The Progressive Action Roundtable mission is to inform the greater New Haven community about the activities of many progressive groups, so that people may learn about them and become involved in discussions and actions on issues for the common good, such as peace, health, racial equity, justice, clean energy and the environment.
The Progressive Action Roundtable newsletter does not publish in July or August. If your organization has events planned for the summer, send the information by May 18 to parnewhaven@hotmail.com so that we may include the events in our summer calendar listings. Thank you!
by Stanley Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee
On Sunday, March 1, groups will honor Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been in Israeli custody since Dec. 2024, and who has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The event will take place at the Palestine Museum US, 1764 Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge, starting at 3 p.m.
The main speaker at the event will be Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle, one of the co-founders of Doctors Against Genocide. Also speaking will be Rabbi Abby Chava Stein. Stein is an active member of the rabbinical group T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the abducted director of the now forcibly-closed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been imprisoned by Israel for near 14 months. He has not been formally charged with anything, no evidence of wrongdoing has been advanced, but it is claimed he is an “unlawful combatant.”
Dr. Abu Safiya was nominated by Dr. Carol Gray, Assistant Professor of Public Law, Department of Political Science at the University of Fairbanks in Alaska. Dr. Gray noted that “Choosing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya would spotlight the horrific genocide in Gaza as well as the incredible courage of the Palestinian people who have endured so much. It might also save his life.”
For more information and for tickets: https://pmu.betterworld.org/events/abu-safiya. Other contact info: see FreeDrAbuSafiya.org, phone 203-444-3578, or email mail@thestruggle.org.
Get your taxes done for free at the New Haven Free Public Library. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are available at all five library locations this year. Make an appointment for help at one of our four neighborhood branches or drop in for help at Ives Library, 133 Elm Street, during their walk-in hours. For more information, visit https://nhfpl.org/vita-2026.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 350 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798.
The next issue is our March issue.
Let us know what your group has planned!
Subscription: $13 for 10 issues, check payable to PAR, 608 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511
Get your taxes done for free at the New Haven Free Public Library! Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are available at all five library locations this year. Make an appointment for help at one of our four neighborhood branches or drop in for help at Ives Library, 133 Elm St., during their walk-in hours. For more information, visit https://nhfpl.org/taxhelp2026.
The City has now secured additional funding from the state to create a new warming center space at the existing 645 Grand Ave. shelter.
To find shelters and warming centers in Connecticut, call 211. In New Haven, there is also a list at bit.ly/4pcAbLV. More information is at newhavenct.gov/homeless.
We ask our readers to print out the list and have copies on hand to give to people in need of a warm, safe place.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 350 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798. The next issue is our February issue. Let us know what your group has planned!
Subscription: $13 for 10 issues, check payable to
PAR
608 Whitney Ave.
New Haven, CT 06511
by Yale Peabody Museum
Monday, January 19
Noon – 4:00 p.m. Festival / Family Day
4 – 7 p.m. Community Poetry and Poetry Slam
MLK Celebration | Yale Peabody Museum
170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven
Join over a dozen community organizations as they gather at the Yale Peabody Museum to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, offering knowledge about food, educational, racial, and environmental justice. Set against the wonder of the museum, students from the New Haven Public Schools will share music and dance. Immerse yourself in what the New Haven community offers at the Yale Peabody Museum!
The Peabody will host the Z Experience Poetry Slam in our Central Gallery from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Hosted by Croilot Adames Semexant, this long-running spoken word event attracts a large and supportive crowd every year, and will wrap up the day’s events of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Celebration. Admission to the slam is free and suggested for adults.
This event is preceded by a Community Poetry Open Mic session, hosted by Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, in David Friend Hall at 4:00 p.m.
Community Poetry Open Mic
Hosted by Frederick-Douglass Knowles II
4 p.m.
Invitational Poetry Slam
Hosted by Croilot Adames Semexant
5 – 7 p.m.
Slam Teams:
Charm City Slam (Maryland)
Fruity Fudge (Rhode Island)
New Word Order (Massachusetts)
Slamherst (Massachusetts)
Verbal Slap (Connecticut)
Thomas Breen, Dec. 19, 2025, New Haven Independent
A 65-year-old homeless man died after police said he spent the night on a bench on the Green last week as temperatures dipped below freezing.
On that very same night, the Elicker administration opened a third temporary warming center after New Haven’s other two reached capacity. The city has subsequently created space for 35 more people to get out of the cold at an existing Grand Avenue shelter.
City police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart told the Independent that a 65-year-old man named Abdulah Kanchero was picked up by an ambulance on the Green at around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 12. He was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Bruckhart and the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) told the Independent on Friday that the cause and manner of Kanchero’s death are still under investigation.
Kanchero was originally from Ethiopia. His last known address was the 645 Grand Ave. homeless shelter.
Bruckhart said surveillance video showed that Kanchero originally sat down on a bench near Chapel Street and Temple Street on the Green at around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11.
It was cold that night, Bruckhart said. Kanchero was by himself.
Warming Centers Reach Capacity; Grand Shelter Expanded
On the same night that Kanchero spent on a bench on the Green, the city’s two warming centers — at Varick church on Dixwell Avenue and the 180 Center on East Street — were filled to capacity.
[To read the article in its entirety, please go to bit.ly/48TS90E.]
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The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease.
The New Haven walk will take place on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Lighthouse Point Park, 2 Lighthouse Road in New Haven. There is the option of a one- or two-mile walk.
The event opens at 9 a.m., followed by a ceremony at 10 a.m. Paula and Frank Panzarella, PAR Planning Committee members, will be in the walk, which begins at 10:30 a.m. You can register to join their team and walk with them or make a donation at bit.ly/3VfxtIN.
Info: Caroline Kachmar, 860-362-0936, ckachmar@alz.org.
It’s summer, which means it’s the time for Progressive Action Roundtable readers and supporters to gather together for food, music, fellowship and fun.
See old friends and make new ones from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, July 19, 2025, at the Edgerton Park Carriage House. Offerings for the potluck are welcome.
Please RSVP at parnewhaven@hotmail.com or by calling 203-887-4778.
Thank you and we hope to see you there!
Apply for funding for community projects in New Haven, Hamden, Woodbridge and East Haven that will improve our quality of life through environmental and sustainability initiatives.
Visit www.gnhgreenfund.org for details, or email info@gnhgreenfund.org with any questions. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2025. Grant awards are for amounts up to $10,000. Microgrants and sponsorships throughout the year are available for up to $1,000.
by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Connecticut
We want to hear from you. The Trump administration’s agenda promises a significant blow to civil rights and liberties in Connecticut and nationwide. The ACLU has a plan. We are prepared to meet this moment. Join us for a Town Hall event to hear from our team and to be heard.
The ACLU of Connecticut invites you to attend one of these free, public events we are hosting across the state. Hear from expert legal, policy, and communications staff who are ready to answer questions about the implications of a new administration for the civil liberties you care about most:
Join us from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven to learn more about the ACLU’s plan to address threats and opportunities, ask questions, and learn about how you can help. RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/3aeasenz For other CT meetings, see https://www.acluct.org/en/townhalls or call 860-523-9146.
