Mid-South Peace & Justice Center

Memphis United needs YOU to ensure that our resolution is more than just righteous words on paper. Join us at City Council Tuesday, May 6th, at 3:30PM and contact your council person, and urge them to support our resolution for comprehensive public input to reform Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board, enabling it to be a transparent process that the residents of Memphis can have confidence in when their complaints against officers are not handled in a satisfactory manner by Internal Affairs.

My name is Paul Garner and I am an Organizing Coordinator with the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center. I have worked with Homeless Organizing for Power & Equality (HOPE) since 2010. We regularly receive reports from people experiencing homelessness of mistreatment and harassment from law enforcement, ranging from unwarranted profiling to physical harm. In November of 2012, members of HOPE were harassed at the Manna House. Three members, including myself, were cited for for ‘obstruction of a sidewalk’. On October 21st, 2014 another incident occurred at the Manna House. Officers were attempting to enter the property without a warrant. They were told by staff in charge that they were not permitted on their private property without a warrant, but the police continued. When I arrived, John Holle, the volunteer in charge, was using his phone to film police, as he continued to request that they not enter the property without a warrant. He was instructed by officers to stop filming or he would be arrested. As I approached the scene, camera-phone in hand, officers were handcuffing him. I requested the officers’ names & badge numbers. The officers refused before telling me that if I continued filming, I’d be arrested too. I was cuffed and charged with ‘obstruction of a sidewalk & disorderly conduct.’ Upon our release from jail the next morning, charges were dropped, and we immediately filed complaints with IAD. It took six months just to receive a letter in the mail stating that my complaints against the officers, were ‘not sustained.’ Officials with the Inspectional Services Bureau told me that this was because MPD didn’t have a policy on filming in place at the time of the incident. This is contrary to statements made by Police Director Toney Armstrong. I will have to file an open records request with the city’s Office of Open Records to find out for sure.

I attempted to appeal the findings IAD’s investigation. I discovered that the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), set up to review IAD investigations when complainants were dissatisfied, had been dissolved, despite being created by ordinance approved by the City Council in 1994. Therefore, CLERB cannot be disbanded without seven votes of the Council. The City’s Web-Site still listed a description of the process for filing a complaint through CLERB, as well as a hot-line. However, the number went to an unaffiliated person in the City of Memphis’ Legal Department, or a generic voicemail, where messages left went unreturned. Even when CLERB was operational, they were a powerless board with no subpoena power and officers’ involvement in the investigation was purely voluntary.

Days later, another incident involving the arrest of people for filming police happened at KPreSha Boutique on South Main, when police began pepper spraying young men and women at a Hip Hop Show during the downtown Trolley Night. These events sparked the reignition of Memphis United, a coalition made up of individuals and community organizations. We pressured MPD to release their policy on filming officers and drafted a list of asks for different city officials aimed at creating greater transparency and accountability of law enforcement to the community. Among these asks, was the reformation of a CLERB, and a resolution for Memphis United and the members of the City Council to jointly host public input forums in every Council District to determine the scope and powers of a reformed CLERB might look like. Our resolution has gone before the Public Safety Committee of the Memphis City Council, sponsored by Janis Fullilove, Wanda Halbert and Lee Harris, and will go before the full Council on Tuesday, May 6th.

Please join us at City Hall on Tuesday at 3:30 PM and contact your City Council representative and urge them to vote ‘YES’ on Memphis United’s Resolution!! Make the call today!

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Locate your Precinct HERE!

Bill Morrison, District 1
(901) 636-6786
Bill.Morrison@memphistn.gov

William C. Boyd, District 2
(901) 636-6786
bill.boyd@memphistn.gov

Harold B. Collins, District 3
(901) 636-6786
– or –
P.O. Box 301132
Memphis, TN 38130
(901) 545-5987 office
(901) 332-3691
Harold.Collins@memphistn.gov

Wanda Halbert, District 4
(901) 636-6786
Wanda.Halbert@memphistn.gov

Chairman Jim Strickland, District 5
(901) 636-6786
Jim.Strickland@memphistn.gov

Edmund Ford, Jr., Ed.D, District 6
(901) 636-6786
Edmund.Fordjr@memphistn.gov

Lee Harris, District 7
(901) 636-7010
Lee.Harris@memphistn.gov

Joe Brown, Super District 8, Position 1
1384 Jackson
Memphis TN 38107
(901) 274-4724
Joe.Brown@memphistn.gov

Janis Fullilove, District 8, Position 2
(901) 636-6786
Janis.Fullilove@memphistn.gov

Vice Chairman, Myron Lowery, District 8, Position 3
(901) 636-7016
(901) 828-4810
Myron.Lowery@memphistn.gov

Kemp Conrad, Super District 9, Position 1
(901) 636-6786
Fax (901) 636-6796
Kemp.Conrad@memphistn.gov

Shea Flinn, Super District 9, Position 1
(901) 636-6786
Fax (901) 636-6796
Shea.Flinn@memphistn.gov

Memphis Bus Riders Union will be holding it’s May meeting this Saturday, May 3rd from 12 to 2PM at MCIL 1633 Madison Ave.

We had to move the meeting from our regularly scheduled date due to Rolling for Independence which is May 10th. Rolling For Independence is a fundraiser for MCIL. We hope you can participate in this event as well and support our allies at MCIL. More info for the event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/522927967790960/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

On the agenda for this Saturday will be some updates on city budget deliberations. Mayor Wharton has proposed a budget that would restore 1.5 million in funding for MATA. At the city council budget hearing yesterday, the committee passed an amendment made by Harris to add an additional 800,000 to MATA’s operations budget, bringing MATA’s city funding back to 2010 levels.

MBRU will be meeting with council members to ensure that this funding is approved.

Also we’d like to announce that our Co-Chair Shelia Williams has been appointed to the MATA board. This is a huge victory for bus riders!

Please join us Saturday and help continue to organize for improved public transit.

May 3rd from 12 to 2PM at MCIL 1633 Madison Ave.

Media 201 Workshop

REGISTER HERE

In this advanced media workshop we will focus on practicing the skills of: Media Planning, Pitching your story, Messaging,  Advanced interviewing techniques, and Creating talking points.

When: Thursday,  April 17   •   6pm. – 8pm.

Where: 450 Mulberry St. Memphis TN 38103.  Links Education Center, NCRM  (wheelchair accessible) *Limited to the first 18 people who register.   Please, be on time.

Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale.

REGISTER HERE

Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops. 

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZER TRAINING

Community Organizer Training explores with the participants the foundational skills to be organizers and create systematic change in a group or community, keeping nonviolence as a foundation.
This training will build knowledge and experience of core organizer skills in a hands-on, direct manner, while also drawing out the expertise that the group has within. The result is a training that is fully interactive and has direct application in each session.

REGISTER HERE

Who should attend this Community Organizer Training?
Experienced and less-experienced organizers,  activists, community leaders and any other people who wants to learn what ‘community organizer’ is about.

Topics covered include:
The Organizer in me, Organizing my Community, Campaign Planning, Facilitating Meetings, Working with Media and Intro to Nonviolent Direct Action.

Where:  450 Mulberry St. Memphis TN 38103 – Links Education Center, NCRM

When: Friday, May 16: 6-9pm; Saturday, May 17: 9am-6pm and Sunday, May 18: 1-6pm 
***** No partial attendance allowed *****

Cost*: If your annual income is:
Less than $15,000 You pay: $30
$15,000-$25,000: $50
$25,000-$35,000: $100
$35,000-$45,000: $150
$45,000-$55,000: $225
Over $55,000: $300

REGISTER HERE

*Sliding scale based on the individual’s income. If your organization is sending you to the training, use the organizational budget to determine the fee. Please consider that it costs MSPJC $200 per person to do the training.
Fee includes 16 hours of training, simple snacks, light breakfast and lunch on Saturday, materials and follow up support from a network of the mid-south best organizers and activists.

Registration online or by phone is required for all workshops. Some scholarships may be available. Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

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For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Find the events on Facebook and share it!

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G.O.T. Power, a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering anti-oppression and liberation education. 

MBRU & Southwest Tennessee Community College

Every Wednesday you can catch Memphis Bus Riders Union at Southwest Community College’s Union campus signing up new members and learning about the issues facing students who rely on MATA. Our newly elected Co-chair, Shelia Williams, is a student at Southwest. Shelia attends classes at both the Macon and Union campuses. Transportation between the two makes for an arduous daily routine. Students members are organizing an MBRU meeting on campus. We hope to build a partnership between student riders, MATA, and Southwest administration to ease the financial burden on students by reducing fares and creating routes that better serve their needs.

MATA Budget Concerns

In budget news, MATA will be meeting with City Council next week to discuss the budget shortfall, which may be anywhere between $1 and $3 million this year, depending on whether or not MATA receives the federal grant money it has applied for. Service changes for the worst and best case scenario are currently being planned. The implementation of these changes will take place June 1st. City funding for MATA rests in the hands of Mayor Wharton, who will present his eagerly awaited budget proposal to City Council April 15th.

The Memphis Bus Riders Union will have more information on these and other initiatives at our regular monthly meetings. If you’d like to get involved with the work of prioritizing public transportation in Memphis, please join us!

Next Meeting:
Saturday, April 12th, 12 – 2pm
Memphis Center For Independent Living
1633 Madison Ave. (across from Cash Saver; Bus #2)

Have you met the newly elected leadership of MBRU?

Come meet the newly elected officers and other members as we continue to organize for better public transportation in Memphis!

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Leonard Ewing, a 61-year-old Memphis native and founding member of MBRU. Leonard has a deeply felt connection to the struggles of daily riders, as he has been riding for many years. Leonard lives in the Medical district and most often rides the #2. Leonard serves as male Sergeant at Arms. He is a fair moderator who ensures that everyone will have a voice in the decision making process.

Jewel Jones, was elected to serve as female Sergeant at Arms. Jewel is an activist for the rights of people with disabilities and a founding member of MBRU. Jewel is a fierce critic who backs up her passionate words with direct action. She values action over words.

Shahin Samiei, a 26-year-old research associate for the University of Memphis, serves as hard-working Secretary. Shahin is a founding member of MBRU, and a master data analyst with a passion for exploring the facts that bring truth and social justice to our world.

Cynthia Bailey, Outreach Coordinator, has a special talent for mobilizing bus riders to action, “POWER & UNITY”. When Cynthia tells you to be somewhere -you’d better show up! Cynthia brings style and aesthetic sensitivity to the movement, making sure all eyes are on MBRU.

Shelia Williams, 37, born and raised in the Frayser community. She is a hard working mother and a student at Southwest. Shelia helped organize and establish the MBRU, which has happily elected her as our Co-chair. Shelia’s many talents include working and communicating with diverse groups to bring about social change and is most passionate about issues facing women.

Brad Watkins, a founding member of MBRU and Organizing Director at the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, was elected to serve as Treasurer. Brad’s experience and wisdom working on many social justice movements in Memphis makes him an enormous asset to MBRU. Brad is a logical thinker who concerns himself with the details that are most often overlooked.

Bennett “Fresh” Foster, 29, is a part time Fellow at Mid-South Peace & Justice Center. Bennett is one of the founding organizers of MBRU. As active male Co-Chair Bennett brings to the group his energy and desire for collaboration.

In 1994, the controversial shooting of Jesse Bogand, a 68-year-old resident of Orange Mound, outraged the citizens of Memphis. This and other similar incidents pushed the Memphis City Council to create a Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), which, according to the City of Memphis website, would be “an independent, non-police Mayoral Agency with … the power to receive, investigate, hear cases, make findings and recommend action on complaints.”

Though seemingly a positive step forward for our city, many have lamented that CLERB has insufficient power to accomplish its assigned tasks.

For instance, CLERB can only hear a case after Memphis Police Department’s (MPD) Internal Affairs (IA) has completed its investigation. Moreover, CLERB has no subpoena powers, and as such, MPD officers’ presence at a CLEB hearing is purely voluntary. More troubling is the fact that the extent of CLERB’s disciplinary power is a non-binding recommendation to MPD.

In 2008, prompted by the video of the savage beating of Duanna Johnson, a transgender woman then in MPD custody, Councilwoman Janis Fullilove introduced a resolution calling for an audit of all IA procedures as well as CLERB. This audit, presented in 2009, verified that CLERB was unable to function as a proper independent investigative agency. Councilwoman Fullilove introduced a second resolution calling for the creation of an ad-hoc committee to bring recommendations regarding CLERB. However, this committee has yet to be convened.

It has recently come to light that two years ago, CLERB was disbanded by the Wharton administration. This occurred without notice or input of any kind either to the general public or to Memphis City Council.  Still, to this day City Council still assigns a liaison to CLERB, and according to council members, continues to allocate funding for CLERB in the city budget. The webpage quoted above is still active on the city website, though the phone number goes to the Memphis Legal Department where it is answered by someone with nothing to do with CLERB. And yet our leaders wonder why the public seems so cynical without faith and trust in the government.

We currently have a police department with zero civilian oversight. If someone wishes to file a complaint, that individual’s must go, in person, to either an MPD precinct workstation or to IA. Many know first hand that this process is long and frustrating. In 2012, Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E.) had its members harassed by officers as they left their weekly meeting at Manna House. Three H.O.P.E. members filed complaints with MPD, but after 9 months of calls and emails they received nothing but an ambiguous letter from IA. They then had to file a Freedom of Information Act request for the officer’s personnel file. This took a week and half and cost $50 in printing fees. It took all of this simply to discover the officer had received a written reprimand. This entire debacle could have been avoided were it not for IA’s policy that disciplinary hearings be held without the presence of the citizen who lodged the complaint.

For Memphis to move forward, the breach between the community and MPD must be bridged through a process of accountability that can bring balance to the system and restore confidence. This is why Memphis United, a grassroots coalition of organizations and concerned citizens, was formed. Memphis United has drafted a City Council resolution, wherein we urge that there be nine public forums, one in each council district, co-hosted by Memphis United and the respective council member, to hear from constituents as to what they envision for the role and function of CLERB in Memphis. Subsequently, Memphis United would consolidate feedback and present our recommendations to the Council this June so that they can act with the broadest array of community support and input possible.

A delegation from Memphis United will also be meeting with Memphis Chief Administrative Officer, George Little, and MPD Director, Toney Armstrong, in the coming weeks about this and other issues of concern to the community.

We hope that you will join this effort. When we work as one, the community wins.

Memphis United is a grassroots coalition made up of The Memphis Center for Independent Living, Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition,Subliminal Thought, The South Main Cypher Series, Memphis Bus Riders Union, Pro-Memphis Project, Manna House Memphis, ADAPT of Tennessee, The Bridge and the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center.

Memphis United meets every Wednesday at 6pm at Caritas Village, 2509 Harvard, in the Binghampton community.

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.

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Welcome Aboard!

 

H.O.P.E. is pleased to welcome Jim V. Brown as our new AmeriCorps VISTA organizer. Jim is a Tennessee native, from Chattanooga. He moved to Nashville where he worked with Nashville Homeless Power Project, an organization that H.O.P.E. has looked to as an example of what we are trying to build here. Jim relocated to Memphis last fall and immediately began working closely with H.O.P.E., attending meetings, getting to know our members, leading outreach efforts, and learning the lay of the land. He has been an outspoken advocate for people experiencing homelessness for many years and we are excited that he will now be working with H.O.P.E. in a full time capacity. Its going to be  a great year of grassroots organizing!Welcome aboard, Jim!

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Women’s Caucus

The Women’s Caucus, co-sponsored by the Center 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. This Month, the WC were joined by Melinda Spiegel of the DeNeuville Learning Center, whose mission is to empower women to improve their lives through education and community. Melinda shared information with H.O.P.E. ladies about the different programs offered by the Center which are all a part of a comprehensive, holistic approach that focuses on educational, social, emotional, spiritual and economical needs of women in the community.  We would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has provided support to this effort both materially and financially! If you would like to donate to this worthy cause you can do so here: midsouthpeace.org/hopewomen 

Another initiative being taken on by the group is the assemblage of  care packages to conduct outreach specifically to women experiencing homelessness. These packages would contain essential sanitary items that can be hard to come by for many women who are without shelter, as well as a few special touches.

We want the women we share the care packages with to feel pampered, to know that some one does care about them,

said C.C. one of the organizers of the Women’s Caucus.

Special thanks this month to: Melinda Spiegel, The DeNeuville Learning Center, Rachel McCook, Ace Madjlesi, The Center for Research on Women at The University of Memphis, and the Memphis Center for Independent Living!

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HOPE Garden Crew

HOPE Garden Crew is a member-led project of H.O.P.E. that is focused on developing community gardens. We are working to establish relationships within the community to beautify our neighborhoods and to educate ourselves on food security. The HOPE GC is proud to announce this month, that they have just received a New Community Garden grant from Grow Memphis to provide the GC with all the tools, supplies, and services they need to develop their community garden!
If you’d like to get involved with the HOPE Garden Crew, the best way is to join us in the garden! We meet every Saturday at the corner of Court & Watkins and you’re sure to see us with our shovels in hand! If you have additional questions or concerns, contact our project coordinators, Dallas or Julia.

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Feeding the Movement

H.O.P.E would like to once again thank Memphis Center for Independent Living forproviding 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!

PASSIONATE ABOUT LEARNING AND DEVELOPING SKILLS TO CREATE CHANGE IN YOUR GROUP OR COMMUNITY?

The Core Organizer Training explores with participants the foundational skills to be effective organizers and create systematic change in a group or community, keeping nonviolence as a foundation.

This training will build knowledge and experience of core organizing skills in a hands-on, direct manner, while also drawing out the expertise that the individual already has within. The result is a training that is fully interactive and has direct application in each session.

REGISTER HERE!

Who should attend this Training?
Experienced and less-experienced organizers,  activists, community leaders and others who want to learn what ‘community organizing’ is about.

Topics covered include:
Intro to Organizing, Organizing your Community, Campaign Planning, Facilitating Meetings, Media and Intro to Nonviolent Direct Action.

What: Core Organizer Training.  A maximum of 25 people will be trained in order for all to get individual support and for the maximum learning potential for the group.

Where: 1000 South Cooper St. Memphis TN 38104

When: Friday, March 21: 6-9pm, Saturday, March 22: 9am-6pm and Sunday, March 23: 1-6pm
***** No partial attendance allowed *****

Cost: If your annual income is:      Less than $15,000 You pay: $30
$15,000-$25,000: $50
$25,000-$35,000: $100
$35,000-$45,000: $150
$45,000-$55,000: $225
Over $55,000: $300

Sliding scale based on the individual’s income. If your organization is sending you to the training, use the organizational budget to determine the fee. Please consider that it costs MSPJC $200 per person to do the training.

Fee includes over 16 hours of training, simple snacks, light breakfast and lunch on Saturday, materials and follow up support from a network of the mid-south best organizers and activists.
Some scholarships may be available, please request scholarship application. Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

I WANT TO REGISTER!

Registration online or by phone is required for all trainings.

For more information call 901-725-4990 or email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

Please share this training with your friends on Facebook!