Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide Film to Premier Early in 2025: Venues Needed for Showings

Joan Cavanagh, Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide

Thanks to those who have contributed funds, ideas, and/or moral support, the Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide (PAMAS) film about the social and humanitarian dangers of legalization of medical assisted suicide is on target for completion by the end of the year. On Sept. 16, four interviews were filmed, each powerful in its own way. We are looking forward to a second group on Nov. 12. We are working on background content, and our filmmaker will complete a “first draft edit” late in November which we will review for a final edit. Then, American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be synced in for the completed version.

2025 arrives soon, bringing a new CT legislative session. A new MAS bill will likely be introduced into a committee that proponents have publicly promised to stack with supporters. So, it’s prime time for public discussions about the general issue. We are seeking venues in which to show the film and host discussions following it. We’re approaching libraries, medical schools, colleges and universities, law schools and any other venues in Connecticut that we can think of.

This is more than just asking for a room to rent. We are looking for locations that will do publicity through their own networks and lend a hand with technical issues. If you have or can make relevant contacts in the greater New Haven area or elsewhere, let us know.

We are also pleased to share the film with people in Connecticut (or in other states) for showings. The issue of medical-assisted suicide is a national (and international) problem. Many states will have legislation pending next year and in the future. Our film will not be specific to any particular state or piece of legislation, so it should be relevant for all areas and for several years at least. It will be available on our website or via a YouTube link for people to watch individually, but the beauty of showing the movie quality version to a group is to allow for subsequent discussion and remarks. The film itself will be about 15-20 minutes long.

Please contact us at progressivesagainstmas@hotmail.com.

Keep the Pressure Up to Stop Fracked Gas Expansion in Connecticut

by Samantha Dynowski, Director of Sierra Club CT

During the last week of September Sierra Club of Connecticut organized two powerful events in opposition to the proposed expansion of fracked gas pipelines in the state. On Sept. 23, the researchers who completed a study on the health impacts of the fracked gas compressor station in Brookfield, CT, presented their findings at an event at the Brookfield Library. The corporations that own the compressor station want to double the size of the facility. One of the biggest concerns is that the town’s middle school is just 1900 feet away from the compressor station.

About 30 people attended the event including Marty Foncello, the State Representative for Brookfield, two of the town’s Selectmen, and the principal of the middle school. The researchers broke down the different emissions that come from the compressor station and how they impact people’s health. The event wrapped up with a discussion about how the community can fight the proposed expansion.

Then on Sept. 24, Sierra Club Connecticut organized a rally at the State House in Hartford calling on Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to reject all permits for the Enbridge company’s Project Maple pipeline expansion, and for the proposed compressor station expansion in Brookfield.

Over 50 people attended the midday rally. After hearing from some speakers, we marched to the Governor’s office and then to DEEP’s office and delivered a letter signed by over 30 elected and appointed officials in Connecticut calling on the Governor and DEEP to publicly oppose Project Maple and the Brookfield compressor station expansion.

TAKE ACTION! It’s urgent that we build on this momentum and keep the pressure up on Governor Lamont and DEEP. This is especially important for Brookfield – as DEEP is reviewing the final permit for the proposed compressor station expansion right now. Please take a few minutes to send a message to Governor Lamont and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes using this action page: https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0469700&id=701Po00000LgR69IAF.

You can also go a step further and call Lamont’s office (860-566-4840) and Katie Dykes’ office (860-424-3001) and urge them to oppose Project Maple and the Brookfield compressor station expansion. Every phone call and email matters!

‘Emma Jones Justice for Malik Corner’ OK’d

by Laura Glesby, Oct. 8, New Haven Independent

The corner where East Haven police officers chased, shot, and killed 21-year-old Malik Jones in 1997 will not be called “Malik Jones Corner” after all.

Instead, the Board of Alders decided to name that inter-section after Jones’s mother, Emma, and the campaign for police accountability she has carried forth after his death…. On Monday, Oct. 7, the full Board of Alders unanimously voted to amend the proposed corner name to “Emma Jones Justice For Malik Corner,” an edit proposed by Fair Haven Alder Frank Redente.

Redente … elaborated after the meeting that he heard passionate feedback from constituents about the corner-naming proposal in recent weeks.

Some opponents of the proposed corner name took issue with Malik’s criminal record… the input that primarily spurred his amendment Monday night was “more that Emma was being left out.” Emma Jones’s activism around the memory of her son led to the creation of New Haven’s Civilian Review Board to review complaints of police misconduct, a board on which Redente now serves…

As he introduced the amendment during Monday’s meeting at City Hall, Redente explained that the name “Emma Jones Justice for Malik Corner” would “shift away from the personal connection and toward justice.”

…[All] the alders present voted in favor of this name change.

The activists who had first submitted the corner name shuffled out of the room after the vote. [Norman] Clement immediately called Jones to update her…

“I think it’s important to have Malik’s name there because of what happened to him, and I never want people to forget,” Jones said. She praised how the new version puts her own name alongside Malik’s and “gives it a greater meaning.”

“It’s a great honor,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be honored. But I’m delighted that people thought enough of me to remember all of the work that I did do.”

She hopes it will speak to the terror that so many mothers of Black sons have felt and still feel — “your son goes out to the store to get a loaf of bread, and you’re terrified because you don’t know whether he’s coming back.”

“I will never forget what that officer did to my son,” she said. Now, neither will the street.

Article can be read in its entirety at https://tinyurl.com/kp997bb7.

Thanksgiving Volunteers Needed

The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen is in partnership with many organizations in New Haven to make sure EVERYONE is provided with a Thanksgiving meal.

Would you like to volunteer? Please go to deskct.org/tday where you can see the various volunteer shifts, tasks and locations. You can also email volunteer@deskct.org or phone (475) 238-6170.

Community Soup Kitchen Soup-A-Thon

Support the Community Soup Kitchen (CSK) of New Haven at the 2024 Soup-A-Thon on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 5-8 p.m. at 84 Broadway (wheelchair accessible). For over 45 years, CSK has been dedicated to feed the hungry, no matter the circumstances. With food insecurity on the rise, your support is more important than ever. To meet this growing demand, we’ve expanded our services, offering food distribution in additional neighborhoods and schools, as well as access to public showers, healthcare, clothing, and more. Your support will make a meaningful impact and allow us to continue this critical work. https://tinyurl.com/2u2wy4z4.

Request A Tree! It’s Free!

by Urban Resources Initiative

Urban Resources Initiative (URI) will plant a free tree in front of New Haven residences, businesses, and public schools. Both renters and owners can request a free tree for a New Haven property. Go to https://uri.yale.edu/request-tree-solicite-un-arbol or call 203-432-6189!

The trees are funded by the City of New Haven, Inflation Reduction Act and USDA Forest Service. This organization is an equal-opportunity employer.

The resident’s commitment entails watering the tree (or trees) planted and informing URI of any problems with the new tree. Each tree needs 25 gallons of water per week during the growing seasons (from bud-break to leaf-drop) for the first three years.

Exploring Options for Voting in Elections and Primaries

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont established a working group and tasked them with reviewing options and developing a comprehensive legislative proposal that could be presented to the Connecticut General Assembly to create a system of ranked-choice voting in Connecticut. Such a system would provide municipalities and political parties with the option of using ranked-choice voting in caucuses, conventions, primaries, and certain municipal elections.

Current state law does not enable the use of ranked-choice voting in any primaries or elections.
This working group consists of members representing various political affiliations. They have been asked to develop a final report of recommendations that could be presented to the legislature in time for consideration during the 2025 regular legislative session.

“Ranked-choice voting has been used with success in other states throughout the U.S. for many years, and there is a growing consensus in Connecticut that enacting this system here will benefit our voters. I want this multi-partisan working group to review how those systems operate, ascertain best practices, and collaboratively determine the best way that it can be implemented in Connecticut so that our municipalities and political parties have this option available to them.” — Governor Lamont

Marking One Full Year of Genocide and Escalating Violence Across the Region, New Haven Jews Call for the US to Stop Arming Israel

by Jewish Voice for Peace

During the Jewish High Holidays, 50 New Haven Jewish community members gathered for a public ritual action, mourning the dead, fighting for the living, and demanding that the U.S. stop arming Israel.
October 7, 2024 — …Today New Haven Jews and other community members gathered to perform a tashlich ritual action, casting off support for the Israeli military.

Dressed in traditional white, New Haven Jews and community members sang niggunim [Ashkenazi religious songs], read poetry by Mosab Abu Toha and Rabbi Brant Rosen, participated in a communal casting ritual, and called for the U.S. government to stop arming Israel. They carried a banner that said, “Mourn the dead, fight for the living. Stop Arming Israel.” The message was clear: we must turn our grief into action…

Every life taken in the past year — Palestinian, Lebanese, Israeli — every parent, child, grandchild that was killed in the past year was someone else’s entire world. At Jewish Voice for Peace our commitment to Palestinian liberation is grounded in our belief that every human must have the right to live in safety and freedom. The Jewish tradition teaches us that the preservation of life, pikuach nefesh, is the single most important commandment. For decades, the Israeli government has exploited and distorted our thousands-of-years-old Jewish tradition to justify the occupation, war crimes, and mass slaughter of a 76-year-old apartheid state…

The Israeli military has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, including more than 15,000 children. We know the numbers are likely much higher.

The U.S. government is actively enabling the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign… in direct violation of international laws…

The action concluded in a call to demand that Senator Chris Murphy vote yes on the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval introduced by his colleagues Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Senator Jeff Merkley. The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, which cite U.S. and international law, would block $20 billion in weapons to Israel approved by the Biden administration.

New Haven Encampment Coverage

by Jabez Choi, Oct. 17, New Haven Independent

[T]he Unhoused Activists Community Team’s (U-ACT) latest encampment… [was comprised of] 25 tents right behind the United Church on the Green in protest of encampment sweeps, as well as to advocate for an allotment of land for unhoused people to take refuge.

This encampment comes four months after the last one-night encampment on the Green at the end of June, in which U ACT set up some 20 tents in protest of the exact same conditions… Earlier in the night, before the encampment was erected, Mayor Justin Elicker attended the Hill South Community Management Team meeting… to discuss homelessness and open-air drug use. There, Elicker listed off the city’s recent attempts to address the homelessness issue with the opening of another shelter next month on 645 Grand Avenue. This comes after the city’s purchase and conversion of a 55-room hotel on Foxon Boulevard into a shelter, with rooms large enough to accommodate those with partners.

He also highlighted the efforts of the non-cop crisis response team COMPASS and a new outreach effort of navigators with the health department who will work with those in the community and offer them resources for those struggling with substance abuse.

Alongside UACT, the current encampment is a collaboration between CT Dissenters, Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven, Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project, Yale Endowment Justice Coalition, The People’s Clinic, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Rosette Neighborhood Village… [T]ents that had stood overnight on the Upper Green came down on Thursday morning… U ACT decided to tear down those tents as of 11 a.m. Thursday, with the intention of setting camp back up later in the day…

No arrests were made, though top cop Lt. Brendan Borer confirmed for the Independent that the tents had to go…

City homeless outreach workers were also on the scene, including city homelessness services director Velma George, who went tent by tent offering support — including referrals to nearby homeless shelters…

Thursday morning, city workers and unhoused activists argued about next steps. The former cited city ordinances

that barred tents from remaining on the Green, encouraging the campers to work with social workers and be sent off to shelters for the night. The latter aimed to stay until the city promised to allot a plot of land for unhoused individuals to remain without threat of arrest, alongside the end of encampment sweeps….

“We have now created a community here that is safe, where people are coming out from sleeping on the cement over at Union Station,” U ACT organizer Billy Bromage said. “Now they’re safe and together. And I don’t see what’s the problem.”

Read the articles in entirety at https://tinyurl.com/3946hrmv.

No Excuses! Absentee Voting Is on the Ballot this Year

by League of Women Voters of Connecticut

“Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?”

Connecticut voters will see the above question on their November 5 ballot. A “yes” vote supports authorizing our State Legislators to make absentee voting available to ALL eligible Connecticut voters for any reason. A “no” vote opposes any changes, keeping current language in the State Constitution that requires a voter to have a specific reason… to request an absentee ballot.

Currently, Connecticut voters can request an absentee ballot only if they cannot make it to the polls on election day for… active military service, absence from town of residence during voting hours, sickness, physical disability, religious beliefs precluding secular activity on election day, or performance of duties as an election official at a different polling place during voting hours.

Under the amendment, an absentee ballot would still be returned either in person or by mail to the voter’s city or town clerk’s office by the close of business the day before the election, or dropped in an official ballot drop-box before the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day…

Connecticut is behind… other states when it comes to access to absentee voting. It’s time to catch up! Connecticut’s restrictions on voting access are outdated – 28 states do not require a specific reason to vote absentee, including New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Eight states and the District of Columbia conduct their elections entirely by mail. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/yc5frjvw.

Celebrating James Baldwin with Kulturally LIT

The Elm City LIT Fest is now the Kulturally LIT Fest, back for their 5th annual celebration on Saturday, October 5th from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. In continuing with the #YearofBaldwin, this year’s LIT Fest will focus on the works of James Baldwin, as Kulturally LIT continues to commemorate his centennial year and look beyond.

Held on the ConnCat campus at 4 Science Park, the Kulturally LIT Fest: Baldwin Forever will be a vibrant celebration of the centennial year of James Baldwin, one of the most influential voices in Black literature. This day-long festival will immerse you in Baldwin’s enduring legacy through engaging panels, hands-on workshops, and powerful performances. Explore a diverse marketplace featuring local vendors, connect with fellow literature lovers, and be inspired by the words and wisdom of Baldwin in this unforgettable celebration of Black literary excellence. RSVP online at https://tinyurl.com/2xb6eweu or email read@kulturallylit.org for more information.

Compassionfest 2024: Back for the Bats!

by Tabitha Logan, Compassionfest organizer

Compassionfest returns for its 8th annual event on Saturday, Oct. 12th, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Whitneyville Cultural Commons, 1253 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Join us for a day filled with community, compassion, and celebration.

Compassionfest unites like-minded people who believe in justice, kindness, equality, and compassion. This year’s event will feature diverse vendors, vegan food, and activities for all ages. The festival offers a wide variety of activities, including vegan food from local vendors and animal-friendly products. Non-profits sharing their missions and local artisans showcasing crafts will be among the vendors. Vegan tattooing will be available along with yoga and healing workshops.

New to 2024 is the Jack-o-Lantern Lighting and Pumpkin Swap. Festival-goers can bring a lit pumpkin for the lighting at 6 p.m., with a pumpkin swap at 7 p.m. Swap your pumpkin with someone else’s for a fun, interactive experience.

The event will also feature live music throughout the day. Whether you’re a long-time vegan, curious about compassionate living, or just looking for fun, Compassionfest 2024 has something for everyone.
 Admission is free, with a suggested donation to support the CT Vegan Center‘s “SAVE THE BATS” campaign. Contributions will help fund conservation efforts to protect vital bat populations.

RSVP for your free ticket via Eventbrite. Stay informed by following Compassionfest on social media.

Join us for a day of compassion and community. Spread the word and let’s make a difference together!

Want to Volunteer to Make a Rain Garden?

by Save the Sound

Rain gardens divert water from manmade surfaces into gardens planted with native shrubs, grasses, flowers, layered soil, and sand, which together work to filter out harmful stormwater pollutants. This year, we are installing residential rain gardens throughout New Haven and Hamden in October and are looking for volunteers to assist us in this important work. For more details and to volunteer, go to www.savethesound.org/rain-garden-installations.

October Community Engagement Workshops at the New Haven Free Public Library

by Rory Martorana, NHFPL Public Services Administrator for Communications and Adult Services

Every few years, the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) crafts a Strategic Framework—a roadmap of initiatives designed to bring our Mission, Vision, and Values to life. These frameworks are built on the insights and ideas shared by you—the residents of New Haven and visitors to NHFPL—to meet the city’s informational, cultural, and educational needs.
We need your help to make this project successful. Share feedback on what our community needs. Tell us what you love, what we might do differently, and your thoughts on new and innovative programs you would like to see at NHFPL. Your input will help guide our goals and services for the next three years.

Community Engagement Workshops Schedule for October:

  1. Oct. 1, 6-7:30 p.m. at Wilson Branch, 303 Washington Ave. (Spanish)
  2. Oct. 2, 6-7:30 p.m. at Stetson Branch, 197 Dixwell Ave. (English)
  3. Oct. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. at Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St. (Mandarin)

Registration is required and refreshments will be served. Each workshop is limited to 25 participants. For more information and to register, call 203-946-8130, ext. 101.

Check our planning progress at http://nhfpl.org, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok @nhfpl for the latest updates, details on Community Engagement Workshops, and more. Let’s work together to create a better future for New Haven.

Out of the Darkness Community Walk to Prevent Suicide, Oct. 6, Town Center Park, Hamden

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide.

The AFSP’s Community Walks, the core of the Out of the Darkness movement, began in 2004. These events give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause, and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health. Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-by-side, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost. (continued on next page)

The New Haven County Walk will be held on Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. in Town Center Park, Hamden. It’s more important than ever for us to stay connected. Register today at https://tinyurl.com/bddhww6f and help save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

Contacts: Eileen Januszkiewicz (afsp.eileenj@gmail.com) & Caleb Warner (cewarner87@gmail.com).

CT Green Energy News Sept. 13, 2024

Excerpts from CT Green Energy News, a publication of People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE). Visit their website to get the latest CT-focused energy news delivered to your inbox each Friday: pacecleanenergy.org.

As tri-state offshore wind auction moves forward, CT decides to delay decision
Connecticut Public.​ Connecticut surprised some environ-mentalists on Friday, when Massachusetts and Rhode Island were the only states to announce which new offshore wind turbine projects they would buy electricity from, if the projects are constructed. “The evaluation of project bids remains underway in Connecticut and we will announce a final decision in our solicitation at a future date,” a CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesperson said in a statement.

CT was no-show at wind energy auction it helped organize.
Hartford Courant. Massachusetts has signaled it is recep-tive to an agreement, proposed by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, that could put Connecticut back into offshore wind procurement. Under the plan, according to industry and government officials, Massachusetts would join Connecticut in a long-term agreement to buy energy from the Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford. Connecticut, in return, would partner with Massachusetts on buying power from the offshore wind project Vineyard Wind 2, planned for a tract of ocean about 25 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Opponents of proposed Brookfield gas compressor expansion bolstered by new study on health risks
NewsTimes. Bolstered by new research outlining the potential dangers of the project, town and state officials are engaged in an all-out effort to pull the plug on plans to expand a natural gas compressor station located near many homes and just 1,900 feet from Whisconier Middle School. The expansion would result in increased emissions of and exposure of local residents to toxins, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides….The study says the facility “should be over a mile away from residents,” [said Nick Katevich from the Sierra Club]…. “But in the Brookfield facility, there’s hundreds of residents that live within a half a mile of the facility…” Brookfield needs Gov. Ned Lamont and state Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes to take a stand against the expansion, he said.

Waterbury schools set for solar panel expansion
CT Examiner. The city school district aims to lead the region in solar power, with the Board of Aldermen set to approve bonding next week for panel installations at five more schools….“There is money available to get this done and the technology is further advanced today. [Solar panels] are much more efficient and they are more accepted than they once were.” Although there is bonding for the project, local leaders said the city would ultimately pay nothing for the installations…. “Essentially, we are getting these solar panels at zero cost to us,” said Board of Education Chief Operating Officer Nick Albini, noting that Waterbury will see $4.6 million in savings over 20 years.​

Opinion: CT leaders must address gas system ‘death spiral’
Kat Burnham, CT Mirror. Connecticut suffers from some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and these challenges need to be addressed urgently. But the conversation in the state about how to combat the growing cost of energy for households and businesses has so far been incomplete, focusing on only one half of the equation. Left entirely undiscussed: the gas utility sector and looming crisis of affordable heat…households and businesses are moving away from the direct use of gas, either for cost, comfort, climate, health, or safety reasons. The state’s natural gas utilities risk diminishing customer enrollment and demand per customer, spread over the same – or growing – infrastructure costs. This lethal confluence of trends is bound to send gas bills skyrocketing. Called the “gas utility death spiral,” this process will hit vulnerable communities (e.g. renters, low-income residents, fixed-income seniors) the hardest.

Opinion: Everyone in Connecticut has the right to clean air
Quanishe Flippen, Hartford Courant.  The Capitol Area System​ [CAS], which has a decades-long history of polluting our air, needs to be replaced. We have the opportunity to choose 100% clean, renewable energy solutions, such as ground-source electric heat pumps, that will significantly reduce harmful emissions and improve our air quality. These solutions are not just about cleaner air; they represent a commitment to the future of our children and our community…[So] it is disappointing to see that the ​[CAS] study still includes fossil fuel options. This is not just a step backward for Hartford; it’s a step backward for our entire state. Governor Lamont and our leaders must act on their commitments to clean energy and reject any fossil fuel alternatives. Our health, our environment, and our future depend on it.

Unforgotten: Connecticut’s Hidden History of Slavery

CT Public Radio www.npr.org/podcasts/organizations/s546

It’s a history lesson many of us didn’t get in school: Slavery has deep roots in Connecticut and across New England. Enslaved people helped build the foundation of much of this state. Get to know some of these men and women and the lives they lived. Hear from descendants who reflect on their loved ones. And learn from historians and experts going on a journey of discovery to recover this hidden history. In this five-part episode podcast from Connecticut Public, Report-er/Producer Diane Orson and Editorial Consultant and Curator Frank Mitchell talk about some of the issues in, and around these stories.

Visit www.ctpublic.org/unforgotten to learn more, including additional videos, photos and digital stories.

1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 94