Today is Lobby Day at the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. Our members are in Nashville today to take the needs and concerns of our communities to their representatives. H.O.P.E. Organizer Jim Brown had this to say about why he is speaking out,

 

A peoples day on the hill is very important to me, it is a time when my voice can be heard. I get a chance to represent the people.

Will you join Jim? Today our members are going to Nashville by bus, phone and email! Will you take a moment to make a call or send an email? You can find your legislators here.

Hundreds of people from all over the state are converging in Nashville to call on our legislators to PUT THE PEOPLE FIRST!! WE will also join with dozens of ally organizations from across the state in the Rally for Living Wage Jobs, Public Schools and Our Democracy. The fact is that Governor Haslam and his conservative allies in the House and Senate have pursued a radical agenda instead of meeting the needs of Tennesseans throughout the state. So today, as our members travel to Nashville to register their discord, we ask you to join with them. Today is a people’s day on the hill and you can join the effort by phone or email. Please take a moment to call your legislators and ask them to PUT THE PEOPLE FIRST!!

We have compiled a Bill Guide to help you learn more about the threats and opportunity in Nashville this year. You can also find the contact information for your legislators here. Please take a moment to call your legislators today and ask them to PUT THE PEOPLE FIRST!!

Here are just a few of the bills that your representatives will vote on soon:

• HB927(Camper)/SB1124(Kyle): Dignity for All Students Act would prohibit discrminiation in schools based on exual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, and physical appearance.
• HB1388(Parkinson)/SB2360(Norris): Rape Kit Backlog bill would require timely processing of all new rape kit evidence and a plan to deal with the Rape Kit Backlog statewide.
• HB1992(Floyd)/SB1951(Gardenhire): Tuition Equality Bill would allow undocumented stuidents to recieve in-state tuition at public instititutions of higher learning.
• HB1519(DeBerry)/ SB1391(Tate): Would change the law so that women can be charged with assaultive offenses, which carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, if they have pregnancy losses or give birth to babies with health problems thought to be due to any unlawful act, including, but not limited to, drug use.

Speak out to your legislators today! You can find more details on these bills and more by downloading the 2014 Bill Guide here.

Find your legislator here.

Take a few minutes to make a difference today!

Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

We wanted to take this opportunity today to thank you for all the love that you have shown our fight for social justice and positive change. We don’t talk about love enough in our everday work and lives, but it’s out of love that we fight for dignity and respect for our brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness. It’s out of love that we work to organize bus riders to reform public transit to a system that meets their needs. It’s out of love that we demand an end to practices that allow police harrassment. It’s out of love that we bring our community together to build a people’s movement that let’s our community lead on the decisions that affect their lives. I guess you could say it’s a love movement.

We write today to ask for a little love from you in building this movment. Today, while your taking the time to show gratitude to your loved ones, please take a moment to show some love for our community by becoming a member of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.

Keep Loving! Keep Fighting! Become a Member!

When our community stands together and speaks with a clear unified voice change happens. Make a difference and transform our community.

Join the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center!

There is no minimum amount for membership. We value your participation above all else.

Benefits of Membership

• A membership card and member bumper-sticker to show your commitment to the community.
• The opportunity to be heard on issues you care about; we help you connect with others who care about the same issues, so that you can form coalitions to become stronger.
• Assistance of trained community organizers who know how to help you win.
• Access to reputable research and the information you need to move forward on your issues.
• Leadership development opportunities; as a member you can take part in trainings and national conferences that prepare you to take action both locally and nationally.
• Newsletters, action alerts, and fact sheets on our current issues.
• A voice in setting the direction of the MSPJC. We believe in a hands-on approach to running our organization. Every member has a vote at our Annual Meeting.
• The power that comes from thousands of members standing together and fighting for justice.

Become a member now and join this movement that is engaging, organizing and mobilizing our community for the positive changes that we want to see in our community!

We know that the only way we will achieve social change is by building movements comprised of those that are most affected by social problems in our society. This is why it is so important for you to become a member. It is not just about raising money, it is about building an inclusive organization that is representative of all the communities in Memphis. While politicians argue with each other and focus their attention on everything but the needs of low-income communities, we are training and organizing grassroots leaders to lead campaigns of social, economic, and racial justice. We are working to build a movement of those that suffer the most, yet have the least input in decisions that directly affect their lives. That’s why movement building is a permanent effort: in both good times and bad, we always need to build the next push for change—leader by leader, community by community.

Become a leader, represent your community. Join the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center!

Mid South Peace and Justice Center is a proud organizational sponsor of the second annual One Billion Rising Memphis. This year’s theme is Rising for Justice, and since Memphis currently has so much to Rise about, the campaign has been expanded to a week of events including a film screening and panel on rape culture, a community conversation about sexual assault and domestic violence in Memphis, the One Billion Rising rally and vigil, and a Day of Support for Survivors. Read on to get more details and to help spread the word.

Starting February 9, 2014, and continuing for one week, Memphis will join with activists around the world for ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE. The campaign will build upon the energy and momentum that was created on February 14, 2013 when one billion activists in 207 countries and territories came together to rise, strike, and dance, in the biggest mass action in human history, to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

These issues span across all of our communities and affect us all. Help send a strong message that Memphis is facing these issues honestly, that we support survivors and that we are taking action to ensure that all women in our community receive the support and resources that they need. Please see below for the full schedule. All events are free and child care is available. Email onebillionrisingmemphis@gmail.com to reserve child care or with questions.

Schedule for One Billion Rising Memphis 2014:

–Sunday, 2/9 at 4-6pm

Film and Panel Discussion, “The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men” at First Congo.

–Tuesday, 2/11 at 6-8pm

Rising for Justice in Memphis: A Community Conversation on Rape and Domestic Violence at First Congo An open facilitated discussion on the rape kit crisis, police-survivor interaction, and justice for all Memphis women.

–Friday, 2/14

5-6:30pm One Billion Rising Rally and Vigil at Poplar & Highland. Join us and women around the world as we rally to bring awareness and honor the survivors and ourselves in a candlelight vigil

7:30-9:00 pm Ecstatic Dance with DJ Mary Jane Adams at Co-Motion Studio, 416 N. Cleveland St. A celebration through movement in a safe space. No dance experience required!

–Sunday, 2/16- A Day of Support for Survivors at Co-Motion Studio, 416 N. Cleveland St.

12:30-1:30 Yoga for Healing and Renewing with Meredith Melvin

2:00-3:30-Healing Circle for survivors; therapists Jennifer Albright and Sharon Cash to facilitate.

4:00-5:30-Sacred Dance with Karen Snow

H.O.P.E. is a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center-sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people have formerly  or are currently experiencing homelessness. Over the past several months, members have been working diligently to develop the structure and process of our organization in order to better address the issues that face our communities. HOPE has also developed different projects to address and deconstruct specific dimensions of what is a dynamic problem that continues to affect so many in the Mid-South and beyond.
For meeting times & dates: 901-300-0006.

---

Street Wise INK

Over a year ago, H.O.P.E. members embarked upon a project to start a worker-owned and operated t-shirt printing business to help provide income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. Dubbed “Street Wise INK”, members spent months developing bylaws and a business plan, and were awarded a grant from the Spark Plug Foundation to aid with the cost of  training, supplies, and equipment. The group has been printing H.O.P.E. t-shirts and has taken on a few small orders, but one thing we have been missing is a permanent space to begin operating in a professional capacity.

Members of Street Wise INK and H.O.P.E. are thrilled to announce that this project has finally found a home at First Congregational Church, and will be moving in and preparing the space throughout this month. We would like to thank Julia Hicks, Director of Missions, and the Mission Development Committee at First Congo. Our members are no strangers to the church, which supports a number of diverse community projects and organizations. We are excited about being part of the First Congo community and  know that this will be a great fit for the development of this project!

---

Point in Time Count

H.O.P.E. would like to thank all of our members, supporters and friends who volunteered for the the annual Point in Time Count last month. The Count is an annual survey of people experiencing homelessness on one given day of the year. This is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to retain federal funding for important programs that address homelessness.

Results from the count also provide an accurate reflection of homelessness in Memphis, helping The Community Alliance for the Homeless better connect those in need to services and programs that can break the cycle of homelessness. It can be eye opening experience for many. Learning more about what others in our city experience on a daily basis helps tear down barriers to understanding and solidarity. Thanks especially to folks who were hitting the streets, clipboards in hand, at five in the morning! Results from the Count should be in soon. Watch this space for updates.

---

Women’s Caucus

The Women’s Caucus, co-sponsored by theCenter for Research on Women was formed to address the  distinct experiences of our members who identify as women, confronting issues of domestic violence, Sexual assault, and the lack of adequate shelter and housing assistance for women experiencing homelessness.

The group meets regularly for “Dinner and Discussion,” out of which a core group of organizers emerged to focus on the unique challenges they face. One initiative discussed by the group is preparing care packages to conduct outreach specifically to women experiencing homelessness. These packages would be small, but would contain essential sanitary items that can be hard to come by for many women who are without shelter. If you would like to donate to support this initiative, you can make a donation to HOPE Women’s Caucus HERE. Any amount is sincerely appreciated. Stay tuned for more updates!

---

Street Watch

Last year, HOPE launched Street Watch, a campaign to confront and address numerous instances of police harassment of people experiencing homelessness and began hosting monthly ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops to educate the community on their rights and how to assert them. In October, we filed official complaints with internal affairs in response to the unjust arrests of  Ashley Moore and Paul Garner, who were handcuffed while filming police who were attempting to unlawfully enter the Manna House, a local hospitality house for people experiencing homelessness. Their phones were confiscated and held as evidence, although all charges were later dismissed.  Among other numerous complaints of harassment we have received from the unsheltered, are allegations that licensed vendors of The Bridge: the Memphis Street Paper, have been harassed while trying to sell papers, with one vendor being arrested.

Street Watch arranged a meeting between representatives of H.O.P.E., The Bridge, Manna House, Memphis Center for Independent Living and law enforcement officials at the Crump precinct to open a dialog with Memphis Police Department about these issues and suggest positive solutions that could prevent situations like this in the future, such as sensitivity training for officers, and the reinvigoration of a Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) that could provide better accountability and transparency to the community in the complaint process.

Street Watch is now working in conjunction with Memphis United Coalition around a broader spectrum of issues of racial discrimination, police harassment, and misconduct. Representatives will be meeting with elected officials about the need for an Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board. We met with staff members of Mayor A C Wharton’s office and will be working with them to set up a meeting with a delegation from our coalition to meet with the Mayor to find real solutions to these issues.

---

Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Memphis Center for Independent Living for providing us with space for our meetings while we seek a permanent location.We would also like to thank Just for Lunch & Trolley Stop Market for providing some delicious food for our meetings. There are lots of ways to feed the movement, and we would like to thank all of our allies for their continued support. For more information about how you can support H.O.P.E. or our different project areas, please contact Paul Garner (901) 725.4990, or paul@midsouthpeace.org. Like H.O.P.E. on Facebook!

Dear MBRU Members & Supporters,

Since our founding meeting in the winter of 2012, the transit dependent-led, grassroots organization Memphis Bus Rider’s Union (MBRU) has been at the helm of many efforts to bring attention to the need for improved public transportation in our city. Last year we fought against budget cuts and won over $1 million back into the city budget for MATA.

MBRU continues to fight for funding for public transportation as well as dignity and respect for bus riders. City budget season is on the horizon again. Although Mayor A C Wharton makes many promises to improve MATA, we understand that without an organized movement there will be no change.

It is through your continued support of our work that we may gain the tools to remove the barriers to equality and economic opportunity that so many residents of Memphis face in their daily lives. Together we WILL rebuild our bus system!

Join us as we celebrate 2 years of organizing!

Saturday, February 8th, 12pm to 3pm

Memphis Center For Independent Living 1633 Madison Ave.

We ask that you bring an item from the following wish list to keep us going. ouY can also donate directly to us here.

Items to donate:

•  Yellow poster board and or foam core
• Wausau Astrobrights “Solar Yellow” Printer Paper
• postage stamps
• scotch tape
• staples/clips
• pens/black markers/black or yellow paint/sponge brushes
• clipboards or 3 ring binders
• clear packing tape
• yellow t-shirts in any size
• black or yellow Speedball silk screen ink

If you cannot attend February 8th, call us at 901-205-9737 and speak to a volunteer, or leave a detailed message and we will let you know how you can support the ongoing work of MBRU.

This event is free and open to the public so please bring friends and family!

Sincerely,

MBRU, Executive Committee