Today is Patriot’s Day. It falls on the anniversary of a horrific event in our nation’s history – the attacks that took the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. It also provides us an opportunity to reflect on what it actually means to be a patriot. For some “patriotism” has been conflated with nativism, as reflected in displays of flags and jingoistic slogans meant to make the sloganeer feel superior in their beliefs.
But to those of us who know better, patriotism is participating in what makes our nation better for all of us, the confidence to be inclusive, to be caring, to be humble in knowing that we paint but a small part of a far larger canvass. We stand with our fellow patriots on this day of remembrance.
Workshop Series: How City Council Works, Sep 24th
Ever wonder just what City Council does? What kind of power they wield? How a bill becomes law in our City? How to engage members of Council and make an impact? Well, wonder no longer. Our workshop series on City Council will provide you with the answers to these questions and more as PNN Steering Committee member Steve Paul guides you through a ten-stage course on the workings of our City’s governing body. Sign up for our first session.
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Town Hall: Role of Police in Our Community, Oct 10th
Join us on Saturday, October 10th at 11AM to take part in the first of multiple discussions about re-imagining the role of the police in our neighborhoods. Sign up for this 90 minute Town Hall where we’ll ask tough questions and work together to find some answers.
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Tell Board of Education: Fund Our Schools, NOT Big Corps!
Billion dollar Hilco Redevelopment Company wants a handout from Philly taxpayers to redevelop the old refinery site in South Philly. Those tax dollars would go to fund our public schools. A couple of weeks ago, the Board of Education said “No.” Now Hilco is back asking the Board for a do-over and, surprisingly, the Board is giving them their own personal hearing to promote their tax cut proposal – without input from the community! Tax payers wonder why the Board has time to consider and reconsider tax-free status for a fabulously endowed corporation when our Public Schools still have toxic conditions that our children and educators are forced to learn and teach in. Hilco has a reputation for abandoning projects mid-stream, so there is no guarantee that giving them a tax break will lead to any jobs for Philly workers. Action: Email these three Board Members and tell them to stand strong and uphold the “No” Vote!Ameen Akbar, aakbar@philasd.org Mallory Fix Lopez, mfixlopez@philasd.org Angela McIver, amciver@philasd.org
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New Phone Banks Added, Sign Up Now!
We have added a new day and time to our phone banking work: Wednesday afternoons starting at 1PM. We are tasked with reaching out to 81,000 voters in NW Philly to remind them how important their vote is to saving our democracy. If you haven’t yet signed up for a phone bank, you should really try the new ThruTalk auto-dialer tool. It makes the calls for you; all you have to do is log onto your computer and wait for the beep.
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Public Bank Town Hall Recap
On Sep 1st, the Philadelphia Public Banking Coalition, led by PNN, conducted a Town Hall in support of a Public Bank for the City. More than 140 people from all around the City and region attended this virtual event featuring City Councilmember Derek Green and leading experts and advocates. If you missed it, you can watch the Video Recording of the Town Hall here.
Speakers described potential benefits of a policy-driven finance system in areas of environmental protection, public education, job growth, and small and cooperatively owned business development. Read the Full Report on the Public Banking Town Hall on our website.
Major media outlets are picking up on what a public bank in Philly can do. Because Wall Street banks have historically discriminated against people of color in terms of housing and credit, this Plan Philly Article on WHYY highlights how a Philly public bank could be the key to addressing systemic racism in our City.
Public Hearings on Public Banking are on the horizon and a City Council bill to create the bank should follow soon thereafter. We will need your support – stay tuned.
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Petition: Stop the Fracked Gas Terminal
The Delaware River Basin Commission was established in 1961 to protect this vital river basin that provides drinking water for over 15 million people. New Fortress Energy’s Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) export terminal project will set a dangerous national precedent for the transportation of extremely volatile fracked gas. The company is using the Delaware River as it’s testing grounds for an expedited plan to get around federal safety regulations. Let’s stop this before it begins.
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This Week in History
Sep 11, 2001 – U.S.A. Attacked. America woke to the news that the World Trade Center towers has been attacked by passenger planes that had been hijacked by terrorists. Other planes were also hijacked, including an attack on the Pentagon and one that was deliberately crashed in Pennsylvania.
Sep 17, 1787 – U.S. Constitution Signed. The majority of delegates present at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia ratify our nation’s founding document.
Thanks for your activism!