Category: Justice

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Racism in the national Charter School Movement is not new

Charter schools represent resegregationWhat’s known today as the Charter School Movement is not new. The concepts that drives it were born prior to 1954, when students of color won the right to equal education through the historic lawsuit, Brown v. Education, which ushering in the desegregation of schools throughout the country. What we are seeing today is simply a big step forward being taken by racists with money and power to re-segregate schools and make sure that Brown and Black students receive inferior educations.

These 1%ers want to make certain that public schools will never produce another brilliant Barack Obama. And, they want to make sure they get hold of the money public schools’ budget and buildings represent. read more

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Christie’s people won’t honor OPRA request about conditions in 4 schools

bad school conditions in NJThe Schools Development Authority (SDA) is denying the public information on the facility conditions at Camden High School, Thomas G. Connors Elementary School (Hoboken), Cleveland Elementary School (Orange), and Orange High School.

The Education Law Center made an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to obtain the SDA’s reports on the facility conditions at these four schools which are badly in need of repair. The SDA said no. This is unacceptable! Communities have a right to know what the facility conditions are at their schools. This is another example of the SDA stalling on urgent repairs. read more

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Privatization on steroids trend has deep hooks in public ed

schoolhouseIt escaped our notice that the privatization on steroids trend was reaching deeper hooks into public education than we dreamed it might. Yet, the encroachment makes sense within the context of increasing privatization every where. First, we had private food services doing the jobs of lunch ladies in our schools. We have seen a growing number of private corporations managing prison facilities … and some of them are currently extorting money from state governments which failed to live up to their contractual agreement to keep the prisons at least 95% full in order to satisfy the managing corporations’ profit expectations. read more

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Thou shall not kill – the spirit of the young

Carl SharifFriend Carl Sharif tells this wonderful story of elder wisdom transmitted to him as a youth that speaks to the meaning of God’s words and how they apply to our lives on multiple levels:

I grew up in the Christian Church and my father (Deacon P. Dawson) was Chairman of the Deacon Board and quite a student of the bible. I will never forget a discussion he had with me when I was a very young boy.

I once asked him about the 10 commandments and he recited them to me. When he got to “Thou shall not kill” I was terrified. I thought of all the ants that I had stepped on, mosquitoes I had swatted and other major act of murder I had committed and was really scared that G_D was going to get me. He sensed my youthful concern and here is what he said to me: read more

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Detroit suburb police terrorize & demean African American men

Man harrassed by Detroit policePolice are harassing African American men in a Detroit suburb, and investigative journalist Steve Neavling has video clips and a photo of the abuse. Neavling reports in his blog, Motor City Muckraker.

“Most of the videos are shot from squad cars while African American men are told to sing or “dance like a chimp.”

The Huffington Post received a statement from Grosse Pointe Park Police Captain David Loch:

On Thursday, November 14 2013, the Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Department was contacted by an individual who said that he was in possession of video clips and a photo of African American males. The video clips and photo are allegedly made by an officer of this department. The department has begun an internal investigation of this matter. The Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Department does not tolerate unprofessional conduct by its officers when interacting with any citizen they may come in contact with. read more

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House is auctioned off, a man buys it and returns it to former owner

An Argentine media portal published news today of a beautiful and generous act that saved a family from forcible eviction.

In Bahia Blanca, Argentina, a man named Claudio Del Valle bought at foreclosure auction the house of a woman whose family was under order of eviction, and returned it to her.

Silvina Corzo and her two sons were on the verge of homelessness and were very distressed. The Banco de La Pampa had ordered their house at 1647 Enrique Julio to be auctioned off. Seconds after the auctioneer accepted Mr. Claudio Del Valle’s offer of 71 thousand pesos for the property, Mr. Del Valle approached Silvina and told her, “Don’t worry. I purchased the house for you.” read more

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Join Newark students in mass rally & boycott for local control on Mon. Nov 4

Newark Student Union/No ChristiebuttonsThe Newark Students Union (NSU) organized a massive 1,000 student walkout last April and on Monday Nov 4, they will stage another mass boycott demanding that quality education be returned to Newark. The students want Gov. Christie to fund schools at court ordered levels and to repair school buildings, which are currently unsafe – two legal obligations which Christie has refused to honor. Spread the word about the rally and be there if you can. The social media hashtag is #npsboycott.

Boycott & Rally to Protest Gov. Christie’s Control of Newark Public Schools
November 4 2013 @ 9am
30 Clinton Street in Newark NJ read more

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How to vote in NJ before Election Day

We can vote early in NJ even though we don’t have what is technically called “early voting,” because we can vote by paper ballot. There are three ways to vote early the week before Election Day:
Be informed - vote

Mail in the Application to Vote by Mail.

  • Application must be received by the Tuesday before Election Day (7 days before Election Day).
  • Your paper ballot will be delivered to you by the USPS.
  • Fill out and send back the paper ballot by USPS, and your 100% full-fledged, legal vote will be cast.
  • To be counted, the ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by 8pm on Election Day.
    • read more

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    Yardstick

    There must be another yardstick by which we measure success in life. Money and power are not doing the job.

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    Issues, news and fact checking for NJ’s 2013 election season

    THIS ELECTION VOTE YOURSELF A RAISE! Vote YES on the ballot referendum to raise the NJ minimum wage to $8.25/hr

    Also in the 2013 election cycle, all of New Jersey’s state level positions are up for election including Assembly, State Senate seats and the governorship. Federal and state elected officials have the ability to make changes to improve, approve or eradicate the issues listed below. Your vote and your voice make them accountable so be sure to vote. (Download issues flyer).

    Vision test - VOTE

    • Protect the constitutional right of every US citizen to have one vote and get it counted
    • Fund and enact The Amistad Act which calls for racially accurate history to be taught in NJ schools
    • Food justice: eradicate urban food deserts and barriers to home & community gardening; ban of genetically modified foods (GMOs); make college food healthier and more affordable
    • Reverse Citizens United ruling that gives corporations the status of personhood
    • Take big money out of general elections (see rootstrikers.org)
    • Save the open internet and protect it from takeover and control by corporate interests (see savetheinternet.com)
    • Ban prison based gerrymandering which causes prison inmates’ families to lose government resources in their home states and counties
    • Stop privatization of schools, prisons, nursing homes and food services
    • Moratorium on foreclosures to protect 1 in 4 Black &Latino families who are in danger of losing their homes
    • Hold banks accountable for wrongful foreclosures, charging Blacks and Latinos higher mortgage interest rates, refusing to renegotiate underwater mortgages; and failing to provide maintenance on foreclosed homes – which contributes to the creation of urban blight zones
    • Lower US prison population. We incarcerate almost 1% of American citizens, about 2.5 million individuals, whom are mostly Latinos and African Americans
    • Protect civil rights including: ban racial profiling, stop unfounded searches and halt incarceration of non- criminal undocumented immigrants
    • Achieve diversity of court justices on every level of the judicial system
    • Transition to a green economy and protect clean air, water and the environment. Prevent climate change.
    • Provide help to families with homes in foreclosure, the unemployed and the hungry
    • Protect women’s health, lives, career opportunities; and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
    • Hold major corporation and government agencies accountable for diversity in hiring and the awarding of small business contracts
    • Make minimum wage equal a living wage and protect American jobs. Vote yes to the NJ 2013 ballot referen- dum to raise min wage to $8.25/hr!
    • Expand the scope of the new federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which offers important protec- tions including: financial institutions may not enact excessive credit rate hikes or provide misleading informa- tion about credit terms and fees
    • Support for women and minority students wishing to enter STEM fields
    • Protect Obamacare and fund affordable community health centers
    • Continue the Deferred Action program & pass the DREAM Act for undocumented immigrant youth; enact comprehensive immigration reform
    • Increase support for Historically Black Colleges and Minority Serving Institutions and protect public education
    • End government subsidies to big banks and dirty fuel companies. Invest more in public education and health.
    • Maintain affordable interest rates on student loans (impacts 140,000 NJ students) and lower college tuition.
    • Increase the amount of Pell grant dollars available for low-income studentsTrack Congressional bills

    FACT CHECK & OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES read more

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    Attend info session for NJ’s non-violent fugitive Safe Surrender program

    Fugitive_Surrender foto imgTwo information sessions for November’s Fugitive Safe Surrender program are being held 6:30-8:30pm on Thursday, Oct. 17 in Hackensack and Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Paterson, NJ. Faith workers, community and re-entry advocates, criminal justice students and attorney volunteers will want to attend a session to learn directly from experts handling the program, what it can do for non-violent offender law fugitives. Volunteer needs and opportunities will also be discussed. Law and criminal justice student volunteers will gain valuable insights into the legal system and CE credits will be issued to attorney volunteers. read more

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    Booker now, or run a real Dem next year?

    Bob Braun says,

    (Disliking Lonegan) is not a great reason to vote for Booker. If Lonegan wins, he takes the seat now occupied by Christie’s Republican choice, Chiesa, and it doesn’t affect the balance in the senate. But next year, a real Democrat can be nominated who has not alienated much of the party. Booker is losing ground because the absentee mayor of an imploding city who is against public education and for private school vouchers doesn’t make for a real good Democratic candidate–and he probably wouldn’t have been nominated if Christie hadn’t interfered with the election cycle. read more

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    Cracking the Codes shows every day racism in America

    vignette - trip to the supermarket

    vignette - trip to the supermarketNew film asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Check out this vignette from the movie Cracking the Codes in which Joy DeGruy describes A Trip to the Grocery Store, where she as a Black woman is targeted for humiliation until her white skinned sister-in-law steps in.

    Sister-in-law shines a deserving spotlight on the injustice and inequity of how poorly Joy is being treated as compared with the friendly and welcoming customer service she just received. It becomes immediately clear to all observers that the shabby treatment is race related and it needs to stop. Joy points out that her half-Black, half-white SIL who appears to be a white woman, journeys through life with an understanding of the power of white privilege and is not afraid to use it to right racial injustice wherever she goes … And Joy invites white people everywhere to do the same.
    read more

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    Feeding homeless will get you arrested in Raleigh and over 50 US cities – Es prohibído por ley alimentar a los desamparados en Raleigh NC

    Raleigh NC police stop Love Wins from feeding homeless

    Raleigh NC police stop Love Wins from feeding homelessDo you know that in over 50 large US cities it’s illegal to share food with the homeless? Members of the church Love Wins in Raleigh, North Carolina learned this yesterday when they were threatened with arrest for distributing food to homeless in a park. The state of civil society in the United States is in much worse trouble than most people know.

    ¿ILEGAL SERVIR ALIMENTOS a desamparados en Raleigh, Carolina del Norte? Puede sonar a broma, pero la realidad es que oficiales de esa ciudad amenazaron con arrestar a voluntarios de la iglesia Love Wins que se disponían a repartirle comida a los necesitados en un parque. Hoy la noticia recorre las redes.
    http://www.eldiariony.com/ilegal-distribuir-alimentos-desamparados-raleigh-carolina-norte-iglesia-love-wins read more