[SFGP] SF Green Party Weekly 4/28-5/4

announce at sfgreens.org announce at sfgreens.org
Thu Apr 27 00:12:34 PDT 2006


SF GREEN PARTY WEEKLY 4/28/06-5/4/06

NEWS:
  - 3/1: Congress tries to keep smaller parties down  
(http://www.lp.org/lpnews/article_946.shtmlbb)
  - 4/19: SF Green Party Statement on Senate Candiates  
(http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1482)
  - 4/20:The U.S. Nuclear Bunker Buster: 3 Million will die  
(http://signs-of-the-times.org/signs/editorials/ 
signs20060420_TheUSNuclearBunkerBuster3Millionwilldie.php)
  - 4/22: SF Green Party Announces Endorsements; Keefer, Hermanson, and  
Drennen Top List of Local Candidates  
(http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1480)
  - 4/24: Matt Gonzalez Quelches Rumors About a Run for Congress;  
Affirms Support for Krissy Keefer  
(http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1481)
  - 4/25: The Puzzle of Jack Abramoff is in the System, by Green Party  
activist Steven Hill  
(http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=20694)
  - 4/25: Green Party Says Yes to Healthy Saturdays; Measure Expected to  
Pass Board of Supervisors Today  
(http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1483)
  - 4/26: Oakland's 46th Homicide More Than A Statistic  
(http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1484)

EVENTS:
This week:
  - 4/27: Open Mike Under the Poem Dome with Diamond Dave
  - 4/30: Come Hear Juan Melendez, Exoneree from Death Row
  - 4/29-30: Volunteer for Aimee Allison, Green candidate for Oakland's  
City Council
  - 4/30: Rapture Interruptus Revival in San Francisco!
  - 5/1: Immigrant Rally and International Workers Day
  - 5/2: Rally Against Lethal Injection
  - 5/2: Housing Land Use Working Group
  - 5/4: Feminist Issues Group
  - 5/4: Matt Gonzalez Fundraiser for Aimee Allison
Next week:
  - 5/10: Green party county Council meeting
  - 5/12: SKELETON KEY: Art Auction for the West Memphis Three, with  
Damien Echols' Art. With Matt Gonzalez, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra,  
and Others
Save the date:
  - 5/17: Green Party General Membership Meeting
  - 5/15: Krissy Keefer for Congress
  - 5/24: Something Fun at the Green Party Forum!!!  Join the medley of  
politics and performance

ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTION ALERTS:
  - Calling White Activists to Support Immigrant Justice!
  - Co-Chair Needed for GROW Working Group

IN EVERY ISSUE:
  - Discuss Instant Runoff Voting in Green Party Activist Jim  
Dorenkott's Blog (http://www.dailykos.com/user/jim%20d)
  - Take Action!
  - Earn A Living Making San Francisco A More Green and Progressive City!
  - Become a Green Party Sustainer!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:
  - The Making of BUSH: THE MUSICAL  
(http://bushmusical.cf.huffingtonpost.com/)

************************************************************

EVENTS:

4/27: Open Mike Under the Poem Dome with Diamond Dave

WHEN:
Thursday, April 27
5:30PM-8:30PM

WHERE:
San Francisco City Hall, 1 Carlton B Goodlett Place

INFORMATION:
http://www.poemdome.com

DETAILS:
Join Diamond Dave Whitaker, Charlie Getter, and E.K. Keith as they host  
the very first poetry reading at City Hall! Come read a poem, or say  
one of your own. Or just listen to some great poetry.

The sponsors include the Mayor's office, the San Francisco Board of  
Supervisors, the San Francisco Public Library, the City Lights  
Bookstore, Poetry Flash, and the Beat Museum.

Read your
favorite
poem or
one of
your own
under the
Dome!

---------

4/29-30: Volunteer for Aimee Allison, Green candidate for Oakland's  
City Council

WHEN:
Saturday, April 29
11:00AM-4:00PM

WHERE:
3208 Grand Ave, Oakland, next to the Grand Lake Theater
*Car free Directions to the office: Take BART to 19th St, Walk/bike to  
the left around the lake. Pass Fairyland, and then a few blocks of  
storefronts along Grand Ave till you see the Grand Lake Theater sign.  
Follow Grand Ave to the theater, 3208 is two doors down.

RSVP:
510-277-0182
Please confirm you can join us.

INFORMATION:
www.aimeeallison.org

DETAILS:
Join Aimee Allison, candidate for Oakland City Council, on April 29-30,  
as we walk the neighborhoods to promote Aimee's candidacy to thousands  
of voters! This is a grassroots campaign effort, so we need as many  
volunteers as possible to get the word out about Aimee.

---------

4/30: Come Hear Juan Melendez, Exoneree from Death Row

WHEN:
Sunday, April 30
12:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, 1259 Victoria Street, Costa  
Mesa, California

INFORMATION:
http://www.voicesunited4justice.com/index.htm

DETAILS:
Juan Melendez will share his inspirational story of survival on death  
row. As a young man, he migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico,  
in search of a better life, and the "American dream." Instead, he lived  
the American "nightmare" as an innocent man who spent almost eighteen  
years on Florida's death row. But through his faith, the unwavering  
support of his mother, and the compassion of his fellow death row  
inmates who taught him to speak, read and write English, he survived.

Sadly, Mr. Melendez's story is far from unique. Since his release from  
death row on January 3, 2002, he became the 99th death row inmate in  
the country to be released on the basis of innocence since 1973. Ever  
since his release, without hatred or bitterness, he has been sharing  
his remarkable story with thousands of people throughout the country  
and abroad. Although his story highlights the many problems of the  
death penalty system (such as its high risk and inevitability of being  
imposed on innocent people, its unfairness on the basis of race and  
socio-economic status, and its exorbitant economic costs) it is also a  
multi-dimensional story that educates, energizes and inspires at  
multi-dimensional levels and profoundly impacts people all across the  
political spectrum.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to meet Mr. Melendez and hear his  
first-hand account of survival on death row!

---------

4/30: Rapture Interruptus Revival in San Francisco!

WHEN:
Sunday, April 30
8:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Victoria Theatre, San Francisco

INFORMATION:
http://revbilly.com/events

CONTACT:
Michael O'Neil
michael at revbilly.com

DETAILS:
Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping, performance activists  
from New York City showing the impact of globalization and  
commodification on society, human rights and the imagination, are  
having a revival and you are invited!

The revival service includes a 5-piece band and a diverse voice choir.

The fundamentalist plan – "The Rapture" – is now in progress. People  
are disappearing into SUV's, idling between super malls. They believe,  
though, with the Playstations in their dashboards, that their Ford  
Expeditions are climbing straight up cliffs and jumping fjords and  
running with wolves. That's Heaven's final ad campaign: Consumers on  
pixilated interstates up Mount Everest. Those of us left behind will  
die in the Hell and rising Floods of the over-heating planet.

Children, welcome to the The Rapture Interruptus Revival - we shall hit  
the Rapture right where it hurts. We shall slam the Rapture into
Reverse. We shall sing "Stop Shopping" between the consumer and the car  
– catching them in the Parking Lot Of No Return. We plan a new kind of  
performance art, a curving choreography designed for on-ramps.  
Exorcisms of Bad Traffic are now being taught in 24 hour all-night  
shifts at the Slow Consuming School of Divinity…

---------

5/1: Immigrant Rally and International Workers Day

WHEN and WHERE:
Monday, May 1

8:30am - Montgomery & Market (Montgomery BART)
11:00am - Embarcadero (Embarcadero BART)
3:00pm - San Francisco Civic Center (Civic Center BART)
5:00pm - Federal Building (450 Golden Gate)

INFORMATION:
maydayinthebay.dyndns.org

DETAILS:
El Gran Paro, San Francisco
No Work, No School, No Selling, No Buying!
Towards a World Without Borders, where No One is "Illegal".

Come prepared with pots and spoons to bang together (CACEROLAZO),  
energy and creativity to drown out business in San Francisco! Wear  
white and look for the flags with a pot and spoon on them.

We Demand:

* Full, unconditional and immediate "amnesty" for all immigrants.
* Free movement for all people.
* Freedom for all ICE detainees and the abolition of detention centers.
* De-militarization of the US-Mexico border.
* The repeal of NAFTA and all neoliberal trade agreements which create  
economic conditions leading to the displacement of people.

We Pledge:
* Active resistance until we are all free to move!
* Active resistance against all attacks on immigrants, deportations and  
detentions!

We Believe:
The increasing militarization along the US-Mexico border -- by now a  
veritable war zone -- serves as a brutal reminder that all borders  
operate as integral and deliberate parts of exploitative economic  
systems, inseparable from capitalism and neoliberal globalization. The  
US-Mexico border, and all other borders between nation-states and  
governments, are reproduced in our minds and throughout society,  
serving to enforce and legitimize the boundaries, disparities, and  
exploitative relationships between people. The demand for full amnesty  
and free movement of people, therefore, aims at justice for immigrants  
at the same time as it aspires to a world free from all such  
destructive divisions.

---------

5/2: Rally Against Lethal Injection

WHEN:
Tuesday, May 2
11:30AM

WHERE:
Federal Courthouse on the corner of 2nd Street near the corner of San  
Carlos Street in San Jose.
The street address is: 280 South 1st Street - San Jose, CA 95113

DETAILS:
Federal Judge Jeremy Fogel will hold a hearing on the issue of lethal  
injection.

The Stop Executions California Coalition will be holding a press  
conference and rally to declare that all executions are cruel and  
unusual, no matter how they are carried out.

If you want a ride or can give a ride, email  
stopexecutionscalifornia at yahoogroups.com

---------

5/2: Housing and Land Use Working Group

WHEN:
Tuesday, May 2
7:00PM

WHERE:
San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and  
7th St.), San Francisco

DETAILS:
This is a working group meeing to help develop a Housing and Land Use  
platform for the San Francisco Green Party.  Join an informal meeting  
to discuss topics to include in the SF Green Party housing and land use  
platform, propose draft submisisons, and debate the relative merits of  
SFGP Housing and Land Use policy positions.

---------

5/4: Feminist Issues Group

WHEN:
Thursday, May 4
6:30PM-8:30PM

WHERE:
Wild Awakenings, 142 McAllister, San Francisco

DETAILS:
Feminist Issues Group meets the first thursday of every month.  In  
addition to lively discussions about pertinent issues, we are planning  
several unique events in the coming months.  Everyone welcome.

---------

5/4: Matt Gonzalez Fundraiser for Aimee Allison

WHEN:
Thursday, May 4
6:00PM-8:00PM

WHERE:
Gonzalez & Leigh, 2 Shaw Alley, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105;  
between 1st and 2nd Streets off Mission. 
(415) 512-2000

INFORMATION:
www.aimeealllison.org  or call (510) 277-0182

DETAILS:
Join Matt Gonzalez, Whitney Leigh, Rita Hao, Nima Nami, Enrique Pearce  
& Bryan Vereschagin (Gonzalez & Leigh LLP) at a fundraiser for Aimee  
Allison, Green Party candidate for Oakland City Council at the office.  
 

We hope you can make it.

---------

5/10: Green Party County Council meeting

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 10
7:30PM to 9:30PM

WHERE:
San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and  
7th St.), San Francisco

DETAILS:
This is our monthly County Council meeting. We plan the General  
Membership agenda, review finances and make business decisions for the  
party. All are welcome, but the GM is more interesting for new  
activists to attend.

---------

5/12: SKELETON KEY: Art Auction for the West Memphis Three, with Damien  
Echols' Art. With Matt Gonzalez, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, and  
Others

WHEN:
Friday, May 12
Gallery showing: 12 Noon
Reception: 6:00PM to 2:00AM

WHERE:
111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna (Between New Montgomery & 2nd Streets) ,  
San Francisco

TICKETS:
Advanced tickets will be available via TicketWeb (www.ticketweb.com)  
You can search "111 Minna" or "Skeleton Key" for the listing of this  
event.

ADMISSION TO RECEPTION:
$15 minimum donation

CONTACT:
415-974-1719

INFORMATION:
http://www.skeletonkeyart.com/

DETAILS:
Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, Jonathan Richman, Matt Gonzalez, Penelope  
Houston and Jacob Pitts will be speaking and reading Damien Echols'  
poetry.

Michale Graves and Jacob Pitts will be providing acoustic sets.

Posters by Firehouse Kustom Rockart will be available for purchase at  
the reception.

DJs: Justin McNeal and Marco Vega

---------

5/15: Krissy Keefer for Congress

WHEN:
Monday, May 15
7:00PM-9:30PM

WHERE:
Cafe La Boheme, 24th Street at Mission, San Francisco

DETAILS:
Join radical dancer and political activist Krissy Keefer, Green Party  
candidate for the 8th Congressional District, at La Boheme Cafe, 3318  
24th Street near Mission, from 7 to 9 p.m.  Krissy will be joined by  
singer/songwriter Holly Near, former Green Party Senate candidate  
Barbara Blong, Green Party Planning Commissioner Cristina Olague and  
more ...

Contact info at krissyforcongress.com for more information.

Contact Sue Vaughan at (415) 668-3119 if you are interested in helping  
or have talent to offer.

---------

5/17: Green Party General Membership Meeting

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 17
7:30PM-9:30PM

WHERE:
San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and  
7th St.), San Francisco

DETAILS:
Join radical dancer and political activist Krissy Keefer, Green Party  
candidate for the 8th Congressional District, at La Boheme Cafe, 3318  
24th Street near Mission, from 7 to 9 This is our monthy General  
Membership meeting where we make decisions and discussions about the  
party's direction, strategies, activities and endorsemenets. All are  
welcome to attend. To suggest an agenda item, send it to the County  
Council at: cc at sfgreens.org

---------

5/24: Something Fun at the Green Party Forum!!!  Join the medley of  
politics and performance

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 24
7:00PM-2:00AM

WHERE:
Studio Z, 314 11th Street @ Folsom, San Francisco

CONTACT:
(415) 252-7666
www.StudioZ.tv

ADMISSION:
$5 to $500 Must be 21+, with ID No one turned away for lack of funds

DETAILS:
Join the medley of politics and performance with:  Barry Hermanson  
(candidate for 12th Assembly district), Forrest Hill (candidate for  
Secretary of State), Ross Mirkarimi (Supervisor, District 5), Mehul  
Thakker (candidate for state treasurer), Medea Benjamin (Global  
Exchange), Laura Wells (candidate for state controller), Diamond Dave  
Whitaker (San Francisco icon of poetry and Greenism ...), Ubidube  
Whitaker (Rocker and son of icon ...), Mike Wyman (candidate for state  
Attorney General), Go Van Gogh (Indy rock band), Garrin Benfield (Indy  
soloist)  And more...(see  
http://www.sfgreenparty.org/events/events-itemfromhome.gem?idx=1521)

==============================

ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTION ALERTS:

Calling White Activists to Support Immigrant Justice!

In the past month, five million people, mostly immigrants of color,  
have mobilized for justice and are making history, flooding the streets  
in unprecedented numbers. Meanwhile, the most visible participation by  
white people is coming from the racist and right-wing leaders who are  
defining and dominating the debate in the Federal government and in the  
news, radio and opinion pages. Where are the voices of anti-racist  
white people in this crucial moment, when the worst anti-immigrant  
legislation in decades is still poised to drop?

We, white people who believe in justice and ending racism, have a  
responsibility and a historic opportunity to stand with immigrant  
communities and unite behind their demands. As white people, most of us  
with U.S. citizenship, we call out to our white communities to take to  
the streets for immigrant rights.We must demonstrate that the rightwing  
racists, from the Minutemen to in the Congress, do not represent us!

Two Bay Area-based white anti-racist organizations, Catalyst Project  
and the Heads Up Collective (a member organization of the Deporten a La  
Migra  Coalition primarily composed of organizations based in  
working-class immigrant communities), ask you to act in solidarity with  
the principles generated by the Deporten a La Migra  Coalition,  
Immigrants Fighting For Our Rights. They are:

. The land is for those who work it!
. No more displacement
. The border is hypocritical
. Unity makes us strong
. Demand dignity and equality for all immigrants
. In every neighborhood, organize!

Full text can be found at  
http://www.liberationink.com/revised/navigator.php?s=2&a=deporten

If you agree with all these principles, please sign the petition at  
http://www.petitiononline.com/mayday06/petition.htm

In struggle,
Catalyst Project and the Heads Up Collective
immigrantjusticesolidarity at gmail.com

Endorsed by:
Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez, Institute for Multiracial Justice
Maria Poblet, St Peters Housing Committee
Eric Mar
Eunice Cho
Sheila Chung, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition
Renee Saucedo, Day Labor Program/La Raza Centro Legal
Kali Akuno, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
(organizations for identification purposes only)

---------

Co-Chair Needed for GROW Working Group

Micheas Herman of the GROW Working Group (tabling and voter  
registration) is seeking a new co-chair.  Contact Micheas Herman at ...  
or the County Council at cc at sfgreens.org for more information.

==============================

IN EVERY ISSUE:

Take Action!

Find out about opportunities to help our elected Greens (writing  
letters, attending hearings, etc) -- subscribe to the SF Green Party  
Action list! The Action list is a low-traffic list (approximately one  
message per week in addition to our newsletter) telling you what you  
can do to help:   
https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/action

---------

Earn A Living Making San Francisco A More Green and Progressive City!

Two years ago, former organizers for the Matt Gonzalez for Mayor
campaign decided it was time to stop getting 'close but not close
enough' to progressive victories like public power and Matt as Mayor,
and to begin a city wide, year round, grassroots campaign that would  
start helping us win such victories!

So in January 2004, the organization Our City was born. Since then we
have helped to:

- Pass the ban on old polluting diesel buses
- Pass Matt Gonzalez's anti chain store law
- Get the downtown hotel workers back on the job, and
- Get the Police and Planning Commissions put back on SF Government TV
after the City tried to pull them off.

Now we are campaigning to get rid of PG&E's monopoly on our electricity
service, and start running the City on renewable energy like solar and
wind power instead!

We have just begun hiring and training new grassroots campaigners to
help us win this fight.
No experience necessary.
Earn $280 to $400 each four day work week learning to be a strong
progressive organizer.
To apply, call Eric at 415-756-8844 from noon to 2pm any weekday, or
send an email to jobs at our-city.org

For more information, see our web site at http://our-city.org

---------

Become a Green Party Sustainer!

As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining  
donors -- 175 and growing.  In the next 12 months we hope to double  
that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make  
a regular contribution to the Green Party.

Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating  
expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically
reduces the amount of work needed to raise money.  Our sustainers free  
us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through  
the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep  
our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including  
the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative.

Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure!

For more information, see  
http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html

************************************************************

For more info on our activities, please see our website,
http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at
info at sfgreens.org.  To send us news items (short blurb please, plain
text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email
news at sfgreens.org.  Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists;
messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through.




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