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NYC Subway Riders Say Spend Tax Dollars on Jobs not War

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011


Ms. Gizmo went underground into a busy passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Street subway stations in Brooklyn. What is Ms Gizmo? She’s a way for us to say how we would like our tax dollars spent. We  ask people to distribute 20 pennies among these eight categories:

  • Arts & Culture
  • Education
  • Environment & Clean Energy
  • Health Care
  • Housing
  • Jobs
  • Military
  • Transportation

More about Ms. Gizmo here.

How did New Yorkers vote?

The message was clear:

Money for Jobs, Education, Housing, and Healthcare – Not for War.

The War Resisters League flyer of federal discretionary spending
shows how our money is really being spent.
We’ve got work to do.

Happy New Year! See you in the streets in 2012.

- Photos and captions: Eva-Lee Baird
- Chart: Edith Cresmer
for the Granny Peace Brigade

More photos on Facebook.

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A Busy Day For The 99%

Friday, November 18th, 2011

November 17 was a busy day for the 99%. By 5:00AM Friday November 18 things had quieted down for most of us but not for the driver of the livery cab taking Bev and me home from the Queens Central Booking Unit in Kew Gardens. How did we get there? Via a very short demonstration and a rather long bus ride.

Around 6:00PM Thursday evening three members of the Granny Peace Brigade, Bev, Pat D and I, joined about 60 other demonstrators and a bunch of cops in a ballet near the Brooklyn Bridge. We had our costumes and our moves worked out well in advance. The demonstrators sat; the cops stood; one had a bullhorn. That cop told us to move. We chanted so loud we couldn’t hear him but we knew what he said. We didn’t move and at the speed of light the officers asked us to stand and cuffed us. That was the end of the fast part.

The rest of the night was larghissimo all the way. Assigning us to officers took time, loading the buses took time (Thanks Buddy for being on the street waving!), the driver’s standup routine took time (he was funny), driving to One Police Plaza took time, being turned away and sent to Queens took time, and driving to the Queens Central Booking Unit really took time. And then it took hours to get all of us processed and into cells.

Each new arrival in the women’s cell was greeted with applause. We were an assorted group of gals; SEIU was well represented with Mary Kay Henry in the cell. There were several women from 1199 and a group from Make the Road. The oldest woman arrested will turn 75 next week and of course we sang “Happy Birthday.” One of our youngest cellmates was celebrating her birthday as an arrestee – we sang again – loud. My City Council Rep Melissa Mark Viverito was with us and was delightful company. We sat, we chatted, we sang a little more, we got hungry. The cops ranging in attitude from matter-of-fact courtesy to warm support and gratitude brought us water, milk and sandwich-like entities. When one of our cellmates complained about the cuisine another said, “At least they are trying. It’s whole wheat.” Now that’s a positive attitude! What ever “IT” is, it is tan and grainy and might be bread, and if you are hungry enough you eat it unless somebody has smuggled in an extra granola bar.

As the night wore on the heroic support team (it was a lot warmer in the cells) helped newly released arrestees find safe ways of getting home. Thank you Annabelle for being so gracious and steady throughout that cold night. Pat and I were released after 1:00AM and Pat went home to face work the next day. How she did that is beyond my comprehension – she’s tougher than she looks. Bev got out a little after 4:00AM and the support team got us a livery cab to share with 1199SEIU organizers going to Manhattan.

Our driver had been listening to the news throughout his 12-hour shift and thanked us for what we were doing. The car which belonged to the service, not to him, broke down in lower Manhattan. Hopelessly stalled, he called for another car. He called for a tow truck. He was worried that he would not be home in time to give his wife money so that she could get work and have lunch. They live day to day. Our driver was not making money while he was sitting with us in that broken car. The car was quiet but not his heart.

We are the 99%.

-Eva-Lee Baird
for the Granny Peace Brigade

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WE STAND OUR GROUND

Friday, November 4th, 2011

We continue to stand our ground!  On the 18th of October, the 6th anniversary of our inception, we reiterated and celebrated our commitment to peace and social justice at Lincoln Center.  Our vigil was silent but our signs voiced our message.

(Click on photos for larger images.)

The Lincoln Center plaza was chosen for the silent vigil because it is privately managed even though it is owned by New York City.  The GPB is concerned about the lack of opportunities to exercise freedom of speech and the right to assemble peaceably in public venues. The Lincoln Center plaza is such a space and affords high visibility for getting our messages out to the public

Although we were threatened with arrest by a member of the Lincoln Center Administration, the NYC Police never took action. The event garnered more than 150 people joining the silent vigil with multitude of on-lookers.  It is our hope that our messages will be carried far and wide and propel more people into action for peace and social justice.

-Phyllis Cunningham
for the Granny Peace Brigade

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New York City Council’s Lucky 13

Friday, October 28th, 2011

On October 13th word went out that the NYPD would move to evict Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park.

(6:00 AM – friend Laurie with Ann, Jenny & Joan P of the GPB )

Immediately the 99% swung into action, including three stalwart members of the Granny Peace Brigade, mobilizing a round-the-clock vigil to protect the occupiers. Thirteen members of New York’s 51-member City Council added their support, sending a letter to Mayor Bloomberg that clearly and elegantly stated their position:

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

We are writing to appeal to you not to enforce new rules at Liberty Plaza that would effectively evict the Occupy Wall Street protest. Please respect the deep traditions of free speech and right of assembly that make this a great, free, diverse, and opinionated city and nation. While we do not all necessarily agree with their point-of-view, we support their right to be there, and we feel strongly that it would be a mistake for the City of New York to evict them.

We agree that it makes sense to clean Zucotti Park, and to develop concrete practices to address the serious concerns of the lower Manhattan neighborhood. We were pleased to learn that discussions have taken place between local elected officials, representatives of Manhattan Community Board 1 and Occupy Wall Street toward a good neighbor agreement. We support such an agreement to improve conditions for residents, area schools, and local businesses and we ask that you support and enforce it.

When you announced yesterday that the park would be cleaned, you indicated that protestors would be allowed to return, suggesting to the public and the protestors that the Occupy Wall Street protest would be allowed to continue. The new rules you are enforcing, however – in particular the prohibition on sleeping bags and gear – is an eviction notice and potentially an unconstitutional closing of a forum to silence free speech.

The willingness of the protestors to sleep out overnight, and many of the temporary elements they have established – for example, the communications center and library – are fundamental expressive elements of the Occupy Wall Street protest. By enforcing new rules that eliminate these, you are abridging their rights of assembly and free speech.

These traditions of free speech, public assembly, and public protest are a deep part of our American tradition, honored best of all in the civic spaces of New York City. Whether you agree or disagree with what they are saying – and we are mixed in our opinions – we believe that it would be a harmful disservice to these democratic traditions to evict them.

Please reconsider the enforcement of these new rules, and work with the community board, local elected officials, and the protestors on regulations that address community concerns, but allow the protestors to remain.

Sincerely,
Gale Brewer, Daniel Dromm, Mathieu Eugene, Daniel Garodnick, Letitia James, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rosie Mendez, Annabel Palma, James Sanders Jr., Jimmy Van Bramer, and Jumaane Williams.

At a time when politics has turned into a cash-fueled partisan side show, we think it’s time to thank those public servants who stood with us and to urge our other City Council members who have remained silent, to step up and take a stand. What better way to support our brothers and sisters at OWS and other ‘occupiers’ around the U.S. than to call on our elected representatives to support the 99%.

If you are in New York City please join us  at our
Lucky 13 Phone-A-Thon
November 4th, 12:00PM-1:30PM
City Hall Park – Broadway & Park Place

- Fran Sears and Eva-Lee Baird
for the Granny Peace Brigade

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Spokes Council Proposal for Occupy Wall Street

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

The atrium at 60 Wall Street is a meeting place for a number of Occupy Wall Street working groups. Yesterday evening intending to go to a facilitators training I blundered into a meeting which included members of the Structure Working Group discussing a Spokes Council Proposal.

A lucky blunder! I got a glimpse of a process that will become history. The gloriously successful OWS has outgrown its original structure. Most decisions are now being made in the General Assembly but with uncounted people in 54 groups doing a heroic amount of work on a dizzying array of tasks the GA is bursting at the seams.

General Assembly October 19, 2011

What’s next?
How to keep the direct democracy, non-hierarchy, transparency, accountability, diversity, anti-oppression, autonomy, cooperation, participation, inclusion, flexibility and mutual respect of  OWS and keep on unleashing the revolutionary imagination?

The Structure Working Group has a plan.

“In order to maintain the non-hierarchical and directly democratic nature of OWS, while encouraging more functional, accountable, and transparent processes, we propose that we institute a Spokes Council comprised of all Working Groups and Caucuses…. it is called a spokes council because it is structured like the spokes of a wheel.”

The Structure Working Group plans to introduce the Spokes Council Proposal to the General Assembly tonight.

Just gotta be there. To be continued….

- Eva-Lee Baird
for the Granny Peace Brigade

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Occupy Wall Street Wins A Big Round

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Friday, October 14 at 5:50AM, Broadway and Park Place. The streets are quiet, damp and dark. Workers in a deli are setting up for the day. Light from the windows glitters on the street. A few short blocks away people have been working cleaning Zuccotti Park.

(Click on photos for larger images.)

And on Broadway walking south past Barclay Street, past Vesey, past Fulton to Liberty are groups of young people – some carrying brooms. On each block approaching Zuccotti Park there are more young people – and brooms.

It’s going to be okay.

By 6:05 the crowd in Zuccotti Park is so dense it’s hard to see, hard to move. Where are the other grannies? With cell phone help I find Ann, Jenny and Joan P with Laurie. They have been in the park since midnight and are looking surprisingly good.

We hear the news. Occupy Wall Street has triumphed and will stay in Zuccotti Park for now.

The celebration begins. There is some speechifying and music but people are restless and want action. Two or three spontaneous marches begin.

The march I am on is small, noisy and lacks the considerate mindfulness of so many other Occupy Wall Street marches. The vibe is raucous. A handful of Wall Street Occupiers work to direct the march and manage the tone. They are smart, they are thoughtful, they must be exhausted, they are beautiful.

It’s going to be okay.

- Eva-Lee Baird
for the Granny Peace Brigade

(more photos on Facebook)

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Save the Date! Tuesday, Oct 18th, 7:00 P.M.

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Six years ago, 18 women attempted to enlist in the U.S. Military at the Recruitment Center in Times Square. Not only were we not welcomed, we were arrested…and the Granny Peace Brigade was born. Since then, we Grannies have stood our ground in the struggle for peace and social and economic justice — and for our precious First Amendment right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.

We will be observing our anniversary on Tuesday, October 18th, at 7:00PM by the fountain at Lincoln Center (Broadway & West 66th Street).

In a silent vigil timed to coincide with showtime, we grannies will once again stand our ground…

  • against invasions, wars, occupations
  • against U.S. military bases abroad
  • against militarization of youth
  • against the human cost of war—domestic and international
  • against the economic cost of war.

We will stand our ground FOR freedom of speech; for the right to peaceably assemble as our First Amendment guarantees.

We invite you to join with us in this silent mini-occupation as we reflect on the issues that have galvanized us for the past six years.


We stand our ground.

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Is the Core of U.S. Ethos Militarism?

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

We know that many  young people believe after talking with recruiters that military service might be a very good avenue for expressing patriotism, gaining  useful work experience, securing funds for college or  for other further education. There are other avenues (see “Options for Life after High School,” compiled by: CodePink NYC & the Granny Peace Brigade).  A few months ago a young recruiter with whom I was talking said to me, recruitment leaflets in his hand, “I’m just walking up and down here avoiding people.”  At that point, realizing that some recruiters may have reservations about their assignment and being aware of what effects such reservations may have on them, I said something like “take care” and I no longer strike up conversations with recruiters.  My heart went out to that young man.

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Pictures of the Future

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.” George Orwell

Over the last decade, it has become impossible to escape  the increasing surveillance-cameras everywhere in recording our every move “in the interest of security”, and  television screens mounted in banks and department stores blaring false “news” reports. But not since the 2004 Republican National Convention has the Orwell quote rung so terrifyingly true and present. And for once, the cameras that have invaded our lives have also served to expose the viciousness of the very entity whose salaries we pay. Aren’t they supposed to protect us?

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Occupy Wall Street, Tuesday September 27

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

How long have we been doing this?  When did we first start protesting?

(Click on photos for larger images.)

Our young brothers and sisters in the struggle are curious to know what is bringing these old, grey heads to the Zuccatti encampment.

How can we explain that one of our members can remember helping to bang the pots and pans in celebration of the end of World War I?  Another can vividly recall holding her father’s hand at a rally supporting Sacco and Vanzetti.  Joan was a guest of the state in Mississippi, jailed as a Freedom Rider at the infamous Parchman Prison. Some of our mothers and dads took us to protest the murder of Emmett Till.

“Emmett Till,” one young reporter puzzles.  “Is he here today?”

It would be too easy to laugh, instead we are caught short and reflect.  Most definitely Emmett is here with us — along with Troy Davis, Viola Liuzzo, Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, and James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner and so many others we could name.  We don’t just march in their memory — they all are still very much with us.

One woman appears in a green dress and a big smile.  She saw us on Facebook and she had to “get her butt down here.”   A few blocks along on our march to the Post Office, she tells us her husband tried to dissuade her.  “That just sealed the deal,” she tells us with a twinkle.

Amy Goodman and her crew marching with us and a big thumbs up to Congressman Jerry Nadler for doing the right thing – stepping up to support the postal workers.  It seems we now live a world where good behavior on the part of an elected official is the exception, not the rule.  But even in this dark season, there are some true points of hopeful light. C’mon down to Zuccotti and see what we mean.

(More photos on Facebook.)

In peace always.

- Fran Sears
for the Granny Peace Brigade
Photos: Eva-Lee Baird

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