These are hard times but together we will get through this. Please take a look at our Coronavirus Resource Page for resources that may be helpful.
The COVID-19 Crisis: What we know, what we believe and how we respond
“We echo the demands laid out by Bernie Sanders…, as he calls for state and national hotlines for residents to use for resources, information, and updates. We agree that this level of transparency must be relayed by scientists and health experts and not politicians. A vaccine, when developed, must be free, and that any medicine developed to help with the crisis must be sold at cost. The ICU and ventilator shortage must be addressed, and medical residents, retired medical staff, and other medical personnel should be mobilized, staffed with proper instruction and personal protective equipment, to ensure adequate staffing. We also agree with his call for emergency unemployment assistance at 100% of a worker’s income for ALL people, including those who work off tips, gig workers, domestic workers, and independent contractors. There must be emergency shelters erected, complete with healthcare and food, for the unhoused, domestic violence survivors, and college students.
Finally, all of this social spending should be paid for by taxing the rich. The American working class has repeatedly bailed out the same massive corporations and billionaires that cause and exacerbate crises…..”
Now is the Time for Solidarity from DSA
The depth of the COVID-19 crisis and the rapidity of the changes that are occurring in all of our lives have left us all feeling a bit off balance and with more than a few questions. Here in Franklin County we are just beginning to have confirmed cases. We want to share with you some comments and ideas that will help keep have come across our desks in the last few days that we thought were valuable in keeping us focused on the key issues at hand.
Taking Care of Ourselves
Please heed the CDC and DPH directives on social distancing, washing your hands, etc. These are the best tools we have now to prevent this from being a worst case scenario. 80% of the cases of COVID-19 will be minor, but we need to follow the directives of health officials to make it possible that everyone will be medically treated appropriately. If you feel sick, please call your medical provider (doctor, hospital, health center) before you arrive there. Some may not have test kits and may need to send you somewhere else.
Want more information? https://mass211.org/
Information from Senator Jo Comerford
Jo has been sending out state information regularly. Here is the most recent one Jo Comerford’s news blog. Sign-up on the website to get them regularly.
(If you wish to discuss your concerns with Jo and her staff, check out the schedule of community conference calls here: COVID-19 Conference Calls with Jo Comerford) or contact Jo directly at Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov
Local Political Action Needed
There are several things that we need to keep an eye on and we should contact our State Representatives to get them to support these demands.
1. Education – All School employees should continue to be paid, even if they are no longer working due to school closings. The state government should provide financial assistance to school districts to ensure this. We think that they should be paid at their full salary level.
We have learned that the Greenfield School Committee has voted to continue paying school personnel throughout the crisis. What are other school departments doing?
2. Health and Human Services – Childcare should be provided and paid for, to healthcare workers and others who have to work.
3. Public Safety – Department of Correction and House of Correction (county jail) employees and prisoners must be provided with adequate soap and water, hand sanitizer, and disinfected work and living conditions (prison cells) to not be vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
4. Labor and Workforce – Twenty thousand people in Massachusetts filed for unemployment this week alone. Workers who are no longer working, due to their companies or businesses being closed or having reduced economic activity should receive 100% of their pay through unemployment insurance.
5. Housing and Economic Development -There should be a Statewide moratorium on evictions, and foreclosures due to people being out of work or earning less because of the corona virus.
6. Local Services – The state government must provide financial support to towns and cities, to ensure that municipal and school employees continue to be paid, and local services maintained
7. Water and electricity– There must be a moratorium on any disconnecting of any utilities because of non-payment during this crisis. this includes water, electricity, internet and gas.
What we can do here in Franklin County
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR PROJECT RESPONDS TO COVID-19 VIRUS
The Franklin Community Co-op and Greening Greenfield are collaborating to assist residents who are unable to leave their homes during the COVID-19 crisis. With the assistance of a grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, these two groups have created Neighbor to Neighbor, a project to get food and other essential items to people who are unable to leave their homes at this time of crisis.
The Neighbor to Neighbor Project will not only deliver food to people who are unable to leave their homes, but also provide rides to medical appointments, dog walking, pick up children’s school lunches from school sites, and other things as they come up. “We see this as a universal response to the coronavirus crisis here in Franklin County,” said Kanabay. “We want to keep everyone as healthy as possible.”
For more information about Neighbor to Neighbor and how you might use this service or help out e-mail, Sarah Kanabay at sarah.kanabay@franklincommunity.coop or call 413-325-4625.
Western Mass Mutual Aid
An online group called Western Mass Mutual Aid has developed. It covers a fairly large geographic area, but may be helpful for some people. If you are going to use this, check the tabs on the bottom of the pages. When you click onto those tabs, the page will come up for the particular services being offered.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L2ULs-Faf9cJ2eYU5xgc6ieXqsbpSrsH1BG7Hhl_2Gs/edit#gid=1727309836
What we can do more broadly
We need to ensure that all workers are receiving as much support as possible. This is going to be a protracted issue. We are going to need multiple sources of assistance for workers. In light of that we ask you to contact Senators Markey and Warren and Congressmen McGovern and Neil to ask them to support two proposals supported by Bernie Sanders:
- $2,000 monthly cash payments to every U.S. household to combat coronavirus.
- a moratorium on evictions, more robust unemployment insurance and a waiver on student loan payments.
See Bernie’s address to the nation here: https://berniesanders.com/issues/emergency-response-coronavirus-pandemic/?akid=7738.165537.55WYLX&rd=1&t=3&utm_campaign=em200318-1-15
An example of how things should work
Berea College is a small liberal arts college outside of Lexington, Kentucky. 100% of its students are low income with 95-98% of its students Pell eligible. 70% come from Appalachia or Kentucky and 40% are people of color. Most of these students do not have access to internet services when they are at home. All students work at least 10 hours per week to cover college related expenses.
For information about what they did and how they did it Berea College Coronavirus Response.
Help get Alex Morse Elected to Congress
Given the changed state of the world, it is getting very difficult for Alex to get the word out about his campaign for Congress. We can use all the help we can get. If you’re willing to make a few phone calls, please contact Sara at sara@alexmorseforcongress.com.
Bernie Events in Franklin County
The primary election is this coming Tuesday, March 3rd. Here are our actions leading up to the vote.
Standouts:
Greenfield: Saturday Feb. 29th 10 am to noon, downtown
Monday March 2nd 3pm to 6pm downtown
Montague: Saturday Feb 29th, 10am to noon. Meet in the Discovery Center parking lot.
Election Day Standouts
We need people at as many polling places as possible on March 3rd. Please contact the following people if you can standout on election day.
Sunderland: Jeff Carol jeffrey.m.Carroll@hotmail.com
Turners Falls: Peter Hudyma peterhud82@gmail.com
Greenfield: Patti Williams MsPWilliams007@gmail.com
Shelburne Falls: Mike & Penny Novak stepbystepfarm@comcast.net
Colrain: David Greenberg david.greenberg3@gmail.com
If you don’t see your town above, take your lawn sign and do your own standout for Bernie. The best times are in the morning 8 am -10 am and evenings 4 pm-8 pm. But any time that you can go would be great!
Canvassing
There will be canvassing going on until election day.
Saturday Feb. 29th, Sunday March 1st and Monday March 2nd
10am to 6pm 345 Main St Greenfield
I f you can go to Holyoke or Springfield, please contact Zack Hecht hechtizaak@gmail.com or at (510) 849-7373
Phone Calling for Bernie
If you would like to do some phone calling for Bernie they need help making calls to the Springfield/West Springfield area. Here is the link. You can do this from your home.
Virtual Phone Banking (VPB) for Springfield/western MA volunteers
Election Day Party at the Peoples Pint in Greenfield from 8pm until Bernie wins.
Follow up meeting. Let’s get together and talk about the results of Super Tuesday and where do we go from here.
Thursday March 5th 7pm FCCPR office 345 Main St Greenfield.
Winning the Green New Deal 2020
Sunrise Launch Party Jan. 29 in Greenfield
Youth Rise Together and Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR), inspired by the Sunrise Movement, are hosting one of hundreds of Green New Deal launch parties taking place around the country.
Wednesday, January 29
7 PM
12 Federal St., Greenfield
Light refreshments will be available at no cost
Led by teens from Youth Rise Together, this gathering will watch and discuss two brand new short films from the Sunrise Movement about the Green New Deal and how to win it. The discussion will focus on what can be done locally. Young people and people unfamiliar with the Green New Deal are especially invited, but all are welcome.
Interested people who need transportation should write to info@fccpr.us.
Youth Rise Together is a teen activism group based in the Pioneer Valley. Its mission is to empower youth to resist hate and create political and social change.
Franklin County CPR fights for the social, political and economic issues that were central to Bernie Sanders’ campaign platform by organizing at the grassroots, running candidates and pressuring politicians and corporations through direct action.
February General Assembly
FCCPR General Assembly
Sunday February 9th 2:00 to 4:00pm
Guiding Star Grange 401 Chapman St Greenfield
Tentative Agenda
1) Financial Report and Membership Renewal
2) Discussion on the Green New Deal – What is it, how will it effect Franklin County, and what can we do to get it enacted.
Please read these documents if you can:
Bernie Sanders’ detailed plan for the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal Resolution introduced by Senator Markey and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
3) Vote on endorsing a candidate for President of the United States. This vote will take place at the meeting.
If you haven’t yet renewed your 2020 FCCPR membership, you can do so at the meeting. Only current members can vote.
Hear ‘Extinction Rebellion’ Rep at the General Assembly
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, 2-4 p.m.
Guiding Star Grange 401 Chapman St. Greenfield
Agenda
1) Financial report and Membership renewal
2) Election of the Coordinating Committee. The following people were nominated. Dave Cohen, Susan Worgaftik, Patti Williams, and Doug Selwyn. You can read their statements here.
3) Speaker from Extinction Rebellion . This is one of the most exciting groups fighting climate change. See some of what they have been doing lately all over the world here.
Adrie Rose, Co-Chair of Extinction Rebellion Western Massachusetts, will talk with us about their take on the climate crisis and why they do what
they do.
4) Report on the Greenfield Elections
5) The Politics of Palestine in the Current Moment: Joe Levine is a Professor of Philosophy at UMass and an organizer with Western Mass Jewish Voice for Peace (and an FCCPR member). He will talk with us about The Politics of Palestine in the Current Moment. Here is a recent Opinion piece Joe had in the New York Times.
6) Announcements
VOTE TODAY!
Global Climate Strike: From Sweden to the UN, from Boston to Greenfield
September 20, 2019 is a global day of “strikes” to highlight the need for quick and dramatic action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Led by young people in organizations such as Sunrise and Extinction Rebellion, rallies and other strike activities will be taking place all over the country and around the world, including a very large march and rally in Boston, and our own in Greenfield. This strike will lead to ever-larger actions over the next year to force politicians to confront the realities of global warming. But it all starts Here and Now!
FCCPR is urging all our members to participate in one of two ways:
- Go to Boston! There will be one or two buses leaving Greenfield around 8 AM and returning by 5 PM. Sign up here for a spot on the bus.
- Attend the rally in Greenfield – Friday, Sept. 20, 5 PM, Greenfield Common. Hosted by FCCPR, Traprock and Greening Greenfield, this action is already endorsed by a couple dozen local organizations and area legislators.
Want to do more?
- Come to the next planning meeting: Thursday, Sept. 12, 6:30 PM, at the FCCPR office right beneath Greenfield Coffee in downtown Greenfield
- Donate to the MA Youth Climate Strike here.
- Share the names of students or teachers in the area who you think would be interested. This information will go to local student organizers.
Please direct questions and other ideas to Bob Armstrong (bobarms@gmail.com) or Ferd Wulkan (ferdwulkan@gmail.com)
The Recorder – Remembering Hiroshima, Nagasaki
Members of FCCPR Peace Task Force joined with Traprock Peace Center and others along the riverbank Tuesday afternoon at Unity Park in Turners Falls to honor the victims of the nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE
Local Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration on August 6
For people and communities concerned with peace, August 6 and 9 are special days, as people around the world remember the first use of atomic bombs, by the US against Japan in 1945. They call for the phase-out and abolition of nuclear weapons, world-wide. The FCCPR Peace Task Force and the Traprock Center for Peace and sponsored an event in at the Unity Park Riverfront in Turners Falls.