Alert: City Council Questionnaires are Due Soon! In order to be considered for a PNN endorsement, any Philadelphia City Council Candidate must complete the appropriate Questionnaire and follow the instructions for submission before midnight on January 12, 2023 . You can access the Questionnaire on our website. Please contact Gloria Gilman at gmgilman@gmail.com if further information is needed.
PNN’s mission is to engage, educate and empower our neighbors to make our City a better place to live. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: PNN's "All Hands" Meeting; People's Platform Press Conference
Educate: Opinion: One Year after Fairmount Fire
Empower: January 6th Remembrance Action; Picket for Justice
All-Hands General Membership Meeting
Saturday, January 28th, 4PM-5:30PM, Virtual
Helen Gym & Chris Rabb to Highlight the Meeting
Change is in the air. All the local Philly offices are up for grabs in the primary and the Democrats have some exciting opportunities at the state legislative level. PNN-endorsed candidate for Mayor Helen Gym will kick off our meeting as she shares her vision for the city and her priorities should she get elected.
With the PA House moving towards a Democratic majority and a new Governor and independent Speaker of the House, Rep Chris Rabb will talk about what’s on the horizon in Harrisburg with this new lineup. And then there are the important issues that we hope to move forward in 2023 to make this world a better place for all of us.
There is an action-packed year coming. And we have an action-packed agenda to match.
Join us as we gather to chart out a path in this exciting new year at our virtual General Membership Meeting, Saturday, January 28, 3PM-4:30PM.
Our action-packed agenda will include:
Highlights of the Year. A slide show of all the actions, rallies, issue and electoral campaigns in which PNN participated. It’s more than you think!
Issue Work. Our issue-based work will continue apace in the areas of criminal justice & prison reform, the environment, economic justice & public banking, housing, and education. At the meeting you’ll learn what’s popping and how you can plug into this work.
Candidate Endorsement Process. PNN is in the midst of our endorsements. Learn how members can vote on the upcoming endorsements.
Election Plan. We will roll out PNN’s comprehensive plan to spread the word about the importance of voting this year and our GOTV Plan. This local election will shape the direction of Philly for the next four years and longer. You will learn all the details that will enable you to decide for yourself how exactly to plug in.
Questions & Answers. You will have an opportunity to ask questions of our main speakers.
Our meeting will be a time to reflect on this moment in history and how we can take collective action to make a difference. Once you sign up, the zoom information will be sent to you.
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Picket for Justice
Wednesday, January 11th, 11AM-1PM, CJC, 1301 Filbert Street
Join us at the Criminal Justice Center on January 11th to picket for justice and call on Judge Genece Brinkley to resign.
Many people of color have experienced abuse of power– families broken, jobs lost, houses foreclosed – at the hands of troubled judges like Genece Brinkley, whose behavior on the bench has been so egregious that she was transferred from criminal to civil court and is facing legal battles for her misconduct.
That’s why we are reaching out for a response of solidarity to call upon Genece Brinkley to resign from her position as judge in Philadelphia. Brinkley has caused serious and direct harm to members of our communities by incarcerating them on illegal sentences and unjust detainers, and she has abused the public trust through unprofessional and unethical conduct. It is time for Genece Brinkley to go.
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Pot-Luck Volunteer Appreciation Party
Friday, January 13th, 5PM-7PM, Summit Church, 6757 Greene St
We would like to invite everyone who volunteered for us this year or plan to volunteer in the new year to join us for a Pot-Luck Volunteer Appreciation Party. We'll hold it at Summit Presbyterian Church located at 6757 Greene Street in Mt. Airy. Covid precautions will be in place.
If you can, bring a favorite dish. If you can't, no worries; just come to hang out with friends and allies. We'll take care of dessert and refreshments.
This year, we'll be conducting "Political Bingo", so expect a fun time with good folks and maybe win a prize!
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Join Our Jan6 Rush Hour Action Today!
TODAY, Friday, January 6th, 5PM-6:30PM, South Side of City Hall
Join us and allies for a January 6th Rush Hour Action on the south side of City Hall in remembrance of that dark day in American history when a sore loser incited an armed mob to attack our nation’s capital to overturn the will of the people.
We will conduct a "visibility action" as we take over the ample median strip on South Broad Street, just south of City Hall (across from the Ritz Carlton Hotel).
Help us carry letters that spell out "DEFENED DEMOCRACY" among other signs to remind folks going home to their families that an attempted coup took place on this day, and that the plotters are working to place their cronies in positions that will make a second attempt more likely to succeed.
The action starts at 5PM, so try to be at the Octavius Catto statue by 4:45PM.
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The Fairmount Fire Anniversary Highlights Philly Housing Struggle
Opinion: Gail Loney
Three hundred and sixty-five days after a fire tore through a row house converted into apartments in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, and we are no closer to the remedies required to save the twelve lives lost one year ago today. That tragedy highlights the struggle everyone faces to find housing no matter what your condition. Read More
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People's Platform Press Conference
Monday, January 16th, 1PM, City Hall (North Apron)
The Alliance for a Just Philadelphia (A4JP), of which PNN is a member, will be holding a press conference at City Hall on Monday, January 16th at noon to reveal our "People's Platform" for 2023.
The platform is the culmination of a six-month process, which included an in-person retreat, multiple A4JP member meetings, two virtual sessions for public opinion, and our People's Assembly that took place a few weeks ago. In that work, we received a lot of great input that we think makes this People's Platform representative of the needs of the people of our city.
No need to sign up, just join us on January 16th at City Hall.
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This Week in History
Jan 6, 2021 – Attempted Coup on United States. Right-wing cult worshipers of former president Trump assaulted the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential vote count by Congress. They were barely thwarted by Capitol Police.
Jan 7, 1789 – First U.S. Presidential Election. This day was chosen by our first congress for states to choose electors to select our nation's first President. George Washington won in a landslide.
Jan 10, 1946 – First Meeting of U.N. The first General Assembly of the United Nations, comprising 51 nations, convened in London.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director