Murray Family Resists Eviction

The Murray Family is facing foreclosure. They aren’t being foreclosed on for being lazy or not paying, they are a hard working family. They have paid $43,000 on their house and have been perpetually lied to by the bank. As the family’s income slightly decreased and the medical bills increased, Bank of America said “we can cut your bill in half.” After giving them the runaround and increasing the interest rate to 16%, the Murray’s couldn’t pay anymore.

They are also facing eviction. The sheriff came on May 3rd with the intention of evicting them. They were supposed to come back on May 11. This is usury. This is corporate tyranny.

With the help of Occupy Kalamazoo, they are resisting the lies and the illegitimacy of Bank of America.  Keep an eye out for more information, phone numbers to call and ways to plug in.

edit:

brian.t.moynihan@bankofamerica.com
janay.carswell@bankofamerica.com
ron.d.sturzenegger@bankofamerica.com
tj.crawford@bankofamerica.com
diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com
nicole.nastacie@bankofamerica.com
britney.w.sheehan@bankofamerica.com
colleen.haggerty@bankofamerica.com
pressroom@bankofamerica.com
dan.b.frahm@bankofamerica.com

Consider sending an email like this

Greetings,

I am writing you in regards to Beverly and Matthew Murray in Coldwater, Michigan. Their loan number is: #23723976. They are scheduled for eviction due to a wrongful foreclosure for this week, perhaps as early as May 13th.

They have paid $43,000 into escrow payments in a two-year period. They have ask you repeatedly for help you and you ignored them. I ask that you halt their eviction, as well as provide them a fair modification.

All across our country people are losing their homes to unfair foreclosure. For many, all that is needed is a loan modification. Wall Street was bailed out, the banks were bailed out, but the people have been thrown out…of their homes. This is not good for the people or our country.

understand that Bank of America is committed to being the finest financial services company in the world. Evicting the Murrays, along with many others, is not how to achieve this goal! It is time for these repeated evictions to stop!

Please contact the Murray family immediately and work with them to achieve a fair loan modification!

Sincerely,

Mineral Rights Auction Pt. 3

Mineral Rights have been Auctioned off in Michigan for some time. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources claims to own the mineral rights under public forests, state parks and lakes as well as homes in so-called Michigan. They auction off leases to the rights to these minerals to the highest bidder twice a year. The hot commodity going for dirt cheap in these parts is natural gas.

Over 50 people showed up from all over the state to protest and show their opposition to dangerous practice known as Hydraulic Horizontal Fracturing.

Folks walked into the auction, some with tape over their mouths to represent the silencing experienced. People attending the auction in opposition must be  pretty popular, their friends outside the auction kept calling to hear what was going on. The ribbits and tinklings music of ring tones disrupted the auction for a while. Then the smell of rats made everyone cough relentlessly.

After the auction, there was a press conference and representatives from organizations such as MLAWD spoke about the dangers of fracking and the lack of transparency.

Following the press release, there was a skill share at the Lansing Public Library. Representatives from Kent County Water Conservation gave a presentation about passing ordinances and moratoriums in local government. Caitlin Richards of Central Michigan University gave a workshop about arguments people make for fracking, and ways to communicate with to them. Elizabeth and Jessica from Deep Water Earth First! and the Peace Center gave a Direct Action training.

The event was well attended and empowering.

Some of the specifics in propublica link above this are debatable, in Kalkaska there have been obscene amounts of fresh drinking water poisoned and deemed unusable in the fracking process.

Multi-Generational protest at Air National Guard Base

Peace Center members Benjamin and Jessica stood alongside protesters in their 60s and 70s last week Wednesday. There were 12-15 protesters yielding from Indiana, Battle Creek, Martin and Kalamazoo standing in the harsh weather to say no to attack drones. While the news coverage left gaps in the story- “The big difference is they will only be controlling and piloting the Drones from Battle Creek. The planes will actually be stationed it hot spots overseas” participants in the protest were well aware of this- there is no difference. People were protesting \the lack of transparency- who are they attacking and why? They are, after all using tax payers’ dollars while schools are suffering, to gun down militants. The Obama administration and the CIA plan their targets in the secretive terror tuesday meetings, offering absolutely no transparency on the reasoning behind their attacks, this is an attack on democracy. Furthermore, almost half of drone operators experience high levels of stress- for those that suffer PTSD, people who see on the screen “collateral damage” (women and children struck down by drones), the war rages on.

One sympathizer suggested half seriously, that countries settle disputes through video game duels- it would cost fewer lives and resources and would be quite similar to these drone strikes.  While WKZO news missed the point of the protest, participants had great conversation on the side of the road. The topics ranged from sharing stories of the Anti Nuke movement in the 80s, to lamenting Islamophobia- a symptom of the greater pattern of Xenophobia in the United States. In the debrief afterwards, there was hope for larger numbers in the future.

Dave Lambert covered the story accurately here.

Peace Center Protests use of Unamnned Air Viehicles

Indiana-Michigan activists protest at Guard Base in Battle Creek over new drone command center

At Noon on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, a group of peaceful, nonviolent activists will converge at the gates of the  110th Fighter Wing of the Air NationalGuard, on  West  Dickman Rd in Battle Creek, Michigan. The group of activists are opposed to the recent installation of a drone command center there. The protest is a joint effort by anti-drone activists from Indiana and Michigan.

 

“Drones are not the precise surgical weapon that the military and government would have you believe. Their deployment in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen,Somalia and other places have resulted in the deaths of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent women, men, and children, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. In Pakistan, U.S. drones strike houses with hellfire missiles killing women and children.  This becomes a recruiting tool for al-Qaeda, making us less safe,” said JoAnne Lingle, 76, of Indianapolis, who has been a peace activist most of her adult life, and will participate in the demonstration on Wednesday.

 

“Perhaps the people of our country will awaken to the whole issue of drones only after they have begun spying on them in their own back yards,” said Dave Lambert, 78, from Fort Wayne, IN, one of the organizers of the event. “In places like Pakistan, with whom we are not at war, these drone strikes are responsible for only 2% of top al Qaeda leadership.”

Standing in the Way of Violence 20th Anniversary Celebration of “MPT”

“Creating a nonviolent alternative to militarism and violence

through empowered peacemaking”

Stories & Re-enactments of MPT interventions

Thursday, May 2, 6:00 pm
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 247 West Lovell St., Kalamazoo 49007

Keeping a near-permanent peace team on the West Bank

Stopping fist fights over Right to Work at the Michigan State Capitol

Ending threats of violence for 200 Keewenaw Bay Indian community members

Stopping the hanging of an 18 year-old in Haiti

More stories from Bosnia, the First Nation in Canada, Chiapas Mexico, Gaza, Sinai,

Cairo, Juarez Mexico, Panama & 125 peace teams in zones of violence in the US

Soup Dinnerwith KNOW’s famous homemade soups

Music Silent Auction Palestinian Olive Oil sale

>> Park & enter on the Rose St. side of the building—elevator to Dining Room just inside entrance

$20 suggested donation. Proceeds benefit Meta Peace Team & KNOW (Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War)

RSVP: skanaan245@aol.com 327-2203 or thdavies@umich.edu 345-9987

Thousands march on Washington DC demanding citizenship rights

Two Peace Center delegates bussed to Washington DC earlier this week, to march on Washington. Thanks to the immigrant rights group BAMN, Janet and Jessica were able to go along and march under BAMN’s banner. Among BAMN’s demands are full citizenship for all people, regardless of immigration status and passage of the Federal Dream Act now and reinstating Affirmative Action. Over 300 folks took the street and held down a whole traffic lane without a permit, under the BAMN banner. We yelled “pass the Dream Act now!”, “Hey Hey. Ho Ho. ICE Has Got to Go”, “”Aqui Estamos Y No Nos Vamos Y Si No sacan Nosregresamos”, “Si Se Puede!” and “El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Eencido”.
 When we met up with the permitted march, it was empowering to see thousands of people flooding the capitol building, the type of feeling that words don’t do justice. There were people playing Mariachi music. We marched with folks from all over the country, waving American flags and those from their ancestral and motherlands.

While we marched, Congress members debated a new Immigration Reform Bill which would put undocumented people on a ten year path to citizenship. The proposed bill puts boarder control above amnesty and give $3 billion to the Department of Homeland Security. 

The march was an amazing experience. Thanks to BAMN for making it possible.

 

The Peace Center will host its 3rd annual “Michigan Radical History” event on  Thursday, April 11th, at 7pm at 1730 Sangren Hall. With support from GSAC, the Peace Center is bringing Julie Herrada to share stories about what others have done to cause change in the state of Michigan and around the country.
Julie Herrada has been the curator of the Joseph Labadie Collection at U of M since 1994. Her presentation will include archival materials and a PowerPoint presentation including topics such as segregation, poverty, militarism, and sexism. The purpose of the event is to inspire students to act by learning what past activists have done. Through a series of stories and examples of student and citizen action, the audience will learn how progress has been made in the past  and leave with lessons to better organize for the future.

Eyes Wide Open – We need you, Kalamazoo!

An exciting new volunteer opportunity is available from April 1st to the 5th at WMU’s Flagpoles.

Eyes Wide Open is an exhibit created by the American Friends Service Committee observing the American soldiers and marines that have died in the Iraq War. It contains a pair of combat boots to represent every American soldier and marine that has died in the war, as well as shoes representing Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives during the invasion and occupation. The exhibit was first shown in Chicago’s Federal Plaza in January 2004. However, as a result of its unmanageable size over time, the exhibit has been broken down state-by-state. Currently, nearly every state has its own state exhibit. The national exhibit in its entirety would currently contain more than 4,000 pairs of empty boots.

The Peace Center is looking for volunteers to help set up, survey the boots as to make sure they are not vandelized, hand out fliers about the exhibit, and take them down at the end of the evening. There is a Doodle (online scheduling tool) linked below with instructions on how to fill it out. We hope to see you and speak with you next week!

http://www.doodle.com/yn3ftsv2nqp59xcn

Critical Thinking among High Schoolers leads to Organizing

Many of us have spent hours arguing with our eyelids to stay open as we fill in the bubbles with number two pencils. Many students and graduates feel that this is not an accurate way to evaluate success and intelligence.
Students all over the country are organizing against standardized tests.

Is this a method to teach students be okay with menial tasks?

In a world of uncertainty we need to encourage our youth to think creatively, for innovation. Here are two articles about some of the organizing happening at the High School level in the United States

Peace Week Report Back

Peace Week is coming to a close. We have been having a busy and fun time. The Invisible War brought out many students. It was painful and moving. The conversation after brought about good questions. Some examples of questions we discussed:
Can sexual assault be rooted out of the military? How can an inherently violent system, a system where people are trained to not empathize, to brutalize and kill, ever be ethical and respectful?
Did your view of female warriors change? Would you advise your children or friends to join the military?

The Ten Year Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq and Anti-Drone rally was yesterday. Don Cooney gave a great speech, he asked students what they remembered about the weeks leading up to the invasion and the actual invasion, the shock and boom. Some students remembered a lot of patriotism, a lot of repetition of the words terror, weapons of mass destruction was a common theme. He went on to discuss what the war yielded- no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the U.S. military remained for over 7 years, terrorizing Iraqi people and sending veterans home scarred with PTSD and injuries. He finished the speech by urging students to not allow such wars to happen again. He encouraged us that in the future, we have an obligation to keep such invasions from happening. He held a sign that said “Not in My Name.”

I gave an informational speech about drone technology and drone warfare. The United States federal government is spending a great deal of resources on drone technology. Drones are primarily used for violence and surveillance. They are a gateway to autonomous killing machines. The federal government must not invest U.S. tax dollars in technology that harms and spys. We must commit our ingenuity to diplomacy, peace making, education, acceptance of those different than us, an isolationist foreign policy. If we brought the virtues taught to us by our religious and spiritual leaders into our foreign policy, we could stop being reactionary and extremist to those who think differently than us.

We marched with a huge paper mache drone and about 45 students and community members. We chanted things like “Hey Hey. Ho Ho. Militarism has got to go.”, “Dead Lovers, Dead Friends, this is a war that never ends”, “That’s bull shit. Get off it. Our lives before their profit.”, “Money for books and education, not for drones and occupation.”

We arrived at the Bernhard Center with high energy. Drumming continued and we were greeted by Women in Black. Inside the Brown and Gold room, students and peace community members were wowed with a brief speech by Ron Kramer, KNOW member and Criminologist with a focus on corporate crime. He highlighted just a few of the crimes committed by the United States federal government leading up to the war. Kathy Murphy of K.N.O.W. and Iraqi Health Now spoke about K.N.O.W’s history and the Kalamazoo communities’ response to the invasion.

Kathy Kelly gave an emotional and moving speech about her time in Iraq during the beginning of the war. The theme of the speech was tough minds, tender hearts. She told us about levels of resistance, from the vigils outside the federal building in Kalamazoo, to Irish Nuns who committed acts of conscience objection in the form of property destruction at an airport in Ireland. She told us about the horrors of the shock and boom which she experienced first hand and the hospitality of Iraqi people. For the survivors of war, it never ends, it lives with them forever. A call to action came at the end of the speech in the form of a solidarity hunger strike. Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been on hunger strike for 6 weeks. I haven’t fasted in a long time, but am going to try to join in for a few days.

Last night Janet and I went to the Whitney M. Young Jr’s speech. Gilda Jacobs, former state senator spoke about Truth or Consequences. She works at the Michigan League for Public Policy and aims to end the wealth disparity.

We were disappointed to learn that the Emergency Financial Manager ballot initiative which passed in November was met with a new EFM bill- thanks a lot Rick Snyder.

On a lighter note- Western Michigan University’s borad approved the Part Time Instructor Organization’s three year contract was signed into approval, by unanimous vote!

Have a relaxing weekend, comrades!

For the win,
Jessica