Mid-South Peace & Justice Center

For the past few months, we have been in communication with tenant leaders at the Warren Apartments Tenants Association about a growing cause of concern.

The utility subsidy that many residents use to pay their Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) bills was disrupted last month.  Normally, checks arrive between the first and the 10th of the month.  However, over the past two months there have been “hiccups” in the disbursement of these checks to tenants, with March’s subsidy arriving on April 8 and April’s subsidy arriving just two weeks ago.

As allies of these tenants, our chief concern is that these delays can and have resulted in tenants being late paying their MLGW bills.  This could damage their credit scores and could create undue hardships during this already difficult  process of securing alternative housing within the timeline given.

The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center has reached out to Congressman Cohen’s office as this matter relates to HUD, and we thank his staff for their quick response.

Today, we have been in contact with MLGW and have learned some good news.  MLGW will waive any negative credit reports for residents in this program for the past two months.

We are working diligently to provide MLGW a complete list of affected tenants as soon as possible.

We would like to thank Paul Young with Memphis Housing and Community Development and Clint Richardson with MLGW for their prompt attention to this matter.

Our important work cannot continue without your help.  Please support our Tenants Rights Project here.

Memphis United: Know Your Rights Theatre is offering FREE workshops to day camps and other youth programs throughout the summer.

These unique workshops use interactive theatre to educate young people about their rights and how to better communicate with law enforcement.

Participants become the actors playing out real-life scenarios without the real-life consequences of an encounter law enforcement.

We have hosted these workshops for over 250 youth at Soulsville Charter School, Bridges USA, and the 2015 Gandhi King Youth Conference, ranging from elementary to college students.

Watch our video now!

We are proud to announce that local activist and longtime supporter Happy Jones has made a generous matching donation of $10,000 to seed a bold new endeavor from our Memphis United-Juvenile Justice Project program.  Please help us reach our goal by making a donation today!

Background

We’ve all seen the media-filled vitriol about the issues related to youth crime and criminal justice, as well as the great racial disparities in our community’s approach to addressing these issues.  We have seen a response of fear and condemnation.  But we have also seen a lack of comprehensive intervention and holistic alternatives.  We feel there is a better way.

One of MSPJC’s core principles is that no amount of education or empathy can equal the experiences of those who have lived under a problem – and that those who are most affected by the problem are the solutions to the problem.  These people are the experts.  So, in order to address the issue of youth violence and crime, we must engage with those most affected by the issue: our young people.

MSPJC has supported the efforts of Shelby County Juvenile Court to better engage the community with court-ordered community service.  Further, we seek to build on these efforts with a two-pronged Juvenile Justice Project.

I. Neighborhood-Based Community Service

At any given point in time there are scores of young people who have up to 16 hours of court ordered community service who are unable to complete this in the allotted time, as a result of many issues. Part of the challenge is finding willing partners who want to create meaningful service projects and not simply free labor. One of the other chief barriers is that Juvenile court lacks adequate resources to perform outreach to recruit new partners and the practice of assigning community service by ZIP CODE as opposed to a more neighborhood based approach, means sometimes the available service opportunities are far away from where the young person lives. As a result the process is alienating, lacks parental and community buy in, creates hardships, and adds both needless court appearances and administrative costs.

Memphis youth with court-ordered community service, Winter 2015

Part of our process has been partnering with SCJC to pilot using GIS (Geographic Information System) software to locate and match up young people with court ordered community service opportunities as close to, if not within, their own neighborhoods as possible. We want to thank the office of Court Ordered Community Service for providing a snap shot of this information and you can see the map we made from such data above.

As we continue to work with the courts to analyze this data we will be looking to identify three neighborhoods with the highest concentrations of young people who have unserved court ordered community service. Then performing door-to-door outreach to inform and recruit local churches, neighborhood and civic organizations, and grassroots leaders within these communities into becoming partners to create service opportunities within these neighborhoods.

MSPJC would then work with these local leaders and shareholders in convening semi-regular meetings with representatives from each partnering organization that is moderated by the youth from within these communities to discuss and plan more community based solutions around the issue of juvenile offenders. Through engaging directly with the youth, we feel this program could go beyond simply increased compliance with ordered community service, but also remove transportation barriers, secure more community support, and become a vehicle for long-term engagement with a grassroots organizing capacity as well.

The ultimate result would be the development of a community led approach to addressing crime that is developed, enacted, and led by youth and adult leaders from the community and for that community.

II. Know Your Rights Theatre

Memphis United, part of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center is providing free Community Arts programming over the Summer for area youth with interactive theatre workshops that, with the assistance of trained facilitators and experienced local attorneys or former police officers, educate young people about their rights and how to better communicate with law enforcement.

This unique presentation style has already allowed over 250 participants to become actors, role-playing in scenarios that engage our young people in meaningful dialogue to strengthen youth and police relationships. After a review of the information covered, and a time for Q&A, facilitators distribute “Know Your Rights Handbooks,” and participant surveys to help guide the development of this important work.

Just last weekend at LeMoyne Owen College, members of of the Memphis United team conducted a KNOW YOUR RIGHTS THEATRE workshop for the event BEING BLACK IN COLLEGE hosted by OUR GRASS, OUR ROOTS. You can watch video of this training here!

We have done these workshops at Soulsville Charter School, Bridges USA, and the 2015 Gandhi King Youth Conference, ranging from elementary to high school students. Additionally, here is a link to more information and a printable pdf of our “Know Your Rights Handbooks” that we’ll be providing.

We again want to thank Happy Jones for her generous donation and we hope that we can count on your support to help us reach our goal.

We have been advocating for the option to transfer the housing subsidy for quite some time now.  We had been told that such an action was impossible, but we pressed on because we knew that HUD had the power to revoke funding from Global Ministries Foundation.

Today, in an interview with the Commercial Appeal, our Executive Director praised HUD’s decision.

Brad Watkins, executive director Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, said he was “ecstatic” about the decision. Watkins’ organization has been advocating for tenants at Warren and Tulane, but also had advocated to keep federally subsidized low-income housing.

“We were concerned about being able to keep the same level of affordable housing (in Memphis),” he said. “It’s great news for all of us.”

HUD’s decision to allow the funds to remain in Memphis will secure our current rate of supportive housing and avoids the re-concentration of poverty.

Now, it is incumbent on our entire community to ensure that the residents who will be relocated are provided the help and support they need.

As always, we will be there.

(Note: The following was sent in an email to Management at Memphis Code Enforcement as well as to City Councilman Worth Morgan and members of Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration.  We eagerly await a response.)

Good Afternoon, Mr Dandridge,

My name is Brad Watkins and I am the Executive Director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. For the past year we have been involved with the residents at the Warren Apartments and now with Serenity Towers.

We have been a long time advocate in the issues of blight, homelessness and the issues of quality affordable and accessible housing in Memphis.

We are encouraged by decisive action we have seen from HUD but also have a great many concerns about the relocation of residents from Warren and Tulane in addition to Foote Homes, We will also be reaching out to the Administration and others about those concerns and our research about best practices from other cities in similar situations.

However, I wanted to reach out to you, moving forward on our thoughts as to how Code can utilize it’s, what we agree are underfunded and stretched thin resources in this time when the city is looking to further reduce spending.

The following link is the City of Memphis RESERVE HOUSING AND CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS amendment to the code of ordinances.

http://www.memphistn.gov/Portals/0/pdf_forms/ordinances/5404_ReserveCodesOfficer.pdf

With the proper outreach, this tool could be used to promote greater accountability and give code extra eyes and ears within these properties.

What we are proposing is a partnership on two initiatives both using SERENITY TOWERS as a pilot program between MSPJC and CODE ENFORCEMENT.

1.This would entail the recruitment and training of tenant leaders in into building viable and HUD recognized Tenants Associations in all HUD subsidized Elderly and Multi-Family units in the City of Memphis. MSPJC would perform the initial outreach and contact with residents and provide our training in the skills of grassroots organizing with Code engaging the membership of these new organizations to recruit and train small teams of tenants as Reserve Code Officers under the current city ordinance.

From our view this would not only increase Code’s on the ground capacity in these troubled units but also build the capacity of the tenants themselves with the means to self advocate on their own behalf.

2. At Serenity and other Senior living HUD subsidized properties, MSPJC is currently in conversations with a local institution of higher learning to pursue a potential partnership where college interns trained by MSPJC and trained as RCO by CODE with required service hours would be able to perform these hours by being paired up with residents at Serenity who have mobility or physical disabilities. the students would check in on the residents regularly, as many have serious and multiple health issues. Students would also aid residents in keeping their rooms clean to avoid housekeeping evictions and aid residents in preparing their rooms to be sprayed for inspections. This also focuses on the fostering and building relationships between the tenants and the students which has an abstract but genuine quality of life benefit for the residents and aids management and residents in improving conditions for all.

We also feel that this option is a reasonable accommodation to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the quality of life of these residents.

In addition as these students would be trained in how to file complaints via a CODE Liaison, this would aid in preventing retaliations against residents as it would be witnessed by a recognized third party.

We feel that by using the case of Serenity Towers as a pilot, we can build a model for implementation for all of our Senior Living and Multi Family units in Memphis in a manner that builds both CODE and the communities capacity and is as revenue neutral as possible during these financially lean times.

We’d like to speak to you about both of these matters, when your schedule allows. Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime about this matter.

Recent incidents such as the so-called Kroger “Youth Mob” and a similar occurrence at a Midtown gas station has sparked many conversations within the community about how to address the real issues of youth violence and crime. Sadly, many of these conversations have focused on playing into a media narrative that is filled with negative images of our young people along with fear-based and overly punitive solutions which in turn paint our young people with a broad brush as aberrant, aggressive, and hyper-violent. In the face of fear-based messages and images, a community looking for real solutions can often be led astray into pursuing harsher tactics which serve to further institutionalize our youth into the criminal justice system and do not address the root causes of crime.

We as a community must recognize that crime is a very real and very valid concern. At MSPJC, the core of our organizing philosophy is that, to find a solution to an issue, one must organize with those most affected by that issue.  In all the discussions and plans and various meetings about how to address the youth crime issue, no one has asked those most affected by the problem: our youth.

How can we solve the issue without the voice of young people being involved in a meaningful way? How can we stop treating our youth as a threat and instead work with youth to create lasting and positive solutions.  Simple: we ask them.

 

On Saturday, March 25^th The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center and Bridges USA, in partnership with LeMoyne Owen College and Shelby County Juvenile Court, hosted the Memphis United People’s Conference on Juvenile Justice. This event was a daylong youth-led series of workshops, trainings and dialog sessions around the issues of youth violence, youth crime and the school to prison pipeline.
Attended by over 45 area high school students, the People’s Conference on Juvenile Justice was designed as a launch pad for the first steps of building a sustainable youth led and youth directed grassroots movement to directly address issues of highest priority to our youth. Students, from a variety of schools were in attendance and were joined by young people who were allowed to serve their court ordered community service via Shelby County juvenile count by attending the conference.

Workshop topics included such subjects as Peer mediation and nonviolent conflict resolution, Know Your Rights Trainings and an introduction to community organizing. Each of these areas were designed and facilitated by some incredible young people working as members of the BRIDGE BUILDERS program of BRIDGES USA. Having these workshops and discussions in this way allowed young people present to speak freely about their thoughts and struggles on the subject and begin a conversation about real solutions that they can take the led on creating and directing.

Some of the outcomes of this event were the creation of a Memphis United Juvenile Justice committee made up not only of youth who helped organize the conference but open to all of those who participated in it as well. This group will be meeting monthly to debrief about the issues raised and begin working towards building campaigns for systemic change, while planning a second People’s Conference on Juvenile Justice set for August 22^nd. In addition, the group will be working with the Shelby County Juvenile court to perform outreach in the communities with the highest concentration of young people who need service hours to create community partnerships to provide meaningful service opportunities within the young people’s own neighborhoods. Finally, members will be trained on how to host “Know Your Rights” and Peer Mediation/conflict resolution workshops for youth by youth and within their own communities.

If we allow fear to control us, then we view our youth as a problem that must be mitigated instead of as a partner for progress. We cannot address the issue of youth violence or police accountability without also working with those most affected to have community based alternatives to crime, arrest and incarceration.

We at the MSPJC look forward to following their leadership.

If you are interested in joining the Memphis United Juvenile Justice Committee, please contact Brad Watkins at Brad@midsouthpeace.org.

H.O.P.E. Garden Crew has a funny idea – let’s all hang out together.
We believe there is no better way to build a movement than by first sharing in what makes each other happy. So this summer, we thought: movies! Our little 1.4 acre community garden has been approved for an ioby.org limited-time matching fund: from now until April 15, kind souls who donate up to $150 will have every dollar doubled! We are so hoping to reach our $2096 goal in time. Here is the link: https://www.ioby.org/project/movie-nights-community-garden

From May to October, we hope to offer an estimated 21 screenings to approximately 500 guests who might never meet each other, otherwise. Discussions and community announcements to be held afterward.

[NOTE: Mosquitoes will most assuredly not be invited. All will be barred from entry employing every natural defense mechanism at our disposal. Sorry, mosquitoes.]

We are also offering a choice of any of these sparkling, one-of-a-kind conversation pieces to those who donate:
– $25: a delicious bag of popcorn in a flavor of your choice* plus your name in the program.
– $50: a delicious bag of popcorn in a flavor of your choice*, as well as front-row seating at an upcoming film night plus your name in the program.
– $75: a delicious bag of popcorn in a flavor of your choice*, front-row seating at an upcoming film night, your name in the program, and a special privilege to help determine the film screening schedule!
–$100:  a delicious bag of popcorn in a flavor of your choice*, front-row seating at an upcoming film night, your name in the program, a special privilege to help determine the film screening schedule, and a COMMEMORATIVE brick on the WBCG mural with a message of your choosing.

* (Seriously, if it exists as a flavor, we’ll make it for you – brown sugar, sriracha, garlic parmesan, orange creamsicle, wasabi? You name it.)

Check out our fundraising page and see how it’s going!: https://www.ioby.org/project/movie-nights-community-garden

Last month, Training for Change and G.O.T. Power, MSPJC’s training program had their annual Training for Trainers in Memphis TN.

A total of 20 participants form 8 different states and Mid-South Areas were part of this extensive training of 20+ hours.
Training for Change is an organization providing quality training of trainers for the last 20 years. We, TFC and MSPJC, know that good training makes good movement building and our movements, now more than ever, need the support of good trainers! That’s why we bring to Memphis a training of trainers specifically for folks doing grassroots movement building, leading campaigns that build community power and tackle systemic inequality. People who have taken this training have made a difference in confronting institutionalized racism, moving immigrant rights forward and building the economic and environmental justice movement.

Here is the insight of Evan Morrison, a TSAT 2015 participant:

So, let me start off by saying that first and foremost, the Training for Social Action Trainers (TSAT) is a must for anyone wishing to become a skilled facilitator, or social organizer. With that said, here is why. The TSAT is an excellent workshop, whether you are skilled at facilitating or brand new to organizing, because places you in an environment where you can observe, question, and employ techniques and tools that are vital to being effective. The workshop not only provides you with tools to aid in whatever work you do, from community organizing to every day meetings, but also allows for you to see how those tools can elicit different responses depending on the context.
Context is another reason why this workshop is so beneficial. You get to experience the training with people from all kinds of places, and backgrounds. Everyone brings their own style, and you get to see how each tool can be used in a way you never would have thought of because the content of your work tends to go in other directions. You might still be wondering what happens in a TSAT workshop, and that’s fine: you just have to find out yourself!

Coming up from the GOT Power Training Department:

UPDATE: On April 7th, City Council postponed any action on our CLERB ordinance until April 21st! What will likely (or hopefully) happen is, our ordinance will be discussed once more, pass through committee, and according to Flinn go before the full council the same day for first reading, which keeps us on track with our ideal timeline.

Remember, to pass an ordinance or an amendment to a current ordinance, it takes three readings before the full council and seven votes of support. Which means if we pass through committee and go downstairs for first reading on April 21st, the second reading will be on Tues. May 5th, and (unless it gets delayed for some reason), our final reading will be May 19th, which is when we’ll really need a groundswell of community support. So, there is basically a six week process we’re navigating. In the meantime, we’ll be reaching out to organizations for letters of support and still ask our supporters to call and/or email their City Council representatives to encourage them to support the CLERB ordinance.

Memphis United has been working for the better part of two years to reestablish Memphis’ Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board with the powers necessary to effectively hold law enforcement accountable to civilians when they file a complaint against an officer. The board was created by ordinance of the Council in 1994 after the controversial death at the hands of the Memphis Police Department, but it didn’t have subpoena power or the ability to compel the participation of officers in an investigation. In 2008, Council Woman Fullilove called for an audit of MPD’s complaint process after video surfaced showing the savage beating of Duanna Johnson in police custody. The audit came back in 2009 and a resolution was passed to form an ad-hoc committee to make recommendations to the Council on how to improve the Review Board. That committee never met. After Memphis United discovered that the CLERB had been quietly disbanded around 2011 by the Wharton Administration, new appointments to the board were quickly made, and in May of 2014, The Council unanimously adopted Memphis United’s Resolution, empowering us to do the work the committee never did in 2009, collecting public input and best practices to inform an amended ordinance to empower the CLERB.

Read on to find out how YOU can help support this campaign!

On Tuesday, April 7th, Memphis United’s amended ordinance for a stronger Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board will go before the Personnel Committee of City Council at 8:30 AM. We are asking that everyone call the members of this committee and ask them to support stronger civilian oversight of law enforcement.

Shadows of Liberty is coming to Memphis as part of the Shadows of Liberty Coast to Coast Screening & Media Reform Action Tour and the MSPJC is hosting! Join us for a screening of Shadows of Liberty this Sunday (March 1), 4pm – 7pm, at First Congo (1000 S. Cooper – entrance through red doors in the back parking lot).

Shadows Of Liberty is dedicated to the journalists and information freedom fighters, the heroes of our time, who dedicate their lives to our right to freedom of information – the central pillar of a free society. Shadows of Liberty provides a platform for voices that have been silenced and in doing so, attempts to inspire change and accountability. This film champions the idea of an independent media where truth and integrity are the norm, not the exception.

After the screening, there will be an interactive panel discussion.
This is a free event with donations to support the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center and the Shadows of Liberty Coast to Coast Screening & Media Reform Action Tour greatly appreciated.

ABOUT SHADOWS OF LIBERTY: Shadows of Liberty reveals the extraordinary truth behind the news media: censorship, cover‐ups and corporate control. Filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay takes an intrepid journey through the darker corridors of the American media landscape, where global conglomerates call the shots. For decades, their overwhelming influence has distorted news journalism and compromised its values. In highly revealing stories, renowned journalists, activists and academics give insider accounts of a broken media system. Controversial news reports are suppressed, people are censored for speaking out, and lives are shattered as the arena for public expression is turned into a private profit zone. Tracing the story of media manipulation through the years, Shadows of Liberty poses a crucial question: why have we let a handful of powerful corporations write the news?

FEATURING: Danny Glover, Julian Assange, Dan Rather, Amy Goodman, David Simon, Daniel Ellsberg, Norman Solomon, Janine Jackson, Dick Gregory, Roberta Baskin, Deepa Kumar, Jeff Cohen, Robert McChesney, John Nichols, Chris Hedges, Kristina Borjesson, and many more.

Check out the Shadows of Liberty trailer below!