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: Fight Corporate Greed, Stop Chinatown Arena, Free Girl Scout Camp, Kendra Brooks Kickoff
Educate: Poor People's Campaign Education Series, Prison Documentary, Time Bank Revived
Empower: Collect Petition Signatures, Community Meeting to "Disrupt the Corrupt", Forum to End Women's Poverty
Take Action: No Tax Giveaways! Invest in City Services and Fund Our Neighborhoods!
Contact City Council ASAP, List Below
Yesterday, City Council put in motion more than $30 million in more tax cuts for big business and the wealthy. At the same time they cut Council member Gauthier’s proposed $72 million investment in services to less than $6 million.
This is unacceptable. However, this deal is not yet done.
The tax cut legislation will have to be approved at a full Council session next Thursday to go into effect. Before then, we need to let Councilmembers know that we completely disagree that the City should prioritize giving big business more money to throw to their already rich shareholders over funding services desperately needed by our people.
Call and/or Email Council ASAP. Click the link below for contact information and talking points you can use in contacting members of Council to let them know that what they are planning to do may be good for big business, but is bad for the business of the people!
If you get response from the Council person, please contact Stan Shapiro with the details.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Kendra Brooks Re-Election Kickoff
Thursday, June 15th, 4:30PM, Ile Ife Park, 2544 Germantown Ave.
Join our friend Kendra Brooks, the first WFP-elected Councilmember in Philly, as she kicks off her re-election campaign in earnest on Thursday, June 15th at the Ile Ife Park.
Kendra has remained committed to leading with her values, continually pushing our City Council to make decisions for everyone, and bringing together diverse groups of people to do big things. She had been there for us - at rallies and marches, always working in our best interests, so this is an opportunity to let her know that you plan to support her again.
Want to Help with Petitions?
If you are interested in helping get petition signatures for Kendra and the other WFP candidates, then you can pick them up at the kick-off. If you cant make it to the kickoff, then click below to sign up.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Forum to End Women's Poverty (In-Person & Virtual)
Friday, June 9th thru Sunday, June 11th, 5011 Wayne Ave
Join Global Women's Strike at the new Crossroads Women's Center for this weekend forum to address women's poverty. Topics will include guaranteed care income for all caregivers of people and planet, a discussion of natural farming with author Didi Pershouse, lessons from women's self-help groups in India, and other community, national and international workshops.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Rally Tomorrow to Stop Arena in Chinatown
Saturday, June 10th, 11AM, Corner of 10th & Vine Streets
Arena developers have spent over a million dollars lobbying the City Council to advance building an arena for the Sixers in Chinatown. They ignore the damage and displacement that would occur to the long-time residents of Chinatown, and how it would impact their businesses and workers, and turn into another developer-funded bad deal for Philly.
Chinatown has survived for 150 years and is one of the few remaining communities of color and low-income communities in Center City. If you'd like to step up to protect it, then join residents and other activists on Saturday.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Germantown Time Bank Redux
Saturday, June 10th, 1PM-3PM, 18 Church Lane
Before COVID limited our in-person work together, the Germantown Time Bank was created to allow folks to share their time and skills with each other. Germantown Residents for Economic Alternatives Together (GREAT) will be re-starting that time bank with a meeting on Saturday, June 10th.
A time bank is a “tool” that helps people in a community work together more like a village. Time bank members offer their skills, talents, and favors, and in exchange get to benefit from the skills, talents, and favors provided by other members. It is an alternative to the money economy, and a way to meet needs without spending money. To attend, click below.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Community Meeting to "Disrupt the Corrupt"
Sunday, June 11th, 7PM-8:30PM, 6900 Stenton Ave.
Join us and our allies from March on Harrisburg at the Unitarian Universalist church in Mt. Airy for a frank discussion and planning session to take on the well-heeled and politically-connected class in Pennsylvania that essentially runs our state, allowing a system that allows suburban billionaires to spend unlimited amounts of money spreading lies, and elected politicians to take unlimited political bribes from lobbyists.
You'll learn: The nature and mechanics of systemic corruption in Pennsylvania; the structural hyper-partisanship that keeps voters divided and conquered; how our lack of democracy causes massive suffering in our lives; and how to do something about it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Join the Girl Scouts & Get a Free Week of Summer Day Camp!
Saturday, June 24th, 10AM-12PM, 3259 N. Broad Street
Mother African Zoar United Methodist Church is the "campsite" for girls who want to become Girl Scouts this summer. This is an opportunity to get girls and young women involved in wholesome, useful activities, make new friends and create lifetime memories. This activity is free to all girls from the 5th thru 12th grades, and it includes a free year's membership and a free week of summer day camp that will take place July 31st thru August 4th! Spots are limited, so sign up today!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
No Way Home - Documentary on Life Without Parole in Pennsylvania
Friday, June 30th, 6:30PM, Central Branch Library,1901 Vine Street
Join our friends from Amistad Law Project and CADBI for a riveting documentary called, "No Way Home - A Documentary on Life Without Parole in Pennsylvania & a Mother's Struggle to Reunite Her Family". This film has been a year and a half in the making and features the story of progressive icon Ms. Dee Dee and her son Phillip Ocampo, as well as commentary from Kris Henderson and Mike Lyons on the history of extreme sentencing in PA. Watch the trailer here.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
This Week in History
June 9, 1954 – “Have you no sense of decency?” Army Special Counsel Joseph Welch, lashed out at Red-baiter Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether communism had infiltrated the armed forces, effectively ending McCarthy’s reign of terror.
June 12, 1963 – Medgar Evers Shot. On this day, Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in his driveway. He worked for the NAACP and was also instrumental in getting evidence for the Emmett Till murder case.
June 13, 1966 – You Have the Right to Remain Silent... The Supreme Court handed down its decision in Miranda v. Arizona, establishing the principle that all criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before interrogation.
June 14, 1777 – Flag Day. The Continental Congress adopted a resolution deciding on our first national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes.”
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director