New Haven Peace Commission, New HOPE Housing Program, Newhallville Neighborhood to Celebrate International Day of Peace

by City of New Haven Peace Commission

In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly declared September 21 as the International Day of Peace. The Assembly established it as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

To bring attention to the importance of this day, the City of New Haven Peace Commission for more than a decade has planted a tree on the grounds of a city school, library, or public space. This year, the New Haven Peace Commission, New HOPE Housing Program, and Newhallville neighborhood will join together with the international community to recognize the International Day of Peace by co-hosting a program at the new home of HOPE, 660 Winchester Avenue, New Haven.

The program has been planned jointly by Newhallville neighborhood organizations, Alder Devin Avshalom-Smith, Peace Commission members, Rev. Bonita Grubbs and staff of Christian Community Action, and new residents of HOPE. [The date of the program was not chosen before our newsletter went to print. The event will be during the week of Sept. 18. Contact the City of New Haven Peace Commission at nhpeacecommission@gmail.com.]

During the program, a permanent memorial to recognize International Day of Peace will be installed on the grounds of HOPE, near a specially-chosen tree, provided and planted by URI (Urban Resources Initiative) and the placement of a plaque nearby to commemorate the day. The tree is planted to remember those killed by gun violence in our communities and in wars abroad and to affirm the commitment of New Haven as a Peace Messenger City, for action toward peace and justice everywhere.

2022 Theme: End racism. Build peace. From the United Nations website for 2022 International Day of Peace: https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace.

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.

Roe Reversal Protest Slams Supreme Court 

by Thomas Breen, New Haven Independent, June 24, 2022

Hundreds of abortion rights protesters filled the federal courthouse steps downtown to decry the U.S. Supreme Court’s “outrageous” and ​“unacceptable” overturning of Roe v. Wade.

That rally took place Friday afternoon [June 24] on the steps and sidewalk outside of 141 Church St. Organized by a coalition of social justice activists and faith leaders called the New Haven Reproductive Justice Mobilization, the protest slammed the top court’s 6 – 3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the 50-year-old precedent set in Roe that established a constitutional right to abortion.

Thomas Breen Photo

“The court has stripped away the freedom and agency of millions, especially Black, brown and indigenous women, girls, LGBT, and gender-nonconforming people,” said local immigrant rights activist Kica Matos, who emceed Friday’s protest. “The court has so brazenly chosen to set the clock back in this, the 21st Century … This ruling is about power. It is about control. And it is about taking away our freedoms. To this ruling, I say: ​‘Hell, no! We will not go back!’ ”

Read the entire article at newhavenindependent.org/article/roe_reversal_protest

The 18 minute video of the June 24 Reproductive Rights Rally is at https://youtu.be/bZ-OiIUa2BU

 

 

A Conversation with Dmitry Muratov, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, at SCSU, Sept. 9

Southern CT State University Calendar

Dmitry Muratov, an independent Russian journalist who covers Russian politics and policy and an open dissenter of the war in Ukraine, will be speaking at Southern Connecticut State University on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 at 7 p.m. in the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.

With U.S./Russian relations at their most contentious since the Cold War, Muratov’s visit is well-timed to deliver a unique insider perspective on the hostage situation involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and the escalating civil unrest in Russia, which most recently includes the raiding of anti-war protest journalist Marina Ovsyannikova’s home.

Upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Muratov released editions of his newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, in both Russia and Ukraine in defiance of the Russian media watchdog’s rules. The paper was forced to suspend publication in March amid repression of critics of the offensive in Ukraine, and in July was set to be stripped of its license under court order.

Seven Novaya Gazeta journalists have been murdered since 2000, in connection with their investigations.

Muratov has established himself as a highly regarded advocate for an independent press and is well-known for investigating abuses of power. He was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” In June 2022, Muratov auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize for $103.5 million, with all money going to benefit Ukrainian refugees.

Muratov is the co-founder of Novaya Gazeta, established in 1993, and served as its editor-in-chief from 1995 to 2017, and once again in 2019. Muratov was the recipient of various honors, including the International Press Freedom Award in 2007 from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Sponsored by SCSU Integrated Communications & Marketing, the Judaic Studies Program, and the departments of Political Science, History, Journalism, and English.

Tickets: https://tickets.southernct.edu/eventperformances.asp?evt=914

Friends of Kensington Playground Updates

by Jane Comins, FKP

Neighborhood Cookout: We hosted a fun neighborhood cookout in August to celebrate the opening of the splash pad and the 5 new, colorful trash receptacles painted by artists at Fellowship Place. Free food, refreshments, and games were enjoyed by 60 people on a hot summer August afternoon.

Splash Pad is Working! Kensington Playground’s splash pad has been fixed and is working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily! We’d like to thank Mayor Elicker and the New Haven Parks Department for repairing the splash pad and cleaning the clogged drain pipe. Kensington Playground, with the working splash pad and grove of mature trees, is now the coolest spot in the Dwight neighborhood and the perfect place for kids and their families in the summer heat!

Lawsuit: Earlier this summer, the court struck down the City’s motion to dismiss our lawsuit, so our case continues.

Youth@Work Grant for Neighborhood Survey: We had 3 High School students from the Dwight Neighborhood working with us for 5 weeks this summer through the City of New Haven’s Youth@Work program. The students surveyed residents on parks, air quality, and human health. Their report on the outcomes of their survey will be available this fall.

501(c)(3) status: We are now a 501(c)(3), so all donations are tax-deductible retroactively to 2020. Please reach out to us if you need an updated receipt. We would like to thank UConn’s CT Urban Legal Initiative for assisting us with our application.

Fundraising: We hope that you will make a donation to legal costs now to keep our work moving forward, as we expect another legal bill soon. All donations will be used towards legal expenses unless you specify that your donation is to be used for an event.

Learn More. Get Involved. Donate: We remain hopeful that our efforts will result in the city reclaiming/saving this valuable and irreplaceable neighborhood greenspace. Please visit our website to get involved, sign our petition, and donate toward our lawsuit to save Kensington Playground at: KensingtonPlayground.org.

The Peace Garden Is Blooming!

by Frank Panzarella, volunteer at the Peace Garden

Great progress is being made in the West River neighborhood of New Haven in restoring the Peace Garden. Gladiolas, Echinacea, roses, butterfly flowers, flowering bushes, milkweed and more now adorn the site and new mulch is currently being spread to keep down the stubborn weeds.

All this requires many volunteers to weed, water and distribute the mulch. The Peace Garden sits at a gateway crossroad for New Haven and will be adjacent to a new housing construction project in the West River neighborhood.

Our thanks to members of the Peace Commission, URI, the West River Watershed Coalition, and residents of the West River neighborhood for their ongoing work at the garden.

We want to see this garden become a jewel in the revival of New Haven attractions and a portrait of our values in promoting world peace and peace within our own city. We are currently looking for ideas from the community as to what they would like to see in improving the layout of the garden.

Included in this garden is a significant donation from the City of Hiroshima: a Ginkgo tree taken from a cutting of a tree that survived the destruction of Hiroshima — a symbol of the tenacity of life.

We need your help to restore the beauty of this garden. Please come and volunteer to work. We meet every Friday from 9:30 to noon. The garden is located at the end of the Route 34 connector between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Legion Avenue, where they meet Ella Grasso Boulevard. For more information call 203-562-2798 or email frankpanzarella@hotmail.com.

New Haven Hiroshima/Nagasaki commemorations; Averting a far worse repeat.

You are invited to participate in this year’s annual New Haven commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

  • Saturday Aug. 6, 8AM, New Haven Green Flagpole; and
  • Tuesday Aug. 9, 10:45AM, Amistad Statue next to City Hall 165 Church St.

Please see attached flier.

Sadako Sasaki (Sasaki Sadako, January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl who became a victim of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. She was two years of age when the bombs were dropped and was severely irradiated. She survived for another ten years, becoming one of the most widely known hibakusha—a Japanese term meaning “bomb-affected person”. She is remembered through the story of the more than one thousand origami cranes she folded before her death. She died at the age of 12 in October 1955. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_Sasaki)

A terrible, grave danger today comes with the bloody war in Ukraine with the two nuclear-weapons superpowers, Russia and the USA, on opposite sides of the conflict, which could escalate into the use of nuclear weapons. The US government and the US media are ignoring the real potential that the longer this conflict continues, the greater the possibility that such weapons will be used.

Let us warn our elected officials in Washington to take actions to stop this war, insist on urgent, honest negotiations for peace.

In Wake Of Cox Case, Looney Vows To Reintroduce Medical-Aid Bill; March is Planned

by Paul Bass, New Haven Independent

After what happened to Richard ​“Randy” Cox, New Haven State Sen. Martin Looney said, he has new evidence to support passage of a state law requiring ​“immediate emergency medical services to an individual who experiences a health emergency” while in police custody.

Looney, the State Senate’s president pro tempore, proposed such a law in this year’s legislative session: Senate Bill 445, An Act Concerning the Provision of Emergency Medical Services to an Individual Who Is in the Custody or Control of a Peace Officer.

The Senate passed the bill 34 – 0 on April 26.

But it never made it to the floor of the state House of Representatives. So the bill died. It didn’t become law.

Then, on June 19, Richard Cox’s head slammed against the wall of a police conveyance van when the driver slammed on the brakes. He injured his neck and back; he couldn’t move. Rather than get him immediate attention, the cops brought the 36-year-old New Haven man to the lock-up, ordered him to stand, accused him of lying about his injuries, placed him in a wheelchair, then dragged him on the floor to a cell, before an ambulance crew took him to the hospital.

Read more here: In Wake Of Cox Case, Looney Vows To Reintroduce Medical-Aid Bill 

When the Supreme Court decides, we’ll rally for reproductive justice and LGBTQ Freedom

The day is fast approaching when the Supreme Court will make a decision that could ban abortion in over half of the country and take away LGBTQ+ rights as well.

New Haven Reproductive Justice Mobilization is a coalition of people-powered organizations and individuals who are protesting and raising our voices in New Haven, CT since the Supreme Court leak. We can’t sit back and wait for politicians and lawyers to change things. It takes all of us, women, LGBTQ+ people, workers, feminists, immigrants, and all kinds of people to build our power and tell our stories. Join the national day of action on the Day of Decision. In New Haven, we will occupy the steps of the Federal Courthouse from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

There is no way to predict when the Day of Decisions will occur. Sign up to get a text message alert on the day of the ruling! (You can unsubscribe at any time. We will send occasional emails & texts about related protests and meetings.)

Too Much Pavement at Tweed = Flooding, Pollution, Wildlife Disruption

by Kathy Czepiel, Communications Specialist, Save the Sound

The proposed Tweed-New Haven Airport expansion must undergo a thorough environmental review process, Save the Sound’s legal team asserted in an April 18 letter to the New England Region office of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While the airport authority has stated its intention to do an Environmental Assessment (EA), we urged the FAA to demand a more rigorous Environmental Impact Statement, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Floodplain and resilience problems related to stormwater flooding and sea-level rise at this vulnerable location are a major concern, especially because the airport’s EA fails to include the impacts of a taxiway expansion that will inevitably be built. Increasing the airport’s footprint could also significantly affect inland and tidal wetlands, local and migratory wildlife habitat and water quality.

An annual community meeting with local officials and the airport authority is scheduled for June 9 at 6 p.m. at the Nathan Hale School cafeteria, 480 Townsend Ave., New Haven.

Come and ask your questions about the proposed expansion and its impact on the environment and human health.

Save the Sound, 900 Chapel St., Suite 2202
New Haven, CT 06510.
phone: 203-787-0646

For more information on Tweed efforts, visit www.10000Hawks.org.

Connecticut to Join Poor Peoples March on Washington June 18

by New Haven Peoples Center

Preparations are underway in Connecticut to join thousands of people from across the country at the June 18, 2022 Mass Poor Peoples and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly “March on Washington DC and to the Polls,” led by Rev. Dr. William Barber.

“There are 140 million poor and low-income people in this country,” says Barber. “If we unite together, we have the power to overturn the interlocking injustices that keep us all struggling,” including systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the false moral narrative of religious nationalism.

The New Haven Peoples Center is organizing a charter bus to attend the march in the nation’s capitol. Participants will represent the struggles unfolding in Connecticut since the pandemic demanding racial and economic equality and the rights of essential workers and all workers.

“There are abundant resources to meet our needs, and we march to summon the political will to do so,” says the call to the march referring to rising billionaire wealth and the bloated military budget.

In this session of the Connecticut General Assembly, the Recovery for All coalition and many unions and community and faith groups organized for pandemic pay, work scheduling and other measures to improve conditions for low-wage workers. This week a bill prohibiting employers from requiring attendance at anti-union “captive audience” meetings was signed into law, making it easier for workers who want union representation to organize.

The march on Washington will launch a mass mobilization to register voters and get out the vote this year in response to increased voter suppression efforts across the country.

Organizational partners for the march include over 200 union, faith, peace and environmental justice groups.

March organizers say that the assembly “will be a generationally transformative declaration of the power of poor and low-wealth people and our moral allies to say that this system is killing ALL of us and we can’t…we won’t…WE REFUSE TO BE SILENT ANYMORE.”

The Peoples Center has issued an invitation to young people and everyone to participate in what promises to be an inspiring and historic experience that will boost ongoing organizing in Connecticut.

Bus reservations can be made by filling out this electronic form: https://forms.gle/ZVuHK5fjWSb3KHFG8 or leaving a phone message at 203-624-8664.

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