Worcester immigrants are organizing as part of the growing immigrant rights movement across the United States. Local organizers have endorsed the national boycott of work and school and have begun planning for a local rally. A community-wide planning session to decide possible activities for May 1st in Worcester has been announced. Anyone interested in deciding when, where and what type of an event should be held in Worcester is being encouraged to participate in this open community process.
UPDATE
May 1st Immigrant Rally Planning Meeting
6pm, Thursday, April 20th
Centro Las Americas, 11 Sycamore Street
The planning meeting is being convened by long-time Worcester immigration activist Rosa Abraham of the Asociación del Inmigrante, along with local immigration attorney Randy Feldman, Axel Cruz from Iglesia Cristiana de la Comunidad, Kwasi Sarpong, Director of the African Community Development Corp. and Worcester Indymedia.
Worcester Indymedia is also following talk of possible student walkouts locally. Worcester Indymedia would very much like to hear from anyone else that has additional information concerning May1st activites. Please check back for regular updates on local plans.
Two dozen activists from Worcester and Vermont demonstrated on April 13th at Abbott Laboratories' Worcester office, asking the company to take action so that its AIDS drug Kaletra will be available at low cost to those in the developing world.
Abbott Laboratories has been targeted by the national Student Global AIDS Campaign in their efforts to raise awareness about the global AIDS pandemic and to highlight the absolute need for universal access to treatment for people living with HIV & AIDS in the global South.
Ex-prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) is a non-profit grassroots organization that is leading the fight to stop the destructive effects that the CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) system has on our community. EPOCA was a key part of the WORKing for a Better Community collaboration and is continuing to bring the issue of CORI reform to Worcester’s doorsteps.
The group is calling for support of the Public Safety Act of 2006 which would significantly improve existing CORI laws. They are holding the “Break the Chains!” Concert against CORI on April 15th, and calling on everyone to “Get on the Bus!” for the statewide rally for CORI reform being held on Boston Common on April 20th.
Also: Audio Story via Boston Indymedia CORI
Clark Composting and Recycling (CCR) conducted a trial composting period on April 5th and 6th to show students how much food they are wasting. On average, CCR found that each student wastes about .3 lbs per meal. With approximately 500 people eating at each meal, that’s about 450 lbs of wasted food per day!
CCR is hoping to make the case to Clark University to implement a full composting program using an Earth Tubs composting system. Each Earth Tub can take up to 200 lbs. of food per day. The group is asking for community support in their effort to have Clark launch this initiative in the Fall.
Composting efforts are already taking place at other colleges and universities across the U.S. As Earth Day ’06 comes around with the cadre of students picking-up stray wrappers in the street, WoIndy asks, “What are other campuses doing to promote sustainable living?”
Over 60 Worcester residents and members of grassroots organizations came together for “WORKing Together for a Better Community,” a day-long networking and planning event to unite their efforts.The meeting was part of an ongoing process of collaboration among community members to improve the lives of Worcester residents and develop grassroots solutions to the violence which has racked the community of Worcester in recent years.
In panels and workshops over the course of the day, presenters testified about the difficulties of unemployment. The topic united grassroots groups and individuals working on CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) system reform, creating jobs and social change programs for youth, and justice for immigrants.
If finding good paying, dignified work is the common denominator between all groups, than all groups need to be working, strategizing and planning together
Cultural Exchange Through Soccer (CETS) ended its 3rd year of neighborhood based soccer at Elm Park Community School on April 1, 2006. CETS emphasizes fun, growing and learning. It's inter-generational, multi-cultural, boys, girls, mom and dad combined. It’s the freeskool of soccer. How can you not support a completely volunteer and community-based program involving 50 neighborhood youth, with volunteer parents and neighbors coaching, ref’ing, hauling equipment and regularly organizing great parties.
Despite all these good things, organizers are left worrying that the proposed elimination of Community School funding from the school budget could affect the program negatively if the school facilities become unavailable. They’re hoping otherwise though, organizing against the cuts and trying to find new coaches to work with the 41 newly registered youth and 20 on the waiting list.
Worcester has a derth of public art. After the turtle boy statue, try creating a list of non-war related statues here. Name a present day Worcester muralist. Street Theater? Busking?
Street art is the voice of the people, and some would say stencils are the voice of the revolution. In Worcester, stencils fill the vaccuum created in public art’s abscence and deserve an added prominence when ArtsWorcester flees Main Street and the Worcester Cultural Coalition prioritize $100,000+ to create better signage so we can find our way to the art stored in local museums.
Sometimes a stencil brings a level of whimsy to the dry urban slab, an unexpected frozen juxtaposition of comedy and cold steel or cement. At other times a purposefully placed stencil may simply seek to be subconsciously digested by an errant glance. Most often though stencil artists prod, castigate, challenge and provoke. We give you, Worcester stencils.....
You may also enjoy Doug Chapel's Worcester Urban Art
Global Indymedia:
Santiago
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Ireland
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Does Barre want to become a center for solid waste incineration, with highly toxic demolition materials coming in by the trailer load from in-state and out-of-state?
GenPower, a collectively owned developer of electric powerplants based in Needham has again proposed the creation of a construction and demolition incinerator in Central MA. The planned 87,500 sq. ft. plant would be built on land that is presently wooded on Vernon Ave., near to the Barre State Forest. In 2004, GenPower failed in an effort to build generators in Uxbridge, MA and Hinsdale, NH. The proposed Barre plant is nearly identical. It would require 85 to 600 gallons of water per minute and 60-120 tractor-trailer truckloads per day to operate on a 24/7 schedule.
GenPower, in fact, has been trying to build a plant in New England for some time now, but has been stymied time and again by opposition from townsfolk who educate themselves about what is involved and then emphatically decide, “No Way!”
Earlier: Athens, ME Background
The Worcester School Administration is proposing $11.8 million in budget cuts for next year based on a projected budget deficit caused by increased health insurance costs, contracted raises, reductions in federal grants (guess where that money is) and increases in gas and electric prices.
There were three demonstrations in front of City Hall prior to the School Committee meeting this week. Two of those groups, “Save New Ludlow School” and the “Educational Association of Worcester” (teacher’s union) were present because of the proposed cuts.
Proposed cuts include closing four schools, laying off teachers, eliminating all City funding for art instructors, eliminating 9th Grade and middle school athletics, ending all City funding for after-school programs, elimination of the student mediation program, the Spartacus program and the list goes on. While the City's defense is that because of the deficit's magnitude "everyone" has to feel part of the pain, the JROTC program is noticeably absent again this year. Community organizing campaigns have been initiated to prevent several of the planned cuts;
Save New Ludlow & EAW Demonstrations
Seventy More than 90 people gathered at Worcester's Elm Park March 19 to remember the third anniversary of the Iraq War, and to oppose the Bush Administration's policies there.
A large Caring Not Killing" demonstration against the war happened on Monday, March 20th as part of a day-long speak-out and rally organized by Clark Peace Works. Featured speakers and entertainers included the Worcester Radical Chearleaders and Senator Ed Augustus.
About 150 people gathered at City Hall tonight to support South High basketball coach Pat Williams, who has alleged that racism played a role in the bizarre calls made by refs against his team, and has been widely attacked for this accusation.
In an Indymedia exclusive, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, who's seen some iffy officiating at the South games he attended this year, calls for an independent investigation of the charges:
"If we dismiss Coach Williams's charge without absolutely clear independent review, we tell black youth in Worcester that they will never get a fair shake in this town. Let's not go that route."
Update: video from rally
Other media: Worcester Magazine supports call for investigation.
Worcester's Earn-a-Bike makes it possible for anyone to get a bike and the skills to repair it. Indymedia profiles the program.
Used parts and shop time are "earned" by volunteering to build bikes or help out around the shop.
All sort of folks are to be found at Earn-a-Bike, from little kids to Worcester's cycling glitterati.
Other good things in Worcester covered by Indymedia:
Over the past month, Worcester Indymedia has filed public records requests of area high schools to learn how well schools notify students and parents about the "No Child Left Behind" requirements that force schools to release private information to military recruiters. WoIndy also wanted to see the different forms and protocols being used at area schools.
Based on our research, it is absolutely clear that when fully and clearly informed, significant numbers of students and their parents choose to opt out of having their private contact information released to military recruiters.
44.6 percent of all students at David Prouty High School in Spencer opted out this year; and an amazing 73.1 of the Class of 2006 at Leicester High School has opted out. Meanwhile, neighboring Auburn High School reports that zero of their students opted out this year!
Is someone swiping InCity Times (ICT) from drop boxes across Worcester? Editor and Publisher Rosalie Tirella believes so. She believes her cover story; “The Trials and Tribulations of Paul Giorgio” generated this old-fashioned stifling of the freedom of the press. In a heated phone conversation long-time local Democratic Party operative Giorgio threatened a lawsuit if Tirella published the story, and in a recent T&G; article Giorgio wouldn’t deny absconding with the papers.
The article paints an interesting picture of the world of local political strategizing and machinations. Unfortunately, it is also clouded by a list of necessary disclosures; the author worked for Giorgio, later sued him and lost, Tirella is also a former employee let go by Giorgio/WoMag and the seemingly salacious references to a pending lawsuit over “sexual misconduct allegations” with a minor are now somewhat moot after Giorgio and his accuser recently reached a private settlement.
Worcester Magazine, Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WTAG’s Jordan Levy show have all covered the story as a battle between publishers. When the article everyone’s either talking about or destroying was posted to the newswire we asked, “What’s Worcester Indymedia’s role here?” Many WoIndy participants publish their own ‘zines and newsletters and recognize the danger we face when free speech and freedom of the press can so easily be tossed into a nearby dumpster. Can we simply go around destroying the things with which we disagree? Here's the original article.
Who lives in Worcester continues to change. Today, 77% of City residents are White, but tomorrow looks very different. Based on the census, only 55% of youth under the age of 18 are White, while 26% are Hispanic, 9% Black/non-Hispanic and 6.5% Asian. Now take a look at the Worcester Public Schools and only 46.5% of students are White.
Recently Worcester’s City Clerk, David Rushford released more statistics highlighting this transition. Through his office’s tabulation of marriage license applications Rushford was able to show that in 2005, 34% of marriage license applicants reported they were born in another country. If you add African Americans, the colonies of Puerto Rico and Guam and 2nd generation immigrants we’re getting closer and closer to the magical 50% line.
The wedding tabulations create a list spanning 94 different countries, and while it's less and less of a surprise to find Brazilians near the top, who in Worcester is keen enough to have predicted Ghanians would lead that list by a 2-1 margin.
On December 21st community residents remembered the 17 Worcester residents that died homeless this year. Over 200 people joined the church service, procession and vigil which began at Wesley United Methodist Church and ended at midnight on City Hall’s steps. Outside of the yearly “Walk for the Homeless” pledge walk, it was Worcester’s largest event against homelessness in participants’ memory. Organizers called for City officials to implement longstanding community drafted plans to address homelessness that remain shelved at City Hall.
Worcester’s Longest Night Coalition included; Worcester Interfaith, Worcester Homeless Action Committee, Central MA Housing Alliance, Real Solutions, People in Peril Shelter, Community Healthlink, Dismas House, Jeremiah’s Inn and the Willis Center.
Midnight on the Steps Reflection
Longest Night article & photos
Earlier Stories
WHAC
Call to Action
2000 Plan
As awareness grows about the size, commitments and financing of the downtown CitySquare proposal, more people are stepping forward to raise concerns. Boston based Berkeley Investment and Greenwich based Starwood Capital want to create “a new urban district” on the 20.2 acres once called the Galleria, featuring 650 condos/apartments, senior housing, office, retail, and entertainment space.
Questions are being raised though about using City funds for infrastructure improvements, the possible use of CDBG funds to pay for the City’s pledges and how such a large project supported with public money can happen without requirements for green building design.
As advocates for the homeless prepare to vigil in front of City Hall to remember homeless people that died this year, some are asking how the growing gentrification of CentreCity improves Worcester for everyone. And when Worcester’s new Daddy Warbucks, Starwood Capital, boldly proclaims “globalization of real estate is the next big trend” — others ask, “Is this good for Worcester?”
Growing Community Effort | Wormtown Spy’s Call to Action
Activists affiliated with Clark Peaceworks, Worcester Peace Works, the St. Francis and St. Therese Catholic Worker and Worcester Global Action Network (WoGAN), organized a noontime action marking the date that U.S. military casualties in Iraq reached 2,000 soldiers. Anti-war activists placed 2,000 crosses and markers on the City Hall common to symbolize the deaths of U.S. soldiers and also as a stark contrast and reminder to the Clearchannel sponsored pro-war rally held at the same location two years earlier that trumpeted and cheer leaded the drums of war.
The noontime action was one of several anti-war vigils and demonstrations recently held in Worcester which is again seeing growing anti-war organizing and anti-recruitment efforts.
“THEY DON’T STOP, THEN WE WON’T STOP, LET’S STOP THE VIOLENCE!” This melodic chant rang loud and clear over the tops of the 300 marchers and into the Piedmont/Pleasant neighborhood yesterday (Monday, Oct. 18th). Started by Starr Delgado – the cousin of Daylin O’Madigan, the most recent young person to be murdered – the chant was sung by the young and the old, through full city blocks filled with people ready to see a change in their neighborhoods. Yes, we filled the streets and, yes, over a hundred continued inside Bethsaida Church to hear family members speak, but this was only the beginning.
“Es solamente el principio – this is only the beginning! There are many more of us who want safe, healthy Worcester than want a city in danger,” exclaimed Maritza Rodríguez, the woman who, with her friend Raquel Fernandez, had the original vision for this walk and speak out. Several groups came together to make it a reality: Women Together, Casa Cultural Dominicana de Worcester, Christian Community Church, Bethsaida Church, Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center, and Worcester Common Ground.
The group will come together again the coming Monday, October 24th, at 6pm at the Quinsigamond Lodge of Elks, 200 Chandler Street for a free community dinner. The action was not just about walking once or speaking out, participants are encouraged to become active in community improvement efforts and long-term work to end violence.
FULL REPORT FROM MARCH - plus photos and video | More Photos | Sept 14th Videos & Photos
Real Solutions is a group of concerned community members who have come together around the treatment of poor people in Worcester, specifically with the recent “anti-panhandler” campaign and the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) response to social service siting. This community-based coalition says both of these responses target the people instead of the root causes of poverty and disempowerment.
The group, which has been meeting regularly for the last three months, held an event on Thursday, September 16th in front of City Hall to make public their concerns and demand a serious response from the City Manager’s office as well as the taking down of the “Panhandling is Not the Solution” billboards. The next Real Solutions meeting, which is open to anyone sharing the coalition’s concerns, will take on Tuesday, September 20th, at 7pm at Abby’s House, 52 High Street, Worcester.
Full Story
The Worcester Homeless Action Committee (WHAC) which for the past few years has seemingly been the only voice opposing attacks against the People in Peril (PIP) Shelter, recently launched their “Open Doors - End Homelessness” campaign.
This isn’t the typical local campaign to educate people about the number of families and individuals that are homeless in Worcester; this is a full on blitz directed at City Hall. WHAC is going right after the City and asking how they can find money and resources for huge economic and infrastructure projects while failing to focus any resources or energy to address the inner-city and homelessness.WHAC is dipping into their “war chest” with an all out media blitz using billboards, voter mailings, and radio. The first part of their campaign calls for community residents to call City Hall and demand that Worcester adopt a plan to end homelessness.
Worcester Homeless Action Committee
Campaign to Adopt Homelessness Plan
Worcester's Plan to End Homelessness from 2000
A growing community response to the City’s anti-panhandling campaign and the Mayor’s Social Service Task Force which is reviewing the siting processes for non-profits has begun to come together in Worcester. A new community based group calling itself “Real Solutions” has stepped forward to raise an alternative vision.
Organizing in opposition to the current campaigns comes at a time when groups like “Knit Worcester” (N.I.M.B.Y.’s & B.A.N.A.N.A.s –Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) have organized against community residences proposed by UMass/Community Healthlink at 280-282 Highland St., and one proposed by SMOC at 2 June St.
“Real Solutions” members are monitoring and participating in the Social Service Task Force hearings, and recently held a demonstration in front of City Hall opposing anti-panhandling efforts.
Demonstration
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The City of Worcester recently unveiled billboards across the City, promoting the new “Panhandling is not the Solution” marketing campaign. Billboards are just part of Worcester’s multi-media campaign to crackdown on Worcester’s eight panhandlers. The campaign also includes street signs, fliers, radio psa’s, TV, street signs and soon supermarket checkout handouts. Great use of time Worcester!
The anti-panhandling initiative is just part of an ongoing assault on those who are poor which also includes never-ending attacks on the PIP shelter, the growing anti-social service agency campaign, and efforts to ‘sterilize’ the front and back of Worcester City Hall. Indymedia reports on the following;
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Worcester Immigrant Boycott May 1st
Student Global AIDS Campaign Targets Abbott Laboratories
EPOCA Organizing in Worcester for CORI Reform
Clark University Considers Composting
WORKing for a Better Community
Cultural Exchange Through Soccer Still Growing
Worcester Stencils
Barre Residents Organize Against GenPower Construction & Demolition Incinerator
Worcester Schools Propose $11.8 Million Budget Cut ~ JROTC Remains Protected
Remembering the Third Anniversary of the Iraq War
150 rally for Coach Williams
Good Things In Worcester: Earn-a-Bike
Mr. Hetero, in retrospect
Worcester Area Schools Fail on "No Child Left Behind" Recruitment Opt Out
Is Freedom of the Press Being Stifled?
Ghana, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Vietnam & Dominican Republic ~Worcester's New Face
Longest Night Remembers 17 that Died Homeless
Growing Community Efforts Question CitySquare Proposal
2,000 U.S. Soldiers Killed ~ Worcester’s Anti-War Response
Ending Violence Together
Target Poverty Not People
Community Group Says "Let's End Homelessness in Worcester"
Community Organizing Against Anti-Panhandling & NIMBY Efforts
Worcester’s War Against the Poor
