820 Armed Forces Drive, Green Bay, WI – 7 P.M.
JOSHUA’S Housing Task Force will be asking for two more “protected classes” be added in regards to Fair Housing in Brown County. If this is something your passionate about, please join us! Of if you’d like to stand with us in support please meet at the Resch Center before 7 pm. Any questions??? Please contact Sara Williams @ sarawilliams4825@gmail.com
Hosted by JOSHUA-Green Bay
Juan Guaidó’s standing in Venezuela is at rock bottom, but he has also seen much of his international support evaporate
By Arnold August – Aug 17, 2020
On December 6, Venezuelans will go to the polls to elect a new National Assembly. Since the last election in 2016, self-declared interim president and opposition leader Juan Guaidó has seen his domestic popularity—and his standing among many foreign nations—slide.
In fact, upon Guaidó’s return last year from an international tour—financed by the United States—to seek backing for more sanctions and the ouster of elected president Nicolás Maduro, Guaidó was booed out of the Caracas airport. Such was the anger of ordinary Venezuelans against an individual who recently signed a contract with US-based mercenaries to overthrow the government in a bizarre failed plot that has come to be known as the “Bay of Piglets.”
Now, Guaidó and right-wing factions within the National Assembly are boycotting the elections, as opposition leaders have vowed not to recognize the “false” electoral body designated by the Supreme Court. The Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, or PSUV) and its allies are expected to win on December 6.
While Guaidó’s standing in Venezuela is currently at rock bottom, the self-declared interim leader has also seen much of his international support evaporate. According to an August 14 press statement issued by the US State Department entitled “Joint Declaration of Support for Democratic Change in Venezuela”:
RELATED CONTENT: President Maduro Paid Tribute to Dario Vivas (Photos and Video)
We call on all political parties and institutions in Venezuela to engage promptly in, or in support of, a process that will establish a broadly acceptable transitional government that will administer free and fair presidential elections soon and begin to set the country on a pathway to recovery. For a peaceful and sustainable resolution of the crisis, a transitional government is needed to administer presidential elections, so that no candidate has an improper advantage over others.
For its part, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) issued an identical statement, calling for a “swift and peaceful transition to democracy” in Venezuela.
Like Venezuela’s opposition leaders, US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not recognize the upcoming legislative elections. They have instead demanded “a process that will establish a broadly acceptable transitional government that will administer free and fair presidential elections,” which are not yet due, and which would necessarily exclude Maduro. This is the usual formula: one that establishes a pretext for more sanctions, violent regime change actions and open coup attempts, all geared to stoke a revolt among the Venezuelan people and a mutiny among the armed forces.
However, the press statement issued by the US State Department and GAC is notable because of the dwindling number of ally countries that are now “committed to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.” What used to be a long list of more than 50 nations is now down to just 19: Albania, Australia, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
RELATED CONTENT: London Protest Against Bank of England’s Theft of Venezuelan Gold
This is a far cry from the formerly extensive coalition of dozens of states that have heretofore unequivocally recognized and supported Guaidó. The State Department could not even get sign-on from all of the members of the Lima Group—the multilateral body consisting of 14 countries, including Canada, that is dedicated to a “peaceful exit to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela.” Thus, the list of partner states now includes Israel, along with some of the most servile allies of the US (and notable violators of human rights and democracy) such as Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, and Haiti.
More intriguingly, the two rivals to Canada’s defeated bid for a United Nations Security Council Seat last June, Norway and Ireland, do not appear on the list of countries dedicated to “an end to the Maduro dictatorship.” This appears to vindicate those who had lobbied the UN and other international organizations to reject Canada’s campaign for a UNSC seat, citing the Trudeau government’s support for anti-democratic actions in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Haiti, to name just a few examples.
Even many in the US Congress admitted the failure of the Trump administration’s Venezuela policy in a recent hearing.
“Our Venezuela policy over the last year and a half has been an unmitigated disaster,” said Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “If we aren’t honest about that, then we can’t self-correct.” Murphy continued, declaring that US support for Venezuela’s opposition forces has handed Maduro an opportunity to label Guaidó an ‘American patsy’ while hardening support for his government around the world.
Ironically, Trump may have been better off if he considered some of the diplomatic overtures coming from within the Venezuelan government. Its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza, wrote an op-ed for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), stating, “Trump would do better if he followed his initial instinct of talking to President Maduro. A respectful dialogue with Venezuela is what is really in the interest of the United States.”
It is not surprising that Senator Murphy’s admission of failed coup attempts at a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting on August 4 has become a popular YouTube video. During the hearing, Murphy pressed Special Representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, on the administration’s disastrous policy on Venezuela, which has “left America in a weaker position, failed to restore democracy, and allowed the humanitarian situation to worsen.” Murphy continued:
[W]e thought that getting Guaidó to declare himself president would be enough to topple the regime. Then we thought putting aid on the border would be enough. Then we tried to sort of construct a kind of coup in April of last year, and it blew up in our face when all the generals that were supposed to break with Maduro decided to stick with him in the end… I think this is just a prescription to get stuck in a downwards spiral of American policy from which we cannot remove ourselves.
The Canadian media should take a similarly critical stance toward the Trudeau government’s dubious attempts to oust the Maduro regime, including its failure to condemn Guaidó for his partnership with armed US mercenaries to foment a violent coup within Venezuela. Anything less is an endorsement of generations of failed US-led policies in Latin America, ones that have contributed to violence and destabilization throughout the entire hemisphere.
Join the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute (CFPI) on Thursday, August 20, for an historic event featuring Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who will speak directly from Caracas on Canada’s interference in Venezuela and the Trudeau government’s support for self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó. The event is sponsored by Canadian Dimension. You can register for the webinar here.
Featured image: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at the First Plenary Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Cochabamba, Bolivia, June 4, 2012. Photo by Juan Manuel Herrera/Flickr.
Arnold August is a Montreal-based journalist and the author of three books on Cuba, Latin America, and US foreign policy. His articles have appeared in English, Spanish and French in North America, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, including occasional contributions to Canadian Dimension.
Tuesday August 18 at 4:30 pm we’re meeting in the Beckum Park parking lot (900 W. Brown St.) We will begin marching at 6 pm.
#shutitdown #dnc #policeaccountabilitynow #oinkoink #nojusticenopeace #nojusticenodnc #thepeoplesrevolution
***TUESDAY, AUGUST 18th; Today’s list of BLM Protests, Vigils and other Relevant Actions is updated.***
Link for the Updated List: https://docs.google.com/…/1uLk5DYYMqlxZAbO_TAbAxxS9dS…/edit…
***Also, for those of you that haven’t seen the footage of Wauwatosa from the last two days, Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride has revealed himself as a steadfast supporter of the police state and anti-BLM as he is now working to wage war against the freedom of speech and the right to protest. Please continue to spread the word and make sure that he doesn’t get away with his crimes against the people. Tosa needs to answer for its corruption.***
As always, you can find all of the event pages listed under the “Events” section of the People’s Climate Coalition FB Page.
You can (and should!) also check out the new Impact Demand event calendar: https://events.impactdemand.org/posterboard and follow the Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement for news and actions from around the state and Rid Racism Milwaukee for a list of additional racial justice actions / events.
***#Covid19 reminder to wear a mask and gloves to all in-person events and somehow try to social distance, if possible.***
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If you can’t attend a protest, making a contribution to any of the following organizations / causes would be super helpful (you can also find more listed in the donation tab within the excel sheet):
– Legal Aid & Resources: Milwaukee Freedom Fund
– Youth Rising Up -YRU- North Division High School
– Black Leaders Organizing for Communities
– Leaders Igniting Transformation
– Love on Black Women: https://www.facebook.com/loveonblackwomen/
– The People’s Movement of Milwaukee: https://www.facebook.com/The-Peoples-Movement-of-Milwaukee-106923321057366/
– Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression
– Human First Project : https://gf.me/u/x79ydc
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Let me know if there are any other actions / donation pages / relevant orgs that should be added to the list. You can email me at lee.stedman.gaiacoalition@gmail.com or PM me directly on Facebook.
#BlackLivesMatter #Milwaukee #milwaukeeprotest
#solidarity #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #DontreHamilton
#JoelAcevedo #FreeChrystul #SayTheirNames
#Juneteenth #AlvinCole #JayAnderson
#AntonioGonzales #Justice4TheeThree
#DivestFromMPD #DefundThePolice #ElijahMcMclain
#DontreHamilton #AlvinCole #SandraBland
#JasonPero #AtatianaJefferson #KorrynGaines
#EricGarner #AlesiaThomas #RodneyKing
August 14, 2020 Green Bay, Wisconsin
https://fighting-words.net/2020/08/17/massive-evictions-will-compound-the-public-health-crisis/
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Since March of this year the United States has been plunged into the worst outbreak of an infectious viral disease since the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920.
The impact of the COVID-19 outbreaks beginning in February and March has resulted in the closure of many production and service facilities throughout the country. Consequently, these events have rendered millions of workers unemployed.
Hospitals and educational institutions are overburdened with the novel virus since it presents profound challenges on how to address the disease through healthcare and the necessity of the resumption of courses whether held in-person or online. Absent of a vaccine and effective treatment, public apprehension related to the resumption of large gatherings whether in the workplace, schools, sports, entertainment and lodging will hamper the ability of millions of working people to earn a living.
Without jobs households will be unable to pay their rents, mortgages and property taxes placing them in foreclosure and evictions statuses. These inevitable consequences of high levels of joblessness are already being witnessed around the U.S.
The Cares Act passed in March by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and later signed by President Donald Trump which was implemented purportedly to assist businesses, institutions and working families, in reality provided the bulk of this public funding to ruling class interests such as multinational corporations, banks and allied groupings. The one-time payment of $1,200 per person and even lesser amounts for those designated as dependents, was also bolstered by an enhanced payment of $600 per week for the unemployed.
However, the Senate rejected the proposed Heroes Act which would have granted additional assistance over an extended period of time. In addition, a renewal of the Cares Act has not materialized after the collapse of negotiations between the Democratic-dominated House and the Republican majority Senate. Trump’s executive orders related to COVID-19 assistance declared on August 7, raises more questions than answers since the already beleaguered state governments are required to provide a percentage of the resources needed to restore only $400 in jobless benefits, a slashing of enhanced benefits by one-third….
…. The Moratorium NOW! Coalition and other anti-eviction organizations are planning actions to demand the re-enactment of the statewide moratorium. The Chief Judge of 36th District Court imposed a moratorium covering the Detroit area, the largest municipality in Michigan which is set to expire on August 17 with the re-opening of the in-house legal proceedings downtown.
Eviction crisis has been a longterm problem in Detroit where this demonstration was held during 2016.
March on the 2020 DNC – We Can’t Breathe
920 N Water Street, Dontre Hamilton (Red Arrow) Park – 5 P.M.
The Coalition to March on the DNC will host a rally and march on the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, August 20th at 5pm in Dontre Hamilton (Red Arrow) Park Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
We will march behind the slogan “WE CAN’T BREATHE” to continue to the righteous protest against police killings of Black people. We demand real police accountability and an end to police crimes and racist policies that have been enabled by both the Democratic and Republican leaders.
The Coalition to March on the DNC is a broad, national coalition of left and progressive forces, working with dozens of local Milwaukee groups and activists. We are rallying behind demands including but not limited to:
– Community Control of the Police / Stop Police Terror
– End US Wars and Interventions / Money for Human Needs, Not War
– Legalization for All / No More Deportations
– Tax the Rich
– Medicare for All
– Climate Action Now
– Fight to Expand Union and Worker Rights
– We Demand Peace, Justice, and Equality!”
“All eyes will be on Milwaukee when the people’s movements protest outside the DNC as it takes place at the Fiserv Forum the week of August 17th. The Coalition calls on all progressive, left, democratic and socialist organizations to join us in unity,” says Omar Flores, spokesperson for the Coalition.
In previous years, organizers of the Coalition led mass marches that drew tens of thousands to the 2008 RNC in St. Paul, MN, and thousands to the 2012 RNC in Tampa, FL, and the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, OH.
Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics, and the plans of other groups.
Contact this page for all media or organizing inquiries: Coalition to March on the DNC
Continuing to break the silence in the burbs around systemic racism and demanding justice for George Floyd, we’re gathering at Watertown Plank park and ride in Wauwatosa, WI and setting off at 2 P.M. to march to the DNC in downtown Milwaukee.
We encourage those who wish to drive along side of marchers to do so. Please share far and wide. There is strength in numbers.
Bring your mask, sign, and voice. Let’s make some noise. #NoJusticeNoSilence
Abolition requires of us the dismantling of all systems of oppression of which policing and prisons are merely a tool. As abolitionists, we’re saying that we’re done with white supremacy, sexism, racial capitalism, imperialism, violence against women and girls, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, extractive environmental practices, and anti-immigrant nativism. Addressing systems of bigotry and violence means intervening on behalf of those who are harmed the most with the understanding that violence targets us on multiple levels.
Central to the idea of abolition is the understanding that it is not enough just to end state violence or interpersonal violence. Women and people who are victims of gender-based violence often have their needs neglected by the justice system. Often in the process of seeking justice through the legal system, victims of gender-based violence are subjected to additional harm and humiliation through a legal process that fails to center their needs.
The prison system fails to protect women who act in self-defense to domestic abuse and sexual assault, as well as women and girls who are trafficked or in exploitative relationships. These failures culminate in the institution of women’s prisons, where many across the U.S. have astronomic levels of sexual harassment and assault done by prison guards – cases that are rarely reported in a system that rarely believes the targets of gendered violence.
LGBTQIA+ people are frequently discriminated against and excluded from formal employment opportunities, which can lead to economic instability and a need to find work outside of the “system”. Trans folks are often unable to get state ID’s that reflect their lived identities, which often puts them at greater risk for disenfranchisement, police violence, and incarceration.
State and federal laws fail to protect queer, trans and intersex people from disproportionate levels of (state and interpersonal) violence, with some states still permitting the gay/trans-panic defense in cases of violent assault. The bias and prejudice of the cis-hetero patriarchal institution of the legal system result in over-policed queer communities and the over-representation of queer, trans, and intersex people in U.S. prisons. Violence against the LGBTQIA+ community is even harsher for queer POC.
Justice is not intersectional if it is not accessible. Disability can look so different between people, sometimes being invisible, but the disproportionate effects of institutional violence against disabled people are apparent. Like racism, ableism leads to a disproportionate lack of health care, difficulty in maintaining employment and home security, and incarceration amongst people with disabilities. Incarceration is one way of controlling and punishing people with disabilities (especially mental illness), and the history of this violence runs as deep as prisons themselves. People who have been incarcerated are between 4 and 6 times as likely to have some form of disability (mental, physical, or otherwise) than the unincarcerated. People with disabilities are also estimated to represent between one-third and one-half of all police-involved deaths. For our abolition to work, we have to make sure that our activism addresses the needs and traumas of everybody and every body.
