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!

When Voter Rights Are Under Attack, What Do We Do?

Yesterday as part of the Moral Monday Georgia Coalition, we participated in a spirited rally inside the Georgia Capitol the brought together hundreds of people to opposes the supreme courts decision to gut the historic Voter Rights Act and continued attempts by Georgia law makers to put up roadblocks for Georgia voters.




Check out video footage:
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49 years after the historic Voter Rights Act was signed the US supreme court has essentially attempted to destroy what so many fought and died for. It's not just the supreme court that's threatening less access to the ballot box, right here in Georgia House Bill 891 attempts to dramatically reduce early voting.
Why are early voting periods important?  Early voting periods provide a chance to vote outside the election day, accounting for work, family obligations, transportation limitations, and other life realities of voters of color, workers, and the poor.

After the rally we headed across the street for a mass meeting on the Voter Rights amendment at Central Presbyterian directly across the street.We will be joined by several buses and a 50 car caravan from Selma as folks make there way from Selma to the DC to bring attention to increased voter suppression that resulted from the Supreme Court's 2013 dismantling of the Voters Rights Act.

Governor Deal, Veto That Bill

Today is the last day that HB 87 can pass the house and senate and as I type bill is being debated on the floor of the Georgia house of representatives.

Outside the capitol hundreds of human rights activist have been holding a vigil, and holding onto hope that those under the dome will vote to kill HB87.

During a time of economic crisis it's not surprising that some in the Georgia house and senate have attempted to scapegoat our state's money problems on anyone but themselves, and undocumented workers seem to be a pretty easy target being that they have been politically voiceless for decades.

The reality, however, is much different then what HB 87 Architects painted. Georgia's top two industries are agriculture and tourism, both industries are fueled by undocumented workers, both industries have lobbied against HB 87. The similar Arizona bill that passed last year sparked international boycotts of the state which cost the state millions in revenue.

Georgia's economy simply can't afford this type of legislation.

But this is about much more than economics.

This is a human rights issue.Immigrant's rights are human rights. What people who vigiled today at the capitol are fighting for is simply the right to exist in a space they have called home for years, a space they have contributed to greatly.

Borders, boundaries, corporations, and nations are simply ideas. We should care less about these ideas than we do actual human beings with beating hearts and dreams of their future. A future where we're all free to travel where we please, attend school where we please, seek employment where we please. A future where we all have the dignity and freedom to exist is a space we call home. A future that never again rolls out the red carpet for Jim Crow laws, a future that refuses to legislate hate.

Sadly HB 87 passed tonight, effectively rolling out the red carpet for Jim Crow. The fight isn't over, we then turn our eyes, our energy, our voice, and our prayers to Governor Deals office with one singular message: Veto This Bill!


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Georgian's Rally For Wisconsin Workers

Today hundreds of people rallied at the steps of the capitol to demand a halt on the attacks against the rights of working people, no only in Wisconsin, but here in Georgia as well. The crowd was large, and very spirited. Scanning the crowd it was clear that the rally brought together folks from dozens of different organizations.

Wisconsin may very well be the beginning of what some might call the awakening of a sleeping giant. That sleeping giant being the American working class. It's a cruel irony that the war's in Iraq and Afghanistan(fought by working class folks) have produced such enormous profits for several multi national corporations, and now the working class is having to foot the bill.

A just reassessment of our economic crisis would put the military industrial complex on the chopping block first, followed closely by the prison industrial complex.

Instead law makers seek to defund schools, attack workers collective bargaining rights, and cut other programs of social uplift.

The reality is that by cutting military spend by 1/3 and sending non-violent drug offenders to treatment instead of prison we would have plenty of resources. If the military budget was decreased by 1/3 we would still be more than outspending every other countries military and something must be done to address the phenomenal fact that the US has the largest prison population in the world; not per capita, just period.

There's of course many other solutions to today's economic crisis of priority that don't include forcing kids and the working class to deal with problems that they didn't create.

I hope that today's demonstration, and the increase in grassroots organizing that I've witnessed over the past six months, is the beginning of new alliances. I hope now the time is upon us where struggles will go beyond making the verbal/mental connections between the violent oppressive systems that control our minds, body's, and communities. Now is the time to make those connections physical, make them in the streets, in the churches, on the campus, and in our communities.

Together we can create a choir so loud it's irresistible, impossible to stop, like a runaway train roaring towards an inevitable destination. Real change(no the fake kind you hear about when it's time to elect a new person).

* Photos by L. Emiko Soltis


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

30th Anniversary of Poor Peoples Day in Atlanta GA. February 10-11 2010.

The 30th Anniversary of Poor Peoples Day was successfully celebrated on February 10-11, 2010 in Atlanta GA. The events leading up to this day were put together by the Georgia Citizens' Coalition on Hunger and various local and national grass roots organizations including Project South( http://www.projectsouth.org), Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition(http://georgiapeace.org), Grady Coalition(404.378.5883), International Action Center, and American Friends Service Committee(www.afsc.org). This year's actions have been organized to the backdrop of the most economically devastating year in decades. High unemployment leading to rising rate of foreclosure, debt delinquency, recidivism, increased war spending, loss of health insurance and cuts in public means of transportation just to name a few. With these challenges, organizing this year's anniversary was quite challenging and yet one of the most exciting Poor Peoples Day action in recent years. Months before the Poor Peoples Day, members of the community, together with other local groups had met in a series of meetings to discuss and outline the agenda on which this year's anniversary will seek to adopt and present to the Georgia Assembly.

Key Issues adopted for this year's 30th Anniversary
1. Transportation
2. Housing/Foreclosure/Homelessness
3. Expungement/Re-entry
4. Health Care
5. Minimum Wage/Jobs
These issues were debated in small break out sessions at the day of education with panel guest experts on February 10. After the sessions, each group came out with its resolution which was put together along with other session topics. A final scroll was put together containing the main resolution which was then taken to the State Assembly on February 11. We were giving an opportunity for our key issues listed above to be presented in front of a committee, real life testimonies were also heard from Georgians who have been victimized during these economic downturns. In most cases, the law has been stacked against working people in favor of powerful corporations. We hope these legislators will work with their colleagues in addressing some of laws and policies that often support the growing cancer of poverty in our state.

On February 11, 2010., a caravan carrying hundreds of enthusiastic Georgians from around the state began a Selma-like bus ride to the State Capitol where they were greeted with a larger banner that read, "Jobs, Income, Healthcare, not Warfare", which was painted by AFSC intern Haley Murphy.
During the spirited press conference on the steps of the capitol, AFSC/Atlanta was invited to address the crowd. We used our few minutes on the mic to highlight the connections between racism, poverty, and Militarism. It is our belief that every dollar spent on these wars is a robbery from our community. Each child recruited to fight these wars is a child we need here, in Georgia, to help fight poverty. Never has there been a moment in our lifetime that we needed our your people to serve their country by serving their broken communities...right here! We took a moment to let folks know that there was a resolution( on the floor of the Georgia House(HR1219) and Senate(SR955) that would provide safeguards against the recruitment of children under 17 years old. Folks in the crowd were asked to pick up their phones and call their representatives and encourage them to Support the resolutions.
To find out who represents you in the house and senate got to: http://www.votesmart.org .
For a copy of the resolution visit: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/fulltext/hr121
To sign the online petition go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/GA-Says-No-To-Using-Schools-For-Military-Recruitment-of-Minors

The fight to stop hunger, foreclosure, provide decent wages and health care for all Georgians and working people cannot be seen as a one day event. As much as the this anniversary was successful in carrying the message right up to the State Capitol, the fight must continue in each and every one of us.

All of us at American Friends Service Committee would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Sandra Robertson with the Georgia Citizens' Coalition on Hunger. Dr. Robertson has been a tireless advocate for the poor, working class, and the disadvantaged for decades. She has been the driving force behind not only Poor Peoples day campaigns but the Hunger Coalition. This year's actions not only marked the 30th year anniversary of Poor Peoples Day in Georgia but also marked the last year that Dr. Robertson will be with the Hunger Coalition. Our thoughts, prayers, and gratitude are with her as she makes this transition in her life.

Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5KfJtQ6My4

Michael Ndofor
American Friends Service Committee
Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee