https://www.pymusa.com/pym-rejects-erasure-plans-for-yarmouk

Originally circulated July 30, 2020

If you would like to add your organizational endorsement to this statement, please e-mail us at palyouth.usa@gmail.com. Arabic follows.

At the end of June 2020, the Syrian regime’s Damascus governorate announced its plans to turn the remains of Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp into an urban neighborhood of privatized high-rise buildings to be placed for sale to the highest bidder. The execution of this plan would result in the permanent erasure of the camp, which is considered the capital of the Palestinian shataat due to its cultural and political significance in Palestinian resistance, identity in exile, and aspirations for return and freedom.

That the announcement comes from the Damascus governorate signals the most important of several bureaucratic steps in the absorption of Yarmouk’s land into the city’s jurisdiction as the regime dissolved Yarmouk Municipality – made up of camp residents – in 2018. If implemented, the plan would divide the camp into three real estate units transforming the largest and most populated portion into this new development and redesigning the layout of the camp, furthering the demolition of the camp and expanding traffic ways at the expense of existing home layouts. This is not a blueprint for Return; this is a blueprint for the erasure of Yarmouk Camp.

The significance of Yarmouk camp for the Palestinian diaspora cannot be overstated. Yarmouk camp was established in the 1950s to house thousands of Palestinians displaced as a result of the 1948 Nakba. Located in Southern Damascus across 2.1 square kilometers, the camp became the residence of about 200,000 Palestinian refugees, most of whom came from cities and villages in the Galilee, Palestine. Each of the streets in the camp were named after these cities and villages, serving as a reminder of not only the plight of Palestinian refugees, but the path to return. The camp houses two cemeteries where numerous martyred leaders and resistance fighters have been laid to rest. The camp was also home to a pluralistic array of Palestinian cultural and political institutions, serving as the headquarters of various Palestinian factions and whose residents played a central role in the Palestinian revolution in all of its phases.

Since the start of the uprisings in Syria— and subsequent siege and decimation of the camp throughout the war — Yarmouk has all but been emptied of its residents. Currently, it has only a few dozen or so families that have remained in the camp. The majority of Yarmouk’s residents have endured another Nakba, a scattering and dispersal that has sent them into various sites of temporary or secondary refuge. Scores more Palestinian-Syrians from different places in Syria have endured similar fates. In addition to this announcement for Yarmouk, it has become clear that two other Palestinian refugee camps in Syria will be affected in similar ways: Dara’a camp in Dara’a and Handarat camp in Northern Aleppo.

The Palestinian families who lived in Yarmouk up until the uprising and subsequent war have been waiting for the promise to return to their homes and neighborhoods in the camp until their permanent return to Palestine is actualized. Their return to the camp was an implied promise by various official sources since the camp was emptied of all armed groups in 2018. Thus, the recent announcement holds devastating implications for Palestinian refugees who have made Yarmouk a long-standing home while living in exile….

https://stopfbi.org/

Two months ago Minneapolis rose up against police crimes in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd. Now the system seeking to reassert itself ad bring down political repression to silence the uprising

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) joins the call to Drop the Charges Against MN Uprising Defendants.

Further information regarding particular cases is available at:
Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support

Please sign and share this petition:

Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support
petition text:
Drop the charges against MN Uprising defendants.

We, the undersigned, join Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support (MUAS) in demanding the above individuals, as well as prosecutors everywhere, drop ALL charges, ranging from curfew violations to felonies, related to the uprising following the tragic murder of George Floyd.

In the aftermath of the callous murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police, millions of people across the world took to the street. They did this not just for George Floyd, but for what his death stirred in everyone who had faced or seen systemic racism, police brutality, or abuse by the status quo; those who knew we could do better. The people were diverse, as were their actions and their visions for the future. Diverse, but united in a belief that the system of policing as it stands is not only failing to meet the needs of the people it purports to serve, but is actively harming them.

On the streets, in the parks, and in the neighborhoods of Minnesota we are creating new ways of relating to each other based on mutual respect, care, and collective responsibility. People are taking care of their own communities, asking for help from each other, and meeting the needs of safety, community health, and strength by building community solutions to the problems we face. These commitments are driven by a conviction that the policing and prison systems we have held in place until now do not serve us or make us safer, but exacerbate harm, especially on Black, Indigenous, and working people of color. When we say “abolish the police,” we are talking about taking back the resources that have been extracted from our communities and funneled toward their militarization and containment. We are also talking about replacing them with resources that prevent violence — housing, healthcare, public education, nutritious food, transportation, etc. Prosecutors, like the police, stand in the way of our efforts to make communities healthier, happier, and stronger. They limit what is truly possible by offering such a limited vision of justice as to be impotent, or worse, to exacerbate continued cycles of systemic violence through the legal system. Procedural justice is not substantive social justice. Community members should not be prosecuted for working to protect each other and to build a better world.

In a historic time where we are facing unprecedented economic crisis, evictions and homelessness, disease and vulnerability, the answer to the challenges our community faces is not further repression. The people of Minnesota are now working to create a better world, one where we take care of each other, where no neighbor is without a home, where no one goes hungry, and where none of us are murdered by the police. There is so much more we can do but are limited when we must also fight these arcane systems trying so hard to keep everything the same.

Choosing to continue to prosecute these cases is choosing to uplift the injustice of the status quo in spite of the needs of the communities most affected. We demand that all of the charges be dropped and invite you to take this action now in a spirit of change. The renowned author Octavia Butler reminds us that, “The only lasting truth is change.” You can help shape change or you can continue to stand in the way and be left behind.

“We know that the systems that shape our lives are also shaped by us; culture is both learned and created. To create radical change, we must simultaneously transform ourselves and the way we treat each other. We humbly work to move away from a world built on scarcity, “security” by force, and punishment. Instead we choose to embrace a vision of abundance, security through resilience, and transformation.” (MUAS vision statement)

In the interest of justice, get out of the way and let our communities heal.

Drop the charges!

SIGN PETITION: https://bit.ly/2DTtkpA

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Joel Acevedo in Milwaukee, and countless other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals across the county have once again highlighted racial inequalities in communities and organizations including the Port Washington-Saukville School District (PWSSD). Current and former students and staff at PWSSD have expressed their concerns about the lack of preparation upon graduation that leave students uninformed about Black history in the United States, Wisconsin, and Ozaukee County.

Students are unprepared to have conversations about race and to be productive members of diverse communities. They lack an understanding of the historical contributions of minorities, women, and BIPOC people within our world. You’re not training your students to function as adults in the world as it actually looks today if they don’t experience integration before they get into the workforce.

We ask that the Port Washington-Saukville School Board and Port Washington-Saukville School District Administration implement the following:

1. Customize and annually review the chosen curriculum to reflect the history and contributions of BIPOC individuals and communities within the world and the United States more accurately. This should include:
   1. increase content that is inclusive of multiple races, BIPOC people, women, and other historical minorities,
   2. classroom discussions about race,
   3. speakers and presentations focused on racial inequalities,
   4. use different literature/media to foster discussions of race such as “The Hate U Give”, “Just Mercy”, “Stamped”, “Coming of Age in Mississippi”, or “The Color of Law”,
      1. 5. add topics such as Juneteenth, microaggressions, racial income inequality, redlining, and other topics whose absence presents an ethnocentric perception of history and current events
      2. Create and fill a Diversity Coordinator position within the district to:
         1. Review policies related to the district and diversity.
         2. Assist in the creation and deployment of diversity planning and education within the district.
         3. Serve as a contact point for students and families concerned about racism and discrimination within the district.
         4. Work with multiple organizations affiliated with the district such as the Parent-Teacher Association, Booster Clubs, Student Council, etc to educate and inform about racism and discrimination within the school and what these groups can do to prevent it.
      3. Conduct diversity and anti-bias training annually to enable teachers and staff to ensure BIPOC students are respected in the classroom and ensure their voices are heard.
      4. Create a no-tolerance policy for racist and discriminatory behavior within the school district. Students should understand that racism will not be tolerated and that there will be significant consequences for such action. This could include losing an exam exemption.
      5. Develop a procedure by which students can report racism and discrimination, including the ability to do so anonymously.
         1. Maintain a record of incidents that is published annually, with identifying information redacted, for community review.

      We look forward to working with PWSSD on these recommendations to facilitate a more integrated and diverse school environment.

      

Protesting racism: “If you don’t respect black people, you’re not going to get our money,” said UNITE HERE Local 25 member Joseph Tolbert III in The Washington Post last month. Tolbert has been organizing a series of protests in response to a racist incident at the Fish Market of Maryland in Clinton. photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post

Exposing exploiters: “There were days when we went to work and had a total of eight tables come in for brunch,” Patricia Namyalo, a 38-year-old immigrant from Uganda and UNITE HERE 25 member, told The New York Times in June. “And that’s supposed to be shared among four people.” In the story exploring how the ultra-rich are exploiting workers during the COVID-19 crisis, Namyalo recalled when business began to dwindle in early March, before the city’s shutdown went into effect, and well before members of Congress, who sometimes dine at the hotel, recessed for the crisis.

#LaborStories: SEIU 32BJ member Veronica F. Morris – a housekeeper at George Washington University – was featured on the recent #LaborStories series on New York City’s Working Theater’s Facebook page. “I work in Gelman Library, where I keep everything sanitized and clean,” Morris said.

Hearing From Our Heroes: UFCW/MCGEO 1994 Shop Steward Audra Dugue told her story of being a frontline worker during the pandemic on “Hearing from Our Heroes,” an event about the Heroes Act sponsored last Thursday by the Montgomery County Democratic Party Labor Advisory Committee. Also on the Zoom call were Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Representatives Jamie Raskin, John Sarbanes, and David Trone. The keynote speaker was Virginia Representative Bobby Scott. “Audra exemplifies the outstanding rank and file leadership that makes our union strong,” said Local 1994 President Gino Renne.

Peace Action of Wisconsin Group

12-1 P.M.

Please wear a mask and we will social distance. We’ll bring flags and signs.

MLK/BLM Event and Protest

Flyer: BLM MLK Appleton August 30 2020 LEAFLET

Quarter Sheet Flyer: MLK BLM Appleton Quarter Sheet August 30 2020

City Park, 500 E Franklin Street, Appleton, WI – 5-10 P.M.

Please join us for our MLK/BLM Event and Protest. We know there are a lot of community members that were unable to make it to march on DC on this date, the 57th Anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, so we are throwing this event to stand in solidarity with our Wisconsin people who will be marching.

We will be holding a School Supply donation drive so please bring supplies for the kiddos. It is unclear if they will be returning to school at this time, however, if they don’t, they will still be participating in on-line learning and will need tools to be successful. Please pass this along to any parents that may be in need of help, they are welcome to come and pick up whatever they need.

WE WILL BE MARCHING so please remember to bring your signs and megaphones.

As always, please remember to wear your masks.

If you have extra masks, hand sanitizer or water to donate for the event it would much appreciated.

Can’t wait to see you all!

August 4, 2020, marked a historic moment in the history of Colombia, a country with more than 50 years of civil war. On that day, Colombia’s Supreme Court ordered the detention of its current Senator and ex-President, Alvaro Uribe Velez. Uribe is considered the founder of Colombia’s current paramilitary movement and was once listed by the US Defense Intelligence Agency as one of Colombia’s top 100 drug traffickers.

In 2016, the oldest armed insurgency of the hemisphere, the Arm Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC by its Spanish initials) and the Colombian government, under the leadership of President Santos, signed the peace agreement.   At the same time, ex-president Alvaro Uribe Velez led the forces opposing the agreement. Once the agreement was signed, his party, the Democratic Center, focused all its work to dismantle the peace process.

Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country in the world for human rights defenders. According to Indepaz and the Marcha Patriótica (Patriotic March), some 800 human rights defenders and social leaders, and 200 ex combatants, have been murdered since the signing of the peace accords. Read the entire statement here….

IAM District 10

IAM at MAM – Milwaukee Art Museum

700 N Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee, WI – 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

Join is on Saturday, August 15, 2020 at the Milwaukee Art Museum to show solidarity for the International Association of Machinists Local Lodge 66 members in negotiations with MAM. Wear your IAM gear, hats, tees as you tour the re-opened art museum!

Admission is free, but ticket reservations are strongly recommended due to limited building capacity. Visit www.mam.org to reserve your timed tickets and plan your visit. MAM hours are 9:30 am – 5:00pm.