Charlotte Rallies, Protests & Marches for Justice for Trayvon Martin

JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON MARTIN!
STOP THE WAR ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH!

TRAYVON MARTIN a 17-year-old African-American youth, was shot in the chest and killed at point-blank range by a vigilante on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. Martin was unarmed as he was returning from a store when his young life was tragically cut short. The man who shot him, George Zimmerman — who lived in a gated community — has not been arrested as of this writing.

Thursday, March 29
Million Hooded March for Justice for Trayvon Martin
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Marshall Park
E. 3rd St & S. McDowell St
Charlotte, NC

The march is in memory of Trayvon Martin.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57402215/outrage-over-trayvon-martin-shooting-spreads/

Sponsored by Nolimit Larry and Thug Ministries. More info:
http://nolimitlarry.com/newspost/million-hooded-march/

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Friday, March 30
Charlotte March & Vigil for Trayvon, Shaima and other victims of hate crimes

Attendees are welcome to wear a hoodie and/or a hijab in solidarity.
6:45 pm - start the march through uptown
7:45 pm - vigil will begin in Marshall Park, 3rd St & S. McDowell St, Charlotte, NC
Candles will be provided

Come out, march, light a candle, tell a story, sing a song or just quietly observe the moment. This is a space for people to peacefully mourn, share their anger, and give each other strength and hope in the long fight for justice.

***

Feb. 26: Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida high school student, is found shot and killed, in Sanford, Fla., a community north of Orlando.
Several eyewitnesses report to police that they heard a scuffle, then a cry for help, and then a gunshot.

According to the Sanford police report, George Zimmerman, 28, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, is found armed with a handgun, standing over Martin, who is unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. He has no weapons on him, only a pack of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea.

Zimmerman tells police he killed Martin in self defense. Taking him at his word, police do not arrest him, nor administer a drug or alcohol test. They also did not run a background check.

***

The body of an Iraqi-American woman who was found brutally beaten next to a note saying "go back to your country, you terrorist" will be flown to Baghdad.

Shaima Alawadi, 32, was taken off life support on Saturday, three days after her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious in the dining room of the family's El Cajon home in suburban San Diego.

***

We will remember Trayvon, Shaima and the countless thousands of people who have been wrongfully murdered because of prejudice and fear. You know some of their names. Trayvon Martin. Shaima Alawadi, Sean Bell. Oscar Grant. Sakia Gunn. Brisenia Flores. Luis Ramirez. But many many more remain nameless, faceless victims of a corrupt, unjust society says some lives are just worth less than others.

Facebook Event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/193053040806585

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Tuesday, March 27
Harding University High School
2001 Alleghany Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28208
Students planning through Facebook
Also see this news story

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Sat., March 24
Hundreds gather in Charlotte in support of Trayvon Martin by DIANA RUGG / NewsChannel 36
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hundreds of people, Skittles in hand, filled a northwest Charlotte church Saturday to rally over the case of a Florida teen shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer.

The Skittles – bags of rainbow-colored, flavored candies – have become a rallying cry for those who want to see the man who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin arrested.

Martin was carrying a Skittles and an iced tea – but not a weapon – when George Zimmerman spotted him and called 911 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. The two got into a fight before Zimmerman shot Martin. Zimmerman’s attorney said he shot Martin in self defense.

Zimmerman has not been charged, and that has sparked outrage and several rallies nationwide, like the one at Chappell Memorial Church Saturday.

“All you hoodies throw your hand up in the air,” said organizer John Barnett, referring to the hooded sweatshirt Martin was wearing when he was shot. Several people at the church wore similar hooded shirts in support.

K.J. Webb was one of them. The 16-year-old Mallard Creek High School sophomore said his civics class discussed the case, and that made him want to attend the rally. He called the shooting unfair.

“For the simple fact that he shot him even though he was no threat,” said Webb. “All he had was skittles and a tea.”

A woman taped a sign to Webb’s shirt just before he spoke to NewsChannel 36. It said, “Please don’t shoot, I have a future.”

Webb said he doesn’t often feel like the target of discrimination, but he also knows to be careful about how he is perceived.

“Especially in stores, not to keep my hands in my pockets and my hoodie on, or look extra suspicious,” he said. “It makes me feel set apart.. makes me feel like I have to be different .. like I can't be myself,” he said of the practice.

Another man at the rally, Joe Guzman, said he knows what it feels like to be targeted. Guzman said he was shot 16 times when New York police opened fire on his friend, Sean Bell, as Bell left a bachelor party on the eve of his wedding in November 2006.

“It’s gonna happen again and again and again, and its gonna keep happening,” said Guzman, who now lives in Charlotte.

Friday, one police officer involved in Bell’s shooting was fired and three more resigned – more than five years after it happened.

Guzman believes the national attention brought to that case – and to Martin’s – eventually brings justice.

“The mass numbers, they have to respond to it. They can't just let it go, push it under the rug, it can't be done,” he said.

Zimmerman’s case is expected to go to a grand jury, which will determine what charges, if any, are filed. Saturday, an attorney for Martin’s family said he is confident Zimmerman will be arrested.

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If you know of any events planned for Charlotte, NC in support of Justice for Trayvon Martin, please contact us so we may share the info charlotteaction [at] gmail.com

For a list of actions across the U.S. see
International Action Center

July 6: National Protests To End Siege Of Gaza During Israeli PM Netanyahu Meeting With Obama

Tuesday, July 6:

End the siege of Gaza! End all U.S. aid to Israel!
Demonstrations to take place as Netanyahu meets with Pres. Obama

All out July 6th -- we need your support!

Washington, D.C.
Where: White House
When: 10 am
Email: dc@answercoalition.org
Phone: 202-265-1948

San Francisco, Calif.
Where: Israeli Consulate (456 Montgomery St.)
When: 4:30 p.m.
Email: answer@answersf.org
Phone: 415-821-6545

Los Angeles, Calif.
Where: Westwood Federal Building (11000 Wilshire Blvd.)
When: 5 p.m.
Email: answerla@answerla.org
Phone: 213-251-1025

Syracuse, N.Y.
Where: Federal Building (Washington and Clinton)
When: 12 noon
Email: syracuse@answercoalition.org
Phone: 315-491-6987

Charlotte, NC
Where: Federal Building (401 W. Trade St)
When: 12 noon
Email: charlotteaction@gmail.com
Phone: 704-759-6529

The movement to end the siege of Gaza is growing. On July 6 there will be demonstrations at the White House, and in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Syracuse, which are scheduled to coincide with the Israeli Prime Minister’s meeting with President Obama.

On the eve of his White House visit Netanyahu’s government just announced its latest Gaza-propaganda ploy to derail the growing global movement to end the criminal siege. On Monday, Israel dropped its restrictions on some consumer goods into the Gaza Strip but retained tight limits on desperately needed construction materials. Israel announced that they would bar steel, concrete and other construction materials and many other goods. This makes it impossible to rebuild from the massive destruction caused by Israel’s murderous bombing campaign in 2008-2009.

Netanyahu is responding to the growing chorus of international outrage but with the goal of allowing President Obama to pat him on the back and announce that the new Israeli policy is a "step forward." It is up to each and every one of us to keep the pressure on the White House! That is what is making the difference.

A truly historic victory was won on June 20, 2010 at the Port of Oakland. For the first time ever, an Israeli ship was prevented from loading/unloading cargo in a U.S. port. The full-day shut down of work on a Zim Navigations (the national shipping line of the Israel) ship was the result of powerful picket lines at all four gates at the SSA terminal.

Next step: On July 6, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in Washington meeting with President Obama. The meeting was originally scheduled for June 1, the day after the deadly and piratical Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. That brutal assault has triggered a wave of international outrage and protest, of which the June 20 port shutdown was the latest manifestation.


Read the full statement here.

Your support is needed now to make the July 6 demonstrations and the other activities that will follow as successful as possible.

Lift The Siege of Gaza & End The Occupation Of Palestine!
No More U.S. Aid To Israeli Apartheid!
Hold Israel Accountable - Sanctions For Israel!

Tues., July 6, 2010
12 Noon
Federal Building
401 W. Trade St
Charlotte, NC

Charlotte protest initiated & sponsored by:
Action Center For Justice
Al-Awda, Palestine Right To Return Coalition - Charlotte
Students For A Democratic Society (SDS) - UNCC
CODEPINK Women For Peace - Charlotte
Movement For A Democratic Society (MDS) - Charlotte
Charlotte 4 Palestine
& others

*******************

Action Center For Justice
http://www.charlotteaction.blogspot.com
charlotteaction@gmail.com
704-759-6529

April 28: Take on Bank of America at Shareholders Meeting

B of A is failing America

Workers, clergy, veterans, civic leaders, and community groups from the NC State AFL-CIO and NC United Power will converge for an important action at the Bank of America shareholders’ meeting in Charlotte on the morning of April 28th.

What: Rally and action at B of A shareholders meeting
When: Wed., April 28 at 9:15 AM (shareholders meeting) and at 11:30 AM (rally after shareholders meeting)
Where: Gathering place is First United Presbyterian Church, 406 N. College Street, Charlotte, NC 28802

Come out and demand accountability from B of A for its billions in taxpayer bailouts. Tell the bank to modify loans and save homes from foreclosure. Call on bank leaders to quit fighting financial reform that would protect consumers. Shame bank bosses for giving themselves fat bonuses with our hard-earned tax dollars.

Download the flyer for more information, including the agenda, and share it with your networks.

Time to hold Wall St accountable for destroying jobs

In an op-ed published in the Charlotte Observer last Thursday, NC AFL-CIO President, James Andrews, and national AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, called for banks to pay their fair share to restore the jobs they destroyed in the 2008 collapse of the financial sector.

“But unbelievably, after $700 billion in taxpayer bailout dollars, the big banks are back to business as usual. They are still not lending in their communities, and credit remains tight. They are fighting new taxes on financial speculation and excessive bonuses, even after handing out $145 billion in 2009 executive pay and bonuses. And they are pulling out all the stops to resist new financial rules that are so clearly necessary.”

Read more the full op-ed by clicking here.

April 16: Presentations by Anna Baltzer - 'How Is Peace Possible In Israel/Palestine?'

Providence Baptist Church
12:00 – 2:00 Light Lunch provided
4921 Randolph Rd Charlotte, NC 28211 (in the Fellowship Hall)
Info: 704 366 2784

Muslim American Society Community Center
6:45 pm Light Palestinian Food provided
7:45 pm Main Presentation
4301 Shamrock Rd Charlotte, NC 28215
Info: cltmas@gmail.com 704 806 8334

Charlotte's Amnesty International Group #712, the Coalition for Peace with Justice, the Baptist Peace Fellowship-North America, the Islamic Center of Charlotte, the Muslim American Society and Providence Baptist Church are pleased to bring Anna Baltzer to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Anna Baltzer is an award-winning author, Fulbright scholar, Columbia University graduate, and grand-daughter of Holocaust refugees. Baltzer gives eyewitness reports on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the nonviolent movement for peace. Baltzer’s courageous voice for coexistence and insistence on honest reporting has led to hundreds of appearances and lectures around the world.

Noam Chomsky wrote about her book WITNESS IN PALESTINE: "Even those who are familiar with the grim reality of the occupied territories will quickly be drawn into a world they had barely imagined by these vivid, searingly honest, intensely acute portrayals."

Anna appeared with Mustafa Barghouti on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last fall. The following two links will take you to segments of the show where you can hear some of her message. These links are not the edited version that was aired, but includes the whole, longer interview with Jon Stewart.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-28-2009/exclusive---anna-baltzer---mustafa-barghouti-extended-interview-pt--1

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-28-2009/exclusive---anna-baltzer---mustafa-barghouti-extended-interview-pt--2

I hope some of you can join us at one or both of the following events in Charlotte next Friday April 16th. Both are open and FREE to the public. (Donations always appreciated.)

Providence Baptist Church
12:00 – 2:00 Light Lunch provided
4921 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211 (in the Fellowship Hall)
Info: 704 366 2784

Muslim American Society Community Center
6:45 pm Light Palestinian Food provided
7:45 pm Main Presentation
4301 Shamrock Rd Charlotte, NC 28215
Info: cltmas@gmail.com 704 806 8334

Region's worst jobless rate strains Chester Co.

In hard-hit S.C. county, the only thing scarcer than jobs is hope
By Clay Barbour, charlotte.com, March 21, 2009

click here for photo slideshow

Waters, 40, is one of thousands of Chester County residents out of work. The county's unemployment rate has climbed to 19.6 percent.

That figure represents those receiving benefits. Experts say the true number is closer to 40 percent.

Last week, Mark Sanford became the first governor to turn down part of his state's share of federal economic stimulus money. For South Carolina, that meant losing about $700 million.

That money would have extended unemployment pay by another 13 weeks and, for the first time, given jobless benefits to part-time employees.

CHESTER, S.C. Every month Tammy Waters sits down at her kitchen table and writes out a list of bills on a piece of notebook paper.

Delinquent utilities: $1,050

Truck payment: $400

Groceries for two: $300

Gas: $160

Furniture payment: $190

Medical: $1,000

Waters then writes down what she has to cover them, $1,000 – the total of her monthly unemployment benefits.

“No matter how you add it up, there just isn't enough,” she says. “But I guess I'm lucky. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my unemployment.”

Waters, 40, is one of thousands of Chester County residents out of work. The county's unemployment rate has climbed to 19.6 percent.

That figure represents those receiving benefits. Experts say the true number is closer to 40 percent.

Last week, Mark Sanford became the first governor to turn down part of his state's share of federal economic stimulus money. For South Carolina, that meant losing about $700 million.

That money would have extended unemployment pay by another 13 weeks and, for the first time, given jobless benefits to part-time employees.

State legislators have said they plan to override the governor, but it is still unclear if they have the authority.

Sanford made national news. But behind the headlines, 66 miles from the Statehouse, sits Chester County. Here, half the residents receive food stamps and the only thing scarcer than jobs is hope.

“There is just a general sense of helplessness,” says Willy Sherrod, a consultant with the county's Department of Social Services. “They can't find jobs and they can't afford to move. They feel trapped and scared, and they don't see things changing anytime soon.”

Benefits gone; need remains

It's 10 a.m. and the Chester County Employment Security Commission office is packed.

On one side, people wait to speak with counselors or use the agency's computers.

On the other, a crowd sits patiently to interview for jobs at a new Bojangles'.

The franchise owner has 50 spots to fill. By the end of the day he will meet more than 150 applicants.

S.C. residents are eligible for a maximum of 46 weeks of unemployment benefits, topping out at $351 a week.

Zachary Booker, Chester's assistant ESC director, said many people here have already exhausted their eligibility. Still, they come for help.

“That's probably the toughest thing we deal with,” he says. “How do you tell people that there is just no money left to give?”

The job market has gotten so bad that the county's three temporary employment agencies have closed.

DSS plans to fill that void by creating its own version of a temp agency.

“The hope is, word will get around and people who need yard work done or something built can call us and we can go to the list,” Sherrod says. “It's not much, but in this economy you do what you can.”

DSS is a common stop for the unemployed. The county has some 32,000 residents. About 16,000 receive food stamps.

“They are knocking our doors down, looking for help with food, medicine, baby diapers. We try to do as much as we can, but …” Sherrod says, leaving the sentence hanging in the air.

‘It's a ghost town now'

It wasn't always this way.

For years the county about 50 miles south of Charlotte enjoyed relative prosperity.

A person could work in one of the textile mills, like Springs, Pillowtex or J.P. Stevens, and make a decent living.

Today teachers at Chester High School are forced to advise their students to not only get a good education, but to leave town.

“We have to be realistic,” says guidance counselor Phyllis Williams. “There has to be something to come back to, and there just isn't.”

Census data show that in 2000 the county had 11,798 jobs and 34,000 people, with a median age of 36.

In 2008, the latest available numbers, the jobs had dropped to 9,703 and the population to 32,000. The median age rose to almost 40.

Ed Scates, 59, worked in the mills ever since he came back to Chester from Vietnam. He was a material manager at Springs for 21 years, until the company phased out his job. Then he went to work for Roush Industries, another plant in town.

That plant closed four years ago. Ever since Scates has been scratching out a living minding the Cox Auction Co., an auction house and antique store in downtown Chester.

“I'm just barely getting by” Scates says, in between bites of fried chicken and mashed potatoes at Gene's restaurant, a local landmark. “But what are you gonna do? Things ain't ever going to be like they were.”

Drive through one of Chester's neighborhoods and you'll pass several stately Southern homes; many are boarded up or in disrepair.

Downtown, the buildings are as clean and colorful as a box of crayons. But there is little activity.

Scates points to Gadsden Street, the city's main thoroughfare.

It's almost 1 p.m. and the street is nearly empty. The occasional car passes by. Every so often a person crosses the street, never looking up to see if it's safe.

“It's a ghost town now,” says Cathy Devett, a waitress standing nearby.

Without jobs or prospects

Even Gov. Sanford's most ardent supporters in Chester were stung by his rejection of the stimulus money.

“I guess he has his reasons,” says Johnny Fleming. “But we sure as hell could have used that money around here.”

Fleming, 42, worked for Springs for 12 years. He was laid off two years ago and ever since has been “scheming and scamming and doing what I can just to make a living.”

He used up his unemployment more than a year back. Since then Fleming and his wife, Brenda, have run a consignment store in downtown Chester, along with three other former mill workers.

The couple lives in a trailer left to him by his parents. Otherwise, Fleming says, they could be homeless.

“My last year at Springs, with overtime, I made $64,000,” he says. “These days I am robbing Peter to pay Paul. I am hustling, but that is all I can do.”

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., says he has heard such stories many times. He said the governor is right to worry about the long-term effects of changing the state's rules regarding unemployment, but Graham said he is also worried about the people without jobs or prospects.

“It is tough all across the state,” he says. “You have a lot of people getting up early and staying up late, and they can't find work.”

Officials in Chester have tried to attract new development. In October the Institute for Business and Home Safety announced it would open a facility here, hiring about 18 people. The company breaks ground next month and is expected to be up and running in a year.

Southeastern Petroleum is scheduled to open a processing plant in six months that should employ 10.

For now, the economy has cost the county anything bigger. The new JRS Custom Fabrication plant was supposed to mean 170 jobs. So far the company has hired five and, according to Karlisa Parker, the county economic development director, the project is on hold.

Even worse, Poly-America, a plastics company, had announced plans for a center that could mean 400 new jobs, but that project is also on hold, Parker says.

“We are starting to have people feeling us out again,” she says. “But even at that, they tell us it will take some time.”

Stress takes its toll

Tammy Waters has always taken pride in being independent. She's held a job since she was 15, managed to put two kids through college and attended night school to get her accounting degree.

Being out of work and broke has been hard

For seven years she worked as a customer-service representative in Charlotte, with a company that handled photos for Wal-Mart.

During that time she watched her oldest daughter graduate from USC Spartanburg, her youngest daughter start college there and her son, J.T., grow into a young man.

In November 2007, her company went bankrupt. Sears bought it out, and she lost her job.

Since then, Waters has watched her savings dry up and fallen behind on her bills.

Because she worked in Charlotte, she receives unemployment from North Carolina. The state recently accepted its stimulus money, which has extended maximum unemployment benefits to 72 weeks. But Waters knows it's only a matter of time before that runs out.

“I have applied for hundreds of jobs, online and in person,” she says. “Something has to change soon. It just has to.”

Waters now lives on a tight budget. No Internet. No cable. No home phone. She receives food stamps and clips coupons. If her 15-year-old son wants to see a movie, she has to save up for it.

The stress from the past year has taken its toll.

Last month Waters had to go to the doctor for what seemed like heart problems. The bill from the visit topped $800.

“I am barely holding on and trying to keep a positive face,” Waters says. “I don't want J.T. to see what I am going through. But Lord, I don't know how much more of this I can take.”

cbarbour@charlotteobserver.com

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/612647.html

Jan. 29 HOPE Meeting for Supporters of Public Employee Bargaining Rights

Charlotte area supporters of public employee collective bargaining!

We will be having the first Charlotte area HOPE meeting this coming Thursday (January 29) at 6pm at the Charlotte Fire Fighters' Association building (the Palmer Building, 2601 E. 7th St. Charlotte, 28204).

Snacks will be provided.

Please join us and invite everyone you know who is interested in working locally for bargaining rights. We will discuss what can be done in Charlotte to move this statewide struggle forward.

Please RSVP and invite others in your organizations. We would like to have a good representation of groups on board for the first meeting. If you can't come Thursday but would like to be involved let me know.

Thanks for all you do.

Chelsea Earles
HOPE Organizer/Administrator
919-491-6936

Hear Our Public Employees Coalition
PO Box 12133
Raleigh, NC 27605

Sign our letter to legislators at www.nchope.org!

Cleveland 5 set to speak at UNCC

The Cleveland 5 will be at UNCC talking about their stories dealing with unions.

Monday, April 14 at 7:00pm at UNC-Charlotte in the Lucas Room.

UAW-FREIGHTLINER leave wounded soldiers in the field!
A message from the Cleveland 5

We are members of United Auto Workers (UAW) local 3520, Cleveland, NC. We are also some of the top officials of our Local Union.

We are/were employed by Freightliner LLC, at the Freightliner Truck Manufacturing Plant in Cleveland, N.C. On April 3, 2007 (5) five of our Bargaining Committee members were terminated along with (6) six other members of our Union for participating in protected concerted Union activities. At the time of our terminations our Collective Bargaining Agreement had expired. Our Local Strike Committee voted to strike. Striking is a right afforded to a Union by the National Labor Relations Act. Our Employer targeted us because we stand for justice and equality for all. We work diligently for our Brothers and Sisters. The International UAW informed us that the company in essence terminated us because we were “difficult at the bargaining table.” For more detailed information please visit our website.

Resolution we are seeking: Reinstatement to our jobs and to be made whole (back pay and all benefits restored that were taken away). We have been ostracized from our local and International Union. This organization that we have faithfully contributed blood, sweat and tears to needs to stop the vindictive actions and stand “In Solidarity” with us.

We are interested in speaking with our Union Brothers and Sisters about this struggle and the difficulties in organizing the South (North Carolina is only 3% Unionized). Example resolutions that are being adopted nationally on our behalf are available on our website for download at www.justice4five.com. We can be contacted @ 980-234-0706 or 704-597-2564.

Action request: Our Unemployment benefits expired in October of 2007. Freightliner agreed to expedite our arbitration (6 to 8 weeks). It has been 12 months and we are still waiting!

Woody Woodard- Statesville NC branch NAACP, President is the administrator of a Solidarity Fund. Donations can be made via paypal on our website or they can be mailed to: justice4five fund- P.O. Box 5144; Statesville, NC 28687.

The outcome of this struggle could very well be the bench mark for organizing in the south. Who will join Unions if they can’t protect members?

NC Prison Directory & Map

NC Department Of Corrections

Download Division of Prisons region map
The Division of Prisons (DOP) region map shows the division's five geographic regions, the approximate location of each prison and its custody level.
Map effective 1/1/2005

Prisons listed by county where prison located: http://www.doc.state.nc.us/dop/list/county.htm

Private Prison Facilities in NC

North Carolina Department of Correction

Energy Committed to Offenders (ECO)
P.O. Box 33533
Charlotte, NC 28233
(704) 374-0762
Security Level minimum Standard Capacity 20 female inmates

Evergreen Rehabilitation Center
20513 US 301 North
St. Paul's, NC 28384
(910) 865-4581
Security Level minimum Standard Capacity 75 male inmates

Mary Frances Center
1212 Recovery Road
Box D
Tarboro, NC 27886-1111
(252) 641-1111
Security Level minimum Standard Capacity 100 female inmates

Rivers Correctional Institution is not affiliated with the North Carolina Department of Correction. It is a private prison facility located in Winton, North Carolina (Hertford County) and operated by Wackenhut Corrections under contract for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.