IMPORTANT EVENTS IN DETROIT Three events on Monday and Tuesday: 1.) Special Moratorium NOW! Coalition Meeting to Analyze the Recent Decision by Judge Rhodes Denying Emergency Manager Orrs $165 million Giveaway to the Banks Mon. January 27, 7:00-9:00pm Location: 5920 Second Ave. near Antoinette, Detroit, just north of Wayne State University Featured Speaker: Atty. Jerry Goldberg Topic: The Court Decision Denying the Barclays Swap Deal Contact: (313) 671-3715 URL: moratorium-mi.org E-mail: panafnewswire@yahoo Come out to this special Monday night meeting of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to evaluate and assess the significance of the victory over yet another disastrous financial deal that would have continued the economic crisis in Detroit even after the bankruptcy is over. Judge Steven Rhodes denied the scheme crafted by Kevyn Orr, Rick Snyder and their banker bosses to force the City of Detroit to accept additional credit on highly unfavorable terms. This is a victory for the workers, retirees and community residents who would have to pay even more of our income and casino tax revenue for the predatory actions of Wall Street. This meeting will feature Atty. Jerome Goldberg who successfully argued in federal court against the Barclays swap deal that would have provided at least $165 million to Bank of America Merrill Lynch and UBS for the disastrous 2005 and 2009 deals where $300 million has already been paid in interest. What does this decision mean and where do we go from here in the struggle to save pensions, healthcare, city assets, jobs and the right to vote? These are some of the questions that will be taken up on Monday at 7:00 p.m. See you there! 2. PRESS RELEASE (For the day of Trial, 8:30am January 27, 2014, “disturbing the peace,” 36th District Court) Refuse complicity. Go on the record. Make a history of conscience. Come into exile. At 8:30 am in Kenneth King’s courtroom of 36th District Court, the Honorable Elena Herrada, a member of the elected School Board in Detroit, and the Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann, pastor of St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Corktown, will appear to answer charges of disturbing the peace. The case stems from a disruption of Detroit City Council April 16, 2013, the day the Council approved the contract with the Jones Day law firm. It was also the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The two are representing themselves and have requested a jury trial. “Given the assault on democracy in our city, by emergency management, by stolen elections, by overturned ballot repeal of the EM law, a jury remains the last vestige of actual democracy in Detroit,” said Wylie-Kellermann. Herrada called for support from the community saying, “We must express our outrage at the Jones Day takeover of our city. We call upon all people of good will to stand up against corruption and secrecy. This reign of terror has taken over both our schools and our city.” Jones Day is the third largest law firm in the world and their primary clients are the very banks with whom they are purportedly negotiating on the city’s behalf. Mr. Kevyn Orr resigned as a partner in the firm in order to become Detroit’s Emergency Manager. Present at the time of their arrests and expected to testify are the Honorable JoAnn Watson, Monica Lewis-Patrick, and Tom Stevens. Statements by Herrada and Wylie-Kellermann follow. Statement of the Honorable Elena Herrada, Elected School Board in exile: I have never been arrested before for any reason. It has become necessary to confront immoral legal authority. If we do nothing, we are complicit. As an elected school board member, I have been sued by the attorney general of Michigan for being elected. Judges, lawyers, teachers, politicians and citizens are afraid to speak out against this abuse of power. The rich do not have to pay taxes and are able to evict residents from their apartments and homes without a hearing. Sports arenas and casinos take precedent over schools. Privately owned party buses roam the streets while Detroiters wait for public busses that never come. Taxes are waived for the rich while the poorest are left holding the bag. Lighting is privatized, and we are still in the dark. Police, firefighters and city workers who have carried us for generations are threatened with losing their hard earned pensions so bond holders who did nothing to earn them are stealing them. Thieves are allowed to open charter schools and crooks are imposed upon the elected school board by the power mad emergency manager. The library is in danger of being looted by well dressed criminals. Honest citizens and elected school board members and library commissioners are demonized by the bought and paid for media. Duggan is mayor, who never suffered any of the degradations Detroiters have been suffering. People of good will eventually will go into exile with us. The elected school board has suffered under this tyranny for the past 5 years and now we are told we have another 12 months. There is no end to the looting until we run out these banks. They are never going to be satisfied. Detroit must stand up. Statement of Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann, pastor St Peter’s Episcopal Detroit As a native Detroiter, a graduate of DPS Cooley High School, a pastor and 35-year resident in Southwest Detroit, this city is home to my heart. As a community activist committed to nonviolence I have been arrested many times in a forty-year history of direct action in anti-war, solidarity, labor, environmental and anti-nuclear struggles. And so I have been wishing for resistance actions against the unconstitutional and illegitimate authority of these emergency managements. I’m praying for it now. Continued on reverse. We were present in City Council chambers on April 16 to break the pall of silence when the contract with the Jones Day law firm was up for council approval. We knelt and sang and would not cease… Because gathering signatures and passing a repeal ballot measure are made to be meaningless exercises, Because the disasters of financial emergency are contrived and concocted, Because, like our public schools, our city is being dismantled by design, Because the dominating spell of a legal fiction has been cast over this city, Because the city council willingly exercises only the power allowed it by the forces of emergency management, Because the multi-million dollar Jones Day contract was an open conflict of interest and an act of public malfeasance, Because the emergency manager claims authority to make that contract himself and did not need the Council to do so, the majority gave comfort, cover, and the appearance of democratic rule, Because this law firm, third largest in the world serves, and represents the very banks and financial institutions which hold Detroit hostage, and because Kevin Orr, a partner in this firm, negotiated the arrangement, Because their client, Bank of America/Merill-Lynch, far bigger than the city of Detroit, holds it hostage with indebtedness and credit swaps; Because they should be prosecuted or sued, not compensated further; Because Jones Day is not “the City of Detroit,” however often they are referred so in bankruptcy court; Because it was, it is, time for the people of Detroit to withdraw their consent and cooperation, Because if nothing else we need to go on record; because there must be a history of conscience to tell our young people and children. For more information contact Detroit Education Task Force 313-974-0501 And Detroiters Resisting Emergency Managements 313-433-1967 3. Friends, This summer the MI CATS took non-violent direct action against Tar Sands infrastructure by peacefully locking down to construction equipment and halting work for a day at an Enbridge construction site on the expansion of Line 6B. This is the same pipeline that spilled over a million gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River, which Enbridge has failed to clean up almost 4 yrs after. Now 3 of our friends from across MI and IN including Barb from D-CATS who lives in SW Detroit are going to trial one week from today on Monday January 27th and are facing 2-3 years in prison for felony charges of obstructing and resisting arrest. These peaceful acts of direct democracy challenging unjust systems should be lifted up, not punished with outrageous felony charges. We need your support to not let our justice system fail the people its supposed to protect by putting the profit of a corporation above the welfare of people. We know everyone is busy so we wanted to give you a variety of ways that you can support these folks and be a part of this struggle with us. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Make the Picture Above Your Facebook Profile Picture! Donate to the MI CATS Legal Defense Fund Chip-in $3.00 towards travel costs to get folks from Detroit & Across MI to the trial Please Like the Facebook Event and Share to Spread the Word! https://facebook/events/464055493713273/ Sign this Pledge of Solidarity with MI CATS Community Defenders to show the judge and jurors that these people did not act alone, in vain, or erroneously! petitions.moveon.org/sign/pledge-of-solidarity-1 Call and/or email Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings and tell him that you stand with these peaceful protesters and believe their actions were warranted. They should not be prosecuted as felons! 517-483-6272 or [email protected] Write a 300 word LTE to your local newspaper in support of these community defenders! Then email us at [email protected] to let us know! PREPARING FOR TRIAL Sign up to Carpool with us and those near you to the Trial on Mon. Jan. 27th With your help we will have a large number of folks present with us at 7am before the jurors arrive early in the morning at 8AM, and throughout the trial that will likely go on all day and into the week. We will be respectfully and silently holding signs outside the courthouse and street canvassing/passing out info at key points around the courthouse. Barb asked us to remind those coming that this will NOT be a protest and we are asking everyone to dress nice and be respectful inside the courthouse. Click here to let us know if you’re coming! Where: at 341 S. Jefferson Street, Mason, MI 48854 When: We are meeting near the courthouse steps at 7am(Exact details will be shared this week) Come to the Art Build in Detroit this Wednesday January 22nd at 6:00pm at Anchor Bar Why? We will be making signs and banners that folks can hold silently standing outside the courthouse in Mason, MI and at various points leading up to the courthouse to educate jurors on their power of jury nullification( Finding folks not guilty because the defendants had the moral obligation to break an unjust law or the law does not apply to this case). Who: All those that want to support people What: Poster and Banner making party Where: Anchor Bar, 450 W Fort St. Detroit, MI 48226 When: January 22nd from 6:00pm-8:00pm We know this is a loaded email and we cant thank you enough for any support or positive energy you can share with us. Well be following up with many of you by phone to see if youre able to plug in anywhere. ------------ You are subscribed as mark@A2wenzels. Send a copy of this message to a friend with organizerweb.org/lists/?p=forward&uid=dddca48aa1079833c7c7814381c8081d&mid=5420. If you do not wish to receive this email, you can unsubscribe from it. Additionally, you may wish to update your preferences. -- powered by phpList, phplist --
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 01:42:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015