Salem Human Rights Coalition

No Place for Hate Committee Meeting Minutes March 7, 2017 5:30 PM 120 Washington Street, 3rd Floor Members: Fawaz Abusharkh, Joe Amico, Laura Assade, Jim Bostick, Jeff Cohen, Lucy Corchado, Nicole Lashomb, Alison Miller, Michael Millett, Gricel Ocasio, Scott Weisberg, Fara Wolfson Guests: (Salem, Lynn, Newburyport) Helen Falcon, Marsha Finkelstein, Antonio Fresco, Tom Getz, Alexander Irving, Kevin Letourneau, Gavin McAuliffe, Maxwell McAuliffe, Art McDonald, Brendan Murphy, Lee Ann O’Neill, Nicole Ryan, Heather Wilks-Jones, Ben Winthrop The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM. Introductions and Public Comment No public comment at this time. ! Public Comment related to Sanctuary for Peace Ordinance will be at end of meeting Officers Reports Clerk: 1. Submitted minutes. Alison Miller made a motion to review and accept the minutes with revisions. Motion was seconded and approved. Send revisions to Fara by Friday. 2. NP4H Social Justice Book Review is switching to a film for March because the calendar is booked with so many timely actions. We will be seeing “I am Not Your Negro” at Cinema Salem with a discussion afterwards. (scheduled for March 23rd) We will be reading James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time for April and Jessmyn Ward’s The Fire This Time for May. Information will be posted on our Facebook page. Treasurer: We raised $300 from T-shirt sales and an additional $1310 from February’s fundraiser. Thank you to everyone in the community who donated. We will be spending $200 on materials (Community Engagement Subcommittee) and an additional $745 for buttons (that were discussed and approved through emails). This leaves us with a balance of $2739.05 Chair: 1. Love Your Neighbor (yard signs) We are looking into purchasing signs to sell at cost from No Place for Hate. Laura Assade shared the intent of the signs and shared details regarding how they were distributed. Charged $10-$11 (Mike Millett added when you drive the signs “Kind of stop you in your tracks...”) 2. Buttons “Sanctuary for Peace/Santuario de Paz. 1000 buttons in English and 1000 in Spanish. Jim Bostick designed buttons (with input from committee) We will be distributing (free) buttons at the rally and the upcoming sanctuary meeting. Also reminder that Salem No Place for Hate shirts are available at Laura’s Office (City Hall). 3. On April 2nd Council of Islamic Affairs is hohsting an Open “”Ask a Muslim” Open Mosque Day. One will be held at 35 Lynnfield Street in Lynn. Details will be posted on Facebook. There will be speakers and Q&A. In addition, Fuzzy and Dave Eppley and Jeff will revisit visiting a mosque in the Spring. 4. Rev Joe Amico added that April 2nd at Tabernacle Church: Asylum speakers and some representatives from the LGBT Asylum Task Force from Worcester. will be speaking at the 10 AM Service. Potluck and open discussion afterwards at 11:15 or 11:30 We will add details to our page after event is posted on Facebook. 5. Grateful to sponsor the film “After Spring” at Salem Film Fest. Because the film focused on Syrian refugees and their needs, there is a local drive to collect educational books). stay tuned for information about dropoff points. 6. We need representation for NP4H at the Rotary Non-profit Fair on March 28th Joe and Jeff are Rotarians. Laura will represent the Salem Youth Commission and Gricel and Nicole will represent The Rainbow Times. Event is 12 - 1:30. Fuzzy and Fara will represent committee. Mayor’s Office (Laura Assade) For those who work or live in Salem, the Student Youth Commission is organizing a day of activities for Student Government Day on April 13th focusing on students and youth aged 17-21 (grades 11-12, includes Youth Build or out-of-school). Participants will shadow a Department Head or trained professional including members of Salem’s Chamber of Commerce, City Officials, anyone who works for a nonprofit. More information is on Salen Youth Commission FB page, including a ist of career paths, Event includes job shadowing, lunch, and a student-led City Council meeting. The application is online. A paper application is also available. NP4H Community Engagement Subcommittee (Nicole Lashomb). Very actively planning events leading up to the City Council Meeting on March 29th. 1. Tomorrow (March 8th) Ben Winthrop is leading an organizing and activism training at Salem Teachers Union Hall at 6:00 PM. Goal is to mobilize people and direct them on how to be more effective activists. 2. On March 18th, we are hosting a sign-making party at PEM, making signs for the March 29th meeting. Doneca Thurston from PEM has reserved the Creative Space. 3. The big event is the rally on March 25th. Gaining interest. 700+ people are “Interested” on Facebook. We have reached out to other organizations (Together North Shore, Salem Latino Leadership Coalition, ECCO and other community groups) We are watching, we are paying attention. Hopefully the City will be able to see that and respond as well. 4. Public phone bank is also in the works Details TBD. Additional Comments: Laura added that City Council Meeting has been rescheduled from March 30th to March 29th and the location is TBD. Mike Millett recommended people contact Councillors to find out more information. Fuzzy added to ask that there be a special vote on the 29th (needs two votes to pass). Jeff explained and added that there is a sense of urgency. People are living in fear and we would like this resolved as soon as possible. Nicole added that there is a script on the NP4H script as well as contact information if you would like that information before making phone calls. Gricel is translating all information into Spanish. Open portion of meeting/Sanctuary for Peace Ordinance Many people have been coming to meetings to discuss sanctuary issue. We intentionally do not have a Guest Speaker in order to create the space for this conversation. The role of a facilitator is to keep conversation moving and focused and to defer to people on the Committee, particularly those who were in the Planning Group. - Where can we find a copy of the Sanctuary for Peace Ordinance? - If ordinance passes, what actually happens? (Why put it in writing? What does it achieve?) - Does this order protect local businesses from raids from ICE agents? - If ICE came to Salem, would police cooperate? - You keep hearing that they are going to take federal funding. What does that mean? Is this just connected to Sanctuary City Status? Can they do that? - Is there any possibility of the ordinance being modified between now and the 29th? - I think when people look back on this moment, it will be seen as a bright spot in Salem History. - What frustrates me is that there is strong opposition. What are some of the strongest arguments against this? Why do people feel so strongly against this? - Why are specfic City Council members opposed? - Will be nice to have City Councils on record. Remind City Council that they work for us. Remind them you live in their ward. Strategic make sure people... At large need to hear from everybody - Could we start a petition saying that if you don’t vote for this, then we are not going to vote for you? - If you are a citizen who supports this, the best tool at your disposal is the truth. What we can do is dispel the myths and reinforce truth to our friends and neighbors. You are filling your toolbox and become better advocates in the community. - Just talk to them the way you want to be talked to. When you make a phone call, they hear your message. - How flexible is this set up to be? If two years from now there is an awful immigration law that violates my conscience, how flexible is this? - The will of the people will prevail. So let’s get the word out. You have seen the protests on tv. Let’s take action, let’s unite. Let’s all be there so we can make a difference - Is there a website? Are there articles we can look for that provide more information? - If this were not to pass, what would happen? How would police respond? What are repercussions? - The reason this committe exists is because of prejudice and discrimination. So continue to ask questions of those on City Council. Continue to present facts, and ask why are you against this. So then it is up to is to speak our conscience. Might not listen, but an ethical, moral voice will be present. - Don’t take any City Councillor vote for granted. Most of the fear is through ignorance. Many are fearful without understanding. This is a moral social justice issue. What value do you put on human life? What value do you put on a child not having fear that parents will still be there after school? How much federal funding would you be willing to lose for that piece of mind? - Mayors of Cities in Western Massachusetts said human lives are worth more. We will find other funding. - Some are using the argument: Why do we want to put a target on our back? The reason why is because you have a responsibility to take a stand. Reminiscent of the argument against accepting civil unions as equal to marriage. They are not the same. - The more cities that do this, the harder it will be to take federal funding. - Homeland Security Secretary gives the choice go back with your kids right away or we will send you to a detention ceenter away from your children. this is the choice we are giving a mother. This is why we need it to be a law. Maybe it is not a perfect ordinance but we need something to start with as a starting point. - Solidifies or codifies what we are already doing in Salem. - Thank you for taking the lead on this. I’m proud to be from Salem, MA. Group of monks meeting with mayor at 3:30 on the 29th. Will hopefully head over to rally and City Council Meeting. - Request made to livestream on FB Live or Periscope. Share event as it is unfolding. Let’s do it live. Bring your equipment. Put the event wherever you put it. It can be seen by thousands of people who want to see it. Announcements: *Thank you for being here today, for your participation. And thank you for how shifting the format worked. Thank you for your role in how that played out, for waiting so that other people could have a voice in our meeting. Today we heard from everybody who wanted to speak. * Remember to look to our FB page for events and articles and add to it * April 30th is the Walk for HAWc -- 11:30 walk at noon; Will be discussed at next meeting * Please grab flyers for rally and brochures * Mayor Driscoll is hosting Ladies who Lunch at noon at Old Town Hall in solidarity ad camaraderie. You might also might notice women in the community wearing red. There are many different ways people will honor International Women’s Day or a Day Without Women tomorrow * Reminder that phone bank event originally scheduled for tomorrow turned into training Motion to adjourn. seconded and approved.