Voices Of Liberation

The Role of Progressive People of Color in the Fight to End the School to Prison Pipeline

2011-09-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

WHEN: Saturday, October 1, 1 - 4pm

WHERE: Freedom House, 14 Crawford St, Dorchester, MA

As part of the DSC National Week of Action on School Pushout, the Commutation Project, BPON , Freedom House , NESRI and Young People’s Projectwill host a community conversation titled “The Role of Progressive People of Color in the Fight to End the School to Prison Pipeline,” featuring guest speakers

Dhoruba Bin Wahad

Rafael Cancel Miranda

Liz Sullivan

Kazi Toure

Glenn Lloyd

Myriam Ortiz

For more information, contact BPON: 617-522-2766.

Take Back Boston - March & Rally

2011-09-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

This Friday, September 30, the Youth Jobs Coalition is part of a coalition to TAKE BACK OUR CITY from big banks and corporations that are killing our COMMUNITIES, JOBS, and ENVIRONMENT.

Take Back Boston - March & Rally
Friday, September 30
Arrive at Boston Common between 2:00-3:30

If you can't come by 3:30, meet us at Bank of America at
100 Federal Street, several blocks from Downtown Crossing
or South Station. (See attached map.)

Don't miss this rare opportunity for youth to:
- be part of a major, action-packed demonstration with national attention
- take action against corporate greed that is hurting families and youth across the nation
- get support in our fight for youth jobs from more than 1000 people

What are our demands?
Along with the Right to the City Coalition many other
organizations we will be demanding that banks and businesses:

* end consumer abuses
* pay their fair share of taxes so jobs and programs aren't cut
* stop evicting and foreclosing on families
* protect instead of destroy the environment
* protect jobs and worker rights

The Youth Jobs Coalition will also call on a big corporation that
has hired too few young people, to step up its support for youth jobs!

Film Screening: Precious Knowledge

2011-09-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

ON THE MOVE: El MOVIMIENTO/The Movement:

Fundraiser to support AZ Save Ethnic Studies
http://saveethnicstudies.org/

$5
530pm:Dinner
6pm-9pm:Film & Open Mic
When: October, 7, 2011
Film Screening: Precious Knowledge: Arizona's Battle over Ethnic Studies

Location:
Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave Fl.5
Boston, MA 02111

Contact:
Pedro Montañez
(857)350-5801
konaf2@gmail.com
website: www.ethnicstudiesnow.org
FB:El Movimiento-The Movement for Ethnic Studies in BPS

CALL TO ACTION: Stop Execution of Troy Anthony Davis #TOOMUCHDOUBT

2011-09-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

4th Execution Date, Call to Action

NCADP.Org Call to Action

Amnesty International Call to Action

NAACP Help Save Troy Davis Call to Action

Troy Davis is on death row for the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, GA. Troy has always maintained his innocence, and there was never any physical evidence linking him to the crime. 7 out of the 9 non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. New witnesses have come forth identifying another suspect.

Troy's life is in the hands of Georgia's Board of Pardon & Paroles, who has the power to grant Troy clemency.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Sign the Amnesty USA petition, asking the GA Board of Pardons & Parole to grant Troy clemency, and forward it to others.

2. Collect signatures on a download-able version of the petition.

3. If you are a lawyer or a legal professional: add your name to the legal professional sign-on letter

4. If you are a member of the clergy: add your name to the clergy sign-on letter.

5. If you have contacts with legal professionals or members of the clergy, forward them the sign-on letters and urge them to sign.

6. If you have contacts in Georgia, urge them to sign the petition or, sign-on letters (if they are legal professionals or members of the clergy.) It is important that the Board know that this issue matter to folks around the country and around the world--but especially that it matters to folks in Georgia.

7. 1 million Tweets for Troy!

If you are Twitter user than please consider tweeting for Troy.

Some sample tweets include:

When in doubt, don’t execute!! Sign the petition for #TroyDavis! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Too much doubt! Stop the execution! #TroyDavis needs us! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No room for doubt! Stop the execution of #TroyDavis . Retweet, sign petition www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Case not “ironclad”, yet Georgiacould execute #TroyDavis ! Not on our watch! Petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No murder weapon. No physical evidence. Stop the execution! #TroyDavis petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
7 out of 9 eyewitnesses recanted. No physical evidence. Stop the execution of #TroyDavis www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition

Reclaiming power and defending our communities: How YOU can protect yourself from profiling and preemptive prosecution

2011-09-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

The panel presentation will focus on how the ‘War on Terror’ climate and its exploitative legal practices in the federal justice system have affected civil liberties and human rights of Arab, Muslim, African American, South Asian, and all immigrant communities.

Representatives from the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF), Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), Project SALAM, Friends of Human Rights (FHR), Peace Thru Justice Foundation and others will be having a panel discussion about their political, social and legal campaigns around these very important issues to address how we can change these policies and build power for our communities.

Included in the panels are families who will share personal stories of struggles for justice. The goal of the program is to shed light on the conditions of families and communities suffering under the war on terror, mobilize our communities to change these repressive injunctions, and establish alliances across all communities for collective strength and positive social change.

To RSVP and co-sponsor the event contact info@civilfreedoms.org

Exposing Preemptive Prosecution and Building Community Power

George Friday, Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Kathy Manley, Project SALAM and NCPCF

Faisal Hashmi, Muslim Justice Initiative and NCPCF

Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, Masjid Al Hamdulillah, Boston, MA

Mauri Salaakhan, Peace Thru Justice Foundation and NCPCF

Families Speak! Resisting Preemptive Prosecution

Laila Yaghi, mother of Ziyad Yaghi, Raleigh, NC

Tamer Mehanna, brother of Tarek Mehanna, Boston, MA

Sharmin Sadequee, sister of Shifa Sadequee, Michigan

Kazi Toure, former political prisoner, Boston, MA

Visual presentation and documentary presented by Mel Underbakke of NCPCF, and the host of the program is Ashraf Nubani, Executive Director of NCPCF

Location and Time:

September 24, 2011

12 Noon - 5 PM

Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, ISBCC

100 Malcolm X Blvd

Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120

Sponsor: National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF)

Co-sponsors include: Bill of Rights Defense Committee-BORDC, American Civil Liberties Union-ACLU-MA, Families United For Justice in America-FUJA, Project SALAM- NY, Friends of Human Rights-FL, Peace Thru Justice Foundation-MD, Free Tarek Mehanna Support Committee-Boston, Justice for Shifa and Haris Support Committee-Atlanta, Raleigh 7 Support Committee-Raleigh, NC, American Civil Liberties Union- Boston, Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, United for Justice with Peace- Boston, Boston Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and Boston UNAC

Please RSVP!

To RSVP or for questions please contact FreeTarek@gmail.com 517-505-1697

U.S.TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

2011-08-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Calling for a U.S."TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION"

To address the unconditional release of U.S. held Political Prisoners.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/usatrc/

Petitions by iPetitions.com | Get Widget

US Truth and Reconciliation Commission - By Dr. Mutulu Shakur

Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin Habeas Denied

2011-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

After six years the Habeas Corpus Petition of Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (f/k/a H. Rap Brown) was denied last week. More information will be forthcoming, including ways people can provide assistance, in near future, Insha'llah. Please keep Imam Jamil and his family in your prayers.

International Committee in Support of Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (ICISIJAA)

YOUNG GIFTED & BLACK: THE 10TH REVOLUTION

2011-08-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 20th 2011

YGB Movement, Voices of Liberation, SCOPE Urban Apparel
& BloodSkinLand Productions
(in collaboration with Madison Park Development Corporation) presents
YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK
The 10th Revolution!
The bi-yearly youth explosion that consists of young local artists bringing an array of poetry, spoken word, rhyme, song, dance, etc.

@ Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley St. - 3rd floor
Roxbury/Dudley Sq.
(next to fire department & barber shop)

7:00pm - 9:00pm

$5.00 advanced tickets (w/convenience charge added)
$8.00 at the door

With performances by:
PORSHA-O w/guest
GIANELLA FLORES
J-ONES
LARISA OSORIO
CATCH WRECK
DANNIELA
KETCHUP
SWAGGA INC.
JADE
X-RATED
ARTOVOTION
ALLEGRA FLETCHER
ATRELL
TRUE EAST ENT.
DIEGO MEDINA
and more!!

Hosted by ASHLEY ROSE & LOLA SANCHEZ

Sounds by EVILLDEWER

Advanced tickets can be purchased online at www.madison-park.org

For more info contact VCR at 617-480-7663
or bloodskinland@yahoo.com

RSVP Via FaceBook

June 29 - Action To Save Youth Jobs in Boston

2011-06-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Photo from YouthJobsCoalition.org

Action at Boston City Hall: Final City Budget Vote
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 11:00 am
* City officials: Please bridge the gap to 10,000 jobs! *

After working on all other levels -- Federal, State, and private -- we are asking City officials to increase the budget to make sure we reach 10,000 jobs this summer. We are hoping to celebrate a budget that does that!

Please e-mail info@youthjobscoalition.org if you are planning to attend.

Funding for 1000 Jobs is at Stake at the State House!!!

What you can do to influence the House-Senate Conference Committee decisions on the $2.2 million at stake for funding youth jobs programs

The Senate passed funding for $2.2 million more than the House passed for youth jobs. Whether we get this funding for 1000 jobs or not depends on the decision of the House-Senate Conference Committee that will decide on this in by June 20

Here’s what you can do to help get these funds passed:

Write a letter and organize phone calls to your state Senator and State Representatives asking him/her to for the youth jobs funding at the higher levels passed by the Senate.

Since the Senate passed the HIGHER amount for the line item, ask your State Senator to speak to the Senate Ways and Means Chairman and the Senate President about supporting the higher amount passed by the other branch because of the need for this program.

Since the House passed the LOWER amount for the line item, ask your State Representative to speak to the House Ways and Means Chairman and the House Speaker about their staying with the higher amount passed by the House/Senate.

Given the state's on-going structural deficit because of both the Recession and tax breaks granted to most large corporations and wealthier people, it is worth also mentioning that you support the nedd for more tax revenue from fair tax increase on more well off people and examining corporate tax breasks, so they don't have to do so much budget cutting and what we need.

Send letters to Rep./Senator______, State House, Boston, MA 02133

Link to find out who your legislators are: www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

Budget Programs for House-Senate Conference Committee Decision

House Senate Line Item Number

1. YouthWorks Youth Jobs $2 M $3M 7002-0012

(plus $4 M additionally was passed in the Supplemental Budget)

2. School to Career Youth Jobs $0 $1.2 M 7027-0019

(plus $2 M additionally was passed in the Supplemental Budget)

For more information contact, Youth Jobs Coalition (617) 822-1499 or (617) 825-4200 x 117

Youth Jobs Meeting - Thursday

2011-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

We need you to plan and get involved
with our final month of action!

Monthly Morning Meeting
Thursday, June 9, 2011 -- 10:00 am
Dorchester Bay
594 Columbia Road, Uphams Corner
Coffee and Food Provided =)

Latino and Caribbean Immigrant Communities Commend Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for Bringing an End to S-Comm in the Bay State

2011-06-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC)

PRESS STATEMENT
June 6, 2011

Contact Person:
Xochitl Espinosa al (877) 683-2908, ext. 4 / xespinosa@nalacc.org

Latino and Caribbean Immigrant Communities Commend Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for Bringing an End to S-Comm in the Bay State.

Chicago, IL - Today's announcement the Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick to suspend the state's participation in the anti-immigrant federal program erroneously named "Secured Communities (S-Comm)," represents a positive step in recognizing immigrant communities, regardless of immigration status, as members of the social and economic fabric of communities throughout the Bay State and the nation.

"The hard work done by our immigrant community, led by Centro Presente and allied organizations, since the summer of 2010 has finally paid off," declared Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente, the leading immigrant community-based organization that fought to bring S-Comm to an end in the Bay state. "Immigrant communities in Massachusetts and throughout the country appreciate and admire the courage of Governor Deval Patrick in bringing S-Comm to an end," added Ms. Montes. "As a result of this decision, we now have a good chance in rebuilding the trust that must exist between members of communities and the police without having fear of repercussion because of one's immigration status," continued Ms. Montes.

"S-Comm has sought to divide communities by advancing a false paradigm of us vs. them. Immigrant communities, especially in a state like Massachusetts, have always been an asset, especially when it pertains to the well being and progress of all residents," continued Ms. Montes. "Today's announcement should inspire everyone to seek solutions to challenges that affect everyone (native or foreign born) in which mutual understanding and harmony are strengthened. We are ALL Massachusetts, we are ALL American," concluded Ms. Montes.

" S-Comm is an example of the wrong approach taken by our federal government when it pertains to the treatment of immigrants, and it should be suspended once and for all," stated Oscar Chacon, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), an alliance of immigrant-led organizations from around the country. " Governor Patrick's bold decision follows a similar one taken by the Governors of Illinois and New York. These represent important steps toward the detoxification of the way in which we have been talking about immigrants and immigration policy in our country up to now," continued Mr. Chacon. "If our federal government is to lead on resolving matters related to immigrants and immigration policy, President Obama must come to grips with the fact that our current law is broken, wasteful and inhumane. Blindly enforcing such a law is simply immoral," added Mr. Chacon.

"The separation of immigrant families must come to an end immediately; President Obama has the authority to make it happen. At the end of the day, our nation is in urgent need of a new alternative on how to deal with immigrants. Our leaders must come up with a new vision with policies that reflect the universal principles embedded in our nation's declaration of independence and constitution and that include the contributions of immigrant communities and the economic interests of most Americans," concluded Mr. Chacon.

Dialogue on Education & Immigration with Dr. William Perez

2011-04-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 29th

3pm – 4:30pm
Larsen 203

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dr. William Perez, Professor of Immigration & Education at Claremont Graduate University in California will be guest lecturing at the Harvard Graduate school of education to discuss the current immigration climate in addition to exploring the implications of being undocumented relative to mental health issues and how we can prepare to serve the unique needs of undocumented students.

Dr. Perez is the author of “We ARE Americans: Undocumented Students Pursuing the American Dream” Winner of the 2009 Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Mildred Garcia Prize for Exemplary Research.

Please RSVP:
Dialogue with Dr. Perez (SIGN UP)

Facebook Event:
Let us know you are coming!!!

May 6 - Night of Resistance

2011-04-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

El Movimiento / The Movement Presents:

Friday May 6th
5:30 PM

33 Harrison St.
Boston MA

$3 at the Door - Food Included

ethnicstudiesnow.org

SIN FRONTERAS: DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION:

2011-04-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

SIN FRONTERAS: DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION: SIMMONS COLLEGE: APRIL 27 5-7pm: Hosted by OLA

Centro Presente to host Rep. Luis Gutierrez visit to MA

2011-04-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Centro Presente to host
Rep. Luis Gutierrez visit to MA

WHEN: Sunday, April 3rd at 11:00 A.M.

WHERE: La Casa de la Cultura, 202 Maverick Street, East Boston, MA

Rep. Gutierrez has been at the forefront of the effort to pass historic, bipartisan immigration reform legislation and helped guide the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act to passage in the House of Representatives in 2010. He is doing a multi-city tour to raise the visibility of the toll of deportations on immigrant families and communities.

We are going to have:
Testimonies of immigrant families affected by the current immigration policy
Testimonies of Local Elected Officials that are advocating against S-COMM

For more information please contact:
Patricia Montes, 617 959 3108
José Palma, 617 629 47 31 ext 233

Centro Presente is a state-wide, membership-based Latino immigrant organization that advocates for immigrant rights and for economic and social justice through the integration of community organizing, leadership development and basic services.

STAND IN SUPPORT OF YOUTH SUMMER JOBS!

2011-04-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

STAND IN SUPPORT OF YOUTH SUMMER JOBS!

WHAT: RALLY & HEARING
WHEN: TUESDAY APRIL 5TH
WHERE: Boston City Hall
Rally at 3:30pm
Hearing at 5:00pm

Invest in Boston's Future – Let’s work to ensure funding for Summer Youth Jobs!

As a City we are facing massive cuts from the federal government. Everything is on the table for possible cuts. Please join us at this rally, followed by a hearing, as we make it clear that summer youth employment is vital to our City.
For more information please contact: Stuart Rosenberg at stuart.rosenberg@cityofboston.gov or Rosy Gonzalez at rosy.gonzalez@cityofboston.gov or by phone at 617.635.4205

Mar. 26th @ 6pm BRING DOWN THE WALLS! Night of music to honor our Political Prisoners

2011-03-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

BRING DOWN THE WALLS!
A night of music & art to honor our political prisoners/pows!

Saturday, March 26th @ 6pm
Community Church of Boston
565 Boylston Street

$5-15 sliding scale

Performances by:
Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde
Evan Greer & Friends
Born In A Cent
spiritchild
Danniela
Jalen

Join us for a night of Revolutionary Music, Reflection Wall, Food, Socializing and REMEMBERANCE!
Hear updates/statements from Political Prisoners including Mumia Abu Jamal, Imam Jamil Al-Amin and more!

A flyer for this event is available here:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/d_read/jericho_boston_announce/march%2026b2b%26w.jpg

4/3 Silence Broken - Legacies of Repression & Resistance

2011-03-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Silence Broken
Legacies of Repression & Resistance

Sunday April 3rd 2011
11:30am-9:30pm
Northeastern University
Curry Student Center - 346 Huntington Ave.

Workshops * Socializing * Panel * Food * Music

Speakers include:

Ashanti Alston - Former Black Liberation Army Political Prisoner and steering committee member of the National Jericho Movement
Marta Rodriguez - Puerto Rican independence activist and member of the New England Committee to Defend Palestine
Jihad Abdul Mummit - Former Black Liberation Army Political Prisoner and chair of the National Jericho Movement
Viviane Saleh-Hanna - Activist Scholar and Assistant Professor of Crime and Justice Studies at the UMass Dartmouth
Jason Lydon - Minister of the Community Church of Boston as well as anti-racist, abolitionist, queer liberation organizer
Mauri Saalakhan - Director of Operations for The Peace And Justice Foundation; a Muslim-led, grassroots human rights organization.

Performances by:

Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde
X-Vandals
spiritchild
Tem Blessed
& more

This will be a one day community-building educational event featuring interactive workshops, a panel discussion, time for socializing and networking, and performances by some of the region's best movement artists. The conference will bring together student activists with community members to present a diverse array of voices and an alternative discourse about FBI repression, political prisoners, and the struggle for liberation.

Public Condemnation of statements made by Jim Carnell of Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association and Editor of The Pax Centurion

2011-03-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

We, Concerned Citizens, Community Activists, Voting and Tax Paying Residents of Boston, join together to publicly condemn statements made by James Carnell of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPD Union) and Editor of the Pax Centurion (BPD Union Newspaper).

In the current Jan/Feb Edition of the Pax Centurion (Vol. 41 No. 1), Jim Carnell refers to the young 16 yr. old Roxbury boy who was the subject of a much publicized arrest at Roxbury Community College as a “scumbag”, Carnell further goes on to characterize the young woman who filmed the video, as is her right, as an “intellectually bereft dolt”.

The entire article is fraught with sentiments that are particularly disturbing as James Carnell is a sworn officer on active duty in the Boston Police Department. Carnell’s statements are not at all helpful to the Boston Police Department which has made recent attempts to repair and strengthen its relationship with Black, Latino & Cape Verdean communities.

More from: http://blackstonian.blogspot.com/2011/03/public-condemnation-james-carnell.html

Framing the Innocent: Crimes Under Color of Law at the Massachusetts US Attorney's Office

2011-03-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Thursday, March 24

Framing the Innocent: Crimes Under Color of Law at the Massachusetts
US Attorney's Office

7 pm
Northeastern University School of Law
240 Dockser Hall
65 Forsyth St.
Boston, MA

Come hear from Councilor Chuck Turner, the author of Boston's
Transgender Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, on the evening before he
goes to jail due to FBI repression of political activists.

Speakers:
Chuck Turner--Five-term Boston City Councilor representing Roxbury and
Dorchester, and a lifetime activist for social justice, recently
targeted by the FBI and the Massachusetts US Attorney

Bob Boyle--Attorney representing many activists and political
prisoners targeted by the FBI's infamous Counter-Intelligence Program
(COINTELPRO)

Laila Murad--Organizer from the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee

Michael Avery--Professor of Law, Suffolk Law School, won a landmark
civil suit against the Boston FBI on behalf of four men wrongfully
convicted of murder

Young Gifted and Black 9

2011-03-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

March 19 anti-war action

2011-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 19 at 12 noon
From Boston to Baghdad: End the Occupation!
Fight for Jobs & Education! Say 'No' to Racism!

Rally and March
Southwest Corridor Park at Ruggles Station
MBTA: Orange Line
(click here for map)

The momentum is building for the March 19 anti-war actions. In less than two weeks, demonstrations will take place across the country to mark the 8th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In Boston, we will gather for a rally at Southwest Corridor Park at Ruggles station followed by a march.

Eight years after the U.S. invasion, Iraq remains occupied by tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and foreign mercenaries. The war in Afghanistan rages on. Now, the U.S. government and its allies are setting their eyes on oil-rich Libya as a potential next target.

The wars abroad are directly connected to the war on poor and working people at home. Thirty million people in the U.S. remain unemployed or severely underemployed. Unions in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere are fighting to survive. Yet the government will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011 alone.

Our communities in Boston, too, are under attack. Mayor Menino's hand-picked School Committee has moved to close seventeen schools and are pushing additional cutbacks. Police brutality and racial profiling continue to plague Black and Latino neighborhoods, yet 7 out of the 10 highest paid city employees are Boston police officers. More than $30 million were spent to build a state-of-the-art police station in Roxbury.

Gov. Patrick is trying to bring the anti-immigrant law enforcement program “Secure Communities” program to Massachusetts, and gentrification continues to push working families out of communities like Jamaica Plain.

It doesn’t have to be this way! From Egypt and Tunisia to Wisconsin and Ohio, people are fighting back. Now more than ever it is clear that our movement must stay in the streets. Join us on March 19th for a rally and march to say "From Boston to Baghdad: End the Occupation! Fight for Jobs and Education! Say 'No' to Racism!"

Framing the Innocent: Crimes Under Color of Law at the Massachusetts US Attorney's Office

2011-03-03T10:30:00.001-08:00

Framing the Innocent:
Crimes Under Color of Law at the Massachusetts US Attorney's Office

When: Thursday, March 24, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Northeastern University School of Law
240 Dockser Hall (65 Forsyth St., Boston)

Speakers:

Chuck Turner--Five-term Boston City Councilor representing Roxbury
and Dorchester, and a lifetime activist for social justice,
recently targeted by the FBI and the Massachusetts US Attorney

Bob Boyle--Attorney representing many activists and political
prisoners targeted by the FBI's infamous Counter-Intelligence
Program (COINTELPRO)

Laila Murad--Organizer from the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee

Michael Avery--Professor of Law, Suffolk Law School, won a landmark
civil suit against the Boston FBI on behalf of four men wrongfully
convicted of murder

***

Over the past few years, an atrocious history of government
misconduct at the Massachusetts US Attorney's office has emerged in
the court record, but few people have heard about it.

In the case Ferrara v. US, the court found that US Assistant
Attorney Jeffrey Auerhahn worked with an FBI agent to coerce a
witness into maintaining false testimony, withheld evidence of the
witness's recantation from defense counsel, and perjured himself in
court. Other members of the office have

--Withheld information about misconduct by FBI agents

--Consistently and deliberately withheld evidence of the innocence
of defendants from defense counsel and from the court

The head of the Massachusetts US Attorney's office has shielded
assistants and acted to cover-up government misconduct. Auerhahn
was given responsibility to prosecute "terrorism" cases, where he
continues to handle government informants and "cooperating
witnesses."

The Massachusetts US Attorney has also demonstrated a clear set of
political priorities: contempt for basic civil liberties and due
process rights; an anti-immigrant agenda; selective prosecution of
black political leaders; and the prosecution of an overwhelming
number of indigent defendants and people of color.

Although the US Attorney's office has extraordinary power, people
who are concerned about government abuses have paid comparatively
little attention to its role within the criminal justice system.

Come participate in a public discussion about the Massachusetts US
Attorney's Office and what we can do to hold it accountable to our
concerns.

For more information, contact usattywatch@hushmail.com

Sponsored by

The Northeastern School of Law Chapters of the NLG (National
Lawyers Guild), EPIC (Ending the Prison Industrial Complex),
and BLSA (Black Law Student Association)

and by
Community Church of Boston, Boston ABC, Black and Pink

This message was distributed through usattorneywatch@lists.riseup.net, a list dedicated to the campaign to further expose the history of severe misconduct at the Massachusetts US Attorney's office. For more information and to subscribe visit the list homepage: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/usattorneywatch

Resurrection of Education

2011-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Boston schools hit with civil rights complaint

2011-03-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

By Associated Press

BOSTON - A coalition of lawyers and educators has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Boston public schools over a school closure plan it says discriminates against black and Latino students.

The Boston Bar Association’s lawyers’ committee for civil rights under law and the Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts announced Monday that they have filed their complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

The complaint alleges that the district’s new "redesign and reinvest plan," which proposes to close several schools in the district, disproportionately affects black and Latino students since those schools are in largely minority neighborhoods.

But Boston Superintendent Carol Johnson said the schools slated for closure were selected because they are among the lowest chosen by families and have been struggling academically.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1320005

FEB 24 - Youth Jobs March and Rally

2011-02-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

Youth Jobs March & Rally
Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Old South Church (645 Boylston St) in Copley Square
Hundreds of youth and allies will call to prevent cuts to youth jobs. Join us!

Bimonthly Membership Meeting
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Followed by Signmaking Party/Open Mic at 3:00 pm
Spontaneous Celebrations (45 Danforth St) in Jamaica Plain
Join us for a final day of preparation for the action!

AFRO-CINEMA (Tues., Feb. 22nd)

2011-02-22T07:05:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, February 22nd 2011

VerBaLizAtiOn presents
AFRO-CINEMA
An evening of important films being shown followed by a discussion about the film then an open mic thereafter, in celebration of Black History Month

@ Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.
(next to fire department & barber shop)

7:00pm start / Free admission / all age event

Featured film:
THE VERNON JOHNS STORY: THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
Oscar nominee James Earl Jones stars as controversial paster Vernon Johns, one of the earliest voices of civil rights. In 1948, Johns served as the outspoken spiritual leader of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Incised at the racial injustice that prevaled the south, he was determined to fight foe equality for all African Americans. His refusal to accept segregation incited anger amongst local law enforcement and caused his family to fear for their lives. Johns held strong to his beliefs and encouraged his congregation to join him. But, the church council deemed him a troublemaker and he was voted out as pastor...only to be replaced by future civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.

For more info contact VCR at 617-480-7663
or bloodskinland@yahoo.com

Cultural Cafe at Encuentro Diaspora Afro

2011-02-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

Race, Education & Democracy with Ernest Morrell

2011-02-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ernest Morrell will be the lecturer for the Simmons College series on Race, Education & Democracy on March 15, 16, 17, 2011.

See the web site http://www.raceandeducation.com/

Chuck D at UMass

2011-01-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

HIP-HOP 9.1.1.

2011-01-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

Save the Date

HIP-HOP 9.1.1.
Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center
1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury, MA

Fundraiser to support Ethnic Studies Campaign

2011-01-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Fundraiser to support Ethnic Studies Campaign
$5 - Dinner & Film & Open Mic

Film:

WalkOut!

When:
February 11, 2011
5pm-8pm

Location:
Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave Fl.5
Boston, MA 02111

Contact:
Sasha De la Cruz
857-417-1744
delacruz.sasha@gmail.com
www.ethnicstudiesnow.org

Community Screen printing Event

2011-01-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

Voices of Liberation, Pen and Sword and Scope Urban Apparel will be on the scene helping out with the screen printing portion.

Youth Regional Reportback from USSF on MLK Day

Last June, three buses packed with 150 youth activists and supporters rode to Detroit as part of the Northeast Freedom Rides delegation to the U.S. Social Forum (www.ussf2010.org). We were from the Boston-area, Worcester, Lowell, Springfield, Providence, and more. We built relationships, knowledge, movement, and power. And we want to share it with you and the beautiful youth that you work with!!!

Please mark your calendar for the Youth Regional Reportback from USSF!!! Youth from a handful of Boston organizations have been working on it. The event will include time to hear about the trip to Detroit, connect with people from across this youth movement we're all part of, a massive potluck, video & media from the trip, screening our own radical t-shirts, raffles, open mic & performances, HIV testing, sharing our current work, and building...building...building the next stage of the youth movement. Please come through!

Date: Monday, January 17th, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Time: 4:30-8:00pm

Location: Spontaneous Celebrations community center at 45 Danforth Street, Boston, MA 02130 (near Stony Brook Orange Line Stop)

Contact: Cindy Printemps: printempscindy@gmail.com | 857-237-0201

Potluck: Bring whatever food you can!

Who: All the youth and orgs who were part of the Northeast Freedom Rides to Detroit and everyone else who's down with the youth movement!

Centro Presente URGENT ACTION! To Denounce Massachusetts' Intention to Sign on to Secure Communities

2010-12-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

Centro Presente
URGENT ACTION!

To Denounce Massachusetts' Intention to Sign on to Secure Communities

Since it was revealed in the summer that the City of Boston had been secretly participating in Secure Communities, Centro Presente, with the support of ACLU-Mass and AFSC-Project Voice, has been running a campaign to educate our community and allies about the effects of this program.

Come and support our campaign!

When: Wednesday, December, 22 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: In front of the Massachusetts State House

Supporters: AFSC Project VOICE, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Boston May Day Committee, Boston New Sanctuary Movement, Cambridge United for Justice with Peace, Centro Presente, Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace, Immigrant Worker Center Collaborative (IWCC), Immigration Task Force of First Parish in Cambridge, Jobs With Justice - MA, Massachusetts Global Action, Matahari - Eye of the Day, Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE), Student Immigrant Movement and United for a Fair Economy.

Peace Boston to Celebrate 5th Anniversary

2010-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 marks Peace Boston's Fifth Anniversary, and will celebrate at the Great Hall in Codman Square, 6 Norfolk Street (next to the Health Center) at 5PM which is the same place they kicked off their first event (Peace in the Streets Vigil) on the same day 5 years ago.

The event is FREE and open to the public, but Peace Boston is asking participants for a $10 donation to the Peace Boston Movement. Those who donate will receive a gift. Peace gifts will also be on sale - just in time for the holidays!

Featuring the Premiere of the Peace Boston documentary and the "Best I Got" music video, Peace in the Streets Vigil, Performances, Presentations, and Refreshments.

Peace Boston is a movement that was created by members of the Hip-Hop community, youth workers and youth on December 21, 2005 in Boston, MA. The debut event was the "Peace in the Streets" vigil held in Dorchester, MA at the rise of youth violence in Boston.

Peace Boston’s Founding Members are:

The Academy of Public Service at the Dorchester Education Complex
The FloorLords Movement, Inc.
The Hip Hop Mecca Project
LisiVian, Inc.
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
PLO Style Graphics
R.A.W. (Revealing Artistic Works)
Save the Youth Ministries
Showdown Youth Development Inc.’s Violence Free Zone Initiative
True Hiphop Culture Program
United Youth and Youth Workers of Boston

Peace Boston's united mission is to mobilize the arts, youth, and youth development communities to increase the peace in the city of Boston. Peace Boston practices the seven principles of Peace as encouraged by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute: Love, Unity, Faith, Hope, Courage, Justice, Forgiveness and endeavors to promote peace through peer education, training, supporting activities, events, and initiatives that promote Peace.

For more information, please contact Peace Boston at peaceboston@gmail.com

Jamaica Plain Walks for Peace 12/12/10/Jamaica Plain Camina por la Paz 12/12/10

2010-12-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Neighbor,

Sadly, it takes a tragedy to impulse unity. As Boston residents, we need to take control of our community and unite forces to make Jamaica Plain a safer place to live. However, we can only do that if we work together. Please join us as we invoke a call to action starting now.

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at Noon a Mass for Peace at Our Lady of Lourdes located at 13 Montebello Rd, Jamaica Plain. Be part of the discussion and propose your solutions, let us make a plan together for fight crime and violence in our community.

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 1:30 pm -Jamaica Plain Walk for Peace starting from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. We need to pave our roads with chants of peace and unity we cannot do it without you! (Subject to change due to weather and/or pending city approval)

En Espanol

Estimados Vecinos,

Lamentablemente, se necesita una tragedia para impulsar la unidad. Como residentes de Boston, tenemos que tomar el control de nuestra comunidad y unir nuestras fuerzas para hacer de Jamaica Plain un lugar seguro para vivir. Sólo podemos hacerlo juntos, por favor, únase a nosotros para evoca una llamada de acción a partir de ahora.

Domingo 12 de diciembre 2010 al mediodía una Misa por la Paz en Nuestra Señora de Lourdes situada en el 13 Montebello Road, Jamaica Plain. Sea parte del diálogo y proponga sus soluciones, vamos a hacer un plan en conjunto para luchar contra el crimen y la violencia en nuestra comunidad.

Domingo 12 de diciembre 2010 a las 1:30 pm - Jamaica Plain Caminata por la Paz, empezando desde Nuestra Señora de Lourdes. Tenemos que trazar nuestras calles con cantos de paz y unidad no podemos hacerlo sin usted! (está sujeta a cambios debido al mal tiempo y/o la espera de la aprobación de la ciudad)

Sincerely,
Maria Moreno
Yasmin Pereyra

B.o.B - The Watchers

2010-12-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

B.o.B - The Watchers from Motion Family on Vimeo.

MA FOR THE DREAM ACT! Community Speak out NOV 29 3-6pm

2010-11-29T09:01:00.001-08:00

Pack the Church!

Nov 29, 2010 3pm- 6pm

St. Paul’s Cathedral

(138 Tremont Street

Boston MA 02111, Across from Park St. T Station)

MONDAY

November 29, 2010

VOL Recipient of 2010 CCI's Horace Seldon Emerging Leaders Award

2010-11-01T08:54:00.002-07:00

Voices of Liberation is honored to recieve the Horace Seldon Emerging Leaders Award from Community Change Inc. You can find out more about the award, other recipients and Community Change at communitychangeinc.org/Drupal/leadershipawards.

Press Conference @BPD HQ re: Police Brutality 10/28/10

2010-10-29T11:46:00.001-07:00

Press Conference @BPD HQ re: Police Brutality 10/28/10 from Jamarhl Crawford on Vimeo. Ongoing coverage at Blackstonian.com

Boston Police criticized for rough arrest

2010-10-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Boston) - Several community leaders are criticizing Boston Police officer for being too rough during the arrest of a teen in Roxbury.

The perception among some community leaders is that dialogue is not open with police.

They want these officers suspended without pay.

A call to prayer followed the call for change within the Boston Police Department, as community activists gathered out front of headquarters to denounce allegations of police brutality.

"I believe that it is time that the mayor tells the commissioner you must do the job right or step down," said former State Sen. Bill Owens.

The anger stems from this cell phone video of a Roxbury Community College entryway which shows police officers holding down, kneeing, and punching a 16 year old boy, who was wanted on multiple warrants and had escaped from a Department of Youth Services Center last Friday.

Police say he had grabbed handcuffs and was resisting, flailing, and throwing punches, injuring three officers.

According to a police narrative, "Officers struck SUSPECT multiple times with closed fists and used knee strikes as trained in the police academy in an attempt to control and bring SUSPECT under control."

"No I don't see any reason that could warrant that type of force particularly after the young man is subdued," said community activist Jamarhl Crawford.

That video was shot and posted on YouTube by first year RCC student Eusida Blidgen.

"This young man got beaten down. And I give the love and the respect to his family and anyone who's very close to him, because I'm still shaken up about the incident," she said.

Boston Police Internal affairs is now investigating, and Police commissioner Ed Davis called on Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley to review the case which his top prosector will do.

Community leaders urged a non-violent response as they await the findings.

"Young people I want to say to you, we want your response to be positive and constructive. There are issues that are clearly identified. I heard some young people said finally, we have evidence of what we've been saying to the adults for years,"
said Minister James Hills, community leader.

A rally for young people that may turn into a march will be held at Roxbury Crossing Friday night at 5pm.

Boston Police did not comment on the accusations made at today's protest.

Community Leaders Hold Press Conference Outside BPD Headquarters To Address Videotaped Police Beating of 16-year-old

2010-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

One surefire way to rile activists is to beat a teenager in plain sight, and tell witnesses that they can't record the free-for-all. Needless to say, more than a few folks are furious in the wake of news that Boston Police Department officers jabbed and kicked a 16-year-old inside a Roxbury Community College building this past Friday.

At the time of this writing, more than 17,000 people have viewed a seven minute YouTube video (above) in which what appears to be a mix of plain clothes and uniformed officers repeatedly assault a juvenile in custody. Despite claims that the alleged fugitive resisted arrest – and a statement from Commissioner Ed Davis claiming that an investigation is under way – more than a dozen respected local leaders aired grievances this afternoon in front of BPD headquarters.

“It's on all of us to answer the question of 'Who wants to do something about this,'” said organizer Jamarhl Crawford, who also read from a prepared statement. “This press conference has been called after repeated attempts and pleas for the Mayor and Commissioner to open the table to new ideas from fresh voices in order to combat all violence in the city.”

Speakers brought more than just rhetoric. Representatives from the Boston Black Men's Leadership Group and the National Action Network demanded that a community civilian board be put in charge of reviewing the case; an attorney from the law offices of civil rights attorney Howard Friedman was also on hand to explain that it was perfectly legal for onlookers to record the incident. “The [police sergeant who told people they could not shoot video] should be disciplined,” said attorney David Milton.

It was also noted that police brutality is not a new issue for Boston; Crawford specified that the public is still in the dark about specifics surrounding the April killing of Manuel DaVeiga, who died in a shootout with state police and city officers. “The police must serve and protect,” said former State Senator Bill Owens. “We don't pay police officers to beat up on our children. We will not tolerate these atrocities.”

Despite this being the height of election season, most major news outlets came to cover speeches by local clergy and other concerned individuals. So it looks like this story might have legs after all. Tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, starting at 5pm, community residents – not united under any particular banner – will gather outside of the Roxbury Crossing T stop for a larger public rally.

“I'm here as a concerned resident,” said James Hills, a former special assistant to Mayor Menino and city liaison to the faith community. “We want the response of young people to this to be constructive and positive.”

Community Forum about the Secure Communities Program

2010-10-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Centro Presente invites you to a:
Community Forum about the Secure Communities Program

The Forum will be conducted in Spanish

As part of Centro Presente's informative campaign we are organizing a Community Forum about the Secure Communities Program.

When: Sunday,October 24th at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Casa de La Cultura
202 Maverick Street
East Boston, MA 02128

Do you want to know what is the Secure Communities Program that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is implementing?

Do you want to know how this Program is affecting immigrant communities?

Do you want to take action and support a campaign that seeks to educate people abut the effects of this Program on the immigrant community?

Come learn and participate in an informative session about the Secure Communities Program.

This federal program, under the direction of ICE, requires local law enforcement to cross-check digital fingerprints of anyone they arrest against a federal database to evaluate the arrested person's immigration status. If ICE determines the arrested person to be undocumented, that person will be detained by ICE and processed for deportation.

ICE claims that Secure Communities targets undocumented immigrants who have been arrested for felony offenses, but the program doesn't explicitly say that non-felony arrests are exempt from the program. This opens the door for local law enforcement to arrest people they suspect of being undocumented to cross-check fingerprints against the ICE database.

The program will help the Obama administration reach its goal of deporting 400,000 immigrants this year.

For more information please contact:
Patricia Montes- Centro Presente- 617 959 3108
Patrick McDermott- Centro Presente- 617 629 4731

Nov. 4th @7 PM-- Event for Mumia Abu Jamal and Tarek Mehanna

2010-10-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

***MUMIA ABU JAMAL AND TAREK MEHANNA***

Two men locked up because of outrageous racism...
Two men in prison because of blatant injustice by the so-called "Justice" Department...

Two men who continue to stand for justice!

This is a critical time: For Mumia, a pivotal court hearing is scheduled for November 9th in Philadelphia. At stake is whether he will be executed, or granted a new jury trial on the question of the death penalty. For Tarek, this marks the one year anniversary of his arrest, and a critical time to bolster pre-trial support for this Muslim brother, who has been locked up for refusing to be an FBI informant.

Come out to support them!

NOVEMBER 4th @ 7 pm
175 RUGGLES ST.
(next to Ruggles T stop on the Orange Line)

Know your rights and learn more about how our communities can organize to stop federal repression!

*** Film excerpt from "Justice on Trial" *** Legal Updates on Both Cases *** How You Can Support Mumia and Tarek ***
*** Speakers *** Musical Performance *** Food

Free Mumia! Free Tarek! Free them all!

Sponsored by: Free Mumia Coalition, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Movement in Motion Boston/NYC, Tarek Mehanna Support Committee, Jericho Boston, Black Waxx

Background:
Mumia Abu Jamal, a renowned journalist for his award- winning reporting on police brutality and blatant injustice in communities of color, has been in prison since 1981 for allegedly shooting and killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Despite a confession from the person who actually shot Faulkner, ballistics evidence proving Mumia's gun was not the gun fired on Faulkner, recanted testimony by several key witnesses in his trial, evidence of blatant police coercion of witness testimony, mishandling of evidence, and an openly racist judge who promised to **help convict** Mumia -- despite all this--Mumia Abu Jamal still sits in prison 29 years later, facing a possible death sentence.

Tarek Mehanna is a respected member of the Muslim community, with a doctorate in pharmacy--a brother, educator, mentor, and friend. For several years Tarek has been a victim of FBI surveillance and harassment. When Tarek consistently refused to be an FBI informant against members of the Muslim community, he was threatened with imprisonment and arrested in 2008. While Tarek was out on bail, FBI agents raided his home and arrested him again on Oct. 21st, 2009 subsequently charging him with "aiding and abetting terrrorism." The only "evidence" against Tarek is that which has been fabricated by paid FBI informants. Tarek Mehanna still sits in prison in solitary confinement, facing a possible life sentence.

You can download a flyer for this event at the following link:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/d_read/jericho_boston_announce/mumiatarekeventflyer.pdf

Centro Presente holds 'A New Era of Women in Politics,' a panel discussion

2010-10-21T09:24:00.001-07:00

Centro Presente holds 'A New Era of Women in Politics,' a panel discussion to explore ways to increase civic participation and equal political representation of women in politics.

When: Thursday October 28th 2010 at 10:00 A.M.

Where: Nurses Hall, Massachusetts State House, Beacon Street at Park Street, Boston

Boston, MA- As part of 'Our Voices, Our Vote,' a civic participation campaign, Centro Presente is holding 'A New Era of Women in Politics,' a panel discussion to explore ways to increase civic participation and equal political representation of women in politics.

Last year Centro Presente launched a local campaign to encourage Latino immigrants to learn about and participate in the political life of their communities. Through this campaign Centro Presente wants to promote a dialogue between those women active in politics and their peers, especially women of color and from immigrant backgrounds.

Centro Presente is committed to empowering and educating immigrant women through programs which teach about women's participation in politics and policy-making, cultivate leadership skills, and build networks between women participating in politics and women community leaders.

Confirmed panelist are:

Lisa A. Wong
One of 11 female mayors in the State of Massachusetts, Lisa Wong, Mayor of the City of Fitchburg, is also the first Asian female mayor in the State. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and is seeking to spark a renaissance of the city of Fitchburg through revitalizing civic life and rebuilding local economic opportunities.

Carol Hardy-Fanta
Current Director of the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is the author of "Latina Politics, Latino Politics: Gender, Culture & Political Participation in Boston."

Jill Stein
Current Green Party candidate for Governor, Dr. Jill Stein is a mother, housewife, physician, longtime teacher of internal medicine, and pioneering environmental-health advocate.

Gloribell Mota
The first Latina to run for State Representative in East Boston, Gloribell worked as the Education and Training Director with the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is now the Lead Organizer with Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE).

VOL Presents: Conscious Styles Nov. 5

2010-10-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

ICE Stalks the Streets of East Somerville, MA.

2010-10-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Somerville, MA- Late Thursday evening Centro Presente received a panicked phone call from one of our youth members informing us that ICE agents were at his house. The agents had come for an individual who no longer lived at the apartment building. Although the person they were looking for was not in the building and they showed no search warrant, the ICE agents had gained entry and were now going to each apartment and asking for people's names and identification, which the understandably scared tenants were providing to them. When Centro Presente staff arrived shortly after the agents' departure, we found a family terrorized by this experience and worried about their future.

This story is all too common for the immigrants of Massachusetts. The immigrant community is frequently unaware of their rights and the limits of the power of ICE. No one needs to open a door for any law enforcement officer if they do not have a search warrant. You do not have to speak to any officer without your lawyer present. What ICE does with alarming frequency is abuse the fact that people are unaware of their rights. Late night knocks at the door by groups of men dressed in black are intimidating to anyone, but even more so to the vulnerable families of neighborhoods like East Somerville.

Centro Presente demands that the agents of ICE respect the rights of all people and stop these outrageous abuses of power. We will step up our existing efforts to ensure that our members and the entire Latino immigrant community are aware of their rights and are trained in the proper response to a visit by ICE agents.

Centro Presente is a state-wide, membership-based Latino immigrant organization that advocates for immigrant rights and for economic and social justice through the integration of community organizing, leadership development and basic services.

Join their Mailing List

2pm Monday RALLY- anti-Columbus, pro-immigrant!

2010-10-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

Anti Columbus Day Rally

No Hay Justicia Sin Libertad

Monday October 11

2:00PM - 4:00PM

Corner of Mass. Ave. and Melnea Cass (Outside Hampton Inn)

Mass. Ave. T / Orange Line #1 & #10 Bus to BMC

Stand in Solidarity with the Immigrants & Other Boston Residents Held Captive at the ICE Detention Center & South Bay House of Correction

www.resisttheraids.org

The Narcicyst featuring Shadia Mansour "Hamdulillah" Official Music Video

2010-09-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

Rebel Diaz - Libertad

2010-09-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Know Your Enemy: Civil Rights Photographer Ernest Williams Exposed as FBI Informant

2010-09-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

Famed civil rights photographer doubled as FBI informant
By Michael Calderone

Ernest Withers, a revered civil rights photographer who captured iconic images of Martin Luther King Jr. on the night King was shot in Memphis, actually played a different role the day before: FBI informant.

The Commercial Appeal, a newspaper in Memphis, just completed a two-year investigation that reveals how Withers provided the FBI with details about where King was staying and information on his meeting with black militants on April 3, 1968 — the day before the assassination.

Withers' spying, however, extends far beyond the slain civil rights leader.

The Commercial Appeal found FBI reports indicating that Withers collaborated for years with FBI agents monitoring the civil rights movement. Those FBI reports, the paper's Marc Perrusquia writes, "reveal a covert, previously unknown side of the beloved photographer."

Withers is certainly beloved in Memphis, where a namesake museum is scheduled to open next month. It remains to be seen how these new revelations may affect Withers' legacy.

The Memphis paper reports how Withers' spying assisted J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial FBI director who long covertly monitored King and others considered radicals. Withers, the paper notes, gave the bureau a "front-row seat to the civil rights and anti-war movements in Memphis." In the 1960s, he provided information on everyone from the Invaders — a militant black power group — to church leaders, politicians and business owners. Experts believe the FBI paid Withers for spying.

D'Army Bailey, a retired Memphis judge and former activist once watched by the FBI, told the paper that such covert tactics are "something you would expect in the most ruthless, totalitarian regimes."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100914/pl_yblog_upshot/famed-civil-rights-photographer-doubled-as-fbi-informant

Lowkey - Terrorist? (Official Video)

2010-09-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Award-Winning Journalists and Community Organizers visit Boston

2010-09-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nationwide tour comes to region, highlighting struggles on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, as well as other social justice issues

encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Avenue, Floor 5, Boston

T Stops: Chinatown and Downtown Crossing

The Community and Resistance Tour is an exciting project organized by several book publishers and independent media makers. The tour brings a multimedia presentation involving short films, inspiring speakers, and exciting dialogue. Organizers hope to communicate about current social justice struggles, from nooses hung in the northern Louisiana town of Jena to women organizing inside prisons, from battles around school privatization to post-Katrina community organizing and cultural resistance. “This tour is for anyone interested in issues of health care, education, criminal justice, housing, or the ways in which racism and other forms of systemic oppression intersect with these struggles,” says tour participant and author Jordan Flaherty.

Tour participants include: Award-winning journalist Jordan Flaherty, who has reported from the Gulf Coast for a range of publications, including the New York Times, Al-Jazeera, and Huffington Post; and former prisoner and author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women, Victoria Law. See below for more detailed information on tour speakers.

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist and community organizer based in New Orleans. He was the first journalist with a national audience to write about the Jena Six case, and played an important role in bringing the story to worldwide attention. His new book is FLOODLINES: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six, and audiences around the world have seen the news segments he’s produced for Al-Jazeera, TeleSur, GritTV, and Democracy Now. Jordan has appeared as a guest on a wide range of television and radio shows, including CNN Morning, Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Headline News, Grit TV, and both local and nationally-syndicated shows on National Public Radio. As a white southerner who speaks honestly about race, Jordan Flaherty has been regularly published in Black progressive forums such as BlackCommentator.org and Black Agenda Report, and is a regular guest on Black radio stations and programs such as Keep Hope Alive With Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Victoria Law is a writer, photographer and mother. After a brief stint as a teenage armed robber, she became involved in prisoner support. In 1996, she helped start Books Through Bars-New York City, a group that sends free books to prisoners nationwide. In 2000, she began concentrating on the needs and actions of women in prison, drawing attention to their issues by writing articles and giving public presentations. Since 2002, she has worked with women incarcerated nationwide to produce Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison and has facilitated having incarcerated women's writings published in larger publications, such as Clamor magazine, the website "Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance" and make/shift magazine. Her book Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women (PM Press 2009) is the culmination of over 7 years of listening to, writing about and supporting incarcerated women nationwide and resulted in this former delinquent winning the 2009 PASS (Prevention for a Safer Society) Award.

Boston Phoenix - The Reform Proof Prison

2010-09-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

Why Massachusetts' correctional system hasn't gotten any better

By CHRIS FARAONE | September 8, 2010

In March 2004, Kathleen Dennehy was hired as the new Department of Correction (DOC) commissioner. The first woman ever to hold the job, she had served nearly 30 years in the system, working as a deputy commissioner and before that as superintendent of the women's prison in Framingham. The challenges before Dennehy were grave; in August 2003, defrocked Catholic priest and serial child rapist John Geoghan was strangled to death by a white supremacist in his cell at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, casting a negative light on the department.

In response to the subsequent uproar, then-governor Mitt Romney and his secretary of public safety, Ed Flynn, tapped Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to head an investigatory panel, the Governor's Commission on Corrections Reform (GCCR). The final Harshbarger report concluded that Geoghan had been severely harassed at Walpole, where the priest was initially held, and that at Shirley, Geoghan had landed in a vulnerable cell block as a result of officers citing him for unwarranted disciplinary infractions.

The Harshbarger report was ugly, and over the next three years, the DOC's Office of Investigative Services struck officers with 312 charges of misconduct, resulting in the firing of more than 100 guards across the department. Seventy-three officers were found guilty of illegally assaulting convicts, and 98 were found to have participated in illicit sexual misconduct with prisoners. The report also proposed strategies for purging the DOC of rogue guards deemed unwilling to accept the department's heightened standards. The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) fought hard against the DOC's crusade, directing much of its spite at the woman who Romney chose to spearhead the invigorated state prison reform effort.

From the beginning of her tenure as commissioner, Dennehy clashed with union loyalists intent on maintaining the status quo. Reps from the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) declined to show up at initial meetings to draft a new department vision statement, and, five months after Dennehy's start, officers hit her with a vote of no confidence. But in the years that followed, until Governor Patrick replaced her with Harold Clarke in 2007, it got worse: Dennehy reported that her car tires were slashed during one prison visit; union members followed her with an inflatable rat and hired private investigators to pursue her; and an underground officer newsletter caricatured the commissioner performing oral sex.

READ: "Troubled Over Bridgewater," by Chris Faraone

It's no surprise that Dennehy locked ideological horns with the union. MCOFU's then-president Steve Kenneway had just completed a tour in Iraq, where he served at Abu Ghraib as an Army reservist. When the notorious Baghdad prison came under scrutiny for outrageous human-rights violations that were exposed in a series of incriminating pictures, Kenneway publicly defended his military comrades, stating that he never witnessed a single inappropriate interrogation. Dennehy, on the other hand, was tasked in to lead the biggest Massachusetts jail reform initiative in 40 years.

One proposed change that was met with vitriol by union members pertained to system-wide disciplinary and grievance processes. Historically, convict complaints had little chance of reaching DOC administrators beyond prison walls, as each facility operated as its own fiefdom in which investigations of prisoner abuse were discreetly addressed or completely ignored. Dennehy sought increased accountability, not only in how grievances were handled, but for officers who abused their power. Only third party DOC administrators, she believed, could admonish rogue officers.

Read the Full Story Here: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/108112-reform-proof-prison/#ixzz0z289Fvj6

Photos: BPD - Operation Hoodsie Cup spotted in South Street Projects

2010-09-02T03:24:00.000-07:00

Click here for the full photo album

Jasiri X - Dr. King's Nightmare

2010-08-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

Jasiri X - Real Gangstas

2010-08-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop video takes aim at the Media

2010-08-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Voices of Liberation's Catch Wreck along with director, Rene Dongo, just released the video for the song, Magic, which deals directly with the issue of accountability in the media..

5K Run in Solidarity with Political Prisoners: Support Leonard Peltier and Tarek Mehanna

2010-08-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

WHEN: Saturday, September 18, 10:00 am RAIN OR SHINE!
WHERE: Jamaica Pond Boathouse (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Running Down the Walls came early this year (Saturday, 8/7)--thanks to all who attended in spite of late notice. Since many couldn't attend, we have decided to keep up our tradition in Boston and hold another 5K run at Jamaica Pond in September in honor of Leonard Peltier's 66th Birthday.

This year will be Leonard Peltier's 34th year in prison for defending the rights of his people. Our 5K run is one small opportunity to create visibility about Leonard's case and raise funds for his ongoing defense. More information at http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/.

Proceeds from the run will be divided between the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee (LPDOC) and the Tarek Mehanna support committee www.freetarek.com. Since Leonard's actual birthday (Sept. 12th) falls on the last day of Ramadan this year, we have decided to hold the run on the following weekend: Saturday, Sept. 18th.

We are suggesting a $15 donation to register for the run; participants are invited to gather pledges and donations to help support the event.

Jamaica Pond is located on the Jamaica Way in Jamaica Plain. The run will start at the Boathouse, near the intersection of Jamaica Way and Pond St. The closest T stations are Green St. on the Orange Line and Heath St. on the Green Line; the closest bus route is the 39. Please call Jericho Boston if you need more detailed directions.

JERICHO - BOSTON
(617)830-0732 - jerichoboston.org

Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Safiya Asya Bukhari, freedom fighter and former political prisoner

2010-08-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Safiya Asya Bukhari, freedom fighter and former political prisoner

Saturday August 28, 2010
7:00-9:00pm
Lucy Parsons Center, 549 Columbus Ave.

Please Join us for a short documentary about her life and work, and selected readings of her book, The War Before

Discussion to follow--Topics include:

Resistance and Sacrifice
Building and Sustaining Community
Lessons Learned from Our Past Struggles

Flyer available here:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/d_read/jericho_boston_announce/Safiya%2520Bukhari%2520Flyer1-1.pdf

Dream University - Boston - August 3rd

2010-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

On August 3rd Student Immigrant Movement will open a Boston Satellite campus of the DREAM University. Join in the days teach-ins and mock graduation on the steps of the MA State House.

Oscar Grant Trial: Oakland Protestor Looks Back & Speaks out (Why I Engaged the Police)

2010-07-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/mrdaveyd

Young Gifted and Black 8

2010-07-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 21st 2010

The YGB Movement, BloodSkinLand Productions & Voices of Liberation presents:

YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK
The 8th Revolution

The bi-yearly youth explosion returns for the 8th time with a collage of poetry, spoken word, rhyme, song, dance, etc.

@ OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center
11 Walnut Park, Roxbury/Egleston Sq.
(off Washington St. next to LaundroMax behind Citgo gas station)

5:00pm - 8:00pm (doors at 4:30pm)
$5.00 admission / Free for 12yrs and under

With performances by:
LARISA OSORIO, KETCHUP, J-ONES, DEEMA FAISAL, ALLEGRA FLETCHER, CATCH WRECK, ASHLEY ROSE, SOFIA SNOW and more!!

Hosted by X-RATED

For more info contact VCR at 617-480-7663 or bloodskinland@yahoo.com
http://younggiftedblack.org/

Youth Lobby Day this Wed. on crime bill

2010-06-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Lobby Day this Wed. at the State House at Noon

Let’s hear from our young people.
Get the guns off the street now! Pass the Governor’s crime bill.

WHAT: Youth-led Lobby Day to support Governor Patrick’s crime bill H. 4102
WHERE: Massachusetts State House
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23 at NOON
CONTACT: (617) 233-5363

Join us for a Lobby Day/ press conference/ rally at the STATE HOUSE THIS WED., JUNE 23 AT NOON to support the Governor’s crime bill.

Let’s showcase youth activists and garner positive media and public attention too often overshadowed by the headlines.

We’ll gather outside, hear from young people about the urgency of getting the guns off the street, and take our message directly to lawmakers inside the building. (Check out our growing list of supporters, attached.)

“I was hanging out with a friend in the afternoon and later that day he was shot and killed. I don’t want to end up like that.” –17-year-old Jamaica Plain student

Don’t let the Governor’s bill die—so our kids can live.

Citizens for Safety is a community coalition working to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth
while supporting the rights of law-abiding Americans to own firearms.

Nancy Robinson
Phone: (617) 233-5363
Fax: (617) 467-4604
www.citizensforsafety.org
info@citizensforsafety.org

Mass Hope 2010 - UPCOMING EVENTS

2010-06-21T07:15:00.001-07:00

Mass Hope 2010 is now on Day 14/Night 14 of our ongoing 24-7 vigil protesting the hateful anti-immigrant redundant and costly Senate budget amendments.

This week has been exciting: On Thursday, Lara gave us a workshop on “Communicating your Message and Talking to Press,” Justin facilitated a chat on immigration, nationalism/nativism, and good books to read, and The Boston Interpreters Collective, Cecily and Fedelma, gave an excellent workshop on interpretation. Yesterday, Voices of Liberation and El movimiento para estudios latin@s put on an Open Mic night and we were all repeatedly surprised by the beauty and power of their dance and spoken word. And today, we finished an intense game of futbol with the Boston Interpreters Collective. The front steps of the State House are now REAL public space-- a community space where people can feel safe and draw energy from others and wonderful groups and organizations can meet, get to know one another and share strategy and resources.

And we need to community and movement as we continue. We are now at a time of great urgency and we need to mobilize and act NOW.

The Conference Committee will make their decision (or already have made their decision) this Monday on June 21st and we will be ready for their decision. We need to show our strength and power in the upcoming days with our events:

Monday June 21st
10 AM- Meet at State House and go on legislative visits to Six leads of Conference Committee to pass in petitions (over 1,000 signatures!)
12Noon- Press Conference in front of the State House
ALL DAY- Flood Conference Committee with calls and emails
Please tell your members to call their respective Senators and Representatives as well as Governor Patrick, 617-725-4005
House Speaker Robert DeLeo, 617-722-2500
Rep. Charles Murpy of Burlington, 617-722-2990
Rep. Barbara L'Italien of Andover, 617-722-2380
Senate President Therese Murray, 617-722-1500
Sen. Steven Panagiotakos of Lowell, 617-722-1630
Sen. Stephen Brewer of Dorchester, 617-722-1540
Even if your Representative and Senator voted against these anti-immigrant amendments, please call them anyways! And support them!)

Tuesday June 22nd
4PM- Rally in front of the State House

Wednesday June 23rd
1PM- Public Hearing inside the State House

We are committing to hold this vigil if the budget contains any of these amendments because they are all dangerous and hurtful to our immigrant and greater communities. We won't stop and we will maintain our ongoing vigil until there is justice, until Massachusetts is a welcoming home for all, and until these amendments are retracted or vetoed by Governor Patrick.

Thank you.

Student Immigrant Movement, ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, Arlington Church, Asian American Resource Workshop, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Boston Interpreters Collective, Boston May Day Committee, Brazilian Immigrants Center, Cambridge Community Services, Centro Presente, Chinese Progressive Association, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Deported Diaspora, El Movimiento Estudiantes Latin@s, Immigrant Worker Center Collaborative, International Action Center, International Socialist Organization, Irish Immigrant Center, Jobs with Justice, Massachusetts Metropolitan Interfaith Congregations Acting for Hope (MICAH), Matahari : Eye of the Day, MIRA Coalition, New Sanctuary Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM), Resist the Raids, SEIU 615, Sociedad Latina, Student Labor Action Network (SLAM), Veterans for Peace, Voices of Liberation

Protesters gather at Red Sox-Diamondbacks game

2010-06-16T09:47:00.001-07:00

Friday June 18th - SPEAK OUT AT STATE HOUSE

2010-06-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Voices of Liberation in solidarity with Student Immigrant Movement Present:

"Todos Somos Arizona/We all Arizona"
Speak Out/Open Mic

Friday June 18, 2010
6-9pm

Location: Steps of State House!

www.voicesofliberation.org
www.simforus.com

Contact: Lily
(857)204-5550
lily.yimche.huang@gmail.com

SIM holds a 24/7 Vigil In protest of MA Immigration Amendments

2010-06-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

Support the action Student Immigrant Movement (SIM) is organizing against the MA amendments that were just passed in the Senate.

These budget amendments, if accepted by the House of Rep, would detrimentally affect our immigrant and greater community. These amendments include:

Requiring businesses that work with the state to use some system (like E-verify) to verify paperwork, or the business will lose contract with government and be fined. (Verifying immigration status for employees is the federal government's responsibility, not our state's job.)
Fining higher penalties for being caught with false documents, for example from $50 to $250 for ID's
Denying access to assisted housing programs for undocumented people (This would leave many U.S. citizen children and family members homeless and increase government spending on motels, shelters and housing in the future.)
Requiring stricter requirements for housing, social security and health benefits, documented or undocumented (This is redundant for undocumented peoples because they currently receive no social security, welfare nor food stamps, receive basic necessary health insurance and do not benefits in the federal housing projects and vouchers. This requirement would make receiving benefits for all, especially poor and lower income people, more difficult and stricter.)
Creating an anonymous tip line to report suspicious people using false documents, business hiring undocumented people and people who are undocumented and mandating investigations of all no matter how uncredible the reports are. (This is a hateful part of the law, requiring neighbors to spy and report on neighbors, ex-partners, students and hearsay. This is putting the federal government's job of immigration reform in the hands of the MA state investigators and in individuals' hands which would bankrupt and use tax dollars to follow up on less than credible reports.
Barring undocumented students from receiving In-State tuition. (This is redundant since MA undocumented students do not receive In-State tuition but it would block the five years of work that the Student Immigrant Movement has done to push for In-State tuition for undocumented students.)
Blocking limited and basic health care for undocumented people. (This is hateful and dangerous for the immigrant community as well as public health, creating barriers to basic health care for all, which is a human right, and therefore putting us all at risk for higher emergency costs, communal diseases and sicknesses.)
We need to do something about these amendments and tell our Representatives and Senators that they do not represent what the people of MA want or need, we do not want Arizona in Massachusetts, we do not want the most hateful and anti-immigrant bill created in the last five years and we do not want to scapegoat our immigrant community for greater socio-economic issues.

Because our friends were hurting and thousands across MA are scared and already talking about the repression and the pressure to leave, we had to turn our fears into hope and action. Student Immigrant Movement is holding an day and all night vigil in front of the State House that will not end until the Senate, House of Representatives and Governor Patrick address the amendements and understand that this is not what MA wants.

Press Coverage of the Vigil

Sponsors

Student Immigrant Movement
Massachusetts Metropolitan Interfaith Congregations Acting for Hope
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministry
Resist the Raids
Centro Presente
Deported Diaspora
El Movimiento Estudiantes
Voices of Liberation
Veterans for Peace
Boston May Day Committee
ANSWER Initiative (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
Party for Socialism and Liberation
Irish Immigrant Center
Boston Interpreters Collective
New Sanctuary Movement
Arlington Church
International Socialist Organization

3rd Annual 10,000 Strong Boston - June 20th - Franklin Park Playstead

2010-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Please take this opportunity to use this community event as it was meant to be! Many are concerned about recent violence and lack of opportunity for our youth Use this event to speak to the community, join with existing efforts, develop or unveil plans. GET INVOLVED!!! BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

3rd Annual 10,000 Strong Boston
Sunday, June 20th 2010 | Franklin Park Playstead
10,000 Strong Boston - STOP THE VIOLENCE Sun. 6/20/10 noon-5pm

12Noon – 5pm (Speakers begin at 3pm)

For more information, details about the schedule and speakers, visit 10000strongboston.com

Greetings! This is a formal invitation requesting your presence and your words of wisdom for the 3rd Annual 10,000 Strong Boston! Feel free to use your own experience to deliver an uplifting message to empower, inform and inspire the community.

Since 2008 (each year held the day after Boston’s Roxbury Homecoming and Juneteenth Celebration) 10,000 Strong Boston has brought together Black, Latino & Cape Verdean Community Members, Clergy, Educators, Activists, Parents, Youth, Elders and Elected Officials for this one of a kind community event standing for Justice & Peace in Boston.

Each year 10,000 Strong Boston has garnered crowds of 100-400 all standing in Unity for Peace & Justice with speakers, food and fun for the entire family. 10k Strong Boston has received excellent coverage in the Press and has been featured in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Phoenix, Boston Banner and Channels 4, 5 and 25.

PAST EVENTS: photos, videos, past speakers and media from 2008 & 2009 10,000 Strong Boston
please see our website: http://www.10000strongboston.com/

10K AGAINST: 10,000 Strong Boston takes a stand against Racism, violence, drugs, guns, gangs, prostitution, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, police brutality and more!!

10K FOR: 10,000 Strong Boston stands for Strong Families, Education, Political/Civic Engagement, Leadership Development, Prison Reform, Fair Housing, CORI Reform and more!!

10,000 Strong Boston is coordinated by Jamarhl Crawford and organized in conjunction with the Blackstonian Community Newspaper, which has grown into a website blackstonian.com and internet radio station blogtalkradio.com/blackstonian

For this 3rd Annual 10k Strong Boston, the newly formed Boston Black Men’s Leadership Group is also taking a lead role in fulfillment of the group’s commitment to grassroots community efforts.

Please consult your schedule and confirm your availability ASAP as we will begin heavy promotions and press in the first week of June.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!

Contact:
617-755-6463
blackstonian@verizon.net

Latin@ Studies Youth Conference

2010-06-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

El Movimiento Estudiantes Latin@s Presents: Latin@ Studies Youth Conference

WHEN
Friday, June 18
10:00 AM - 2:30 PM

WHERE
Wheelock College
150 The Riverway
Boston, MA

SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS
Student Immigrant Movement (SIM)
Lissette Castillo
Nurys Carmago

FOR MORE INFORMATION
movimiento-estudiantes.blogspot.com
Sasha De La Cruz - 857.417.1744
Judy Garcia - 978.566.2096
latino.movement@gmail.com

Live coverage of Israeli raid of Gaza Aid Flotilla and Aftermath

2010-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Early Monday morning, Israel attacked a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip; up to 10 people were killed in the pre-dawn raid, according to organisers and media sources. Find up to the minute coverage of the Israeli raid of a Gaza Aid Flotilla and the aftermath on Al Jazeera.

Live coverage: Aftermath of Israel's flotilla raid
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/05/31/live-coverage-aftermath-israels-flotilla-raid

Live coverage: Israel's flotilla raid
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/05/31/live-coverage-israels-flotilla-raid

Deadly Israeli raid on aid fleet

2010-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Israeli soldiers have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships off the coast of the Gaza Strip, killing as many as 10 people on board.

Dozens more were believed to be injured when troops raided the convoy of six ships, dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, early on Monday.

But those figures were hard to confirm as the flotilla was being held in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Tuesday, with 700 passengers from 30 countries either being detained or in hospital.

Israel said activists on board attacked its commandos as they boarded the ships, while the flotilla's organisers said the Israeli forces opened fire first, as soon as they stormed the convoy.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, gave his "full backing" to the military forces after the raid, which he said "was to prevent the infiltration of thousands of rockets, missiles and other arms that could hit our cities, communities or people".

"I give my complete backing to the army, the soldiers and commanders who acted to defend the state and to protect their lives." He also said Israel regretted the loss of life in the raid.

Protests worldwide

Israeli media reported that many of the dead were Turkish nationals.

Hamas, the Palestinian group which governs the Gaza Strip, said the assault was a "massacre" and called on the international community to intervene.

The Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, urged Arabs and Muslims to show their anger by staging protests outside Israeli embassies across the globe.

The call came even as demonstrationsdenouncing the Israeli raid were being held in many cities around the world, including the capitals of Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Thousands of Turkish protesters tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul soon after the news of the operation broke.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, officially declared a three-day state of mourning.

The United Nations Security Council met on Monday afternoon for an emergency session to discuss the matter.

Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the chief foreign policy official of the UN, called on Israel to end its "counterproductive" and "unacceptable" blockade of Gaza.

Live ammunition

Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, on board the flotilla's lead ship, the Mavi Marmara, said in his last report before communications were cut off, that Israeli troops used live ammunition during the assault.

The Israeli military, 10 of whose soldiers were reportedly wounded in the operation, said troops opened fire after "demonstrators on board attacked the IDF naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs".

Our correspondent said that a white surrender flag was raised from the ship and there was no live fire coming from the passengers.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the aid ships were taken after the assault, said the Israeli army was not giving any details of who had been killed, injured or detained.

"As soon as [the ships] land here, the goods [will be] taken [and] put into a terminal, and the passengers [made to] undergo extensive security checks," she said.

"[They will be] given the choice either to go home straight away, in which case they will be taken to Tel Aviv airport. Or if they resist deportation, they will be taken to a nearby detention centre where, we understand, they will [remain] for at least 72 hours."

More than 80 activists had been detained by mid-evening, Sabine Hadad, the spokeswoman for Israel's immigration police, told AFP.

"So far, 83 have been detained, of whom 25 have agreed to be deported. The rest are going to jail," she said.

Hadad said the Israeli authorities were expecting "hundreds more" arrests through the night.

Israeli defence

Defending Monday's military raid, Mark Regev, the Israeli government spokesperson, said the Israeli commandos came under fire from people on board the flotilla whom he branded as "violent extremists".

"Israel was totally within its rights under international law to intercept the ship and to take it to the port of Ashdod," he told Al Jazeera.

"Unfortunately they were met by the activists on the boats with deadly violence, knives, metal clubs, even live fire on our service people. They initiated the violence."

He said the people on board the flotilla were not peaceful activists.

"They are part of the IHH, which is a radical Turkish Islamist organisation which has been investigated by Western governments and by the Turkish government itself in the past for their links with terrorist organisations."

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said the flotilla was carefully inspected before departure that there was no one on board "other than civilian volunteers.

"I want to say to the world, to the heads of state and the governments, that these boats that left from Turkey and other countries were checked in a strict way under the framework of the rules of international navigation and were only loaded with humanitarian aid," he said.

Israeli 'cover-up'

Murat Mercan, the head of Turkey's foreign relations committee, said that claiming activists on board had links to terrorist organisations was Israel's way of covering up its mistake.

"Any allegation that the members of this ship is attached to al-Qaeda is a big lie because there are Israeli civilians, Israeli authorities, Israeli parliamentarians on board the ship," he told Al Jazeera.

"Does he [Regev] think that those are also attached to al-Qaeda?"

Dozens of activists were seriously injured in Monday's Israeli raid on the high seas [AFP]
The flotilla, aiming to break the Israeli siege of Gaza, was attacked in international waters, 65km off the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, confirmed that the attack took place in international waters, saying: "This happened in waters outside of Israeli territory, but we have the right to defend ourselves."

Mark Taylor, an international legal expert, told Al Jazeera that every state, including Israel, has the right to self-defence.

"In situations in which the state feels that it needs to take an act in international waters to defend itself, it will do that," he said.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's legal under international law.

"In this case, we're looking at a humanitarian aid convoy, with prominent people and activists, clearly not a military target in any way whatsoever."

'Dire need of aid'

Israel said the flotilla boats - carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid - were embarking on "an act of provocation" against the Israeli military rather than providing aid, and issued warrants to prohibit their entrance to Gaza.

But Adnan Abu-Hasana, a spokesman for UNRWA, said the Gazans are in dire need of aid after Israel's war on the territory in December 2008-January 2009 destroyed buildings and infrastructure.

"We need hundreds of thousands of tonnes [of aid] to rebuild Gaza," he told Al Jazeera.

"We need more of building materials ... We need spare parts for machines in the agricultural and industrial sectors, for the fishermen, all these sectors are nearly collapsed.

"Eighty per cent of the Gazans are dependent on humanitarian aid coming from UN organisations such as UNRWA."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053113252437484.html

Local members of NALACC Rally in Boston in support of the Massive National Mobilization in Phoenix on May 29, 2010

2010-05-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Local members of NALACC Rally in Boston in support of the Massive National Mobilization in Phoenix on May 29, 2010

When: Saturday, 29th May, 12:00 p.m.

Where: Park Street Station, Boston Common

Boston, MA- Local members of The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) will hold a rally in Boston in support of the Massive National Mobilization in Phoenix on the same day. In the last month, local, national, and international pressure has grown with vigils, fasts, protests, high school walkouts, boycotts, and civil disobedience-all in repudiation of SB1070, a law that would provide legal cover for racial profiling. "We hope that all those who are in favor of more humane policies and a true immigration reform will stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Arizona," declared Gladys Vega, Executive Director of the Chelsea Collaborative.

On May 29, 2010 people of conscience from throughout the United States and Phoenix will march in the tens of thousands to the Arizona State Capitol to demand justice in the face of state-sanctioned discrimination and hate. They will demand that President Obama stand on the right side of history and take immediate and concrete action to stop SB1070.

"In a spirit of solidarity with those in Arizona, we condemn this inhumane, anti-immigrant law. We are also concerned about the Obama administration dedicating an additional five hundred million dollars for border security and sending twelve hundred national guard troops to the border, which will not resolve anything outside of political posturing" said, Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente and board member of NALACC.

7-year-old girl, Aiyana Jones, Killed in Detroit Police Raid

2010-05-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

Aiyana Stanley Jones, 7 years old, was shot while she was sleeping on a couch when a Detroit police officer’s weapon went off as he was searching for a homicide suspect. Assistant Police Chief Ralph Godbee stated that the little girl was hit in the neck by a bullet and died at the hospital. “This is any parent’s worst nightmare. It also is any police officer’s worst nightmare. And today, it is all too real.” Krystal Sanders, aunt of Aiyana, said, “I heard boom! Detroit police! Pop! It happened so fast.”

Mertilla Jones, Aiyana’s grandmother, who was in the front room of the house said “I (saw) the light go out of her eyes. They killed my grandbaby.” Godbee said officers with the department’s Special Response Team set off a flash grenade as they entered the apartment with their guns drawn. The lead officer encountered Aiyana’s grandmother, who tussled with the officer when the officer’s gun went off.

Charles Jones, father of Aiyana, said “They came into my house with a flash grenade and a bullet. They say my mother resisted them, that she tried to take an officer’s gun. My mother had never been in handcuffs in her life. They killed my baby, and I want someone to tell the truth”

The officers had a search warrant and were looking for a 34-year-old man who was the suspect for the death of a 17-year-old boy named Jarean Blake. The suspect was arrested at the house.

“We have executed countless high-risk warrants where children have been present. This was a perfect storm for tragedy,” Godbee said. “This is a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude to Aiyana’s parents, family and all those who loved her. It is a tragedy we also feel very deeply throughout the ranks of the Detroit Police Department.”

http://www.sevensidedcube.net/general/2010/7-year-old-girl-aiyanna-jones-killed-in-detroit-police-raid/

7-year-old girl killed in Detroit police raid

2010-05-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Police in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday expressed "profound sorrow" at the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl in a police raid.

Aiyana Jones was shot and killed by police executing a search warrant as part of a homicide investigation, Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee said in a statement.

"This is any parent's worst nightmare," Godbee said. "It also is any police officer's worst nightmare. And today, it is all too real."

The warrant was executed about 12:40 a.m. ET Sunday at a home on the city's east side, Godbee said. Authorities believed the suspect in the Friday shooting death of 17-year-old high school student Jarean Blake was hiding out at the home. Blake was gunned down in front of a store as his girlfriend watched, Godbee said.

Preliminary information indicates that members of the Detroit Police Special Response Team approached the house and announced themselves as police, Godbee said, citing the officers and at least one independent witness.

"As is common in these types of situations, the officers deployed a distractionary device commonly known as a flash bang," he said in the statement. "The purpose of the device is to temporarily disorient occupants of the house to make it easier for officers to safely gain control of anyone inside and secure the premise."
Upon entering the home, the officer encountered a 46-year-old female inside the front room, Godbee said. "Exactly what happened next is a matter still under investigation, but it appears the officer and the woman had some level of physical contact.

"At about this time, the officer's weapon discharged one round which, tragically, struck 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Jones in the neck/head area."

The girl was immediately transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Godbee said he and other officers went to the hospital while others stayed at the home to execute the warrant.

Aiyana's father, Charles Jones, told CNN affiliate WDIV, "She was sleeping and they came in the door shooting and throwing flash grenades ... burned my baby up and shot her, killed her."

Jones claimed the officers had the wrong house, but Godbee said in the statement the 34-year-old suspect in Blake's death was found and arrested at the home. In addition, a vehicle and a moped matching the descriptions of those involved in Blake's shooting were also found, he said.

The suspect's name was not released.

Godbee said he wished to "express to the family of Aiyana Jones the profound sorrow that we feel within the Detroit Police Department and throughout this community. We know that no words can do anything to take away the pain you are feeling at this time."

Police obtained the "high-risk search warrant" based on intelligence, and it was approved by the prosecutor and a magistrate, Godbee said. "Because of the ruthless and violent nature of the suspect in this case, it was determined that it would be in the best interest of public safety to execute the search warrant as soon as possible and detain the suspect ... while we sought a murder warrant," he said.

The police statement said Chief Warren Evans is out of town and could not be present "to personally address this tragedy," but "his thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Aiyana Jones."
The officer's weapon was secured, and an investigation is under way, Godbee said, emphasizing the information gained so far is preliminary.

"This is a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude to Aiyana's parents, family and all those who loved her," Godbee said. "... It is a tragedy we also feel very deeply throughout the ranks of the Detroit Police Department.
"We cannot undo what occurred this morning," he said. "All we can do is pledge an open and full investigation and to support Aiyana's family in whatever way they may be willing to accept from us at this time. I understand that they may not be open to such a gesture at this time, but we do stand ready to do anything we can to support them."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/16/michigan.police.child/

Task Force studies chill between teens and MBTA

2010-05-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

When Waldy Nova sees an MBTA cop approaching, he says, several scenarios run through his head.

“I automatically assume I’m going to get talked down to, searched, arrested or kicked out of the station,” he says.

Nova knows his experience is not unique. He knows because he has witnessed numerous altercations between MBTA officers and students. He also knows this because he and his fellow youth organizers at the Hyde Square Task Force have conducted surveys with more than 700 Boston teenagers to assess the relations between the cops and the students.

The Task Force youths are now compiling their data and expect to release their report next week. While they wouldn’t comment on the data, the teens working on the project said most of the teens they interviewed spoke about harassment, illegal searches and being kicked out of stations.

“Most of us have experienced most of these problems or witnessed them,” said Pamela Pauling, who worked on the survey. “A lot of people get searched for no reason. They get grabbed and thrown up against the wall.”

Each of the four youths interviewed at the Task Force office also shared their own personal stories of instances where they said they either experienced or witnessed police harassment. None of them has ever been arrested.

Deli Tejeda tells of being illegally searched by police officers who said they suspected he was selling drugs. Sheila Reyes was kicked out of Forest Hills Station by a surly officer who accused the group of teens she was with of littering.

“The youth that we work with are always complaining about problems with transit police,” Reyes said.

The Task Force teens say youth relations with the MBTA police are particularly important because most of the high school students in Boston use the public transit system and come into contact with transit police.The experience youth have with MBTA officers is markedly different than what adults experience, according to Nova.

“I’ve never seen an adult being kicked out of a station,” he says.

“Or searched,” adds Pauling.

“Or kicked out of a station,” adds Reyes.

MBTA police officers have jurisdiction over MBTA property and have the full right to arrest anyone engaged in illegal activity on MBTA property.

In the 1990s, the MBTA police engaged in a “zero tolerance” policy against youth on the system, logging as many as 680 arrests a year.

After a series of Banner articles detailing allegations of MBTA police abuse against teens, including numerous arrests of teenagers for trespassing, the agency brought in a new chief, Joseph Carter, who re-assigned many of the officers who were responsible for the arrests and dismantled the Anti Crime Unit — a plainclothes unit that targeted teens.

Under current Chief Paul MacMillan, MBTA police are now making fewer arrests, according to youth advocate Lisa Thurau Gray, who says the agency arrested 84 youth last year.

“I think things have improved tremendously,” she said.

MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said MacMillan was not available for comment. The chief is scheduled to meet with the Task Force youth this week, she said.

The complaints the youth are making are not unique to the MBTA police. Like most black and Latino teens in Boston, the boys at the Task Force each say they are often stopped and searched by Boston Police.

“Wherever I’m at, whenever I see any kind of authority, because of my skin tone I’m going to get searched,” says Tejeda, who is dark-skinned.

The teens say they know the police are not supposed to search them without probable cause.

“Most kids are intimidated into revealing the contents of their bags and pockets,” Tejeda says. “They’re forced to do so illegally. The cops break the rules and don’t get called out on it.”

“I think that’s why some youth act out,” Nova cuts in. “How would you feel if you were in that situation? If it happened to you constantly? Everyone has their breaking point.”

The Task Force teens say their ultimate aim is to improve relations between youths and the MBTA police.

“We want to establish a good relationship,” Nova says. “We want there to be harmony between the police and the people they’re supposed to protect and serve. Youth are as much a part of the community as adults, just as the T officers are a part of the community and have to be treated with respect.”

Yawu Miller
http://www.baystatebanner.com/local12-2010-05-06

Is Crime Down? It Doesn’t Feel That Way on the Streets

2010-05-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

I recently heard the crime rate is down in the the East Bay city of Oakland. It doesn't feel that way on the streets. My 21-year-old brother who stays in Oakland just got shot at last week. I stay in Hunter's Point, and someone in the neighborhood just got shot at yesterday.

The last few weeks haven't been good for me. I made the local news twice because of violence.

On March 22, I was standing at the T-stop on 3rd Street in San Francisco when some young dudes choked a 57-year-old Asian lady and threw her off the platform. Her mouth was bleeding. It was shady for them to attack an old lady. The cold part was when my cousin called me the next day to say she saw me on the news. I got interviewed because I was standing right there when the assault occurred. I was at the wrong spot at the wrong time. It was bad because first off, I got on the news for an old lady being thrown off the platform, and there's nothing good about that. It was also bad because they asked me all these questions on camera that I didn't have answers to.

The second time I made the news was even worse. It was because I was getting shot at on the freeway last Sunday. Me and three other people left the city around midnight, trying to get to Hayward to see some females. I was driving.

We were in San Leandro when we happened to pass a car. We looked at the people in the car, and my friend said, “What’s up?” in a head motion, and we thought everything was fine. The car slowed down a little, moved to the other side of me, and that's when my cousin mugged them. Since I was driving, I didn't even know my cousin mugged them. I smack past their car, but I guess they thought we were on them. I heard the first gunshot hit my window, and the bullet ended up hitting my cousin in the back. He was damn near crying like he got shot hella times, but luckily the bullet just clipped him and popped out.

I was mad my cousin got shot, but then again, if he hadn't mugged those folks, none of this would have happened He was the only one who got shot. I'm glad the bullet wasn't in his head because that would have been crazy.

While we were getting shot at, I managed to get off the freeway, but not before hitting the island that separates traffic. Then I hit the off-ramp and landed in the island. Everybody hopped out of the car and went different ways. I left my phone in the car, so I had to go back to get it. I got into my car and drove it around the corner to where everybody gathered waiting for me. It was damn near 1 a.m. People started coming out of their houses to see what was going on. This one dude who we didn't even know gave us a tire. But when we turned around to fix our car, this white dude was trying to take a tire off my car.

Three different highway policemen kept coming back to ask us if we had seen anything. We all said, “no,” because we knew for sure they were going to take the car since there were three bullets holes and my window was shot out. I wish they had let me drive off with my car, but because of the bullet holes, they had to take it.

The police handcuffed us all, even the guy who was just trying to help us put a new tire on the car. While being handcuffed, I told the guy who helped us, "I know you're not helping no more black people out." He started laughing and said, "I'm not helping nobody else out." I think they handcuffed us because we're black and they thought we had something in the car, which we didn't.

We were taken to the police station and asked hella questions. By the time it was all over, it was 4 a.m. It was lightweight shady because one of the people who rode in my car was only 17 years old, so he had to wait for his mom and dad to get him. I wasn't really trippin' about being at the police station because I knew they couldn't take me to jail for being shot at. I couldn't wait to leave and get home. It was hella late.

Since we didn't have a ride, my cousin called somebody he knew to pick us up. I had to take BART and get back to the city to see my parole officer at 10 that morning. Then I had to go straight to work even though I only got two hours of sleep. I was so tired I didn't even want to get up, but I made it to work.

They took my car, and now I'm real mad because I only had that car for one day. Now I'm back to the bus and I know not to hang with those people who got me mixed up with being shot at.

Jaquan Rushing
http://www.youthoutlook.org/news/
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=4dae326ab50ef131998600a40a3c803f

Violence on the Rise in LA, NY

2010-05-08T06:28:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- Twenty-two killings in just 13 days have put the LAPD on alert and brought a surprising end to the low crime trend of recent years, reports La Opinión. The unusual surge in homicides, which has been a lingering fear for several months as a result of the early release of prisoners and the budget cuts to law enforcement agencies, coincides with an AP report this week that found the early release included a percentage of violent offenders. Until two weeks ago, the police had recorded a double digit drop in the homicide rate, which has been consistently declining in the last few years. However, as of March 31, there had been 73 killings in the city Los Angeles, compared with 74 in the same period of 2009.

An even steeper increase in violent crime has taken place in New York, where crime is up 20 percent. There have been at least 103 murders in New York as of Monday, compared with 86 killings at this time in 2009.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=afa3f7143463e83a45414f9b253b730d

Violence Up in LA Among Latino, Black Youth

2010-05-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- La Opinión reported last month that 22 killings in 13 days brought a surprising end to Los Angeles' low crime trend of recent years. In a follow-up story Monday, the Spanish-language daily reports that the majority of those killed were black and Latino youth. In Los Angeles County, 32 percent of murder victims were African American, 11 percent were white, and only 3 percent were Asian. Latinos in Los Angeles County are five times more likely to be victims than whites, and nearly twice as likely as African Americans, La Opinión reports.

Experts say the high rate of murders of black and Latino youth may be linked to access to weapons and gang affiliation. They also cite poverty and social conditions, as well as lack of parental supervision, as factors that may contribute to the violence.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=558330f8e3660a62fc93f68afaf357a0

SUPPORT BOSTON CITY COUNCIL'S STAND AGAINST RACIAL PROFILING IN ARIZONA

2010-05-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Boston City Councilors Felix G. Arroyo and Councilor Michael P. Ross filed a resolution stating:

"the City of Boston should do a thorough review of all investments and business practices engaged in by the City to determine what activities, if any, it conducts with the state of Arizona, municipalities in Arizona, and other business entities in Arizona or conducting substantial business in Arizona. Also the City of Boston should, to the extent reasonable, with due consideration for, among other things, return on investment, on behalf of itself and its investment beneficiaries, not to participate in any business activities substantially connected with the State of Arizona, municipalities in Arizona, and other business entities in Arizona or conducting substantial business in Arizona."

Right Wing Radio is bombarding Boston City Councilors with their negative message against the resolution.

Your Boston City Councilors need to hear from you!!

We need to make sure our voices our heard!!
TWO ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

1. Call and e-mail your Boston City Councilor NOW and tell them YOU SUPPORT the Resolution and oppose racial profiling.

2. Attend the Boston City Council meeting TODAY AT 12:00 P.M. (Wednesday, May 5th) at Boston City Hall.

Stephen.murphy@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4376 - Citywide
Ayanna.pressley@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4217 - Citywide
John.connolly@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3115 - Citywide
Felix.arroyo@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4205 - Citywide
Mark.ciommo@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3113 - Allston and Brighton
Rob.consalvo@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4210 - Hyde Park and Roslindale
Maureen.Feeney@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3455 - Dorchester
Salvatore.lamattina@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3200 - East Boston, North End, Charlestown
Bill.linehan@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3203 - South Boston, South End, Chinatown
John.tobin@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4220 - West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain
Chuck.turner@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3510 - Roxbury, South End, Fenway
Charles.yancey@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-3131 - Mattapan and Dorchester
Michael.ross@cityofboston.gov - 617 635-4225 - Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Mission Hill, West End

ALL OUT FOR C.O.R.I. REFORM!

2010-05-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

ALL OUT FOR C.O.R.I. REFORM!

Rally & Lobby Day
May 6 - 12:00 PM
Massachusetts State House

The Commonwealth CORI Coalition (a statewide coalition of over 110 organizations, dedicated to passing comprehensive CORI reform in 2010) is calling on all supporters of CORI reform to join us at the State House for a Rally and Lobby Day. Speaker DeLeo has made commitments to bring CORI to a vote this session. Now that the House is done with the budget, we have a window of opportunity to pass CORI reform in May.

12 PM - Rally on State House Steps
1 PM - Visit Legislative Offices
2 PM - Debrief and Next Steps - Room B1

Click here for a downloadable outreach flyer.

The CORI, the state's criminal background check system, keeps residents from accessing jobs and housing. CORI Reform was passed last November by the Senate, but is still awaiting a vote in the House. CORI reform will increase taxpaying residents, reduce joblessness and help reduce crime. Demand CORI reform now!

The CORI reform movement is picking up steam! Please call your State Representative TODAY.

To find who your Rep is, go to www.wheredoivotema.com or call 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) and enter your address.

CALL IN DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Call the State House operator at 617-722-2000 and ask to be connected to your Representative
Step 2: Ask to leave a message for your Representative
Step 3: "Hello, my name is _________. I'm a resident in your district. My address is ________. I'm calling to ask Representative _________ to help pass CORI reform. I would like Representative _________ to write a letter or talk to Speaker DeLeo to ensure that CORI reform receives a vote in the month of May."
Step 4: Thank the aide for their time. Email info@bostonworkersalliance.org to let them know you called. Spread the word to your friends and family!

Thank you for helping to advance CORI reform!

C.O.R.I. REFORM ACTIONS ALERT

2010-04-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

C.O.R.I. REFORM ACTIONS ALERT
April 30 to May 14

Landmark reforms are so close!
We are calling on you to lend your support in what we hope will be the last leg of this campaign.

DO YOUR PART!
After years of tireless organizing and advocacy, the Massachusetts State Senate adopted a comprehensive CORI reform bill last November. Since then, Speaker DeLeo has made public commitments to address CORI in the House after the budget.

This creates a critical window to pass a CORI bill in the month of May.

Thousands of individuals and over 110 organizations have signed on as supporters of CORI reform. Community Change has been supporting CORI reform for years. We alert you to the following critical actions and ask you to participate as you are able:

CORI Coalition Meeting
Friday, April 30th, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Project Hip Hop
2181 Washington St. 3rd Floor, Dudley Square, Roxbury

Emergency update and briefing on the status of CORI reform, what was in the Senate bill, and immediate next steps in the campaign.

CORI Rally & Lobby Day
Thursday, May 6th, 12:00 to 3:00 PM
State House

We are calling for a major mobilization of CORI reform supporters to rally and lobby at the State House for passage of a House bill. Details are forthcoming, but all organizations in support of reforms are called to action!

Statewide Call-In Campaign
May 3rd - 14th
We will be contacting all endorsing organizations to help generate phone calls to the State House in the first 2 weeks of May. If you are interested in helping with this effort, please email atanaka@bostonworkersalliance.org

The reforms included in the Senate bill would make Massachusetts the first state to remove the CORI question from job applications, and would prevent dismissed cases as well as felonies over a decade old from being held against applicants.

CORI affects hundreds of thousands across the State, and represents a regressive barrier for low income communities and communities of color to build economic health and prosperity. Please help make CORI reform a reality!

Vigil and Rally TO PASS JUST CAUSE EVICTION

2010-04-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Vigil and Rally

TO PASS JUST CAUSE EVICTION

TOMORROW: APRIL 29, 2010
12:00 to 1:00 PM

in front of the Massachusetts State House
Join CITY LIFE/VIDA URBANA which has fought for over 2 years to win legislation that would protect occupants of foreclosed buildings against no-fault evictions by foreclosing lenders.

More than anyone, the Bank Tenants movement has focused on demanding an end to post-foreclosure, no-fault evictions. We have made that into an issue. We are very close to winning an important victory on this.

The Senate will vote on a measure giving just-cause eviction protection (eviction only for cause) to tenants in foreclosed properties. Although we are seeking small wording amendments, this central feature of Senate 2355 would be a huge victory. It would be the first piece of legislation protecting residents against large real estate owners in 16 years.

We were not able to win our goal of including former homeowners in this eviction protection. There is still prejudice about protecting former owners that we were not able to overcome. However, protections for former tenants gives important indirect protection for former owners in 3 important ways.
If an owner has tenants who are protected, the Bank can't clear the building and so has less incentive to evict the owner.

Organizations like City Life and participating lawyers can focus even more attention and resources on owners' cases.

The Banks general goal of mass eviction will receive a major defeat and hopefully open the door for more negotiations around owners. Therefore, we will be holding our vigil tomorrow to recommit ourselves to protecting everyone in foreclosed properties through our organizing, including former owners.
If you want to go from City Life's Jamaica Plain office, gather at our office at 11 am.

Place Matters - Why is your street address such a good predictor of your health?

2010-04-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Place Matters
May 12, 2010 - 12:00 to 1:30 PM
14 Beacon Street, Suite 604, Boston, Ma

Why is your street address such a good predictor of your health?

Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood leads to a 50-80% increase in risk for heart disease - the number 1 killer in the U.S. One reason is chronic stress. Worrying about violence, lousy schools, and unpaid bills; living in substandard housing or a polluted environment; not having good access to fresh food, reliable transportation, or safe public spaces - all of these have a negative, even toxic effect on health.

As Harvard's David Williams reminds us, "housing policy is health policy. Neighborhood improvement policies are health policies." Health of individuals is improved when residents, government agencies, local officials, foundations and private business work together and take health into account.

Join Community Change staff and friends for a screening of this film followed by a community conversation.

Please bring your lunch.
Beverages will be provided.
$5 contribution requested. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
RSVP at 617-523-0555 or janet@communitychangeinc.org.

Place Matters is the fifth installment in the Unnatural Causes film and discussion series.

May Day rallies on Saturday

2010-04-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday: join the Boston Interpreters Collective this Saturday in the rallies in Boston area. Arizona is the wake-up call. Got yourself out in the streets this Saturday. We probably could live without universal health care, but not with racial profiling. Help us to make this May 1st bigger than 2006.

Two options for you:

- Boston has a rally in the Commons from 12 to 2pm. Check www.bostonmayday.org.

- BIC folks will be going to East Boston. The contigent will be meeting at Everett City Hall at 12pm, Chelsea City Hall 1pm or for the final rally at Lopresti Park in East Boston at 2pm. Link on BIC's calendar: http://www.interpreterscollective.org/calendar/event/165

Job Opportunity for teens and young adults

2010-04-22T18:34:00.001-07:00

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Massachusetts Jobs for Justice wanted us to let you know about these jobs available to teens and young adults.

The union is on strike on most of the Shaw's Supermarkets because the company has taken action to cut the benefits and wages of the 300 workers who work at Shaw's Warehouse and Distribution Center.

The job involves standing outside of a Shaw's Supermarket near the entrance to the parking lot with a sign asking people not to shop there during this strike. Also, asking people walking up to the store to consider not shopping there because of these issue.

It pays $10.00 an hour and can be done during the day and/or evening at various Shaw's locations.

If you know of anyone interested contact Megan Pierce at United Food and Commercial Workrs at her cell phone at (202) 531-4823 or Russ Davis at Jobs with Justice (617) 524-9778

Dorothy Height, civil rights activist, dies at 98

2010-04-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON --Dorothy Height, the leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement and a participant in historic marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, died Tuesday. She was 98.

Height, whose activism on behalf of women and minorities dated to the New Deal, led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years. She continued actively speaking out into her 90s, often getting rousing ovations at events around Washington, where she was immediately recognized by the bright, colorful hats she almost always wore.

She died at Howard University Hospital, where she had been in serious condition for weeks.

In a statement, President Barack Obama called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement" and a hero to Americans.

"Dr. Height devoted her life to those struggling for equality ... and served as the only woman at the highest level of the Civil Rights Movement -- witnessing every march and milestone along the way," Obama said.

It was the second death of a major civil rights figure in less than a week. Benjamin L. Hooks, the former longtime head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, died Thursday in Memphis at 85.

As a teenager, Height marched in New York's Times Square shouting, "Stop the lynching." In the 1950s and 1960s, she was the leading woman helping King and other activists orchestrate the civil rights movement, often reminding the men heading the movement not to underestimate their women counterparts.

One of Height's sayings was, "If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time." She liked to quote 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who said that the three effective ways to fight for justice are to "agitate, agitate, agitate."

Height was on the platform at the Lincoln Memorial, sitting only a few feet from King, when he gave his famous "I have a dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963.

"He spoke longer than he was supposed to speak," Height recalled in a 1997 Associated Press interview. But after he was done, it was clear King's speech would echo for generations, she said, "because it gripped everybody."

She lamented that the feeling of unity created by the 1963 march had faded, and that the civil rights movement of the 1990s was on the defensive and many black families were still not economically secure.

"We have come a long way, but too many people are not better off," she said. "This is my life's work. It is NOT a job."

When Obama won the presidential election in November 2008, Height told Washington TV station WTTG that she was overwhelmed with emotion.

"People ask me, did I ever dream it would happen, and I said, `If you didn't have the dream, you couldn't have worked on it," she said.

Height became president of the National Council of Negro Women in 1957 and held the post until 1997, when she was 85. She remained chairman of the group.

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 from President Bill Clinton.

To celebrate Height's 90th birthday in March 2002, friends and supporters raised $5 million to enable her organization to pay off the mortgage on its Washington headquarters. The donors included Oprah Winfrey and Don King.

Height was born in Richmond, Va., and the family moved to the Pittsburgh area when she was four. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from New York University and did postgraduate work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work. (She had been turned away by Barnard College because it already had its quota of two black women.)

In 1937, while she was working at the Harlem YWCA, Height met famed educator Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of the National Council of Negro Women, and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had come to speak at a meeting of Bethune's organization. Height eventually rose to leadership roles in both the council and the YWCA.

The late activist C. DeLores Tucker once called Height an icon to all African-American women.

"I call Rosa Parks the mother of the civil rights movement," Tucker said in 1997. "Dorothy Height is the queen."

By Ben Evans, Associated Press Writer | April 20, 2010

April 24th, Free Tarek! Benefit Show & CD Release Party!

2010-04-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

FREE TAREK! BENEFIT SHOW: Join us for food, raffle & live music to celebrate the release of the Free Tarek! Compilation CD, an educational fundraising project to help free our brother Tarek and all political prisoners!

SATURDAY, APRIL 24th, 2010
6:00pm @ Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth Street, Jamaica Plain, MA (Stoneybrook T-stop on the Orange Line)
**GET THERE EARLY. SHOW WILL SELL OUT!**

$10 - 30 sliding scale suggested donation.
Any donation over $15 gets you a FREE CD with entrance!
There will be food, raffle, etc for sale.
All Ages! Wheelchair Accessible. No alcohol, please.

Featuring a combination of hip hop, soul and r&b performances in support of Tarek by 8 artists featured on the CD!

NATURAL BLISS (http://www.myspace.com/naturalbliss)
BROADCAST LIVE (http://www.myspace.com/broadcastlive)
SPIRITCHILD (http://www.myspace.com/spiritchildmentalnotes)
SISTAH MIA (http://www.myspace.com/sistahmia)
L.O.S.T. (http://www.myspace.com/lastofsoldierstaken)
STEPHANIE ROOKER (http://www.myspace.com/srooker)
MAJESTY (www.myspace.com/majesty360)
ABU NURAH (http://www.myspace.com/abunurah)

For more information about Tarek's Case and what you can do to help: www.freetarek.com

Threats of revenge put police on guard

2010-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

A guard has been posted at gang unit headquarters since a fatal shooting.

(Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)

City police have been on high alert and taking unusual safety precautions since Saturday, when the death of a 19-year-old in a shootout with gang unit officers sparked threats of retaliation.

Since Sunday, an armored truck from the department’s SWAT team has been parked outside the gang unit headquarters in Dorchester, with an officer in protective gear standing sentry.

Officers who patrol the city’s toughest neighborhoods have been ordered to ride tandem until further notice, barred from driving alone because that practice is now viewed as too risky.

Gang unit officers have been advised to put untraceable license plates on their personal cars and are being told by supervisors to be vigilant as they go in and out of their headquarters, according to law enforcement officials with knowledge of the precautions.

The tension arises from a fatal shooting Saturday night, in which three Boston officers and a state trooper chased Manuel DaVeiga on a Dorchester street after approaching him at a makeshift memorial to a slain teenager. The teenagers and the police officers fired on one another, and DaVeiga was killed.

Prosecutors say DaVeiga fired first, with a .45-caliber handgun, and then shot himself in the head after being wounded in the hand, hip, and chest by police. But some community activists say many residents are skeptical and are urging a complete investigation that will describe what happened that night.

Anger over the shooting began almost immediately and has apparently not been assuaged by Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s assertion that DaVeiga shot himself.

Immediately after the shooting, an angry crowd gathered at the scene and yelled threats at officers, police said. Since then, the department has received more threats of retaliation, though police declined to be specific.

“We are taking those threats very seriously,’’ Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department, said yesterday. “Unfortunately, such threats are not an unusual occurrence after a traumatic incident . . . Officer safety is paramount, and the department will take any precautions necessary to ensure the protection of officers.’’

The Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III, who runs the Ella J. Baker House in Dorchester, said he plans to hold a press conference this morning urging those concerned by the shooting, particularly teenagers, to tone down their rhetoric and remain calm. As the summer approaches, he said, it is imperative that city police and neighborhood leaders work together to keep down tensions on the street.

“The community must stand with the police and communicate that one does not shoot at cops, and one should not talk about or threaten, in whatever idle fashion, about shooting’’ police, Rivers said.

Rivers said he has grown concerned about the threats after speaking with young people on the street.

“Certain young people have been toying with the rhetoric of shooting at cops,’’ Rivers said. “Some feel that the shooting incident was unjustified, that the young man had mental illness so he should not have been shot.’’

DaVeiga, who according to court records was associated with a gang, had been diagnosed with several psychological conditions, including bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome, according to court records. He had often dealt with depression and anger, according to the records, but his family has said he would not kill himself.

Driscoll said that witnesses at the scene saw DaVeiga shoot himself.

“Several community member witness accounts, autopsy findings, and specific physical evidence all indicate that Mr. DaVeiga shot himself in the head,’’ she said. “Unfortunately, I’m unable to get more specific at this time.

“But we are committed to a transparent investigation, and when appropriate we will provide more details.’’

Jake Wark, spokesman for Conley, whose office is conducting the investigation along with city homicide detectives, said it is difficult to say when the investigation will be finished.

“We can’t promise a timetable with so much evidence from so many sources,’’ he said. “The family, the community, and the officers involved deserve a full, meticulous investigation.’’

Many people are eager to learn more details about what exactly happened in the moments before DaVeiga’s death, said the Rev. William E. Dickerson II, pastor of Greater Love Tabernacle in Dorchester.

“They’re waiting to hear full disclosure of what took place on that particular day,’’ he said. “It is important that there is this transparency, because it only strengthens the police and community relations.’’

Driscoll said Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, who met with neighborhood leaders earlier this week, has encouraged members of his command staff to find ways to ease tensions.

“The vast majority in the affected neighborhoods are good people,’’ she said. “Officers are aware of that, and we’re keeping that uppermost in our minds.’’

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/09/threats_of_revenge_put_police_on_guard/

By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / April 9, 2010

Please Support the Women at South Bay House of Correction!

2010-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Show your solidarity with the women at South Bay!

Saturday (4/10) at 12:30pm, Mass Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard (just past Boston Medical Center by the Hampton Inn)

If you've been reading your email, you've heard about the deplorable conditions the women in the tower at South Bay are fighting. Grievances have been filed, calls have been made, and yet still the prison officials deny the allegations, while the issues with contaminated food continue. We are working with other prisoner advocacy organizations to take the next steps in terms of the legal battle. In the meantime, the women in South Bay need to see that they are not alone.

Come to Mass Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard at 12:30 this Saturday and march to the Suffolk County House of Correction to keep up the pressure on the prisoncrats and to show some love to the folks inside. Bring noise, bring messages of encouragement, but most importantly, bring yourself-- and bring some friends, while you're at it!

The tower being what it is, we probably won't be able to see their faces, but they will be able to see ours! Both from later feedback and from engaging with prisoners through the walls during these demos, these supportive presences outside South Bay are really meaningful to the folks held captive to let them know that we haven't forgotten them.

For more information, please contact bostonabc@riseup.net.
http://baamboston.org
http://www.myspace.com/abcboston

Community Meeting w/ Police re: shooting of Manuel "Junior" Daveiga - Age 19

2010-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Time: April 11, 2010 from 12:30pm to 2pm
Location: "St. Peter's Teen Center"
Organized By: Community

Event Description:
Sunday at 12:30, there will be a community meeting with the Police at Saint Peter's Teen Center on the issue of the death of Manuel "Junior" Da Veiga. The location is on Bowdoin Street, Dorchester, MA

See more details and RSVP on Blackstonian:
http://blackstonian.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2761975%3AEvent%3A7123&xgi=1mXOkLqBar6iMI&xg_source=msg_invite_event

SPEAK OUT ABOUT LIBRARY CLOSINGS TODAY!

2010-04-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

This Friday, April 9th at 8:30 a.m., the trustees of the Boston Public Library will meet to vote on a budget plan which includes proposals for closing somewhere between four and eight branch libraries and cutting services at the main library in Copley Square. BPL president Amy Ryan has endorsed a proposal to close four branches this year. However, many believe that her ultimate goal is to close all 10 branch libraries that she had originally targeted. She has realized the opposition was too fierce when she proposed that many closings all at once, so she is being strategic and trying to pick off the branches a few at a time.

We need to IMMEDIATELY CONTACT BPL TRUSTEES, BPL PRESIDENT AMY RYAN, MAYOR MENINO, AND CITY COUNCILORS TO DEMAND THAT THEY NOT APPROVE ANY BUDGET THAT INCLUDES CLOSING BRANCHES OR CUTTING SERVICES. THE TRUSTEES NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU BEFORE 8:30 FRIDAY.

It is clear, after hearing Amy Ryan speak, that this is not really about a budget emergency. It's true that there is a budget shortfall that must be addressed. But this shortfall is actually a convenient excuse for her to push a pre-existing agenda that seems Orwellian - that library services will be "transformed" and "improved" by cutting services and closing neighborhood branches. Ryan's "vision" for the BPL is to have fewer, "big box" libraries and to provide library services via the internet. She has completely discounted the role that branch libraries serve as community spaces - to her, "21st century" libraries are meant to exist primarily in cyberspace. It's an ugly, misguided "vision" and completely discounts the loud, clear opinions expressed by patrons of the BPL.

Contact info below. Thanks so much.

BPL public comment email: feedback@bpl.org
BPL Trustees clerk, Jamie McGlone: jmcglone@bpl.org
BPL president, Amy Ryan: aeryan@bpl.org
Mayor Menino: mayor@cityofboston.gov
City Council members: firstname.lastname@cityofboston.gov
Felix.Arroyo - at-large
Mark.Ciommo - dist. 9
John.R.Connolly - at-large
Rob.Consalvo - dist. 5
Maureen.Feeney - dist. 3
Salvatore.LaMattina - dist. 1
Bill.Linehan - dist. 2
Stephen.Murphy - at-large
Ayanna.Pressley - at-large
Michael.Ross - dist. 8
John.Tobin - dist. 6
Chuck.Turner - dist. 7
Charles.Yancey - dist. 4

For more information:
People of Boston, citywide library support group: http://peopleofboston.org/
official BPL budget page: http://www.bpl.org/general/budget/

DA: Teen in gunfight killed self

2010-04-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Cornered and seriously wounded by a barrage of police bullets, 19-year-old Manuel “Junior” DaVeiga pressed his .45-caliber handgun to his head Saturday, taking his own life on the same dead-end Dorchester block where moments earlier he had been mourning a murdered friend, authorities said.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley declared yesterday DaVeiga killed himself - and was not slain by cops - based on the preliminary findings of an autopsy of the Quincy man and a review of witness statements.

A team of three Boston officers and a state trooper assigned to a youth violence strike force had sought to question DaVeiga and several other youths gathered Saturday night at a sidewalk shrine on Navillus Terrace grieving the loss of 17-year-old Andrew Tavares, himself shot to death in Roxbury on March 28.

According to Conley, DaVeiga pulled out an unregistered .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun as the officers approached.

“Mulitple rounds of gunfire were exchanged between DaVeiga and the officers,” Conley said, noting that DaVeiga was left wounded - but still standing - by shots to his chest, hand and hip.

“Preliminary evidence developed to this point indicates that after the exchange of gunfire, DaVeiga reloaded his weapon, put the gun to his head, and shot himself. Police recovered the .45-caliber firearm from DaVeiga where he fell,” Conley added.

As he visited the block where one cousin died Saturday and another was being mourned, Michael Lopes, 18, of Dorchester struggled to fathom that DaVeiga would kill himself.

“His life wasn’t the best life, but I don’t think he would take his own life. He was a good person, always laughing and joyful,” he said, adding that he doesn’t hold any grudges against the officers. “It’s just another life gone. I just lost one cousin and now I lose another cousin to gun violence.”

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100406da_teen_in_gunfight_killed_self/

By Richard Weir
Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Teen in police clash shot self, DA says

2010-04-07T18:31:00.001-07:00

The 19-year-old who was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with police in Dorchester Saturday night put his own gun to his head and fired, the Suffolk district attorney said yesterday, a determination police officials hope will settle anxiety among the area’s Cape Verdean community over the use of deadly force.

District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said yesterday that a preliminary investigation shows that Manuel “Junior’’ DaVeiga had exchanged gunfire with officers and a state trooper assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force and that at one point he “reloaded his weapon, put the gun to his head, and shot himself.’’

Conley said police recovered DaVeiga’s .45-caliber firearm where he fell. The Cape Verdean teenager also suffered gunshot wounds to his hand, hip, and chest.

Conley said that an investigation into the shooting will continue and that officials will determine whether protocol was followed. State Police will conduct their own investigation because a trooper was involved.

“The investigation into DaVeiga’s death began Saturday night, continues today, and will proceed through the days and weeks to come,’’ Conley said.

The medical examiner has not yet ruled on a cause of death, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for Conley.

The district attorney made his preliminary determination just as Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis met with members of the Cape Verdean community at police headquarters in Roxbury yesterday to explain what investigators determined in hopes of quelling unease and to call for a renewed partnership against the street violence that has rattled the community and led to Saturday’s shooting.

“The concerns are wider than the shooting; the concerns are about gang activity,’’ the commissioner said. “The Cape Verdean community is very aware, very cognizant of what’s happening. There are a lot of good people in the community who want to help us in stopping this.’’

The shooting occurred just after 9:30 Saturday. Police said members of the department’s Youth Violence Strike Force, along with the state trooper, went to the Navillus Street neighborhood in Dorchester to question residents as part of an investigation into a recent spike in violence.

The Globe has reported that police suspected DaVeiga had a role in much of that violence. At the time of the shooting, he had been visiting a makeshift memorial for a friend who was shot to death last month in Roxbury.

But when he saw police officials, he allegedly fled. He then turned and fired at the officers, who shot back, police said.

Davis said yesterday’s meeting with community members was organized by Deputy Superintendent William Gross, who supervises the district, and Deputy Superintendent Gary French, who oversees the strike force, to reach out to a community anxious over the use of force.

The meeting also included members of the Boston Public Health Commission, as part of the city’s Violence Intervention and Prevention initiative. A representative from St. Peter’s Church on Bowdoin Street was also involved.

Davis said the discussion was to focus on the root cause of violence that brought officers to the neighborhood in the first place. He said that only a fraction of the greater community is responsible for the violence plaguing city streets, and so those at the meeting discussed ways to reach out to families and to youth with jobs and summer programs.

Paulo DeBarros, president of Cape Verdean Community UNIDO, a community group, attended yesterday’s meeting and is working to organize another involving representatives from different social service providers, to develop an action plan to reach out to people in the neighborhood.

John Barros, head of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and a member of the Cape Verdean community, said yesterday’s meeting was initially to call for transparency in the investigation into Saturday’s shooting. But the next step will be to determine how to avoid such situations in the future, he said.

“We outlined a number of steps on how to continue to work together to make sure the relationship between the community is not severed or worsened,’’ he said.

He said that the Cape Verdean community had developed a partnership with police over the past several years and that community leaders and police will need to reach out to the larger community to build confidence again.

“It’s a lose-lose for everyone, the police, the community, everyone, to have what happened Saturday,’’ he said. “So we want to make sure it never happens again.’’

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/06/teen_in_police_clash_shot_self_da_says/

By Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staff / April 6, 2010

Teen had run-in prior to fatal shot

2010-04-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Clashed with officers 3 days before, police say

Three days before his deadly encounter with police, Manny “Junior’’ DaVeiga had a violent run-in with officers in the same neighborhood, at the same intersection where he would die in the midst of a chaotic gunfight, according to a police report.

Last Wednesday afternoon, DaVeiga, 19, was standing with a group of other youths at a makeshift street memorial for a friend who had recently been killed, the report says. When the police approached them, DaVeiga allegedly taunted the three officers, screaming obscenities and raising his middle finger. They frisked him, found a folding knife in his pocket, and tried to handcuff him as he pushed them to get away, the report says. As he struggled, he allegedly broke off the mirror from a cruiser, while the crowd around the officers and DaVeiga grew, with up to 40 people yelling at police and one man shoving an officer.

Tensions erupted again between police and the crowd after DaVeiga’s death Saturday night in an exchange of gunfire with officers; the Suffolk district attorney says DaVeiga killed himself during that gunfight. Since then, police have been ordered to ride in tandem in cruisers, not alone, because police were threatened after the shootout.

The report sheds light on the tumultuous history between Boston police and DaVeiga, who had been associated with a Cape Verdean gang and had a history of mental illness, according to court records.

Yesterday, community and religious leaders said many people have questions about what happened the night DaVeiga died, and are anxious for the results of a full investigation.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley has said that DaVeiga began shooting at four officers, one of them a state trooper, after they tried to speak with him Saturday night in the area of Winter Street and Navillus Terrace, near the makeshift memorial to Andrew Tavares, a Dorchester 17-year-old and friend of DaVeiga’s, who had been killed on Maywood Street.

When police saw DaVeiga near the memorial, he allegedly turned to shoot at them. The four officers fired back, prosecutors said. DaVeiga sustained gunshots to his hip, hand, chest, and head. Prosecutors said the head wound was self-inflicted.

But Lynn Currier, executive director of Haitkaah Social Justice Project, which does youth advocacy work around the city, said the idea that the young man would have committed suicide in the midst of gunfire is “illogical.’’

“I’ve never in my life heard of a youth running with three shots in their body, stopping . . . reloading, and shooting [himself],’’ she said.

Jorge Martinez, executive director of Project RIGHT, said he believes the actions by police were justified, but that many in the community, particularly Cape Verdeans, believe police used unnecessary force.

“Fifty percent of the people were glad that the shooter went down and the other 50 percent think it was police abuse,’’ he said. “The Boston police are in a lot of trouble. They’re going to have to make amends to the Cape Verdean community, whether they were right or wrong.’’

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said homicide detectives are working “day in and day out’’ with Suffolk prosecutors, who will determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against the four officers.

“What we’re attempting to do is get as much information as possible as quickly as possible,’’ he said.

Thomas Drechsler, a lawyer who is representing the city officers, said the actions of the men that night were justified. The officers have not been identified, but none of the city officers have any disciplinary records, he said.

“The young man put the officers in a position where they had no choice but to fire at him,’’ Drechsler said. “The officers acted in a very courageous manner.’’

According to court records, DaVeiga had a long history of mental illness. Last May, several months after he was arrested for assault and battery on a police officer, he was admitted to Bridgewater State Hospital for evaluation. DaVeiga was often depressed, self-medicated with marijuana and alcohol, and said he had hallucinations — he complained of seeing hockey pucks fly at him, according to a June 2009 report written by a hospital psychologist. At 13, he said, he stabbed his brother because voices in his head told him to, the 33-page report stated.

He underwent psychiatric evaluations several times as a teenager and was diagnosed with several conditions, including bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress syndrome.

But the psychologist concluded that as long as DaVeiga kept taking his medications, he was not dangerous and did not need to be committed to a psychiatric hospital. After his encounter with police last Wednesday, he was released on $300 bail, according to court records. Three days later, he was dead.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/07/teen_had_run_in_prior_to_fatal_shot/

By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / April 7, 2010

‘Tense’ situation on streets

2010-04-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Probe focuses on death of teen after shootout with cops

Police are scrambling to quell rising gang tensions following the death of a 19-year-old who authorities say ran from gang unit cops and then opened fire on them in Dorchester Saturday night before being fatally wounded.

“Patrols have been stepped up in the area for the last couple of weeks,” said Boston police spokesman Eddy Chrispin. “Obviously, it’s a tense situation and we have to take every precaution.”

Officials said an unusual calm start to the year gave way to a burst of gang violence in the last few weeks, culminating in the shootout at Navillus Terrace, near Bowdoin and Winter streets.

Three police officials told the Herald that cops are investigating whether the teen, wounded by police, then turned the gun on himself, delivering the fatal blow.

Police were conducting routine interviews with youths when they came upon the 19-year-old Saturday night, who tried to slip away from a larger group but was pursued by cops, sources said. The teen is a suspect in a recent shooting, but that was not why he was stopped, sources said.

As the chase unfolded, the teen turned around and began to unload a clip, aiming at four cops, including a state trooper, sources said. Sources said officers at the scene told investigators the suspect was wounded and then turned his .45-caliber handgun on himself.

Yesterday, a plastic gun and liquor bottles comprised a makeshift memorial for the deceased teen at the scene of the shooting.

The Boston Police Firearms Discharge Unit and Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley are investigating the shooting.

“The nature of the fatal injury remains under investigation,” said DA spokesman Jake Wark. “Officers approached him, he fled, officers gave chase and it was in the context of that chase that shots were exchanged.”

Police are also investigating a fatal stabbing in Allston Saturday night, where a man was found stabbed at 7 Mansfield St. He later died after being transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-494-TIPS or text “TIP” to Crime (27463).

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100405tense_situation_on_streets_probe_focuses_on_death_of_teen_after_shootout_with_cops/srvc=home&position=1

By Jessica Van Sack and O’Ryan Johnson
Monday, April 5, 2010

Man, 19, killed in shoot-out with police

2010-04-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Devastated by the recent death of a close friend, Manuel “Junior’’ DaVeiga went to pay condolences to the family Saturday night and then visited a makeshift memorial to him on Navillus Terrace in Dorchester, friends said.

Moments after he arrived at the memorial, DaVeiga was engaged in a shoot-out with police.

He died of gunshot wounds. It remains unclear whether the shot that killed him came from police or his own gun, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation.

John Cardosa, who grew up with 19-year-old DaVeiga near the site of the shooting, said he and several other friends were standing by the memorial when they heard two shots ring out and saw numerous police officers rush in their direction.

“Then there were more shots and more shots,’’ said Cardosa. “They didn’t have to shoot him like that, 15 times. He was running away and they just kept shooting at him.’’

Eddy Chrispin, Boston police spokesman, said yesterday, “Based on preliminary investigation, it appears he fired on us, and officers returned fire.’’

DaVeiga was among several men standing on a corner who were approached by police about 9:41, according to police. The teen fled when officers drew near, Chrispin said.

Police were in the area to question people who had been gathering at the memorial, made of candles, flowers, and liquor bottles, erected several days ago for 17-year-old Andrew Tavares, according to the two law enforcement officials.

Tavares, who was shot to death March 28 on Maywood Street in Roxbury, was a childhood friend of DaVeiga.

A police official, who requested anonymity because the case remains under investigation, said officers believed DaVeiga was involved in some of the gun-related violence that has been plaguing the area the past couple of weeks and wanted to talk to him.

The two law enforcement officials said officers believed DaVeiga was a gang member and carried a gun. When the officers approached DaVeiga, he fled, then turned around and began firing at them, the sources said. The officers returned fire, they said.

An autopsy will be conducted today, they said.

At the scene of the shooting Saturday night, Police Superintendent Daniel Linskey said police were investigating whether DaVeiga might have been shot with his own weapon.

One of the two sources said DaVeiga was shot in the head and stomach.

DaVeiga’s sister, Carla, said yesterday at the family home in Quincy that her brother wasn’t a troublemaker and was trying to make his life better. He was working toward obtaining his GED and had aspirations of going to college, she said.

“My brother would never kill himself,’’ she said. “He didn’t have the greatest life but he wouldn’t kill himself. He wouldn’t take the easy way out. The cops are the ones who are cowards. They shot him 15 times.’’

Their mother left Cape Verde about 20 years ago, she said. Carla DaVeiga was born in Cape Verde, but Manuel and another brother were born in the United States.

About two years ago, their mother moved the family from their home on Bowdoin Street in Dorchester to raise her children in Quincy because she felt safer there.

Yesterday, Carla said her mother was upstairs crying and declined to speak with a reporter.

DaVeiga fell near 10 Navillus Terrace. Yesterday, at the opposite end of the street where the memorial to Tavares had been erected, two candles marked the spot where DaVeiga died.

Isaura Mendes, a Cape Verdean peace activist, visited the scene yesterday and spoke with friends of DaVeiga’s.

“They’re in pain,’’ she said. “All the violence that they see, and they keep it all inside because they have nobody to talk with and they feel hopeless.’’

Mendes said she saw DaVeiga on Wednesday at the cemetery where Tavares was buried. A day later, she saw him at St. Peter’s Church on Bowdoin Street at a meeting she helped organize to counsel the area’s Cape Verdean youth.

“He was really sad; he felt so much pain because of his friend’s death,’’ Mendes said.

With the death of DaVeiga and the fatal stabbing of an unidentified man in Allston Saturday night, the number of homicides in Boston stood at 16 yesterday compared with 12 at the same time last year, according to Chrispin.

A spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office, which is investigating the shooting, said the officers spoke with the teenager briefly before he fled and opened fire.

Jake Wark said three or four officers, including a state trooper assigned to the Boston police gang unit, were involved.

State Police, who have a specialized team to investigate police-related shootings, will also be assisting in the investigation, said David Procopio, spokesman for the State Police. He said the number of officers who fired shots and their identities would be part of the investigation.

“The preliminary investigation suggests that the suspect opened fire and that the police officers returned fire and that there were multiple shots fired from both sides,’’ Procopio said.

A firearm was recovered at the scene, police said yesterday.

The officers involved were taken to the hospital for treatment for stress and placed on administrative leave, according to procedure in a police-related shooting, Chrispin said.

Police officers were ordered to patrol in tandem yesterday because of apparent death threats directed at police after the shooting, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation.

At the family home yesterday, Carla DaVeiga said her brother was about to become a father; his girlfriend is expecting a baby. Manuel DaVeiga was a handyman around the house, always fixing things, she said.

“The last time I spoke with him, I believe last Wednesday, I told him to be careful out there, and he said he was and that he loves me.’’

Noah Bierman of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/05/man_19_killed_in_shoot_out_with_police/

By Brian R. Ballou and Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / April 5, 2010

Women in House of Correction in Boston resisting! Call in this week!

2010-04-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Women at South Bay are being served bug-infested food, are forced to live in flooded cells, and daily face unsanitary and dangerous conditions. Women are refusing meals and demanding that the situation immediately be put to rights.

Grievances have been filed about food infested with maggots*; rat droppings have also been found in prisoners' food. The late rain may have been an annoyance to some of us, but it was flooding the women's cells in the tower where they are held. One woman was given a plastic trash bag to deal with the leaks, which bag was soon filled with water. Another woman took to using her personal property, blankets, towels, sheets, and clothing to stuff up the leaks, all of which was soaked almost immediately. Even the ceiling of the visiting room was severely damaged by recent rain. The facility is fewer than 20 years old. In response to
the complaints, the institutional grievance coordinator declared the food and flooding situations “resolved,” despite the fact that the leaks have not been fixed and the food sanitation situation is merely being “investigated.”

Hidden in plain sight, this Boston facility is right off Mass Ave by Boston Medical Center. The repulsive conditions at South Bay are bad enough in their own right, but consider that the captive population is much more likely to have compromised immune systems, whether because of hepatitis C, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or an array of other conditions. For people suffering from chronic medical issues, South Bay's filth is nothing
short of a threat on their lives.

Call Sheriff Andrea J.Cabral this week at 617.635.1000, ext. 2100 and tell her that she is responsible for the health and wellbeing of those in her custody. An effective public relations machine is not enough. Demand that meaningful changes are made immediately with input from those women most suffering from the issues at hand. The two most important issues to the women inside right now are 1. the food and 2. the leaky cells. We encourage people to leave call back numbers and demand a response from the administration. We also encourage you to write bostonabc@riseup.net and tell how your call went!

A woman wrote, “I just need some help. No one helps the women here.” Please prove her wrong!

*When one prisoner complained to a guard about the maggots in her food, the guard retorted that it was “protein.”

Source: Man shot dead in Dot shootout

2010-04-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

A man was shot by police last night after first allegedly firing at the officers in Dorchester, police and sources said.

Police said the shooting happened at 9:46 p.m. on Navillus Terrace, which is near the intersection of Bowdoin and Winter streets. A police source said the man who was shot by police was killed at the scene.

The shooting happened after a state trooper and a plainclothes Boston Police Department unit began chasing a man through the neighborhood. Police would not say last night why the man was being pursued.

The source said during the chase, the man turned and fired multiple rounds at officers, then paused to reload his weapon.“He was fumbling with the clip and it was lights out,” the source said.

It was unclear last night how many officers returned fire. A police source said none of the police officers involved was harmed, but one or more were hospitalized for stress.

The shooting is under investigation by the Boston Police Department Firearms Discharge Unit and the Suffolk District Attorney’s office, which handles all police involved shootings.

At the scene, police pushed back a hostile crowd that swore at officers manning the perimeter.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1244564&srvc=rss

By O’Ryan Johnson and Stuart Cahill
Sunday, April 4, 2010

Boston police shoot, kill alleged armed suspect

2010-04-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

BOSTON -- Boston police said officers shot and killed an armed suspect Saturday night in Dorchester.

Police called the incident “an officer-involved shooting.”

The incident occurred in the area of Navillus Terrace in Dorchester.

Sources tell 7News that the officers involved were members of the Youth Violence Strike Force. Police said they were investigating the suspect. The suspect attempted to flee and officers pursued. According to police, the suspect then pulled a gun. Police said the officers "returned fire."

There were four police officers involved. They were not physically injured, but they were taken to a hospital for stress-related injuries, according to police.

Police did confirm that an officer discharged his weapon, and that the suspect was killed. The suspect's name was not released.

Police shut down streets to collect evidence while investigating the incident.

Keep it tuned to 7News for more details.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO139205/

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