Thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart!

Dear Everyone,

I find myself at a loss for words.  I can only describe the feeling I have in my heart today as a deep gratitude.  Because of all your help, I found the strength to fight when I thought it was hopeless.  I have never been so personally touched by the effort, dedication, and selflessness exhibited by you...my friends...my family...and those of you which whom I have never even met.  I find myself today feeling inspired, armed with knowledge I never knew I needed.  It is because of the actions you all showed that I must become involved in helping other victims of these injustices.  I guess what I really want to you all to know is simply THANK YOU!  In the sincerest form possible.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  

In the picture above, me and my very close friend Minoria Franks are holding both my eviction dismissal and a signed document that says I'm a resident in good standing!

With your help I have gotten back in my home and all eviction proceedings have been dismissed. Tonight I can sleep safely in the place I've called home for ten years!

Please take the time to sign other peoples online petitions by clicking here.

THANK YOU,

Irene Franzen

Evicted With Out Reason or Notice In Oakland

I’ve been in the Bay area the last few days attending a conference on public banking. I jumped at the opportunity to go because I’m truly interested in learning more about alternative to our current failed banking system, and it was an opportunity to visit my family in Oakland.

This afternoon I got a frantic call from my little sister Irene. She was being evicted from the home she had lived in for 10 years.

The eviction was a surprise to her and her roommate as she is totally up to date on her payments. Irene and her roommate had trouble paying her rent this past February but since she never missed a payment in her time here and it was only one month, the management agreed to a payment plan. Since then Irene has made all payments and is currently up to date on her rent. I personally have view the receipts and bank statements that confirm her payments.

This morning when Irene’s roommate stepped outside he saw a notice tacked on the front door. It was an eviction notice informing them that an eviction would be carried out today. It was the first notice they had received.

Irene immediately went to the courthouse filed and paid for a stay(with was granted), and rushed home. When she got home the sheriff had already changed the locks and the property manager wouldn’t let her in the home. She was locked out with no access to her belongings or her two cats.

After organizing on online phone/email blast to property manager and owner Bing Udinsky, several of us decided to hold a small candlelight vigil outside Bing’s home.

In the early hours of the morning, order of stay and receipt in hand, Irene moved back into her home with the support of her friends and family. Right now she is safe and sound inside her home. Her stay is good till July 5^th, we hope law enforcement will comply.

At this point we still need a lot of pressure put on the Bing Udinsky and JU Properties. Please call and email call JU property manager Bing Udinsky and demand they let my little sister Irene Franzen back in her home (1618 6^th avenue, Oakland Ca). Irene has lived there for 10 years and has made thousands of dollars in improvements. Irene literally has nowhere else to go right now and is totally paid up on her rent.

Please Call Bing Udinsky @ 510-655-3253(cell) or 510-654-7677(home) Email bingudinsky@hotmail.com

Click here to sign the online petition for Irene.

We know that Bing has begun to respond by text and email to folks claiming Irene was several month behind, that she was given notice, and that Bing had given numerous calls to Irene. There’s are all lies that make one of two things clear; 1) Bing Udinsky is purposefully misrepresenting the truth. 2) Bing Udinsky has made some sort of mistake that has put my sister in jeopardy.

AFSC Youth Organizers Converge In The Bay Area

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

Peace Recruiters Converge In The ATL

The Past Wednesday Night AFSC from around the country met at 60 walton street to kick off our national Youth & Militarism task force meeting. Our local counter recruitment group, Student Career Alternatives Program hosted the meeting, providing a pretty amazing spread of delicious food.

After sharing food and getting to know each other we transitioned into a show and tell, with pictures and videos, for organizers around the country. It was pretty exciting and inspiring to see what was working for folks in different communities. We saw planty of clear examples of tangible victories, large and small, around the country. Portland, the Bay Area, LA, New Orleans, Chiago, and of course Atlanta(presented by SCAP's own Josie Figueroa) highlighted their efforts to bring real non-military options to youth and challenge the systems of violence and oppression that control our bodies, minds, and communities.

After the show and tell session we went right into a group discussion about challenges and potential collab ideas. There was much discussion about the department of defenses's role in the redrafting of the Dream Act. It was a really a blessing to be in a space with folks from all over that are doing some of the most challenging youth organizing work in the country.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Below is one of the video submission from AFSC's, "One Trillion Dollars For Peace" youth video art contest that came out of a youth Group that Pablo Paredes works with in the Bay area. It's a great example of how young folks are making some of the connections between systems of vioence and oppression that control our minds, bodies, and communities.