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    • Rally to Stop 3-Strikes Laws in Massachusetts!

    March 14th, 2012 · · News and Announcements One comment

    Help stop this costly and harmful bill before it is too late: the “Justice System” is Unjust and the time for action is now!  We will rally on the State House steps and then enter the building to visit our elected officials.
    Why speak out against 3-strikes
    • Incarceration breaks apart families but does not deal with the real causes of crime
    • This dangerous bill will expand an overcrowded prison system
    • It costs $48,000 a year to jail a prisoner; these funds could be used for jobs, schools, housing and transportation
    • Stand up against mandatory sentencing and demand fairness in the criminal justice system
    What will happen if this bill is passed?
    Under this proposed law, individuals convicted of three violent felonies would become ineligible for parole or any reductions in sentencing for their third conviction — regardless of circumstances — and would receive the longest mandatory sentence for that conviction.    Additionally, anyone convicted of three felonies would be classified as a habitual offender and required to serve two-thirds of their sentence before being eligible for parole.   In some circumstances, this has included juvenile convictions.
    Who will be affected by this bill?
    There are approximately 11,800 people incarcerated in the Massachusetts prisons. Of these, about 5,500 prisoners are serving time for crimes that would qualify as 3 Strikes crimes. Based on a conservative analysis of sentencing data provided by the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission, between 150-250 of these offenders would likely be sentenced under 3 Strikes.
    What’s the alternative?
    Aaron Tanaka, writing to the Boston Globe:   “We should leave the power of harsh sentencing to the judges, not some automatic system that disregards the details of the offender, the wishes of the victims, or the evidence of rehabilitation. We can be smart on crime by tackling drug addiction, fighting poverty, improving reentry services, and challenging a culture of violence.    Beating our chests and promoting draconian and unthinking laws only reveals the Legislature’s tendency for political pandering over sensible solutions. In the case of a trial, judges come to understand all of the circumstances of the crime and the convicted felon’s history. So the judge is in the best position to set the sentence and to protect the citizenry.”
    Support this rally or for questions:  (617) 606-3580 /info@bostonworkersalliance.org / BostonWorkersAlliance.org
    To read more about sentencing reform:  blackstonian.com / CJPC.org / ChurchandPrison.org / Exprisoners.org / FAMM.org / MCLS.net
    For a detailed explanation of 3-strikes in Massachusetts, visit:  http://bit.ly/yEKS8g

    Endorsing Organizations*
    Aid to Incarcerated Mothers, Alternatives for Community Environment (ACE), American Civil Liberties Union-MA, APIA Movement, Arise for Social Justice, Arlington Street Church (Social Committee), Artists for Humanity, Asian American Resource Workshop, Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts, Blackstonian, Boston Workers’ Alliance, Cambridge Peace Commission, Center for Church and Prison, Chelsea Collaborative, City Life / Vida Urbana, Coalition Against Poverty / Coalition for Social Justice, Coalition for Effective Public Safety, Codman Square NDC, Community Change Inc., Community Church of Boston, Community Labor United, Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, Dorchester People for Peace, EPOCA – Ex Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Gavin House, Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation, Hyde Square Task Force, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Jobs With Justice, Lansing Workers Center, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Marcus Garvey House, Mass Alliance of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO), Mass Jobs with Justice, Massachusetts Communities Action Network, MassUniting, NAACP New England Area Conference, National Association of Social Workers-MA, National Lawyers Guild-MA, Neighbor to Neighbor MA, New England United for Justice, Nuestra Community Development Corporation, Occupy The Hood Boston, Oiste Latino Civic Engagement Organization, Partakers, Inc., Prisoners’ Legal Services, Right to the City Alliance Boston, Rosie’s Place, Roxbury Dorchester Labor Committee, SEIU 1199 Healthcare Workers, SEIU 615 Janitors and Security, Side-by-Side Community Circle, Sisters At Work, Social Workers for Peace and Justice, SPAN, STRIVE, Inc., Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Northeastern University School of Law chapter, Survivor’s Inc., The Real Cost of Prisons Project, Union of Minority Neighborhoods / MARC, Unite Here! New England Joint Board, Urban League of Eastern Mass, UU Mass Action, Voices of Liberation, Young Cape Verdean Club
    *Endorsement list is growing

    The power of the 99%: MBTA scraps initial draconian proposals; activists vow to escalate fight for public transit!

    March 13th, 2012 · · News and Announcements, Press Releases 7 comments

    After an uprising from the 99%, MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis announced last night that neither of the agency’s proposals to slash service, raise fare hikes, and layoff hundreds of workers will be adopted.  No details for the new proposal have been released. On January 3, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) released two proposals – both a toxic mixture of draconian service cuts and unacceptable fare hikes – to close the MBTA’s $161 million deficit for the coming fiscal year.  But thousands of members of the 99% – including members of Occupy the MBTA and other advocates for seniors, the disabled, students, workers, low-income communities, and the environment – flooded public hearings and rallied to tell the MBTA, “No Hikes! No Cuts! No Layoffs!”

    The MBTA’s retreat demonstrates the growing power of the 99% movement, but our work is far from done.  We will not accept any plan that attempts that attempt to balance the MBTA’s books on the backs of those who can afford it the least. We will continue to demonstrate, speak-out, and Occupy to ensure that the MBTA’s final proposal does not include any cuts to service, layoffs or fare increases and to demand that the legislature develop a comprehensive, affordable, and sustainable transportation plan that works for the 99%.  Public transportation is a right and must be accessible to all.Since January 31, over 6,000 people have attended 31 public hearings about the MBTA’s proposals, according to the Boston Globe.  In addition, a coalition of organizations including OccupyMBTA, Mass Senior Action, the T Riders Union, Students Against T Cuts, the Save the T coalition, MassUniting, Occupy Boston, Occupy Somerville, Occupy JP and many more have taken to the streets over the last two months to raise awareness and organize opposition to the proposed fare hikes, service cuts and layoffs. Members of these organizations and the broader 99% organized several major marches and rallies, mic-checked on trains, and spread the message through flyering and social media.
    Let’s keep the pressure on! Join us today  at 12:30 as we rally inside and outside of the MassDot board meeting.  And on April 4, we’ll bring our message to the State House (think Wisconsin!) for a people’s hearing and rally as part of our national call to action on public transportation.

    Canceled: Socializing for Justice party for Occupy Boston

    March 13th, 2012 · · News and Announcements 2 comments
    Unfortunately, the transformer fire in Back Bay last night left the area without power. So we have to cancel tonight’s event.

    Please join us at the 99% Sprint Direct Action Training on Wednesday, April 11- http://www.sojust.org/events/55667142/– where you’ll be able to learn more about Occupy Boston and other groups planning actions against big banks and greedy corporations this spring.For Justice,
    Robbie
    SoJust

     

    The Latest Issue Boston Occupier Is Out Tomorrow (3/14)! Distribution Help Needed!

    March 13th, 2012 · · News and Announcements Comments Off on The Latest Issue Boston Occupier Is Out Tomorrow (3/14)! Distribution Help Needed!

    The latest issue of the Boston Occupier is coming out this Wednesday (March 14). We want to get the word out — all over Boston and beyond — that our movement is growing, changing, and as urgent as ever. We need help distributing all 15,000 copies of Issue #6!!! Here’s the game-plan:

    • Our big distribution push will be the Wednesday afternoon commute. We need volunteers!!! We’ve found that the best strategy is actually to ride the T, moving from car to car, passing out papers to riders. This is especially appropriate because we are covering the ongoing protests against MBTA fare hikes & service cuts. Volunteers should meet at 5 pm at Encuentro 5 (33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor, Boston). (If you can’t come until 5:30 or 6 pm, that’s ok too.) It’s more fun to go out in pairs, so hopefully we’ll have enough volunteers to make that possible. So, come and spread the Occupy news!
    • Copies of the paper will be available for anyone and everyone to pick up, beginning at 2 pm on Wednesday at Encuentro 5 (33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor). They’ll be there all week! Please take a stack and commit to distributing them in your community (small stacks in cafes, libraries, bookshops, laundry mats, community centers, waiting rooms, campuses, etc). In this issue: Occupy the T, rallies for Harvard’s library workers, March 1st student protests, Occupy & race, International Women’s Day, the mortgage fraud settlement, and more!
    • If you are a part of another local-area Occupy movement, a union, or a community organization that’s willing to distribute papers — let’s make it happen! Send questions or suggestions about distribution to Julie O (juliettejulianna@gmail.com) — or, better yet, just pick up a big pile of papers from E5.
    • Also available with this issue is our new subscription service, part of our effort to raise funds and make the Boston Occupier sustainable for the foreseeable future. Read about it online here. I hope you’ll encourage those you know to subscribe to the paper!

    Please feel free to respond to me (juliettejulianna@gmail.com) with any questions, ideas, or suggestions. Thanks!

    The OB Media Rundown for 3/13/12

    March 13th, 2012 · · Daily Media Rundown Comments Off on The OB Media Rundown for 3/13/12

    Scholarship competition for best essays about the Occupy Movement open to students nationwide

    More than $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors who place in the regional and national competitions. All students must submit an essay about the “Occupy Movement” by March 31, 2012 to compete.

    [This is a correction to an earlier Media Rundown article that incorrectly identified the competition as being only open to students in one state.]

    http://tinyurl.com/73nhhlq

     

    Housing Crisis Pushed Black Homeownership Rate Below 1990 Level

    During the housing crisis, Black and Latino homeowners were twice as likely to be foreclosed on. Indeed, in California Black and Latino homeowners are said to make up 50% of foreclosures but only 30% of homeowners.

    During the housing crisis, the Center for American Progress found, there were huge racial disparities in the makeup of high-priced lending with banks targeting people of color. One of the banks that received a government bailout, was even accused of having steered people of color toward subprime loans. Undoubtedly, these dubious and racist banking practices led to the homeownership numbers we see today.

    http://tinyurl.com/7v23klu

    Watchdogs, unions, Occupy groups vow to expose corporate money in campaigns

    Liberal interest groups, watchdogs and unions on Monday threatened to boycott, protest and publicly embarrass corporations that spend money trying to sway the outcome of the November election.

    Gathered Monday at the Washington headquarters of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the groups issued a call to arms for the 2012 campaign, vowing to aggressively challenge companies that contribute to super-PACs and 501(c) nonprofit groups.

    “If you secretly contribute and scheme to buy our elections, we’re going to come knocking on your door,” said Aaron Black of the Occupy Wall Street movement. “And it’s not just going to be a couple of us. It’s going to be thousands of us. Everywhere you turn your head.”

    http://tinyurl.com/7wl63lo

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