Two Christian Women Refuse Bail Until RFRA is Defeated!

Emma Stitt far left, Jess Reznicek far right

It's been five days since a group of women entered Senator Josh McKoon's office to share their concerns with sb129(Religious Freedom Restoration Act). The women were very quickly told that they would be arrested if they didn't leave the office despite the fact that it was during business hours. The women stated, "We will wait until the Senator is able to meet with us." They were quickly arrested.

Emma and Jess wait to board prisoner transport 

Jess Reznicek and Emma Stitt felt so strongly about the potential harm of RFRA, they have refused to post bond and will remain in jail until the RFRA bill is defeated, or for the duration of their sentence, which has yet to be determined by the courts. Their refusal to use their privilege to get out of jail is further demonstration of their desire to remain in solidarity with the women of Georgia who are not able to post bond, as well as all of the women of Georgia who will be adversely impacted by RFRA. As Emma and Jess are led by their faith to wait in a jail cell the debate around RFRA continues. Over the course of the last week Senator McKoon has refused to allow an amendment to the bill which would stop it from being used to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and women stating, "That amendment would completely undercut the purpose of the bill."

Emma Stitt, 29, has been with the Open Door Community in Atlanta for four years, where she leads weekly soup kitchens and showers for the homeless, ministers to prisoners throughout Georgia, and participates in non-violent street actions to demand justice for the poor, imprisoned and marginalized.  

Jess Reznicek, 34, is a member of the Des Moines Catholic Worker community in Iowa, which is committed to a simple, nonviolent lifestyle as they work among the poor. Although Jess lives in Iowa, her passion for women’s reproductive rights transcends state lines and has led her to act in solidarity with Georgia women through this action against RFRA. 

Four Georgia Women Arrested in Senator McKoon's Office After Requesting a Meeting with Him Regarding RFRA Bill

Today a group of women was arrested with Moral Monday Georgia and coalition partner Georgia NOW, attempting to deliver a message to Sen. Joshua Mckoon regarding HB 129. Commonly referred to as the "religious freedom bill" this GA House version of the nationally known RFRA bills has been called a "license to discriminate bill" and is a hot button issue for groups working on LGBT Rights, Ending Violence Against Women, and Reproductive Justice. According to Jackie Rodriguez, President Georgia National Organization for Women, "This bill has far reaching consequences for the health and well being of the women and Georgia. This will not only effect the LGBT community, who is already lacking protection under Georgia law, but it will also be essentially declaring open season on women in this state. We are providing a state sanctioned bill to commit violence against women and roll back what little reproductive rights we have left in this state."

 

Megan Harrison, Lorraine Fontana, Emma Stitt, and Jessica Reznicek, were arrested attempting to delivery signs to Sen. McKoon that ready "No RFRA Yes WOMEN" and were quickly met by capital police. McKoon refused to meet with the women , having them arrested instead. Refusing to leave until they could pass there messages along to the Senator, they were quickly escorted out by capital police and detained. On the eve of the pending committee vote for HB 129, Emma Stitt and Jessice Reznicek are refusing bond, committing to remaining in custody until the bill has been voted down by the House Judiciary Committee.  

We encourage those who can to contribute and share the bail/legal fund far and wide!

Michele Swan Arrested by Henry County SWAT Team After Fighting Wrongful Eviction

Michele Swan has been locked in a struggle to gain ownership of her home ever since a contentious divorce from her husband, Triveni Omar Singh, in 2012. Despite being granted ownership of the home in her divorce, Ms. Swan was ignored by Chase bank when trying to transfer ownership, and ultimately the home was foreclosed on; sold on the Henry County Courthouse steps to an investment firm.

American Residential, the group that bought the property, has continually refused to negotiate with Michele despite her efforts to buy back the home. Instead they opted to break into the home and remove all of the items of value; furniture, electronics, clothes, and personal momentous. Michele reported the theft to the local police department and detectives asked for entry to the home to discuss the burglary. Per Henry County detectives Michele’s personal items and everything of value was removed and placed off site by American Residential.

Since the foreclosure Michele has been subject to one difficultly after another in her attempt to regain legal control of her home. After being evicted by WRI Group, a property management firm affiliated with American Residential, Michele reclaimed her home in an attempt to rectify the unjust sale to American Residential.

After occupying the home publicly with support from community members for weeks, and receiving no response from American Residential, Michele and her allies where removed from the home by Henry County Police by over twenty officers. After Michele and supporters complied with an order to leave the property, Michele was arrested for criminal trespass and remains in custody at Henry County Jail, supporters are working towards her release.

Update: Michele has been denied bond and has been charged with criminal trespass, theft by taking, and burglary. This is a sad precedent to set for nonviolent housing justice protesters. Tonight there will be a vigil at the Henry County Jail.

There was a time in this country that women were not recognized as land owners, and claims to property by women were not considered legitimate; that dark chapter in American history is supposed to be closed. It is a cruel irony Michele had a rightful claim to her families home, and has been begging the financial institute that profited from Michele's clear injustice to sell her the home at a more than fair price(FYI Michele's loan has been pre-approved for months); yet tonight she sits in a jail cell with fairly serious charges.

It was just years ago that Wall street and the big banks crashed our economy and over 11 million Americans lost their homes and even more lost all of their wealth and NONE or the architects of the worst fraud in human history face jail time...but there's Michele Swan surrounded by a SWAT team for standing up to a system that continues to stack the deck against regular everyday people.

We have an obligation to support Michele Swan, please make a contribution to the bail fund.

We also encourage everyone to sign and share Michele's online petition and follow the hashtag #Justice4Michele on twitter and instagram. 

Trick or Vote!!

Trick or Vote is the nation’s largest get out the vote effort in costume and the GenY Project decided to join the cause. Last night the Gen Y Project got hyped up, filled a bus, and went to the West End to spread the word. Armed with voter pledge cards and candy the group set out to remind the neighborhood why it's important to utilize their right to vote. Together we hit the West End Mall and neighboring shops sparking lots of conversation, giving out information, and of course people welcomed the free candy. Some had already voted and others were geared up and ready to vote on November 4^th.

With all the efforts to block young people and black/brown bodies fro the polls in Georgia, getting out and voting is more important than ever. Voting isn't the only thing our communities need to do to change a political landscape that isn't working for a lot of us, but it's an important piece of the puzzle that we only lose when we don't participate.

Jim Crow Business in Georgia

 

Moral Monday Georgia, along with American Friends Service Committee, Held a Rally and Sit in on this past Monday at the Georgia Capitol in Protest of Clear voter Suppression Tactics by Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Today we learned that the judge presiding over the case has decided not to intervene in the Secretary of State’s work despite the fact that young folks who registered, and have proof that they registered, are missing from the voter polls during an election that has already started.

We are in what appears to be a crisis of democracy, and on Monday several Moral Monday Georgia participants felt strongly enough about the issue to march the following letter into Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office:

Dear Secretary of State Brian Kemp,

This past year we've seen a historic effort to register new voters in Georgia and change a political landscape that continues to benefit a few people at the cost of everyone else.  

Right now, weeks after early voting has begun 40k eligible voters have yet to be entered into the voter rolls. 40k is enough to win or lose this election. We know that most of these 40k are young people who have never voted before and come from communities of color.

On October 24, 2014 four witnesses were not allowed to testify at the hearing against Brian Kemp's office. All four had registered to vote and are not on voter roll yet. Two of them are young first time voters.

We are troubled that you call the lawsuit, "frivolous” This is not frivolity; access to the ballot box is essential to our democracy.

Imagine if you had gone through the trouble of registering to vote and when Election Day came you were told your name was nowhere to be found.

We have a simple question: Mr. Secretary – if you have found all of our missing registered voters, where are they?

The reality is that the election has begun and already 40k voters have been silenced, shut out of the process. We belief that this is a crisis of democracy, and today some Moral Monday Georgia participants are willing to nonviolently put their freedom on the line to put a spotlight on this crisis.

We have decided to remain in your office until this issue is addressed. This means we would like to see every one of the missing registered voters entered into the voter rolls. We believe that in a democracy every voice matters, and we’re counting on you to do the right thing and make sure the promise of democracy in Georgia is realized.

Signed,

Concerned Georgians

Moral Monday Georgia

____________________________________________________________________________________

Eight Georgians (Kevin Moran 66, Greg Ames 66, Daniel Hanley 33, Lorraine Fontana 67, Peggy Marx 58, Joel Solow 27, Molly Swann 62, and Kathy Acker 62) were arrested for refusing to leave Kemp’s office until he answered.

Ironically they were arrested for disrupting government business. Sadly these days it seems voter suppression is the business of Kemps office, which sits directly across from Governor Deal’s office. Arguably no one stands to gain from blocking young people and communities of color more than Governor Deal who sits several spaces higher on the totem pole above Kemp.

Another sad irony is that the reason Kemp wasn’t in the office that day is that he is currently on a GOP Victory tour. We today Governor Deal and Brain Kemp did get a victory, they have successfully built a barrier to the pole for the group of people who are most likely to vote against them. It’s a victory that should not be celebrated.

 

There's a name for this kind of business, we used to call it Jim Crow. Jim Crow existed to ensure that policies and laws that only benefited some remained by stopping those negatively affected from participating in the democratic process. Jim Crow will forever be synonymous with nasty, mean business. 

We are proud to be able to share space with the Moral Monday Georgia arrestees as their bold action shined a light on the kind of government business that is worth disrupting.

 

Some mainstream press articles on Monday's action:

ThinkProgress

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Creative Loafing

DEMOTIX

 

 

As the Election Begins, 40k Newly Registered Voters Have Been Left Behind in Georgia

Today on the second day of early voting, a delegation of folks representing a number organizations delivered over 33k petition signatures to Secretary of State Kemp’s office demanding that voters, some having registered as far back as May of this year, be added to the voter rolls. With early voting launching Monday, the Georgia Secretary of State is sitting on valid voter registrations. The most important role of the secretary of state's office is to make sure elections are fair, accessible, and secure. Processing these registration forms is not only the right thing to do — but it's also his job.

Color of Change and PowerPac+, and were joined by leaders and activists from Moral Monday Georgia, including American Friends Service Committees, to insist that the Secretary of State do everything in his power to stop this latest voter suppression attempt and uphold his oath to Georgians.

After making brief statements to the press we delivered the petitions to Kemp's office and demanded a response in the next 24 hours. To date Kemp's office has refused to give any reason for his refusal to add the 40k newly registered voters into the system, and he has likewise refused to meet with Moral Monday or other long standing civil rights groups like the NAACP Georgia.

 

The fact is that this election has already started; the polls are officially open for early voting and 40k newly registered voters are being denied access to the polls. 40k is more than enough voter to through the election, which calls into question the legitimacy of Georgia’s claim to democracy. It is deeply troubling that even to the casual observer following this story it seems that Georgia’s Secretory of State is successfully attempting to block 40k people of color from having access to the polls in 2014.

JAILED FOR JUSTICE TOUR COMES LAUNCHES IN ATLANTA

The Moral Monday Georgia Coalition, the NAACP-led multi-racial, multi-issue advocacy group, will be hosting an event in partnership with HistoricEbenezer Church, American Friends Service Committee and others at EbenezerBaptist Church, 407 Auburn Avenue on Monday July 28th at6:30pm. This event is part of the Jail for Justice Tour, a state-wide, 16 city tour hosting daily events across Georgia from July 28 through August 12^th. These events are intended to bring the group’s message from the capitol to the rest of the state. Each stop will feature a different line-up of three-five Moral Monday GA arrestees who will discuss their choice to go to jail in the pursuit of social justice.

 Tonight's event features Rev Raphael Warnock, NAACP Ga President Francys Johnson, Senator Vincent Fort, Minister Karen Reagle, Peggy Casey, and Keiota Jones all of whom are Moral Monday Arrestees.

The tour aims to bring together Georgians across the state to plant seeds for local actions, register voters, and coalition building during the approaching 2014 election and upcoming legislative session. Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson, NAACP president and Moral Monday arrestee, states, “For far too long, we have let our elected officials ignore the moral implications of their actions and inactions in regards to the most vulnerable among us. It is time to move Georgia forward.”

Modeled on the North Carolina NAACP's Forward Together Movement led by Rev. William Barber, Moral Monday Georgia is broad based coalition of churches, mosques, labor unions, teacher’s organizations and progressive groups. Moral Monday GA is a continuation of North Carolina’s movement to shift Southern politics toward a moral center where civil and human rights are protected and advanced.

During the 2014 Georgia legislative session, Moral Monday brought a national spotlight on the repressive laws being passed by the General Assembly. The movement drew attention to issues from Medicaid expansion and Stand Your Ground laws to reproductive justice and workers’ rights through a series of dynamic actions, including rallies and voter registration as well as mass civil disobedience. The arrestees—72 over the course of the session--came from all generations, backgrounds, races and religions. Elected officials and prominent faith leaders also participated in civil disobedience, acting as moral witnesses against the corrupt actions of the current administration.

 

American Friends Service Committee is really excited to be one of the conveners of the Moral Monday Movement in Georgia and we plan to continue to put effort and resources into building the movement that places priority on:

Secure pro-labor, anti-poverty policies that ensure economic sustainability

Provide a well-funded, quality public education for all

Promote healthcare access and environmental sustainability

Address continued inequalities in the criminal justice system

Protect and expand voting rights for all

 

For a list of all the tour stops click here.

 

 

 

Open Letter To DeKalb County Sheriff Jeff Mann

Today American Friends Service Committee joined struggling DeKalb residents and members of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta to hold a press conference and deliver a letter to acting Sheriff Jeff Mann. The reason we were hand delivering the letter was because Sheriff Mann's office received about a dozen calls from us asking for a meeting to discuss the issue of heavy handed eviction procedures.

When we showed up to the door to deliver the letter we were stopped in the doorway. An officer told us that we could crowd the rather large, totally empty lobby because the building was open for peoples legitimate business. We explained that we were there for legitimate business. We were forced to share our concerns outside the building and deliver the letter to one of Jeff Mann's deputies. DeKalb County deserves better.

Below is the letter we delivered:

Dear Sheriff Jeff Mann,

We are deeply concerned at the alarming number of foreclosures and evictions in DeKalb County. A recent study by the Haas institute shows that DeKalb County is home to 6 of the top 15 Counties in the country for homeowners with underwater mortgages.

We know the Sheriff has little power over the foreclosure process but you do have a tremendous amount of power when it comes to the eviction process. Eviction can be one of the most humiliating, dehumanizing experiences a person ever faces and there’s simply no way one can make it a pleasant process.

We are aware that as recently as last week you had 30 Sheriff Deputy’s evict a struggling family simply because they had launched an online campaign against her mortgage servicer for wrongful foreclosure.

There are policy’s that are working in counties in Georgia and around the country to make the process easier to move through for struggling residents. We have attempted to create dialogue on these issues for several month with no success. For this reason we have decided to bring our recommendations right to your office and we truly hope you will not only consider them, but that you will follow up with us and our members.

Recommendations:

1.         Scheduled Evictions

Many counties and states around the country schedule evictions. We already know that evictors have to schedule eviction with moving companies, why not schedule evictions with the resident. As things stand now residents are subject to a knock on the door at any hour. Scheduled evictions allow residents the final reminder of the coming crisis at hand and gives them a last chance to secure their own belongings.

2.         No evictions after hours

After hours evictions can leave families with nowhere to go, no truck to rent, no storage facility to move things into. We know after hours evictions have been facilitated in DeKalb County. This is a cruel practice that no family should be subjected to. We ask that you commit to making evictions outside the hours of 9am-4pm against DeKalb County policy

3.         No evictions during extreme weather

Going through the evictions process means immediate homelessness for some, it also means all of your life belongings are put out on the street in the elements. Many counties will not do evictions in freezing, raining, or 100 degree weather.

4.         Costs paid by the evictor or a cap of public spending

Evictions can bring an enormous cost the county. The banks and private equity groups that do most of the evicting make an enormous profit. In many counties the evictor pays for the process, in some cases counties put a cap on what they will pay for.

5.         Relocation and 30 days storage for belongings

One of the most dehumanizing parts of the eviction process is having your things dumped in the front yard. Not only are families immediately faced with the prospect of having nowhere to go, they also have to protect their belongings. Furthermore this process is bad for the whole community, effecting the financial and spiritual value of the neighborhood. Many counties, and some states, require the evictor to pay property to be moved to a storage facility for at 30 days.

6.         Handle belongings with care

Often times peoples belongings are destroyed or stolen during the eviction process. We hope that as Sheriff you are able to facilitate stringer accountability for your constituent’s belongings during the eviction process.

7.         Referrals for housing services

Many facing evictions have now where to go. As a point of policy it would be fairly simple to provide those being evicted with a comprehensive list of service providers in the area.

Community Demands Dignified Eviction Procedures From DeKalb Sheriff’s Office

After months of attempting to create dialogue with acting Sheriff Jeff Mann around troubling eviction policy’s which include afterhours evictions, excessive force, and alleged theft of evictees personal property, DeKalb residents plan to bring concerns and eviction policy recommendations to the Sheriff’s department tomorrow(7/16) at12pm.

   DeKalb County is home to the zip codes of 6 of the 15 highest rates of underwater homeowners in the entire country according to the Under Water America report published by the Haas Institute.

  Occupy Our Homes Atlanta continues to be overwhelmed by the number of DeKalb County residents in immediate housing crisis. There is a clear moral imperative to make the eviction process more humane for folks going through a very difficult time in their lives.

In our attempt to reach out to both Sheriff candidates Vernon Jones committed to enact a six month moratorium on evictions in DeKalb County and appoint a committee to make recommendations on changing the eviction process in the county.

Tomorrow American Friends Service Committee joins DeKalb residents and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta as we deliver a letter to acting Sheriff Jeff Mann that includes practical recommendations that are already working in other parts of Georgia and the rest of the country.

Recommendations include:

1.         Scheduled Evictions

Many counties and states around the country schedule evictions. We already know that evictors have to schedule eviction with moving companies, why not schedule evictions with the resident? As things stand now residents are subject to a knock on the door at any hour. Scheduled evictions allow residents the final reminder of the coming crisis at hand and gives them a last chance to secure their own belongings.

2.         No evictions after hours

After hours evictions can leave families with nowhere to go, no truck to rent, no storage facility to move things into. We know after hours evictions have been facilitated in DeKalb County. This is a cruel practice that no family should be subjected to. We ask that you commit to making evictions outside the hours of 9am-4pm against DeKalb County policy

3.         No evictions during extreme weather

Going through the evictions process means immediate homelessness for some, it also means all of your life belongings are put out on the street in the elements. Many counties will not do evictions in freezing, raining, or 100 degree weather.

4.         Costs paid by the evictor or a cap of public spending

Evictions can bring an enormous cost the county. The banks and private equity groups that do most of the evicting make an enormous profit. In many counties the evictor pays for the process, in some cases counties put a cap on what they will pay for.

5.         Relocation and 30 days storage for belongings

One of the most dehumanizing parts of the eviction process is having your things dumped in the front yard. Not only are families immediately faced with the prospect of having nowhere to go, they also have to protect their belongings. Furthermore this process is bad for the whole community, effecting the financial and spiritual value of the neighborhood. Many counties, and some states, require the evictor pay for property to be moved to a storage facility for at least 30 days.

6.         Handle belongings with care

Often times peoples belongings are destroyed or stolen during the eviction process. We hope that as Sheriff you are able to facilitate stronger accountability for your constituent’s belongings during the eviction process.

7.         Referrals for housing services

Many facing evictions have now where to go. As a point of policy it would be fairly simple to provide those being evicted with a comprehensive list of service providers in the area.

Hundreds Pack the Court House to Repeal Stand Your Ground

This Past Wednesday over 300 Georgians Packed two Senate Hearings on gun related legislation in Georgia. The overwhelming majority of attendees were there to oppose radical, unsafe gun laws including that make it legal to shoot first and ask questions later, make it legal to carry a gun in church, a bar, or a school campus.

Sadly, despite the standing room only turnout to both hearings, law makers decided to move forward with a with a very radical pro-gun agenda that disregarded multiple research findings that make it clear these laws make Georgia less safe.

HB 875, the law the would make it legal to bring a gun into a bar, a church, or on a school campus amazingly  passed through it's committee despite the overwhelming number of folks in the committee meeting that spoke out against the law. Dozens of faith leaders from various faiths pleaded with lawmakers not to allow guns in their churches. One gun rights advocate was overheard in the crowd claiming that Sandy Hook was a hoax perpetuated by those that want to take our (his) guns away.

SB 280,  introduced by Senator Vincent Fort, would repeal Georgia's Stand Your Ground law. There was almost no one in the packed heating room that wasn't wearing a yellow sticker that read, "Repeal Stand Your Ground". Georgia's Stand Your Ground law not only makes it ok to shoot unarmed people as long as you think they are a threat, it has also come to represent the idea that African American life is worth less in the south. Georgia's Stand Your Ground law has also been proven to make our state less safe, not more. After hearing just one person testify the Senate Committee shut down discussion and essentially killed the bill.

What are we doing now?
We're asking you to join us, this Monday at 4pm at the Georgia Capitol. We can't afford our own lobbyist, so let's make our voices heard and show up! Forward together, not one step back!

Sign ans share the online petition to repeal Georgia's Stand Your Ground law!

Moral Monday's Coming to Georgia?

Good jobs, good education, health care, affordable housing, women’s rights, an end to police brutality, LGBTQ rights, voters rights, civil rights for all, access to healthy food, our environment. These are the things people of conscious care about and want in our communities. Yet our state lawmakers continue to attempt, year after year, to pass policy that strips these things from our communities. We need a movement in Georgia. 


In 2012 North Carolina faced what some call the harshest legislative session ever.  Among some of the worst bills facing the state was a bill that restricted voter rights, serious cuts to unemployment benefits, cuts to medicare, tax breaks to the rich, a repeal to the Racial Justice Act, restrictions on abortion rights, education budget cuts, and restrictions on the right to protest.


The Moral Monday movement was a response to a historically oppressive legislative slate. Every Monday thousands of North Carolinian's gathered at the State Capitol in protest of a specific oppressive piece of legislation, they would then enter the building and many would perform acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. In all over the course of eight weeks over 1000 people were arrested and the protests grew from 1200 to over 10000 people. Many believed the movement would go away after the session was over, instead it continued to grow.



Moral Monday protests have now happened in almost every district in North Carolina, and seem to continue to be growing.


We know that we are facing a very similar legislative session here in Georgia.We can no longer afford to work within our small dedicated groups here in Georgia; we can’t afford to exclusively work under the banner of our organizations alone. North Carolina has shown us where to start and how to build a broader movement in Georgia.

Last night over 50 people showed up to a Moral Monday Georgia planning meeting! There's certainly a long hard road ahead if we are to build the bold movement we are seeing in North Carolina, but last night exciting first steps were made, and American Friends Service Committee's Atlanta Economic Justice Program is excited to walk hand in hand with the dozens of other organizations and individuals in the process.

Click here to get details on the next planning meeting.

Landlord Plans To Evict Single Mother For No Apparent Reason

Today I met with Jaye and her friend(who's a local landlord as well) Nina Roark to discuss next steps to keep her landlord, Hugh Trotti, from moving forward with evicting Jaye and her young daughter from the place they have called home for almost 15 years.

So far Jaye has requested a meeting with Hugh Trotti, I have respectfully requested a meeting with Hugh Trotti, which he refused. After his refusal we had a few hundred people call and request a meeting with Hugh Trotti, there have been two candle light vigils in front of the Trotti residence, the Trotti's community was canvassed by a few dozen people all urging Hugh Trotti to work with Jaye. There has been an online petition for Jaye launched, a very large eviction free cookout at Jaye's home, and even professional yard signs encouraging Hugh Trotti to do the right thing.

Moving forward there has been plans made to continue to organize a candlelight vigils in front of the landlords home, and picket the future investment properties currently being built by the same owner.

Despite all of this Hugh Trotti has refused to speak with Jaye or even explain why he wants to evict Jaye and her daughter.

Today it became clear that the kind of energy being put into this campaign is unprecedented for this type of fight. We decided to simply attempt to have a conversation with Warehouse Lofts management and try to present them with Jaye's rent a few days early. Management refused the money and did not commit to sit down and talk. We left our number and asked them to call us in the next few hours, they never did.

Evicted Dekalb Teacher Reclaims Her Home Today!

On May 7^th of this year, Toni Furman was in her Lithonia home when she heard someone breaking down her door.

“They kicked the back door in,” she said in an interview with Crossroads News. “I was in an upstairs bedroom trying to call for help and they told me to drop everything and show my hands.”

“They” were the six DeKalb Sheriff’s deputies who evicted her from the home on Stoneleigh Hill Road where she had lived for more than 20 years.

“They ordered me to get my clothes on and to leave,” said the substitute high school science teacher. “And they started to take my things out into the street.”

Toni hit hard times five years ago when she experienced a difficult divorce. She and her husband had lived in the home for 18 years. The divorce left Toni with the house, nothing more.

Toni immediately started to contact Cenlar, a loan servicing company, to see about getting a loan modification with no results. Eventually Toni got an extra job so that she could get closer to affording the mortgage payment.

Cenlar continued to refuse to work with Toni. Toni’s home wasn’t any foreclosure , Toni had around 100k in equity, which made for a very attractive foreclosure for Cenlar. In the end Cenlar refused her modification because he ex husband refused to sign modification paperwork, despite the fact that Toni had won the home in a divorce settlement.

Because Cenlar refused to work with Toni she became homeless and was staying with a neighbor in her community. Toni is ready to take bold action to reclaim her home despite the consequence. Toni is ready to be a voice for others struggling to simply have a place to call home.

Today at around 6:30pm Toni marched to her home at 1420 Stoneliegh Hill Road, Lithonia, with the support of other Atlanta residents active in Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and reclaimed her home of over 20 years from Cenlar. This was a brave, bold, risky move for Toni, who had never been involved in any social justice movement prior to her crisis.

There's no telling how this story is going to end, but we know it's starking lots of conversations in her community and is being covered on several local news outlets. 

Please consider signing and sharing Toni's online petition click here

Great article by Crossroads News.

Thousands March For Immigration Reform In Georgia

Today a crowd that swelled to thousands marched around the Georgia capitol for immigration reform. The march was primarily organized by Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLARH) and was endorsed by dozens of groups including AFSC.

Today's turnout demonstrated people's commitment to human rights and equality. The crowd was filled with everyday people, families, folks you know had to plan in order to take a day off of work to hit the streets. 

 "For years, we've been targeted by 287(g) and its gotten worse with S-Comm, HB87, and the student ban. Now we'll be marching to tell the Governor(Nathan Deal) to veto SB160 that would make passports no longer valid as an ID in Georgia. "Ni uno más. Not one More." Not one more deportation and not one more day without political equality."
Stated Adelina Nicholls with GLARH.

AFSC is excited about the turnout today and will continue to explore ways to support the movement. 

More Pictures from today's rally:

 

AFSC Statement On SB469

The American Friends Service Committee expresses deep concerns over Senate Bill 469, which passed the Georgia State Senate on March 7.

If approved by the Georgia House and signed by the Governor, SB 469 would criminalize acts of peaceful protest, including picketing, outside of any privately owned buildings related to labor disputes. Individuals who participate in such protests could be fined up to $1000 a day, and organizations, which support such actions, could face penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

Moreover, the bill adds a category of “conspiracy to commit criminal trespass,” which would make it a high and aggravated misdemeanor to plan acts of peaceful civil disobedience.

The bill also includes provisions that weaken the power of workers to organize unions and bargain collectively with their employers by restricting the ability of workers to negotiate contracts with employers that provide for union dues and agency fees.

At a time when peaceful protest against poverty and inequality is surely appropriate, the criminalization of otherwise protected activities represents an assault on the nation’s ideals. As Atlanta native, Martin Luther King, Jr. said on the night before he was killed, “the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.”

As a Quaker organization with a long record of upholding civil liberties and putting the principles of peaceful protest into practice, and as an organization that has long stood for the rights of workers to bargain collectively with their employers, the American Friends Service Committee calls for this bill to be rejected.

We encourage folks to call Georgia law makers in regards to this bill and share your concerns with them.

Rep Larry O’Neil: 404-656-5052

Rep David Ralston- 706-632-2221

In addition we urge all to join workers, people of faith, and social justice advocates Saturday March 17th for a mass rally against SB 469 at 11am at the state capitol.

Copy of the bill

Be The Change Youth Convergence 2011

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!

THOUSANDS March To Resist HB87

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