Postcards for Justice

Earlier this week folks in the Occupy Our Homes Atlanta network were asked if they would be willing to send a postcard to Judge Mark Anthony  Scott asking him to sign a restraining order against Fannie Mae, which stop Fannie Mae from taking the home of Desert Storm Veteran Mark Harris.

Over the course of the week hundreds of people have responded expressing that they enthusiastically send a postcard to support Mark Harris. Today we sent our first batch of postcards and we know dozens of others that are sending their from their homes. Tomorrow and Monday we will be sending more postcards.

In Atlanta we have seen the homeless population dramatically increase over the last 10 years as the housing crisis has hit already struggling communities. A startling percentage of our homeless population are veterans, many of them, like Mark, combat veterans.

We believe Fannie Mae has an opportunity to do the right thing here, we know Mark is willing to pay and fair price and we know that his community is unwilling to sit back and watch another veteran lose their home.

American Friends Service Committee is proud to be able to support this campaign by printing postcards and making sure every card gets delivered. There's still time to have a postcard sent on your behalf, just email tfranzen@afsc.org with your name and address and we will make sure one gets mailed on your behalf. You can also sign marks petition by clicking here.

Agent Orange Justice Tour Makes a Stop in Atlanta!

On April 27th, AFSC hosted a delegation touring the US for the 5th Agent Orange Justice Tour. The event was sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild International Committee, National Lawyers Guild-Georgia Chapter, GPJC, International Action Center, AFSC, and Georgia Veterans for Peace. About 15 people were in attendance, including representatives of the various sponsor groups and concerned community members.

Merle Ratner began by outlining some of the work of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign. She shared the basics of Agent Orange, a chemical used as a defoliant in Vietnam to clear the land of hiding places and food. Because the chemical was made quickly and in mass quantities, companies carelessly allowed the levels of dioxin to reach catastrophic levels, wreaking havoc on both the Vietnamese people and American soldiers.

Ms. Ratner then introduced the delegation, Pham The Minh and Nguyen Thi Hien. Mr. Minh spoke first and moved the audience with his personal story of being affected by Agent Orange. As the son of Agent Orange victims, he and all of his family members have suffered physical illness and injury due to the poison. However, he is overcoming these difficulties by moving forward and working as an advocate for victims internationally.

Next, Ms. Hien spoke through a translator about her experience with Agent Orange and her work with the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA) helping victims of the war. Ms. Hien emphasized the fact that justice needs to be found for ALL victims of the war and highlighted the three groups the campaign is aiming to help: victims and their descendants in Vietnam, international veterans and their descendants, and the Vietnamese-American community. Ms. Hien's work with VAVA has helped establish innovative rehabilitational programs for victims, and she hopes to extend that work and continue to fight for justice for those affected by Agent Orange around the world.

Finally, John Zientowski with Veterans for Peace spoke briefly about the effect of Agent Orange on veterans and their families. He agreed with the delegation that both the government and the chemical companies should be held responsible and made to compensate victims. The chemical companies were aware of the effects of the poison on both people and the environment. John emphasized that the story needs to be told again and again until the suffering of victims is alleviated, and the response from the audience once the floor was opened for questions made it clear that everyone planned to help spread the word through Internet posts, raising awareness, and fundraising.

The audience was clearly moved by the testimonies. I was particularly struck by how much racism and classism influenced the war, and how much the use of Agent Orange revealed a complete disconnect from the land. It was telling to hear how reluctant anyone is to deal with or take blame for the aftermath. War is already so costly in so many ways. Imagine how much more costly it would be if warring nations actually kept their promises to deal with the consequences of war. It is this true price the Agent Orange Justice Tour is trying to bring to light, the forgotten victims around the world.

To find out more about either the corporate campaign to get compensation from the chemical companies or the bill soon to be going through Congress, please visit http://vn-agentorange.org/index.html. Special thank you to the delegation who made a lot of sacrifices to be here traveling and to the sponsors who made this event possible. Please spread the word about the Agent Orange Justice Tour to your friends in other host cities!

Erica Schoon
American Friends Service Committee

Standing Down From the Battlefields at Home

In times of war, exhausted combat units requiring time to rest and recover are removed from the battle fields to a place of relative security and safety. Troops are able to take three days to able care for personal hygiene, get clean uniforms, enjoy warm meals, receive medical and dental care, mail and receive letters, and enjoy the camaraderie of friends in a safe environment. They call these down times stand downs.

For many veterans the battlefield doesn’t go away when they come home. Many face a battle to re-adjust to civilian life. The VA estimates that there are 260,000 homeless veterans in America. Many homeless veterans suffer from PTSD, addiction issues, and physical disabilities.

In 1988 a pair of Vietnam veterans decided to do something about the comrades they saw falling through the cracks of society, forgotten by those that had at one time beaten the drums of war. They started domestic Stand Downs. Stand Downs provide a safe place for homeless vets to spend three days receiving legal advice, eating warm meals, getting new cloths, haircuts, medical attention, entertainment, and just socialize with each other.

AFSC’s Peace Building Program was recently asked to help the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) to help them organize homeless veterans form Atlanta to go to Huntsville, AL for a three day stand down. We decided to take them up on the offer, and document the trip.

What we’ve seen is very hopeful. Though all of the veterans that road to Huntsville with us have many obstacles to maneuver around, they also have many passions, and a drive to fulfill unfinished plans with their lives. The stand down brings new hope in navigating through the maze of paper work required to a claim for benefits, to receive free services, maybe find a job, and relax for a few days with people that are rooting for them.

Darrel Delaine, chairman of the Huntsville Stand down and UAW Union member, noted that past stand down attendees have made progress over the years. Delaine pointed out several volunteers at this years stand down that were homeless during last years stand down.

We had the chance to spend time with volunteers, many of whom were veterans. Often times we found ourselves in awe of the deeply meaningful work the organizers of the stand down are doing. For these volunteers, “support the troops” means more then slapping a yellow magnet on their car during a time of war.

As we interviewed veterans at the stand down it was clear that many of them joined because they believed it would be a ladder out of poverty. For them, and countless others, the ladder has gone elsewhere.

Tim Franzen
Peace Building Program
American Friends Service Committee