[pjw] REPORT BACK on PJW 25th anniversary event

[Peace and Justice Works]

Peace and Justice Works supporters:

On Saturday, we had a good turnout for the anniversary event, right 
within the range in terms of numbers we expected, good conversations, and 
10 short videos recapping our history from 1992-the present.

The earliest clips were from Peace and Justice Fairs we organized in 1993 
and 1997 (there were others in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1999), which featured 
co-founding member Yvonne Simmons (who was able to attend!) and Iraq 
Affinity Group member Ann Huntwork (speaking for the War Resisters 
League). A clip from 1995 showed our "graduation for a smart bomb" where 
we put a mortar-board on an empty shell casing and told "Smarty" it was 
not possible, no matter how smart he was, that he could tell the 
difference between combatants and civilians. A 1998 clip featured people 
talking about the then-situation in Iraq, including me and two other 
people who visited Iraq in protest of the US/UN Sanctions. From 2001, we 
showed a rally and march that took place the day the war on Afghanistan 
started, including our friends from the then-nascent Portland Peaceful 
Response Coalition.

A set of clips from 2003 showed the Albina Ministerial Alliance 
Coalition's march (which Portland Copwatch helped organize) protesting 
the police shooting of Kendra James, and their presentation about her 
killing. A 2007 clip featured the special choreographed street theater of 
people holding letters spelling out "End the occupation, Iraq for Iraqis 
now!" A presentation from 2013 by Cathy Breen of Voices for Creative 
Nonviolence speaking about her then-recent return to Iraq, 10 years after 
the invasion, was on the next clip. Various speakers from our forum on US 
Wars, Climate Change and the Economy were on the clip from 2014. The final 
two clips were Copwatch-related: one from 2015 included the pastor of a 
church in St. Louis who compared the work in Ferguson following Michael 
Brown's death to what he saw in Portland, and clips from a Feb. 2017 City 
Council hearing about a man who was hit six times by a Taser.

So it wasn't all cheery fun, but it wasn't a total downer, either. We 
recognize that sometimes our victories are small but that our ongoing 
efforts are needed to make the world a better place.

We were able to raise almost 5% of our annual income between people 
responding to the mailing we sent out and from donations at the event. We 
also brought in a variety of office supplies that will help us with our 
ongoing work. In updating our history notebooks for the event, we 
ran out of full-page clear sheet protectors, so if you weren't sure what 
to donate, that's one item still of need. As always, we can use more 
financial support to keep up the work if you weren't able to make it 
and want to keep the celebration going please send a check/money order or 
head to our website to donate.

We also had food donated to us from People's Food Coop and Alberta Co-op, 
which was prepared for the event by co-founding member Linda T. About 10 
people volunteered in various capacities before, during and after, and 
overall I think we can call it a success.

I will be appearing on X-Ray FM's "X-Ray in the Morning" (91.1 / 107.1 FM 
and at xray.fm on the web) Friday at 8:30 if you want to tune in.

Thanks to all who helped make the event possible, and here's to having 
peace and police accountability soon so we don't have to do this for 
another 25 years!!!

dan h
peace and justice works

--Peace and Justice Works
    PO Box 42456
    Portland, OR   97242
    (503) 236-3065
    pjw at pjw.info
    http://www.pjw.info
    Donate on line: http://www.pjw.info/pjwdonate.html