https://www.facebook.com/MoratoriumNowCoalition/

Governor Whitmer can use her emergency powers under MCL 10.31, not just to limit movement, but also to INSURE the economic survival of the people of Michigan.

In the 1930’s governors and legislatures placed Moratoriums on all Foreclosure in 25 states including a 5 year moratorium in Michigan. When challenged by the banks, the moratoriums were upheld as constitutional by the US Supreme Court in the case of Home Building & Loan Association v Blaisdell, 290 US 398 (1934). The Supreme Court held:

“The sovereign right of the Government to protect the lives, health, morals, comfort and general welfare of the people, is paramount to any rights under contracts between individuals.” The foreclosure moratoriums were also upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court in Russell v Battle Creek Lumber Co, 265 Mich App 649 (1934).

Pursuant to the emergency powers vested in the governor by Michigan law, and in order to protect the lives and general welfare of the people in this unprecedented emergency: Governor Whitmer can and must:

· Place a Moratorium on all Evictions in Michigan for the next 6 months or longer if the health crisis persists;

· Place a Moratorium on all Foreclosures in Michigan for the next 6 months or longer if the health crisis persists;

· Place a Moratorium on all utility shutoffs in Michigan for the next 6 months or longer if the health crisis persists;

· Place a moratorium on all mortgage, rental and utility payments in Michigan for the next 6 months or longer if the health crisis persists, followed by an affordability mechanism covering all payments for the next year while the economy recovers.

· Direct Michigan-based businesses to produce needed goods such as ventilators, n95 masks, and other personal protective equipment for medical workers.

· Requisition stores of needed medical supplies from businesses, and regulate and deliver these goods, in accordance with need to the most overwhelmed hospitals.

Furthermore, Gov. Whitmer can and must suspend the enforcement of MCL 750.383(a), which makes it a five-year felony to restore one’s own water service. This would allow residents to immediately restore their own water service during this emergency.

Governor Whitmer also can and must use the emergency authority under MCL 30.404, to enter into reciprocal aid agreements with other states and other countries to obtain food, clothing, medicine and supplies to meet the crisis.

Today China is the leading producer of medical supplies. China was able to stop the Coronavirus by cooperating with countries around the world and the World Health Organization. Cuba is sending doctors experienced in dealing with health crises to countries all over the world including to Italy, and has developed an anti-virus manufactured in China, Interferon 2B which has been effective in treating the Coronavirus in seriously ill individuals.

With Trump abandoning any federal responsibility for supplying necessary medical equipment and leaving the states on their own, Governor Whitmer should take the lead in organizing an international mission to our state to help respond to this crisis. Specifically medical teams from China and Cuba should be invited immediately, given the explosion of COVID-19 cases in Michigan.

The answer to this worldwide Pandemic is not racism and national chauvinism as exemplified by the Trump administration, but international solidarity and cooperation.

Issued by: Moratorium NOW! Coalition

On Facebook: @MoratoriumNowCoalition

Email: moratorium@moratorium-mi.org

N A T I O N A L W E B I N A R :

Defending People During Coronavirus Crisis
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/142736710469446/

R E G I S T E R H E R E

Join us on a national webinar to hear from organizers on the front lines fighting for healthcare for all, against racism and repression, for workers’ rights and housing, in defense of prisoners and migrants, against sanctions and war. Learn what we can do to support our communities at this challenging time.

Saturday, March 28
6-9 p.m. Eastern • 5-8 p.m.Central • 3-6 p.m. Pacific
S P E A K E R S I N C L U D E :

• Mahtowin Munro, United American Indians of New England

• Frank Chapman, National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression

• Meg Maloney, New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance

• Adam Rice, Los Angeles Community Action Network

• Ron Gochez, Unión del Barrio

• Baltimore Amazon warehouse worker

• Fernando Figueroa, UPS worker and Teamster

• Pam Africa, MOVE Organization

• Rev. Annie Chambers, Baltimore Peoples Power Assembly

• Omowale Clay, December 12th Movement

• Berta Joubert-Ceci, Puerto Rico Tribunal and Struggle-La Lucha newspaper

• Irvin McQueen, Pan-African Community Action, Washington, D.C.

• Terri Kay, Peoples Alliance, Bay Area

• Lucy Pagoada, Departamento 19 – Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular

• Nana Gyamfi, Black Alliance for Just Immigration

• and more!

Let’s build a fight-back network that can face the challenges confronting working people and oppressed communities today and in the weeks and months to come!

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/v5Yuce2prDwiwmrTEqlpB_atebmiMzesUQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

_____

Hosted by Baltimore Peoples Power Assembly
and Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice – Los Angeles

Alex Skeeter, March 25, 2020:

“Health insurance? Everyone in Cuba who wants or needs medical care receives just that. Healthcare in Cuba is accessible to all people, even when people aren’t necessarily seeking it out. Huh?!
Let me explain.
For example, today marks one week of going door to door looking for anyone in the neighborhood presenting with respiratory symptoms. This type of preventative medical practice and philosophy is what drew me to study medicine here. I have spent the last 6 years at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. I chose to study here because of its mission; to create doctors of science & consciousness who come from poor communities all around the world. After graduating we return home to provide comprehensive healthcare to those who need it most. Proud to be apart of Cuba’s National plan against COVID-19.
Much love to you all”
 

https://bit.ly/2UhBWMk

Venezuelan doctors conducting a COVID-19 house visit. Photo courtesy of @OrlenysOV

By Leonardo Flores

Within a few hours of being launched, over 800 Venezuelans in the U.S. registered for an emergency flight from Miami to Caracas through a website run by the Venezuelan government. This flight, offered at no cost, was proposed by President Nicolás Maduro when he learned that 200 Venezuelans were stuck in the United States following his government’s decision to stop commercial flights as a preventative coronavirus measure. The promise of one flight expanded to two or more flights, as it became clear that many Venezuelans in the U.S. wanted to go back to Venezuela, yet the situation remains unresolved due to the U.S. ban on flights to and from the country.

Those who rely solely on the mainstream media might wonder who in their right mind would want to leave the United States for Venezuela. Time, The Washington Post, The Hill and the Miami Herald, among others, published opinions in the past week describing Venezuela as a chaotic nightmare. These media outlets painted a picture of a coronavirus disaster, of government incompetence and of a nation teetering on the brink of collapse. The reality of Venezuela’s coronavirus response is not covered by the mainstream media at all.

Furthermore, what each of these articles shortchanges is the damage caused by the Trump administration’s sanctions, which devastated the economy and healthcare system long before the coronavirus pandemic. These sanctions have impoverished millions of Venezuelans and negatively impact vital infrastructure, such as electricity generation. Venezuela is impeded from importing spare parts for its power plants and the resulting blackouts interrupt water services that rely on electric pumps. These, along with dozens of other implications from the hybrid war on Venezuela, have caused a decline in health indicators across the board, leading to 100,000 deaths as a consequence of the sanctions.

Regarding coronavirus specifically, the sanctions raise the costs of testing kits and medical supplies, and ban Venezuela’s government from purchasing medical equipment from the U.S. (and from many European countries). These obstacles would seemingly place Venezuela on the path to a worst-case scenario, similar to Iran (also battered by sanctions) or Italy (battered by austerity and neoliberalism). In contrast to those two countries, Venezuela took decisive steps early on to face the pandemic.

As a result of these steps and other factors, Venezuela is currently in its best-case scenario. As of this writing, 11 days after the first confirmed case of coronavirus, the country has 86 infected people, with 0 deaths. Its neighbors have not fared as well: Brazil has 1,924 cases with 34 deaths; Ecuador 981 and 18; Chile 746 and 2; Peru 395 and 5; Mexico 367 and 4; Colombia 306 and 3. (With the exception of Mexico, those governments have all actively participated and contributed to the U.S.-led regime change efforts in Venezuela.) Why is Venezuela doing so much better than others in the region?

https://www.codepink.org/

COVID IN COLD BLOOD: Massacre in La Modelo Prison, Colombia

Please send an email to Colombian authorities denouncing the March 21, 2020 massacre at La Modelo Prison by Colombian authorities that left 23 dead and over 90 wounded. The prisoners were protesting filthy conditions and extreme overcrowding that has turned the penitentiary system into a breeding ground for Corona Virus. Following is an English translation of the email that will be sent:

The recent massacre by the Colombian Public Forces of 23 inmates of the La Modelo penitentiary is an outrage and a serious abuse of the most fundamental human right of all, the right to live. Furthermore, the actions of the Colombian government imply a blatant disregard for the health not only of the inmates, but of all the people of Colombia and the world. The attacks occurred while the inmates protested dirty and inhumane conditions that have turned the prison system into a breeding ground for the coronavirus. Prison walls cannot contain this virus if precautions are not taken. Colombia’s prisons have an overcrowding rate of over 50%. In fact, the Colombian courts have declared the lack of health and overcrowding illegal and in violation of the constitution. This situation is a danger for the entire region and for the entire world in a time of coronavirus. I support the prisoners’ demands for the Colombian government to release all elderly prisoners and those who are incarcerated for minor crimes, and for the government to act in an immediate way to improve prison conditions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the jails and the outside world. Furthermore, I demand an immediate investigation into the massacre and that the authors of this tool be punished for their crimes.

SIGN PETITION: https://bit.ly/3boRT9k

Healthcare workers are on the front lines of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. Many are rising to the occasion and working overtime, risking their own health and safety in order to care for our community. All of us depend on their ability to do their jobs. Unfortunately, our current healthcare ecosystem is unable to meet the influx of needed care.

Join the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals in calling on hospital and laboratory executives, healthcare corporations and government officials to provide healthcare workers with:

1) Paid Leave

Institute a policy of paid leave forgiveness and outright pay any employee who is required to miss work from suspected or documented exposure to COVID-19, whether that exposure occurred at work or elsewhere, so that their accrued paid time off is not required to be exhausted.

2) Free Testing, Free Medical Treatment & Adequate Safety Equipment

Provide COVID-19 testing and coverage for all related medical treatment at no cost to all healthcare workers. Make sure all staff and subcontracted staff are properly trained in safety protocols regarding COVID-19. Ensure all safety equipment is secured and available for all staff.

3) Free Childcare

Enact childcare subsidies or alternative methods of childcare to all healthcare workers in need of childcare. If workers are unable to secure childcare, allow for them to make arrangements to see their families are secure before requiring them to work.

4) Hazard Pay

Institute a hazard pay policy of double time for all healthcare workers working during this crisis until such time as there is no longer an emergency or disaster situation.

5) Moratorium on Rent and Mortgages

Put a moratorium on rent and mortgage payments for the people of Wisconsin so that nobody has to choose between practicing safe social distancing and going to work, thereby risking further preventable exposure.

6) Emergency Stipend

Offer an emergency stipend to cover the costs of purchasing basic supplies (such as groceries, medicine, and cleaning products) that will allow healthcare workers and their families to remain as healthy as possible.

SIGN PETITION: https://bit.ly/3boRT9k

We hope you and your loved ones are well and safe in this scary time. At USCPR, we are strategizing on the most effective ways to advocate for Palestinian rights during a pandemic that is providing cover for heightened Israeli aggression against Palestinians. We’re also continuing our fight against the meritless lawsuit filed against us by the Jewish National Fund (more on that below), thanks to the help of our lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and our allies in the solidarity movement.

Please tune in on Thursday (tomorrow!) at 6 PM EST on Facebook Live for a Palestine Legal webinar with CCR where we’ll discuss who is behind the lawsuit, what it’s trying to do, its broader implications, and how we can challenge the legal bullying that aims to stop our movement from advancing towards freedom and justice. To join the webinar, simply go to Palestine Legal’s Facebook page at 6 PM EST on Thursday—no registration is required.

This lawsuit is not just an attack on us here at USCPR, but an attack on the entire movement for Palestinian rights. We hope you’ll join us tomorrow on Palestine Legal’s Facebook page at 6 PM EST to learn how we can fight it together.

Sincerely,
RAMAH KUDAIMI
Deputy Director

We are under attack from the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The JNF is one of the Zionist institutions that began the colonization of Palestine in the 20th century and today, continues to support Israeli racism, oppression, and apartheid.

Because of our fearless advocacy for Palestinian rights, they are trying to drain our resources and shut us down with a frivolous lawsuit. We’re fighting back.

Yesterday, our lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and stop this attack from a group who wants to deny the Palestinian people their right to live in freedom and safety.

Make no mistake, this lawsuit is not just an attack on the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. It is an attack on all of us who advocate for Palestinian rights and we must stand together.

Stand with us, and resist the chilling effect the JNF is hoping for, by sharing our message on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The JNF’s attempt to shut us down—as one of the oldest and largest Palestine solidarity organizations in the U.S.—fits into a widespread pattern of twisting the law to silence and discredit human rights defenders.

This lawsuit is part of a long history and widespread effort of silencing dissent and social movements. The civil rights movement, Indigenous peoples struggles, the anti-war movement, and the environmental justice movement, have all been smeared and criminalized through tactics like these. The Trump administration and the Israeli state have only escalated their attacks on dissenters—an atmosphere reflected by this lawsuit.

We will not be intimidated and we will not stop fighting for freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people. We know you won’t, either.

We are proud to be with you in struggle. Thank you for being an Olive Branch Club member. Your regular support is powering work for Palestinian rights in 2020 and helping us face this new threat with strength.

The JNF thinks that we’re an easy target. What they’re about to find out is that we have all of you behind us. Thank you for standing with us.

DEFENDING THE PEOPLE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Join us on a national webinar/conference call to hear what different groups and organizations across the country are doing. Please sign up! We will be posting webinar info and participants very soon. Please note the time is East Coast. On the West Coast it’s 3 pm.

Defending People During the Coronavirus Crisis – National Conf

Free Chrystul Kizer: Online Day of Action

On this day, we’re asking you to take 4 actions to support Chrystul Kizer, or however many of them you can. March 28th is a day that we’re focused upon, but these actions can and should be taken on any day, as often as possible!

Kenosha DA Michael Graveley is choosing to assert to Chrystul, her family and all of us that Black women and girls do not live lives worth saving. Chrystul was a child and was being victimized and sexually exploited by an adult. Black girls have the right to resist sexual violence and the right to survive.

Here are the 4 actions:

1) The most meaningful action you can take is asserting with your dollars (towards Chrystul’s legal defense) that Black girls deserve dignity, autonomy and justice.

We want to raise at least $1,500 for Chrystul on the 28th. Anything at all that you can give is meaningful!

Donate at the following link: https://fundrazr.com/FreeChrystulKizer?ref=sh_38n0X3_ab_0L5qpUQQeRa0L5qpUQQeRa

2) Share Chrystul’s story. On social media, use hashtags #FreeChrystul, #HandsOffChrystul and #FreeChrystulKizer. Call your grandma and tell her Chrystul’s story. Email your coworkers and tell them Chrystul’s story. Tell everybody! Ask them to donate!

3) Assert to Chrystul that she is loved, that she’s cared for, and that she will be fought for.

Chrystul Kizer (ID: 138378)
Kenosha County Pre Trial Facility
1000 55th St Kenosha, WI 53140

Here’s a toolkit on writing letters to incarcerated survivors from Survived & Punished: https://survivedandpunished.org/letter-writing-action/

4) Assert to DA Graveley all of the same, and that he will be held accountable. Download a postcard to print and send or find his mailing address at the following link: https://freechrystul.wordpress.com/contact-the-da

Chrystul Kizer is a human trafficking survivor from Milwaukee. In June 2018 when she was 17 years old, she shot and killed Randy Volar in an act of self-defense. Volar was committing acts of violence and exploitation against Black girls, including Chrystul.

Prior to his death, officials in Kenosha knew about Randy Volar’s history of sexual abuse against young Black girls. In February 2018, Volar, a 33-year old white man, was arrested on multiple charges including child sexual assault and was released without bail. Police had collected evidence that shows Volar had been sexually abusing multiple Black girls, including Chrystul.

Yet, DA Michael Graveley is charging Chrystul with first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a life sentence in Wisconsin; her bail is set at $400,000.

Chrystul Kizer is a hero. The people are going to get her free. Follow Free Chrystul Kizer.

https://freechrystul.wordpress.com/