Solidarity With SEIU Local 73 in Chicago!
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Could Federal Grant Have Saved Bus Routes in Milwaukee?
https://bit.ly/2m1sJcohttps://bit.ly/2m1sJco
Despite knowing for months that the transit system faced a budget deficit for 2019, Milwaukee County officials decided not to pursue a strategy to use federal air quality funding to maintain bus routes on the chopping block, as they had in previous years.
An application for a grant went before the committee on Transportation, Public Works and Transit for approval Wednesday. The grant program, called a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant (CMAQ) has been used in the past by the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), in times of budget peril, to maintain service. This time around, despite a historic budget shortfall, they did not attempt to do this.
The last time county officials used the grant to mitigate service reductions, they used leftover CMAQ funding from scuttled projects — specifically, the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) rail service and the county’s first attempt at Bus Rapid Transit. Julie Esch, MCDOT deputy director said there are no reprogrammable CMAQ funds available this year, like there was in the past. “Unfortunately, there are no other sources of funding to tap beyond those already identified in the 2020 requested budget.”
But a source familiar with the grant application process tells Urban Milwaukee the county transportation department considered trying to request funding in a way that would sustain some current services only to decide to instead apply for funding for a variety of expansion projects….
Milwaukee County Transit System bus. Photo by Dave Reid.
The Grass is Greener-2019-09-07 Ari Bloomekatz on Jewish Mobilizing for Immigrants
Solidarity With Nemak Unifor Workers in Canada! A Job Is A Human Right!
Detroit, September 14, 2019 at Ford World Headquarters: Autoworker Caravan ‘We Demand A Fair Contract Rally!’
September 20, 2019: Global Climate Strike: Wisconsin
AFGE Vows to Fight Appeals Court Ruling that Greenlights Union-Busting Executive Orders
In light of the July 16, 2019 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter of the legal challenge by AFGE and other federal unions to President Trump’s May 2018 union-busting executive orders, AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said:
“Today’s terrible decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a tremendous blow to federal employees and their voice in the workplace. The decision is mistaken about the jurisdictional question, wrong on the law, and jeopardizes the rights of federal employees across the government. We will fight this decision using every legal tool available to us.
“While we consider our legal options and next steps, we also call on members of Congress to stand with federal workers and protect our workplace rights. The union-busting framework laid out in the executive orders and the actions already taken at the bargaining table so far demonstrate clearly that there must be a check on the president’s power to destroy federal employees’ union rights.”
View AFGE EO News
Brazil’s President Taunts U.N. Human Rights Chief over Her Family’s Torture by Pinochet
This comes after President Bolsonaro attacked Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, who now serves as U.N. high commissioner for human rights, after she warned that Brazil’s government is failing to stop widespread police shootings, while environmentalists, indigenous people and human rights defenders are increasingly murdered with impunity. On Thursday, Bolsonaro taunted Bachelet over the 1973 U.S.-backed coup in Chile, which saw Augusto Pinochet topple the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende.
President Jair Bolsonaro: “She now, on the human rights agenda, is accusing me of not punishing police officers who are killing many people in Brazil. That’s her accusation. She is defending the human rights of vagabonds. She says more still. She said that Brazil is losing its democratic arena. Mrs. Michelle Bachelet, if the people led by Pinochet had not defeated the left of 1973, including your father, today Chile would look like Cuba.”
After the 1973 Chile coup, in which the democratically elected leader Salvador Allende died, Michelle Bachelet was arrested and tortured along with her parents. Her father, Alberto Bachelet, died in prison. Human rights groups say at least 3,000 people were murdered or disappeared by the Pinochet dictatorship between 1973 and 1990.
THE COMMUNITY DEMANDS ICE OUT OF MILWAUKEE AND DELIVERS OVER 1,600 SIGNED PETITIONS
Community Leaders Demand ICE Out of Milwaukee
Sixteen thousand signed postcard petitions were delivered to the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission after a press conference calling for community trust
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN — On Thursday, September 5, 2019, dozens of Milwaukee community members gathered for a press conference before giving public testimony and delivering over sixteen-thousand petitions to the Fire and Police Commission during their general meeting. Community members expressed their desire to see the adoption of non-collaboration policies between the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Public speakers included a diverse range of community leaders but each highlighted their shared solidarity over community concerns with the current policy language on local immigration enforcement.
Yesterday’s event took place three weeks before the policy committee considers changes to the Standard Operating Procedure on Immigration (SOP 130). Voces de la Frontera and allied organizations have proposed changes to the existing Milwaukee SOP 130, that provide clear and nondiscretionary language that bars collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE.
Markasa Tucker, Director of the African American Roundtable highlighted the importance of community trust, saying, “community members need to have trust that local law enforcement is responsive to local needs and concerns. Right now, communities of color need reassurance that law enforcement policies are created with clarity and specific language that protects from racial profiling.”
Sandy Pasch, a member of the Jewish community and the Never Again is Now movement, added, “Jews know too well what happens when atrocities are met with silence, and even worse, complicity. The Milwaukee Police Department must not be complicit. They must create much stronger safeguards against collaboration with ICE.”
The safeguards Voces de la Frontera and other allies are urging include changes would ensure that no information, resources or people are transferred to ICE unless there is a judicial warrant. The changes would also ensure that ICE does not use local law enforcement to conduct raids. The current MPD policy is too discretionary and lacks due process protections.
An immigrant leader from Voces de la Frontera, Javier Escorcia, spoke of the discrimination felt in local immigrant communities with increased threats under the Trump Administration. He explained, “ right now children are being separated from their families, and we have the responsibility to speak up and stand against injustice…because all children deserve to go to school and know that their parents will be home when they get back.”
Paul Vang, from the Hmong American Women’s Association, also insisted that any community must be safe for families and that it is the responsibility of the MPD to provide safety. He said, “what would threaten the safety of our communities is if MPD collaborates with ICE because we know that as a community with refugee and immigrant status that we are the MOST vulnerable to deportation that lead to the separation of families and the uprooting of communities.”
Summarizing collective sentiment, Reverand Ellwanger from MICAH, an interfaith congregation-based organization, ended the press conference reiterating that, “The Milwaukee Police Department must clearly state that they will not use their resources for enforcing or carrying out any level of federal immigration policy.”
Voces de la Frontera and allies stand firm and hope to send a message to the Fire and Police Commission that barring collaboration between the MPD and ICE will decrease racial profiling, improve public safety, keep families together, and take away fear created in communities. Passing such a policy affirms that Milwaukee is a welcoming community that values the contributions immigrants make to our city and state.
The Fire and Police Commission will convene again on September 26, 2019, at City Hall and will hold the first vote on proposed changes to SOP 130. Voces de la Frontera is inviting people to lend their voice, continue signing petitions, and stay connected through our organization’s event page and find more information here.
Contact: Jessica Schmidt, jessica@vdlf.org, 414-469-9206
Fall Delegation to Bolivia: Presidential Election October 20, 2019, Food Sovereignty and Indigenous Resistance!!
Come to Bolivia to witness one of the most important electoral processes in the region at this critical moment for the continent.
Bolivia is the first country in the hemisphere governed by a progressive indigenous. Learn about indigenous struggles for sovereignty over food, land, and water. Meet with farmers, community leaders, government leaders, and others. Experience the rich culture of the Andes and soak in the sights, sounds, people, and politics in this historic moment in Bolivia.
When: October 16-25, 2019
Where: Start in Cochabamba and end in La Paz; visits to Coroico and Coripata (Yungas de La Paz), Cochabamba and Chapare
Cost for Activities: $1100. This will cover all lodging, all ground transportation, at least 2 meals per day, and translation. Additional expenses during the trip will be minimal. **Airfare not included. Possible group rate available for those traveling from NYC.**
Anyone interested should email cbalbertolovera@gmail.com as soon as possible, as space for this trip is very limited. Please allow a day or two for responses.
Sponsored by the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of NY.
Check out these articles from past delegations:
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2008/magdoff040208.html
http://monthlyreview.org/090824shiavoni-camacaro.php
What people are saying about our delegations:
Visiting Venezuela with the Bolivarian Circle of New York “Alberto Lovera” delegation was a great experience. I was able to enter into dialog with the process underway at cooperatives and communal councils and see for myself the enthusiasm of the Chavista base for participatory democracy, food security and protecting the social gains of the revolution while moving forward.
Frederick B. Mills
Professor of Philosophy
Bowie State University
The delegation gave me a fabulous window into one of the most exciting social experiments of our time, the Bolivarian revolution and the public policies committed to social Justice that it informs. It also wetted my appetite for more. I will soon be incorporating some of what I learned into my seminars, and I hope to be able to bring a contingent of students in the near future.
Claudia Chaufan
Associate Professor University of California San Francisco
“The Food Sovereignty delegation to Venezuela was interesting, informative and a lot of fun. We saw collective farms, factories, feeding centers and spent time with groups of people struggling for land reform and human dignity. We had lots of opportunities to see how people work together and how agriculture is changing in Venezuela. I loved the people we traveled with and created strong bonds with many of them. It’s the kind of trip that makes you want to return in a few years to see how much progress is being made. It further inspired me to work in the food democracy movement in the US and figure out ways to stay in solidarity with our Venezuelan sisters and brothers.”
Nancy Romer General Coordinator Brooklyn Food Coalition http://www.BrooklynFoodCoalition.org
“Traveling with William and Christina gave me an insider perspective that I couldn’t have gotten otherwise. I highly recommend taking a trip on one of these delegations whether you are highly interested in food politics and socialism, or are new to the subject.”
Paula Crossfield Founder and the Managing Editor of Civil Eats http://civileats.com/about/
“I traveled to both Venezuela and Bolivia with William Camacaro and Christina Schiavoni as the leaders of the trip. I can’t say enough about the quality of these trips and their leadership. I was astounded at the range of activities each trip provided: food centers for the elderly, African communities, women’s collectives, revolutionary centers, fishing industry in Venezuela, agricultural initiatives such as the production of quinoa in Bolivia, meetings with government officials, wonderful community cultural events (sometimes in our honor!), and more. Additionally, both William and Christina were very attentive to the people on the trips, addressed personal crises that arose, and helped in any way possible. There was never a sense that you were simply on your own in a foreign country, and had to fend for yourself. They were always available for questions, suggestions, and concrete help. IN SO DOING THE TRIP LEADERS CREATED A FAMILY-LIKE FEELING AMONG THE GROUP MEMBERS. I have been traveling on political/educational trips for decades, and can only say; the Bolivarian Circle’s trips are the bomb!”
Suzanne Ross, PhD, clinical psychologist and activist with the Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition, NYC
“The food sovereignty tours to Venezuela are an incredible eye opener. You can read about aspects of the country’s shift to a fairer food system but to see it first hand – and meet the people that are making the change happen – is totally inspiring.”
Simon Cunich Australian Filmmaker Creator of the documentary Growing Change http://www.simoncunich.com.au/
