Hundreds Strong for Progressive Pioneer Valley

By Aron Goldman

Unstoppable! That’s what we are.

230 of us crammed into the library community room on Monday night, representing critical movements up and down the Valley. The energy was amazing, and we accomplished three big things:

1- In 17 breakouts, we dove deep into climate justice; LGBTQ rights, race and anti-hate; economic justice and the foreclosure crisis; immigration, and voting rights and democratic engagement.

2- We clarified how Progressive Massachusetts’s concrete legislative and electoral resources can augment the region’s heroic grassroots movements.

3- We triumphantly announced the first Progressive Mass chapter in western Mass: Progressive Pioneer Valley!

Gorgeous photos and notes from each breakout are posted on the FB event page.

Many are asking where to sign up to be part of this. Here you go: Right here, below. 

We’re busy entering data, setting our next organizing meeting, and more.

So keep spreading the word, and watch out for more invitations to plug in, and announcements of organizing meetings and events.

And congratulations to all of us!

via the Progressive Pioneer Valley Organizing Team

(Brenda, Ryan, Tony, Jochen, Cynthia, Rod, Ernesto, Jesse, Sara, and Aron)

JP Progressives: Progressivism during Trump

By Maddie Howard

We’re all here and prepared to fight,” Leda Anderson of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts emphasized to a standing-room-only crowd assembled in Jamaica Plain’s First Baptist Church last Thursday.

On January 12th, JP Progressives, a Jamaica Plain community group (and chapter of Progressive Mass) that frequently hosts political events and mobilizes volunteers for campaigns and issues, hosted “Progressivism During Trump,” a panel of experienced activists moderated by Mass Alliance (Progressive Mass is a coalition member) founding director Georgia Hollister Isman. Intended to galvanize post-election urgency into specific action, this event brought established progressive groups together to provide plans of action and field questions from community members late into the evening.

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 Despite some of the groups assembled being ostensibly apolitical, many made it clear that their fundamental missions were opposed to the imminent political atmosphere. “We are anti-racist and we are anti-oppression,” Boston NAACP president Tanisha Sullivan remarked, “and that’s all I’m going to say.”

“We have changed all of our agenda,” Liza Ryan of The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition shared with the audience, clarifying that MIRA is pushing offense as opposed to defense in advocating for their partner organizations under this administration.

Though national politics naturally loomed large in the conversation, much of the actions discussed were on the local level. Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty program of the ACLU Massachusetts, called for support for the state Trust Act (a bill prohibiting local law enforcement from detaining undocumented immigrants purely for their status), emphasizing the importance of pressuring the mayor, DA, and police. Dick Clapp of 350 Massachusetts and Boston Climate Action Network mentioned hosting house meetings in support of the Community Choice Energy Plan, an initiative to provide more of Massachusetts’ energy from renewable sources.

In response to a question about what threats progressive movements are likely to face, Anderson noted that this is the “first time in a really long time that anti-abortion politicians have controlled both houses & the White House.” Over the next four years, patients on Medicaid could be prevented from accessing the services provided by Planned Parenthood; about 30% of patients in Massachusetts rely on Medicaid now. The currently vacant supreme court seat means a risk of Roe v. Wade being repealed. Sullivan brought up the “sense of empowerment, of liberation by some who have been living in the shadows…that says that it is OK to be racist…we have to be committed to really working hard to stay vigilant on issues of race.” Ryan added the simple fact that due process is under threat, specifically in the case of undocumented immigrants and families. Expedited deportations with no hearing and unlawful detainment are just some of the problems these families encounter.

Despite naming the risks, the panelists and attendees retained optimism and hope for the future. “We like to call ourselves freedom’s law firm,” Crockford said of the ACLUM, calling for citizens to become doubly involved and not “sit out politics.” Ryan called for intersectional organizing and coalition building across issues: “We have to unify to win…Share narratives and work on messaging together. We can’t be divided; your issue is my issue. Get out of your comfort zone.”

The panelists recommended many specific actions to support their institutions and get involved. See below for a sampling of these actions.

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  • ACLUM: Donate to ACLUM.org, and follow on social media. Sign up for email alerts.
  • Planned Parenthood: attend the Million Woman March. Join for Sexual Health Lobby Day on January 31st. Visit pplmvotes.org to sign up for email updates.
  • 350 Mass: Join the node meeting that meets at the First Church in Jamaica Plain.
  • MIRA: Visit miracoalition.org for ways to help.
  • NAACP: Donate your talent & time; what skills do you have to contribute? What is the one issue that gets your blood boiling? If there is an org already working on that, how might you contact them?

You can review questions audience members asked the panelists at this link: www.slido.com Be Sociable, Share!

JP Progressives take on Criminal Justice Reform

Report from the field  — JPProgressives convened a community conversation on mass incarceration, following the lead of their chapter members. Engaging with neighbors, activists, advocates and legislators, JPP is doing the work of bending the arc towards justice. By joining the Jobs Not Jails coalition, the JP chapter of Progressive Mass will continue to represent progressive grassroots commitment to social justice, and help lead the organization to productive engagement and action. The chapter invites you to join the JNJ rally on Dec 13. More details are below.

Criminal Justice Reform is a core objective of our Progressive Platform. The Massachusetts Legislature will reconvene in January. Our Legislative Agenda will once again indicate which bills need our advocacy to get us closer to the goal of undoing the injustices of mass incarceration. Stay tuned for more from us on the legislative front. 

 More Than 150 Neighbors Attend Forum in Jamaica Plain to Discuss Mass Incarceration

This year, a standing room only crowd of nearly 200 people filled the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain for a forum on the problem of mass incarceration.  The event was organized by JP Progressives, whose members had previously established mass incarceration as their top social concern.  The forum was co-sponsored by 10 other organizations, including the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Mildred Hailey Tenant Organization, Black Lives Matter Boston, and the Jobs Not Jails Coalition.

The keynote speaker at the event was Rahsaan Hall, Director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program.

Mr. Hall pointed out that the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates of any country in the world and that, although the rate in Massachusetts is lower than in most states, it still compares to some of the worst rates internationally.  

In addition, Mr. Hall spoke about the extreme racial disparities in the application of our state criminal justice laws, with disparities in Massachusetts being worse than in many other states. He noted that in Massachusetts black and Latino incarceration rates are eight and six times higher respectively than for whites and, although blacks and whites use drugs at similar rates, the rate of black incarceration for drug crimes is significantly higher than for whites. Moreover, in some Massachusetts counties the median bail amount set for black defendants is four to five times higher than for whites. In June of 2015, for example, in Barnstable County, the median amount of bail set for blacks was $20,000 compared to only $5,000 for whites.

The forum included a panel comprised of State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, Boston Deputy Director of Public Safety Initiatives Conan Harris, and director of the Jobs Not Jails Coalition Lew Finfer.

Senator Chang-Díaz, who has led criminal justice reform legislation, spoke about the importance of current legislative initiatives.  Some of these bills include efforts to repeal mandatory minimum drug sentences, which often impose long sentences for relatively minor drug crimes with little discretion allowed to judges, and bail system reform, so that people who have not been convicted of a crime are not forced to spend weeks and months in prison because they cannot afford bail. Senator Chang-Díaz has also introduced a bill to establish a trust fund with the savings from improvements in the criminal justice system. This money would then be used to support programs for job training and drop-out prevention to keep youth out of prison in the first place.

Sheriff Tompkins discussed the need for services in prison to prepare people for reentry into society, and Conan Harris talked about Boston’s programs to help youths after their release from prison, including those that provide training and employment in the building trades and within city government. Lew Finfer noted that Massachusetts is entering a crucial period with respect to criminal justice reform.  In August of last year Governor Baker, House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg, and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gants requested that the Council of State Governments study the criminal justice system in Massachusetts and make recommendations for reform. Based on this report, the four key officials will jointly propose legislation in the next few months. Finfer explained that this type of collaboration is extremely unusual and will create momentum for reform, but he also stressed that advocates must organize to ensure that the proposed legislation is as comprehensive and effective as possible.

Moderator Melissa Threadgill of the Crime and Justice Institute asked the panel why reforms in some “red states” have been implemented much more quickly than in liberal Massachusetts.  

Panelists pointed to the enormous costs of incarcerating large numbers of people for long periods of time, which has strained state budgets in many conservative states, but also to the lack of a strong Republican opposition in Massachusetts, which made it easier for Democratic leaders to avoid requiring their members to vote on contentious measures.

During audience questions, some expressed concern that the Council of State Governments study was looking at the wrong issues, focusing on recidivism and probation rather than on preventing imprisonment.  A criminal defense attorney questioned the arbitrary nature of many of the rules governing his clients in solitary confinement, such as the need for shackling when they meet with him and their confinement to a cell for 23 hours a day.  Other audience members raised the need for services that would support youth at risk before they faced imprisonment.

At the end of the program, JP Progressives urged audience members to sign a letter to their state representatives urging them to pass legislation on this critical issue. The State House partly heeded the call from many advocacy groups and included $250,000 for job training and reentry services for formerly incarcerated people returning to their communities.

But work remains to be done on reducing the burden of bail and probation, increasing mental health and job training supports in and out of prison, reducing unnecessarily long sentences, and reinvesting the money from reduced recidivism in the communities most harmed by mass incarceration.

JP Progressives announced has joined the Jobs Not Jails Coalition and will continue organizing events in Jamaica Plain.  

The Jobs Not Jails coalition plans a rally to demand real criminal justice reform from 10-11 AM on Tuesday, December 13, at 140 Bowdoin Street downtown.

If you want to attend or are interested in becoming involved, please contact us at moreinfo@jpprogressives.com

Confronting Racism – Progressive Watertown Member Speaks at Rally

Richard Marcus is a member of Progressive Massachusetts and is on the Steering Committee of Progressive Watertown. Watertown’s chapter held a series of forums on Race and the Criminal Justice System in 2016. He was invited to speak at the MetroWest Rally for Respect: Love Trumps Hate. 

The racism that threatened my father was not easily seen. 

On the day of my Mother & Father’s first wedding anniversary, they witnessed the Nazi Army marching into their home city of Vienna, Austria, under a cascade of flowers and cheers.

What my father had fled in his hometown of Berlin, was following him and it was time to flee again. Fortunately through luck and circumstance my parents were sponsored by a Jewish family in Dorchester and were able to flee to safety.  The special privilege that allowed me to be here today was that my father didn’t “look” Jewish.  My father’s family was fully assimilated and no longer practicing Jews, so my father was not circumcised.  When my father was stopped in the street by the Gestapo and was made to pull down his pants, he passed the test. Had he been I would not be standing here.

My parents were lucky to have found a sponsor.  If they hadn’t they would have been killed. In 1925 a Republican Congress closed US immigration by enacting strict immigration measures. They were tired of the flood of immigration in the US; from Italians, the Irish, the Jews, and Chinese, and wanted it to end. The new measure in America was “I fought for what I have, why should we let you in to take it away?”

Suddenly free passage to America, and opportunity was restricted.  Immigration was restricted to 150 per country/per year.  When WWII broke out, there were no special provisions for Jews fleeing extinction instead people said “there might be Nazis sneaking in among them.”  Sound familiar?  

Just as today people say no Muslims, no Syrians, etc, this is not new in our nation’s history where once there were signs that read “Irish need not apply”, “Italians not served”, and of course, the Jim Crow era of segregation where blacks and whites could not even share a water fountain. We have come together to end prejudices before, we must rally to end it again.  Immigration has built this nation, and is what makes it so unique.  When people yell “America First” what it really will lead to is America last.

But my journey has secured my place in this society. When I awake each day, I am free to go where I please.  When I walk through a store no one follows me. When I am driving my car, I never worry that a broken taillight will lead to my arrest.  And I know if my car is broken down by the side of the road, a policeman will not approach me with gun in hand.  

Yet a black baby boy born tomorrow stands one chance in three of becoming part of the legal system. A black or Latino person with pot is 700% more likely to be arrested than a white person. And, once before a DA or a judge, a black or latino person is much more likely to not be given the benefit of a doubt than a white person.  

Some people say Black Lives Matter.  Some people say White Lives Matter.  Aren’t they the same? No. Just because we label some parking spaces as handicap, there is no need to label all the others as Non-handicap.  There’s no need because it’s obvious. It should also be obvious that being a black or brown person in America is not the same as being a white person in America.  It’s a given.  

No one labels a person white, unless they want to identify that person as NOT black or brown. Yet we “white people” don’t acknowledge our advantage, partially because for us it’s ALWAYS been that way, partially because we can pass it off by saying “we didn’t create the system”.

Racism is America’s original sin. A white society established itself here at the near extinction of one race and the enslavement of another race.  If that isn’t racism, what is it?  And it will remain so until the playing field is leveled.

You hear a lot today in our political dialogue about the “system is rigged.”  Oh yes it is and it has been that way for a lot time.  Being white comes with assumptions about you that favor you today in America.  Being brown or black requires you to demonstrate what you do that makes you fit in.  What we don’t acknowledge is the end of the previous sentence, which really means “fit in the white society.”  Yet “we as a society” expect the wronged to right themselves.  The playing field must be leveled by the advantaged, not the disadvantaged.  As I sat down this morning to write these few words an image came to me of the black teenager with his pants slung down low and how that always struck me as inappropriate.  Today I question myself and ask simply, “why should I feel threatened by that?’  “why should I even care?”  

I am learning all the ways I contribute to this inequality.  None of it was intentional, none of it with malice.  

Just as we are told in improve our posture, we now must find MORE ways to improve ourselves as inclusionary.   Slowly but surely I will become better.   

Bob Dylan wrote “the ladder of justice should have no top and no bottom”. Helping someone climb that ladder does not put me lower.  I must teach myself that…every day from here on. Maybe today will be the beginning of your conscious effort to reexamine why black lives should matter in your life. While the Journey begins with each of us, I am reminded of my favorite quote, by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”