News

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!

Memphis Muslim Communities to Come Together for Peaceful Rally
Saturday, February 21st at the intersections of Poplar & East Parkway
3:00-6:00 pm rain or shine

The Memphis Muslim community is shocked and saddened by the tragic and senseless murders of three compassionate young Muslim Americans- Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha on Tuesday, February 10th 2015 in Chapel Hill. North Carolina. The community is equally shocked and saddened at national media outlet’s considerable underreporting of this most heinous crime. The Memphis Muslim community feels strongly that it is time for such hatred-fuelled crimes, as well as blatant media inattention, to end.

In light of this event we will come together in PEACEFUL solidarity in honor of the victims and their families, and also in solidarity to anyone falling victim to senseless hate crimes such as this, to mourn the loss of these young people in this what is so clearly an act of hatred and violence.

Through this rally we would like the public to know that true Islam is a religion of peace, and true Muslims are no one to fear, as we strive to practice our religion in a kind, loving and peaceful way, much like all other religious members of our community. We would like to call on our elected local officials to remember us, and to speak out on behalf of us. We would like for our brave local law enforcement agencies to protect us from ignorant crimes like these that take away the safety, security and well being of all Americans and particularly Americans whose religious beliefs may be falsely perceived and misunderstood.

Finally, we call out to our local media outlets, to ask kindly to give us and our families the fair and accurate representation that any peaceful religious community deserves, such that the representation could help put an end to the severe misrepresentation our religion suffers. This broad, national media misrepresentation leads us to apprehension and fear which we often feel in our own communities on a day to day basis, yet we have faith that our local media can accurately represent us to our own community as a community valuing faith, service, honesty and compassion.

Muslims and non-Muslims, religious or secular, let us come together in remembrance and share a peaceful message with our community that we are ready for the hate to stop.

Contact
Questions or more information, contact:
Leslie Salama at 901-831-1882 or salama.leslie@gmail.com

If you’re a supporter of Memphis United and the MSPJC’s work around criminal justice reform, we need YOU to ACT TODAY and call your city council representatives! (Doesn’t take more than 5-10 minutes.)

Click here http://bit.ly/1y98jaU to enter your address and find your districts. You will be in one regular district and one super district – super districts have 3 representatives, so you will have a total of 4 representatives to call.

After finding your districts, click here http://bit.ly/17mvnw3 to find your representatives’ phone number.

You will likely be asked to leave a voicemail.

Here is a script you can use, if you would like:

Hi [Councilperson Jones], my name is [Jane Doe] and my address is [123 Main Street]. I am your constituent in [District 1] and I am calling to encourage you to support Memphis United’s recommendations for a stronger Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board. Thank you!

Every call helps, so call today and then ask your friends and family to call too. Together, we can see this through!

The Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) are closing in on our 3rd year of fighting for better public transportation in the Mid-South!

With your help, bus riders are putting our issues in the spotlight.
Please join us for our 3rd Anniversary BBQ on Saturday March 7th, 12PM – 3PM, at the Memphis Center For Independent Living, 1633 Madison Ave. (bus # 2)

2014 was a positive year for the Memphis Bus Riders Union and public transit in Memphis! Here are some of our accomplishments from last year:

Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) joined the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, which has provided the resources and fund raising ability that has sustained our work.

MBRU leaders met with TN state representatives in Nashville for Lobby Day and joined labor unions and social justice organizations for a rally on the State Capitol.

MBRU began strategic outreach efforts at Southwest Community College working to build a partnership between student and employee riders, MATA, and Southwest administration to ease the financial burden on students by reducing fares and creating routes that better serve their needs. MBRU is now in the process of chartering campus rider’s organizations at Southwest, Lemoyne-Owen and University of Memphis.

MBRU co-organized a public forum with Livable Memphis and the MATA Board of Commissioners for the public to provide input on what qualities they would like in a new president of MATA, as the administration conducted it’s national search for candidates.

MBRU successfully lobbied our elected city officials to increase MATA’s operations budget by 2.4 million, which stopped cuts to transit service.

MBRU successfully pushed for rider representation in the MATA Board of Commissioners. As a result, our co-chair was appointed by Mayor Wharton and is currently the only transit dependent board member.

After leading MATA board members on a tour of the dilapidated North End Terminal, MBRU won several improvements to the terminal including new and ADA accessible soap and paper towel dispensers for the bathrooms, a cell phone charging station, a large system map displayed for public use and new crosswalks for safety and we continue to push for more improvements.

MBRU has begun synthesising data and personal stories from riders that will inform our People’s Transit Plan, a guide to the current state of public transit and a plan for more equitable service that prioritizes the needs of bus riders.

Join us for in 2015 as we continue to build a movement for better public transit!

In Unity,

Executive Committee
Memphis Bus Riders Union
3573 Southern Ave.
phone: 901-205-9737
email: MemphisBRU@gmail.com
web: www.mbru.org