“Capitalism vs Democracy”

‘Cipients Speak! December 2008
by Maureen D. Taylor, MWRO State Chair

As we come to the end of the year, MWRO sends out greetings to our members across the state and to the welfare rights members across the country, the front-line fighters. Don’t get weary now! The American worker is looking at this collapse of an economy that we have all grown up under, and many questions abound.

Most of our lives, we have equated capitalism with democracy. People have the right to make money at the expense of someone else. Lights, gas, water – all natural resources have been privatized as corporations make millions at the hands of our suffering, and we are taught that this is the “American way.”

Retirees put their trust in these same corporations, and allowed these snakes to invest their pensions in stock market ventures, and now that their precious dollars are gone, the message is, “too bad!” We have seniors living well below the poverty level, juggling decisions to pay bills or pay for prescriptions, and we are okay with that?

Veterans who served honorably are living in homeless shelters, and we are okay with that? Southern congressional officials are demanding that northern workers accept the no-benefit salaries paid to non-union workers, and we are okay with that?

Capitalism doesn’t mean democracy, it equals terrorism.

The door is open to start rebuilding the country based on a new standard of living. Welfare Rights supports a guaranteed annual income for those unable to secure employment that maintains a level of existence well above poverty. If we can spend $10B per month over eight years for wars, we can keep people fed, clothed, and out of harms way.

The technology exists today to feed folk, to build cars that run on vegetable oil, to build affordable homes, to provide healthcare, and to make America closer to the dream that it was built on. We have to construct a new point of view that emphasizes that the needs of the many are more important than the needs of the few. Thank you, Mr. Spock! Happy Holidays to All!

Detroit's Neighborhood Parcels of Land

A recent study by the University of Detroit Mercy estimates that 30% of vacant parcels across the city amount to nearly 40 square miles--enough to fit the cities of San Francisco, Boston, and Manhattan in Detroit's boundaries. The study's author also believes that it will take another generation (at least) before there will be enough people in Detroit to repopulate these areas.

In the meantime, a variety of proposals are being put forth for how this land can be used: urban gardens, reforestation, playgrounds, new housing, shopping centers, and other plans by the Detroit Planning and Development Dept.

Yes, large and small neighborhoods across Detroit are filled with empty and abandoned parcels of land. Some belong to local residents and governments, and others have been purchased by outside banks and developers who see the severe Michigan economic hardship on families as a profit bonanza. A few more of the vacant lots have turned into dump sites for people who leave behind their bulk trash because of the city's inferior trash and recycling program.

However, a good number of these plots have been adopted by adjacent neighbors. Many have already been turned into unofficial community gardens, extended yards, open BBQ picnic areas, and informal playgrounds. Some homeowners try to purchase these vacant residential lots but who has the extra money and time these days for that lengthy process?

The upcoming Detroit mayoral elections are going to be filled with many candidates claiming to have the best ideas for managing these neighborhood pieces of land. Many of the ideas will also be backed by banks and developers who know nothing about the people and history of the neighborhoods. MWRO believes local residents and neighborhoods should have a significant voice in how these vacant lots are used or maintained, and politicians should be ready to listen.

National Call-in Day for HR 676

It's a travesty that in this country over 50 million Americans are without insurance, and 25 million are underinsured.

In response to this, healthcare activists across the country are encouraging citizens to call their elected representatives on December 22 in support of HR 676 for national single-payer healthcare. It is sponsored by Michigan Congressman John Conyers.

Led by medical practitioners and grassroots activists, Healthcare-Now, describes single-payer healthcare as a financing system where a government-run administrator or "payer" collects and pays out all health care fees. Approximately 10% of current administrative costs for processing private insurance bills would be eliminated, and the savings could be used to pay healthcare for those who are under-insured. Moreover, "...95% of all Americans will pay less for their healthcare than they are currently paying." This sounds good to us!

Help us move toward healthcare coverage for all by calling your representatives in Congress (see Votesmart to locate your representatives)--especially Sen. Edward Kennedy--and asking for their support of HR 676, single-payer healthcare. Also, sign the online HR 676 petition.

The second national call-in day is Thursday, January 15th.

Wild Man Wiley on Berrien County Bench

Read this extraordinary report about Berrien County Judge Wiley's bond hearing for BANCO's Rev. Edward Pinkney. Although we don't have a photo to share of Judge Wiley, this is what we imagine him to look like!

[Reposted from Benton Harbor BANCO]

Rev. Pinkney's Bond Hearing, Thursday Dec. 18, 2008

The hearing was to set bond and allow for Rev. Pinkney's release as he appeals a 3-10 year prison sentence for violating his probation for writing an article which was published in the Peoples Tribune. peoplestribune.org

Obviously furious and out of control emotionally, Judge Dennis Wiley was like a crazy man with hair standing up. Literally. For people who had traveled from afar, it was a rude shock to hear Judge W announce that the 10am hearing was being postponed until 3pm.

This judge, true to reputation, was anything but objective, and openly displayed a lot of anger. The ACLU's win in court, resulting in the release of Pinkney, is the last thing Berrien County power players want. Judge W didn't want to hear the case, said he didn't have time for rebuttal, and tried to persuade prosecutor Vigansky who he seemed at odds with to postpone the hearing. He eventually decided to hear the case. Vigansky appeared to care about how he conducted himself, Wiley did not and behaved like a drunken sailor. He threw two people out of the courtroom for slight chuckles, shouting to "get out!"

Rev. Pinkney, appearing on closed circuit TV from Jackson prison, was represented by two ACLU attorneys, both present in the courtroom. It was obvious from their astonished expressions that they may never have been subjected to this type of "legal proceeding" in their careers. Berrien County refused to bring Pinkney to the courtroom citing bad weather.

Judge W granted Pinkney a ten-thousand dollar cash surety bond -- more than had been sought by either Pinkney or the prosecutor. "I could have set $150,000.00!," threatened Judge W.

Despite last week's one and only order by the Court of Appeals for Judge W to set the bail amount, he set a long list of (outrageous) conditions to Pinkney's bond release:

no cell phone, no pager, no speaking engagements, no preaching in church, may engage in no defamatory or harassing behavior - including through the use of print or electronic media, no election activity, must wear a GPS tether and be under 24-hour curfew, may not go near Judge Butzbaugh, may not use a credit card ("you may as well cut up your credit card"). Also, Pinkney must keep away from the Berrien County Courthouse until his day in court on the appeal. Pinkney is known for his court observer activism. Attorney Michael Steinberg said the restrictions are excessive, and some are unconstitutional.

Get the feeling they are just a little afraid of this reverend?

Read more at WSJM. (Image from Sultan Knish Blog)

Detroit's Water Czar

While Congress and the White House toss around the fate of thousands of auto workers, and discuss the creation of a "Car Czar," we thought we'd mention another local czar in the news, Judge John Feikens.

Thirty-seven years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sued the Detroit Sewerage and Water Dept (DWSD) and the city to stop polluting the Detroit River. Judge Feikens was charged with overseeing local efforts--as the de facto water czar--and requiring local governments to respond to the lawsuit. Snow, rain, and widespread development created massive storm drain run-offs that contributed to water contamination in rivers and the area's watershed.

Many local groups have applauded Judge Feikens' heavy-handed efforts to comply with this Clean Water Act ruling, and there are noticeable improvements in the areas rivers, lakes, and beaches. In fact, his Detroit efforts have caused some to believe that this could be a national model for other cities.

But during this time, residents of two local water depts--the DWSD and Highland Park Water Dept--had another set of crises that the water czar did not include in his regional remedy plan. Since 2002 in Detroit, thousands of low-income residents had their water shut-off for lack of payment. In Highland Park, nearly half of the city's 16,000 residents had their water shut-off by cash-strapped local officials.

For several years, MWRO has worked in concert with local residents and grassroots leaders to have the water departments address this wide-scale public health and human rights problem. On several occasions, Judge Feikens' name came up by local water and city council officials as we pressed for relief or a moratorium on shut-offs.

Waterless residents were told that before any public policy changes could be made to help vulnerable populations restore their water service or establish affordable payments options, the water czar would first require payment and compliance with his legal orders by the water depts. In Highland Park, this made matters worse. Residents were receiving bills in the thousands of dollars (see film, The Water Front), and the city was nearly under receivership by the Governor because it could not pay its own bills.

For the past six years, MWRO members and local residents have sought a Water Affordability Program that would prevent shut-offs and allow low-income households to make modest monthly payments. We reached out to Judge Feikens for assistance and guidance and not once did we receive a response. If the Detroit water czar is truly interested in improving the area's quality of life through clean water then, we believe, part of that entails ensuring that the poorest members of the community are included and safeguarded against the harm of water shut-offs.

Lastly, a local study found that the cost of modernizing the Detroit region's sewage treatment plants and system pipes could be over $50 billion in the next 25 years. This could also double the cost of water bills within 15 years, which are already rising twice as fast as inflation. Low-income residents cannot manage this increase. What will the water czar do to avert this crisis?

For profit chain gangs in Michigan?

Having family and friends in prison teaches you a lot about what things are like from "the inside." MWRO's comrade and Benton Harbor political prisoner, Rev. Edward Pinkney, has been moved around to at least half a dozen Michigan prisons since he was sentenced a few months ago for quoting the Bible. Doing time is a difficult experience for all involved and the guilty should be punished. But punishment should be fair and not exploit an already marginalized group.

In Michigan, incarcerated men and women in many prisons work for Michigan State Industries (MSI)--a 1980 Dept of Corrections program that assigns jobs to all able-bodied prisoners. Fundamentally, MSI goals sound like a good idea, i.e., they provide "an opportunity for prisoners to learn marketable skills and to acquire sound work experience" while attempting "to address the problem of crime and the tension and idleness in prison resulting from overcrowding...." MSI has a map of all prison production locations where they sell and bid out items such as furniture, bed sheets, and outdoor banners online or through its Lansing showroom.

However, Rev. Pinkney's experience has given him and us some insights into prison conditions and prison work. Last week he wrote:

Prison officials can control virtually every aspect of a prisoner's life. They can decide her/his actions - when (s)he will awake and when (s)he sleeps, how much is spent on food, who can visit prisoners and for how long, whether to force a prisoner to sleep on a metal grating without a mattress, how long a prisoner waits for medical treatment, whether a prisoner spends 24 hours a day in a cell or 12 hours a day at back-breaking labor, and what arbitrary (useless) rules will be followed. How and when to punish prisoners in many different ways, including depriving them of all food except "nutri-loaf" (tasteless ground-up leftovers pressed into a loaf). It is all up to the Dept. of Corrections.

In many states there is a move to remove gov. administration of prisons and privatize them for corporate profit. The labor of the prisoners belongs to the state but when the state transfers their interest to a private corporation, the labor of prisoners belong to the corporation. A corporation will run the lives of prisoners and decide how they shall labor and what they shall labor at. Do you see chances for profit here?

Prison labor is not new. It's been used for centuries to help contain incarceration costs and keep prisoners disciplined and busy. But in recent times, it's being increasingly used in for profit ventures. MWRO opposes the slave labor practice of requiring incarcerated human beings to make or build products for the highest bidder. Not only do these conditions prevent a worker from demanding a fair price for his or her labor, it contributes to abusive and inhumane conditions beyond typical institutional incarceration.

(Image courtesy of Flickr)

Grassroots Court Hearings for Bukowski and Pinkney

By Sylvia Orduño and Gwendolyn Gaines

Today in Detroit's 36th District Court, Michigan Citizen freelance reporter Diane Bukowski's five felony counts were reduced to two in a preliminary hearing. She is charged with obstruction and police assault while covering a deadly accident on election day. Yesterday, grassroots activists, community residents, and union members attended a rally in support of Diane's legal challenge, and today they packed the courthouse. Like Ms. Bukowski, we believe that she is being targeted by the police because of questionable circumstances around the deadly accident, and her history of reporting on police brutality cases in southeast Michigan. Another court date is set for her on December 23, 2008.

Meanwhile in western Michigan, Rev. Pinkney is set for a bond hearing in Benton Harbor on December 18, 2008 following the ACLU's successful bond appeal before the Michigan Court of Appeals. However, it turns out Rev. Pinkney is going before Judge Wiley--the same official who sent him to prison for quoting Deuteronomy!

Please help us pack Berrien County Courthouse this Thursday, 12/18 at 10am in support of Rev. Pinkney's bond hearing and release. (Directions: In Michigan, take I-84, exit 33 toward Benton Harbor/St Joseph, and cross over the bridge to the courthouse.)

Also, please contact The Clemency Advisory Council (listed below) that makes recommendations to the Governor. Their recommendation of clemency for Rev. Pinkney will carry a great deal of weight when she makes her decision on his application.

Dr. Charles G. Adams of Detroit, pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, 19472 Suffolk Dr., Highland Park, MI 48203, 313-368-0210, appointed to represent the general public.

Ms. Gloria L. Baker of Roseville, accountant with Urban Science, 200 Renaissance Ctr. #18100, Detroit, MI 48243, 313-259-9900, appointed to represent crime victims or their families.

Ms. Joyce M. Braithwaite-Brickley of Traverse City, retired, appointed to represent the general public. Info. not located.

Ms. Mary Beth Kur, private practice: 523 Mitchell St., Petoskey, MI 49770, mbkur@sbcglobal.net , 877-746-4625, former Charlevoix County prosecutor, appointed to represent law enforcement.

Rabbi David A. Nelson, Beth Shalom, 14601 W. Lincoln Rd., Oak Park, MI 48237, cbs@congbethshalom.org , 248-547-7970, of Southfield, appointed to represent the general public.

Ms. Janette L. Price of Eaton Rapids, former warden for the Michigan Department of Corrections, now retired, appointed to represent the general public. Info. not located.

The Honorable Rudolph A. Serra, private practice: 18953 Mallina St., Grosse Pointe, MI 48236, 313-331-7839, former judge of the 36th District Court, appointed to represent law enforcement and designated chair of the council for a term expiring at the pleasure of the governor.

Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909 517-335-7858

UAW Exposes GOP Efforts to Punish Organized Labor

By Maureen D. Taylor,
MWRO State Chairperson

Last Friday, Dec. 12th, 2008, two days after the 60th anniversary that the Declaration of Human Rights was signed, the American worker was stabbed by corporate capitalism and their elected official friends. In a stunning betrayal of truth, a small Nazi-fringe of the GOP engineered the collapse of the auto-loan request designed to stop blue-collar workers from being put out on the streets.

This country is alone in its refusal to help shore up manufacturing entities making lack-luster politicians who heretofore stood mute, into outstanding champions for justice. Better late than never! No minor children should read beyond this point, because the language is about to take a low ride.

Today, AIG -- the American Insurance Group -- that was given billions over the last several weeks was caught again giving bonuses to their executive staff. According to our sources, some 78 administrative staff received these dollars ranging from $92K to $4M each! This would be the third such “gift” from our tax dollars provided to executives, while blue-collar workers are being asked to “grovel.”

UAW President Gettelfinger was impressive as he exposed the “secret GOP memo” that suggested methods and rationales for how to punish the UAW for their support of Democratic candidates over the years. Today, we learned the fees taxpayers paid to “right to work” states to bring off-shore auto manufacturers to Tennessee and to Alabama. He revealed the shocking $500M Tennesseans paid to Volkswagen to build a factory there along with years of tax abatements! He revealed the $252M paid to Hundai, the $29M paid to Toyota, the $158M paid to Honda, and the $253M paid to Mercedez by Alabamans so that these competitors could locate manufacturing hubs in America. He revealed the deal penned by our own Peter Karmanos, who purchased 2,500 Benz’s for his executive staff.

American workers should craft new plans for a better future. Suggestions: buy factories and start making our own cars – we know how! File tyranny charges against AIG, Alabama and Tennessee state senators and take them to court for crimes against American workers. Take over the production of all industries and operate them toward the benefit of working people everywhere. Research what elected officials in Indonesia, and China make so that these high and mighty senators can lead by example and start accepting similar salaries as they are demanding American workers to do. Juan Williams from Fox News suggested that blue-collar workers do earn too much, so we need to research what news broadcasters in Indonesia and Mexico make so he too can lead by example and accepts similar wages.

We have reached the end of an era. What will the next set of pages contain about how the world is to be run? You get what you organize to take. These corporations hate you. They hate your children. They would see you die from starvation, from neighborhood violence, from no health care, and we are walking into the crematoriums without so much as a whimper. Fool us once, shame on you…fool us over and over and over again, shame on us! Wake Up!

(Image from China Daily, includes Republican Senators Richard Shelby (AL), center; John Ensign (NV), and Jim DeMint (SC).

Detroit's Most Activist Church Awards NAACP's Julian Bond

By Gwendolyn Gaines and Sylvia Orduño

Central United Methodist Church is located in the heart of Detroit, MI, at the north end of downtown and adjacent to the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park and the Lions' Ford Field. The church itself has been designated a historical building and its membership includes some of the most active members of the community. It is also the building that houses the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, National Welfare Rights Union, and Westside Mothers offices.

In recent years, the church has been led by Rev. Edwin Rowe, and is well-known through the state for its progressive mission and activist congregation. Members of the church regularly participate in and outreach with groups on issues such as: anti-war/peace and justice, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and more.

Last week, Central United Methodist Church held its fourth annual Peace and Justice Banquet, a fundraiser for the many social services operated by the church. The keynote speaker and winner of the night's Dr. Henry Hitt Crane Award was Julian Bond, Chair of the NAACP.

Among other events of the night: Cheryl Chodun was Mistress of Ceremony, Mr. Herman Dooha presented the Maryann Mahaffey Award to Councilwoman JoAnn Watson; Ms. Chodun presented Mr. Rory Gamble and Mr. Philip Schloop the Labor Award; Reverend Edwin Rowe presented the Pastor's Award to Mr. Rudy Simons; and Reverend Wendell Anthony introduced Mr. Julian Bond. There were over 200 people in attendance for the dinner and awards. (We had chicken in creamy sauce, potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, butter, lemonade, coffee, cheesecake, and cake).

MI Appeals Court Grants Bond Motion for Rev. Pinkney!

MWRO applauds the Michigan Court of Appeals for its decision to grant Rev. Pinkney a release on bond! This is great news for the Pinkney family and the hard fought efforts of Rev. Pinkney's attorneys and friends. See the MI ACLU press release below and this pre-incarceration video of Rev. Pinkney discussing charges against him and conditions in Benton Harbor.


See more videos
ACLU Praises Court Decision to Release Minister from Prison Pending Appeal

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 11, 2008

CONTACT: Michael J. Steinberg, ACLU of Michigan Legal Director at 313.578.6814

DETROIT– The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan applauded a Court of Appeals decision today granting its motion for bond on behalf of a Benton Harbor minister who is serving a 3-10 year prison sentence for writing a newspaper article that harshly criticized the judge who presided over his trial.

"We are thrilled that Rev. Edward Pinkney will be home with his family celebrating Christmas instead of sitting in prison for criticizing a judge," said Michigan ACLU Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg. "The court properly recognized that serious constitutional questions are raised when a minister is thrown in prison for predicting what God might do."

Rev. Pinkney is a Baptist minister in Benton Harbor, a predominantly African American community with a troubled relationship with its predominantly white sister city, St. Joseph. Rev. Pinkney has long been an outspoken community activist and advocate, frequently denouncing injustice and racial inequality in Benton Harbor, its local government, and the Berrien County criminal justice system in particular.

In 2007, Rev. Pinkney was sentenced to probation for violating Michigan election law. But his probation was revoked and he was resentenced to 3-10 years in prison solely because of an article he wrote for a small Chicago newspaper. Quoting a passage from the Bible, Rev. Pinkney predicted that God would "curse" the judge unless he "hearken[ed] unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe [and] to do all that is right." Rev. Pinkney also expressed his opinion in the article that the judge was racist, dumb, and corrupt.

The ACLU argued in its motion for bond pending appeal that the statements Rev. Pinkney made in his newspaper editorial, while offensive to many, are clearly protected speech under the First Amendment. The ACLU further urged the Court of Appeals to release Rev. Pinkney on bond while it considers the appeal of his sentence.

In an order issued yesterday, the Court of Appeals granted the ACLU motion and has asked the Berrien County Circuit Court to set the amount of bond. A date has not been set yet for a hearing to determine the bond amount, however, the ACLU will ask for the earliest date possible. The Court of Appeals is expected to decide the merits of Rev. Pinkney's appeal in 2009.

In addition to Steinberg, Rev. Pinkney is represented by ACLU Cooperating Attorneys James J. Walsh and Rebecca O'Reilly of the respected corporate law firm Bodman LLP.

To read the Court of Appeals order, go to: http://www.aclumich.org/pdf/pinkneybondbrief.pdf.
To read the ACLU Brief in Support of Bond Pending Appeal, go to http://www.aclumich.org/pdf/pinkneybondbrief.pdf
To read Rev. Pinkney's article, go to http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2007.11/PT.2007.11.18.html

Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th Anniversary

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and it is being celebrated all year long across the world. See the Wall of Events for international postings.

The UN Declaration of Human Rights is a fundamental document that is designed to prevent the oppression and discrimination of people throughout the world. It was a uniquely broad consensus around civil, political, economic, and social rights. The first committee to draft the document was chaired by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1948, 58 member states of the U.N. voted unanimously for the document, with 8 abstentions (the communist bloc, Saudia Arabia, and South Africa). See the UDHR video that describes each of the 30 articles. They also have a Take the Quiz page where you can test your basic knowledge of human rights.

In this time of great human suffering, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is more necessary than ever. It is a vital set of basic human rights that we can use to protect ourselves and our families while demanding assistance from our governments.

Today, the U.S. does not sit on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. Sign this online letter asking President-elect Obama to recommit to the UDHR and to join the Human Rights Council. Also, download a free human rights poster and display it in your home or office. Check out the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign for information on grassroots work in the U.S., and do your part to support basic human rights in the U.S. and beyond.

Blue Collar UAW Singled Out in Auto Bailout

We've been watching the Congressional hearings and the bailout developments with the Big 3--General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler--and have been following the new plan to insert a Car Czar into the mix. Having been hoodwinked by bank leaders who took the money and ran to spas and their shareholders before answering questions on how they got into this mess, current planners want answers before they cut checks.

While MWRO doesn't approve of any corporate welfare, it strikes us as unfair that automakers, whose majority of employees are blue collar workers, are being held to more scrutiny and higher standards than white collar Wall Street bankers. Before this latest fiasco, factory employees and workers in related industries already made major concessions in pay and benefits to keep these companies alive. Any trips to the spa were stopped a long time ago as it became harder to hold onto your job and your home. As reported on the UAW website:

The Economic Policy Institute reports that 3.3 million jobs would be lost if U.S. automakers collapse, with Michigan, California, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Indiana and New York the biggest job losers.

Skilled United Automotive Workers (UAW) have made massive contributions to the labor standards that millions of U.S. (and international) workers have achieved: sit-down strikes forcing companies to bargain with employees, increased paid vacation, paid holidays, calls for postwar equal pay and full employment for women, cost-of-living pay increases, workers pensions, Supplemental Unemployment Benefits, paid hospitalization and sick day benefits, medical benefits for retirees, and more.

Sure, the Big 3 have plenty to answer for when it comes to poor quality vehicles and designs in recent times; and for dragging their feet to build environmentally friendly cars and trucks. But Michigan and the Midwest were built on the hard factory work and hard fought union organizing of people employed in these plants.

Detroit and southeast Michigan have suffered massively in jobs losses and housing foreclosures. Some say it's time for Detroit and Michigan to move beyond a manufacturing economy and embrace new technology and new employment sectors (like life sciences). The technology is already here, as evidenced by the increased roboticization of factory work where workers are replaced by robots that don't need benefits or bathroom breaks. But before Michigan workers can look toward tomorrow, they need some governmental help to maintain life today.

Groceries in Exchange for Guns

This weekend in Los Angeles, Sheriff Deputies concluded two weeks of Gifts for Guns--a community safety program that allows residents to anonymously turn in their guns in exchange for gifts cards. The strong response--965 firearms, including a Soviet-era semiautomatic carbine, plus two hand grenades--surprised even veteran deputies who believed participation was driven by the economic difficulties faced by families. One man who was recently laid off from his job told deputies that he needed to exchange his five guns to be able to get groceries for his family.

The gift cards were from Ralphs (a Kroger-owned grocery chain), Target, and Best Buy. The program is paid for mostly by the County of L.A, along with donations from these retailers and the City of Compton. Similar programs have been run in San Francisco and New York.

Last month, new statistics were released that ranked Detroit with the third highest crime rate in the nation. Residents of Detroit regularly view horrendous news stories of shootings involving innocent children and by-standers.

MWRO believes the Wayne County Sheriffs Dept. and the Detroit Police Dept. should create the Gifts for Guns program in Detroit. Not only would this get many guns off our streets but it would help hungry and needy families get the necessities they need, especially at this time of the year.

(Image from YahooNews/AP)

Help Bring the 2010 U.S. Social Forum to Detroit

MWRO, along with many Michigan grassroots organizations, is working to bring the USSF to Detroit in 2010. We believe Detroit it at the center of major social and economic problems and can help deliver the local and national solutions that communities like ours need!

We are competing with El Paso, TX, and New Orleans, LA--cities both with great people and a myriad of problems.

In an effort to spread the word and build the ranks of organizations ready to help us win the right to be the 2010 host city, we invite you to celebrate with us with music, food, video and general good times. Plan to be on hand at the Detroit Celebration of the USSF.

Join us for a potluck event on Friday, December 5, 6:00 – 9:00 PM at the
Central United Methodist Church, 23 East Adams Ave at Woodward in downtown Detroit. If you can't attend, email your support to info@mwro.org

Get a flyer and get more information about potential host cities and the vision for USSF 2010.

See more VIDEOS about USSF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kncStfnpJxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khBU4IGFOCc

Families, Children And Elders In Poverty Ask Congress For A $1 Billion Bailout

[reposted from
People's Tribune]

By Poor News Network

“Thousands of families, children, and elders in poverty are barely subsisting in this country, while thousands of others are struggling to stay housed after having their houses foreclosed on. If we were given even $1 billion of the $700 billion bailout being offered to corporations, we could bring hundreds of families permanently out of poverty,” said Lisa Gray-Garcia, author of Criminal of Poverty, Growing Up homeless in America and co-founder of POOR Magazine and PoorNewsNetwork.

Lisa and many other very low-income and poor families, youth, and elders publicly released this plea to Congress recently to reconsider the $700 billion bailout and consider giving at least $1 billion to families, youth and elders in poverty.
“Why is it that so many of us are struggling to survive on less than $5,000 a year and congress is considering bailing out these multi-million dollar corporations?” asked Vivien Hain, unemployed mother of three struggling with poverty.

“As poor people we have created solutions to poverty such as permanent housing based on a sweat equity model, all it would take to launch is $1 million!” said Michael Crutchfield , unemployed father of two.

As Congress decides on this extremely expensive bailout, poor people across the nation watch in disbelief. Shelters are closing, state budgets are being slashed, services for the poor are being closed and people’s homes are being lost to foreclosures.
“When poor people ask for help, we are called bums, stupid, lazy and blamed for what got us into poverty. When these high profile panhandlers ask for money they are given $700 billion”, concluded Lisa Gray-Garcia in the statement to Congress.

Poor News Network
Resisting Poverty Through Media, Education and Art
Image: Tony Robles and Tiny at POOR Magazine’s Take Back the Land Ceremony/Eviction Protest in San Francisco. PHOTO/POORMAGAZINE.ORG

Being incarcerated in Michigan

MWRO just learned that Rev. Edward Pinkney of BANCO in Benton Harbor has been moved again, this time to Muskegon Correctional Facility. After nearly a year of incarceration on trumped up charges and the irrational Deuteronomy fears of a presiding judge, Rev. Pinkney has been shuttled around to eight different jails and prisons.

This Thursday, another MWRO friend from Battle Creek, Efrén Paredes, Jr., is seeking commutation, i.e., release from prison in Jackson by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, while his family and friends gather after 18 years of hope and pleas. (BTW, your calls to her will help 517-373-3400.)

Fellow water activist Marie Mason is currently in Clinton County Jail and will be sentenced for an environmentally-motivated crime early next year.

MWRO has many friends with more friends and family who are serving time in Michigan prisons. All of this has us wondering again about the Michigan prison industrial complex. One recent report states:

...Michigan's incarceration rate is about 40 percent higher than the average rates of its Great Lakes neighbors. And the cost of all this has shot through the roof: The number of Corrections employees has more than tripled since 1980, to the point that today over 30 percent of all state Civil Service employees are in the Department of Corrections. With an appropriation of over $2.2 billion in 2008, the Department of Corrections spent over 20 percent of Michigan’s General Fund budget.

Michigan spends more today to hold criminals in jail than we do to educate our kids in public colleges and universities; according to the Pew Center for the States, we’re one of only one of four to share that dubious distinction. And, according to the Citizens Research Council, we spend around 30 percent more per inmate per year than our neighboring states. CRC also estimates that if our spending on prisons just matched our neighboring states, we'd save around $500 million each year.

In addition to this, Michigan incarcerates too many non-violent offenders like our noted friends. These millions in annual savings could help our state and local economies, and stabilize thousands of families--freeing them from excess stress, financial strain, and broken up homes.

Write Gov. Granholm and ask her to grant clemency, commutations, and pardons to the thousands of non-violent incarcerated men, women, and juveniles in Michigan (like our friends above) who we need behind garden picket fences, not prison fences.

Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Michigan Department of Corrections
Office of the Parole Board
Pardons and Commutations Coordinator
P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, Michigan, 48909

(Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

Rev. Pinkney Transferred to Jackson Prison

[reposted from Benton Harbor BANCO weblog]

On Thursday, 11/20/07, Rev. Pinkney was moved from Ojibway Correctional Facility (CF) across the Michigan Upper Peninsula to Kinross CF. The following Tuesday, 11/25/08, he was moved again to Cooper Street CF in Jackson.

Rev. Pinkney has received much attention in recent weeks--at the frustration of prison officials--due to: media attention on his Green Party candidacy (BTW he received 3500 votes!), the recent press ban by prison authorities against interviews, the ACLU motion filing with the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the on-going clemency letter drive and online petition.

We're hopeful that this latest move to a facility closer to Benton Harbor means that he is on track for a decision by the courts. In the meantime, please continue to send letters for clemency to Gov. Granholm. According to Attorney Buck Davis, Rev. Pinkney's clemency petition has been transferred from the corrections dept committee to the Governor's office. She can decide whether or not to hold public hearings for clemency. Please push the Gov. Granholm to hold a hearing for Rev. Pinkney!

Please send your letters of clemency to:
Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Michigan Department of Corrections
Office of the Parole Board
Pardons and Commutations Coordinator
P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, Michigan, 48909
Include your name and address.

Read more about the ACLU Michigan motion and brief. Listen to Atty Davis, Mrs Pinkney, and BANCO member Belinda Brown speak about Rev. Pinkney and Benton Harbor on KPFK Pacifica Radio in SoCal.

(For the KPFK interview, go to show "Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod," Tuesday, 11/25/08. After the introduction, Davis begins at 5:30 min, Mrs. Pinkney at 22:00 min, and Brown at 38:30 min)