judy R (Albany Peace Seekers), Bob R (LBCC Institute for Peace & Justice), Leah B (Veterans For Peace), George H (Pacific Green Party), and me, Valori (Friends of Middle East Peace).
Leah kicked off the meeting by proposing that we work with the Peace, Justice & Environment Project , who has set up online communications networks for 26 states, representing 800 organizations. They offer the tools and expertise to set up a website that could include an online petition center, action centers, forums, calendars, resource centers and more. Fourteen volunteers work for PJEP, many of them from the Illinois Coalition for Justice, Peace and the Environment). Their website is a good one to look at as an example of what we could do. There's no charge for them to create and maintain a statewide network, though they prefer to teach us how to maintain it with minimal help from them. The training time to maintain, they say, is quite short. There was alot of enthusiasm and support for this idea. Leah is communicating with PJEP and will let us know the next steps.
Here are the reports of what the different organizations represented have done lately and what's planned for the immediate future:
Speaking for Alternatives To War, Carolyn reported the counter-recruitment efforts are back in swing as school has started. Several members of the Counter-recruitment Committee met with the new assistant superintendent Steve Youngblood and felt like he was receptive and attentive. They are working towards more parental awareness of the recruiters' presence on the high school campuses by encouraging the "Opt-Out forms" be sent out to freshmen and sophomores, as well as juniors and seniors. Those in the lower grades are still affected by the pressures from military recruiters on their campuses. (Meanwhile the Veterans For Peace, esp Bart B and Bob W, are working towards getting into Philomath High for counter-recruitment.)
As far as community outreach, Alt2War continues its daily vigil in front of the Benton County Courthouse and Carolyn commented that response has gotten increasingly more favorable. They also had a booth at the Benton County Fair and Carolyn said she had many successful interactions with a cross-section of people she doesn't normally get a chance to talk with. (George H commented that he noticed, while staffing the Greens table and Alt2War table at the Fair, that anything with a peace sign on it went right away--it is evidently the new fashionable thing.) The AFSC Cost of War banners were at the Alt2War table and created alot of conversation.
LoErna, speaking for the Corvallis Amnesty International Writers, described that they were small but active during the summer. They meet the 2nd Monday of each month from 7-8pm in the Round Table Room of FUMC and each person writes 6 letters (3 countries are featured each month and letters are sent to presidents and other prominent officials, plus ambassadors in Washington, DC). They write to death penalty prisoners also. The next meeting are on Oct 13th and Nov 10th, and then they will commemorate Human Rights Day on Sunday, Dec 14, from 4-5pm in the Martha Room , FUMC.
The next hat that LoErna put on was for the Raging Grannies, a very popular group, celebrating its 2yr anniversary this week, that is currently performing songs focused on voting and democracry, with a few things to say about Bush's policies. At the Fall Festival, though, the Grannies were evidently not popular with the security guards, who followed them around, demanding that they stop singing. Not easily manipulated, LoErna explained the Grannies were exercising their 1st Amendment right of free speech. The guards did not give up and neither did the Grannies, who continued to roam the Festival, performing for the crowds.
The Grannies practice every Tues, from noon-1pm in the Martha Room , FUMC.
Last hat: LoErna reported on Active For Peace & Justice (of the First United Methodist Church ).
They sponsored another successful International Day of Peace on Sept 20, got good coverage from the G-T, had many new faces there, and kids produced about 300 pinwheels, which were on display around the perimeter of the Courthouse lawn.
In March, Active For Peace & Justice produced two large sets of signs that show the cost of the Iraq War in lives and in dollars. These signs have been prominently displayed and the numbers are updated weekly. One set has been in front of the Presbyterian Church on Monroe and 8th for the last month. The other set has been in Marge Steven's front yard since March, but now someone has complained to the city and Marge was cited last week and the signs must come down or she faces fines.
Two actions are requested here: First, Marge has written a letter to the G-T asking them to have a box somewhere prominently placed in the paper, daily, that gives to latest figures of the cost of war. Please consider writing a letter to the G-T in favor of this idea. Second, if anyone has a yard (or if your church has a yard) with good visibility and enough traffic by it, please consider "hosting" these signs for a month or more. If interested, contact LoErna at l.simpson@comcast.net.
George H reported that the Pacific Green Party is running a peace slate of candidates, including for Secretary of State. Mike Beilstein is running as a Green against Peter DeFazio, and is also running for re-election to the Corvallis City Council, in the case that he's not successful in his bid against DeFazio.
The Greens sponsored an Open Concert for Peace at Starker Arts Park a couple of weeks ago and had a modest crowd of less than 150 people, but it was enjoyed by those who were there. The Greens also tabled at the Benton County Fair and George reported good response and lively conversations. (As far as the ballot measures go, George pointed out that Measure 65 is bad news--basically denying 3rd parties any participation.
Aleita reported the the First Congregational Church is part of the Community of Welcoming Congregations that is sponsoring the Corvallis Film Festival, which begins on Sunday, Oct 5th and runs through Sunday, Nov 2nd. First Congregational will be showing "Call Me Malcolm" on Sunday, Oct 19th, at 7pm. The documentary features a transgender seminary student, and is a film about "the universal self-seeking that we all do."
The Church is also working closely with the Daytime Drop-In Center and the creation of a night-time shelter (increasingly crucial as the weather gets bad). Also the Church is planning a fundraiser on Sunday, Nov 2nd, for Willamette Valley Housing Plus (working for housing for people with disabilities).
Then Aleita, reporting for Witness For Peace, announced two houseparties planned in Nov for education and fundraising--Nov 14th in Albany and Nov 15th in Corvallis . Also the SOA Watch (School of the Americas Watch) protests are happening again this year--Nov 21th through 23rd--and Aleita and Joan N will be going.
Judy announced the Albany Peaceseekers will march with the Veterans For Peace in the annual Veterans' Day Parade, on Nov 11th. They are also working with the VFP on a public forum on PTSD.
Bob, reporting for the LBCC Institute for Peace & Justice, reminded us that they have been working with Senator Frank Morse on legislation to abolish the death penalty in Oregon . The Senator first wanted a poll conducted to determine if there was broad public support for such a measure, and the poll showed that in fact there was not yet enough support. More public education is needed.
Leah reported that the Veterans For Peace will be hosting a Peace & Pizza Party at the American Dream Pizza, downtown on 2nd St , on Mon, Oct 13th, from 6-8pm. She promises "all party, no work!"
She also announced the upcoming Second Saturday benefit music concert at Sunnyside Up Cafe on Saturday, Oct 11th, from 6-8pm. This month the musicians are homeless men and the beneficiary is the Daytime Drop-In Center .
She reminded us to keep circulating the Bring Guard Home Campaign petitions. We need to show Oregon legislators that there's broad support across the state for the National Guard, and their equipment, needed for emergency responses, to stay home. VFP members are meeting this week with the governor's aide on Veterans' Affairs to talk about this. And VFP members are working with other states to create their own Guard Home Campaign. A bill to that effect will be sponsored by Chip Shields and Sara Gelser is willing to co-sponsor. Please talk to Leah if you want petitions or go to www.pjw.info .
Leah invited everyone to join the Veterans For Peace in the Veterans' Day Parade on Tues, Nov 11th in Albany . She also shared the news that the Veterans Commemoration Association has announced that this is the last year they will host the parade. Leah wonders if there is support for moving the parade to Corvallis after this year and making it a true celebration of Armistice Day with a peace parade, rather than glorifying war and militarism.
Her last two announcements were for the Winter Soldier NW hearings in Portland on Sat, Oct 18th, and for the NAACP Annual Soul Food Dinner & Branch Meeting at the Westminster House on Thurs, Oct 9th, starting at 6pm. Everyone is welcomed.
I reported for the Friends of Middle East Peace that we have two important speakers this month. The first is Jeff Halper, executive director of ICAHD (Israeli Committe Against House Demolitions) and the only Israeli Jew aboard the recent FREE GAZA boats that successfully broke the Israeli blockade of Gaza . He will be speaking on Friday, Oct 10th, at 7pm, at the United Lutheran Church on 2230 Washington in Eugene . Carpooling will be organized--contact me if you are interested, 766-8229.
The second speaker is Josh Hough, local activist who has been working as a human rights volunteer in the South Hebron Hills, in the West Bank . Josh will be speaking about his experiences and observations during the last 9 months in the West Bank on Sunday, Oct 26th, from 3-4:30pm in the Martha Room , FUMC.
Thanks for reading all this. Sorry it is so long, but there's much to share. All our groups are working hard and the more we can spread information for each other, the further our work goes and our numbers grow. The next meeting will be Sunday, Oct 26th, 5-7pm at the Unitarian Church . If you belong to a group that could benefit from being part of the Willamette Peace & Justice Coalition, please consider joining us then.