NEWSMAKERS JAN-JUNE 2016
IAF Great, Arnie Graf, Retires
Michael Gecan, Jennifer Knox, Rev Lionel Edmonds And GBIO Reflect On His Remarkable Career
Arnie Graf celebrated the end of 45 years with the IAF on Monday evening, June 27, at the Amalgamated Transit Union Conference Center, with 160, fellow organizers, leaders, allies and family members. In the front of the room, at the center table, was the Graf family -- spouse Lucille, children Alisha, Aaron, and Darrel, and five grandchildren -- nearby were veteran organizers Ernesto Cortes, who started in the IAF with Arnie in 1972, Sr. Christine Stephens, Mike Gecan, Jonathan Lange, Martin Trimble, Rob English, IAF board chair Georgianna Gleason, and many others. Prayers, poems, even a rap presentation all celebrated Arnie's enormous and continuing contributions to the IAF, to the field of organizing, and to citizens power and dignity in this country and beyond. It was an evening of warmth, gratitude, and gladness. Michael Gecan
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Proud and blessed to have gotten to work with and be mentored by this great organizer before his retirement.
Arnie got politicized and his start in organizing during the civil rights movement as a member of Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.). In 1971, Arnie joined the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the nation’s first and largest network of multi-faith, broad-based citizens’ organizations, which for seven decades has been winning tough battles on housing, health care, education, living wages, immigration rights and other issues. With IAF, Arnie worked to develop durable community power bases in Baltimore, Boston, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C. and has supervised projects in many other cities across the US and abroad.
While teaching at Howard Divinity in the 90s Arnie met many of WIN’s founding clergy. Together they began organizing across DC and publicly launched WIN 20 years ago in 1996.
The organizers and leaders of WIN have been blessed to get to know and work with Arnie for so many years. Congratulations Arnie!
Check out some articles about Arnie:
http://www.theguardian.com/…/arnie-graf-labour-party-miliba…http://www.communitychange.org/arnie-graf-2015-change-cham…/
http://www.communitychange.org/arnie-graf-2015-change-cham…/. Jennifer Knox
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GBIO weighs in: Arnie Graf was not only the Metro IAF supervising organizer from for The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization for many years (2002-2013) , but he acted as interim lead organizer for a year (2003) coming from Baltimore every other week. Organizers and leaders alike have felt blessed to learn from this exceptional man. There's no one more empathetic while also being tough as nails and no one better at developing leadership. He steered us through a challenging time of change. We are grateful to have known and worked with him. Thank you and Blessings Arnie Graf!
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Rev Lionel Edmonds' poem/rap from Arnie's retirement:
Arnie's Testimony
When God made Graf
The Almighty told Arnie
"Alinsky may have started it
But I call you to perfect it"
The only rule for this radical
Is that they were made to be broken
Don't get on his wrong side
He'll turn you into a stick mannequin
Man, this blue eyed soul brother
Organizes like Miles on the trumpet,
Like Trane on the sax, like Hendrix on the Star Spangled Banner...
Oh say can't you see that Arnie does it for the love of country and family , for you and me.
The revolution won't be televised
But Arnie spit, "It will be organized"
Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett, one of the greatest drummers of all time, once said that there is an element of God that's in all people, but some people, God laid His Hand on longer and held it there..." Arnie, the Lord God laid His Hand on you a little longer and held it there.."
Note: A fund has been established in Arnie's name to advance the recruiting and training of citizen organizers. Checks may be sent to:
Metro IAF
8518 61st Rd
Rego Park, New York 11374-2734
United States
Or donate through Paypal: metro-iaf.org/donate
So Impressive! SBC And Metro IAF Together In The Streets
How Change For Good Happens Now!
South Bronx Churches (SBC) in action, along with other METRO IAF NY leaders as they push the NYPD 40th Precinct to make streets safer and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to stop the neglect and fix their buildings.
We did it! Governor John Bel Edwards issued an Executive Order today overhauling the Industrial Tax Exemption Program, our state's largest program of corporate subsidies. Together Louisiana/IAF Delivers Huge Win.
A Full Page Ad In the Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana):
Together Louisiana Shapes Tax Policy
At the Commerce & Industry Board meeting today, with 70 Together Louisiana leaders in attendance, Governor John Bel Edwards issued an Executive Order overhauling our state's largest program of corporate subsidies, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program.
This is the first major victory of our Tax Fairness Campaign, and it shows what's possible if we combine deep citizen engagement, solid analysis and good strategy.
If you haven't done so already, please add your name to the Tax Fairness Petition at www.togetherla.com and send it out to others. We need to broaden our reach across the state, to make this the first of many changes our state needs in its tax system.
To all the citizens who have helped make this happen: Congratulations on a victory hard fought and well-deserved!
At the Commerce & Industry Board meeting today, with 70 Together Louisiana leaders in attendance, Governor John Bel Edwards issued an Executive Order overhauling our state's largest program of corporate subsidies, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program.
This is the first major victory of our Tax Fairness Campaign, and it shows what's possible if we combine deep citizen engagement, solid analysis and good strategy.
If you haven't done so already, please add your name to the Tax Fairness Petition at www.togetherla.com and send it out to others. We need to broaden our reach across the state, to make this the first of many changes our state needs in its tax system.
To all the citizens who have helped make this happen: Congratulations on a victory hard fought and well-deserved!
Urban Milwaukee Tracks Common Ground's Impacts Over
8 Years Of Organizing; IAF Organization Delivers Huge Improvements To Neighborhoods, Families
Common Ground in SE Wisconsin is a non-partisan IAF organization unafraid to take on big regional power players. Their track record proves that by working together, community institutions can deliver major improvements on a broad range of issues. The entire story here.
Together Louisiana Hits State Tax Pathology That Wrecks Local Communities
Releases Landmark Study On Industrial Tax Exemption Program
Rips Veil From Obscure Louisiana Commission Actions
Louisiana administers the tax break from the state level without giving local governments any say-so. Basically, the state tells parishes to provide increased police, roads, firefighting and other local services to handle the influx caused by the manufacturers’ investment — but without a way to pay for it“That cities and school districts and library boards do not have the ability to make that decision for themselves about their own revenue is a very bizarre and poor public policy,” said Broderick Bagert, of Together Louisiana, a coalition of clergy and social groups.
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East Baton Rouge Parish schools, for instance, lost about $27 million in taxes that were not collected because of corporate exemptions, Bagert said. Jefferson Parish didn’t get $7.1 million for its levees.
Local governments are expected to miss out on about $7 billion in property taxes during the next five years. Story from the Advocate.
Much more media:
Local governments are expected to miss out on about $7 billion in property taxes during the next five years. Story from the Advocate.
Much more media:
- http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2016/06/louisiana_industrial_tax_exemp.html
- http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/16165229-171/study-finds-industrial-tax-exemption-too-generous
- http://theadvocate.com/news/16136914-70/political-horizons-a-rare-dissent-on-corporate-exemptions-by-gov-john-bel-edwards-louisiana-politic
- https://www.businessreport.com/article/local-governments-stand-lose-16-7-billion-taxes-industrial-tax-exemption-together-louisiana-report-says
BUILD Fights Baltimore Mayor Tooth And Nail For Children/Youth; Comes Out On TopRob English, lead organizer for Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, or BUILD, said the city was looking to shift spending to "business-as-usual" levels a year after the April 2015 unrest, at the expense of families and youths in struggling neighborhoods.
"These are tough budgetary decisions, and it's a shame that it took this much to come to an agreement that was essential for Baltimore's youth," English said. "We need to continue to fight for young people in our city." |
BUILD rallied hundreds to protest the mayor's proposed spending plan that would have cut $4.2 million from youth programs. English commended Young and Councilwoman Helen Holton, the budget committee chairwoman, for taking a stand against it. Complete story from Baltimore Sun here.
"The Preacher Who Took On The Police"
Baptist Pastor And Greater Cleveland Congregations Leader/IAF Stands Tall
Recognized In Politico's "What Works"
“We want action now! We want change now! We want reform now!” Colvin proclaimed. “Not next year, not next election! Not ’til the next death, the next tragedy, the next trial, the next press conference! We want it now!”
Colvin, 41, is the pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, a large and storied African-American congregation in Cleveland, and he has taken a very different and far more aggressive approach to activism than older black ministers from the civil-rights generation. As co-founder of Greater Cleveland Congregations, a five-year-old community organizing group, Colvin has built alliances across majority-white Cuyahoga County on social justice issues. After Rice’s death and a damning report from the U.S. Justice Department, Colvin stood nearly alone among the city’s politically involved black ministers in challenging Frank Jackson, Cleveland’s popular African-American mayor, and publicly pressuring City Hall for changes in how Cleveland is policed.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/cleveland-ohio-what-works-police-violence-shooting-tamir-rice-cuyahoga-black-lives-matter-213968#ixzz4BtEQXC86
Colvin, 41, is the pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, a large and storied African-American congregation in Cleveland, and he has taken a very different and far more aggressive approach to activism than older black ministers from the civil-rights generation. As co-founder of Greater Cleveland Congregations, a five-year-old community organizing group, Colvin has built alliances across majority-white Cuyahoga County on social justice issues. After Rice’s death and a damning report from the U.S. Justice Department, Colvin stood nearly alone among the city’s politically involved black ministers in challenging Frank Jackson, Cleveland’s popular African-American mayor, and publicly pressuring City Hall for changes in how Cleveland is policed.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/cleveland-ohio-what-works-police-violence-shooting-tamir-rice-cuyahoga-black-lives-matter-213968#ixzz4BtEQXC86
IAF Co-Director Michael Gecan Puts The Presidential Campaign In Fresh Perspective
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Nevadans for the Common Good: Rebooting Politics In Nevada
Boulder City Review
Education, immigration and services for the elderly and people with disabilities were the focus of discussions as more than 1,500 leaders from the area gathered for Nevadans for the Common Good’s third Convention for the Common Good in May at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas. Boulder City United Methodist Church, St. Andrew Catholic Community and St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church are members of the organization and their congregants participated in the convention. Nevadans for the Common Good is dedicated to educating and training individuals to participate in public life. Diverse institutions work together to build relationships, find common ground on issues, and act in nonpartisan ways to improve life for all Nevadans. Entire story here. |
Working Together Jackson
Building Community
WTJ: “Building Community. Seeking the Common Good in Metro Jackson.” WTJ welcomed Mayor Tony T. Yarber to their delegate’s assembly to ask questions about the Housing Trust Fund and allocation of the One-Cent Sales Tax. It was a packed house with leaders from several dozen organizations. WTJ is determined to WORK to improve Jackson.
Working Together Jackson Steps Up; Crosses Lines Of Race/Class/Faith; Builds On The Energy And Interests Of Residents; Shows How It Can Be Done
"We are a very different organization, a very grassroots organization that doesn't just complain and talk about the problems," Dorothy Triplett, a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and a spokeswoman for the groups, said. "We come together with our people and ask what are you willing to work on. And we will also be talking about our vision as we move forward for the 2017 municipal elections. We hold all of the candidates accountable."
#Triplett said that WTJ will continue its practice, which dates back to the 2013 election, requesting that mayoral candidates pledge to run a civil campaign and to continue to meet with the WTJ.
#But WTJ is unique in that it is not just religious or solely Christian.
#"Even though we are 40 various, different organizations with leadership, we also represent the community of Jackson, so you are talking about 40 organizations that have citizens all over Jackson," Okolo Rashid, one of the co-founders of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, said.
Jackson Free Press story here.
#Triplett said that WTJ will continue its practice, which dates back to the 2013 election, requesting that mayoral candidates pledge to run a civil campaign and to continue to meet with the WTJ.
#But WTJ is unique in that it is not just religious or solely Christian.
#"Even though we are 40 various, different organizations with leadership, we also represent the community of Jackson, so you are talking about 40 organizations that have citizens all over Jackson," Okolo Rashid, one of the co-founders of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, said.
Jackson Free Press story here.
Smart-gun advocates seek market change:
IAF leaders from 5 organizations briefed 3 Members of Congress and staff members representing 17 others yesterday at the Capitol on DNSIB. Senators Murphy and Blumenthal from CT hosted. Connecticut Post story here.
“We are in this for the long haul,’’ said Rabbi Michael Friedman, of Temple Israel in Westport. “We are people of faith. We know this may take a while, but we are not going to give up.’’
The effort, sponsored by an alliance of religious and civic leaders calling itself Do Not Stand Idly By, represents a departure from the norms of gun-violence-prevention advocacy. Instead of an uphill fight against the Republican majority in Congress for expanded background checks and other gun-control measures, the alliance is putting its chips on the purchasing power of federal, state and local governments.
Chairing the session was Pastor Anthony Bennett of Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport, who also is co-chairman of CONECT _ Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, an alliance of local religious leaders addressing social, political and economic issues.
“There is no panacea,’’ he said, referring to steps needed to curb ongoing gun violence in Bridgeport. But “this is utilizing the free market. (Government) will create a demand, just like in other industries.’’ Connecticut Post story here.
The effort, sponsored by an alliance of religious and civic leaders calling itself Do Not Stand Idly By, represents a departure from the norms of gun-violence-prevention advocacy. Instead of an uphill fight against the Republican majority in Congress for expanded background checks and other gun-control measures, the alliance is putting its chips on the purchasing power of federal, state and local governments.
Chairing the session was Pastor Anthony Bennett of Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport, who also is co-chairman of CONECT _ Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, an alliance of local religious leaders addressing social, political and economic issues.
“There is no panacea,’’ he said, referring to steps needed to curb ongoing gun violence in Bridgeport. But “this is utilizing the free market. (Government) will create a demand, just like in other industries.’’ Connecticut Post story here.

DiAne Boese introducing AIM leaders to the gun manufacturer CEOs at a U.S. Congressional briefing on our Do Not Stand Idly By campaign with Senator Murphy.
COPA Spring Assembly Brings Talent, Energy And Organized People Together
Local Democracy in Action: The COPA Spring Assembly
Democracy is alive and its future in the Monterey Bay region looks strong. Nearly 300 leaders, representing over 30 institutions from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties, gathered on May 15th at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Seaside for COPA’s (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action) Spring Assembly. The diverse gathering – farmworkers, retirees, teachers, professionals, developers, students, clergy – centered on proposals for action on key issues affecting the region’s families, as well as commitments by COPA to train new leaders in the habits of democracy, and to raise local money to support expanding these efforts. More detailed download here.
Images from the COPA Spring Assembly download here.
Current COPA Lead Organizer Tim McManus and past Lead Organizer Ken Smith Team Up For Event marking release of book about organizing great Fred Ross.
Democracy is alive and its future in the Monterey Bay region looks strong. Nearly 300 leaders, representing over 30 institutions from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties, gathered on May 15th at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Seaside for COPA’s (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action) Spring Assembly. The diverse gathering – farmworkers, retirees, teachers, professionals, developers, students, clergy – centered on proposals for action on key issues affecting the region’s families, as well as commitments by COPA to train new leaders in the habits of democracy, and to raise local money to support expanding these efforts. More detailed download here.
Images from the COPA Spring Assembly download here.
Current COPA Lead Organizer Tim McManus and past Lead Organizer Ken Smith Team Up For Event marking release of book about organizing great Fred Ross.
Harry Siegel, NY Daily News: New Yorkers saving their city: In praise of the patient, productive activism of East Brooklyn Congregations and Metro-IAF

EBC, the Brooklyn affiliate of the community organizing power known as Metro Industrial Areas Foundation, has spent four decades doing the scut work of getting truly affordable housing built, improving schools and parks and otherwise fighting for the good people of Brownsville and East New York. They’ve built thousands of new homes on what had been vacant land, creating homeowners deeply invested in their neighborhoods — all the while staying far away from insider, influencer politics.
They started this work when the city was burning, when many who could fled it. Now, as money flows ever eastward in the borough of churches, they’re fighting to channel it, and ensure that the people who have invested in their neighborhoods aren’t washed away by it as their homes are “discovered.” Read the whole piece here.
They started this work when the city was burning, when many who could fled it. Now, as money flows ever eastward in the borough of churches, they’re fighting to channel it, and ensure that the people who have invested in their neighborhoods aren’t washed away by it as their homes are “discovered.” Read the whole piece here.
Metro IAF Hammers NYC Housing Authority Into Compliance
Killer Mold Dealt A Setback
The City Housing Authority is about to come under judicial oversight to erase one of its worst plagues — creeping mold in aging apartments, the Daily News has learned. _NY Daily News story and pics here.
Great Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO)
Old South Church, Boston, MA
Great action with over 903 GBIO members and guests. GBIO pressed forward on Criminal Justice, Gun Safety, Healthcare and launched a strategy to impact affordable housing in Greater Boston.
Nevadans For The Common Good Advances A Different Kind Of Politics
Las Vegas Review Journal Commentary By NCG Leader Team
COPS/Metro Alliance:
A National Political Treasure Surges Forward
40 Years Of Gold Standard Organizing Preps For Forty + More
On Saturday, April 30th, 2016, over 1,000 COPS/Metro leaders from all over the city gathered at Edison High School's auditorium to honor their founding leaders, to celebrate their 40th Anniversary and to keep the pressure on elected officials to pay living wages to public sector workers.
All here.
Major COPS/Metro Alliance recognition:
Texas Senate Recognizes Texas IAF’s 40+ Years of Organizing
Noting that for “more than 40 years, the network’s organizing efforts have had a profound impact on the lives of countless families” and that it is “truly fitting that its exceptional achievements receive special recognition” the Texas Senate issued Proclamation No. 332 to “commend the Network of Texas Industrial Areas FoundationOrganizations on its commitment to helping families, developing leadership, and promoting conversation on the issues facing our state.” Proclamation No. 332, Texas Senate
Catholic Cardinal and Bishops Congratulate the Texas IAF
As the 40+ anniversary of the Texas IAF approaches, religious judicatories have begun congratulating the network for over four decades of leadership development and transformation. Descriptions of the work of the network range from “virtuous” to “transformative” and “a force for change.”
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Diocese of Brownsville
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Diocese of Austin
Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly, Diocese of Dallas
All here.
Major COPS/Metro Alliance recognition:
Texas Senate Recognizes Texas IAF’s 40+ Years of Organizing
Noting that for “more than 40 years, the network’s organizing efforts have had a profound impact on the lives of countless families” and that it is “truly fitting that its exceptional achievements receive special recognition” the Texas Senate issued Proclamation No. 332 to “commend the Network of Texas Industrial Areas FoundationOrganizations on its commitment to helping families, developing leadership, and promoting conversation on the issues facing our state.” Proclamation No. 332, Texas Senate
Catholic Cardinal and Bishops Congratulate the Texas IAF
As the 40+ anniversary of the Texas IAF approaches, religious judicatories have begun congratulating the network for over four decades of leadership development and transformation. Descriptions of the work of the network range from “virtuous” to “transformative” and “a force for change.”
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Diocese of Brownsville
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Diocese of Austin
Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly, Diocese of Dallas
DNSIB Takes Fight Against Gun Violence To Sturm Ruger Annual Meeting
Challenges Gun Manufacturer To Build On President Obama's Action, Innovate Smart Gun Technology
At Sturm, Ruger & Co.’s meeting in Greensboro, the activists from Do Not Stand Idly By say they were met cordially, although they were greeted by a lawyer, who told them they didn’t qualify to be proxy voters but would still be admitted if they agreed to several rules, which they did. Sturm, Ruger & Co. didn’t respond to Newsweek’s request for comment.
“We called attention to President Obama's actions, and those of public officials across the U.S. that we have helped organize, to demonstrate the demand for life-saving innovations in the gun industry's products and practices. We asked CEO Michael Fifer for a meeting to explore these areas, and for a response to the Request for Information issued to date by 85 cities, counties and states,” Rabbi Joel Mosbacher said in a statement. Newsweek story here. |
Together Louisiana Battles For Tax Fairness To Close State Budget Deficit
Statewide IAF Organization Recruits Governor To The Cause
Before hearing from the governor, Together Louisiana presented its recommendations for what it called "tax fairness" in the state. The organization pushed for a rollback of corporate tax exemptions as well as a change in the income tax brackets that would cause taxes to go up for some people. The group also opposed another sales tax hike, saying the increase passed in March is hurting poor people across the state.
Edwards said he largely agreed with the group's recommendations.
"I am with you all on the tax fairness statement," said Edwards at the meeting. "I agree with every component of it." _Times-Picayune story here.
Informative Advocate story here.
Edwards said he largely agreed with the group's recommendations.
"I am with you all on the tax fairness statement," said Edwards at the meeting. "I agree with every component of it." _Times-Picayune story here.
Informative Advocate story here.
COPS And The Big Bang
In 1974, when Communities Organized for Public Service, or COPS, burst onto the scene in San Antonio, religious leaders throughout the state sat up and took notice. Finally, there was a strategy for putting one’s faith into action that produced results. Not only did COPS teach ordinary citizens to act on their interests through their institutions, creating a powerful vehicle fueled by people’s stories, pains and aspirations, COPS would be the big bang that helped create the universe of the modern Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). Commentary from Austin American-Statesman
COPS/Metro Alliance and the Transformation of San Antonio, Texas
40 Years of IAF Organizing Refashions A City
An Historical Note by Frank Pierson
COPS/Metro Alliance and the Transformation of San Antonio, Texas
40 Years of IAF Organizing Refashions A City
An Historical Note by Frank Pierson
Mega Action Reshapes London Politics; Blowout Crowd Of 6,000 Plus At London Citizens Accountability Session Makes History; Guardian Story Here
The Citizens’ Mayoral Accountability Assembly is a regular highlight of London mayor campaigns. A mass gathering of primarily faith group activists, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and more, its fervour and high emotion can both exhilarate and intimidate even seasoned politicians as formidable clerics and youthful idealists politely but sternly invite them to sign up to their goals. More here.
White House Presses Do Not Stand Idly By Smart Gun Initiative
Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, who co-chairs the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation’s Do Not Stand Idly By campaign, called the new actions “real” and “well-thought through.”
“And we think they will send a clear signal to gun manufacturers that the largest gun purchaser in the nation — the federal government — is in the market for smarter, safer guns,” he said. WaPo story
“There is much more that President Obama should be doing," said Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, co-chair of a coalition of clergy called the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign. Specifically, his group had urged the White House to use its leverage in a $580 million Army handgun contract currently being negotiated to push smart guns.
However, Mosbacher added, “These actions are real. They’re well thought-through. And we think they will send a clear signal to gun manufacturers that the largest gun purchaser in the nation — the federal government — is in the market for smarter, safer guns.”
Do Not Stand Idly By is planning to call for smart gun investment at a shareholder meeting of the gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger and Co. Politico story
DNSIB Press Release
“And we think they will send a clear signal to gun manufacturers that the largest gun purchaser in the nation — the federal government — is in the market for smarter, safer guns,” he said. WaPo story
“There is much more that President Obama should be doing," said Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, co-chair of a coalition of clergy called the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign. Specifically, his group had urged the White House to use its leverage in a $580 million Army handgun contract currently being negotiated to push smart guns.
However, Mosbacher added, “These actions are real. They’re well thought-through. And we think they will send a clear signal to gun manufacturers that the largest gun purchaser in the nation — the federal government — is in the market for smarter, safer guns.”
Do Not Stand Idly By is planning to call for smart gun investment at a shareholder meeting of the gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger and Co. Politico story
DNSIB Press Release
Nevadans For The Common Good Demands Fix To Teacher Shortage
A Major Focus Of May 9 Convention Framed For Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board
A coalition of about 40 religious and social service organizations said Wednesday that the Clark County School District needs to fix its teacher shortage problem and needs to fix it now. “Our feeling is, there has to be a sense of urgency,” said Robert Hoo, lead organizer for Nevadans for the Common Good. “This is a present crisis that affects many students, especially disadvantaged students. And, it has to be a comprehensive plan.”
Nevadans for the Common Good consists of about a half dozen social service organizations and about 36 Christian and Jewish institutions. Its goal is to work together to build relationships, find common ground on issues, and act in nonpartisan ways to improve life for all Nevadans
Review-Journal story here.
Nevadans for the Common Good consists of about a half dozen social service organizations and about 36 Christian and Jewish institutions. Its goal is to work together to build relationships, find common ground on issues, and act in nonpartisan ways to improve life for all Nevadans
Review-Journal story here.
Durham CAN Organizes Positive Action On Local Policing
Two hundred (200) Durham residents attended a press conference, welcomed the new Police Chief to Durham, and lay out a vision for positive community relationships:
1. Redeployment of police force, guided by command staff, to focus on community relationships over enforcement only strategies
2. Establishment of Social Justice board to advise and provide accountability to new police chief
3. Establishment of incentives for police officers so that they can live in Durham
4. Training for officers in relational work and crisis intervention
5. Support for Durham Immigrant Faith ID
6. End of license check points at Latino/immigrant congregations and establishments
Story here
1. Redeployment of police force, guided by command staff, to focus on community relationships over enforcement only strategies
2. Establishment of Social Justice board to advise and provide accountability to new police chief
3. Establishment of incentives for police officers so that they can live in Durham
4. Training for officers in relational work and crisis intervention
5. Support for Durham Immigrant Faith ID
6. End of license check points at Latino/immigrant congregations and establishments
Story here
Valley Interfaith: History MakerA Top IAF Organizer, Jorge Montiel, tells the story of Valley Interfaith's latest victory in Las Milpas, Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Text and pictures here. |
"Valley Interfaith leader Eddie Anaya, a member of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church, followed the officials and told a different story. He also credited the mayor for keeping his word, but reminded all those present that it was the people, organized with Valley Interfaith, who changed the course of Las Milpas. It was through the organizing at his parish and other institutions that people got their standing and found their voice to demand change. Previous city administrations acted as “history blockers,” to use Brueggemann’s expression. Officials did not take people seriously, they denied their longings, and they attempted to silence their voices. Valley Interfaith leaders busted through all of that to change the history of Las Milpas. Again."
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More Than Three Decades Of Monumental Achievements
Valley Interfaith Brings Big Change To The Rio Grande Valley
New Library in Las Milpas/Pharr Adds To Historic Legacy
Valley Interfaith Leader, Eddie Anaya details no easy path to victories. A fitting prelude to celebration of 40 years of organizing by IAF in Texas.
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Anaya said the fight to get a recreation center and library has taken years. How it finally came about could be used as a study in political science classes, he said, as an example of democracy in action.
“This new investment did not happen overnight. It has taken years of education, of turning hope into reality, of not giving up, of not thinking we do not matter. We do matter, our vote matters. If you persist and you work, you will affect a change and that is what Valley Interfaith is all about,” Anaya said. Anaya explained what happened. “We had house meetings. We identified the needs of our community. We then held accountability sessions with the candidates. We wanted to know why they were running. In the end they embraced our agenda and ran on our agenda. The candidates that were elected embraced our agenda and voted for it at their very first meeting after taking office. Every single issue that we brought up, based on our house meetings, and in our church, was voted on and approved. I applaud Mayor Hernandez and the City Commission for listening to us and acting on it.” Read it all here in the Rio Grande Guardian. |
New On The Block:
Jersey City Together Scores Big On Property Tax Revaluation
Confrontation With Mayor Steve Fulop Advances Fairness Objectives
Watch Rev. Alonzo Perry, Sr. Take On Mayor Fulop
How Great Is This? Star-Ledger Editorial Board Weighs In
Jersey City Together, the new group of congregations and nonprofits that confronted Fulop over the reval at an often tense meeting at Old Bergen Church, issued a statement today saying Fulop has made a "right and just decision."
"If done well, a revaluation will end the unfairness of our current property tax system," the statement reads. "We look forward to working to ensure this revaluation is done well for our city."
Read it here.
"If done well, a revaluation will end the unfairness of our current property tax system," the statement reads. "We look forward to working to ensure this revaluation is done well for our city."
Read it here.
New Booklet Added To Great Series
Using The Tools Of Effective Organizing To Build Your Union Local's Strength
By Michael Gecan And Jonathan Lange
Metro Industrial Areas Foundation
Order Your Copy Here!
Together Louisiana Battles Poisoned Water In St Joseph; Takes Battle To State Capitol

The group will urge immediate action on the St. Joseph water crisis in the rotunda of the state capitol in Baton Rouge.
Community members have reported that their water continues to come out of the tap “looking like gumbo,” that clothes frequently come out of the wash with brown spots and that bathing is a challenge, because the water could turn brown at any moment.
The community leaders will urge three action steps to address the crisis:
• That an administrator be appointed to assure the urgent use of funds already appropriated for repairs of the most egregious pipes.
• Passage of HB823 to recognize secondary water quality standards of the EPA.
• That St. Joseph's repair project be moved to “Phase 1” so that the city’s pipes and filtration system can be replaced.
News Star full story.
Community members have reported that their water continues to come out of the tap “looking like gumbo,” that clothes frequently come out of the wash with brown spots and that bathing is a challenge, because the water could turn brown at any moment.
The community leaders will urge three action steps to address the crisis:
• That an administrator be appointed to assure the urgent use of funds already appropriated for repairs of the most egregious pipes.
• Passage of HB823 to recognize secondary water quality standards of the EPA.
• That St. Joseph's repair project be moved to “Phase 1” so that the city’s pipes and filtration system can be replaced.
News Star full story.
Jersey City Together Blasts Off
Last night! 890+ leaders gathered last night to publicly launch Jersey City Together and to press for answers from public officials on specific questions and proposals - including education, housing, safety, and property revaluation.
JERSEY CITY — A tense exchange between Mayor Steve Fulop and a Jersey City pastor on the impending property revaluation capped the launch yesterday of a new interfaith community action group.
The Rev. Alonzo Perry Sr., of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, pressed Fulop on why his administration has not moved forward with a citywide reval, one Perry said would shift the city's tax burden from its less affluent neighborhoods to wealthier areas. Fulop's attempts to explain his reasoning for postponing the reval were met with occasional jeers from the crowd of about 850 gathered inside Old Bergen Church for the launch of Jersey City Together. Full story from the Jersey Journal here.
JERSEY CITY — A tense exchange between Mayor Steve Fulop and a Jersey City pastor on the impending property revaluation capped the launch yesterday of a new interfaith community action group.
The Rev. Alonzo Perry Sr., of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, pressed Fulop on why his administration has not moved forward with a citywide reval, one Perry said would shift the city's tax burden from its less affluent neighborhoods to wealthier areas. Fulop's attempts to explain his reasoning for postponing the reval were met with occasional jeers from the crowd of about 850 gathered inside Old Bergen Church for the launch of Jersey City Together. Full story from the Jersey Journal here.
Pima County Interfaith Council: Still Winning After All These Years!
The latest: Completing a park on Tucson's South Side that nobody (except PCIC leaders) thought would ever be built.
COPS/Metro Alliance Celebrates 40 Years Of Organizing For Power In San Antonio, Texas
Leaders of COPS/Metro Alliance, together with other Network of Texas Organizations, will honor 40+ Years of Organizing in Texas with an assembly of 1,000 leaders on Saturday, April 30, 2016, 3 PM – 4:30 PM, at the Thomas Edison High School Auditorium, 701 Santa Monica Street, San Antonio, TX 78212.
COPS/Metro Alliance leaders and local and statewide dignitaries will be present to commemorate the legacy of the organization and the accomplishment of their leaders. During the past four decades, COPS/Metro leaders have directed more than $1 Billion into improving their neighborhoods and ensuring that a safety net exists for the most vulnerable in our communities. Many of the parks, schools, libraries, grocery stores, houses, sidewalks, streets, drainage, police substations and health clinics, especially on the South and West sides, were built through the efforts of COPS/Metro leaders. Moving forward, COPS/ Metro and the statewide network will launch a renewed, non-partisan statewide strategy to make Texas a better place for our children and grandchildren.
First president of Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), Andy Sarabia, notes that COPS/Metro “has been a vehicle which has taught regular, everyday people to learn how to converse, listen and organize themselves around common interests. Together effectively changing the political culture of our beloved city.... Imagine San Antonio’s ZIP codes 78207 and 78258 working together, crafting an agenda for the future of San Antonio. Now that would be powerful!”
COPS/Metro Alliance leaders and local and statewide dignitaries will be present to commemorate the legacy of the organization and the accomplishment of their leaders. During the past four decades, COPS/Metro leaders have directed more than $1 Billion into improving their neighborhoods and ensuring that a safety net exists for the most vulnerable in our communities. Many of the parks, schools, libraries, grocery stores, houses, sidewalks, streets, drainage, police substations and health clinics, especially on the South and West sides, were built through the efforts of COPS/Metro leaders. Moving forward, COPS/ Metro and the statewide network will launch a renewed, non-partisan statewide strategy to make Texas a better place for our children and grandchildren.
First president of Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), Andy Sarabia, notes that COPS/Metro “has been a vehicle which has taught regular, everyday people to learn how to converse, listen and organize themselves around common interests. Together effectively changing the political culture of our beloved city.... Imagine San Antonio’s ZIP codes 78207 and 78258 working together, crafting an agenda for the future of San Antonio. Now that would be powerful!”
Washington Interfaith Network (WIN)
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Get Up To Speed On The Full Picture Of The Battle Royal Here
Notable: Michael Gecan's review of America's Social Arsonist by Gabriel Thompson; Fred Ross and Grassroots Organizing in the Twentieth Century
No Mountain Too High
BUILD Jobs Initiative Lifts Baltimore To The Tune Of 69 Million Dollars
From the Washington Post: As the news conference ended at Zion Baptist Church in East Baltimore, Bishop Douglas Miles stepped forward and grabbed the mic to say, “This is historic.”
He shared a memory from the late 1960s: A young woman on a bus asked him what school he attended, and when he replied, “Hopkins,” she stopped talking to him. That was the distance, he said, between the city and the university. “I stand proudly today as a Hopkins alumnus,” he said, “because my institution is taking the lead in something major in this state.” God doesn’t call us to be the richest or the smartest, he said, but to step forward. Miles closed with a prayer, and shouts rose: “Amen! Amen!” |
Key Background from Metro IAF Organizer Martin Trimble
"Much has changed in San Antonio over the last 42 years. Credit Communities Organized for Public Service — or COPS — for many of those changes that made lives better, made neighborhoods livable."
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Durham CAN Makes Big Moves On Housing And Schools; 500 CAN Leaders Secured Commitments from Durham County OfficialsAs Rev. Mark Anthony Middleton of Abundant Hope Church put it: “Durham CAN doesn’t endorse. We don’t have permanent candidates or allies. But we do have permanent issues.”
Three of those issues were discussed Sunday: the lack of youth counseling in Durham Public Schools; affordable housing; and immigrant-police relations. Read Indy Week Story. |
BALTIMORE - They gathered in the shadow of City Hall, hoping to send a message to the people inside. Members of the non-profit group, BUILD, stood with parents and children from the Child First Authority, one of the largest funded after school programs in the city. "Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake has reneged on her promise to double after school funding, a promise she made to us, BUILD, during the 2011 election," said one man. The ABC News 2 story. |
How About This?
Greater Cleveland Congregations Criminal Justice Work Breaks New Ground
Cuyahoga County voters tossed out the incumbent county prosecutor, Tim McGinty. His unjust handling of the Tamir Rice case proved unsustainable.
Prior to the election Greater Cleveland Congregations was able to get both candidates to submit detailed written protocols on three core GCC criminal justice reform demands. This is a first. GCC had gone through the process of getting public officials to submit these kind of reform plans, and though it was a lot of work and back-and-forth with the campaigns, it ended up being a really interesting and promising approach.
The next county prosecutor, Michael O'Malley, made two huge concrete commitments to GCC:
1. To send all police use of lethal of force cases to a special/independent prosecutor outside of the county.
2. To reduce over-charging (the practice of slapping low-level offenders with felonies) by 7-15% annually, or 28-60% total over the next four years, beyond current levels. GCC's organizing over the past 3-4 years has reduced the practice of over-charging by roughly 25% in the county.
Prior to the election Greater Cleveland Congregations was able to get both candidates to submit detailed written protocols on three core GCC criminal justice reform demands. This is a first. GCC had gone through the process of getting public officials to submit these kind of reform plans, and though it was a lot of work and back-and-forth with the campaigns, it ended up being a really interesting and promising approach.
The next county prosecutor, Michael O'Malley, made two huge concrete commitments to GCC:
1. To send all police use of lethal of force cases to a special/independent prosecutor outside of the county.
2. To reduce over-charging (the practice of slapping low-level offenders with felonies) by 7-15% annually, or 28-60% total over the next four years, beyond current levels. GCC's organizing over the past 3-4 years has reduced the practice of over-charging by roughly 25% in the county.
Major Actions By BUILD And Durham CAN Stoke Fires of Change
Over 200 families live in this community in South Bexar County, with no roads, drainage, street lights or street signs. When it rains, roads are dangerous. When it's dry, it's quick sand! They just won big change with COPS/Metro.
Bexar County Commissioners Court approved a plan Tuesday to use County funds for critical roadway repairs in unincorporated areas, including Highland Oaks where road conditions had become so abysmal, it had become a quality of life issue.
Highland Oaks, a small community about 23 miles south of downtown San Antonio, has struggled with crime, health, safety and transportation issues since its development more than 20 years ago. |
About 30 members of Bexar Communities Organized-Area South (BOCAS), the newest institutional member of the umbrella advocacy organization COPS/Metro Alliance, attended the County meeting on Tuesday to advocate for approval of what could be $2.5 million in repairs. More from the Rivard Report.
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GBIO Advance On Gun Violence: Listen As Boston Police Commissioner Evans Endorses Do Not Stand Idly By Campaign And Agrees To Join The Gun Buyers Research Group
Metro IAF Demands Action
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Durham CAN Cuts To The Chase
Challenges Public Subsidy Scheme That Promotes Gentrification
Fights for Affordable Housing
The occasion for the bus ride to this and other prime real estate in and near downtown was the Durham CAN public subsidy tour. About 200 people gathered to learn about the evolution of downtown development, its opportunities for affordable housing, and the market forces and the public subsidies and tax incentives that shape its future. Bull City Rising.
News Observer: 'On Holy Ground' - Durham CAN tour pushes for affordable housing
News Observer: 'On Holy Ground' - Durham CAN tour pushes for affordable housing
Hope In Dark Times
IAF Organizing Cuts Against The Grain
Deep, Local, Proven, Durable, Growing
IAF organizations advance across multiple fronts: Living Wage, Workforce Development, Gun Violence, Urban Redevelopment, Health Care Delivery, Putting Children First, Criminal Justice Reform, Negotiating Job Deals, Interfaith Relations, Race Relations, Infrastructure Investment, Sex Trafficking, Elder Care, Union Alliances, School Reform Done Right. Who are the real leaders best tuned to our times?
Hundreds Show Support For Religious Solidarity At DuPage United Event |
Islamophobia Takes A Hit
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More than 850 people from dozens of religious organizations registered for the first of a series of public events organized by the nonprofit DuPage United, said Meredith Muir, of Jericho Road Church in Wheaton. The "We the People" campaign aims to show solidarity for American Muslims. "Clearly, we are acting as a part of something powerful," Muir said. Daily Herald story here.
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Bishop John Arnold of Salford Diocese has championed faith schools as a way to help Muslims to integrate into British society. He was speaking at the Citizens UK commission on 'Islam, Participation and Public Life', hosted at Manchester University Whitworth Hall on Monday. So much more here.
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School Workers Fight For Living Wage In San Antonio, TX
COPS/Metro Organizes Major Drive To Lift Lowest Paid
NYC Stunner; In City Starved For Affordable Housing Vacant Lots Abound
1,130 Vacant City Own Lots Where Construction Can Start Now
Mayor de Blasio Administration Dithers; East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC) Leads the Way
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s recent report that identified 1,130 vacant and city-owned lots is shocking, but all too familiar. Every empty lot represents a missed opportunity for the city to build more desperately needed affordable housing. What’s more, building on vacant sites means that no residents need to be displaced in the process, nor is there a need for the kind of complicated and controversial trade-offs that have mired Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed housing plan in a heated debate with housing advocates and community boards. NY Slant story by Rev David K. Brawley and Father Francis Skelly
Greater Cleveland Congregations Puts Justice On Trial
More Than A Thousand Turn Out at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple To Challenge Candidates For Cuyahoga County Prosecutor; A New Day In Citizen Accountability Is Dawning
- http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/02/faith_group_puts_justice_syste.html
- http://m.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local_news/residents-seek-to-hold-cuyahoga-county-prosecutor-accountable/article_d915fcbc-d527-11e5-a622-ebfec7456f73.html?mode=jqm
During the event loosely formatted as a trial, "evidence" of a broken system was presented by Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk from Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple and the Rev. Jawanza Colvin of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland.
"Tonight I confess: I can barely see peace and justice," Nosanchuk said. "I wish my eyes could focus on them, but they cannot. All I see before me is a cloud of hostility. There is an oppressive, gaping mistrust in Cuyahoga County, hanging between the citizens and the leaders who we pledge to govern our criminal justice system."
"Tonight I confess: I can barely see peace and justice," Nosanchuk said. "I wish my eyes could focus on them, but they cannot. All I see before me is a cloud of hostility. There is an oppressive, gaping mistrust in Cuyahoga County, hanging between the citizens and the leaders who we pledge to govern our criminal justice system."
Rev Paul Buckwalter Passed Away Last Night
AZ Star Remembers
Rev Paul Buckwalter - leader, colleague, friend, mentor - will long be remembered for his courage, caring, resiliency and unshakeable faith in the efficacy of taking action for the common good. (In the DF Journal: Saul's Legacy by Paul Buckwalter; People Power, A Review by Paul Buckwalter)
IAF Is All Over The Place: Check Out The Map Of Affiliates
VOICE OKCPresenting at the Oklahoma Education Association organizing training today: Debbie Hogue-Downing, Audrey McDonald, Pastor James Dorn, Kristen King. Our workshop was called "Building Allies, Building Power." |
Affordable Housing Comes Alive In Vancouver's North Shore; Metro Vancouver Alliance Brings Key Mayors Together
“It was quite an experience,” she said. “I realized then that we are all people and there’s enough for everyone. We just have to share. We just have to take care of one another.”
The assembly was organized by the non-partisan Metro Vancouver Alliance, a collection of unions, churches and community organizations that work together towards common goals, including affordable housing. Despite the event occurring on a sunny Family Day Monday, the pews were filled to capacity at St. Catherine’s Anglican Church in Edgemont Village for the assembly.
http://www.nsnews.com/mayors-pledge-affordable-housing-action-1.2169231#sthash.iEeD0rDD.dpuf
The assembly was organized by the non-partisan Metro Vancouver Alliance, a collection of unions, churches and community organizations that work together towards common goals, including affordable housing. Despite the event occurring on a sunny Family Day Monday, the pews were filled to capacity at St. Catherine’s Anglican Church in Edgemont Village for the assembly.
http://www.nsnews.com/mayors-pledge-affordable-housing-action-1.2169231#sthash.iEeD0rDD.dpuf
On The Trail Of Killer Guns And Dirty Gun DealersThe Rev. Francis Skelly, whose parish includes many residents of the Melrose Houses, seemed unsurprised that the gun used in the shooting came from the south — or that the seller once hailed from the north.
The gun used in Thursday night's cop shooting, a Beretta .32 caliber semi-automatic, was purchased in Nashville. “This pipeline of guns from the South, up Interstate 95 and into New York City, has been well-established for decades,” said Skelly. “We don’t expect the legislators of those states to fix the problem, even if Bill Bernstein loses his race.” |
BUILD Initiative Bends Market Dynamics For Major Redevelopment
Fuels Baltimore Neighborhood Revitalization That Marries Citizens Organizing, Capital Formation And Strategic Investment Data
Within days following the 2002 murders of the Dawson family, who were killed in retaliation for one member's testimony against area drug dealers, 400 people from Baltimoreans United in Leadership (BUILD) and the city's Oliver community stood in front of the Dawsons' firebombed home and vowed to not let those seven deaths be in vain. The group organized and made a strong commitment to changing the neighborhood. The result of that long process is now becoming evident and is highlighted in the current public debate over the impact of the mayor's Vacants to Value program, which uses the East Baltimore transformation as its blueprint.
Spearheaded by BUILD, local churches and residents partnered with city leaders and Reinvestment Fund, a community development organization with an approach to neighborhood revitalization that marries capital with data for strategic investment, to change Oliver. The joint effort was formalized as "TRF Development Partners" (DP), and focused on developing solutions to improve social mobility.
Visit full story in the Baltimore Sun By Pastor Calvin Keene And Sean Closkey
Spearheaded by BUILD, local churches and residents partnered with city leaders and Reinvestment Fund, a community development organization with an approach to neighborhood revitalization that marries capital with data for strategic investment, to change Oliver. The joint effort was formalized as "TRF Development Partners" (DP), and focused on developing solutions to improve social mobility.
Visit full story in the Baltimore Sun By Pastor Calvin Keene And Sean Closkey
For A Deeper Look At Metro IAF Revitalization And Jobs Strategy Go Here
IAF Escalates Fight Against Gun Violence
Multi City Actions, New Allies Knock NRA Extremists Back
Focus On Gun Manufacturers And Sellers Gathers Steam
Group outs dirty gun shop in Bedford Heights, OH linked to hundreds of crimes.
More than 50 religious leaders from the Greater Cleveland area rallied outside Atlantic Gun and Tackle on Northfield Road on Tuesday afternoon urging the gun dealer to turn over its sales records, and stop selling guns to criminals. |
Based in community institutions like synagogues/churches/mosques. Local leaders and national connections. Metro IAF and allies target gun manufacturers and dirty dealers associated with multiple sales of guns to criminals.
http://www.wkyc.com/mb/news/asking-gun-industry-to-stand-against-violence/30871051 |
Reform Jewish Movement joined the Metro Industrial Area Foundation for an interfaith press conference at the region’s largest crime-gun dealer. Religious, civic and youth leaders gathered at Realco Guns in District Heights, Md. to demand that the CEO’s of the largest gun manufacturers improve their industry’s distribution practices, and to announce steps to move them to act.
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CONECT Packs Assembly
Fuels Drive For DNSIB/Smart Guns, Police Reform
PCIC's JobPath Delivers Stunning Results; Long Term Training Initiative Begun In The 1990's Flourishes
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The Christie/NRA Mandate
Governor of New Jersey Cowers, Craters; Pockets Key Smart Gun Update Bill Under Fire From NRA
IAF Organizations Have Long Memories
Common Ground To Organize Voters Against Political Enablers of Corrupt Stadium Financiers
Why Smart Guns Make Sense
Tech Deniers Opposition Temp Roadblock To Gun Safety
Some of the existing smart gun technologies include:
Personalized Firearms: guns that use finger or palm prints or radio frequency identification to ensure that only a gun’s true owner/authorized user can fire the weapon;
Loaded Chamber Indicators: to ensure that users always know when a weapon is loaded;
Magazine Disconnect Devices: to prevent a gun from firing if the magazine has been taken out, even if a round remains in the chamber;
Micro-stamping: to trace bullets found at crime scenes to specific guns; and
Child-Proof Locks/Grips: to prevent accidental deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that between 1999-2010, over 8,300 gun deaths were unintentional, including nearly 1,800 children.
Brooklyn Reader story up here.
Personalized Firearms: guns that use finger or palm prints or radio frequency identification to ensure that only a gun’s true owner/authorized user can fire the weapon;
Loaded Chamber Indicators: to ensure that users always know when a weapon is loaded;
Magazine Disconnect Devices: to prevent a gun from firing if the magazine has been taken out, even if a round remains in the chamber;
Micro-stamping: to trace bullets found at crime scenes to specific guns; and
Child-Proof Locks/Grips: to prevent accidental deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that between 1999-2010, over 8,300 gun deaths were unintentional, including nearly 1,800 children.
Brooklyn Reader story up here.
PATH Leads In Fight Against Pollution of Chesapeake Bay
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Remembering Dr Vincent Harding
Confidant To Dr Martin Luther King
Speechwriter For Dr King's Economic Breakout Speech At Riverside Church
Dr. Vincent Harding: July 25, 1931 - May 22, 2014
I had occasion to meet with Dr. Vincent Harding eleven months before his passing. He was in process of moving into a new office on the grounds of Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO. I found him deeply engaged in his work and curious about mine. Towards the end of the meeting I posed my burning question bluntly: "You know IAF. You know Colorado. Should we establish a presence here?" His answer was swift and clear: "Yes!" We went on to discuss the why. He offered contacts and wise counsel.
After an hour I concluded the meeting. We shook hands and embraced. He stopped me on the way out, went to one of his half assembled book shelves and pulled two volumes. He opened one while seating himself behind his desk. "I want you to have these," he said, as he wrote something in one of them. He handed both books to me. I expressed my gratitude for the meeting and the gifts. Then we shook hands and embraced again.
On the sidewalk outside his office I scanned both titles. Hope and History, Why We Must Share the Story of the Movement and Martin Luther King, The Inconvenient Hero both by Vincent Harding. I found the page with his writing in bold, clear script in the MLK. It read: "For my brother, Frank, with great appreciation for your work in King's spirit. Go right on. Vincent H."
Krista Tippett interviewed Dr. Harding for her On Being program. Listen here. Those who knew him and those who didn't will be the beneficiary of a listen.
I had occasion to meet with Dr. Vincent Harding eleven months before his passing. He was in process of moving into a new office on the grounds of Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO. I found him deeply engaged in his work and curious about mine. Towards the end of the meeting I posed my burning question bluntly: "You know IAF. You know Colorado. Should we establish a presence here?" His answer was swift and clear: "Yes!" We went on to discuss the why. He offered contacts and wise counsel.
After an hour I concluded the meeting. We shook hands and embraced. He stopped me on the way out, went to one of his half assembled book shelves and pulled two volumes. He opened one while seating himself behind his desk. "I want you to have these," he said, as he wrote something in one of them. He handed both books to me. I expressed my gratitude for the meeting and the gifts. Then we shook hands and embraced again.
On the sidewalk outside his office I scanned both titles. Hope and History, Why We Must Share the Story of the Movement and Martin Luther King, The Inconvenient Hero both by Vincent Harding. I found the page with his writing in bold, clear script in the MLK. It read: "For my brother, Frank, with great appreciation for your work in King's spirit. Go right on. Vincent H."
Krista Tippett interviewed Dr. Harding for her On Being program. Listen here. Those who knew him and those who didn't will be the beneficiary of a listen.
Citizens UK To Government
Give Safe Passage To Refugees
Memorial Service For Dead 15 Year Old Afghan Boy Includes Call For Compassionate Action
The Afghan boy, known as Masud, was found dead in the back of a lorry earlier this month after leaving the “Jungle” camp in Calais in a desperate attempt to reach relatives in Britain.
He was just one of more than a dozen refugees who have died trying to cross the English Channel in the past year, being drowned, run over, crushed or electrocuted in the Channel Tunnel. The story in the Independent.
He was just one of more than a dozen refugees who have died trying to cross the English Channel in the past year, being drowned, run over, crushed or electrocuted in the Channel Tunnel. The story in the Independent.
Torchlight Blog:
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Big Win On Paid Sick Leave By Spokane Alliance!After nearly three years of hard work, powerful testimony from community members and partners, and support from literally thousands of Spokane residents - EARNED SICK AND SAFE LEAVE PASSED! We commend Council Member Jon Snyder, Council Member Lori Kinnear, Council Member Amber Waldref, Spokane Councilwoman Karen Stratton, Council Member Candace Mumm, and Council President Ben Stuckart for their votes and their leadership. We also want to thank all those who supported the Spokane Alliance and this policy along the way. Together, we have made history and created real, positive change for the people of Spokane. #SickSafeLeaveSpokane
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Smart Gun Bill Goes To Christie in New Jersey; Rabbi Mosbacher Says Sign It |
NCG Breaks In To Nevada Medicaid Privatization Scheme |
In 2013, a German company brought a rigorously tested smart .22-caliber handgun to market in the United States. A gun dealer in California, and then a second dealer in Maryland, agreed to offer the gun for sale. For some reason, hard-core gun-rights activists threatened both dealers with economic ruin and the Maryland dealer with physical harm. The dealers backed down. The company, unable to sell its flagship product, declared bankruptcy in 2015.
So Weinberg crafted a bill to ease the mandate - something Christie ought to like - and this week the Legislature passed it. The bill removes the ban on the sale of non-smart handguns in New Jersey. Instead, it requires that each licensed gun dealer in New Jersey offer at least one smart-gun model for sale, once such products are commercially available. |
Advocates with Nevadans for the Common Good, a coalition of Las Vegas Valley institutions advocating for several issues including protection for vulnerable senior citizens, and members of AARP, a lobbying group for retirees, met privately with state officials. Attendees at the closed-door meeting included Richard Whitley, director of the state's Health and Human Services Department.
Barbara Paulsen, leader with Nevadans for the Common Good, said the meeting was positive and that advocates were pleased with what they learned. She said the coalition's push for transparency and the Las Vegas Review-Journal's reporting to get the information on the potential switch out to the public may have had an "impact on the process." |
Cleveland Area Rabbi Goes Deep On Race And Crime
"Let the dialogue begin. Let each of us talk with one another about Tamir’s death, as a catalyst for honesty, wisdom and discernment among our leaders and each of us. Within GCC, we often ask one another, what keeps you up at night? For me, the answer, at least on the domestic front, is this issue of racial injustice and a polarized America. It is THE issue that rattles me most after seeing each day’s news. I worry that we will never solve the vexing conundrum of race, or the hostilities that racial injustice promote.
What about you? What keeps you up at night? What makes you want to take action? I invite you to reach out to me and to other religious and civic leaders in our community and tell us what is on your mind. Now is a time to speak, to elevate our dialogue, and to help one another match our talk with the walk of our actions."
Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk is senior rabbi at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, a founding religious institution of Greater Cleveland Congregations. Probing piece in the Cleveland Jewish News here.
What about you? What keeps you up at night? What makes you want to take action? I invite you to reach out to me and to other religious and civic leaders in our community and tell us what is on your mind. Now is a time to speak, to elevate our dialogue, and to help one another match our talk with the walk of our actions."
Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk is senior rabbi at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, a founding religious institution of Greater Cleveland Congregations. Probing piece in the Cleveland Jewish News here.
Together Louisiana/IAF Trumps Jindal Legacy
Delivers Medicaid Expansion In Louisiana With New Governor
Baton Rouge, LA - This afternoon, newly elected Governor John Bel Edwards fulfilled a pledge to 'Together Louisiana' to expand Medicaid. Edwards signed the executive order flanked by Together Louisiana leaders Fr. Rick Andrus, Rev. Patti Snyder, Ms. Pat LeDuff and Ms. Alma Stewart (with LA Health Equity). 300,000 Louisiana residents will receive health care within the next six months.
Together Louisiana drove medicaid expansion into the gubernatorial runoff election which had consisted of personal attacks. At the only event where both candidates appeared jointly, more than four hundred Together Louisiana leaders from 38 cities demanded that family issues like healthcare, wages, higher education and transportation move front and center.
Together Louisiana is made up of 160 member institutions across Louisiana, including broad-based IAF organizations in Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Tallulah, Lake Providence, Iberville Parish, West Baton Rouge, and affiliate member institutions in smaller communities throughout the state. Associated Press story here.
Together Louisiana drove medicaid expansion into the gubernatorial runoff election which had consisted of personal attacks. At the only event where both candidates appeared jointly, more than four hundred Together Louisiana leaders from 38 cities demanded that family issues like healthcare, wages, higher education and transportation move front and center.
Together Louisiana is made up of 160 member institutions across Louisiana, including broad-based IAF organizations in Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Tallulah, Lake Providence, Iberville Parish, West Baton Rouge, and affiliate member institutions in smaller communities throughout the state. Associated Press story here.
IAF Presses Gun Industry Reform
Builds On President Obama's Endorsement
NYC Pols Demand NYPD Investment In Smart Guns
Bishop Miles of BUILD IAF and Do Not Stand Idly By on NPR's "The Takeaway"
You Tube video of Metro IAF press conference with Comptroller Stringer and Rep. Jeffries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk52jnLBmPA
WCBS Radio coverage of Metro IAF/Stringer/Jeffries event at City Hall http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/01/11/new-york-city-smart-guns/
Brooklyn Daily Eagle coverage http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/1/11/jeffries-stringer-push-smart-guns-nypd
New York Observer http://observer.com/2016/01/stringer-and-jeffries-call-on-nypd-to-invest-in-smart-guns/
VP Joe Biden Makes The IAF Smart Gun Argument Dead Clear Here
IAF Full Court Press On Gun Violence
From the Connecticut Post: Interestingly, it is a Connecticut group, co-chaired by a Bridgeport minister, that likely contributed to the president’s decision to he president to use his executive muscle. The group is CONECT, Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, and its co-chair is the Rev. Anthony L. Bennett, pastor of Mt. Aery Baptist Church, at 73 Frank Street, on the edge of the city’s Hollow neighborhood. It is a coalition of 25 churches, synagogues and mosques from New Haven and Fairfield Counties representing more than 15,000 people from different races, ethnic groups, faith backgrounds, and both cities and suburbs. CONECT is affiliated with a national organization called the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation (MIAF).
Since starting its Do Not Stand Idly By campaign in 2014, CONECT has gathered the support of 82 mayors, police chiefs, county executives and governors around the U.S. in, among other things, pressing gun manufacturers to tighten distribution systems and invest in research and development of so-called “smart gun” technology.
The campaign also seeks to use the leverage of public sector buying power to press gun manufacturers to engage and respond to these two areas. The public sector, according to CONECT, represents 40 percent of the market for gun manufacturers - gun purchases for local, state, and federal law enforcement and the military." The rest of the story here.
Since starting its Do Not Stand Idly By campaign in 2014, CONECT has gathered the support of 82 mayors, police chiefs, county executives and governors around the U.S. in, among other things, pressing gun manufacturers to tighten distribution systems and invest in research and development of so-called “smart gun” technology.
The campaign also seeks to use the leverage of public sector buying power to press gun manufacturers to engage and respond to these two areas. The public sector, according to CONECT, represents 40 percent of the market for gun manufacturers - gun purchases for local, state, and federal law enforcement and the military." The rest of the story here.
In Depth: Congregations Organized For A New Connecticut
From The New Haven Register
A Message from Pastor Douglas Miles, Co-Chair, Metro IAF-Do Not Stand Idly By
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"I have been invited to be a participant in the Anderson Cooper town hall meeting with President Obama to air live Thursday January 7 from 8-9 pm. I will be one of those asking questions of the President about gun safety and control in America. Rabbi Joel Mosbacher who serves with me as co-chair of Metro-IAF Do not stand idly by gun safety and violence prevention campaign will join me. We will thank the President for what he has done after months of prodding by us and to challenge him to do more that he has both the power and position to do. Join us as to represent Koinonia Baptist, BUILD and Metro-IAF" |
Breakthrough!
Obama Action Huge Development On Gun Violence

Gun control advocates have been pushing Obama on smart guns. Late last year, a group connected to the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation, made up of citizens and faith leaders, sent a letter to President Obama urging him to raise $20 million for developing smart guns before he raises money for his presidential library and foundation.
The foundation’s leaders were thrilled with Obama’s announcement.
“By signaling to manufacturers that the federal government is in the market for smart guns, this action will create powerful incentives for responsible conduct by gun manufacturers,” said New Jersey rabbi Joel Mosbacher, an official with the group. Full text from Michael Rosenwald in Washington Post here.
The foundation’s leaders were thrilled with Obama’s announcement.
“By signaling to manufacturers that the federal government is in the market for smart guns, this action will create powerful incentives for responsible conduct by gun manufacturers,” said New Jersey rabbi Joel Mosbacher, an official with the group. Full text from Michael Rosenwald in Washington Post here.
Stephen Stromberg in the Washington Post: "Though the president’s order to crack down on gun show sales is getting more attention, Obama’s smart guns order is arguably the most significant executive action he took Tuesday."
Frank Pierson in the Torchlight Blog: Smart Guns, A Smart Move by President
Frank Pierson in the Torchlight Blog: Smart Guns, A Smart Move by President
IAF out front on response to gun violence. Major mention by EJ Dionne on NPR.
Failed Justice in Tamir Rice Death Galvanizes Faith Community To Action
Opinion in Cleveland Plain Dealer by Greater Cleveland Congregations leaders by Rabbi Joshua L. Caruso, the Very Rev Tracey Lind, and Pastor Richard Gibson.
David Neil Jameson
Recognized By The Guardian For Community Organizing
David Neil Jameson. Executive director, Citizens UK. For services to community organising and social justice. (London). The Guardian here.
From the Living Wage Foundation: "He is first and foremost a Community Organiser – seeking out talented leaders and young Organisers who have the courage and commitment to work with others democratically to strengthen civil society and pursue the common good. Citizens UK’s members initiated and still steer the UK’s Living Wage campaign which is now delivering £210m in higher wages to 45,000 low waged workers and their families.Neil has been named by The Guardian as one of the UK’s most significant public servants. In 2012 his work for civil society and east London was recognised when he was made an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University of London." Here.
A good one about Neil and Citizens UK from Resistance and Renewal here.
From the Living Wage Foundation: "He is first and foremost a Community Organiser – seeking out talented leaders and young Organisers who have the courage and commitment to work with others democratically to strengthen civil society and pursue the common good. Citizens UK’s members initiated and still steer the UK’s Living Wage campaign which is now delivering £210m in higher wages to 45,000 low waged workers and their families.Neil has been named by The Guardian as one of the UK’s most significant public servants. In 2012 his work for civil society and east London was recognised when he was made an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University of London." Here.
A good one about Neil and Citizens UK from Resistance and Renewal here.