FW: [OccupyCongress] Fwd: Solidarity with Benton Harbor, MI

[Jennifer Snead-Smith]

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Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 19:16:49 -0700
From: tehsha...@gmail.com
To: toms...@earthlink.net; occupycoac...@lists.riseup.net; occupyc...@listserve.occupyyourcongress.info
Subject: [OccupyCongress] Fwd: Solidarity with Benton Harbor, MI

May 23-27, 2012
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Move to Amend" <in...@movetoamend.org>
Date: May 1, 2012 9:31 AM
Subject: Solidarity with Benton Harbor, MI
To: <tehSha...@gmail.com>

The National Campaign to End Corporate Personhood and Demand Real Democracy!

Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression. ~Harry Belafonte Steven, The Move To Amend coalition stands in support of Reverend Pinkney and the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO) as they work for economic and social justice in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Benton Harbor is an overwhelmingly African American community on the edge of Lake Michigan and the world headquarters of Whirlpool. Nothing is actually manufactured in Benton Harbor anymore; free trade policies off-shored their good paying local jobs. A declining tax base coupled with the economic crash has left the city, like many others, in dire straits, and many of its residents struggling against poverty. (See: “Time for an uprising in Benton Harbor.”) Under legislation which allows the state to take over local governments experiencing a “financial emergency,” Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed an emergency manager to govern Benton Harbor. James Harris has become the de facto king of Benton Harbor, refusing to work in concert with city officials, stripping them of their powers, and replacing planning commissioners in order to grab public park land for a posh golf resort, a site on this year’s Senior PGA Tour. This is a crime against democracy and our American values. When did it become acceptable for the state to essentially fire elected officials duly elected by the people? To make matters worse, Snyder appears to be targeting cities with large black populations, which could result in the disenfranchisement of the majority of Michigan’s black population. This is an outrage. We are working to pass a Constitutional amendment, which will curb avaricious corporations seeking personhood rights in order to run roughshod over “We the People.” This is just a first step required to perfect our democracy -- the one where “We the People” rule -- for this and future generations. Move To Amend recognizes that we need all Americans participating -- people of every color, from every community -- for the promise of American democracy to be real. Move To Amend supports the May 23-27 action, "Occupy the Senior PGA Golf Tournament" in Benton Harbor. We encourage you to attend and to help publicize this event through your networks. Solidarity, Ashley Sanders, Ben Manski, Daniel Lee, David Cobb, Egberto Willies, Jerome Scott, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Laura Bonham, Leesa "George" Friday, Nancy Price, Stephen Justino Move to Amend National Executive Committee

MOVE TO AMEND PO Box 610, Eureka CA 95502  |  (707) 269-0984  |  www.MoveToAmend.org We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.             You are subscribed to this list as tehSha...@gmail.com. Click here to unsubscribe.

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