From jdav@noc.orgThu Jul 27 11:03:22 1995 Date: Wed, 19 Jul 95 16:32 GMT From: Jim Davis To: pt.dist@noc.org Subject: People's Tribune (7-24-95) Online edition ****************************************************************** People's Tribune (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 25 / July 24, 1995 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 Email: pt@noc.org ****************************************************************** INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 25 / July 24, 1995 Page One 1. THE RICH FEED AT THE PUBLIC TROUGH WHILE MILLIONS GO HUNGRY! Spirit of the Revolution 2. THE SCRIPTURES SHOW WE MUST SHARE THE WEALTH! News and Features 3. NEEDED: HOUSING, NOT DOCUMENTS! 4. RURAL CALIFORNIA: POOR AGAINST POOR WON'T DO 5. MINNESOTA: HOMELESS ACTIVISTS TAKE CAMPAIGN TO THE SUBURBS 6. YOUNG MOTHER GOT LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR REFUSING TO LIE 7. SAN FRANCISCO FIGHTERS PUSH FOR COMMON VISION 8. OAKLAND: A CALL FOR UNITY, COMMUNICATION BUILDING 9. LAKOTA NATION HOLDS TRIBUNAL AGAINST GENOCIDE 10. LOS ANGELES: NO SET TRIPPIN' GROUP DEFENDS L.A. GANG TRUCE 11. 'THERE IS A WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS MADNESS': LOS ANGELES MARCHERS PRAISE GANG TRUCE 12. VALIANT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SUCCUMBS TO CANCER: LINDA EDWARDS' LIFE ENDS; HER LEGACY CONTINUES 13. SOMEDAY, ONLY POOR PEOPLE WILL HAVE MONEY! American Lockdown 14. WOMEN INMATES SUE FOR HUMANE CARE: 'HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?' 15. TIME RUNNING OUT FOR VICTIM OF FRAME-UP: FIGHT TO SAVE ABU- JAMAL INTENSIFIES Culture Under Fire 16. YOUNG FIGHTER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE GUNNED DOWN -- AND POLICE MADE SURE HE DIDN'T MAKE IT! 17. ALTERNATIVE PRESS ACTIVIST TOURS FOR NEW PUBLICATION, COUNTERPOISE 18. POEM: "STEP INTO THE WORLD" Letters 19. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Announcements, Events, etc. 20. THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE IS GOING TO CHINA 21. NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN THE LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA 22. EDUCATION FOR A NEW AMERICA 23. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE ****************************************************************** 1. THE RICH FEED AT THE PUBLIC TROUGH WHILE MILLIONS GO HUNGRY! More than 25 million Americans are either on food stamps or eligible for them. On any given day in Chicago, more than 800,000 people are going hungry. Hunger itself is widespread in America. Hunger in a land of plenty is a burning moral issue -- it is wrong! Yet hunger is also a class issue. Hunger and malnutrition affects our class of 80 million Americans in poverty. It does not affect the tiny class of millionaires and billionaires who now rule. What does the rule of the rich mean for us? It means they have control of the government. A government which is cutting back on food stamp programs -- programs which we and our children need. At the same time we pay the big wheat growers and other food producers $4.2 billion a year to subsidize the purchase of food grown and produced in the United States. The present ruling class of millionaires and billionaires has the power to provide for its own welfare while abandoning the rest of us. That's why they are cutting our food stamps, but not "theirs." If we, the millions of Americans in poverty, are to live, we have to be the ruling class of the future. To get there, we must politically educate ourselves as to who is friend and foe. We need to take political power in our hands, the hands that built this world. [This is the first in a series of articles exposing the real welfare cheats in America. There is something wrong in this country when the billionaires and politicians use welfare moms and the unemployed as a smokescreen while they feed at the public trough.] ****************************************************************** 2. SPIRIT OF THE REVOLUTION: THE SCRIPTURES SHOW WE MUST SHARE THE WEALTH! [Editor's note: Below we print the fifth of a series of columns about spirituality and revolution. We encourage readers to submit articles to this column. We would also appreciate any comments readers have on the articles which appear here.] BOSTON -- Whenever I am troubled by the problems of this world, I refer to the Bible to gain a more objective perspective on the issues. It is always helpful to me to realize that these problems are not new and that there is a prescription that has already been written to assist us in solving them. Too often, it feels as if our problems are created by new situations and are unsolvable. But the Bible reveals that there is "nothing new under the sun." The individuals, times and communities may change, but the essence of the problems remain the same. The recent attacks on the poor have once again illustrated the arrogance of the wealthy. The rhetoric of politicians like Newt Gingrich -- who warns the poor that they must change their habits because "the habits of poverty don't work" -- recalls anew the "blaming the victims" mentality that was written about extensively in the 1960s. Why do the rich believe that this is their world and they are the only ones entitled to its resources? Do they see themselves as omnipotent? Is it right to require people to work in exchange for the basic necessities of life? What does The Word say about these conditions? When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness after being freed from bondage to Egypt, God provided manna from heaven and commanded them to "[g]ather of it every man according to his eating" for everyone in his tents. (Exodus 16:16). Some people were able to gather more than others, but the Bible says (in Exodus 16:18) that "he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." (This important message is repeated verbatim in the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 8:15.) Moses warned the people not to hoard, but some of them did not listen and the manna became spoiled and was not edible. These Scriptures tell us that God has provided for all of us and we must share in the wealth. It is not our responsibility to determine who has worked the hardest and reward him/her with more than others. If anyone has more than (s)he needs, it must be distributed to others or it will have no value. We are required to share the wealth by seeing to it that everyone's needs are met. This is the equality that God demands! ****************************************************************** 3. NEEDED: HOUSING, NOT DOCUMENTS! By Maria Teixeira LOS ANGELES -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), intended to implement Section 214 of the Community Development Act nationally as of June 20. Section 214 would basically kick undocumented residents out of housing projects and Section 8 housing. This is one of many steps being taken to attack low-income residents and it is seen by the Latino community as an extension of the anti-immigrant hysteria pushed by laws such as Proposition 187. Section 214 is part of a federal provision passed in 1980. It is only being implemented now that Proposition 187 has paved the way for people to accept these moves against the undocumented. Section 214 requires everyone in the home to show proof of residency to be eligible for public housing; anyone who does not show proof must pay full rent or leave the home. This provision will create a lot of fear. Many public housing residents will fear the annual review process. Section 214 stands not only to deny undocumented men, women and children the human right to housing, it will also be used to discriminate against anyone viewed as being in any way "foreign" or undeserving. Henry Cisneros, the Secretary of HUD, is in favor of the action being proposed, but the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is opposed to the implementation of Section 214. The Director of HACLA, Donald Smith, says the action is not consistent with the goal of preserving the "sanctity of the family." He says it is also administratively burdensome to public housing authorities. Section 214 is just one of many attacks on the new class of unemployed. The government is looking for other ways to cut public housing and Section 8. Every day, they look for reasons to kick people out of their homes. Sometimes, they come up with the excuse that people's kids are involved in criminal activity. In some areas, they are talking about tearing down the projects to remodel them. Their real plan is to move the poor out. But people are waking up to their games. Housing project residents are meeting now to deal with Section 214. For instance, representatives from five East Los Angeles housing projects are calling for meetings with local and federal housing authorities. They will continue meeting and organizing to fight this attack and others. Their demand: No implementation of Section 214. Where there is not housing for everyone, there is no justice. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ WHY THE ATTACK ON PUBLIC HOUSING AND SECTION 8? Public Housing was constructed for many reasons. First, factories wanted workers to live in concentrated areas so that they would be close to the workplace. Also, subsidized housing was in the interest of business. As long as government programs picked up some of the cost of housing people it allowed factories to pay low wages and thus ensure more profit for themselves. The private market also liked public housing because it meant construction contracts. For example, between 1941 and 1955, the housing authority of Los Angeles built 21 developments. During and after World War II, the demand for housing increased due to large numbers of defense workers and their families that needed to be housed. But times are different now. Gone are the hundreds of thousands of factory jobs. This new age of technology, robots, computers and electronics is throwing workers out into the unemployment lines. The capitalists don't need us in their workplace, so they don't care if we don't have housing! In fact, the current House budget resolution proposes public housing be deregulated and no more new public housing be built. We live in the richest country in the world. We have all the resources for everyone to have a home and a decent life. The question is who is this country going to look out for? The rich business owners, bankers, investors, etc.? Or the majority of the population which demands a future for themselves and their children?! +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 4. POOR AGAINST POOR WON'T DO [This report, which originated from the Pacific News Service, reveals at small-town level how the entire ruling class of the wealthy defends itself by setting impoverished people against each other. It shows how without the revolutionary solution of distributing all of what we need without money, our class risks being misled down the path to its own destruction.] By Austin Lewis MARYSVILLE, California -- Homeless people beware! Small-town hospitality isn't what it used to be. In this northern California town of 12,000, the traditional blue-collar philanthropy of feeding a down-and-out person a sandwich on the back porch has given way to a lynch-mob mentality. Indeed, notes Ilene Jacobs, attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance office here, small rural towns are less homeless- friendly than metropolitan areas. When some Marysville merchants complained to the city council about a homeless man sleeping in a parking lot, the vice mayor replied: "Paint him yellow and use him as a speed bump." In recent months, the City Council has considered various solutions to the homeless problem, including: * "Greyhound therapy" -- rounding up indigents and busing them to Sacramento, the nearest large city 45 miles to the south. * Making it illegal to give money to panhandlers. * Closing down the only shelter for homeless families and a soup kitchen for indigent people because transients go there. * Fencing both sides of the railroad tracks so the homeless can't off of freight trains there. * Keeping the sprinklers on at night in city parks. Marysville's war on the homeless echoes campaigns being waged in dozens of other cities across America, notes the Washington (D.C.) Coalition on the Homeless. The irony here is that Marysville is so poor itself. "We rank 56th out of 58 California counties, with a median income of $13,794," says Konnie Lewin, director of Yuba County Department of Social Services, "and we have very high rates of unemployment, child abuse, and the highest per-capita rate of domestic violence." The county, located in the agricultural Sacramento Valley, is filled with acres of peach, prune and walnut orchards, vast rice fields and other field crops. Yet, despite this agricultural abundance, hunger is common in Marysville. "You find lots of health and nutrition problems here and most people need food stamps to put food on their tables," says Jacobs. "You won't find alternatives like soup kitchens and food banks here that you'll see in urban areas. "While rents and mortgages tend to be cheaper than in cities," she adds, "when you look at what people earn, rents are not affordable here." Getting subsidized housing can mean being on a waiting list for years. As for health care, the county has few clinics and the ones that do exist can't meet the demand. Since most doctors in the area do not accept Medi-Cal patients or the treatment is not covered by Medi-Cal, many people lack access to adequate health care. Even though most people in the county are far from affluent, the difference in social status from just having a little more than your neighbors, let alone a home, is all-important, notes Jackie Travis, Yuba County health services director. "There's also a conservative, take-care-of-yourself attitude and little sympathy when a family falls into destitution." "When the working poor talk about the homeless, it's kind of like they're saying, 'We're one step above them, so we're OK,' " says Jim Rhoades, director of the only homeless family shelter serving Yuba and Sutter counties. Marysville mayor Jim Kitchen plays down any special animosity towards the city's poorest residents. What the city is trying to do is protect its businesses. "The major problem is simply the number of transients who hang around in front of businesses. ... People feel threatened and go other places to do their shopping. They give us a bad image and reduce our sales tax revenue and make the city less attractive for new businesses." ****************************************************************** 5. HOMELESS ACTIVISTS TAKE CAMPAIGN TO THE SUBURBS By Mark Thisius CRYSTAL, Minnesota -- After a large Memorial Day rally dedicated to homeless people who have died in the streets of America, Up & Out of Poverty Now! took its fight for those still living to the suburbs. More than 100 poor and homeless people attended the spirited rally that honored those who have died in the last two decades in America's undeclared war on the poor the last two decades. Speakers from the homeless community spoke passionately about friends and family members who have died homeless on the streets while our government serves the rich. Immediately after the rally, a caravan of poor and homeless people sped out of Crystal in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, to take over an empty HUD home by using a sledgehammer. Approximately 35 poor and homeless people occupied the property in defiance of the police and privileged middle-class residents in the neighborhood. The Crystal police department sent out most, if not all, of its active force, plus a reserve officer to quell the protest approximately 30 minutes after the takeover. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to find a HUD official to file trespassing charges. So a six-hour standoff between the veteran activists of Up & Out of Poverty Now! and the Crystal police department ensued. At nightfall, police surprised the protesters by sneaking into the house and re-locking the doors on them. The protesters retaliated by taking over a second vacant HUD home two miles away. Frustrated by the audacity of Up & Out of Poverty Now! the police barged into the house and illegally arrested six people without a property official from HUD. At 6 a.m., five of the six were released from Hennepin County jail with trespassing charges that will probably be dropped by the city attorney because local police must have a HUD official present to file trespassing charges. HUD property is under federal jurisdiction. The rally and takeover protest in the suburbs was the third protest action this month organized by Up & Out of Poverty Now! Each action has doubled in size from 25 people that attended the May 1 protest in Minneapolis, to the 50 or so that attended a May 15 takeover in St. Paul to the more than 100 people who came at Memorial Day. With momentum clearly on our side, we plan on carrying this takeover campaign forward by occupying HUD vacant homes all over the Metro area this summer. We will post the media to further developments. No Housing, No Peace! ****************************************************************** 6. YOUNG MOTHER GOT LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR REFUSING TO LIE [Editor's note: Below are excerpts from a letter from a prisoner in California who describes the corruption of the federal "justice" system and the injustice of mandatory minimum sentencing.] I am a 27-year-old mother of three beautiful daughters, ages 11, 7 and one-and-a-half. I am currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. I am fighting a natural life sentence for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine/cocaine base, distribution of cocaine/cocaine base, interstate travel in the aid of racketeering and use of a telephone to commit a felony in the state of Nebraska. I have been incarcerated since May 1993. I have no prior criminal history. I was never arrested or observed doing anything illegal related to the offenses of which I have been convicted. I was arrested on a superceding indictment involving a cousin who had been previously arrested for drug-related offenses and an associate of his who had been arrested carrying a half kilogram of cocaine in the Omaha, Nebraska airport in May 1991. Shortly following my arrest, I was offered immunity (all charges dropped) in exchange for my "cooperation" with the U.S. attorney in obtaining a conviction against my cousin. I had no knowledge of the offenses in question and was not willing to lie for the "deal." For that reason I was prosecuted and convicted by a jury clearly not of my peers. Our trial consisted primarily of false hearsay testimony from alleged co-conspirators. I was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. When a person is convicted of conspiracy, they are held equally responsible for the actions of their co-defendants, regardless as to whether they had knowledge of the offenses or not. I am considered a "first-time, non-violent offender," yet I have been subjected to this lengthy prison sentence. Is this justice? I have three small children, the youngest of whom I gave birth to in prison. To sentence me to life in prison on such a flimsy case founded on lies is cruel and unusual punishment. It is a total waste of the taxpayer's dollars to not only pay to incarcerate people such as myself, but to also have to support our children in our absence. Our children are suffering too. My experience has clearly shown me that almost any violation of the law is excusable as long as the accused "cooperates" with prosecutors and/or law enforcement officials. I have appealed to the Supreme Court to no avail. It appears as though the people in the position to correct these injustices have no interest in doing so. As bizarre as it may seem to people who really have no knowledge of the things that go on in the federal judicial system, my case is not an isolated incident. I am surrounded by many women affected by this barbaric form of sentencing, known as Mandatory Minimums. In the interest of justice, I am asking that you, as a God-fearing human being, demand that the judicial system be seriously scrutinized as to this disproportionate and racially biased form of sentencing. In addition to the conspiracy law, which allows prosecutors to invent hearsay "evidence" against a defendant that does not "cooperate" or lie for them, the Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines should be abolished. If you are in a position and willing to provide a forum or any type of assistance regarding these issues, please write to me as soon as possible. If you have any suggestions as to the appropriate agencies or individuals to contact, please forward them to me. For more information regarding the Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines and its adverse effect on prisoners and their families, as well as this country at large, contact: Lorraine Heller Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) 8600 S.W. Leaky Road Portland, Oregon 97225 Or consult your local directory for the FAMM in your area. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Hamedah A. Hasan #13847-047 Unit A 5701 8th St., Camp Parks Dublin, California 94568 ****************************************************************** 7. SAN FRANCISCO FIGHTERS PUSH FOR COMMON VISION By Sarah Menefee SAN FRANCISCO -- As the United Nations met in San Francisco to celebrate its 50th anniversary, protesters gathered to decry an ugly irony: that a city and mayor who have been in the forefront of the violation of the human rights of the poor were playing host. That here in one of the wealthiest cities in the richest, most powerful nation on earth, homelessness, hunger, illiteracy, infant mortality, prison-building, abandonment of social programs and police repression grow by the day -- in violation of the U.N.'s Declaration of Human Rights. That instead of using the wealth produced by society -- meaning all of us -- for the good of the people, an obscenely rich ruling class keeps this wealth for itself, stealing our money through budget-cutting and other means. The U.N. represents this international class of capitalists, who despite their differences on trade and foreign policy, act as one when it comes to exploiting the rest of us. Their so-called "peace-keeping" operations are really designed to contain the social revolution that's sweeping across the globe. Make no mistake: if those in power wanted to solve the problem of starvation in Africa, or hunger and poverty in the Americas, they could do so in the twinkling of an eye. Instead of destroying good food to keep up profits for the few, it could be distributed to all who need it. Instead of allowing people to die in the streets, vacant buildings could be opened and rehabbed, and new housing built. (We have the technology to assemble a prefab family home in 45 minutes!) All that stands in our way is an economic system that is based on exploitation, private property and greed. Here in San Francisco, the struggle for a new society is being played out in the streets. Two years into the brutal Matrix Program and tens of thousands of arrests for the "crimes" of poverty later, the demand for the necessities of survival -- by its very nature, the demand for a reorganization of society itself -- is being made loud and clear. The members of Food Not Bombs and others demonstrate directly that hunger itself is obsolete and obscene (in a state that could virtually feed the world!), and are arrested by the hundreds for doing so. Homes Not Jails members continue to publicly seize vacant buildings. Recently, they occupied some of the hundreds of vacant apartments on the shut-down Presidio Army base -- livable housing scheduled to be torn down while families live and die in the streets. Members of the General Assistance Rights Union organize to kill a law that would force them into dangerous welfare hotels and, in effect, steal their checks. The group Action for Police Accountability has organized to stop police terror and murders, most recently that of Aaron Williams, beaten and pepper-sprayed by the cops and left to die unattended in a police van. Religious Witness, a multi-denominational group of priests and clerics, has been holding vigils, fasts and civil- disobedience protests against Matrix and its violation of moral, spiritual and civil laws. These and many others are making the same demand: economic justice, or no peace! These fighters on various fronts of struggle are beginning to understand their common cause and to share a common vision: that of a future where the abundance produced by the many (but enjoyed by the few) is used for the benefit of all, and distributed according to need. This is what we mean by revolution. We hold this vision before us as the only possible outcome and alternative to their plans to starve, repress, murder and imprison us, to kill our children and steal what is rightfully ours. We find ourselves at a dangerous but exciting time in history, a time when we can organize to usher in a new period of peace, plenty and an end to exploitation. It's up to us to understand and share this vision, to educate and inspire each other, and make this vision a reality. ****************************************************************** 8. A CALL FOR UNITY, COMMUNICATION BUILDING OAKLAND -- My name is Edward Bennett. I'm a member of the Minority and Women Participation Association of Oakland (MAWPAO). My chosen position in the community is a community organizer. Also, I work with several organizations on different campaigns in the community, including the Women's Economic Agenda Project (WEAP). [We need to be] getting out the message in our communities that the government has started a heavy attack on all people living in poverty. There is something hiding behind their attacks that we must educate our people about. I choose to talk about communications today, because I feel that communications is the most important weapon we will be using in this movement, toward better living standards in a new America. There will continue to be attempts to scramble our communications during the accelerating applications of electronics to the economy. The ruling class is and will be busy accelerating its application of agitation and propaganda in this attempt. It's important for us to remember that there is an example already set in place to show how important and successful communications is. Pac Bell [the phone company] has clearly proven this by helping the ruling class establish its position over us. Communications is the No. 1 business in America today. This same business and other communications tools can help us build the new America, one with better living standards. In our struggle for a new America, we must understand that we are scattered on all fronts, some focusing on personal campaigns, some agency campaigns, some culture campaigns, and many other campaigns. There is just one campaign to change this ruling class system (capitalism) for all of us. In the campaign confusion, the ruling class system takes advantage of the situation by teaching every section of society something different from the other sections, then teaches the other sections something different about other sections. This causes us to walk against each other, and causes plenty of confusion. Women against men, men against women, young against elders, elders against the young, children against parents, parents against children, whites against blacks, turfs against turfs, and on and on. ... And confusion is big bucks for the government! Now the communications we want to convey is that the ruling class' tactics are aimed at disarming and dividing the new class. When the poor unite as a class, no force on earth can stop us from taking what is rightfully ours. We are now facing a corrupt and vicious system. Everybody in the new class should be educated toward the facts. Why? Everybody's struggle fits into the big struggle, because it all is just one struggle, to change the system that rules over us in very corrupt ways. The new class is now 80 million strong, because of the application of robotics inside the economy. There is another 40 million on their way into the new class and the sad thing is they don't even know it yet! So let's look beyond the skin color and petty differences at this time, and see the human being. There is only two classes of people today: those who have, and those who have not. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America is calling for unity and one common direction from all in America. Let's hear it for the new class. Read the People's Tribune to find out more about this kind of community education. ****************************************************************** DON'T LET OUR ENEMIES DIVIDE US By Renee Pecot OAKLAND -- With the great polarity between poverty and wealth growing, it looks like Robin Hood was right! The capitalists are becoming more desperate to hold on to our riches by carrying out genocide and an all-out attack on the working class, to keep us divided and fighting each other. We are daily bombarded with propaganda that keeps us in check -- welfare reform cuts, attacks on teens as parents, attacks on women as single heads of household, Medi-Cal and Medicaid cuts, the Contract on America, attacks on AIDS victims, attacks on the arts, etc. As if "deadly birth control" in the form of Norplant and Depro Provera is not killing us enough, a new birth control is about to hit the market -- a neurological birth control marketed by Zoin, a company owned by Ross Perot. Pregnancy is being treated as a disease. Politicians, who continue to carry out the death wishes of the rich, echo the arguments of E. Chasteen, the author of "The Case for Compulsory Birth Control." Chasteen argues that democracy is a luxury we can no longer afford; that parenthood is a privilege rather than a right; and that parents who willfully disobey reproduction laws should be subject to fines and imprisonment, as well as loss of their children to adoption or orphanages. Involuntary control -- including finding a "fertility control agent" that could be put in the water supply of urban areas or in staple foods -- is being called for, along with positive incentive programs that include payment for individuals who accept sterilization, and negative incentives, such as withdrawal of maternity or welfare benefits and limitation of free schooling after any additional children for women on welfare, and after the third child for women in the workforce. Whatever the new birth control or latest attack, we know that economics is running the engine. For the first time in human existence, a workless society is in the making. People from every corner of the globe should be celebrating in the streets because we have the technology to not only end hunger and poverty as we know it, but to guarantee a better quality of life for all. Instead, hunger and poverty are on the increase everywhere, among workers at all wage levels. Social programs are being dismantled and policing programs and jails are taking their place. Wherever the attack comes from we must organize to fight it. Turn Up the Street Heat! No Justice, No Peace! We must unite under the same banner of All for One and One for All! We've got to talk about this new technology and the vision for a new America. We've got to educate every man, woman and child about the redistribution of wealth back to the working class that created it, and to Hell with privatization -- the people are running the show now. No longer will we tolerate the insanity that the ruling class has thrown us into. ****************************************************************** 9. LAKOTA NATION HOLDS TRIBUNAL AGAINST GENOCIDE On June 29, 1995, the delegates and representatives of the traditional government were unanimous in reaching the following decisions: A) The Lakota traditional government, while petitioning the U.S. Congress, requests that the Federal appropriations for proposed budget cuts to all Native American programs be halted and increased, based upon treaty obligations from the treaties of 1851 and 1868 combined. B) We agreed that the United States is obliged, through the trust responsibility, to continue to respond as follows: "Native American peoples were here, we owned this land, and we gave up big portions of our land for the purpose of the welfare and education of our children. During those days there were no jobs so we made payment for the welfare and education of our children by relinquishing our land." C) We also agree to petition the Army Corps of Engineers to support the return of excess land to the traditional landowners of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nation along the Missouri, Grand, Cannonball and Moreau Rivers. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ THE HEALING THROUGH MOVEMENT RUN [The following letter was issued June 29, 1995 by the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Traditional Government to call attention to a planned walk/run across America and Europe beginning in far Northwest Washington State, August 1, 1995.] We the people of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nation want to introduce you to Mr. Durwin White Lightning and the Healing Through Movement Run, which begins on August 1, 1995. Given the profound impact of genocide which contains the exclusive issues of the struggles of the Lakota/ Dakota/Nakota people, we would like to redefine our efforts toward creating a peaceful world, as it was prior to the discovery of America in 1492. Our mission is to: A) Support of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota communities B) We support the day of prayer on June 21, 1996 at Devils Tower, Wyoming C) Ask for your support for the Alliance of Native Americans Declaration's "Night of Sorrow" from sunset on October 11, for the purpose of acknowledging the pain from the past and related issues to confront current and future issues as they apply to our nation. Please support this run toward the day of prayer on June 21, 1996. If you would like more information, contact Richard Grass at 605- 343-3046, Reginald Bird Horse, Sr. at 605-845-2678 or Joe Walker at 701-854-2025. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ LEAGUE SENDS DELEGATION TO LAKOTA TRIBUNAL STANDING ROCK, LAKOTA NATION -- Responding to an invitation from Chief Richard Grass of the Lakota Traditional Government, the League of Revolutionaries for a New America recently sent Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, Chair of the League's International Commission and Anthony Prince of the People's Tribune Editorial Board to Standing Rock where they participated in the closing sessions of an important tribunal against genocide. In coming issues, we will present a series of reports on the significance of the Lakota struggle within the broad revolutionary movement. We begin with the greeting presented to the Tribunal delegates and the principal resolutions adopted by those in attendance. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ 'WE STAND WITH YOU IN YOUR FIGHT FOR FREEDOM' LRNA greets Lakota tribunal against genocide [Editor's note: Below we print the full text of the statement sent by the national office of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America to the "Special Proceedings of the Lakota Nation Tribunal." The statement was read at the Tribunal by Abdul Alkalimat, the League's international secretary. The tribunal, held June 23-29 in Standing Rock in the state of North Dakota, was called by the Lakota Nation Traditional Government. Its purpose was to investigate the genocide carried out against the Lakota people.] The League of Revolutionaries for a New America extends its warm, fraternal greetings to the mighty Lakota Nation. We are very pleased to be invited to this important meeting and we come with unity in our minds and love in our hearts. We extend the hand of friendship, and we hope this is the beginning of a relationship of trust and respect that can last way past the time when all of us are free from exploitation and suffering. We are the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. Our organization was founded on the mission of fighting for the vision of a new life for people everywhere on the globe, to bring dignity back to the life of the lowest among us, to bring respect for all of life and Mother Earth, to fight for honor and justice. We are living in a time of great change. Some change promises to solve our problems, and some changes threaten us and place our lives at even greater risk. We face the choice between heaven or hell. The choice between these two is ours to make, for it is clear that the rulers of the U.S. government continue to pursue policies of exploitation and plunder. In fact, since they seek their solution at our expense, it is crucial for all who suffer this injustice to unite and forge a common response, common resistance. You have chosen to continue your heritage of resistance to this government and the ruling corporations that it serves. We remember the heroic battles fought over the last three centuries in which the spirits of your warriors and great leaders have inspired every revolutionary, no matter what the odds. Nowhere can the name "Sitting Bull" be raised without the highest respect, and nowhere can the name "Wounded Knee" be raised without bringing shame to those responsible for that terrible act of aggression against the Lakota Nation. We, the League of Revolutionaries for a New America, extend to you our hand of friendship. We stand with you in your fight for freedom and dignity. Again, we thank you for this invitation to come and join you at the time of this important Tribunal. Long live the Lakota Nation! -- The League of Revolutionaries for a New America +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 10. NO SET TRIPPIN' GROUP DEFENDS L.A. GANG TRUCE By Fanya Baruti LOS ANGELES -- A march to commemorate the third anniversary of the Los Angeles gang truce was held April 28 in Watts, where the truce began. It was a success. The march was about reclaiming, restoring and recovering our communities. The founders of No Set Trippin' in Watts (who include political prisoner Dewayne Holmes) are the pioneers who initiated the truce concept, a concept that bloomed across the nation and abroad. Our communities are owed a huge debt, a debt which gangs are partly responsible for creating. In the past, the price was paid by the loss of property, community, and lives, including the lives of our "homies." Today, No Set Trippin' realizes that the only way to repay our community is to implement strategies that will educate people and prevent gangs and gang involvement. No Set Trippin' is committed to empowering individuals, families, schools and communities so that they can take action to solve problems associated with gangs and gang violence. Recently, the "Community In Support of the Gang Truce" held a successful showing of the movie "Panther" at the University of Southern California. Nearly 500 people, mostly youth, came to see the film. The media said it was a "disappointment." How could educating youth be a disappointment? The news broadcasting that preceded the event included comments from a sheriff's spokesman who claimed that the truce was not working. In fact, not all gangs are "down" with the truce efforts, as we are working toward them being. However, where the truce is real, the death rate has been at an all-time low, the lowest in decades. As a parent and an activist, I must commend our youth. As a community, we must commend our youth. On July 15, at the House of the Blues in Los Angeles, the trucemakers and their sets who initiated a truce will be rewarded with a plaque. This event will go down in history. We have to reward our own, recognize the work they do. As the struggle continues, we as a people must realize that our efforts in bringing about change must come with a collective force that has no color lines. Our mission is to educate people and dismantle a system that has not a care about you or me or our children. [Fanya Baruti is a conflict and substance-abuse mediator in Long Beach, California.] ****************************************************************** 11. 'THERE IS A WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS MADNESS': LOS ANGELES MARCHERS PRAISE GANG TRUCE By Fanya Baruti LOS ANGELES -- As the April 28 march to commemorate the third anniversary of the Los Angeles gang truce approached the Jordan Downs housing project, the chant "The people united will never be defeated" rang out. I interviewed several people at the march. Here is what some of them had to say: IMAM MUJAHID is the spiritual leader who helped the brothers in the first days of the talks leading to the truce (suspension of military hostilities). He stated: "I think that this is a miracle from Allah, how he has touched the hearts [of] the brothers from the Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts and the people to support this historic truce between the Bloods and Crips." ELEMENTARY stated: "Man, this is what we need. We got soldiers and people from the community who are enjoying and trying to put together this peace. I love this; this is what time it is!" BROTHER REGGIE from the PJs said: "If we can keep it going strong like this, and find some jobs for them, we will be able to do anything! My future is right. I can't speak on another man's future, but I will keep on this path that I am leading now." DAUDE, a serious brother from the Jordan Downs housing project, stated: "I was a former gang member, turned community activist. The truce is something that is significant, that was brought about to help squash stereotypes and ignorance within the neighborhoods and also to take on a new route of taking the responsibility of our own self-determination." PERRY, a hard worker form the PJs, stated: "I am loving this. It gets bigger and bigger, but a lot of people don't want this to happen, standing in the way 'cause sex and violence make money in Amerikkka. Thus, we are not about violence. It's about 'Each one, teach one' -- now! And so, destruction is against us, but we love each other and we are trying to do the right thing." CORNELL works with the largest Head Start agency in Southern California, Kedren Community Health Center. He stated: "My interest today is to make positive information get to my people, so that they will understand that there is a way to get out of this madness in which we live." Congressman WALTER R. TUCKER (D-Los Angeles) was among the crowd of youth and elders. He also gave certificates with the congressional seal to the brothers. Tucker said: "I am very happy to see this. This is great. The truce, the peace march ... if we can do this, we can do anything. Unity is the key and division divides all of our people, so when I can see the Crips and Bloods come together with other gangs, ... it really gives me hope and it gives the young people hope. So, this is what we need, this is real role-modeling right here." I asked Congressman Tucker, "What would your fellow congressmen say about an event such as this?" He replied: "I don't think some of them would believe it. But that is why I am here to be a witness, ... so that I can go back and ... let them know that this is a reality in South Central. And so, we are keeping it good in the 'hood and I am just proud of you all." SUSAN ROBESON, the granddaughter of Paul Robeson, is a filmmaker who came all the way from Minneapolis. She has been documenting the gang truce across the nation superbly and has worked in the trenches with us in our struggles. She stated: "This is one of most moving things that I have ever participated in and it makes me feel hopeful. We read the paper every day and turn on the TV and you think that there is no hope. But when you get out in the community, there is hope. There are people moving and changing things and it's very uplifting and motivating for me." ****************************************************************** 12. VALIANT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SUCCUMBS TO CANCER: LINDA EDWARDS' LIFE ENDS; HER LEGACY CONTINUES By Robert Norse [Editor's note: Below we reprint the full text of a eulogy for Northern California activist Linda Edwards who died of cancer earlier this year. The statement is reprinted from Volume 2, Number 1 of Housing Now! in Santa Cruz, a "newsletter for the streets" which advocates for human and civil rights, fair housing and economic security for homeless and low-income people. We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Linda Edwards on her passing.] SANTA CRUZ, California -- Close friends of Linda Edwards, on hearing of her death, gathered for an all-night sleep-out and vigil at the Santa Cruz Town Clock Saturday night June 3. Twenty- five people showed up with candles; half a dozen slept over. Flowers, photos, a large sign reading "In Memory Linda Edwards Compassion Courage," and copies of the event flyer still adorned the Town Clock a day later. Police did not, for once, disturb the sleepers with $168 camping tickets under the city's 6.36 Municipal Code which Linda fought throughout her life here. On Monday, June 5, the Santa Cruz Sentinel published a front-page obituary on Linda. "Linda the Lark" helped found the Coalition to End the Camping Ban, Bag Ladies Revolt and Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom in Santa Cruz. She frequently came to San Francisco and Berkeley to support Food Not Bombs and the defenders of People's Park. She helped found the California Homeless Network and participated in its early actions. She was on the scene fighting Operation Rescue attacks on the right to choice, yet she was arrested for defending the right of all groups to protest peacefully when San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer had her dragged away for trying to speak at a City Council where Hammer pushed through a law criminalizing protests within 300 feet of an abortion clinic or a doctor's house. Edwards was the first person arrested in Santa Cruz for serving free food in 1988 outside City Hall. She was the first to confront the Health Department in 1993 when Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs was under attack. For circulating petitions demanding better food and an end to censorship at the bureaucrat-run Free Meal, Linda was assaulted, reviled and blacklisted. Throughout the last decade, she lived in her van, taking no government handouts. She was ticketed by the Santa Cruz police, defamed by local poverty pimps, and assaulted by local goons in the course of her daily life. Her principal call was for solidarity. When she saw people being ticketed for sitting down on brick planter boxes in Santa Cruz in 1990, she simply joined them. She led street blockades against the Iraqi genocide in 1990. She was repeatedly ticketed and arrested for high-profile support of the 1989 Post Office Homeless Vigil which lasted eight and a half months, and for the 1991 Town Clock Peace Vigil lasting three months. In an arena dominated by men, Linda insisted on equal acknowledgment and respect for women. She educated many middle- class feminists and lesbians about the struggles of her poorer sisters. She received little support from politically correct liberals, who have a 6-1 majority on the Santa Cruz City Council, but still criminalize four-fifths of Santa Cruz' homeless population. GOOD-BYE, LINDA EDWARDS Linda supported me when few others would. She defended my reputation and helped further my work. She challenged the liberal bureaucrats when they spread lies that I was "anti-homeless." She joined me in challenging exclusionary policies by the local American Civil Liberties Union, and they retaliated by refusing to defend her as well. Linda was in her way what Bob Sparks was to Berkeley. Bob worked at it longer. Both were out-front and unapologetic. In losing them both in so short a time, we would do well to look at each other and appreciate who we have while we have them. I will be writing a more extensive chronology of Linda's work. Good-bye, Linda. We love you still. Memorial contributions for Linda Edwards may be sent, with her name mentioned, to Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs, P.O. Box 8091, Santa Cruz, California 95061; or to Welfare Parents Support Group, Inc., 509 Broadway, Santa Cruz, California 95062. Such donations will help support homeless women and defray small memorial-related costs. If you are a member or elder of a church or synagogue and you feel you would have permitted Linda Edwards, or someone else who lives in a vehicle, to park for a night or two in your congregation's parking lot, in order to sleep legally, please write a letter to Mayor Katherine Beiers and the City Council, 809 Center Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060. ****************************************************************** 13. SOMEDAY, ONLY POOR PEOPLE WILL HAVE MONEY! By Steven Miller Bank of America is working on the next-generation bank card to replace the automatic teller machine (ATM) card. The new card will have a memory chip embedded in it. Its purpose is to replace money. You insert the new card into an ATM and put a certain amount of "money" onto it. You can use the "money" in places like gas stations, grocery stores, fast-food restaurants, quick-stop markets, etc. You simply insert your card into a device that deducts the cost of your purchase. Lots of gas stations already use this system. Such businesses are becoming more and more automated. One of the main ways that human labor is still used is to make change. The new card will eliminate this ... and eliminate millions of jobs as well! Of course, if you are too poor to have a large enough bank account, you will still have to use money -- at the few places that will still take it. The new bank card completes the process that began thousands of years ago when people began to barter and trade their goods. People traded for things -- say hides or corn -- that were scarce. Money was developed to facilitate such exchanges. The end of money signifies the end of a system based on scarcity. It also makes a mockery of such a system. Such deductions benefit only the banks. Why not take the next step? Give everyone a card with enough charges on it so they can feed and clothe themselves and their family for a year. Why not go even further and scrap the cards completely? The necessities of life are abundant. ****************************************************************** 14. WOMEN INMATES SUE FOR HUMANE CARE: 'HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?' By Anthony D. Prince CHOWCHILLA, California -- It is doubtful that Alexandra Allen, George Mancuso's daughter, saw him marching outside the main gate of the largest women's prison in the world, July 8. Inside her cell in the Central California Women's Facility, Allen is in the final stages of lupus, an immune system disorder that could take her life as early as September. Just days before, the prison doctor had left on vacation. She won't be seen by another physician till mid-August. She may be like the other 4,000 inmates here, mostly convicted of non-violent and/or drug related offenses, but a shocking lack of medical care has meant a virtual death sentence for George Mancuso's daughter. "In the first place, they're human beings," says Audrey Alorro, explaining why she was one of nearly 100 people who joined Mancuso to protest the medical mistreatment of women prisoners at Chowchilla. "Secondly, most of these women will be released, and if they have infectious diseases that go untreated, that's a public health risk," continues the 45-year-old office worker from nearby Merced. Organized by the California Coalition on Women Prisoners and supported by the Disabled Prisoners Justice Fund, San Francisco NOW and others, the spirited protest called attention to the case of Shumate et al. v. Wilson. The class action lawsuit filed in federal court on behalf of chronic and terminally ill women inmates at Chowchilla and at the California Institution for Women in Frontera. According to those addressing the marchers, the mostly penniless inmates must shell out a "co-payment" of $5 just to consult with a nurse who may or not refer a reported problem to one of only two doctors. (The prison's claim of seven full-time physicians was vehemently disputed by prisoner relatives and others.) And, reports protester Audrey Alorro, for a fee that the majority of inmates cannot afford, "the strongest medication allowed is ibuprofen." As the marchers listed their demands, (vitamins and special diets for inmates, compassionate release for the dying and restoration of the family visiting program, among others) squad cars from the California Highway Patrol parked across the street and undercover photographers from the Madera County Sheriffs took pictures of those exercising their rights. In this impoverished, agribusiness- dominated part of the state, many have cheered prison construction as a source of good jobs and benefits. Yet, while some may draw a paycheck from the mushrooming prison industry, thousands of women -- the fastest growing segment of the prison population -- are drawing nothing but a welfare check or a long sentence for offenses rooted in poverty and desperation. For George Mancuso and those who marched with him such as Audrey Alorro, the price tag for the prison/industrial complex is too high. They point out that drug treatment programs inside California prisons are "almost nonexistent," that the state is "criminalizing those who need help", thus guaranteeing a steady supply of human raw material for the fastest growing industry in America. Those who marched here July 8 have glimpsed the view from the inside out, either directly or by way of loved ones behind prison walls. They know that there must be a better way, that no woman is safe if the human rights of women prisoners are denied. For more information on the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, call: 415-255-7036. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "So very many are sick and being turned away; so many in fear of the cold harsh treatment of being told you are faking, we will take this or that from you, you will receive a CDC 115. We've been running and pushing just to be seen by an MTA who may get a slap on the hand if he accepts more than 20 sick women. "How many more must die? Speak your mind, get a room search or worse, depending on who the creative person behind the pen may be. The latest is, shut up or receive your crime and punishment - you have just been endorsed to death trap Number 2. V.S.W.P. across the street. "Please help us from inside not to give us hope. Please shout through the gates so others will believe we really are not alone. I say, May God bless each and every one of you. I, Charisse Shumate, will never give up the fight from behind this wall. My voice shall roar for quality medical care for all inmates. "Thank You." [Charisse Shumate, imprisoned in the Central California Women's Facility, is the lead plaintiff in a federal class action against medical mistreatment of women inmates.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 15. TIME RUNNING OUT FOR VICTIM OF FRAME-UP: FIGHT TO SAVE ABU- JAMAL INTENSIFIES PHILADELPHIA -- In recent weeks, the struggle to stop the scheduled August 17 execution of Pennsylvania's Mumia Abu-Jamal has intensified. In both San Francisco and the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, supporters of the former Black Panther framed in 1982 for the death of a Philadelphia policeman, have been viciously attacked and arrested by the score. Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police in Philadelphia continues its campaign to speed up Mumia's date with death. On June 2, three days before Abu-Jamal's newest appeal would have commenced, the FOP persuaded Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Ridge to sign the death warrant. The initiation of the appeal would have preempted this action. Mumia Abu-Jamal was framed and convicted at a time when his work as a journalist had exposed widespread Philadelphia police brutality. Even a cursory review of his case makes clear the overtly political nature of the trial. His supporters are making comparisons to the 1953 execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, political activists unjustly convicted of treason at the height of the McCarthy era. However, in 1995, the police-directed lynching of Mumia Abu-Jamal cannot be viewed apart from the widespread growth of police repression across this country. It is not only political activists like Abu-Jamal who are in the line of fire, but a broad segment of America for whom there is no food but plenty of police violence, the kind of America that activist and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks for. We urge our readers to contact those at the center of Mumia's defense to find out you can help stay the hand of the executioner. Call: Equal Justice USA, 301-699-0442 (phone) 301-864-2182 (fax) ****************************************************************** 16. YOUNG FIGHTER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE GUNNED DOWN -- AND POLICE MADE SURE HE DIDN'T MAKE IT! By Luis J. Rodriguez CHICAGO -- Sixteen-year-old Marcos Cordova was a fighter. Marcos struggled against police abuse in his community. For peace among young people. For the right of youth to be heard and empowered. Last August, he helped found Youth Struggling for Survival, an organization dedicated to gaining knowledge and to providing social action and change for young people in Chicago. But in the early hours of June 25, while on a stoop in the Mexican barrio of Pilsen here in Chicago, Marcos was gunned down in a shooting incident. "The police made sure he wouldn't make it," said one of his friends. Chicago police officers apparently stopped his friends from taking Marcos to the Cook County Hospital, which is near Pilsen and known for the best trauma care in the city. They allegedly diverted them to Cabrini Hospital -- although it does not have a trauma unit. Marcos lay there for an hour and a half, strapped to a bed, without CPR or other emergency life-saving measures. It has long been believed that the police have allowed youth in Pilsen and other communities to bleed to death, or otherwise die, so that the hard numbers make a case for more police support and financing. Two weeks before Marcos' shooting, another youth was shot in Pilsen, and police there prevented anybody from helping him as he lay dying! Marcos' death has deeply affected the many young people who have come through the banner of Youth Struggling for Survival. The group was formed to provide a strong political alternative for young people when more than 125 youth from throughout the Chicago area converged on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago on August 13, 1994. Marcos was the driving spirit behind this effort! Despite being hounded by police, rival gangs and the poverty of his environment, Marcos strove against great odds to better the living conditions of himself and his people. Marcos was a gang member. He did not finish high school. And he was under house confinement by the courts. Some may use this to say he didn't deserve a chance. But he was also a leader, a tireless defender of the people's rights. At Pilsen's Casa Aztlan Community Center, Marcos was an active participant, helping establish a youth program unparalleled at the time in Chicago. "He never gave up on us or himself," said Rocio Restrepo, another member of Youth Struggling for Survival. Marcos articulated many of the often-silenced sentiments of urban youth on television, radio and in print. He appeared on a talk show about youth and gangs in Wisconsin. He was part of Video Machete, the video production group of Youth Struggling for Survival. In this capacity, he filmed his neighborhood, his friends, and his thoughts for the world to see. In mid-July, he was to be one of eight inner-city Chicago youth invited to Italy to participate in expressive arts workshops with 90 young people from the United States, Italy and South Africa. The youth involved in this trip have agreed to dedicate the workshops there to Marcos' memory. A special showing of Marcos' video work was also shown at St. Procopius Church in Pilsen. The night of June 25, about 25 young people and a couple of adult mentors and parents met to discuss Marcos' life and death in a Pilsen apartment. As sounds of exhaust pipes, car horns, sirens, children's shrieks and city voices pushed through the open windows, the participants related how much Marcos meant to them. "He would have wanted us to continue his work," a youth said. "He would have wanted us to maintain the peace, and to fight the injustices of this society." One mother said, "I have lost children. I know the pain his mother must feel right now. We must work together so no more of our children are taken away from us." I remember Marcos. I worked with him since before the founding of Youth Struggling for Survival. Marcos was always there, at meetings, retreats, and activities. He was troubled, like so many young people his age. But he believed in revolutionary transformation and worked hard to achieve it. We knew him at his best. He was a true leader; he only needed the proper skills, clarity and organizational means to develop even further. He already had the heart. The intelligence. And the love. Marcos' death should not be in vain. The best way to honor him is to continue the work of Youth Struggling for Survival; of challenging the inequities of a society that sees many of these youth as lost causes. Marcos Cordova was a hero. He did not falter. His society failed him. It's our duty now to realize his dreams of peace, justice and abundance for all. [Luis J. Rodriguez is an award-winning poet and the author of _Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A._] ****************************************************************** 17. ALTERNATIVE PRESS ACTIVIST TOURS FOR NEW PUBLICATION, COUNTERPOISE Anyone who has been involved with the small and alternative press knows how difficult it is to get any coverage in the mainstream media. One person who has been active in promoting books and publications that are outside the mainstream is Charles Willett, coordinator of the Alternatives in Print Task Force of the American Library Association and president of CRISES Press, which publishes APT for Libraries, CRISES Critical Issues Catalog and Librarians at Liberty. He and his wife Nancy are touring this summer to promote the forthcoming alternative review journal Counterpoise. He needs help from librarians and activists in arranging speaking engagements, press interviews and radio talk shows to discuss why most libraries and bookstores don't stock alternative ideas and what can be done about it, with particular focus on Counterpoise and on establishing a national network of alternative libraries, infoshops and bookstores. Boulder, Colorado, July 15 to 17: In care of Maggie Alexander, 303-546-0510. Minneapolis, July 18-19: In care of Chris Dodge, 612-541-8572. Sherborn, Massachusetts, July 28 to August 1: In care of Peter Willett, 508-651-7648. Brooklyn, New York, August 4 to 7: In care of Thornton Willett, 718-855-6460. ****************************************************************** 18. POEM: "STEP INTO THE WORLD" written for the graduating class at Palm Springs High School Young hearts, young minds, Young ears, young eyes. Cherish every person, Experience every moment. Explore every possibility, And grasp all opportunities. Hear all that is spoken word, And even those wordless messages. Behold the myriad of what is before us, But look deeper into those things obscured. Individually, we are exhilarating and intelligent, Exquisite and vigorous, With an untouchable eminence. But join as a collective and, Together we are a league, A force to be reckoned with, Full of spirit, bursting with enthusiasm, Ready to learn, ready to teach. If we were to stand together, And step into the world, There is nothing we cannot do, No task we will hesitate to take on. All of our dreams, All of our hopes, All of our goals, Will be in our hands, and we will control our destiny. For we are our future, Only our sodality Is the passage on to success. Hold on to each other, Treasure the reflections of the past, And remember these are the things, That will keep us wieldy, And hold our heads high, As we move on to another chapter of our lives. Headstrong, mighty fighters are we, Brilliant, inspiring leaders we will be. -- Charlie E. Parker, age 18. ****************************************************************** 19. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS +----------------------------------------------------------------+ THE OTHER SIDE OF 'WELFARE FRAUD' Dear Editor: Americans hear about the one to five percent who defraud AFDC. Seldom are Americans made aware of the 500,000 of cases of fraud committed by welfare workers! The wrongful denial or intentionally misquoting of welfare laws is fraud. This evil deed is perpetrated on the poorest of the poor. In 1991, the federal government estimated that 81,760 cases were incorrectly turned away. Infants went hungry and families became homeless nationally, due to this fraud. Social service agencies serving those in financial poverty see the government's estimate as extremely low. Here in Maine, out of 17,197 cases it was officially estimated that only 266 families were wrongly denied assistance. In fiscal year 1991, Maine service providers encountered five to 15 times the government's estimate of people who were wrongly denied assistance. In Maine, that's about 3,000 families who were given false information. Nationally, 500,000 to 1 million people were wrongly turned away from help they desperately required. The fraud committed by welfare workers, is not heard in the welfare debate. This side of welfare fraud costs lives, not dollars! Jan Lightfoot, Hinckley, Maine ****************************************************************** 20. THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE IS GOING TO CHINA The People's Tribune is going to China! We'll participate in the Non-Governmental Organization Forum, associated with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. The theme of the conference is equality, development and peace. Grassroots women from all over the world will bring the deteriorating plight of poor women and their children before the world. The purpose of the NGO Forum is to influence the Platform for Action that U.N. member states will adopt. We are honored to be part of the delegation sponsored by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under the Law. The People's Tribune, along with many others, will bring the point of view of millions of America's poor women to this historic conference. We will take pictures and cover the conference for you, our readers. Help make this trip possible by making a donation today! Laura Garcia, the editor of the People's Tribune, and others, will be available to speak to your group upon their return. Please make checks payable to the People's Tribune and write "China Trip" on the envelope. Mail your donation to People's Tribune, PO Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654. ****************************************************************** 21. NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN THE LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA Humanity is being reborn in an age of great revolutionary change. The tools exist to produce all that we need for a peaceful, orderly world. For the first time in history, a true flowering of the human intellect and spirit is possible. Our fight is to reorganize society to accomplish these goals. Our vision is of a new, cooperative society of equality and of a people awakening. The revolution we need is possible. A great moral optimism is beginning to sweep this country as the poor, the oppressed, the decent-hearted, embrace this revolutionary mission and make it a reality. The League of Revolutionaries for a New America takes as its mission the political awakening of the American people. We invite all who see that there is a problem and are ready to do something about it to join with us. For more information, call 312-486-0028. Send the coupon below to P.O. Box 477113, Chicago, Illinois 60647. The LRNA is made up of those recently liberated from Black Belt plantations; those who teach and learn in the sanctuaries of the universities; those who live on and struggle in the cold, mean streets; those of the new poor fighting desperately to avoid living on those streets; the humble, determined, passionate fighters of the spiritual community; the veteran, steeled revolutionaries; trade unionists; those from the surging new movement of women. From all these tribunes of the people comes an outpouring of enthusiasm, tales of struggle and hope for the future. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ____ I want to join the LRNA. Please send information. ____ Enclosed is my donation of $________ I want to subscribe to: ____ People's Tribune. $4 for a two-month subscription or $25 for a year. ____ Tribuno del Pueblo. $4 for a four-month subscription or $13 for a year. (You can also get bundles of ten or more copies of the PT or TP for 15 cents per copy.) Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ City ___________________________________________________________ State/Zip ______________________________________________________ Phone __________________________________________________________ +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** 22. EDUCATION FOR A NEW AMERICA Our country is going through a new and difficult moment in history. Millions of Americans have been pulled into struggle and are questioning the cause of the rapidly expanding poverty that is engulfing the people. The outline of the struggle is clear. Millions are moving toward some form of upsurge. This new movement in America will be captured by the revolution or by the fascists. The Leadership Schools of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America are the way to develop clear answers to the problems America faces on the basis of an overall understanding of what's wrong. Call to sign up for a school: 312-486-0028! The schedule is: August 12-20 September 9-17 September 30-October 8 ****************************************************************** 23. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, published weekly in Chicago, is devoted to the proposition that an economic system which can't or won't feed, clothe and house its people ought to be and will be changed. To that end, this paper is a tribune of the people. It is the voice of the millions struggling for survival. It strives to educate politically those millions on the basis of their own experience. It is a tribune to bring them together, to create a vision of a better world, and a strategy to achieve it. Join us! Editor: Laura Garcia Publisher: League of Revolutionaries for a New America, P.O. Box 477113, Chicago, IL 60647 (312) 486-0028 For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist-request@noc.org To help support the production and distribution of the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, please send donations, letters, articles, photos, graphics and requests for information, subscriptions and requests for bundles of papers to: PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE P.O. Box 3524 Chicago, IL 60654 pt@noc.org ISSN# 1081-4787 Reach us by phone: Chicago: (312) 486-3551 Atlanta: (404) 242-2380 Baltimore: (410) 467-4769 Detroit: (313) 839-7600 Los Angeles: (310) 428-2618 Washington, D.C.: (202) 529-6250 Oakland, CA: (510) 464-4554 GETTING THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE IN PRINT Weekly bundles of 10 or more copies are 15 cents per copy. Yearly subscriptions are $25 or you can subscribe for two months for $4. A one-year international subscription is $50. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654, tel. (312) 486-3551, or pt@noc.org WRITING FOR THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE We want your story in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. Send it in! Articles should be shorter than 300 words, written to be easily understood, and signed. (Use a pen name if you prefer.) Include a phone number for questions. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654, tel. (312) 486-3551. ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist- request@noc.org ******************************************************************