G.O.T. Power, MSPJC’s training program, is looking forward to a dynamic and engaging year in 2013. G.O.T. Power is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and providing crucial anti-oppression and liberation education.
We will offer two Core Organizer Trainings, one in the spring, March 1-3, and one in the fall in English, and one in Spanish in the summer. We’re also excited to start offering Nonviolent Communication workshops by an associate trainer trained by Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolence Communication Network. The first workshop will be February 23rd from 9-12. We will continue to offer anti-oppression and liberation workshops by associate trainer Laura Sullivan, such as Emotional Support for Activists, Empowerment for Women and Ending Racism. We’re also looking forward to building capacity through training support to existing organizations and projects such as H.O.P.E. and Community-Police Relations, as well as other organizations around the region. We’ll also continue to provide curriculum development and facilitation to the Movement Building Trainings across Tennessee.
MSPJC’s training team also has some exciting internal plans such as developing and implementing an outreach plan so that businesses, organizations, groups and individuals in the region know about the trainings we offer. We will also continue to deepen our own training skill sets through self-education and hopefully by attending a national training of trainers offered by Training for Change. We will also add more diversity to our training team and associates in 2013. We are also taking the lead on MSPJC staff engaging in internal political and anti-oppression education at staff meetings.
How can G.O.T. Power serve you or your group in 2013? Do you have a group who could benefit from a personalized Core Organizer Training? Is there a specific skill you’re wanting todeepen, such as relating with and creating your own media? Are you a part of an organization that’s ready to look at oppressions such as racism or sexism? Are you ready to improve all of your relationships through clearer communication via Nonviolent Communication? Contact gio@midsouthpeace.org to learn more and to get signed up!
H.O.P.E. is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center sponsored organization whose members are exclusively people who are currently or have formerly experienced homelessness. For over a year now, H.O.P.E. has been organizing and agitating around the issues that are a priority to the homeless community.
For almost a year now, H.O.P.E. has been meeting at the Manna House every Thursday night from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. For our members, H.O.P.E. meetings are a safe space to share thoughts, ideas and struggles in a secure, supportive environment. While we regularly talk about the harassment of individuals experiencing homelessness by law enforcement, we have never had an instance at our meetings when that safe space was violated by MPD until Thursday Nov.15. Two MPD squad cars made a U-turn and pulled up on the remaining eight members present. The officers harassed members and eventually issued citations for “obstructing a sidewalk” to three members. H.O.P.E. members have filed complaints with MPD and representatives of H.O.P.E. along with members of the Community Police Relations team have since met with Major Casad of the Crump Precinct concerning the incident. H.O.P.E. will be coordinating a series of meetings, beginning in late January, with our members and officers in the area to begin a process of dialog and improving relations. H.O.P.E. will also be organizing a series of KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WORKSHOPS for people experiencing homelessness and work with our brothers and sisters on the streets to enact aSTREETWATCH campaign to confront and address instances of Police harassment of people experiencing homelessness. This program will work closely with Major Casad and Internal Affairs to ensure that these issues are addressed in a proper manner.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of Homelessness among women and 92% of women experiencing homelessness have suffered severe physical AND/or sexual abuse and we have dealt with issues of rampant sexual harassment in our own homeless services system. As homelessness among those who identify as women is a distinct experience we need an organizing space made up of women to address and confront these issues. Saturday, December 15th marked the first meeting of the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus. These meetings work in two parts.The first is a series of women only emotional healing sessions at Caritas Village led by Laura Sullivan where members can share past experiences and mutually support each other. The second is a series of Self-Defense classes taught by the 
The Point in Time Count is an annual count of people experiencing street homelessness on one given day of the year, which is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to retain federal funding for homeless programs. It is also important that the results from the count provide an accurate reflection of homelessness in Memphis. Volunteers will be talking one-on-one with any unsheltered individual willing to be interviewed. The Community Alliance for the Homeless then use this data to move forward with securing housing and other services. Groups of five will go to certain precincts throughout the city in order to visit soup kitchens, crisis centers, shelters, and other offices where homeless Memphians congregate during the day. H.O.P.E. members, many of whom are themselves currently on the street will be assisting in this years count but we need your help too! The annual Point in Time Count will be Jan. 23, 2013 5:00 am-7:00 pm. you can 
Last month, Memphis Health Center invited members of H.O.P.E. to attend their memorial service to honor the memory of men and women who have died while experiencing homelessness in Memphis within the past year. It was a particularly meaningful event for members of H.O.P.E. who recently lost member, Tommy Burchett, when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in November. Unfortunately many of our brothers and sisters who die while on the streets have no one to recognize their passing and it is a reminder of why we do the work we do.
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 mo
Next, partner Playback Memphis, led by director Virginia Murphy, created a space for individual participants to share stories of their experiences with community-police relations. Through a unique combination of storytelling, improvisational theater, community and dialogue, Playback Memphis helped CPR begin the important work of relationship-building. Community and Law Enforcement participants reflected on questions such as, ‘What inspired you to become a law enforcement officer or community activist? What experiences have led you to have the views you have of one another? What hopes do you have for the future community/police relations of Memphis?’ Everyone was very open about their experiences that relate to the barriers that cause distrust between these two groups. Playback Memphis took stories and brought them to life before the eyes of those in the audience and the impact was powerful.
The experience brought laughter and tears and feedback, and revealed that participants share a strong sense of importance of taking time to deeply listen to one another and better understand what it’s like to walk in the shoes of those with whom we often feel in conflict, a process which allowed them to feel the pain of others.
This combined meeting between Community Leaders and members of Law Enforcement was the first of its kind in our city. While participants realize that one meeting will not lead to an overnight miracle, we view it as an important step towards building a vision and process to continue the dialogue and, ultimately, towards creating an action plan that includes solutions at all levels: political, economic, institutional, and psychological.
a grassroots gala and banquet for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center 
Featuring Chris Hedges & an engaging program featuring the best of local food, music, arts and movement.
H.O.P.E. would like to thank Memphis landmark BBQ restaurant 
This month, H.O.P.E. member Tommy Burchett died unexpectedly of a heart attack. We met Tommy during the outreach for the 100 Homes campaign and he became a fixture at H.O.P.E. meetings. Tommy had serious untreated mental illness and was a good candidate for receiving housing and wraparound services through the Community Alliance for the Homeless’ 100 Homes program. Tommy was gentle and kind and deserved better than dying alone on the street. Everyone and everything dies but no one has to die this way. The Manna House and H.O.P.E. will be announcing a memorial service later this month to honor Tommy.
Homelessness is grim issue for transgendered individuals. One in five transgendered individuals experience homelessness as a result of either discrimination based on their identity or because of rejection by family. In addition, the services for transgendered folks who are experiencing homelessness are severely limited. They are often turned away from shelters and experience discrimination when seeking housing or other supportive services.
H.O.P.E. members have met every Monday at the 
MSPJC knows that oppression affects all of us, and it’s only through looking at these hurts that we can heal ourselves and our society so that we can build a truly just and peaceful community. It is with this understanding that MSPJC’s training program, G.O.T. Power, has been offering a series of anti-oppression workshops facilitated by Laura Sullivan this fall.
Please join us for an annual tradition of friends, fellowship and family and a new celebration as we open our doors at our new office to the community. The Open House & Holiday Party will take place on Thursday November 29 from 5-9pm at our new offices at 
Thank you so much to all of you who made the ninth Gandhi-King Community Conference possible at BRIDGES this year.
This year’s Gandhi-King Conference has brought tremendous feedback from the participants, presenters, panelists and facilitators who contributed their talents. We thank you so much.