[pjw] PJW UPDATE: Past and upcoming activity by Peace and Justice Works!

[Peace and Justice Works]

Friends

Below is the text of the new PJW UPDATE, our twice yearly newsletter that 
just went in the mail today (modified slightly for email purposes).

It includes announcements for our upcoming action on Guantanamo, our 
annual meeting Feb 26, Portland Copwatch's participation in a Jan. 28 
"March for Justice" 
<http://www.albinaministerialcoalition.org/actions.html> and more.

Also, if you are able to make a year-end donation at the last minute, 
at this point we've raised The second highest amount of funds since 2011-- 
just $827 more and we can top 2015! Donate on line through Network for 
Good <http://www.pjw.info/pjwdonate.html> or send a check or money order 
to us at:
   Peace and Justice Works
    PO Box 42456
    Portland, OR   97242

The general fund and the Iraq Affinity Group, in particular, could use a 
small boost.

Enjoy the newsletter, the New Year Holiday, and we'll see you next year!
dan handelman
peace and justice works


Dear PJW members, volunteers and supporters:

PEACE AND JUSTICE WORKS' 25th ANNUAL MEETING
Sunday, February 26, 2017
12 noon (potluck); 12:30 PM (meeting)
Social Justice Action Center
  400 SE 12th, Portland

Please join Peace and Justice Works for our 25th annual meeting at the 
Social Justice Action Center, 400 SE 12th. The meeting begins with a 12 
noon vegetarian potluck (bring vegetarian food and non-alcoholic drink to 
share), followed by the business part of the meeting from 12:30-2:15 PM.

Proposed agenda for the meeting:

--updates on 2015/2016 activities from Affinity Groups (Iraq, Copwatch, 
other);

--election of board of directors and officers*
(Nominees: Jeff Clenaghan, president/Authorized Check Signer [ACS]; Dan 
Handelman, secretary/ACS; Desiree Hellegers, ACS; Linda Tomassi, ACS; and 
Shelley Bedell);

--celebrating PJW's 25th anniversary!

--financial report, office updates, volunteer outreach.

If you haven't participated in PJW before, our general quarterly meetings 
are good places to get information and find a way to plug in.

*-If you haven't donated membership funds or 4 hours of volunteer time 
since Feb. 2017, it's time to renew!

Iraq Group to Protest 15 Years of Guantanamo

Prison, 14 Years Since Iraq Invasion

The Iraq Affinity Group (IAG) was very busy in the second half of 2016, 
with demonstrations marking anniversaries of the third round of US bombing 
of Iraq in 2014 (August), the bombing of Syria in 2014 (September), 15 
years since 9/11 (September) and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan 
(October). In January, we will once again hold a visibility action to 
close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In coordination with the 
Close Guantanamo Coalition and Amnesty International Chapter 48, the event 
will be on Wednesday, January 11 from 4-5:30 PM at the east end of the 
Hawthorne Bridge (SE Hawthorne & Grand). It is called "15 Years of Human 
Rights Abuses at Guantanamo-- Shut It Down!" The message is both to 
outgoing President Obama and incoming President Trump.

In March, the IAG will mark 14 years since the invasion of Iraq by 
co-sponsoring the Portland Peaceful Response Coalition's weekly Friday 
rally (SW Yamhill and Broadway, 5 PM) on Friday, March 17. We helped PPRC 
mark 15 years of holding down that corner week after week, rain or shine, 
in early November, and will be supporting the 800th PPRC Friday Rally on 
February 24.

The IAG's letter to gubernatorial candidates asking them to keep the 
National Guard in Oregon drew 5 responses out of 8 parties-- only the 
Democrats, Republicans and Working Families parties did not respond. The 
others (Libertarians, Independents, Constitution, Pacific Green and 
Progressive) were all supportive to various degrees.

PJW was founded about a year after that first Iraq war, and has been out 
protesting and educating the public since then. It's more likely than not 
that there will be more conflicts (and/or more of the same wars) with the 
incoming administration, so come to a meeting and help us try to stem the 
drumbeats for war!

Portland Copwatch Addresses Federal Judge, Walks the Beat, Pushes 
Accountability

Portland Copwatch (PCW), PJW's police accountability group, continues to 
tie together the state-sanctioned violence of war with the violence of 
police on our country's streets. In October, Michael Simon, the federal 
judge overseeing the Settlement Agreement between the US Department of 
Justice (DOJ) and the City of Portland to reduce use of force, invited the 
community to speak at a status hearing on implementation. Three members of 
PCW (of seven who were there) addressed the Judge, who gave the green 
light for our group to send information to him directly. The DOJ had asked 
the Judge to order the City back to court in January because they have not 
fulfilled the Agreement's community engagement promises, letting the 
Community Oversight Advisory Board (COAB) fall into disrepair. The Judge 
withdrew his request when the City appealed his order.

Through our work with the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition (AMAC) for 
Justice and Police Reform, PCW is hoping to have a positive impact on the 
new version of the COAB, hoping it will be able to "independently assess" 
the Agreement as promised. On Saturday, January 28, PCW is supporting the 
AMAC's "March for Justice" to mark 7 years since the death of Aaron 
Campbell, who was shot in the back by a police sniper, and express 
concerns about civil liberties issues under the Trump administration. The 
march will start at 10 AM with a program lasting until 1 PM.

We continue monitoring the work of the "Independent" Police Review 
Division (IPR) and its Citizen Review Committee (CRC). PCW was appointed 
to a stakeholder group that made recommendations to help speed up the 
CRC's appeal process by enlarging its membership, and to stop a push by 
the City to eliminate public input at CRC hearings. A vote will likely 
take place in early February on these issues.

PCW members went out on the streets in inner NE/SE Portland in August and 
December to hear from houseless persons about their experiences as they 
faced imminent camp "sweeps." We continue to operate our incident report 
line (503-321-5120), and to publish the People's Police Report three times 
a year-- issue #70 is fresh off the press. If you want to subscribe, it's 
just $15 a year.

25 Years and So Much to Do-- Be Part of the Push for Peace

We're hoping to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the broader community, 
but it's more likely than not that there will be more wars, police 
violence, and capital punishment to protest in 2017. The US has pledged to 
remain in Iraq and Afghanistan even if ISIS and the Taliban cease 
operations. The Portland Police continue using violence against people of 
color and people in mental health crisis.

As an all-volunteer group, we do our best to educate the public and the 
powers-that-be about non-violent means to resolve conflict. All of our 
work is done on a budget of roughly $12,000 a year. We appreciate support 
from you and everyone who wishes to see a planet that prioritizes peace, 
justice, equality and a sustainable environment over violence, 
intolerance, and corporate greed. Please donate what you can via check or 
money order to PO Box 42456, Portland OR 97242, or online via our Donate 
button at pjw.info (through Network for Good). Consider becoming a monthly 
supporter! You can volunteer 4 hours a year to be a voting member, or 
donate a sliding scale annual membership of $15-40. (People on the 
snail mail list should see their last donation on the mailing label as 
"LD.") We look forward to a productive if busy anniversary year and thank 
you for your contributions toward a better world.