Vigil for justice for LGBT people this Monday!

On March 26^th  and 27^th , the U.S. Supreme Court will consider two cases that are fundamentally about whether same-sex couples, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans should have the same freedoms as everyone else.  The Supreme Court will make rulings on whether or not it is constitutional for the federal government to deny a minority of U.S. citizens’ rights and privileges with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and whether or not a majority of Californians can vote to take rights away from a targeted minority with Proposition 8 (which overturned the CA marriage equality law).  The two cases being heard have implications that reach beyond marriage equality, as the court will consider whether these laws violate the LGBT community's U.S. Constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law.

As members of Springfield’s Stop The Hate and Homophobia Coalition, we are not only seeking justice in the Supreme Court to relieve collective denial of rights to LGBT people, but also seeking justice in that very Springfield federal court house from persecution and the crimes against humanity committed in Uganda and worldwide by Springfield’s Scott Lively.  Here in the United States, housing and employment protections for LGBT people are just two of the rights Scott Lively actively campaigns against.  Internationally, he actively campaigns against all equal rights for LGBT people, including the basic freedoms of speech and assembly which Americans presume guaranteed.

The U.S. Constitution says “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”  President Obama said in his inaugural speech in January “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”   The LGBT community is not only seeking its chance to pursue happiness, but also full federal equality and justice.

On Monday March 25^th, starting at 6pm on the steps of the federal court house at 300 State Street in Springfield, the Stop The Hate and Homophobia Coalition of Springfield will hold a candlelight vigil, standout and speakers.  Our gathering will be one of over 100 in a nationwide event being coordinated by the Light the Way to Justice Coalition (http://lighttojustice.org).  Please JOIN us as we come together to fight for equality everywhere!

Cathy Kristofferson

GetEQUAL Massachusetts

Stop The Hate and Homophobia Coalition Springfield

Why I love Arise; why we work for social justice Part One

Excuse this more personal post as a way to talking about Arise's recent work and what lies ahead.  I've been a little teary today, but only once from sadness; mostly I've been moved by the remarkable number of people who have given so much of their lives to making things right with the world.

This past week didn't start out very well.  We'd signed up for Toys for Tots for some of our members and close contacts, and, when we were called to pick up our order, we discovered we had less than half the toys we needed!  We put a call for help to the folks in our network, and folks are starting to make commitment to help.  (Still need more help, though; email, leave a comment or call us at 734-4948).

This was all my fault-- I'll tell you why-- so I'm determined to make it right.  Here's what happened.  Way back at the beginning of Arise, when our office was next door to an infamous "welfare motel,"  we decided we were going to do a Christmas Party for all the homeless children in Springfield.  We'd find out the names and ages of all the kids in shelters, plus our motel folks, spend months recruiting toys from every agency and church we we could think of, and then throw a huge party, with Santa and presents and lots of food.  It was lots of fun and utterly exhausting.

We did this every year for four years and every year we had to start earlier and work harder.  On the fifth year, after much discussion and soul-searching, we sent a letter to everyone who had ever donated a toy.  We said that after thinking it through, we'd decided that these parties were not really what Arise was all about.   We wanted to be about social change, not charity, and that we felt our parties were diverting our time and energy from our real mission.  We asked people if they would be willing to contribute the money they would have spent on toys directly to Arise instead.  To our joyful surprise, a number of people did so.  And that was the birth of our base of donors which has helped sustain us ever since.

These days, there's absolutely no way we could take care of all the homeless children in Springfield.  And besides, who's to say which child is homeless and which is not?  70% of homeless or about to be homeless families who apply for shelter from the Dept. of Housing and Community Development   Keep that in mind when you look at this chart.

But we know that this year, families are hurting more than ever before, and when  I realized we were eligible to apply for Toys for Tots, I gave in to temptation and asked other staff and board what they thought-- and we did it.

Maybe it's because it's the holiday season, or the sun is in Sagittarius, my sign, but I believe this is going to work out.

More about everything tomorrow.

International Human Rights Day: Rally, Dinner, Conversation

People's Music Network coming to Springfield!

OK, this is exciting-- the People's Music Network Winter Gathering will take place in Springfield this year!
Lots going on-- and I will keep posting about this-- but right now I want to invite you to a meeting of local musicians, artists and those who believe in the power of music on Tuesday, December 11, 6 pm at Arise, 467 State St.  Let's make sure that the color, composition and creativity of our community is in full force at the PMN Gathering in January.

Here's the PMN press release:

The Peoples Music Network will hold its Winter Gathering at the Duggan Middle School, 1015 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield, MA on the weekend of January 25-27, 2013.  The theme for the weekend will be “Taking Back Our Communities”.

           The Peoples Music Network (PMN) uses music and culture to bring about social change.  PMN is a network of musicians, performers, song-writers, DJs, sound and recording engineers, music lovers, record and concert producers, promoters and archivists, whose artistry is rooted in political and social activism.  In the words of Paul Robeson, “The artist must fight for freedom or slavery.”

      

            Since 1977, PMN has developed a format that includes a Friday night concert, a weekend of workshops, and a round robin. Members come from all over the country to share their love of music. The gatherings are held in different cities each winter. Summer gatherings are at a camp in the Hudson Valley.                                      

           PMN is a place to come to work on issues pertaining to cultural survival. It is a welcoming place for new musicians and songwriters as well as seasoned veterans.  It is a culturally diverse group of people committed to working on issues of oppression, having fun in the process.

             The winter gathering will present a dynamic group of musicians at its Friday night concert on January 25.  The concert will be held in the Duggan Middle School Auditorium and will begin at 7:30 pm.  The evening’s line-up will combine the political poignancy of emma’s revolution, comprised of Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow, PMN’s Artists-in-Residence, the revolutionary lyrics of David Rovics, the musical version of Democracy Now!,  the passion and power of multilingual singer/songwriter Colleen Kattau & Some Guys, the kamikaze guitar style of Pamela Means, the driving beat of Springfield’s hip hop artists from the “Like It Or Not” collective, and the jazz-infused, hip-hop bred, politicized texts of Lenelle Moise. All the performers have a strong commitment to social, ecological and economic justice.

Weekend workshops and song swaps focus on topics such as songwriting, the marketing of musicians, funny songs, choral and improvisational singing, rounds, labor, protest, war and peace songs, environmental, economics, homelessness, and gay/lesbian/bisexual issues.

           

             There will be a Plenary on Saturday afternoon, focusing on music and the movement that is working to take back our communities. Co-sponsors of the weekend are the community organizations of Jobs with Justice, Arise for Social Justice and the Pioneer Valley Project. We invite you or your organization to co-sponsor the PMN weekend. The primary responsibility of co-sponsors is to help publicize the weekend and to encourage your members/associates to attend.

Over 100 PMNers will be coming from out of town and will need lodging for the weekend. If you can provide a homestay for the weekend and for more information, contact Diane Crowe, at diacrowe@yahoo.com  -   413-548-9394.

www.peoplesmusic.org

The “Grand Bargain”: Thanks But No Thanks!

The “Grand Bargain”: Thanks But No Thanks!

WHAT:            Press Conference

WHEN:           Thursday, November 29, 11:30 am

WHERE:        Old Federal Building, 1500 Main St.

WHO:              20 people including Union and Peace activists, green energy small business people, social service and medical providers, National Priorities Project, and religious leaders

President Obama and congressional Republicans are negotiating a “Grand Bargain”.  The danger is that such a bargain will undermine the economy and slash vital social programs instead of growing the economy and improving the quality of life for Americans.

“Reports indicate that a “Grand Bargain” may increase the Medicare eligibility age, switch to a ‘chained CPI’ to reduce future benefits for Social Security recipients, allow extended unemployment insurance to expire, or make similar cuts," said Susan Theberge of Fund Our Communities Not War.  “Any 'Grand Bargain' with further cuts beyond the $1.5 trillion already adopted by Congress should be rejected out of hand. In the spirit of this holiday season, ‘thanks but no thanks.’”

Adds Jon Weissman of Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, "We’re not broke! We need our Senators to heed the will of Massachusetts voters who overwhelmingly passed the Budget for All question, to oppose any 'deal' that would cut programs that benefit us all, and to invest in jobs instead.”

The "Budget for All" referendum question passed in all 91 cities and towns in which it was on the ballot by an average 3 to 1 margin. The referendum called on Congress and the President to prevent cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits and other vital safety net programs; stimulate the economy by creating and protecting jobs; raising revenues by closing corporate tax loopholes and raising taxes from the top 2% income earners; and redirecting military spending to domestic needs and ending the Afghanistan war now. 

The “Deal for All” resolution, H. Res. 733, makes similar proposals as the “Budget for All”. It is cosponsored by 41 members of Congress, including Massachusetts Reps. Capuano, Frank, Markey, McGovern, and Olver.

Join us for a press conference calling on the President and Congress to heed the will of Massachusetts voters, fiscal responsibility and the social conscience in the imminent budget deal.

'Kill the Gays" bill back before Ugandan parliment

Readers of this blog know that we have our own local villain in Springfield-- "Rev." Scott Lively.  Join us on December 7 for a standout for International Human Rights Day-- details to follow.  Take action!

Act now to stop the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda. Join the global outcry now and make sure Museveni keeps his promise to veto. Dear amy, Uganda's infamous "Kill the Gays" bill is back. If it passes, this horrific law would allow the death penalty for lesbian and gay Ugandans. It could pass at any moment.  President Museveni once promised to veto this heinous bill. But Uganda's politicians are desperate to pass the bill and they're pressuring Museveni to give in. The Speaker of the Parliament is actually calling it a "Christmas gift" to Uganda! Last May, millions of us stood up with activists from across Uganda to stop this very same law - and it worked.  Now we have to do it again.  We need to take action and share this far and wide.  We need every voice to build a massive outcry that the media and world leaders can't ignore.  The pressure could be enough to stop this bill in its tracks: www.allout.org/uganda According to our partners, the bill is now up for debate and can be voted on at any moment.  As Ugandan politicians work to finalize the the text of the bill, one thing is clear - if passed, it will force lesbian, gay, bi and trans Ugandans into the shadows.  Despite global opposition, some politicians in Uganda refuse to give up the bill and one is even calling for a new regional law, that would send every gay person in Africa to jail – for life. If this bill passes in Uganda, it wouldn't just mean tragedy for gay and lesbian Ugandans – it could set off a domino effect across the continent. Will you add your name and ask your friends to sign with you now? www.allout.org/uganda These politicians are using homophobia to distract Ugandans – and the world – from the very real problems they're supposed to be addressing at home, from corruption to freedom of the media. They're playing political games with people's very lives and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Ugandans will pay a steep price if they win. With millions of us together, we helped knocked this bill off course once before. Our friends in Uganda need to know we still have their backs.  Sign now and then ask your friends to get on board – there's no time to lose! www.allout.org/uganda This global movement for the simple right to live and love freely is unstoppable. But, as this hateful bill shows, there are still many hurdles in the historic battle for human rights and full equality. This is one of those milestone moments, and by raising your voice you are making a huge difference. Thanks for going All Out. Best, Andre, Hayley, Jeremy, Sara and the rest of the All Out team. SOURCES: Uganda's anti-gay bill to be passed by end of year www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/official-ugandas-anti-gay-bill-to-be-passed-by-end-of-year-despite-criticism-abroad/2012/11/12/a4f5d3b8-2cb4-11e2-b631-2aad9d9c73ac_story

Contact:

Jen Nessel, CCR, (917) 442-0112, jnessel@ccrjustice.org

 

 

Center for Constitutional Rights

Condemns Reintroduction of Ugandan

Anti-Homosexuality “Kill the Gays” Bill

 

 

November 21, 2012, New York, NY –  In response to today’s announcement that the Ugandan parliament has reintroduced its notorious anti-homosexuality bill, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

 

The Center for Constitutional Rights strongly condemns the Ugandan parliament’s reintroduction of its notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Whether the bill is passed into law or not, it intensifies a climate of hatred and persecution of the Ugandan LGBTI community, where activists have been outed in the press, attacked and killed. While we have not yet seen the current version of the bill, earlier versions have led to the death penalty for homosexual acts between consenting adults, criminalized writing, speaking, demonstrating, or otherwise advocating for LGBTI rights, and required extended prison sentences for anyone  – including family members, doctors and clergy – who does not turn a suspected member of the LGBTI community over to the authorities.

 

The reintroduction of this bill comes, as it has several times in the past, at a time of political turmoil in Uganda.  It serves as a convenient distraction from foreign aid embezzlement scandals, a pension scam involving a high-level government official and a damaging UN report on Uganda’s role in the Congo.

 

U.S. evangelicals have played a major role in fomenting this hate as well as creating the legislative strategy, which puts a special onus on the U.S. government to publicly condemn the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The Center for Constitutional Rights stands with Sexual Minorities Uganda and everyone in Uganda fighting for the rights of LGBTI people, and we join international calls for this bill to be stopped once and for all. 

   

 

The Center for Constitutional Rights brought the case Sexual Minorities Uganda v. Lively against Abiding Truth Ministries President Scott Lively for his anti-gay efforts in Uganda, including his efforts to strip away fundamental rights form LGBTI persons in Uganda.

 

The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change. Visit www.ccrjustice.org and follow @theCCR.

EPA Brownfield Forum in McKnight

 

Generosity brightens the day for homeless families

Today was a long day and we talked and met with two more homeless families but several people stepped up today and showed they cared.  

First let me say that the mom in the family who is staying with me is a great cook and whether I get home at 6, 7 or 8 pm., she has set aside a plate for me.  What a luxury, seeing as I don't do much cooking!

Sr. Claire from the Peace Pagoda came down and brought two bags of food.  We can sometimes have a lot of people in our too small office and they are often hungry (us, too)!

Another woman (I don't know if it's politic for her if I use her name) brought in 6 sleeping bags, a dozen pillows, and crayons and scribble pads for homeless kids!  The next family we hear of who is sleeping outside or in theircar, we can help to keep warm.

I met with a young woman and her amazingly blue-eyed baby today. They and the baby's father are homeless-- long story, and the only time she went down to DHCD to see if she could qualify for shelter, the worker said she would be calling DCF-- the Department of Children and Families.  (This was not for a "health and safety" assessment to help her qualify for shelter; it was a threat about the removal of her son.)  We will work with them to go down to DHCD and reapply, but meanwhile they are not in a tenable or stable situation.  

A Springfield couple who had read our recent newsletter had called us last week and offered their home for a homeless family for a few days at a time.  I gave them a call and they said, "Certainly!"  What a relief!

We need more households willing to do this-- to take a family in for a few days if they can.  I know it's not for everyone and not everyone has the space and some have families who say no, but please, for those who can....think about it.

Big thanks for help with bedding last week: Thanks, Mo Ringey-Gareau, Kathleen Ward and Nancy Woodman, for blankets, and thanks, Joe Oliverio, for hooking us up with Dave's furniture for mattresses.  They're beoing put to good use even as I write this.

Photo from JulieJordanScott's pohotostream at Flickr.

Correction/Update to last night's post

I owe HAP an apology for writing last night that the agency was responsible for leaving my family stranded at the motel.  They actually had paid for the family to stay three nights at the Springfield Inn, 1573 Riverdale St., W. Springfield.  Apparently what happened was that something got lost in translation when HAP gave that information to the DHCD worker to give to my family, because my mom has a note, not written in her own handwriting, that says Super 8 Motel, 1573 Riverdale St (The Super 8 is actually at 1500 Riverdale.)  So when my family saw the Super 8, they thought thatthat's where they were supposed to go, and didn't even notice that the address was not quite the same.

HAP responded well to this family by offering to pay for three nights in a motel, and I regret that I assumed that because HAP had said they would pay, that my family being stranded until nearly 10 pm. last night was HAP's fault. it was not.

The DHCD policy of leaving families hanging for as long as possible before providing a few of them with shelter is fraught with opportunities for error at the least and real trauma and tragedy for families at the worst. 

Five kids, one wheelchair, one service dog and two exhausted parents in a van

I could tell you the recent stories of half a dozen homeless families tonight, but I will tell you only one: the story of a family with five children, one in a wheelchair, who would have spent the night sleeping in their van outside the Motel 8 in West Springfield, abandoned by HAP Housing, had not Arise staffer Liz driven over to the motel and used her car insurance money to rent them two rooms for the night.

Here's how this happened: Liz has been working with this family since September 27, trying to help them get into a family shelter.  Until recently, they lived in New York but traveled frequently to Springfield because their eight year old son has spina bifida, and has received treatment all his life from Shriner's Hospital.  The dad is the kind of guy who's always been able to do what he needed to take care of his family but he was recently diagnosed with heart problems and he can't go back to work until the docs can figure out-- and treat-- what's wrong with him.  The son receives disability but otherwise, the family has never been on public assistance.

Given that dad was not working anymore, they decided to move to Springfield to be closer to their son's doctors at Shriner's.  They found an apartment long-distance, negotiated, and and paid first month's rent.  But when they arrived in Springfield, the landlord saw the son's service dog, and refused to rent to them.  They had no place to go, and moved into Motel 6 in Chicopee, where they quickly went through their reserve money.  By last  Monday, they were down to their last week of money, and we referred them to the Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), housed in the welfare office.  They were told it didn't look good for them to qualify for shelter, but thus began the endless quest for "verifications" needed to determine their case.  Last Friday, when they were at the DHCD office, and told the workers there that they only had enough money to pay through till Monday night, they were told that they were not homeless yet, they were only "preparing to be homeless."  Unfortunately, the day that they would actually be homeless was on Monday, Columbus Day, a day the DHCD office was closed.

We started calling churches to see if anyone could help pay for the family to stay until Tuesday morning, a lo and behold, Grace Episcopal Church in Chicopee paid for the night.  And then, this morning, they packed up all their stuff and, at 9 am., went back to DHCD.

More verifcations.  They had to go to Shriner's to get a letter verifying their son had spina bifida and was a patient there!  All day the family called us from DHCD to keep us updated on how it was going with them.  Finally, after checking it was OK with the family, I called DHCD and left a message that if they didn't find a place for this family TODAY that they could see the family being interviewed on Channel 22 and then it would be up to DHCD so explain how they could leave a kid in a wheelchair out on the street.  Then I called the associate director of HAP, whose agency. I had heard has some Emergency Shelter Grant funds, and asked them if they would use that money to get the family back in a motel   Finally, at 4:30, I got a call from HAP, saying that they would pay for the family in the Super 8 motel until Friday morning.  We were all greatly relieved.  (I suspect DHCD and HAP were communicating about how to avoid negative publicity, as HAP administers several pots of money designed for families not eligible for shelter, or to help families already in shelter get out-- not enough to mitigate the now astounding 78% denial rate of families in need of shelter or housing.

At 9 pm tonight, Liz called me.  The mom had called Liz at home to say they were parked outside the Motel 8 because no verification that HAP was willing to pay for their rooms had ever arrived!  They'd actually gone to the motel much earlier, about 6 pm., and were told "No verification yet, come back later."  So they had just been waiting, two adults, one of them sick, 5 children, one in a wheelchair, and a service dog-- in the van, in the cold.

Liz called Prospect Shelter, a program of HAP, to see if they had an emergency number for HAP personnel, but they didn't.  I called the WMA director of DHCD, whose work cellphone number I happened to have, but she didn't pick up and I left a message.  Called Liz back and she said she could front the money to pay for two rooms for the night, but she would absolutely need it back. 

"Don't worry," I said, "HAP was willing to pay for them so why shouldn't they reimburse you?"

Liz set out to drive to West Springfield.  The DHCD director called me back and I filled her in.  She couldn't understand why HAP hadn't paid. .  I told her Liz was headed over to pay if necessary.  She said to give her tn minutes to see what she could do.Ten minutes later she called me back and said she'd called HAP's director, co-director, and the head of the consumer housing division and none of them could understand what happened, either!  However, she didn't say that any of them had a clue or a suggestion about what to do -- none of them had volunteered to drive to West Springfield.  I think they were supposed to call her back-- as it approached 10 pm at night!!--  but as we were talking Liz beeped in to say she had paid for the family and they were set for the night.

I beeped back over to the DHCD director and told her what had happened, and that Liz had paid.

"Why didn't the family call earlier?"

"How would they know that nobody at HAP would be working and calling the motel after 5 pm?  And besides-- what if they hadn't had Liz's number to call at all?"

"I know, that would have been awful," she said, "but, you know, you're absolutely not being reimbursed for this."

"What!!!" I said.

"Don't pay for a room for a family unless you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart."

"Goodness of our hearts?  What do you think we've been doing tonight?  But you don't understand-- we are these people-- we need the money back-- and if HAP was willing to pay for this family and then through their own incompetence failed to do so, then I think they can pay us back."

"Well, you know, HAP gets this pot of money the same way you do...through donations, contributions..."

"HAP gets ESG money," I said, and she didn't answer.

"Well, I'm not getting in the middle of this," she said.  "I just want to make sure this isn't splashed all over your blog, that DHCD won't pay you back.

"Well, you very well may see it in our blog, if I'm not too tired to write it, but it won't be DHDC I'm mad about, it'll be HAP."

Now I need to take back half those words and not the half about HAP.  Although the local DHCD office was not responsible for tonight's fiasco, the new regulations DHCD put in effect as of August 1 are creating panic and chaos across the low-income community.  "Not eligible" is not the same as not homeless, not in need, not cold and not hungry.  But "not eligible" more and more implies a judgment of  "not worthy" by our policy makers and enforcers. 

DHCD is having a hearing in Springfield on the new regulations, and how it's working out for everyone (!).  If you're an affected family, a housed community member who cares about what's happening to the most vulnerable families, or you just want to see dissembling at its best, we need you to be there.

Western Massachusetts Hearing:

Monday, October 22nd

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

Springfield State Office Building 

436 Dwight Street, Room 305 

Springfield, MA 01103

Charles Wilhite: Never give up! Panel next Tuesday

Panel Discussion:

Resisting the New Jim Crow in the Pioneer Valley and the Campaign to Free Charles Wilhite of Springfield

Speakers: Ed Cage, Uncle to Charles Wilhite; Emahunn Campbell, W. MA Students Against Mass Incarceration; Sheldon Gaynor, Community Organizer; Ellen Graves, Arise for Social Justice; Holly Richardson, Out Now

_____

Charles Wilhite was convicted of murder in 2010 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.  Hear about the community and legal efforts that resulted in his being granted a new trial and how this struggle is related to legal scholar Michelle Alexander’s writings on mass incarceration and the New Jim Crow.

______

Presented by: Student Chapter of the WNE National Lawyers Guild

Free baby-- 1 1/2 yr old little girl-- any takers? and other tales from Arise

We've started monitoring DHCD at the Liberty St.welfare office in Springfield (and as the word is spreading, we're also hearing from families in Holyoke) and let me tell you-- if I had to put up with what many of these families are dealing with, I'd either be homicidal or suicidal.

We've been trying to help a single dad with eleven year old twins.  They've been living in a pop-up camper in a friend's back yard-- no running water, no electricity.  The first time the father went to DHCD, he was not given an application for shelter; he was told he was keeping his children in unsafe conditions and they were going to call the Dept. of Children and Families  and report him.  Of course he left, furious and terrified.  We told him to go back to DHCD the next day and insist on filling out an application.  I also called DCF in Boston to ask if they thought it was appropriate to be used as a threat against homeless families.  The father now has an appointment for Friday, but DHCD still had to include another threat, telling him he was just a heartbeat away from having a 51A (abuse and neglect) filed on him.

We finally got a mom and her three grandkids into shelter today, on the very day the sheriff was to physically remove them from their apartment. (I wrote about her in "The only thing we can do for you is walk you to the door." She and her grandkids, aged 2, 4 and 12, had gone back and forth between DHCD and the School Department four times, with DHCD insisting on a particular form they said the School Department had, and the School Dept. insisting they had no such form.  Finally, a call to the homeless liaison at the school dept. generated a screenshot of the child's enrollment which DHCD was willing to accept-- temporarily, until the grandmother proves she has legal custody. (Her daughter is incarcerated, and the notarized letter she'd given her mother had been good enough for the family to receive TAFDC benefits.)  When I asked my DHCD contact why the runaround, she said that without such strictness, anybody could walk into the welfare office and claim children as theirs when they really weren't.

"Yeah," I said, "but how often does that actually happen? Sounds like the kind of reasons used for tightening voter eligibility-- voter fraud-- when it scarcely exists."  She didn't disagree and gave me no examples that this kind of welfare fraud really happens..

Yesterday and today we've been hearing about-- and acting on behalf of-- a 26 year old mother and her four year old daughter who were found wandering in the middle of the night by the Holyoke Police.  The police were kind enough to let them stay at the station until morning, when they could drop her off at the Holyoke welfare office, where she was told by a worker,  "There are no shelters anymore."  She found her way to an ally (who shall remain nameless) and from there to the Mass Justice Dept.  They told her to go back to the office and ask for an application for shelter; she did, but DHCD refused to give her one.  So she was going to be sent back to the office once again, but now it was too late in the day and none of the advocates knew how to help her in time for tonight, so they suggested she spend the night in the Holyoke Hospital emergency room, and come back in the morning.  It was at that point that I put out a plea on our Facebook page, asking for mattresses and bedding.

I must say that everyone of these advocacies  has involved intense collaboration with the Mass Law Reform Institute, Mass Coalition for the Homeless and the Mass Justice Project.

Now to the free baby: yesterday was a long day but I was full of energy again after a meeting of our newest, two-month old committee, VOCAL-- Voicing Our Community Awareness Level.  We're dealing with criminal justice issues and the core group is fervent and strong.  However, I was definitely ready to go home when a friend of Arise, we'll call her Dorothy, stopped into the office.

Dorothy is not quite a member of Arise, because she is too busy completing her education in Early Childhood Education to take on the work, but we see her frequently during the school year, when she stops in to visit until it's time for her bus.

Dorothy is one of the sweetest, kindest people I know.  Two months ago, she and her high school aged daughter  opened their home to an elderly man who became homeless after his apartment building was condemned.  It was going to be a temporary arrangement, but he fits in well, and contributes to the rent (which the landlord raised because there was an extra adult living in the apartment), so there's now a tinge of permanency in Dorothy's voice when she talks about him.

"I've got some new people at my house," she said.

"Really?  Who are they?"

"This 26 year old girl and her year and a half old baby-- a girl."

"Where did you find them?"

"I was in the bathroom at the bus station and the girl was in there-- she was crying hard-- and the baby was balanced on the edge of the sink, and I was worried about her, because her mother was crying so hard, and not paying attention, so we got talking, and she had nowhere to go, so I took them home."

"Wow, Dorothy, can I help?-- try to get her into shelter?"

"I don't know," she said.  "The girl may not stay-- she has a boyfriend in Alabama and she texts him all day.  But she might leave the baby behind with me...but I don't know how to take him and still finish school..." Her voice trails off.

"How did that come about?"

"The girl just said to me, 'Please take my baby.  Please.  I just can't take care of her anymore.'  We went down to court last week for me to get temporary custody and we have a court date in September....My school has daycare but she's too young."

"Maybe you can be his foster mother, get some financial help, pay for daycare; they do exist for chilrden that young."

"I took her-- the baby-- to church last week, just to see how she'd be, and she was good, quiet, and she waved at the other people and she waved at me....she's a sweet baby....my daughter says she'd like to have a sister..."

"You've fallen in love with the baby," I said.

"Yes.  I've fallen in love."

She told me more about the girl-- the mother-- which I won't write here, except to say that the girl has a dream that she will marry her boyfriend, and they will get a little house, and everything will be all right, and then she can come back for her baby.  (Want to count the broken hearts in this dream?) What I heard of her story answers at least part of this question: What could possibly make a woman so desperate that she would plead, to a person she scarcely knows, "Please take my baby.  I can't take care of her anymore?"

I haven't been able to get them out of my mind all day.  I left a message on Dorothy's phone tonight.

"Listen, I really want to talk to you about the girl and her baby.  Let me help.  Maybe we can all meet together.  Maybe there's something we can figure out.  Call me."

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We had a training today for people willing to put in some time to monitor the DHCD offices.  We have another one scheduled for this Thursday at 5 pm. at our office, and will be scheduling more for next week.  We need more help if we and our communities are not to allow men, women and children to wander the streets.  Please call Arise at 413-734-4948 if you can give even an hour a week.  Thanks.

 Photo of Gari Melchers' Mother and Child from Who Wants to Know's photostream at Flickr.

Zinnias, butterflies, wheelchairs, wanderers

A man calls who is in a wheelchair and needs an electrical breathing apparatus at night.  He's moved into an apartment but can't get the electricity turned on because someone has fraudulently used his name at a residence where he's never lived.  Doesn't look like he can get this resolved until Monday at least.

A woman comes in looking for an efficiency apartment.  She'd been staying at a church-run "home" but was kicked out because she went to a relative's funeral instead of a house meeting.  We'll meet again Monday; we might have a few leads for her.  After she leaves, our senior aide says she knows two other people abruptly kicked out of the same facility, after turning over most of their money.

A woman emails me who has gradually become disabled and is now in a wheelchair.  She's single, has been bouncing from friend to friend, is on every waiting list for a handicapped apartment but is being told she's years away from getting one.  I don't know if there's any w3ay we can speed up the process.

Another woman calls-- her brother is incarcerated, is sick, in fear of his life, and is being transferred to a maximum security prison even though he only has a year of his short sentence left to serve..  Ellen talks to her; Ellen has already tried to reach advocates in eastern Mass on her behalf without success.

A man comes in who wants to know why he received an eviction notice even though he's paid his rent.  (This was an easy one.)

Ruth from Mass Law Reform Institute,  Liz and I get on the phone to plan our strategies around the homeless families being turned away from shelter.  We have some ideas. I start designing a flyer in my head that we can pass out at Welfare.  This is a war against the poor, well underway, while we're still rallying the troops.  (Too bad there's no way to "draft" the people who are supposed to care but are too busy to help.)  The good news is, we totally understand the battle strategies of the enemy: empty the shelters, and bar most everyone else from entering.  They count on the apathy of the people, and we have to find a way to prove them wrong.

Our semi-office cat comes in from the heat.  John stops over and takes a photo of a butterfly which has landed on the zinnias we've planted at our back door.  All in all, we've had worse days.

New biomass rules take effect Friday!

Hey, biomass developers! If you can't meet at least 50% efficiency, then you won't be considered green and renewable, meaning you will not be eligible for subsidies from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Mass. Dept. of Energy has announced.

In the last three years, both pro and anti-biomass activists have spent many hours in hearings and many hours researching and submitting testimony and evidence.  Yes, we would have liked the new rules to be even stronger.  But even as they are, not a single one of the biomass plants currently operating in New England can meet the new standards-- this according to the president of the pro-bio trade group, the Biomass Power Association.

Most biomass plants operate at less than 25% efficiency.  (Can you imagine if only  25% of the gas you put in your car's tank actually took you somewhere?) Burning trees and waste wood is no more "green and renewable" than coal or oil.

Let's be clear: these new rules do not prohibit the construction of biomass plants in Massachusetts; they simply mean those plants won't qualify for Renewable Energy Credits.  The developers of the proposed biomass plant in Springfield, Palmer Renewable Energy, has said it doesn't need the RECs to operate profitably. But I can't imagine they're thrilled with the new rules.

Stop Toxic Incineration in Springfield, Arise, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Toxics Action Center have accomplished a lot this year to keep PRE from moving forward in Springfield.  The city council revoked the company's special permit that a previous, all at-large version had approved, and when the building commissioner gave PRE a building permit anyway, we and the city council successfully appealed to the zoning board.  We appealed the plant's air permit to the Dept. of Environmental Protection, and the final decision is still pending.  PRE is appealing the building permit revocation to the Massachusetts Land Court, so our fight is not over.  But Springfield residents have had three years (so far!) where our already sick air has not been made sicker by spewing pollutants and greenhouse gases into our air.

Now we get to save our RECs for energy production for those sources that deserve it.

Homeless 18 yr old girl - any ideas?

Just got off the phone with an 18 year old girl who is homeless.  She called Worthington St. Shelter for Women, where she has stayed before, but was told there were no beds available.  Now, this is interesting, because the official policy of Friends of the Homeless, who administers both the men's and the women's shelter, is to never turn anyone away.  So I called Worthington St., and sure enough, it's true she was denied because the shelter is full.  The very nice woman I spoke with, when I mentioned that I thought there was a no turn-away policy, said that that policy needs to change.

"We're seeing the same kind of numbers," she said, "that we usually see in the winter."  We commiserated with each other a bit.  I chose to wait to insist they shelter this girl until I tried some other options.

I have a call into the homeless coordinator at the Springfield School Department, because the girl is still in high school.  I also have a call into Sr. Sanga, who runs Annie's House, although she never has an opening.  Last time I talked to her, she told me that the women just weren't turning over, because they couldn't fuind housing they could afford.

I called my girl back to tell her what I was trying, and to ask her a little more about how she became homeless.

"I've been in a foster home since I was 14, and when I was 18, I was stubborn and signed myself out of DCF custody," she said.  "Then I stayed at the Worthington Shelter for six weeks.  Then I went to stay with a friend in Worcester, but it wasn't safe-- the people in his house do drugs and I don't, it was pretty crazy there."

I suggested she try to sign herself back into DCF-- not easy, but not impossible.

Anyone have other ideas?

With what we know is happening to homeless families, all I can do is echo my girl and say, It's pretty crazy out there.

UPDATE: REALLY, REALLY BAD NEWS!  Friends of the Homeless has a NEW policy-- if you've been staying at one of their shelters and leave for what is considered to be a "housed" situation, you are not eligible for shelter for a year!   My girl is technically in that situation, but I spoke to the director, Bill Miller, who is going to call her and who might be willing to make an exception.

But more bad news: Bill says that those in the overnight shelter are going to have to come up with a housing plan, and if the "guests" are considered to be "noncompliant"(a pretty subjective term),  they will have to leave.  He says there are no time limits on shelter-- yet.

You would think the provider world would be more aware of what happens when you put people in a corner and give them no way out.

The Criminalization of School Discipline in Massachusetts' Three Largest School Districts

 Read this article-- although for poor families and families of color, it's a scenario we know all too well. Want to get involved in changing the picture?  Contact the Springfield Student Advocacy Project, (413) 342-0080, Email: SpringfieldSAP@gmail.com

Arrested Futures: The Criminalization of School Discipline in Massachusetts' Three Largest School Districts

from the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Massachusetts, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
Principal Author: Robin L. Dahlberg
From the Executive Summary:
On October 23, 2007, a 14-year-old boy at the Kennedy Middle School in Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested after he refused to walk with a teacher to her office and instead returned to his classroom. According to the police report, he yelled at the teacher, bounced a basketball in a school hallway, failed to respond to a police officer’s request to go with the teacher and slammed his classroom door shut. He was subsequently taken into police custody, handcuffed, transported to the police station and charged with “disturbing a lawful assembly.”
This incident illustrates a matter of growing concern to educators, parents and advocates: the extent to which the permanent on-site presence of police officers in public schools results in the criminalization of disruptive behavior. While other research has focused on zero-tolerance policies and the overuse of out-of-school suspension and expulsion as significant factors in feeding the “School-to-Prison Pipeline,” this report focuses on the additional problem of arrest, in particular the use of arrest to address behavior that would likely be handled in the school by school staff if not for the presence of on-site officers.

Published on American Civil Liberties Union (http://www.aclu.org)

Source URL: http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/arrested-futures-criminalization-school-discipline-massachusetts-three-largest-school

3rd Annual C.O.R.I. Independence Day-Opportunity House

Project Coordinator, Keith Peters of Arise for Social Justice, spoke to a group of men at The Opportunity House this morning, June 19th. Keith spoke in depth on the logistics of sealing criminal records. The men at the Opportunity House are recovering from substance abuse and other health issues. Obtaining Employment and Housing can be difficult when you have a record with the criminal justice system. Keith promoted the upcoming CORI reform day being held at Blunt park in Springfield, MA on June 30th from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The men at the Opportunity House  had many questions around CORI and the 3 Strikes legislation currently being considered in Massachusetts.
The Opportunity House, owned by Behavioral Health Network- BHN, has 38  residents. The average stay at the House is from 6 to 7 months. With the help of a experienced staff, each resident is encouraged to establish a recovery network, rebuild family ties, find employment and housing.  It is one of the few effective programs in the state offering these services. Opportunity house has been open since 1971. BHN also operates "My Sisters House" a similar program for Women located in Springfield Ma.
Arise applauds the efforts of the Staff at Opp House for allowing all of the residents to attend this important event, both this morning and the upcoming event on June 30th