Letter to my mom on Christmas

Hey mom how are you doing? Just thought I would take a moment and write to you. I am doing well working at a law office serving documents, filing stuff and whatever else they need me to do, the work is boring and dreary but it does have its moments. I had to serve someone at 8 am who is quite vindictive and psychotic so I dressed up like a delivery boy and put the lawsuit in a christmas package and gave to them and left quickly before she could open it, which was fun because she was a pro cop peace of shit.

We didnt put up the Christmas tree this year and instead are using dads palm tree plant instead. I decided to recycle gifts and gave dad some dvds that someone else gave me he was quite impressed that i spent what little money i got buying him a gift which is pretty funny. Remember Ambers kid Donavin he is doing and has grown quite a bit, I saw him two nights ago and he grew so big that i didnt event recognize him. He gets an X Box which someone else gave me as I called my roomate and she says that we have no use for it. We had Christmas dinner the other night and it went quite well POKE and lots of the old spot kids were there. Remember when you bailed her out years ago and she lived with us it was fun and i was talking to her about how she had to leave and go to jail on Christmas but how we stayed in touch and how sad that was. She is doing well going to school and helps out with my radio show sometimes but like me she hates waking up at six am and going all the way to the studio.

The truth of the matter is that its not the same without you and moments like this your presence is really missed and even though I know you are in heavan looking out for me I really still miss you and wish you were here, everyone does. You gave up so much to raise me properly and teach me what is right and wrong and you gave so much to the community that in many ways I think you are my hero doing what is right not because of some ideology but because it is right I miss you and look forward to seeing you again in the next life.

Agenda for Jan. 6th meeting about creating alternatives for dealing with the drugs problem

AGENDA

– History of the Spot and how it was organized
– Creggan Community Collective Model
o Message from Gary Donnelly on situation in Derry
– The need for political independence and the view on PAVIS.
o To give youth power, we can’t have the state set the agenda and define boundaries
o For our drop in centre, to meet the needs of the youth, we must be able to address all issues in a manner in which people feel comfortable identifying problems and coming up with solutions. Given that in the past, the police have played a role in social cleansing and criminalizing of political thought, we feel it is very important that for the safety and political independence of the space, that the police have no involvement. In dealing with issues, organizers will address problems as they arise. If these problems are of a serious nature, then a tribunal will be called made up of everyone who participates and uses the space where all issues will be discussed and everyone involved will help come up with a resolution that is beneficial to all. We reject PAVIS as it is a counter-insurgency model adopted from the PSNI in Northern Ireland. We feel that the treatment of racialized and marginalized people as insurgents goes contrary to our core values. Given all that is coming up now about the PSNI model being a tool to crush people’s just aspirations—why would we want to adopt this failed model here?
– We recognize that the drug problem is an international problem aimed at decimating communities internationally that are trying to fight for independence and self-determination and as such our approach will be an internationalist approach. Whereby we will support and learn from these communities.
– This space will aim to combat racism, sexism, ableism, and homophobia as these issues divide poor people. We recognize that everyone is affected by this and we will take that into account when dealing with any issues that may arise.
– Alternative Sober Activities to keep youth off drugs
o Needing people to run scheduled groups
 Music classes, sewing, canoeing, camping, article writing
 Music (guitar lessons, drumming and turn tables)
-social networking
-sober events
-educational events
-telling stories through social media
-Alternative media and making our voices heard.—radio
 Free shows
– Information and legal assistance to defend people’s basic rights
o -workshops that educate people on what there rights are in regards to police.
-Information on CAS
-Access to lawyers to help people with legal problems
-access to tenant rights and advocacy
-Advocacy for OW ODSP
o Workshops on safe drug use
o -Jail visits for loved ones
-peer support for those suffering from addictions (non judgemental)
-access to drug testing kits
-access to vitamins
-hygiene products
-information on safe sex for non straight lifestyles
– Input from people so that they can have a say in identifying the problems they are facing and come up with solutions
o Weekly meetings where rules are created and updated
o Weekly meetings where programming is created
o Weekly meetings where staff are held accountable by the youth
o Meetings can be called by any participant at any time if a serious issues arises with a staff member

Alan Ryan Peoples Community Organization Christmas Dinner a success

Today The Alan Ryan Peoples Community Organization hosted its first event, a Christmas dinner. The event began with an introduction to what the group is and its goals and objectives, which is a community organization which aims to serve the needs of the community by bringing together the youth and elderly to exchange experiences, educate and mobalize to create alternatives.

Next a speaker explained who Alan Ryan is and why the organization chose to name themselves after him. Particular attention was paid to the work he has done to deal with the drug problem in his community, as well as the work that he has done in the community despite constant attacks by the state to demonize him and the role that they played in ending his life and this was followed by a discussion on the present situation in Ireland as well as the social problems within Kitchener.

The event continued with a speaker from Cuba discussing the significance of the normalization of US Cuba relations as well as her experience living under Batista and resisting and her life during the early days of the revolution.

After more discussion on everything from local community issues, people discussed te importance of building bridges and links between the elderly and youth , two groups of people who are totally marginalized by the present situation and the need for such events where elderly people who are excluded from political and social life are given the respect that they deserve as well as a say in how things are. It was agreed that events such as this will be hosted by the Alan Ryan Peoples Organization will be hosted once a month at 74 church street a low income home for the elderly.

The event ended with salsa and rumba dancing and people left with high spirits and a sense of accomplishment

Viva Cuba, Report on Yesterdays Celebration in Toronto

Yesterday at the steelworkers hall in Toronto people involved in Cuban Solidarity met to celebrate the release of the Cuban Five as well as the normalization of relations between Cuba and The US. The event which was well attended included speeches and cultural performers whom over the years have fought and supported Cuba. The spirit of the event of one of resistance as speaker after speaker affirmed Cuba’s commitment to socialist principles and the continued need for revolutionary solidarity with Cuba and internationalism.

Revolutionary greetings were sent from a variety of international supporters including J.P. Wootan And Brendan Mc Conville who are currently locked up in Maghaberry for the crime of being Irish Republicans.

The event ended with people affirming there commitment to continue supporting Cuba’s struggle for self determination and rejecting slanders aimed at blackening the Cuban Revolution on the basis of these recent victorys

Equitable and Just Treatment for All at UW

The WPIRG Board of Directors invites all concerned members of the campus and local community to sign the public letter (below) seeking the reinstatement of Browser’s Cafe (DP library, University of Waterloo) worker Marilyn Boutilier.

The WPIRG Board of Directors would like to invite faculty, staff, alumni, undergraduate and graduate students at UW, as well as individuals and organizations from the local community, to add their voices to our call for UW to reconsider the recent decision to fire Marilyn Boutilier, a food service worker at Browser’s Cafe since 2001, and a campus worker for the last 28 years. As detailed in the letter below, according to the information that is currently publicly available, we believe the decision to fire Ms. Boutilier is unduly harsh and runs counter to UW’s stated goal of becoming an “employer of choice.”

Further, we are troubled by the fact that Ms. Boutilier’s treatment by UW relative to other recent and more serious breaches of trust (involving plagiarism and sexual harassment respectively) gives the appearance of the existence of a double standard that would seem to run counter to UW’s stated commitment to principles of equity.

Please read the letter below for a fuller description of our concerns and consider adding your name and/or organization to our call for Ms. Boutilier to be reinstated. You can email our staff member Alex Diceanu at alex@wpirg.org to have your name added. Media inquiries may be directed to WPIRG Board of Directors member Sepehr Mohaddes at ssmohadd@uwaterloo.ca.

In respect and solidarity,

The WPIRG Board of Directors

: http://wpirg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Public-Letter-Seeking-the-Reinstatement-of-Marilyn-Boutilier-at-UW1.pdf

A Jury Of Millions Freed The Cuban Five, Let Us Continue The Struggle To Free ALL Prisoners of Imperialism

Today the Cuban people and the people of the world woke up to find out that the remaining three imprisoned Cuban Five have been released and that their is going to be an announcement in several hours of the normalization of U$ and Cuban Relationships.

This announcement is the result of the hard work of the Cuban people and international supporters who have campaigned on the above mentioned issues for countless years, 16 years in terms of The Cuban Five and over Five decades in terms of the blockade.

This victory for the people of Cuba and the peoples world demonstrates the correctness of Che Guevara’s Statement let us be practical and achieve the impossible, in other words mobalize the people to fight for what is right and just despite the obstacles that one faces no matter how intense they seem.

Those in the camp opposing imperialism and colonialism should not see this victory as simply a cause for celebration but rather a call to intensify the struggle for the release of all political prisoners and POWS locked in the belly of the beast. From The Craigavon 2 to Mumia Abu Jamal the struggle to free the prisoners of the empire must continue until they are all released and the cause of their imprisonment colonialism and imperialism is dismantled and removed. This victory which may seem impossible is the only practical step that we must take. By mobilizing the people the jury of millions that freed the Cuban Five will also free all the POWS!!!!

Phone Jam In Support Of Gary Donnelly, End Judiciary intervention in Derry election

Friday Jan. 2nd

Call the British Consulate demand that all charges be dropped and that the Judiciary not be used to intervene in the democratic process.

+1 416 593 1290

Gary Donnelly, Community Activist, Irish Republican and City Councillor is currently facing six months for writing a political slogan demanding an end to internment. The collaborators and their lackeys in the judiciary are using his arrest which was politically motivated as an excuse to unseat him from his seat in city council. This is a a clear attempt to punish the people of Derry for electing an Irish Republican. On Jan. 2nd take a stand and calls the brits to tell them what you think about this attack on peoples right to politics.

Drop ALL Charges!!!
End The Persecution of Irish Republicans!!!!
No Use of The Judiciary to Interfere in The Democratic Process!!!!

Abdul Jabbar Khan VS The Law Society of Upper Canada

On January 19th Abdul Khan Jabbar is going in front of the courts to demand justice from the law society that he claims has ruined his life.His claim in front of the court is quite interesting particularly because the main claim that he is making is that the law society of upper Canada has violated Pakistan’s national sovereignty through the act of falsely claiming that the Pakistani consulate is untrustworthy due to the fact that Pakistan is a terrorist state, as well as the fact that the law society misplaced a diplomatic bag receipt.

For those of you unfamiliar with Khans case Khan was stripped of his paralegal license as a result of an investigation into why he did not return a retainer. Khan claimed that the money was sent to pakistan to outsource his work. In the course of this, Khan claims that information he provided to the law society was dismissed due to the fact that the investigator claimed that Pakistan is a terrorist state and as such any documentation from the Pakistani Consulate is untrustworthy. Furthermore the fact that Khan’s background is Pakistani must mean that his dealings with the Pakistani consulate must be shady. In the course of this Diplomatic norms were violated and a diplomatic pouch receipt went missing.

On January 19th Khan will go in front of a judge and demand that the law society take responsibility for the violation of international and diplomatic norms committed by its members, particularly for accusing the Pakistani state of a being a terrorist nation due to the investigators own prejudice and the loss of a diplomatic pouch receipt demonstrating their lack of concern for diplomatic norms when it comes to non white developing nations.

The outcome of this case is quite important due to the significance of the claims. Will the court system uphold justice and demand that the Law Society take responsibility for the racist and reckless behaviour of its members or will it side with the law society and give the impression that breaking diplomatic norms are ok especially if the nation involved is a non white nation. Will it the courts uphold international law or will they side with an organization whose member use racist slander. Will the courts say that it is ok for people in positions of power recklessly throw words like terrorist around when dealing with other nations or will the courts uphold equal dealings between nations based on mutual respect. Whatever happens it will definitely be interesting.

Report on Public meeting to solve the drug problem and create alternatives

Today a broad and diverse group of people met to discuss the drug problem in Kitchener and how to create alternatives. The meeting started with a speech from a local organizer then Gary Donnelly from the Creggan Community Collective attempted to speak. Due to technical issues he could not be heard despite various forms of improve including putting the phone in a cup. The meeting continued and he sent a message that was read later.

The discussion, which got de railed at times, focused around the results of the survey that was released yesterday. From the discussion it became clear that the results fell under three categories one alternative sober activities to keep youth off of drugs, two information and legal assistance to defend peoples basic rights and three input from people so that they can have a say in identifying the problems that they are facing and come up with solutions.

This final point is key as in it demonstrates the need for the people themselves to be the decision makers and not just pawns in the ruling classes power plays.

The meeting then had people talk about there experience with addictions and such and one woman spoke about how the spot has saved her life in the past making the necessity of such survival programs known. At this point in time there was discussion about inviting PAVIS to participate which opened the floor to read the msg from Gary Donnelly and discuss what the CCC is and its significance as a model and the need to deepen our understanding of this model and its significance.

This led to the discussion of the need of the any community space to be truly run by the community and be independent of any outside body that has its own agenda as well as a place where everyone in community feels safe. It was agreed that this work would continue and another meeting will be held on Jan. 7th to consolidate this and have a clear agenda on how to move forward. The attendance was also very good demonstrating the communities desire to solve this issue.

Speech By Gary Donnelly

Creggan Community Collective is a community development group based in the Creggan estate, Derry, we aim to tackle social issues that affect the people of Creggan, especially those issues that others turn a blind eye to. We also aim to network widely and be supportive of other communities to develop their own models of empowerment.

The Creggan Community Collective developed from a series of public meetings in the Creggan area following an ongoing campaign of harassment against local residents and their children by the PSNI.
As a result of these meetings it was obvious there was a deep sense of community anger and frustration at the lack of response from community leaders regarding this issue.

Result of Survey on What is needed in Downtown Kitchener to engage people and combat the drug problem

This survey which will be presented tomorrow at our event was completed by 100 people in the Downtown Community. We feel that the results of this survey reflect what is needed and what is missing in the downtown community. As such we call on people and social services in the core to assist us in taking this information and using it to solve the problems that the downtown community is facing

1. What kind of activities are you interested in doing?
-Music (guitar lessons, drumming and turn tables)
-social networking
-sober events
-educational events
-telling stories through social media
-Alternative media and making our voices heard.

2. What sort of activities are missing from The Down Town

Community Centre that you would like to see?

-workshops that educate people on what there rights are in regards to police.
-Information on CAS
-Access to lawyers to help people with legal problems
-access to tenant rights and advocacy
-Advocacy for OW ODSP
-Outdoors activities (canoeing, camping)
-Alternative media (Radio, Article writing etc.)
-Shows that are free

3. What services in regards of health, sexuality and addiction would

you use that are not currently available?

-Jail visits for loved ones
-peer support for those suffering from addictions (non judgemental)
-access to drug testing kits
-workshops on safe drug use
-access to vitamins
-hygiene products
-information on safe sex for non straight lifestyles

4. What are some of the issues with current drop-in’s in Kitchener?
-People have no say in how they are run
-Paternalism
-no say in programing
-pro police

5. If there was a new drop-in opening up, what would you like to see?
-Users being able to have a say
-users to be engaged in helping to create programing
-information on legal issues from landlords to CAS
-Shows
-Music lessons
-access to alternative media
-place to just chill