American Friends Service Committee/Atlanta

Thoughts on My Recent Arrests

2012-01-28T21:40:00.007-05:00

My first Occupy Atlanta(OA)related arrest went down the night OA was evicted from Troy Davis Park. It was an intentional act of civil disobedience I proudly took part in with 51 other Atlanta activists.

It was only a few days before that when a local TV station declared me the leader of Occupy Atlanta, a title I certainly didn't want, nor could our leaderless movement afford. It was an uncomfortable position for me to be in. I understand that there's no way to control what or how media outlets report the news, and I knew the consequences(both internal and external) of being named a leader.

There have been internal difficulties that have come with my perceived leadership, and believe me, it is a perception. In this piece I want to focus on a troubling external consequence of perceived leadership, namely state repression.

It was right after the first eviction that several young OA participants took me aside and told me that people from the FBI had visited their homes and questioned them about me. They claimed that FBI agents had asked if I would be open to acquiring weapons, if I had a militant side and such. One of the questioned youth actually gave me the FBI agent's business card. I called it the next day and informed the agent that I knew everything there is to know about Tim Franzen, that I was in fact the worlds utmost authority on all tings Tim Franzen. When he asked who I was I stated, "Tim Franzen."

I'm not one who's ever felt the need to operate underground, don't mean to dis those that do. I feel proud of the work I do, and there are no actions I participate in that I'm afraid to have associated with my face. I told the FBI agent that he should be ashamed of his actions, that he had no right to run around Atlanta scaring people for no other reason but to crush a movement to address gross economic injustice through nonviolent direct action.

Several weeks later I participated in an action on the Courtland street bridge. We marched through GSU onto Courtland street. The sidewalks were jam-packed with people. Before the police officers warned the crowd to disperse from the street I had already gotten onto the side walk. One of the police Lieutenants yelled to his officers, "Get him" and pointed at me. The police had to worm their way through the crowd in order to grab me and drag me into the street.

When I was dragged into the street, I asked the lieutenant what he was doing and he said, "arresting you."
"For what", I asked.
"For being in the street", he said.
"But I was on the sidewalk", I replied.
"You're not now", he said with a smile.

This is what folks refer to as a targeted arrest. On that day there was at least one other targeted from the sidewalk. Targeted arrests aren't just meant to punish an individual, they're designed to suppress and damage a movement.

Since that day I've often found myself a target by law enforcement. Recently I was asked to be a dignitary on the annual King Day march. I was to march with Brigitte Walker and be one of the many folks who spoke at the rally which concludes the march. It was an honor to ride on the bus with the Orange family, who's legacy goes back decades before I was born. Halfway through the march Mayor Kasim Reed joined the dignitaries and I immediately was tapped on the shoulder. It was one of the mayor's plain clothes officers. He asked my why I was marching with the dignitaries. I told him I was asked to by the organizers of the event. He then laid hands on me, and waved several other officers to assist him in removing me from the crowd. Several dignitaries, including Brigitte Walker and Carmen Pittman began to protest. Finally the Sheriff of Fulton County, who was in plain clothes as a dignitary, ordered the wrongful arrest to stop. I was flustered, but marched on without getting badge numbers or really thinking too hard about filing a complaint. I remember thinking all in all, it's just not a big deal.

Yesterday, after about a hundred OA protesters marched to a Chase Bank branch and demanded the bank work with one of many families that got ripped off by the very predatory loans that help crash our economy, I was arrested along with Shab Bashiri.

At the protest there where several pieces of household furniture placed in front of the bank door. There was other debrie placed there as well. The idea was to create the painfully familiar scene of an eviction right in front of a bank responsible for so many. Much in the way AFSC attempted to bring the Iraq war home with our "Eyes Wide Open" campaign, organizers of the action brought the foreclosure crisis to Chase Bank's doorstep.

After the demonstration was over Shab and I chose to ride with a friend back to our car. We would have walked with the crowd, but it was Shab's birthday, so we had a party to get ready for. As we drove we noticed police following us right away, then we noticed channel 11 was following as well. When the blue lights came on I knew what was about to happen. I started texting folks right away. By the time police asked Shab and I to get out of the car, there was a small crowd of OA folks and channel 11 was filming. The arresting officers let Shab and I know that we were being arrested for littering. To avoid dealing with more OA folks and the media, one of the lieutenants asked that we be driven to the Manuels Tavern parking lot. When asked why the officers followed us from the bank and waited until we were several miles away to pull us over he replied,"I was ordered to."

Once we were brought to Manuel's parking lot, three unmarked cars pulled up, each one belonging to Atlanta's top brass. Chief Turner's #1, and #2 cops circled the car Shab and I were locked inside of along with about a half dozen other police. I couldn't tell what they were talking about, but I know there was some discussion about what our charges would be.

They put the two of us, just two, into our own paddy wagon. The driver proceeded to drive around the city for over an hour while Shab begged to use the restroom. The officer then stopped at Buddy's on Highland to use the restroom himself and get a snack break. Finally he got us to the city jail, where we were told we should be out in an hour or so. This was around 9pm. We didn't get out until almost 4am, largely due to the fact that there was a problem with our charges and APD had to come back and fill something out. I later found out that Joe Beasley called Chief Turner and told him he needed to get me out. I have no doubt that sped up the process.

Today I attended a rally for international dignity with our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters. We marched to the CNN center and it was beautiful. Hundreds of people from different corners of the globe calling for global resistance to oppression through economic injustice. While participating, my arm was grabbed by a police officer who claimed to know me well. He told me I needed to get off the sidewalk immediately. I told him that he needed to remove his hands from my body and took note that he was bothering no one else in the crowd of hundreds. Thankfully a bunch of OA folks surrounded me, letting the officer know mass arrests awaited if they targeted me.

I've decided that this behavior is worth calling out. It is unacceptable to target a few folks in an effort to shut down a movement. A targeted arrest should be seen as an attack on everyone associated with the Occupy movement. To let this slide is a disservice to others and our movement.

There are many lessons to be learned from the last few months as far as targeted arrests go. One is an old rule, march with the crowd. If you decide to seperate from the crowd, beware. There are other lessons, I'm just not ready to articulate them on this blog.

This is perhaps the most personal blog post I've ever written, but I feel it's somewhat overdue. I'm not the first person in the Occupy movement to be the victim of targeted arrest, and I surely will not be the last. In fact, I'm sure I have several trips to jail in store for me in the near future. From now on, I'm not going to write off this police behavior. Im also not going to allow the threat of targeted arrests to change the way I work. I reject the idea that I should not attend actions, or that I should change my wardrobe or cut my hair, and am willing to pay whatever consequence they have coming.

The simple fact is that we are a threat to an economic system that year after year gives more privledge to the weathiest at the expense of everyone else. We live in an important moment, a beginning, an uprising. You may not know that you are a part of it yet, but we all are.

To Occupy means to exist in a space, and that is what we are fighting for. To exist in a space where are voices our elevated to the same height, a space where opportunity is shared and we all have enough to thrive. This world is beyond possible.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Chase Out Chase Bank

2012-01-28T20:21:00.003-05:00

This past Friday, January 28th, Occupy Atlanta Marched with the Pittman family to a Chase Bank branch with one simple demand, give the house back.

For marched was sparked by Chase bank's unwillingness to offer a deal that would keep the Pittman's in the house that's been in the family since 1953.

The march brought together around 100 or so activists. The group was remarkable diverse in most ways measurable. Once at the bank there was a number of actions that went down. First it should be noted that the bank itself was shut down several minutes before we showed up. Apparently they were on high alert, along with several other Chase branches in the area.

Once outside the branch some participants put old furnature outside Chase's door as if to simulate an eviction scene, some broke out into dance, some chanted slogans like, "shut it down", there was even an interfaith prayer service, attended by several Quakers, outside the bank.

The demonstration managed to shut the Chase branch down for the last two hours of the bussiness day as well as make a clear statment to Chase bank that holding the Pittman home is a lose lose scenario for them. It's clear that Occupy Atlanta and other organizations will continue to escalate until Chase agrees to truly work with the family to insure they can stay and own the house they've called home for almost six decades.

There was one targeted arrest, but I'll be writinging about that in a seperate post.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

The Pittmans to Regulate Chase Bank

2012-01-23T19:58:00.006-05:00

Like many families across the nation, the late Ms. Eloise Pittman was a victim of one of the worse cases of predatory lending. The Pittman family has been fighting to save the family home since November 2011. This house for thisfamily is more than a building that gives shelter. It is a home that has been passed down generations since the 1950’s.

This past week we have finally been able to get Chase bank to negotiate with they family. The options they have laid out are terrible. They either want the family to leave or pay over $400,000 for a property that's worth around $100,000. Their options are not acceptable.

When Chase bank needed a bail out they got one to the tune of billions at practically zero percent interest. We will not continue to allow big banks, like Chase, to continue to make profit off the backs of those that they refuse to assist.

Occupy Atlanta begun an encampment at the Pittman home on December 6th, and has had a 24 hour presence since. With the news the Chase Bank is unwilling to work with the Family Occupy Atlanta and community partners plan to March on the Bank this Friday(1/27/12). The plan is to meet at the Pittman(404 Glen Iris, Atlanta) at 3pm and March to Chase bank to demand the deed to the house. Carmen and Valerie Pittman made the annoucement that they planned to fight the bank for their home at a press conference in front of a Chase Bank branch earlier today

American Friends Service Committee Stands with the Pittman family as it is our belief housing is a human right.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

A Win For 108 Year Old Vine City Church!

2012-01-18T18:05:00.011-05:00

Just six days ago Pastor Dexter Johnson of Higher Ground Empowerment Center (HGEC) reached out to Occupy Atlanta in the 11th hour of the congregation's fight to stay in the 108 year old Vine City Church. Late Wednesday(1/11/12) Occupy Atlanta rolled out tents and within 12 hours BB&T retreated from their attempt to evict the church.

After several hours of negotiations with between BB&T Bank, Occupy Atlanta, HGEC, and Joe Beasley with Rainbow PUSH, we have a deal that HGEC can more than live with. HGEC is going nowhere, not only did they get their deed to the land back, they have been given back the nine lots surrounding the Church for development, and a commitment from BB&T to meet again, with in 30 days, to discuss ways they can justly invest in the Vine City Community.

Today is a victory for HGEC, Occupy Atlanta, Vine City, and all the 99%. This victory was facilitated not by experts but by everyday folks working together to fight for their communities.

A big thanks to BB&T Bank for doing the right thing, and a big thanks to Rebuild The Dream for facilitating a dynamic national petition drive to save the 108 year old Church! "Today was a triumph for Higher Ground! Thank God for Occupy Atlanta, Thank God for Brother Joe Beasley", said HGEC Pastor Dexter Johnson.

Bringing the deed to the Church home would have simply been impossible if a dynamic grouping of Atlanta folks and organizations had not come together and shared resources to make the win happen. American Friends Service Committee, National Action Center, Grandmothers for Peace, Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, and the Vine City Neighborhood Planning Unit all played an important role.

This win is just a beginning. The real work is organizing the Vine City community. The question we're all asking is, how do we use the momentum of this win to galvanize Vine City? Idea's on where to start with the laundry list of problems that have hit the community. While folks where waiting at the church for the word on weather the deed was coming back to the churh, Occupy Atlanta and HGEC started getting a leg up on the clean up effort in Vine City.

Those that are interested are invited to join us for a community meeting this Saturday, 1/21, at 1pm at Higher Ground Empowerment Center, 561 Spencer Street.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

RALLY TO SAVE 108 YR OLD CHURCH FROM BB&T BANK

2012-01-16T22:19:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow(1/17/12) at 9:30am we will be holding a press conference and rally to save Higher Ground Empowerment Center(HGEC). The time and date is significant because the bank is set to negotiate with HGEC, Occupy Atlanta,and Rainbow PUSH, at 11am. Last week Occupy Atlanta was able to help the Church put off immediate eviction from the building they've called home for over 108 years. Despite false claims from BB&T lawyers and executives, it seems clear that the bank does not plan and working out a deal that would give ownership back to the Vine city church. BB&T has also been openly dishonest with the public, claiming that they never intended to evict HGEC, we know this to be sadly false.

It is time that BB&T live up to their "Values based approach" to dealing with foreclosures and make a deal with HGEC with gives ownership to the church, time for BB&T to do the right thing.

Occupy Atlanta will also be delivering a petition, which was organized by Rebuild the Dream, to save the Church to BB&T tomorrow. There are over 60,000 signatures from people all over the country.

The fight to save HGEC from BB&T bank isn't just about saving a church, it's about saving a devastated community. Vine City is the most undeserved community in the downtown area.There are parts of the City that resemble post Katrina New Orleans. Tomorrow after our press conference members of the HGEC, the Vine City community, and Occupy Atlanta will begin the process of fixing up Vine City. It's clear that we can no longer wait around for the Mayor to wave a magic wand, if there is to be change, it's going to have to come from everyday people in the community, it's going to have to come from the 99%. In this spirit we will be picking up some of the overwhelming amount of trash around the neighborhood.We also plan on launching an effort to get signatures on a petition to save Bathune Elementary School, which is within eye-shot of HGEC, and is under threat of being shut down.

Joining us for the press conference tomorrow will be Dr. Joseph Lowery from the Peoples Agenda, Joe Beasly from Rainbow PUSH, Talk Radio Host Rob Redding,American Friends Service Committee and many other community leaders and stake holders, and organizations.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

108 Year Old Church Faces Eviction From BB&T Bank

2012-01-15T11:24:00.006-05:00

Higher Ground Empowerment Center(HGEC) is a neighborhood church in the heart of Atlanta’s Vine City. For the past 108 years, Higher Ground Empowerment Center has been a pillar in the historic Vine City community, one of Atlanta’s most under-resourced communities. HGEC has offered an array of much-needed programs and services including free healthcare screenings, a food pantry, job fairs, an annual Vine City Thanksgiving dinner, Karate classes for youth, Saturday tutorials, and summer camps for students.

In 2008, the church suffered a major blow in the form of a disastrous tornado that ripped apart the property. In order to rebuild, the church was forced to take out a loan, one that became increasingly difficult to pay back and unrepresentative of the resale opportunities as donations and property values fell during the recession. The church repeatedly attempted to refinance the loan to be more representative of the property’s value, but BB&T, a company whose CEO, Kelly King, claims that their “foreclosure process is a values based approach where [they] work with our clients,” has not responded. The cruel irony is that BB&T bank spends about $5 million dollars a year on teaching positions and research on what they refer to as “the moral foundations of capitalism.” We find these morals and values suspiciously absent when the opportunity to profit off of the very people who bailed out BB&T to the tune of $3.1 billion comes about.

The day before the HGEC was to face BB&T in court over their right to stay in the meeting, Pastor Dexter Johnson reached out to Occupy Atlanta for help. After Occupy Atlanta set up tents and held a press conference,BB&T began back peddling, falsely claiming that they never intended to evict the church, and that they were willing to work out a deal. The deal BB&T wants to work out is unacceptable. BB&T now says that HGEC must lease the property from the bank.

HGEC, Occupy Atlanta, Vine city community members, and other social justice organizations including Ranbow PUSH Coaltion, and American Friends Service Committee, are committed to fight for HGEC's right to own the church they have called home for 108 years.This coalition has also been joined by Rebuild the Dream, an organization that started a national online petition that has gathered tens of thousands of signatures.

Occupy Atlanta has organized a rally to save the church this Tuesday, January 17th, at 9:30am at the Church(561 Spencer st, Atlanta).The rally is important because HGEC and Occupy Atlanta are set to meet with BB&T at 11am and the pressure needs to be on. American Friends Service Committee will be present, and we hope you will be too!

I must also say that Vine City is the most underserved community in the downtown area. While I canvassed the neighborhood I shot some footage. It's truly the shame of Atlanta, and a clear consequence of extreme wealth consolidation. Let the fight for HGEC be the beginning of the fight to improve deplorable conditions in Vine City.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

National Call In Campaign to Save the Pittman Home

2012-01-11T11:27:00.006-05:00

National Call-in on Chase Bank
In the past decade Americans have been subject to a new crime wave: banks robbing families of their homes.

Since the early 2000s banks have been targeting communities of color with predatory loans. In an attempt to feed the monster that we now know as the housing bubble banks began handing out loans that appeared, on face, extremely attractive. The catch: these loans turned ugly fast. By creating and pushing financial instruments like adjustable rate mortgages with teaser rates or pay options, loans with balloon payments, and interest only clauses, banks offered loans that were affordable at a glance, but impossible to pay a few years down the road. In essence, they stacked the deck against working Americans.

The Pittman family has lived in their home in the Old Fourth Ward since 1953. The late Eloise Pittman was a pillar in the community and a leader at her church. She was also a victim of one of the worst predatory loans that Occupy Atlanta has ever seen. When Eloise, a 62 year old retired school board employee, wanted to refinance her home in 2006 Chase gave her an adjustable rate loan totaling over $300,000 for a home that, according to the tax assessor, was worth half that much. Eloise was the victim of a repulsively predatory loan.

Eloise Pittman passed away in late November. Her family is now left with a mountain of debt, and is trying to save a home that’s been in their family for nearly 60 years. Chase has been unwilling to find a solution that keeps them in their home.
The mortgage is owned by Chase. Today, we appeal to you for help. Can you take the time to call, fax, and email the CEO of Chase Bank with a simple message; Make the Pittman family’s mortgage work. Rectify predatory loans.

Keep the Pittmans in their home!
Contact Chase Bank Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon:
Phone: 212-270-1111
Fax: 212-270-1121
Email: jamie.dimon@jpmchase.com

All this action takes is the commitment to send a few messages, the commitment of a few minutes of your time. That commitment could help keep the Pittmans in their home and send a message to the big banks that we will not let them make Americans pay the price for their irresponsible practices. We are the 99%, and we out number bank executives.

American Friends Service Committee stands with the Pittman family, we have the resources to ensure that everyone has the right to a home.

Military Spending Is Killing Us: Set the Record Straight.

2012-01-10T16:33:00.002-05:00

While the Obama administration’s new Defense Guidance document has been portrayed as moving to significant cuts in the Pentagon budget, the President himself tells a starkly different story. At last week’s rollout, he said:

“Over the past ten years, since 9/11, our defense budget grew at an extraordinary pace. Over the next ten years, the growth in the defense budget will slow, but the fact of the matter is this—it will still grow... In fact, the defense budget will still be larger than it was toward the end of the Bush Administration.”

What does that mean? We will continue to spend $2.1 million every minute of every day on the military – an unethical and unsustainable policy. Yet lawmakers are already clamoring to oppose the proposal, suggesting it would hobble US defense, cripple innovation, and cost jobs.

Please write your local paper to set the record straight: Slowing the growth of the military budget is not a cut in a budget that already has doubled since 9/11 and consequently has devastated spending on human needs.

Nearly every other area of federal spending - investing in jobs, health care, affordable housing, and education – has been cut, putting real security more at risk.

Investment in people and communities, increased reliance on diplomacy, and supporting sustainable human security by meeting human needs at home and abroad is what will ultimately make our world more safe and stable.

The Obama administration’s new strategy remains ominously more of the same.

It plans to focus more resources on naval and air power in the Strait of Hormuz to contain Iran and in Asia to manage China’s rise. It envisions the use of more drones and more covert operations with Special Forces. It calls for increased investment in cyber and space war capabilities. It affirms that the United States will continue to be the world’s leader in deadly arms sales and transfers.

After agreeing to increase spending on nuclear weapons by $85 billion, the Guidance document calls for unspecified reductions on this project. It seeks to pass troop burdens to allies, particularly those in Europe.

It envisions fewer wars like Iraq, and more wars like Afghanistan, where coordination between the Pentagon and the CIA is the model. For more on the insidious linkages between the two agencies, see our resources from our Afghanistan 101 blog and the audio from the Legacies of War in Iraq discussion.

Your voice is needed to change the course ahead. Write your local newspaper to remind everyone real security lies not in more military spending, but in more investment in our communities and the next generation.

Wage Peace,

Peter Lems and Mary Zerkel
American Friends Service Committee

Grandmothers For Peace Award Ceremony

2012-01-09T13:32:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday Grandmothers for Peace held an award ceremony for their first annual "Essay for Peace" contest. Youth aged 13-18 read their essays to a packed house.

Congressman John Lewis was the keynote speaker, and he gave a moving talk about his experience as a youth working for justice and peace in the south.

American Friends Service Committee was humbled to play host to such a special event. It was truly heartwarming to see the effort Grandmothers for Peace put into making the ceremony a life changing experience for all the young winners. We look forward to working with Grandmothers for Peace in the future.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Home For the Holidays With the Occupy Movement!

2011-12-25T18:49:00.006-05:00

Two people on opposite sides of the country are able to spend the holidays at home due to last-minute interventions by Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Gwinnett, and Occupy Los Angeles.

Kenneth Glover contacted Occupy Atlanta early in November. His home had been foreclosed on and apparently sold to another bank. However, even though the bank was unable to show ownership of the home, an eviction went through initially. Deborah Storm, of Occupy Gwinnett, says “I went with Kenneth to his eviction hearing and found that the judge in the case was very biased…He listened to everything that the plaintiff had to say, but very little of what Kenneth Glover had to say. ” Seven days later, Mr. Glover was able to file an appeal and a motion to review with help from Occupy Gwinnett. The appeal was accepted fifteen minutes before the court closed. Thursday evening when Mr. Glover got home, he received a letter saying that the putative owner of the house is not pursuing an eviction a this time. Occupy Gwinnett also helped him find a lawyer who feels that he has a good case going forward. Mr. Glover says, “I would like to thank Occupy Gwinnett for helping me and other Georgia citizens, for their support and keeping us in our home.”

Meanwhile, across the country in Palmville, CA, Gary Cohen was struggling with his own situation. Disabled from a stroke following his wife’s death, he had gone into what he described as a “downward turn.” On top of his personal grief, he had to deal with a complicated tangle: his mortgage, which was originally with Household Finance, had been sold and re-sold, and a balloon payment which had been removed suddenly reappeared. He had attempted to get a loan modification through HAMP with Indymac, the current owner of the mortgage. “They wanted me to send this paperwork, that paperwork…They finally said, essentially, ‘this is taking too long.’” His home was scheduled to be auctioned off on December 22. But on December 21, he saw a segment on CNN about Brigitte Walker, whose home Occupy Atlanta helped save. “I wasn’t able to find the legal aid website CNN posted when I went looking for it, so I thought, ‘what about Occupy Atlanta?’” He was able to reach Kelvin Williams who was working on Occupy Atlanta’s telephone system, and who just happened to be going through a foreclosure himself. “He called us at about 1:30 pm…” From Georgia, Kelvin walked Mr. Cohen through the paperwork required to file a skeletal bankruptcy which would put an automatic stay on the sale of the house. Meanwhile, Occupy Atlanta participants contacted Occupy Los Angeles. While Mr. Cohen filed paperwork at the courthouse. the next morning at 8:45 am, with fifteen minutes to spare before the sale at 9 am, several people from Occupy Los Angeles went to where the foreclosure sale was occurring in order to stop it. “Indymac didn’t want to take the paperwork, but the folks from Occupy Los Angeles convinced them.” The sale was postponed, which will allow Mr. Cohen enough time to file the paperwork he needs in order to keep his home. “It worked,” says Kelvin. “I’m still kinda in shock.”

It should be noted that while all of the foreclosure occupations are relatively small, an even smaller number of people were involved in each of these situations. The willingness of only a handful of people from Occupy Gwinnett, Occupy Atlanta, and Occupy Los Angeles to intervene resulted in two families gaining a reprieve and the opportunity to save their homes.

“It was kind of magical for me. My wife, who passed away a year and a half ago from cancer, was from Georgia, and we always wanted to visit but never got the chance. You could say our heart was there, and that’s where the help came from.”

*Pictured above in Kenneth Glover.

Sara Amis

Occupy Atlanta

Brigitte Walkers Story Goes National!

2011-12-21T14:32:00.003-05:00

Brigitte Walker's victory not only means that she will be able to stay in her home, it's a call to action for everyone facing eviction or foreclosure! We are encouraged that the rest of the nation is picking up on her story. Brigitte Walker's willingness to resist her foreclosure, along side Occupy Atlanta is truly inspiring!

Check out some of the coverage on Brigitte Walker and Occupy Atlanta's BIG win:

CNN

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/21/iraq-veterans-home-saved-from-foreclosure/

Creative Loafing

http://clatl.com/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-saves-a-home-from-the-auction-block/Content?oid=4427310

AutoStraddle - Occupy Atlanta Saves Lesbian Vet's Home, Accomplishes Tangible Change

http://www.autostraddle.com/occupy-atlanta-saves-lesbian-vets-home-accomplishes-tangible-change-125157/

Atlanta Creative Loafing - Occupy Atlanta Saves Home From Auction Block

http://clatl.com/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-saves-a-home-from-the-auction-block/Content?oid=4427310

CBS (Atlanta) - Occupy Atlanta Helps Keep Family in Their Home

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16362507/occupy-atlanta-helps-keep-a-family-in-their-home

PBS (Atlanta) - Occupy Atlanta Helps Homeowner Avoid Foreclosure

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1887506/Atlanta./Occupy.Atlanta.Helps.Homeowner.Avoid.Foreclosure

The GA Voice - Lesbian To Keep Home Thanks To Occupy Atlanta

http://www.thegavoice.com/index.php/news/atlanta-news/3921-lesbian-couple-keeps-house-thanks-to-occupy-atlanta

FireDogLake - Occupy Atlanta Saves Woman's Home From Foreclosure

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/12/20/occupy-atlanta-saves-womans-home-from-foreclosure/

Project Q Atlanta - Occupy Atlanta Helps Lesbian Veteran Keep Her Home

http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/occupy_atlanta_helps_lesbian_veteran_keep_home?gid=9871

Youtube - Chase Foreclosing on Veterans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GbnpTJoSWc

People's World - Memo Confirms Occupy Movement Has Banks on the Edge

http://peoplesworld.org/memo-confirms-occupy-movement-has-banks-on-edge/

Occupy Atlanta Helps Save the Home of Veteran

2011-12-20T14:34:00.006-05:00

In late November, Brigitte Walker, a decorated Iraq War veteran received another foreclosure notice. Brigitte had unsuccessfully tried to modify her loan with Chase Bank since she medically retired from the army as a result of combat related injuries in 2007. Her home was set to be sold on the Fulton County Courthouse steps on January 3rd, whether she was in it or not. Instead of making holiday plans or putting up a Christmas tree, Brigitte and her girlfriend Ajai were worried about losing their home. On a whim, Brigitte sent an email to Georgia state senator Vincent Fort, who set up a meeting with Occupy Atlanta. On December 6, after leaving the very same auction where Brigitte's home was to be sold the following month, we started occupying her home.
The sad reality is that countless families in Georgia have their homes auctioned off at county court houses every month. Many believe that homes auctioned on the court house steps are unoccupied. This is not true; Occupy Atlanta has seen multiple families begging auctioneers not to sell their homes. For many, this auction is the last nail in the coffin of their American dream, their home. Let's not get it twisted, the auctioning of occupied foreclosed homes in Georgia is nasty business.

In Georgia, the foreclosure process can begin after just one missed payment. The lender then sets a sale date for that home to be auctioned off, and publishes the sale notice in the county paper. They are only required to give the homeowner 30 days' notice, and there is no requirement that the homeowner receives the notice, only that it is sent. If the sale goes through, there is no right of redemption in Georgia, meaning there is no way for a homeowner to reclaim their home. Disrupting the auction of a home literally gives a family one more month of housing, and in some cases one more chance to save their home.
A six to nine month moratorium on evictions and foreclosures would allow time for bank inflated home values to be re-assessed to realistic payable levels. The banks' irresponsible practices played a huge role in our current crisis. In their time of need we bailed them out. Now it's their turn to do the right thing, to stop holding our economy hostage.
After two press conferences on her lawn, a national call in day, and direct action on Chase Bank, Occupy Atlanta did what Brigitte Walker couldn't do in years, get a loan modification. If it weren't for Occupy Atlanta and Brigitte Walker's willingness to resist foreclosure, she would have had her American Dream auctioned off on the Fulton county court house steps. Instead Brigitte Walker and her family can breathe easy knowing they can continue to live the American dream of home ownership.
It should be noted that while we were fighting to save Brigitte Walkers home, we also spent a great deal of time organizing the South Hills community where she lives. In her neighborhood we found over a dozen abandoned homes, and many other families facing economic hardships. The developer gave up on the community in the latter end of 2007 and never finished the community center that was supposed include a pool, basketball court, and a space for meetings. The impact of this broken promise is deep. Children have nothing to do after school or on weekends besides wander around and play in abandoned buildings. Because the Banks make slightly more money on insurance when they evict then they do on creating modifications that keep people in, communities like South Hills are being held hostage by the big banks.
Winning Brigitte's home is a win for the people. It should be a call for Georgians to fight for their homes, and fight for their neighbors' homes. Let's not forget, we outnumber the bank executives.
American Friends Service Committee is proud to stand with and support Occupy Atlanta's actions to defend families from evictions and foreclosures.

Co-Written by:
Shabnam Bashiri
Guest Writer
Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Occupy REALLY, REALLY, Free Market

2011-12-13T00:33:00.004-05:00

Occupy Atlanta launched it's first really, really free market on black Friday and has continued to organize one every weekend. What is a Really, Really free market? It's a space where the exchange of money or goods is prohibited. Everything is totally free. Bring what you would like, take what you would like, it's all free.

The really, really, free markets have not only been opportunities for folks to give and recieves items they may need, it's also been an opportunity to create dialogue about the problems with our current economic system. How can we meet each other our brithers and sisters in the spirit of community when our system is based on compitition? What is the real cost and real value of the items our society lifts up as treasures?

This Saturday at Troy Davis Park(formerly known as Woodruff Park) at 1pm there will be a final pre- Christmas really, really, free market. So come bring stuff, take stuff, and meet some new friends!

Tim Franzen

American Friends Service Committee

AFSC Occupys Fort Benning

2011-12-12T23:42:00.006-05:00

This past November AFSC organized a workshop on how to demilitarize our communities at the yearly rally and vigil to close the School of The Americas. We also had an information booth at the gates of fort benning all weekend.

AFSC was also excited to participate in a statewide effort to bring Occupy movements in the state of Georgia togther. Occupation movements from Atlanta, Augusta, Athens,Gwinnett, and Columbus came together to share ideas, progress, and possibilities. Ideas on colaberative work possibilities included coordinating home Occupations to save families from foreclosure and evictions and black Friday events.

Tim Franzen

American Friends Service Committee

Gun Shots and Refuge From The Cold On The Capitol Steps

2011-11-21T16:06:00.008-05:00

It was Sunday November 13th when Someone involved with Occupy Atlanta got a tip from a local news reporter that Capitol police were planning on evicting a group of homeless people who had been occupying a ledge within eye shot of the Georgia Capitol and City Hall. From what we have gathered complaints from the Government employees had brought on the eviction threats.

They sleep there because of the safety that comes being nestled between multiple government buildings, they sleep there because air ducts below the ledge release warm exhaust produced from surrounding buildings, they sleep there because several near by churches provide direct services.

Frankly, the homeless should be evicted from the ledge and put into one of the 50,000 empty units in the city. Sadly it appears that Atlanta continues act like the city that's to busy to care, to careless to worry about where these folks would be evicted to, to concerned with the image of poverty, and not concerned about dealing with poverty and homelessness.

Occupy Atlanta held a press conference on Sunday November 12th calling on the city and the state not to evict folks on the ledge until they found adequate homes for them to occupy. Occupy Atlanta also decided to set up tents and stay with folks on the ledge until the threat of eviction died down.

I was one of many occupiers that volunteered to stay on the ledge, and I must say it was a surreal experience for me. From the ledge on Central Ave between Mitchell St and Martin Luther King blvd you can see the gold dome of the Georgia capitol and Atlanta's city hall.

During the day the surrounding blocks are where most of the city and state business is done. Atlanta has the greatest wealth inequity of any metropolitan area in the country, and no block in the city exemplifies this economic reality more than this block.

When the power brokers of the city and state go home the shelterless come back to the ledge each night. I spent three nights on the ledge, talking with folks, hearing their stories, taking in what it means to live on the ledge. I found most of the people staying on the ledge to be extremely articulate and friendly. Many offered to help us set up tents each night and break down camp. I talked with a half dozen folks that were homeless as a result of losing a job over the summer and having no financial safety net. Many clean up at a local church and job hunt all day, which isn't the easiest thing to do these days.

While many chose the ledge to stay at because it's safer then Atlanta's underpasses, it's by no means a super safe area at night. On our first night several cars drove by our encampment and fired four shots from a hand gun into the air. While some of the folks that had been on the ledge for months were a little jumpy after the shots where fired, most barely flinched. For them, it's a pretty common experience, an experience most of us never get used to.

For now it seems that the eviction of the ledge had been put off, it was likely a combination of media attention and local churches that complained to the city and state once they caught wind of law enforcement's plan to evict.

Is this a victory for Occupy Atlanta? We know that law enforcement had a plan to evict, that plan didn't happen, which is good. The real victory will be the day that the 36,000 shelterless people in Atlanta have housing.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Capitol Police Threaten Eviction

2011-11-13T19:49:00.003-05:00

For years, homeless folks have been sleeping at Central Ave between MLK dr and Mitchell street across from city hall on a ledge that backs up into Georgia Plaza Park. Over the past month the number of homeless occupying the space has dramatically increased. The reasons are numerous. They include the looming closing of Peachtree and Pine; stricter admission criteria at Gateway; and of course the rise in the homeless population due to double digit unemployment and high home foreclosure rate.
Why this spot? The ledge adjacent to the park is constantly warmed by exhaust rising from city ducts. A woman who has lived there for months stated, “The reason we are on this wall is because it’s much safer then under a bridge”. We are also aware that several local churches provide direct services at this location. Occupy Atlanta found the homeless community to be extremely articulate and hungry to improve their lives.

We became extremely concerned when we learned that the capitol police have informed the homeless that they will be forcibly removed Sunday or Monday evening. What’s even more concerning is that folks will not be provided an alternative space to sleep. We know that Judges whose offices overlook the wall have been complaining about the image of homeless sleeping outside the Government building. Some have even gone so far as to claim the presence of the homeless on this wall represents an unsafe condition for government employees and for jurors.

This forcible removal of homeless is a continuation of Atlanta’s inhuman strategy to deal with human beings that have fallen on hard times. Instead forcing the homeless into the darkest corners of Atlanta we should be addressing the human needs of these people. We should be addressing the growing cancer of poverty in our city.

We challenge the city to explore ways to address the homeless as human beings instead of public relations issues. Atlanta can do better.

Capitol Police are planning to evict the people who have been sleeping on the ledge that backs up to Georgia Plaza Park at Central Ave. between MLK and Mitchell St. They have come there for years seeking the warmth that rises up from the vents, but now they are under threat of being forcibly removed with no alternative provision. Occupy Atlanta anticipates that this removal will happen between 5:30 and 6:30 am. We will be occupying that space with them in solidarity and so that we will be present if the eviction occurs.

SAVE THE ROREY HOME!!!

2011-11-13T00:24:00.003-05:00

Last week, Occupy Atlanta went to Snellville Georgia to occupy the home of Chris and Tawanna Rorey and their three children, to attempt to stop them from being evicted. The Rorey family had fallen victim to the illegal and deceitful banking practices that have affected many homeowners in metro Atlanta and around the country.

This is not a family that doesn’t have the means to pay their mortgage. This is a family who was taken advantage of by a banking system that through securitization, mortgage swaps, and outright fraud is designed to benefit the mortgage holder and not the homeowner. When we got there we knew it would be a tough fight. Our entire system is built to favor the perpetrators of dishonest banking practices and institutionalized fraud rather than to protect the victims.

What we didn’t realize is how deeply the system has influenced the local political scene. From a judge who doesn’t believe that it’s necessary for the bank to prove ownership of the mortgage, to a sheriff whose solution to a family’s plight is to threaten arrest of a fellow law enforcement officer and his wife for seeking our help, the facts and justice of the situation don’t seem to matter to anyone in power. We left the family’s home in order to protect them but this fight is not over. We can still win this. Here’s what you can do to help.

-Show up at the Fannie Mae Regional Offices on Monday, Nov 14 at 2 pm 950 East Paces Ferry Rd. (Next to the Lenox Marta station) http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=276584775714008#!/event.php?eid=276584775714008
-Sign this petition and pass it along http://www.change.org/petitions/join-occupy-atlanta-and-stop-the-eviction-of-the-rorey-family

-Call and write Fannie Mae 3900 Wisconsin Ave. NW , Washington D.C., 20016-2892 Atlanta Office- 950 East Paces Ferry Rd. Ste 1800, Atlanta, Ga 30326 (404) 398-6000

- Encourage the Independent Foreclosure Review Board to review the Rorey’s case 1-888-952-9105 www.independentforeclosurereview.com

- Call the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (202) 514-2000 www.stopfraud.gov

- Call and write State Rep Pamela Dickerson (404) 656-0314 pam.dickerson@house.ga.gov 611 Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, Ga 30334

-Call and write State Senator Gloria Butler (404) 656-0075 gloria.butler@senate.ga.gov 420-C Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, Ga 30334

-Call and write Congressman Rob Woodall (202) 225-4272 1725 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C., 20515

-Call and write Senator Saxby Chambliss (202) 224-3521 416 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington D.C., 20510

-Call and write Senator John Isakson (202) 224-3643 120 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington D.C., 20510

Honoring Veterans, Foreclosing on War

2011-11-11T21:59:00.007-05:00

Armistice day marks the day that the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Armistice day is a day meant to celebrate peace and reconciliation.

Over the years Armistice day has come to be called veterans day, and the focus has shifted from celebrating peace and reconciliation to honoring those who served in the armed services. It should be noted that Armistice day was never intended to be a day to celebrate war and nationalism.

Today I was proud that American Friends Service Committee has embraced the Occupation movement in Atlanta and around that world, I think they got the spirit of the day right.

Occupy Atlanta hosted a lunch for veterans in the park and it was quite a spread. Over fifty veterans attended, many of whom have been discarded by the same nation that beats the drum of war and shouts, "Support The Troops", when it's time to fight. May veterans don't find that "Support" when they return home. The fact is veterans make about 15% less annually then their non-veteran counter parts, one third of homeless people are veterans, only 12% of veterans find that their military service helps them get a job, 33% of female veterans report sexual assault while on duty, only 20% of veteran ever receive a four year degree, and 18 veterans commit suicide every week.

Before another war profiteer supporting politician or pundit beats the drum of war using the, "Support the Troops" jargon they should be forced to deal with the harsh realities most veterans of war live with everyday.

After Occupy Atlanta served lunch there was a veterans speak out. Several veterans, including Vietnam combat medic John Zientowski and Iraq Veteran Hector Barraza both made the case for a full scale foreclosure on America's wars to heavy applause from the crowd.

After the speak out Occupy Atlanta marched to Bank of America and held a foreclosure proceeding. The bank was foreclosed upon for a number a reasons including the misuse of billions of TAFT dollars from the American people, foreclosing on countless veterans, hidden bank fees for service men and women currently serving overseas, and being morally and ethically bankrupt. During the foreclosure proceedings, "foreclosed" signs were put up and the doors were locked. I'm told that the building will go up for sale this Monday on Craigslist.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

American Friends Service Committee to Occupy Fort Benning

2011-11-10T16:41:00.004-05:00

SHUT DOWN THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAS
American Friends Service Committee to Occupy Fort Benning

On November 18-20, 2011 the American Friends Service Committee will join thousands of social justice activists and organizations from across the Americas in occupying the main gates of Fort Benning, Georgia to call for an end to U.S. militarization and for the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly the School of Americas.

The three-day convergence will include a massive rally, where thousands will occupy the main gates of the Fort Benning military base in order to transform it from a place that trains assassins to a place of initiation into political awareness. On Sunday, November 20, the chain-linked barbed wire fence will be transformed with images of the martyrs, crosses, stars and flowers into a memorial for the victims of SOA violence and U.S. intervention. Human rights activists will carry their protest onto the grounds of the military base, risking arrest and up to six months in federal prison. The mobilization will include speakers from the NAACP, the Sisters of Mercy, the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance (GUYA), torture survivors and human rights activists from Latin America as well as plenaries, workshops, concerts, strategy sessions and more.

“The SOA provides the military muscle to protect the greed of the 1% at the expense of the 99% throughout the Americas.” said Father Roy Bourgeois, the founder of SOA Watch. “The surge of social justice activism in the U.S. is fueling the call for the closure of this notorious institution.”

The SOA/WHINSEC is a U.S. taxpayer-funded military training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. The school made headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. Despite this shocking admission and hundreds of documented human rights abuses connected to soldiers trained at the school, no independent investigation into the training facility has ever taken place. SOA violence continues in Mexico, where 1/3 of the original members of the Zetas drug cartel were trained at the SOA, and where the U.S. is promoting military solutions to the drug problem. SOA violence continues in Colombia, which has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to train at the SOA, and where SOA graduates are involved with extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations. SOA violence continues in Honduras, where SOA graduates overthrew the democratically elected government in 2009. SOA violence continues in Guatemala, where SOA graduate Otto Pérez Molina just won the presidential elections, and throughout the Americas. In October 2011, Time Magazine published the article “Is It Time to Shutter the Americas' 'Coup Academy'?:” http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097124,00.html#ixzz1b9Rvmcbu

In August 2011, 69 Members of the House of Representatives delivered a letter to President Obama, calling on the President to shut down the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly the School of Americas (SOA) by executive order. The 69 Representatives include Representative John Lewis from Georgia, Representative Ron Paul from Texas and Representative James McGovern from Massachusetts. To read the letter, visit http://soaw.org/docs/ObamaLetter.pdf

On November 4, Representative McGovern introduced H.R. 3368, the Latin America Military Training Review Act, in the House of Representatives. The bill calls for the suspension of the SOA/ WHINSEC and an investigation into the connection between U.S. military training and human rights abuses in Latin America.

SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works for the closing the School of the Americas and a change in U.S. foreign policy - www.SOAW.org

Occupy Atlanta Fights to Save Policeman's Home

2011-11-09T18:06:00.004-05:00

SNELLVILLE, GA - Occupy Atlanta goes out into the suburbs where the impact of foreclosures and deceitful bank practices are being felt just as they are throughout the Atlanta metro area and the entire state. Georgia has the fourth highest foreclosure rate in the nation while Atlanta lost more jobs last year than any other city in the United States.

Tawanna Rorey is a full-time homemaker, while her husband works in law enforcement; they have three children. The house on Shoreside Circle was their first home purchase, in 2003. When SunAmerica, their original mortgage company went out of business, their mortgage become securitized and was eventually purchased by Fannie Mae and serviced by EverHome. The Roreys had never missed a payment on their mortgage, but sought loan modification because of rising expenses and also because they were trying to send their oldest daughter to college. They were told by EverHome they would have to show financial hardship and should do so by missing a payment; this practice is increasingly common and puts homeowners at risk unnecessarily. EverHome began foreclosure proceedings immediately while also moving forward with the loan modification, a practice called “double processing.” At this point the Roreys approached by a con artist named John Harris; he pretended to be an advocate for borrowers who would help them with the loan modification process. His real motive was to gain access to homes which were being foreclosed on so that he could pretend to be the landlord and rent them once they were empty; he was arrested in Cobb County October 17. Before the foreclosure they engaged a lawyer who did not file properly; the suit was dismissed for that reason. At that point they engaged a new lawyer who is addressing the situation as it now stands.

Occupy Atlanta currently has a group occupying the home, with the family’s blessing. So far the Gwinnett County Sherriff’s Department has not served the eviction notice; the delay has allowed attempts to stop the foreclosure to go forward. Additionally, Occupy Atlanta has helped an Occupy Gwinnett group to form in order to address issues important to people in Gwinnett County.

The Rorey family’s story is just one example of a situation unfolding in communities all over all over the United States. Inadequate regulation of lending practices, including inadequate protections for borrowers, creates a situation where even people in relatively good financial shape can wind up facing foreclosures and legal nightmares.

As Tawanna Rorey said, “I never thought I would be in this position.”

Guest Writer,

Sara Amis

Occupy Gwinnett – Please call Judge Karen E. Beyers to ask her to overturn her decision against this family: 770-822-8605. In addition, please encourage Sherriff Butch Conway to continue to show forbearance while we try to find remedies for this family: 770-619-6500.

Kingian Nonviolence Training For Occupy Atlanta

2011-11-06T03:09:00.002-05:00

Today the Martin Luther King Jr Center for Nonviolent Social Change facilitated a Kingian Nonviolence for Occupy Atlanta at Task Force for the Homeless. The workshop was especially relevant as Occupy Atlanta planned to reoccupy Troy Davis Park just six hours after the training.

Bloods and Crips Find Common Cause in Occupy Atlanta

2011-11-03T23:48:00.005-04:00

Sherrod Britton, 29, was initiated into the Bloods when he was 18 years old. He joined because he felt lost and wanted to be a part of something.

Sherrod was walking down peachtree street past Troy Davis three weeks ago and saw all the tents. "I wanted to know what was going on, so I stopped by,I haven't left since", said Sherrod.

Sherrod expressed feeling a deep connection to the message and process of Occupy Atlanta." I stayed for the common cause, speaking for the people. I feel strongly that we have the right to jobs, health care, and affordable higher education."

Around the same day Sherrod showed up Shabaka Addae Guillory, 20, saw a story on the news about Occupy Atlanta and had to see it for himself. Shabaka stated, "I knew this kind of movement was coming I just didn't know it would come so soon."

Shabaka and Sherrod both found a common cause in Occupy Atlanta, but they also share another commonality in their narrative.

Shabaka was recruited into the crips when he was 14 years old. "My parents were divorced, grandfather passed away, a lot of problems at school, and there was a lot of confusion at the time."

On Shabaka's first day at Occupy Atlanta he approached a group of folks doing an impromptu free style session and saw Sherrod. "I saw him in the park, saw his colors. There was no mean mug or rivalry because we realized that what's happening hear is so much bigger then gang rivalry", stated Shabaka.

Shabaka Added, "Now we're the best of friends."

"I let him sleep in my tent cause he didn't have one. We are connected through music, faith, and Occupy Atlanta", stated Sherrod.

Sherrod and Shabaka are now both very committed full time occupiers. Occupy Atlanta may have started as an act of civil disobedience designed to shine a light on the extreme wealth disparity in our city, country, and around the world. It's important to acknowledge that one of the beautiful byproducts of this new movement is the transformative experiences that arisen as a result of so many different people form different walks of life occupying a space together for a common cause.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Occupy Atlanta Facilitates Organizing Workshop

2011-11-03T16:01:00.003-04:00

This week a number of workshops have been facilitated at one of Occupy Atlanta's Sites, Task Force for the Homeless. One of those workshops, Organizing 101, is designed to help folks understand the language and models for movement building.

One exciting aspect of the occupation movement is the large numbers of folks that are becoming politically engaged for the first time in their lives. The Organizing 101 workshop is design to help match commitment and passion with skills. Organizing 101 is one of many workshops AFSC offers the communities at no cost.

Occupy The King Center

2011-10-31T00:36:00.007-04:00

I've been so busy that I've found it almost impossible to make time to update the blog. I originally had hoped to blog daily but my engagement with the Occupy Atlanta movement has ended taking way more time then I had anticipated. It's been a beautiful frustrating struggle worth every moment.

I've decide just to write entries whenever I have the chance and to focus on smaller stories that aren't getting enough love in the press. I promise to have more updates from here on out!

Last Tuesday Mayor Reed decided to evict everyone from Troy Davis park with overwhelming force. There was mounted cops, SWAT team, helicopters, barricades, giant spotlights, and an overwhelming number of police.

52 of us were arrested inducing myself. After spending a day in jail we began talking about where and how we would reoccupy a space.

It was my sense that we needed a morale buster. Something bold and in the spirit of civil disobedience, yet something that wouldn't end up in certain arrests since Occupy Atlanta had been relegated to public enemy #1 by Mayor Reed.

So we decided to take refuge in the shadow of an Atlanta giant, Martin Luther King Jr. We knew it was federal property but we couldn't imagine the city dragging us away in from of the Martin Luther King Jr Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

Within five minutes of our arrival we had a police helicopter and about fifty police officers. Though our crowd was scared most decided to stay. Senator Nan Orrock and City Counsel person Kwanza Hall showed up to try to talk the police out of arresting. After an hour or so police finally gave up and went home.

We spent the rest of our night fellowshiping around the Gandhi statue, in total awe of the surreal experience of camping outside the King center.

When morning broke we decided to stick around and experience the King center. Kwanza Hall was nice enough to bring us some breakfast and talk to use about his fathers legacy in the civil rights movement.

Channel 11 coverage

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Occupy Atlanta Is On The Move

2011-10-14T14:48:00.004-04:00

I had originally planned on doing a daily blog post focusing on Occupy Atlanta but I've ended up taking on so many tasks related to the movement that I've had little time to do so. I plan to make time this evening to write out some thoughts and updates, I can say that we live in extraordinary times with unseen possibilities. Below I'm putting out a list of daily activities that I'd encourage folks to come out to between now and Monday, along with a powerful video that was shot yesterday.

Occupy Atlanta Events

www.occupyatlanta.org

Friday, October 14^th

· March for Task Force for the Homeless

Time/Place: 5pm @ Troy Davis Park (starting point)

Hundreds more homeless people are created by foreclosures and joblessness every single month! Even with this, the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless is being threatened of closure. We Cannot Allow This!!

· General Assembly

Time/ Place: 7pm @ Troy Davis Park (Woodruff Park)

Saturday, October 15^{th /}World Revolutionary Day

· “Jobs Not Cuts” March to the Capital Building

Time/Place: 11am @ Troy Davis Park (starting point)

Georgia has the 3rd highest Poverty Rate among states and the 4^th highest in Foreclosures in the country. WE NEED JOBS NOW!!!

· Group Teaching and Idea Exchange

Time/Place: 2pm @ Troy Davis Park

Come and learn skills from others while sharing your knowledge. Let’s Build Together!!!

· General Assembly

Time: 7pm @ Troy Davis Park

· Film Screening of The Corporation

Time/Place: 9pm @ Troy Davis Park on the green

“THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Part film and part movement, The Corporation is transforming audiences and dazzling critics with its insightful and compelling analysis.” and also includes interviews with 40 corporate insiders and critics.

Sunday, October 16^th

· Meditation on Peace and Justice

Time/Place: 12pm @ the Auburn side of Troy Davis Park

· Non Violence Training

Time/Place: 1pm @ Troy Davis Park

· Solemn March to the Tomb of Martin Luther King

Time/Place: 5pm @ Troy Davis Park (starting point)

This Candle Light Vigil will be dedicated to a discussion on the impact of Dr. King’s racial massage. We Must Keep This Discussion Alive!!

· General assembly

Time/Place: 9pm @ Troy Davis Park

Monday, October 17^th

· Occupy Atlanta occupies Mitchell Street

Time/Place: 1pm @ Troy Davis Park (starting point)

Learn the stories of people struggling on one block of Mitchell Street. These are stories of the homeless, jobless and business owners on the verge of losing everything. Hear The Stories of the 99%!

· General assembly

Time: 7pm @ Troy Davis Park

We need critical mass at 11pm, when the park closes. Those who are present will not have to participate in non-violent civil disobedience if they choose not to. We need not only folks who are prepared to put their bodies on the line, we need those that are willing to witness and keep the occupation alive.

What is Occupy Atlanta? Interviews 10-13-2011 from Ryan Winsor on Vimeo.

Why I Occupy

2011-10-12T09:52:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning and saw the sky swell with dark grey clouds over our new home in the renamed Troy Davis Park.

Stumbling from our tents, a group of us got together in the center of the park, came up with a plan, and built a canopy where our community could hold our meetings and provide cover from the gathering storm. It's that simple. There's a problem, there's a solution. Let's come together, discuss, and make it happen. Otherwise our community could have quickly been destroyed. We face the same threat of destruction in our country, right now as we speak.

The greed of the few put a choke hold on true democracy a long time ago, and has left the majority of us out in the cold, soaking wet. But in this group of people, crammed together in the center of Atlanta's downtown business district, I've found some of the most beautiful, passionate, intelligent people I've ever met. We have united under the banner of Occupy Atlanta and have made it clear that we will not be moved. Even as we faced an army of police officers and the threat of incarceration, we stood our ground. Even as we received word of the attacks that were happening in Boston by the police there, and faced the realization that it could be us, we stood our ground. They are us, and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.

To quote the late Sam Cooke "it's been a long time coming, but a change gonna come." That change is here and now. Its not a question of when anymore. Its happening. Does the city of Atlanta really want to be a part of the problem, or take a step forward and set an example as a city that listens and addresses the needs of it's community. Can we all reflect on the civil rights movement of the 60's and say to ourselves, not again will we stand by while people are being oppressed, demoralized, taken advantage and yes brutalized and even murdered. Can we stand up and say enough is enough. People ask me what is this movement about, what do you stand for. All I can say is come down and see for yourself. It's not something that can be summed up in a neat little sound bite for the six o'clock news. You have to experience it and get involved and then you will understand. The door is open, hell it's a public park. It's your park, come and claim it with us.

Elijah Abbott Jones
Occupier, Guest Writer

Occupy Atlanta Day 3

2011-10-09T23:35:00.004-04:00

It's some kind of miracle that today has been by far the most energizing for me considering that I have had almost no sleep in the last few days. I attribute the surge of spirit and energy to a visit from the Be The Change Crew. Be The Change Crew, a group of high school aged youth organizers, had a regularly scheduled meeting at the AFSC to finalize plans for our annual "Love Bombs" event.

It ended up being a perfect opportunity to bring the whole crew down to Troy Davis Park(formerly Woodruff Park) to have a sharing session with Occupy Atlanta. The Be The Change Crew was exhilarated by the experience, especially the peoples mike, so much so that they decided to organize a youth gathering at Troy Davis Park this Sunday(10-16) from 2-6pm. During that time frame they plan to hold a youth caucus meeting and perform spoken word as well!

I also have to say that the theme of the day for my has been efficiency. Today the Occupy Atlanta movement finally feels like it's developing real systems of direct service, communication, and trust with each other. The process really feels like it's working, and people are feeling at home with each other.

For those who haven't come downtown, it's time. If you can't camp then come visit. There are needs for supplies if you have resources. We need blankets, tents, food, water, sun screen, ponchos, umbrellas, reams of paper, computers, and an 8x10 platform that could be used as a small stage. Please contact me if you're interested is contributing anything.

Our office at 60 Walton Street continues to be used as Occupy Atlanta headquarters, which is both taxing and exciting at the same time. AFSC hopes to continue to support this important movement in anyway it has capacity to facilitate.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee
404-414-5521

Occupy Atlanta: Day 2

2011-10-09T04:36:00.004-04:00

It was clear by 2pm that the occupation was growing, slowing sprouting new tents every hour. While it's clear that this new community, which has sprung up in the last 24 hours, has a lot of work ahead, there is an electric feeling in the air. Throughout the day supporters came by with food, blankets, and good will.

At the General Assembly the Occupy Atlanta decided to change the name of Woodruff Park to Troy Davis park and erected a large, "Troy Davis Park" sign. To mark Troy Davis birthday we held a candle light vigil at midnight to the back drop of countless honks from supportive passers by.

None of us are sure where this movement is going, we know that greater struggle awaits, but the occupation movement is highlighting the often used phrase,"Another World Is Possible", in a very real way.

I've decided to include some of the sign pictures that I really like in this post. Feel free to share, and come to Troy Davis Park!!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Occupation Begins!

2011-10-08T01:18:00.003-04:00

Tonight Occupy Atlanta held it's 5th and by far largest general assembly in Woodruff park. I estimate that around 700 people attended, many attendees had never been to a public demonstration and had no idea what to expect. Many where surprised to find themselves in the middle of the largest planning meeting they had ever been too. Not only was this planning meeting big, so was the meeting process.

The Occupy Wall street movement is, in part, a direct response to the problems that come when an extremely small segment of the population control most of the wealth and, as a result, have a much louder political voice them others. Many occupiers have lost faith in the political system as it stands today.

So it is by no accident that the decision making process the Occupy Atlanta group uses is participatory. Many in tonight's crowd had never seen a consensus model in practice. The process has a tendency to be beautifully inspiring and painfully frustrating at the same time. The process is a struggle. Perhaps real change from the ground up can't come any other way but through real struggle. It's been interesting to see the ways in which people very new to activism respond to this process.

After hours of meeting the decision was made to illegally occupy Woodruff Park. As of now, 1:32am, the police have made no arrests, although there have been several showings of polices force. There are several hundred people camped out in the park, with many others set to join tomorrow. I look forward to publishing the demands of Occupy Atlanta as soon as they are officially accepted, they are beautiful.

The AFSC Atlanta has been happy to open our doors to the Occupy Atlanta group, and they have basically transformed our 2nd floor into their headquarters. It's a safe space where folks can use the restroom, get some food, check in with the media center, and get first aid.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Atlanta Responds To 10 Years Of War And Occupation In Afghanistan

2011-10-08T00:51:00.003-04:00

American Friends Service Committee was part of a coalition of groups the organized a week of resistance and education around the war and occupation of Afghanistan, the longest war in US history.

To mark the actual 10 year anniversary an occupation of Woodruff park was organized along with a press conference featuring several local activist. Thousands of leaflets were passed out to passers by.

The event officially ended at 6pm but many stuck around to participate in Occupy Atlanta's 5th General Assembly.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

10 Years In Afghanistan

2011-10-06T21:24:00.006-04:00

While many Americans are just beginning to grasp the devastating human and economic effects of the longest war in US history, the Afghan people have grappled with both for three decades. A brighter future for both countries depends on a US choice: More war or investment in jobs and a sustainable government in Afghanistan.

The impact of the war there is almost unimaginable. A 2009 survey by the International Committee of the Red Cross found that 96 percent of Afghans have been affected by warfare; 35 percent indicated that a family member had been killed, 29 percent said they had been tortured, and 35 percent had been wounded. An astonishing 75 percent had been displaced from their homes.

For Afghans, the US invasion represents the continuation of a civil war that began with the Soviet intervention in 1979. Yet even as they deal with decades of emotional, physical, and psychological damage, Afghans have shown extraordinary resilience.

Despite displacement and exile, they have maintained their political, cultural, and social identity, and family livelihoods through extensive networks of remittances. Though they possess the capacity to build their own country, they will need assistance breaking the crippling dependency on spending related to the presence of international military and donor organizations. Consider: The World Bank finds that 97 percent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product stems from those sectors.

It comes at a cost. The US and the international community put conditions and demands on how their money is spent. They are pushing Afghan institutions in certain directions and must be held accountable. Instead of creating a militarized state with a standing army costing an estimated $6 to 8 billion we could invest in and support sustainable institutions. For example, fully funding the government’s ambitious five-year strategic plan for the ministry of education would be $2.5 billion.

Until the US, the most powerful economic and military force in Afghanistan, embraces these goals, as well as a genuine peace process that includes all parties to the conflict, nascent Afghan institutions will never have a chance.

It is time to start pulling the troops and weapons out. The $10 billion per month the US spends on the war in Afghanistan could make a very big difference in funding education, health care and other infrastructure needs both in Afghanistan and in our own country.

In Atlanta we will be working with the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition to occupy Woodruff park to mark 10 years of war and occupation in Afghanistan. We will be there from 8am-6pm. After 6pm there will be a general assembly of the occupy Atlanta movement, which sprung up out of the occupy Wall street movement. We hope you will join us.

Below we've included a short youth created video submission from an AFSC project. It's painfully relevant.

American Friends Service Committee, Atlanta Office

Be The Change Crew Rocks The Airwaves!

2011-10-05T20:36:00.004-04:00

This Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the longest war in US history, Afghanistan. The human cost isn't measurable and the economic cost is estimated at close to 500 billion dollars.

Our favorite radio station in Atlanta, WRFG 89.3FM, graciously devoted five hours of air time during their fall fundraising drive to the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition for programing that focuses on the war in Afghanistan.

The Be The Change Crew was asked to take the last hour of the show to focus on the effects of war on high school aged youth.

Dejah Ault and Jasmine Enadeghe hend it down for the Be The Change crew. Both focused on the realities of being raised with war. Jasmine prepared a really staggering economic breakdown of US federal budget priorities and what the resources that are taken out of our communities to pay for war could be paying for if there was no war.

Dejah spoke about the militarization of Atlanta youth, focusing on military recruitment in schools. When they opened the phones lines they were immediately jammed with traffic. I hope to get the recording of the program up in the next few days, and there's definitely talk of a regular Be The Change Crew radio show!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Challenging War Where It Starts

2011-10-03T19:19:00.003-04:00

Earlier this year we had several talented young film makers following us around documenting some of the work we do. They ended up not only putting together a really amazing snapshot a our work over the course of a few months, they also have stayed involved with our Student Career Alternatives program ever since.

I hope you will take the time to check out the film they made, there's a few real highlights that might inspire you to share it with your networks.

Here's their synopsis of the film:

Last Best Option
A short documentary produced by Georgia State University students Kristy Breneman, T.J. Hicks, Victoria Temple, and Kristan Woolford in collaboration with the American Friends Service Committee's Student Career Alternatives Program (SCAP) and GSU's Peripheral Visions lab under the direction of Professor Niklas Vollmer.

LAST BEST OPTION from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.

Field Trip to AFSC!

2011-09-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

Today our downtown office had a visit from high school students and faculty of one of our favorite Atlanta are schools, the Horizon's school!

They came to experience our Windows and Mirrors exhibit, which highlights the human impact of America's longest war in history, the war in Afghanistan.

Students took the time to walk the gallery and take in all the pieces. We later facilitated a discussion about the pieces that spoke to each student the most. I was really impressed by the focus and articulation that students put into describing their reactions to seeing the art. It was clear that, for the group, Windows and Mirrors accomplished what it set out to, it opened a window into the realities of the war experience in a time when war's realities are often hidden, it acted as a reflection to the roll we all play in systems of violence and oppression.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Palestinian UN Bid: US Should Press for Peace, Not Punishment

2011-09-20T15:32:00.002-04:00

Joint Statement of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), and the Quaker United Nations Office in New York (QUNO)

We are gravely concerned that the response of the Obama administration and Congress to the Palestinian quest for statehood recognition at the United Nations will further fuel violent conflict in the Middle East. Rather than punish Palestinians for pursuing an international forum for addressing their right to self-determination, the United States should welcome this non-violent approach and use its diplomatic influence and resources to leverage the political opening toward securing a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Obama administration’s plan to veto Palestine’s anticipated U.N. membership application regrettably signals the continuation of U.S. policy that obstructs Palestinian self-determination and undermines prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Many members of Congress are proposing the elimination of development and humanitarian assistance for Palestinians and the withholding of all funding to U.N. programs that recognize any upgrade to the status of the Palestinian mission. Threats to unjustly punish Palestinians and possibly even the entire U.N. system in response to decisions by U.N member states on Palestine will only undermine security for Israelis and Palestinians and amplify the voices of extremists on all sides of the conflict.

Palestinians’ Turn to the U.N. Reflects Failure of U.S.-led Negotiations

As a matter of international law and practice, the Palestinians, like any other aspiring peoples seeking statehood recognition, have the right to present their case to the international community. The legitimacy of this effort was referenced a year ago by President Obama himself when he stated forthrightly before the U.N. General Assembly the goal of securing “an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations, an independent, sovereign state of Palestine living in peace with Israel”.

Unfortunately, the U.S.-brokered process for resolving the conflict has failed to reach this goal, and in fact, led to further deterioration of the conflict over the past year. Negotiations collapsed only a month after President Obama’s speech at the U.N., and Israeli settlement expansion has continued at an alarming rate, claiming de facto territory that under international law and longstanding U.S. policy should belong to a future Palestinian state. With negotiations stalled and settlements expanding, the Palestinian leadership has chosen to take its case for statehood to
the United Nations.

Nonviolence Should Be Welcomed, Not Punished

Millions of peoples across the Middle East and North Africa are employing nonviolent means to bring about widespread, far-reaching reforms in support of more transparent, democratic selfgovernance. Nonviolent approaches to Palestinian self-determination at the U.N. and in both the
Palestinian territories and Israel should similarly be encouraged.

In this context, we urge the U.S. to use its voice and vote at the U.N. to welcome the Palestinian initiative for its nonviolent approach to self-determination and conflict resolution.

While Palestinian civil society leaders and the Palestinian Authority have committed to a path of nonviolence in September, the specter of violence in the aftermath of decisions at the U.N. looms large. We are opposed to the use of violence by all parties, and are deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli military has permitted the use of violence to confront unarmed, Palestinian demonstrators at protests expected to coincide with U.N. deliberations on Palestine.

Next Steps for the U.S.: Seize Opportunity to Take Bold Steps for Peace

The Obama administration and Congress should craft any U.S. policy response in ways which uphold the U.S. commitments to international law, self-determination, and the continued search for justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Recommendations for the Obama administration:

Use U.S. voice and vote at the U.N. to welcome the use of nonviolent approaches rooted in international law to resolve conflict. A lone U.S. veto in the Security Council would be a sharp rebuke to Palestinian nonviolence and would undermine the rising forces of democracy and nonviolence throughout the Middle East.
Call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint in the aftermath of the deliberations at the U.N. on Palestine.
Invest in high-level diplomatic energy to press for comprehensive negotiations in good faith between Israel and a unified Palestinian government, encouraging rather than impeding Palestinian reconciliation efforts.

Recommendations for Congress:

Reject H.R. 2829, The United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2011 introduced by Representative Ros-Lehtinen, which unjustly punishes not only Palestinians, but the entire U.N. system and all those around the world who benefit from its life-saving programs.
Reject cuts to U.S. development and humanitarian aid for Palestinians, which would only increase the potential for further violence in the region.

Toward a Just and Lasting Peace

We urge the Obama administration and Congress to avoid retaliatory measures against the Palestinians that would increase political despondency at this critical juncture, and instead demonstrate U.S. leadership to press for a comprehensive negotiated settlement that offers a path toward lasting peace and security for all.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) has worked for more than a century to promote a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. FCNL and AFSC are national Quaker organizations that are committed to pressing the United States to play a more constructive role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. QUNO represents the global community of Quakers at the United Nations in New York. Our work is rooted in historic Quaker testimonies on peace and equality and longstanding Quaker witness in the region.

Windows and Mirrors Gets a Visit From Fourth Graders!

2011-09-20T14:57:00.008-04:00

On the eve of the Atlanta leg of the national Windows and Mirrors national art exhibit we had the pleasure of hosting a fourth grade class from the Atlanta Friends School. As some may know the Atlanta Friends School hosted three of the Windows and Mirrors art panels, which was enough to make students curious to see the rest of them at our downtown office.

In the two hours the students spent viewing the exhibit they had an assignments, which they were all eager to complete. They were asked to pick the five panels that spoke the most to them and explain why.

We also did a group activity with the group designed to spark dialogue about our connection to the war in Afghanistan and the personal power wall all have to recognize, act against, ignore, or facilitate systems of violence and oppression in our communities and around the world.

Each art panel in the exhibit is a window into the realities of war in Afghanistan, a window into the horror and despair, and a window into the hope and resilience of the Afghan people.

Each panel is a mirror that reflects our responsibility for each bullet, each bomb, each death. It's a reflection of our obligation to change the direction in Afghanistan, to build schools instead of tanks, to recruit Afghan youth to grow food and build infrastructure, instead of recruiting low income American youth to police Afghanistan with the barrel of a gun. We have the power to look through these windows, to reflect, to change.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Arab Spring, From Atlanta to the Middle East.

2011-09-19T15:34:00.006-04:00

Over the past ten months the whole world has watched many in the Arab world revolt against the tight grip of social and economic injustices.

Images that have come to the rest of the world through social networking sights and mainstream media have been inspiring, iconic, and sometimes even horrifying.

While many have a strong sense of optimism it's clear that the dust has far from settled in the Middle East.

Over the course of the last ten months we've seen dozens of solidarity demonstrations right here in Atlanta. Arab American communities have organized solidarity actions for revolutionary activities in Egypt, Syria, and Libya.

It's been exciting to see these communities coming together and uniting their voices for the common cause of freedom for their brothers, sisters, parents, and children. Many in these communities don't consider themselves immigrants, but rather refugees who were left little choice in fleeing the country they once called home.

During the dozens of solidarity demonstrations in Atlanta one could really feel the excitement, and at times despair, from those who had loved ones in the Middle East. Many times as demonstrations were winding down, and folks were packing stuff up, a few organizers of the demonstrations would stick around and talk about how things went and whether or not another demonstration should be set up. One question was asked week after week, "Where do we go from here?", or, "can we do more than just set up solidarity demonstrations"?

It was out of this spirit that about a dozen or so leaders from several Arab American communities in Atlanta gathered at the American Friends Service Committee office several months ago to contemplate answering the question of, "where do we go from here".

I had the honor of being invited to that meeting, and the series of meetings that followed. Folks with ties to the Egyptian, Tunisian, Syrian, Libyan, and Palestinian community came to consensus on the need for a larger community event with a few simple goals which included:

1.Creating space where Arab American Communities that had not worked together in the past could come together and build community.

2. Discuss the current state of Arab Spring in the Middle East.

3. Have discussion about what role Arab Americans in Atlanta can play.

The event, entitled, “Arab Spring from Atlanta to the Middle East”, just went down this past Saturday and it was a big success. Over seventy people showed up. The event took place during AFSC's acclaimed, "Windows and Mirrors" exhibit, which lended a powerful back drop to the community event.

After a viewing of the short film, created by Sherif Morad, attendees heard reports from several special guests including Shahir Raslan, Amir Ahmed, and Abdullah Bourgeba, all who shared reports.

The last part of the day's program was a brief town hall style meeting where folks brainstormed answers to the question, "where do we go from here?". While there was a diversity of ideas, everyone agreed that there are many exciting opportunities to build a local Arab American voice in Atlanta, a much need voice of political advocacy. Everyone agreed that there are very local issues that a united Arab American community would be able to take on.

When folks that attended where asked to take on specific tasks to further the formation of an Arab American political advocacy group almost everyone in the room raised their hand for one task of another.

It was a day where the relevance of actions taken thousands of miles away was thick in the air.

Check out Sherif Morad's short film that he put together just for the event below:

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Cross Keys High School Gets SCAP'D

2011-08-23T15:05:00.004-04:00

Today marks a special occasion for AFSC's Student Career Alternatives Program(SCAP) for two different reasons. First, this was our first day of tabling this school year, second, this marks our fourth year working with students and faculty at Cross Keys High School! When I first started making monthly visits to the school today's current senors were freshmen. It's been really awesome to watch Cross Keys students grow up into adults while watching SCAP grow as a project as well.

Today was about reuniting with familiar smiling faces in the student body, as well as faculty. Each year we've been at Cross Keys we've escalated our presence on the campus, we're excited about what that's going to look like this year.

Today we decided to focus on promoting SCAP's new monthly events, which are youth planned and facilitated. This year every month SCAP will be hosting an event somewhere in Atlanta. We also promoted our migrant youth voice video workshop to students. The workshop is designed to give students a crash course in video production with hope that youth will record, edit, and share their own stories. Students get paid a $25. stipend to attend the five hour workshop.

We'll be back at Cross Keys next month and we can't wait!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

SCAP SAT Tutoring In Full Effect!

2011-08-22T19:01:00.005-04:00

Now that school's back in session students and parents have the SAT test back on their minds.

This year the SAT scores are more vital than they ever have been for students, especially those that don't have tons of money to cover college. Due to cuts in the HOPE scholarship students must now not only maintain a 3.7 GPA, they must score at least 1200 (combined verbal and math) on the SAT. SAT tutoring usually costs around $500. Youth through SCAP get it for free!

How do we provide this service? Well in a sense, you do it. Unpaid volunteers looking to step up for their communities provide this service, and we're always in need of folks that have a few hours to donate to this cause on Monday nights. Have you ever done tutoring for youth? Did you recently ace the SAT? Are you a teacher?

If you think you might be able to help us make this service continue to happen please contact Dell MacLean at delldot@gmail.com

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

If You Don't See The Change, Be The Change!

2011-08-22T16:32:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday youth who attended this year's, "Be The Change" youth convergence held a follow-up meeting to discuss the direction of their campaign create awareness around the lack of accessibility to the k-12 and public higher education system for Georgia youth.

I personally would have been excited if this Year's youth convergence inspired 8-10 young people to get active and stay involved.

We ended up having 23 youth(13-18 years old) come out to a campaign strategy session on a hot summer Saturday! They not only came, they brought fresh ideas, and new energy. The "Be the Change Crew", is already working on establishing multiple high school clubs, t-shirt designs, open mic nights, and concerts! Pretty ambitious for our first follow-up meeting.

After our meeting we had a pool party with pizza! Tons of fun!

If you're 13-19 years old interested in plugging into the "Be the Change Crew" contact Dell McLean at: bethechange@gapeace.org

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Living Walls 2011 Breaths New Life Into Atlanta

2011-08-15T17:03:00.009-04:00

The second annual Living Walls Conference popped off this weekend in Atlanta.
The conference was founded in 2009 by Monica Campana and Blacki Li Rudi Migliozzi with the intention of putting the work of a very small subset of the population (street artists, graffiti writers, etc), people who actually interact with space, and people who spend their time in discourse about public space all under the same roof. One hope is to simply broadcast to the attendees a wide spectrum of ideas about public space, hoping that everyone leaves the event looking at the city, its walls, and how we interact with space differently.

This year's conference brought street artists from all over the world to Atlanta. There were over 26 walls that Living Walls conferences artists transformed over the weekend and I must say, they are all pretty impressive.

The weekend brought more than amazing murals, it also created space for discourse on public space, the arts, and community organizing.

American Friends Service Committee was honored to be asked to sit in on a panel that addressed Conscious applications of street art to develop, criticize, and better communities. During a Q&A session someone asked, "How can street artists and community organizers build better relationships". One of my answers to that question was, "It's happening now, thanks to Living Walls organizers".

The weekend also brought several film screenings and a pretty amazing party at the Goat Farm that was free and open to the public. The party featured a gallery of art pieces by Living Walls artist, presentations by Living Walls artists, an out of this world performance by Atlanta's own Backpockets, and a ton of great vibes.

On Sunday there was a film screening of, "Megunica", a film about BLU by Lorenzo Fonda, followed by a 20 mile bike tour of all the official(I should note that I've seen a lot of amazing unofficial pieces)Living Walls murals around the city. I decided to go along for the ride and take a few pics with my less than amazing phone cam. Those are the pics I've included in this blogpost. Please visit the official Livings Walls website, or better yet, the map of all the murals to see them in all their glory.

We've all experienced the transformation power of art. Art has the power to open doors in our imaginations, doors of new possibility, doors to new unconsidered perspectives, and in some case art can even change the course of our life path. It must be should be said that art has also had a key role is every popular social justice movement. Art and activism have forever been intimately linked.

American Friends Service Committee applauds the Living Walls crew for what they bring to our city and we're excited to explore opportunities plug into organizing efforts for the conference next year.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

"Deport Hate" Mural Pops Up In Little 5!!

2011-08-10T18:17:00.007-04:00

Who's seen the, "We Are Human" posters around the Atl? There's been a crew of LA artist and activists traveling around the country trying to spread the love and deport the hate laced immigration legislation that has been introduced in dozens of states.

I was excited to be able to get up to speed with sixth son organizer Mario Rocha about their visit to Georgia while their crew was working on an amazing new mural in the heart of little 5 Points. The mural's done, ya'll need to go check it out. It's at the corner of Euclid and Colquitt where the Pink Elephants used to be.

Sadly the phone video I shot is half sideways, but take a look anyway:

There was a street poet that was hanging out during the mural painting, he offered to spit a quick freestyle about AFSC, here it is filmed in amazing sideways vision:

Check out local news footage on Mario's visit.

We hope to have Mario's crew back out in the next few months. They said they would be excited to through more murals and posters up if anyone wants to donate a wall or two.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Back To School Block Party!!

2011-08-10T17:10:00.004-04:00

This past weekend historic Ebenezer Baptist Church held their annual Back to School Block Party, and this year we were honored to be a part of it. Our Student Career Alternatives Program(SCAP) gave out buttons, Before You Enlist DVD's, and copies of "It's My Life" to high school and middle school aged students.

Our goal at the block party was to promote exciting under promoted non-military post high school career options, plug youth into our free services(SAT classes and career counseling), and connect youth with all the fun events SCAP has planned for the fall.

The vibe was festive and fun with face painting, dancing, music, delicious food, and lots of free stuff from all the vendors.

Our booth was really popular, and we had a ton of folks stop by and ask for a quick explanation for what are table was all about. I found myself say, "We're here to promote really cool under promoted alternative careers, we believe that young folks shouldn't have to participate in systems of violence and oppression in order get get cash for college".

The event was really uplifting and we're excited to explore new opportunities to work with Ebenezer Baptist Church!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Be The Change Day 3

2011-08-03T13:42:00.006-04:00

To be honest day three was the day I had been most nervous about. Our goal was to have youth self facilitate session focused on creating a campaign around an issue they want to change in their communities. These sessions have proven stressful in years past when most participants were college students, how would middle and high school students work together to create unifying projects?

They actually did quite well. I must admit that once they got to flowing out ideas they found themselves at conscientious with an ease experienced organizers often don't have most of the time, and their ideas were super fresh. One challenge the group had to overcome was picking an issue to focus on. This was especially difficult because we had just spent the weekend articulating the connections between all systems of oppression, repression, and violence.

After much discussion youth chose public education as the issue they want to focus on. The highlighted that a campaign around demanding a fair, just, and equitable public education system in Georgia will of course include conversations around military spending, undocumented immigrants access to education, education access for the disabled, and the school to prison pipeline.

I wasn't sure how down this group would be to really make next steps, but they were. The group unanimously decided to meet again in August to discuss next steps on a campaign!

I believe that one of the greatest challenges for organizers is to get out of the way. We often struggle to create space for new people to grab the mic, yet we find ourselves annoyed at the workload we're left with at the end of the day. Be The Change Youth Convergence is about not only building community, educating ourselves, and sharing tools, it's about passing the pic and lifting new leaders up. Sometimes we have to be okay with following new leaders, even when they don't walk just like us.

Be The Change Youth Convergence was a big success thanks to everyone that made it happen. All the volunteers, the facilitators, local businesses that contributed food, the Horizons school, and of course all the amazing youth who came out by choice to be the change our communities need right now. THANKS YA'LL!!!!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Be The Change 2011 Day 2

2011-08-02T16:06:00.009-04:00

Day two of Be The Change was all about rolling up sleeves and getting down with what movement building is all about, learning how to identify root causes of problems in our communities, and effective tools to create the change we want to see in Georgia.

The day started off with a workshop on movement building. It's a workshop that I've done the last few years, but this year the lovely and talented Dejah Ault did the bulk of facilitating. The workshop focused on solid models designed to start conversations and build relationship with communities you're working in.

After the workshop there was a social justice market place. Several amazing organizations set up tables with literature and spoke with youth about their work. Atlanta Indy Media, Georgia Students for Public Higher Education, Women's Feminist Health Center, Student Career Alternatives Program, and Art as an Agent for Change were all there.

After lunch the day brought a bunch of high impact presentations on not only what Dr. King referred to as the giant triplets of evil(militarism, racism, and poverty), but also on effective tools to create change in the community. We were blessed have a crew of super talented, dynamic facilitators from some of our closet ally organizations including Anton Flores from Alterna, Allie McCullen from Georgia Students for Public Higher Education, Dawn Gibson from Atlanta Indymedia, Charmaine Davis from Working Women 9-5, Jeremy Foreman from Hands On Southeast Georgia, and Pablo Paredes from the Bay Area American Friends Service Committee kept the energy high, and the information flowing. I was surprised at the amount of information participants were able to soak up. During youth report backs I remember thinking, "dang, these youth are ready to facilitate the workshops that they just got out of!"

Every social movement has used art to express ideas. Some so art is the essence of human expression. We've all had moments when art spoke to us in ways a speech could never do. Art as an Agent for Change worked with WonderRoot Community Art Center to put together a program Saturday night called, "The Art of Activism" and they invited youth to plug their talents into it. I gotta say it was by far the dopest thing I've every seen AAC put together. Not only was there a barrage of amazing spoken word, music performances, and youth putting their talents out in front of folks, there was also live painting going down during the show.Folks were just blown away by the work of artist Corey Barksdale.

We ended the night with a big bonfire with smores, and a lot of great conversation at the lovely landtrust.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Be The Change 2011 Day 1

2011-08-02T14:40:00.006-04:00

On April 4, 1967, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a groundbreaking speech in which he famously made the link between the war in Vietnam and the “giant triplets” of militarism, racism, and poverty. Unfortunately, his message resounds all too clearly today with regards to our involvement in Iraq and elsewhere, and the link between our country’s militarism abroad and poverty at home. In Georgia, our communities spiral further into poverty while the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq approach the decade mark . Young people see no option to pay for school other than joining the military, while others end up getting caught up in the prison system. Meanwhile, 35,000 four-year scholarships to colleges and universities could have been given for what we spend on just one day of the war. There is a new sense of hope in 2011, particularly among young people, yet that energy and excitement must be harnessed and focused for any of this hope to materialize.

The American Friends Service Committee and the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition are organized a three-day convergence for Georgia youth that created space for youth to imagine the Georgia that they want to live in, grasp organizing tools that lifted up past movements in the South, and build community with each other.

Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech will serve as the “grounding text” for the weekend. The speech was a great way to star conversations around the deep connections between systems of violence and oppression that control our bodies, minds and communities. How does recent anti-immigration legislation, like HB87, have anything to do with the war in Afghanistan? How does the foreclosure crisis, or the recent drastic cuts the public education have anything to do with the prison industrial complex? King's groundbreaking speech proved extremely relevant when exploring these questions.

This year's Youth Convergence was like no other. In years past we've held the youth convergence at Koinonia Farms in south Georgia, and it's been attended by mostly college aged youth that had some experience with activism. While we all REALLY love Koinonia, we wanted to do something different this year. There was a feeling that we needed to reach out to younger folks. So we decided to exclusively outreach to high school aged youth in Atlanta, we focused on schools we had relationships though out Student Career Alternatives Program(SCAP) and several Boys and Girls Clubs. We decided to hold the convergence at the Horizon's School in Atlanta, who we've had the pleasure of working with in the past.

Well this past Friday, day one of the convergence, we were all super excited to have a crowd of mostly high school aged youth, along with several middle school students, and a few college aged youth.

There was a little bit of tension in the first few hours of Friday's program, most of the folks had never met before and I won't lie, I thought it was going to be a challenge to get folks to come out their shell and take the risk to put themselves out there to each other....I was wrong.

The King Center facilitated an ice breaker and a presentation on Dr. Kings, "Beyond Vietnam" speech, and by the time dinner started folks were really mixing it up with each other. Nothing prepared me for what went down after dinner. Art as an Agent for Change has facilitated an hour long ice breaker at every Be The Change Youth convergence and this year was no different. They asked folks to develop a short skip, each group with a different topic, with topics being, militarism, racism, poverty, and hope. The skips were to be intertwined with each other with hope going last. At the end of the hope skit unplanned spontaneous singing just happen, and it was beautiful. Friday night was a highlight for me, I'll admit it brought tears to my eyes. Check out the video:

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

AFSC Youth Organizers Converge In The Bay Area

2011-08-01T16:46:00.005-04:00

AFSC Staff from Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle came together July 20-23 in the Bay area to explore ways to improve the impact of our work and create more ways to cross pollinate our local work. The common thread between staff who came out to the meeting was our youth focus.

The meeting was hosted by AFSC's Pablo Paredes who's doing some pretty dynamic youth work in the Bay. Pablo has brought together an amazing group of young folks who have founded, or birthed the 67 Suenos movement. 67 Suenos youth organizers played a huge role in developing the weekend agenda, preparing meals, and keeping everyone energized. BIG ups to 67 Suenos crew!

I'm super pumped about the projects that will be coming out of this gathering. Look for more news about our Migrant Youth Voice Project making bigger national waves, and we also are beginning initial plans to roll out a youth organized national tour call...LOVE BOMBS!

We also had the chance to show the locally produced short documentary, "Last Best Option" which focuses on SCAP work we've been doing in Atlanta this year. Check it out:

LAST BEST OPTION from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.

There was also talk of doing a 2013 national youth conference that would be youth organized, youth attended, and youth lead! So we're on the move ya'll!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

A Look at AFSC Work in LA

2011-08-01T13:39:00.004-04:00

On Monday July 18th I had the pleasure of getting a tour of just some of the work that Crystal Gonzales facilitates in the LA area. We started in South Central LA, and eventually made our way the AFSC's downtown office.

Crystal has worked with youth in South Central to develop, design, and build community gardens. Some may not know that South Central in the largest food desert in the country. There are fast food joints spread out and tons of corner stores with really poor quality food that lacks the nutrients humans need to thrive. The community gardens Crystal organizes around are perfect spaces to begin conversations about building stronger communities. If youth can take a piece of discarded dirt, a chunk of an abandoned lot, and turn it into a thriving, organic, nutritious food producing garden then I suppose they can facilitate other changes they want to see in their communities.

Crystal also brought me to AFSC's downtown office. I was excited to discover that they also do an art contest for youth, and they just happen to have all the pieces up. I did a quick run with my flip cam of all the pieces so if you really want to see each one, be prepared to press pause a lot.

Crystal also brought me to Homegirl Cafe, which is attached to Homeboy industries. I gotta say that touring Homeboy industries had a huge impact on me. The process by which criminalized youth have to go thru to emerge so difficult that most fall through the cracks. I've experienced this first hand, and lost a lot of friends that didn't get out so easy. Homeboy/Homegirl Industies really understands not only the need to rehabilitating the thinking process that keeps us stuck, but also understands that need for direct services. "Nothing stops a bullet like a job" is one of their sayings. Atlanta badly needs something like Homeboy Industries.

I should also mention that Crystal took me by this space called the Metabolic Lab, and I must say they're doing some pretty rad stuff there. If you're in LA, or just visiting, make sure you peep it.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

From Atlanta to LA

2011-07-31T19:39:00.003-04:00

On Saturday July 16th I had the pleasure of traveling to AFSC's LA office to participate in an entitled, "Migrant Youth Voices;From Atlanta to LA. Several short film's chronicling the stories of struggle from migrant youth in Atlanta and LA were shown. I was on hand to discuss the state of anti-immigration legislation HB87 and talk about how folks in Cali could support the struggle to defeat the racist anti-immigrant law.

Several Georgia Youth from AFSC's Migrant Youth Voice Project will be joined the discussion via Skype. During the skype session several undocumented youth in LA, along with their parents, made a point to have face time with folks in Georgia via skype. I wasn't the only one in the room with a lump in my throat and a few tears in my eyes. Truly a lovely evening.

Big thanks to Crystal Gonzales and Anthony Marsh for organizing the event.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

‘Nonviolence in Action’ Peaceful Opposition to Anti-Immigration Efforts

2011-07-31T01:11:00.005-04:00

The King Center's inaugural “Nonviolence in Action” event focused on the the hot topic of immigration reform.The event facilitated a dialogue with several organizations, including American Friends Service Committee, using nonviolence to further the cause of fair and equitable treatment of immigrants in Georgia.

Civil Rights veteran and former AFSC staff Constance Curry moderated a panel discussion with several courageous undocumented youth who had recently risked deportation in their efforts to demand fair and just pathways to citizenship. AFSC's own Josie Figueroa was also on the panel discussing our migrant youth voice project.

The theme of the evening seemed to be the obvious connections between the civil rights movement of the 60's, and the present day fight for immigrant rights. Constance Curry seemed to reiterate that point throughout the evening and spoke of intense feelings of nostalgia when she experienced young undocumented Georgians in the street chanting proudly, "undocumented, Unafraid". The fearlessness of their recent actions parallel the fearlessness of young freedom riders of the sixties.

AFSC was proud to play a role in planning the event and we look forward to future collaborations with the King Center.

Big ups to Dejah Ault for staffing the AFSC table so well!!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Be The Change Youth Convergence 2011

2011-07-23T16:41:00.011-04:00

Be The Change 2011 is this upcoming weekend! July 29-31 at the Horizons School.
Please join us in helping to empower the next generation of community youth activists and leaders!

How can you get involved?
If you're 13-24 years old, register here and take part in the awesome skill-building and action packed weekend!

Click the image below to view a schedule for the weekend.

Any age and want to volunteer or contribute in any way?
Check out our volunteer needs page and sign up! Then, join us this Wednesday @ 9pm for our final planning meeting!

A Day At The Boys & Girls Club!

2011-07-14T18:59:00.005-04:00

We're in the final push to outreach to Georgia youth for our 3rd annual,"Be The Change" youth convergence so it's an understatement to say we were excited to be invited to facilitate workshops at multiple Boy's & Girl's Clubs in Atlanta. It was a special experience for me as the Boys & Girls Club was a refuge for me when I was a youngster.

Several of us got together over the past week and developed a new, more interactive, "Be The Change" workshop designed explore Martin Luther Kings legacy, specifically the last year of his life, the beyond Vietnam speech, poor peoples campaign, and the events surrounding Dr. King's murder. The workshop effectively uses discussions sparked by the explorations of Dr.King's often untaught legacy to ask questions about the modern relevance of Dr. King's political analysis, and perhaps more importantly, how can we grasp the tools that enable us to pick up where King and other social justice leaders have left of, how can we create the change that we want in our communities?

In what ways do the giant triplets of evil(poverty, racism, and militarism), as King called them in his landmark, "Beyond Vietnam" speech, control our minds, bodies, and communities? How do these systems of violence and oppression interact and support each other?

Youth participants, many of whom where as young as thirteen years old, took time to break into groups and discuss they ways in which they see racism, poverty, and militarism effecting their lives and communities. Participants also spent time imagining the communities that they would like to life in, how would they be different, what would they change.

Lastly, after talking about local changes students would like to see in their communities, we gave a pitch for this years "Be The Change" Youth Convergence which is being held in Atlanta July 29-31.

We ended up registering fifteen more folks for the conference! We're super excited to be able to facilitate another workshop at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club next Tuesday!!

Here's one of the video clips that we showed to help youth understand other somewhat untaught aspects of Dr. Kings legacy:

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Immigrant Youth Come Together

2011-07-11T19:52:00.004-04:00

Migrant Youth Voice is an ongoing video project to raise the voices of immigrant youth and share their stories of struggle and strength. On Thursday evening, a group of students who have been involved in the past or wanted to begin to be involved came together to share their stories. This diverse group shared their stories with one another as well as expressed gratitude to be able to hear the stories of others and connect with young people who are facing a lot of the same challenges.

During this gathering we had a special artist come in to help Migrant Youth Voice participants begin to plan a mural. The group brainstormed ideas on what kind of message a mural around immigration should send. The youth had creative ideas of incorporating history as well as latino, asian, native american and african cultural symbols. They came up with some really great image ideas that the artist as well as some artistic students will put together. The students were really excited to be a part of the mural project and cant wait to get their friends involved. Some youth even made plans to record their stories for the project!

The group also left with original pieces of art that they all promised to display proudly!

For more information on Migrant Youth Voice or to participate in recording a story. Please email myvatlanta@gmail.com

Josie Figueroa

American Friends Service Committee

Ryan Harvey Plays Atlanta!

2011-07-11T19:25:00.007-04:00

Yesterday Ryan Harvey's, "Ordinary Heroes" tour rolled through Atlanta. AFSC Atlanta was super excited to support the show and have an information table set up. The show was at Wonderroot Community Art Center and drew a pretty solid crowd of young folks.

It wasn't my first Ryan Harvey show, so it was definitely no surprise to see how captivated the crowd was by Ryan's ability to tell a stories with strong, astute political analysis, while rocking a distinguished vocal flow. I've come to really enjoy watching folks react to Ryan's music for the first time.

Often art can cut through someone's apathy to help them not only understand an issue that seems complicated, but also believe that they can create the change they want to see in the world or their communities; Ryan's music seems to have that effect on folks, it often forces those in the audience to change up their lens a bit.

During his set Ryan went out of his way to encourage folks to attend this year's, "Be The Change" youth convergence , which is being held July 29-31 in Atlanta. We had information on other projects to we gave out to attendees and we also had homemade posters on hand for donation, with all the proceeds going to "Be The Change" scholarships. Ryan also mention a project that he co-founded called Civilian Soldier Alliance , an organization that supports resistance to war and occupation with in the ranks of the military.

We will be adding some video footage in the next two days, so come back and check it out!

...and here's that promised footage!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

THOUSANDS March To Resist HB87

2011-07-02T14:25:00.006-04:00

Today Thousands of Georgians filled the streets of Atlanta to unite their voices against HB87, the anti-immigration bill that went into effect yesterday.

I've done organizing work in Georgia for ten years. I've been a part of small actions and big ones in every pocket of the state. Today was by far the largest mobilization I've seen anywhere in Georgia, ever. There was over twenty blocks of people marching, some say over 20,000 people, despite the blazing heat. I could be wrong but I believe that today was the largest political mobilization in Georgia in the last few decades.

The number of folks, and the energy they brought(which was palpable), should send a clear message to Georgia politicians. Not only can Georgia's economy not afford HB87 or bills like it, Georgia's people will not tolerate legislated racism and xenophobia.

With references to Martin Luther King throughout the march, and many civil rights leaders on hand to lend their strong support to the movement, it's also clear that many view bills like HB87 as a sad step back towards the darker parts of Georgia's history.

While parts of HB87 have been temporarily block by a federal Judge(as a result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Georgia and the National Immigration Law Center), it's clear that the fight against HB87 is not over.

One silver lining that some see as a result of bills like HB87 is the galvanization of immigrants across the country. One result that blatantly racist bill's like HB87 could bring is real immigration reform on a national level. I believe a train has begun rolling through communities all over America and it's inevitably won't stop until we have fair and just pathways to citizenship for everyone that call the United States home. We all have a right to exist.

AFSC Atlanta and our Migrant Youth Voice project was proud to be there and support The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Right's(GLAHR) mobilizing efforts. We gave out hundreds of our new immigration reform placards.

Photo Credits:
Caitie Elle
Josie Figueroa

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Be The Change Edgewood Farm Crew!

2011-07-01T18:22:00.004-04:00

Today we had the pleasure of spending an hour of so doing our "Be The Change" presentation to a group of youth who are no strangers the concept of being the change they want to see in their communities, the Edgewood Farm Crew. The crew's made up of about 15-20 youth age 14-21.

The manage a pretty extensive organic community garden which provides rich educational experiences to the community, youth leadership development, and delicious organic produce to folks that need it most. I gotta say, we were impressed.

The "Be The Change" presentation is something we put together specifically for classroom presentations. The presentation's focus is Dr. King's message and work in the last year of his life. The presentation also focuses on the modern relevancy of radical work in the late sixties.

In what ways do the giant triplets of evil(poverty, racism, and militarism), as King called them, control our minds, bodies, and communities? How do these systems of violence and oppression interact and support each other? How is Dr. King's message relevant today? What are issues he might be working on if he were alive today?

Students identified food justice, or access to food for low income folks as an issue they felt needed to be addressed. Racial profiling and police brutality was also a concern.

Lastly, after talking about local changes students would like to see in their communities, we gave a pitch for this years "Be The Change" youth convergence which is being held in Atlanta July 29-31.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Thinking Global, Acting Local

2011-06-29T17:08:00.005-04:00

Wow, wow, wow! What a great day. Today marks are third day of facilitating outings for CEO kids summer camp, and this was perhaps our most ambitious day yet.

At 10am this morning we had several folks from Food Not Bombs(FNB) join us along with six youth participants(11-15 years old). The FNB folks had prepared a brief talk on what they do and why they do it. There was a group discussion on the priorities set by our federal budget, and the root causes of homelessness and poverty. For FNB sharing free vegetarian meals is a way protest to war, poverty, oppression, and social injustice.

After a group discussion everyone participated in preparing a really big meal. It was clear that all of the youth participants were enthusiastic about helping chop veggies, stir fry food, and do all the other tasks required to pull off a large meal.

Then it was time to pack everything up and head to Hurt park in Downtown Atlanta. There we were greeted by Balewa Alimayu, director of the Homeless and Incarcerated Veterans Program, and several of the folks he works with. We set up the food and shared it with everyone in the park.

After we all had a stomach full of delicious food we made a sharing circle, Balewa introduced several veterans to the group. Each veteran was courageous enough to share their struggle, not only with surviving a combat zone, but the struggle surviving coming home from a war zone.

The message was driven home over and over again, articulated in several different ways but different people: We need to invest in our communities, not war.

With multiple wars, Wall Street bailouts, record home foreclosures, drastic education budget cuts, MARTA cuts, and cuts to the public sector in general, FNB's message really resonated with everyone. For every bomb, every young person recruited and deployed, every community destroyed overseas, ever dollar spent on military aid, represents a robbery of our communities here, in our time of need.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Steppin' Up Against HB87

2011-06-28T17:34:00.005-04:00

It's been a prolific week in the struggle against one of the nations worst immigration bills, Georgia's HB87(Which some are dubbing, "Hate Bill 87"). Yesterday word came out that Federal Judge Thomas Thrash blocked certain sections of HB87.

Today, in an action organized by the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance(GUYA), about 200 people(mostly very young) demanded not only an end to HB87 but a just pathway to citizenship to all who call Georgia home. Six of today's participants choose to block traffic until police arrested them. All who were arrested today lack the identification documents the HB87 requires. AFSC Atlanta is humbled by the courage of these young people, the risks they take to stand up for their community and human dignity is awe inspiring.

There's more organized for this week. July 1st, this Friday, is a day to do nothing. Buy nothing, don't work, don't even drive. A day without immigrants, a day without their allies. Then on July 2nd, it's time to take action!

The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights(GLAHR) is asking folks to come from near and far to march for justice, march for dignity, march for human rights. Here at AFSC we hosted an art party to create several striking and large wheatpaste installations promoting the July 2nd mobilization that will go up in legal spaces this evening...look out for them around town this wee.

We hope to see a lot of folks this Saturday at the capitol from 10am-2pm.
No Human being is illegal, everyone has the right to exist in spaces they have called home their whole life.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Brunch!

2011-06-28T17:14:00.003-04:00

I must confess that Sunday Brunch is my favorite meal of the week. It represents relaxing days of sleeping in, nourishing my body with foods of comfort, and hanging out with close friends. This past Sunday we organized a fundraiser brunch for "Be the Change" youth convergence.

Some of our favorite folks in the city came out to enjoy delicious fresh fruit, biscuits and gravy, scrambled egg(and scrambled tofu), soysage, juices, and coffee. All our guests kicked in 10 bux a piece(some gave more) to fund scholarships to this year's youth convergence. It was a win win. Everyone has to eat, might as well do it in a way that brings maximum positive impact, right?

Thanks to all who came out, and extra special thanks to Erica School, Dell(Earthworm) MacLean, Jenell Holden, Edric Figueroa, Jazmine Szumski, and Molly McLaughlin for helping make the Meal Happen!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Wonderroot Day 2!

2011-06-23T14:23:00.005-04:00

With the success of our first day facilitating field trips for CEO Kids summer camp, the group was anxiously awaiting our next meeting. We followed up with yet another day at Wonderroot Community Arts Center. The students were eager to check on their projects from the last Wonderroot visit and excited to see what other projects they could create.

On Friday at Wonderroot two of the volunteer staff were able to share with us the vision of Wonderroot of contributing to social change through art and also by providing a safe space for youth of their surrounding communities. This past Friday the students were taught how to make creative collages of things they felt passionately about. The collages ranged from themes of Justin Beiber to themes of the camp itself. Another new project they took on was patch making, where we saw similar themes to those that were in the collages. The students were excited to wear their patches proud!

The kids were also able to check in on their ceramics projects and were looking forward to coming back to Wonderroot on their own time to glaze their pieces. Finally, the most anticipated part of Friday was for the kids to get to listen to the final product of their 'Monkey Fist' track. It's definitely going to be a hit and will soon be up on the blog for others to have a listen!

CEO Kids is looking forward to SCAP further introducing them into the social justice world. We have a couple more field trips planned with the group that include serving food to the homeless with Food Not Bombs, and also a trip to the King Center! We're excited at every opportunity to reach youth, and even more excited that the youth we encounter want to continue to learn and be a part of SCAP!

Josie Figueroa

American Friends Service Committee

American Friends Service Committee/Atlanta

Thoughts on My Recent Arrests

Chase Out Chase Bank

The Pittmans to Regulate Chase Bank

A Win For 108 Year Old Vine City Church!

RALLY TO SAVE 108 YR OLD CHURCH FROM BB&T BANK

108 Year Old Church Faces Eviction From BB&T Bank

National Call In Campaign to Save the Pittman Home

Military Spending Is Killing Us: Set the Record Straight.

Grandmothers For Peace Award Ceremony

Home For the Holidays With the Occupy Movement!

Brigitte Walkers Story Goes National!

Occupy Atlanta Helps Save the Home of Veteran

Occupy REALLY, REALLY, Free Market

AFSC Occupys Fort Benning

Gun Shots and Refuge From The Cold On The Capitol Steps

Capitol Police Threaten Eviction

We challenge the city to explore ways to address the homeless as human beings instead of public relations issues. Atlanta can do better.

SAVE THE ROREY HOME!!!

Honoring Veterans, Foreclosing on War

American Friends Service Committee to Occupy Fort Benning

SHUT DOWN THE SCHOOL OF AMERICASAmerican Friends Service Committee to Occupy Fort Benning

Occupy Atlanta Fights to Save Policeman's Home

Kingian Nonviolence Training For Occupy Atlanta

Bloods and Crips Find Common Cause in Occupy Atlanta

Occupy Atlanta Facilitates Organizing Workshop

Occupy The King Center

Occupy Atlanta Is On The Move

Why I Occupy

Occupy Atlanta Day 3

Occupy Atlanta: Day 2

Occupation Begins!

Atlanta Responds To 10 Years Of War And Occupation In Afghanistan

10 Years In Afghanistan

Be The Change Crew Rocks The Airwaves!

Challenging War Where It Starts

Field Trip to AFSC!

Palestinian UN Bid: US Should Press for Peace, Not Punishment

Joint Statement of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), and the Quaker United Nations Office in New York (QUNO)

Palestinians’ Turn to the U.N. Reflects Failure of U.S.-led Negotiations

Nonviolence Should Be Welcomed, Not Punished

Next Steps for the U.S.: Seize Opportunity to Take Bold Steps for Peace

Recommendations for the Obama administration:

Recommendations for Congress:

Toward a Just and Lasting Peace

Windows and Mirrors Gets a Visit From Fourth Graders!

Arab Spring, From Atlanta to the Middle East.

Cross Keys High School Gets SCAP'D

SCAP SAT Tutoring In Full Effect!

If You Don't See The Change, Be The Change!

Living Walls 2011 Breaths New Life Into Atlanta

"Deport Hate" Mural Pops Up In Little 5!!

Back To School Block Party!!

Be The Change Day 3

Be The Change 2011 Day 2

Be The Change 2011 Day 1

AFSC Youth Organizers Converge In The Bay Area

A Look at AFSC Work in LA

From Atlanta to LA

‘Nonviolence in Action’ Peaceful Opposition to Anti-Immigration Efforts

Be The Change Youth Convergence 2011

A Day At The Boys & Girls Club!

Immigrant Youth Come Together

Ryan Harvey Plays Atlanta!

THOUSANDS March To Resist HB87

Be The Change Edgewood Farm Crew!

Thinking Global, Acting Local

Steppin' Up Against HB87

Brunch!

Wonderroot Day 2!

SHUT DOWN THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAS
American Friends Service Committee to Occupy Fort Benning