Medea Benjamin “I did it because it has been over four years now that innocent people have been being killed by drones, these are crisis situations and they require more attention by us as citizens.
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.
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!
