Fw: Greater Spokane Progress Update
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GSP Update
Hello and happy Fall! We hope that you had a great summer and got to get out to enjoy our beautiful region, and beyond.
We, like many of you, are grieving the great loss of Sandy Williams and her partner Patricia Hicks. We send our deepest condolences to their family, friends, and colleagues.
Greater Spokane Progress is very lucky to have worked with Sandy and work with leaders that she mentored and loved. Her influence in our community is deep. We will continue to be reminded of the impact that Sandy made in Spokane and be inspired to work for racial equity and challenge community leaders to take action. We want to see the Carl Maxey Center thrive. GSP is making a donation to the Carl Maxey Center in addition to personal gifts from our staff and board. We invite you to join us.
Announcing Greater Spokane Action!
We are excited to announce that GSP now has an affiliated 501(c)(4), Greater Spokane Action! Greater Spokane Action (GSA) is the political arm of GSP, reshaping politics by educating, advocating, and mobilizing to establish and strengthen equitable and progressive policies in our community. GSA is a non-partisan hub for grassroots organizing and political engagement that works year-round to center the voices of BIPOC and impacted communities to hold elected officials accountable and promote progressive policies - locally and statewide. We are using our voices and building community power to advance our vision of equity and justice, creating the change we want to see. Our goals include housing justice, police accountability, rights for immigrants and refugees, smart justice, civil rights and equity, climate justice, and expanding and protecting democracy. GSA work priorities include developing candidate report cards, working with GSP members and partners to develop and advocate for an annual legislative agenda, and driving civic engagement around our vision and policy agenda.
The Greater Spokane Action Board of Directors: Paul Dillion, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Greater Washington and North Idaho; Pastor Walter Kendricks, Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR); Ryann Louie, Reimagine Spokane; Tina Morrison, Spokane Regional Labor Council; Naghmana Sherazi, individual member; and Lorna Walsh, individual member. We are in the process of building a website, and will invite you to like our Facebook Page soon!
GOTV and Voter Education
Reimagine Spokane’s 2022 GOTV Project: GSP is very pleased to be the sponsor of Reimagine Spokane’s 2022 GOTV Project to increase awareness of ballot issues and encourage mobilization through a community celebration of voting and engagement. Reimagine Spokane has engaged 13 community organizations to contribute to a zine, each providing an article, artwork, or statement of their values and identity, explaining how they and their membership would reimagine Spokane. The zine also includes a center feature on Spokane politics and voting. With partner organizations from the zine, Reimagine Spokane is hosting a Get Out the Vote party on November 6. Through the zine and at the event, Reimagine Spokane wants to engage and inspire new voters, especially members of historically marginalized communities within Spokane. Click here to read the zine.
Smart Justice Spokane and SCAR Platform for Change Candidate Questionnaire: Smart Justice Spokane and the Spokane Community Against Racism Platform for Change coalitions will be publishing the responses to a recent candidate questionnaire on the important issues of criminal legal system reform. You will be able to find candidate responses on spokanecandidates.org, smartjusticespokane.org, and on the Smart Justice Spokane and Greater Spokane Progress Facebook pages. Look for announcements coming soon!
Independent City Attorney Ballot Measure: The Spokane City Council passed an ordinance and resolution, sponsored by Council President Breean Beggs, to place a measure on the November 2022 ballot, that would amend the duties of, and the process for the appointment and removal of, an Independent City Attorney and other legal counsel. The Inlander did a story on the proposed ballot measure that you can read here. The City Attorney works on many issues that we are all concerned about including homelessness, police accountability, enforcing the Human Rights Section 18 of the City Charter, and many others. GSP’s Board is in support of this ballot measure to create an independent City Attorney. We are working with a number of organizations to develop voter education materials. Look for emails and social media posts coming soon that you can share.
City of Spokane Redistricting
It is time for the City of Spokane to update City Council District boundaries. The City of Spokane Redistricting Board has been formed to adjust City Council District boundaries so that they are relatively equal in population based on 2020 census data without spitting precincts. According to the City Charter, in 5 years, which is halfway through the census cycle, is when district boundaries can be redrawn. The deadline for finalizing maps is Nov. 15, 2022. A major issue in developing maps is trying to keep neighborhoods intact, including East Central, one of our most diverse neighborhoods, which is split between 2 districts. New draft maps will be available on the Redistricting Board website soon. The Redistricting Board is holding a Town Hall and taking public comment on these maps on Tuesday, October 4 at 5pm in City Council Chambers. Look for an organizational sign on letter coming soon from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Greater Washington and North Idaho. Big thanks to Ann Murphy with the League of Women Voters of the Spokane Area for attending Redistricting Board meetings.
Thanks for all that you do in our community!
Warmly,
Anne on behalf of the GSP Board of Directors
GSP Board of Directors
Terri Anderson, Tenants Union of Washington State
Michaela Brown, Individual Member, JustLead Washington
Rev. Jim CastroLang, Spokane NAACP
Paul Dillon, Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho
Pui-Yan Lam, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Spokane and Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR)
Shar Lichty, Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
Fernanda Mazcot, Hispanic Business/Professional Association of Spokane
Becca Matthews, Individual Member
Tina Morrison, Spokane Regional Labor Council
Katy Sheehan, Community Building Foundation
Naghmana Sherazi, Individual Member, Muslims for Community, Action and Support
Lorna Walsh, Individual Member
Greater Spokane Progress*
25 W. Main Ave., Suite 222
Spokane, WA 99201
509-624-5657 office
509-981-6746 cell
an...@spokaneprogress.org
Click here to “Like” the Greater Spokane Progress Facebook page
*Greater Spokane Progress is a public charity that only engages in activities that are permissible under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Greater Spokane Progress and the members of the network are strictly prohibited from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. All Greater Spokane Progress activities will be strictly non-partisan. In addition, Greater Spokane Progress activities will not be coordinated with any candidate, political party or other partisan entity.
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