[Peace] Minutes of AWARE October 25 Meeting

Tue Oct 27 10:59:22 CDT 2009

Calendar (minutes of 10/25/09AWARE meeting follow below):

TODAY, Tues., Oct. 27, 1 p.m.. Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S.
Vine St. Taping of "AWARE on the Air" for broadcast later the same day.

TODAY, Tues., Oct. 27, 10 p.m. broadcast on cable channel 6, Urbana
public television, of "AWARE on the Air," taped earlier in the day 

Sunday November 1, 2-4 pm, main floor of Independent Media Center, 202 S. Broadway.  Operning of photography and documentary exhibit “When a Parent is in Prison,” exploring the situation of children who have a parent in prison.    Portraits and Words.  The young people who are featured here are among the 2,400,000 children who have a mother or father in prison.  A documentary project of Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.  Photography by Howard Zehr, Professor of Restorative Justice at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University.  

Saturday, November 7, Main Event  (AWARE's monthly street demonstration usually 1st
Saturday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. at Main and Neil in downtown Champaign.  Stand displaying signs to the traffic stopped at the intersection and hand out flyers to motorists and passers-by.  Bring a sign or use one of our.  We try to have a topical flyer produced each month.  This month, we hope to have one about the vigil calling for shutdown of the School of the Americas (http://soaw.org).

Tuesday, November 10, 7 p.m. Study Session, Champaign City Bldg. on police use of force policy revisions
Sun., Nov. 29 Multi-Family Community Potluck to benefit the needy, 4 – 6 p.m., Church of the Brethren, 1210 N. Neil Street, Champaign, for
information call Sis. Carol 344-1811

Minutes of  10/25/09 AWARE Meeting:

There were eight in attendance.   Introductions for the benefit of returning person Geraldine of regulars Stuart Levy, Carl Estabrook, Carol McKusick, Doug Clough, Ron Szoke, Joe Weber and Linda Weber.

*Finance Report*: Stuart reported a balance of $1166.40. 
Contribution jar was passed and counted by Carol M.   $28.

·        
· _Working Group Reports_: 

*Main Event*:  There will be a main event on November 7.  Carl will be working up the flyer on the School of the Americas vigil

*The Weekly Action* is a concept started in mid June 2009. The idea is
you can come to the AWARE meeting and at the Weekly Action point in the
agenda suggest an action that you would like to see us take en masse
during that week or a day of that week: a letter to write, a phone call
to make. We thought it would often be things picked up from other
organized efforts but could be originated by the person suggesting.
(Putting up a yard sign or some other form of personal message could
equally be handled this way.) A standard part of the Weekly Action was
to be making a tally of the numbers who actually did the action. 

Decided to continue with calling Tim Johnson, (217) 403-4690 or (202) 225-2371, encouraging his efforts to work with cosponsors to propose withdrawal from Afghanistan.   We should ask where this effort stands when we call. 

*Anti Racism: *AWARE's efforts to keep apprised of and provide support for
anti-racism/anti-discrimination efforts, including efforts of CUCPJ
--Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice. 

Stuart Levy reported on City Council meeting and on the rally at the Illinois Terminal on Thursday about the shooting death of a teenager and the demands of activists of the City of Champaign and police.   Shooting was by a policeman.  There will be a study session on revised use of force policy    Stuart said “CUCPJ is abuzz.”

*AWARE Presents:*  No one knew of anything getting organized so Linda offered a  meeting time and place to have an AWARE Presents meeting.   It will be Wed., Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at 1820 Lyndhurst in Savoy.   For directions call 356-2138.
(Organization of education outreach type AWARE-sponsored events in the community) Carol neglected to read from previous minutes 
“the idea of collaborating with CAN on Tuesday night 7 p.m. events (alternate or unused Tuesdays) in their space in Gregory Hall
sounded very good to one. General topics that are beckoning are anti
war servicepeoples' organizing and counter recruitment (support
IVAW). Also a background program on Afghanistan.”

*"AWARE on the Air"*  (AWARE's weekly television show on public access
cable channel 6 - UPTV, Urbana Public Television) will be taped as usual this Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 1PM to be broadcast later the same day at 10PM.  AWARE members (and friends) invited to participate – the more the merrier (see details above in calendar). Program quality is always better with more participants.  There is always room for more participation in AWARE on the Air – prepared statements OK. Arriving late/leaving early is OK.   November 3 Carl Estabrook will be away.   Someone is going to check with Karen Medina about whether she would be the sub moderator that day.

*Farmers' Market* (AWARE's weekly seasonal presence at the Urbana
"Market at the Square")   Trying to make a decision about whether to be at the indoor market for six Saturdays for $210 or $40 for just selected Saturdays.    This begins on November 14.   Per Stuart L. now the tables have to be set up by 7:45 a.m.   Stuart Levy is personally burnt out.   He thought it possible that we might be too late if we haven’t committed sooner or don’t commit soon.   Should we sign up for every other week starting November 21?   
There are two Syracuse calendars left.   Sign up passed around for upcoming for the rest of the outdoor market and two Saturdays that would be once inside (through Nov. 21) though we don’t know whether we’ll sign up for that.    PAST AWARE ACTIVISTS please stop by and see what is involved in staffing farmers’ market.   People particularly needed for opening shift and that is a little different so please stop by early (before 9:30 a.m.) if you are able to gear up for doing that shift.   
*Monthly Message *
Carl will be working up SOA for a Public Square.
*Student Groups* (AWARE’s efforts to keep apprised of and provide support for local chapters of student-affiliated progressive and anti-war groups such as Campus Anti-War Network (CAN), International Socialists Organization (ISO), and IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War).  Also SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine).   
The news mentioned was that campus organizations had joined in on the action around the shooting.   Also that 10 UIUC students (from CAN, Amnesty Int’l and La Colectiva) are organized to go to the demonstration at the School of the Americas November 20 – 22 (see http://soaw.org/).    Info:  can.uiuc at gmail.com. 
At least a couple of AWARE people, who can't attend the vigil, are interested in offering financial support for others who are going.

*AWARE Films*:
(Organization of film and video showings in the community).  Per Stuart Levy, Champaign Public Library has been reserved for Nov. 15 and Dec. 20.   Films to be chosen.

*Blackwater*
(Activism regarding notorious domestic policing and international
mercenary contractor Blackwater, including coordination with
Illinois-based activist group Clearwater: see:
http://www.noprivatearmies.org <http://www.noprivatearmies.org/> )
Nothing on this.

 *Working group on Israel Palestine* Their
effort is to find out more about the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign
Assistance Act and enforcement of them. 
Carol reported that she had spoken to Josh Ruebner (on Oct. 20) and learned that they don’t have a single Senator to offer amendment to the budget appropriation (HR 3081 and SB 1434) for state, foreign operations and related programs for 2010 still scheduled to be considered on the floor of the Senate.  The petitioning of members of congress calling for accountability and enforcement of the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Acts should continue, though, full bore, through the fall as we are always somewhere in the budget cycle and the foreign military financing will continue to be appropriated at ever increasing levels without protest.  Josh said that they are planning a media event for December that will use the collected petitions.   Linda asked if she had tried to contact the lawyers on the law school faculty.  Carol said she hadn’t done anything on it this week.   (Linda had provided her with the names of two professors that should be interested or sympathetic.)  The other suggestion Carol has is seeking help from librarians at the law school library and asking about classes where law students might be assigned projects.   Carol did not mention but she has some on line leads with a National Lawyers’ Guild committee that Stuart sent to her.  Looks like they have a subcommittee that focuses on Gaza actually.

·        _Old Business_:

 Membership.   It was said that this is synonymous with News Gazette advertisement.  

Idea to create your own stamp. The meeting was asked to consider spending $50 to have Karen design an AWARE stamp. This amount will pay for an edition of [how
many? Karen will check] stamps.
 No news on stamps this week.

·        _Events of the Past Week_:    Discussion of Sir No Sir:  People surprised how much activism of servicepeople both before and after their tour of duty

Submitted October 27, 2009,  
Carol McKusick

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