Chicago Cuba Coalition
'Humor from My Pen' - Mar 9 to Apr 28 in Chicago
Start Date: Mar 09, 2012
End Date: Apr 28, 2012
Chicago will be hosting Humor from My Pen
– an exhibit of political cartoons by Gerardo Hernandez (one of the "Cuban
Five").
The Exhibit opening is
Friday, March 9, 2012 from 6pm to 9pm.
Calles y Sueños gallery in Pilsen
1900 S. Carpenter, Chicago
and will run through April 28, 2012
Many of you know about the case of the Cuban 5 – five Cubans locked up for
life in U.S. prisons for blowing the whistle on "anti-Castro" terrorists
operating out of Miami.
Their release is backed by former President James Carter, 10 Nobel
Laureates, a wide range of U.S. celebrities (including Ed Asner, Bonnie Raitt,
Ed Asner, Danny Glover, and Jackson Browne), and also is the single featured
"Unfair Trial" in Amnesty International's latest U.S. human rights report.
The opening will feature:
* a solidarity celebration with victims and fighters against torture
and false imprisonment
* appearances by Alicia Jrapko (Int'l Ctte. to Free the Five)
and Zoe Franklin (Chicago Council on Black Studies).
The exhibit is backed by an array of academic, artistic, community, and
political figures.
What's more, the exhibit will launch...
* the First Annual Chicago Cuba Film Festival,
screening four movies, two of which are Chicago premieres.
* a poetry event featuring Miguel Barnet,
president of Cuba's Writers and Artist Union.
* other presentations and events,
(including a full-sized recreation of Gerardo's prison cell).
To view the full schedule of events and films, go to
http://chicagocubacoalition.org
You can contact us at:
Chicago Cuba Coalition 312.952.2618
Calles y Sueños Gallery 773.208.0553 CYS_94@hotmail.com
CAPOW! Citizens Act to Protect Our Water
Don't Trust the 7 Billion Dollar Trust -
Start Date: Mar 29, 2012
End Date: Apr 18, 2012
DON'T TRUST THE $7 BILLION TRUST!
Mayor Emanuel wants us to trust him with the future of all of Chicago's
public assets. Today Rahm upped his private slush (oops I mean Investment)
fund to $7 Billion, you can read more here
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/us/private-aid-will-help-chicago-with-7-
billion-plan.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Rahm%27s%20investment%20Trust&st=cse
In announcing his plans for an Infrastructure Trust we were told "The
infrastructure trust is simply a financing tool. They won't have any control
over city assets. They won't be able to lease or sell. ... They're only there
to put together financing for projects we and the City Council decide to do."
In the March 1, 2012 press release announcing the plan, the mayor is
quoted as saying "Nothing is more crucial to our long-term competitiveness and
job creation than infrastructure. The Chicago Infrastructure Trust will bring
additional resources to stimulate public and private investment in our
infrastructure, create thousands of jobs for Chicagoans, and ensure that our
residents have a world-class quality of life."
Free money. Great projects. Thousands of jobs. Public-Private
Partnerships. World-class city. Where have we heard that before? How about in
the run-up to and the massive push behind Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics?
So how is THIS new privatization scheme going to work? You can download
the proposed ordinance here - http://tinyurl.com/TrustOrdinance. The mayor
calls the shots, as always. He appoints the five voting board members of the
Trust as well as its Chairman. The city (that's you and me) pony up $2,700,000
to get the project off the ground.
Perhaps most worrisome is Section 8, that says "To the extent that any
ordinance, resolution or order of the City is in conflict with the provisions
of this Ordinance, the provisions of this Ordinance shall be controlling." So
much for our elected City Council!
And what is the WHY behind all this? It's right there in the WHEREAS
sections of the ordinance:
"WHEREAS, a range of private investors and organizations, including
without limitation foundations, labor unions, public sector and private sector
pension funds, private equity funds, mutual funds and sovereign wealth funds
have demonstrated a growing interest in low-risk, long-term infrastructure
investments and it is in the best interest of the City to work collaboratively
with such investors and organizations in a transparent and strategic manner to
arrange required financing for a range of transformative infrastructure
projects."
Wouldn't we all like access to long-term, low or no risk investments! This
is the key to the whole scheme. We are going to buy some expensive debt. We
are all going to the payday loan store for a crippling loan that we will pay
for over the next several decades. Have you noticed Rahm never mentions how
much we will have to pay back or for how long?
Remember the parking meter scam. We got a little over $1 billion for the
75 year lease of our meters and MorganStanley will extract $11 billion over
the life of the deal. That's a no risk profit of $10 BILLION - a ten-to-one
return.
Professor Julie Roin, of the University of Chicago Law School, ripped into
the meter deal in an article for The Minnesota Law Review entitled
"Privatization and the Sale of Tax Revenues." She says "The underlying issue
stems from the temporal mismatch between the costs and benefits of the
contractual arrangement.....The amount of this obscured debt can be
substantial. "
Think of it this way - we want to buy some stuff for our city - say, a new
elevated line. We can self-fund this project by saving up and paying cash. Or
we can use our own credit card by going to the municipal bond market and
borrowing the money and then pay off that loan through taxes and fees. Or we
could start a Chicago public bank and lend the money to ourselves. This would
result in fairly low (and predictable) interest rates. Here, the cost of the
debt is low.
OR - we could use the corporate credit card and pay HIGHER INTEREST RATES
- higher because the financiers all need to extract profits. Just think of the
millionaire managers of MorganStanley the next time you have to park in
Chicago.
More Information on P3s can be obtained from Prof. John Loxley, Canada -
who wrote "Public Service - Private Profit" - An analysis of the claim that
private-public partnerships (called PPPs or P3s) reduce the building and
operating costs of public projects and services, this study examines a large
number of P3 case studies—from schools, bridges, and water treatment plants to
social services and hospital food services—and concludes the opposite: most
P3s are more costly to build and finance, provide poorer services, and are less
accessible than if they had been built and operated by public servants. The
book provides a clear explanation of what P3s are, the misleading accounting
procedures used by governments to make them appear more palatable, and how
many essential services are less accountable to citizens when private
corporations become involved.
Amazon link - http://www.amazon.com/Public-Service-Private-Profits-
Partnerships/dp/1552663388
Vimeo recording of Loxley presentation - 54 minutes -
https://vimeo.com/17952292
The Mayor isn't trying to foist this kind of scam on us, is he?
So who wants in? According to an article in The Bond Buyer, "Chicago has
nonbinding agreements from Citibank NA, Citi Infrastructure Investors,
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Inc., JPMorgan Asset Management
Infrastructure Group and Ullico to consider investing in projects." Wait a
minute. Aren't some of those entities the same ones the taxpayers bailed out a
while ago. Aren't they sitting on billions of dollars in cash and choking
small businesses and NOT helping home owners stay in their homes? Macquarie is
the firm that has our Skyway Bridge and will extract billions in profits from
it.
Haven't we been fleeced enough?
Author, Tom Tresser of IL Citizens for Public Banking
Here are some actions to take:
1) Please call your Alderman before it's too late and tell them that you
don't trust the Trust and neither should they! Find your Aldermen here:
http://chicago.legistar.com/People.aspx
Here are some questions to ask;
--Why would the Aldermen give their power away to Mayor Emanuel?
--How much are we going to have to pay for this private investment for how
long? And how are we going to pay for this; by hiking up CTA fares, from the
general budget, increased water rates?
--Why can't we continue to bond on the open market for our Infrastructure
needs, like we have been doing for decades? Per some news reports this Trust
may be paid an approximate 8% interest and Chicago is bonding at less than
that 4-6%, why should we pay 2-4% more for this private money?
--Don't we deserve an independent financial analysis of this investment
scheme?
--Don't we deserve public hearings, where citizens, and specialists in
finance and transit can testify about the projects being considered and the
need for this type of private investment, also on all of the alternatives to
this type of private investment?
Please let us know if you get any answers to your questions from the
Aldermen,
send us a quick note to drlora2@yahoo.com--thanks for making the call!
2) Please attend a rally to
Defend Public Transit
Wed, April 4th, 6pm
CTA HQ, 567 W. Lake St, Chicago.
Come on down with signs saying
"Don't trust the Trust, Fund Our Public Transit with Public $$$"
3) Come on down to the
City Council Finance Committee meeting on
Mon. April 16th at 9:00am,
2nd floor of City Hall,
and
The City Council meeting,
Wed, April 18th, 9:00am
2nd floor of City Hall
and ask the Aldermen to give us public hearings, an independent financial
analysis and answers to our questions!
Please do not let Rahm sell Chicago to his private investor buddies-
thanks!
Privatization Watch Illinois
IL Coalition to Protect the Public Commons
IL Citizens for Public Banking
www.Illinoispublicbanking.org
[Occupy Solidarity Illinois]
Occupy Chicago Launches the Chicago Spring April 7
Start Date: Apr 07, 2012
End Date: Apr 07, 2012
Come Together on April 7th to Launch the Chicago Spring!
Occupy Chicago put out the call and groups across Chicago fighting for
social and economic justice picked it up. The day starts with morning actions
in your neighborhood hosted by local groups which you can find here:
http://chicagospring.org/#!/Join_April_7th
1pm, we will meet at Jackson and Lasalle where we rally before heading to
the afternoon festival of art, education and empowerment. Many unscheduled
political and creative activities will be going on throughout the festival on
'the green' grass, including our massive community art project the 99% Wishing
Tree.
Here is the program of panel discussions, workshops, music and theater
Occupy Chicago is putting on:
Chicago Spring Stage
- "Education, Healthcare and Housing Are Human Rights!" Featuring:
Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. (Rainbow/PUSH Coalition), National Nurses United (NNU),
Sonja Rotenberg (Illinois Single-Payer Coalition), and Willie JR Fleming,
Loren Taylor and Toussaint Losier (Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign)
- "Everything You Wanted To Know About NATO But Were Afraid To Ask"
Featuring: Eric Slater (CANG8), John Beacham (Answer Chicago), Iraq Veterans
Against The War (IVAW)
- "Non-Violent Direct Action Against Oppression" Featuring: Mary Dean
(Voices for Creative Nonviolence), Ken Butigan (Pace e Bene), Rosalie Riegle
(War Resister's League), J. Wade Hannon.
The 99% Stage
- "Why This Isn't Scary: Anarchy, Communism, Socialism and The Black
Bloc"
- "Mayor 1%'s Budget of Austerity" Featuring: Mick Dumke (The Chicago
Reader), Nadana Carter (STOP), Librarian Activists (AFSCME Local 31)
- "This Is What a Police State Looks Like!" Featuring: Mick Dumke (The
Chicago Reader), Blaine Mineman (Amnesty International), Free Howard Morgan
Campaign (Free Howard Morgan)
Solidarity Stage
- "Political Economy Workshop: The Crisis of US Capitalism."
By CPEG (Chicago Political Economy Group)
- "Non-Violent Direct Action: Peace Maneuvers" By Ken Butigan (Pace e
Bene)
- "May Day: Histories of Immigration, Labor, and Struggle." By the
Occupy Chicago Labor Committee
Freedom Stage
- FM Supreme
- Linda Boyle
- And more
Occupy Improv!
-------------
After the festival, join us for a Freedom Feast at 5:30 made possible by
Food Not Bombs before our first General Assembly back at the Horse at 7pm as it
will be all Spring long.
During dinner, we will hear important and exciting announcements of new
Spring Campaigns and upcoming actions by:
- IVAW and NNU
- STOP
- Occupy the SouthSide
And party the night away!
Download handout here:
your link here...
Fellowship of Reconciliation, Chicago Chapter
Fellowship of Reconciliation Nonviolent Direct Action Training
Start Date: Apr 10, 2012
End Date: May 08, 2012
Stop NATO/G8 Nonviolent Direct Action Series
@ DePaul University Lincoln Park Campus
Session 1 Preparation: Undertaking the Nonviolent Commitment
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 6:30-9:30 p.m. DePaul LPC TBA
>> Understanding Nonviolence Overview
>> Assessing Risks: Personal, Legal, Medical
>> Why use direct action? What does it mean to be nonviolent?
Session 2 Planning for Direct Action
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 6:30-9:30 p.m. DePaul LPC TBA
>> How To Work in Affinity Groups: Roles, Jobs and Responsibility
>> Set and Discuss goals
>> Brainstorm effective tactics/ strategies
>> Coordination of a Larger Level-- Permitted Actions
Session 3 Simulation: Working with Others
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 6:30-9:30 p.m. DePaul LPC TBA
>> Rules of Engagement: Police, Press, and Pedestrians
>> Scenarios: Practice Nonviolent Communication
>> Scenarios: How to Defuse Violence by Other Protestors
Session 4 Simulation: Nonviolence in Repression
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 6:30-9:30 p.m. DePaul LPC TBA
>> Scenarios: Remaining Nonviolent in the Face of Repression
>> Scenarios: What to do When Facing Arrest
>> Medic Training: How To Protect and Treat "Nonlethal" Repercussions
Session 5 Readiness
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 6:30-9:30 p.m. DePaul LPC TBA
>> Review: Concepts and Skills from Previous Workshops
>> Assessing Readiness: Ready for Direct Action?
FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION: Chicago Chapter
http://forusa.org/groups/local-chapters/chicago-for
Contact: Meghan Trimm 815-520-4333 mmmclaughlintrimm@gmail.com
Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice
Film: Ethos, a Time for Change Sat Apr 14 in LaGrange Park
Start Date: Apr 14, 2012
End Date: Apr 14, 2012
NEAR WEST CITIZENS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE PRESENTS A FREE FILM:
ETHOS
A Time for Change
Saturday, April 14, 2012 2:30 PM
LaGrange Park Library,
555 N. LaGrange Rd
LaGrange Park
ETHOS - is all that we currently hold to be true. It is what we act upon.
It governs our manners, our business, and our politics.
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, Ethos
lifts the lid on a Pandora's Box of systemic issues that guarantee failure in
every aspect of our lives, from the environment to our democracy and our own
personal liberty. From conflicts of interest in politics to unregulated
corporate power, to a military industrial complex that just about owns our
government. We cannot change our system until we know how it works and this
film, with interviews from some of today's leading thinkers, will show you a
simple but powerful way to start making meaningful and sustainable change. We
can live in peace and justice in a clean environment and Ethos will show you
how.
2012 - 69 minutes. A discussion will follow the film.
Call Stephanie 708/772-3034 or e-mail sbilenko@sbcglobal.net for movie
info.
Download an event flyer here:
http://icjpe.org/uploads/docs/ethosthemovie.pdf
Sponsored by: Near West Citizens for Peace & Justice (NWCPJ), a group of
area residents who came together in opposition to war & occupation and their
disastrous consequences. Newcomers are welcome to our meetings. Please call
for locations. To learn more about us, please access our website,
www.nwcpj.org, email laurel@nwcpj.org or call 708/447-9577.
Neighbors for Peace
Tax Day Protest at Evanston Post Office
Start Date: Apr 17, 2012
End Date: Apr 17, 2012
It's Tax Day again! Please join Neighbors for Peace and the Coalition for
Peace, Justice, and the Environment as we leaflet against the bloated war
budget at the Evanston Post Office, Davis Street at Oak, from 8:00 am until 3:00
We need at least four people for each shift, starting on the hour. Please
email riegle@svsu.edu with the hour(s) you'd like to work.
All signs and flyers furnished, and there's a great new coffee shop open on
the corner where you can retire for a cuppa'. We're hoping our friends at
Occupy can supply some lively streets theatre. As you know if you've done this
before, Tax Day is a splendid opportunity to interact with people about our
bloated military budget and the impending wars in the Middle East.
Call Rosalie at 847-644-2281 or 847-492-1856 with any questions. Let's
make sure the left is heard about taxes this year! Don't give the space to the
Tea Party.
Step up and speak out for changes in our tax priorities. Support butter,
not bombs!
Chicago Prepares for NATO: Un-Spinning the Media Bias
Start Date: Apr 28, 2012
End Date: Apr 28, 2012
An exciting afternoon of speakers and discussion will counter the media
bias which constantly conflates the word "protest" with "violence."
Eric Ruder will present "A Short and Irreverent History of NATO"
Wade Hannom will discuss "Why is Nonviolence so Threatening"
Rosalie Riegle will describe citizen preparations for protest, including
an update on the permitted march scheduled for the week end NATO arrives,
workshops on the theory and practice of nonviolence held throughout the city,
and three educational teach-ins.
Plenty of time for questions and discussion. Free and open to the public.
Refreshments will be served.
American Friends Service Committee
Annual Bnefit and If I Had a Trilion Dollars Youth Film Festival
Start Date: Apr 18, 2012
End Date: Apr 18, 2012
Private Reception - 6 pm Young Chicago film makers fresh from AFSC
delegation to Washington DC will be presented with Speaking Truth to Power
awards and will share their experiences of speaking to Congressional members
thru their dynamic films. Light buffet by Hel's Kitchen will be served.
Film Festival - 7:30 to 9 pm Watch the films submitted by youth across the
country answering the question "What would you do with a trillion dollars
instead of spending it on war?"
$75 Private Reception&Film Festival $75, $40 Low Income/Student, $10 Film
Festival Only (please arrive by 7:15pm). Event proceeds benefit AFSC's "If I
Had a Trillion Dollars" youth film festival project. PLEASE RSVP by April 11,
2012. Register online
https://girstarcafecrm.org/civicrm/event/info?id=7&reset=1
Contact Info: Karen Light 312/427-2533 or klight @afsc.org
War Resisters League, Chicago Chapter
Confronting Injustice: A Training in Nonviolence
Start Date: Apr 21, 2012
End Date: Apr 21, 2012
This three-hour workshop, facilitated by Wade Hannon, an experienced
nonviolence trainer, will help paticipants prepare to be a nonviolent presence
at the NATO protests in May. Topics covered will include:
What is nonviolence? A brief theoretical overview
Concise history of successful nonviolent campaigns around the world
Interactive small-group discussions on nonviolence and the NATO protests
Role-playing to give specific training in nonviolent interactions with
hostile opponents
Know Your Rights briefing
Reservations and more information: roforpeace@gmail.com
Voices for Creative Nonviolence
At A Global Crossroads: Turn Against War.
Start Date: May 01, 2012
End Date: May 19, 2012
Tentative schedule is as follows:
May 1, May Day Rally at in Madison and kickoff for the Walk
May 7-9, Walking through Milwaukee
May 12-13, Rest weekend at Racine (possible Mothers' Day action in
Racine), time for locals to go home and come back, if desired
May 18, Arrive at Wellington Church, Chicago
May 19, March to downtown Chicago, join up with permitted march to NATO/G8
conference at McCormick Place.
For more information: contact Buddy Bell @ buddy@vcnv.org
Voices for Creative Nonviolence is putting together a Walk from Madison to
Milwaukee to Chicago during the month of May.
Please consider joining us for any segment of the Walk. Please direct
logistical concerns to buddy@vcnv.org
Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA)
May 18 & 19 - 99pct vs War and Injustice in Chicago
Start Date: May 18, 2012
End Date: May 19, 2012
Peace Action and the American Friends Service Committee have initiated a
network of peace, economic and racial justice and faith groups to convene a
Counter Summit for Peace and Economic Justice on May 18 - 19.
Just prior to the NATO Summit meetings at McCormick Place in Chicago we
will gather at the People's Church on 941 West Lawrence from Friday morning
until Saturday afternoon.
While they discuss the Afghanistan war, we will map out campaigns for a
future free of wars, occupation and the costs of a militarized foreign policy.
The conference will bring together representatives of the 99% from the US
and around the world who oppose the policies which generate wars and
impoverish our communities. Register now.
Find out more information on the NATO Free Future website.
Join the low volume announcement list to get updates on plenary speakers
and workshops.
Spread the word at events with a Counter Summit for Peace and Economic
Justice promo leaflet.
We will raise our voices with an alternative vision to NATO's wars. One
that is premised on diplomacy and international sovereignty. Between now and
May 18, you can invite speakers to come to your area and be a part of the
dialogue.
Check out the speakers bureau. In every region of the country there are
experts, historians and organizers who can come and speak at events, or your
own local Counter Summit for Peace and Economic Justice.
In the months leading to the NATO meeting and the G8 meeting at Camp
David, it is an opportunity for popular education about NATO and the G8 and
the impact on our communities. Educational materials and events will be posted
on the website.
Propose a workshop. The deadline is April 2. (Though the deadline has
passed, there is still an opportunity to submit a workshop proposal). If you
know an organization who could do a panel or training or promote an ongoing
grassroots campaign, fill out the online proposal form.
Spread the word, and come to Chicago, May 18 - 19. Put a button on your
website to link with the NATO Free Future website.
Join Us!!
Iraqi Student Project DePaul Support
Kayak Iraq II: A fun fundraiser for ISP DePaul
Start Date: May 19, 2012
End Date: May 19, 2012
Welcome spring on the Skokie Lagoons and help ISP De Paul at the same time
by joining us for Kayak Iraq II from 1:00 to 3:00 on Sunday, May 19, 2012. If
you have a conflict that day, we are accepting donations at
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/margaret-sents/kayakiraqii-1.
Kayak Iraq II is a two-hour guided Kayak-athon to raise money for Hala's
2012-13 expenses in her final year as a DePaul student. No experience is needed
to spend the afternoon with ISP DePaul on the beautiful lagoons in Winnetka.
Ask your families and friends to join you and also to support the Kayak-athon.
Last year Hala was able to Kayak for the first time and we're hoping she can
join us again this year, where we can almost promise it will be warmer than in
2011.
Visit our website at http://www.iraqidepaul.org to access the registration
form, an Offline Pledge Form, and a downloadable flyer. Kayak rental fee is $20
if before April 10, $25 thereafter, free if you bring your own kayak. After
your registration is received, Margaret Sents will send you instructions for
soliciting on-line donations from families and friends.
Questions? Contact Margaret at quieromom@aol.com or call her at
847-657-6807. See you on the water!
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