[Durham INC] Fw: News From Durham People's Alliance
TheOcean1 at aol.com
TheOcean1 at aol.com
Sun Feb 8 14:16:31 EST 2009
To the question: "Shouldn't the INC make a statement on this issue at our
Feb meeting?"
I guess this bears repeating, that INC CAN'T have an opinion until the
neighborhoods have had a chance to weigh in, and even then, only when there's a
consensus.
This listserv is a forum where lots of individuals can express their
opinions, questions can be posed and answered, and the community can begin to flesh
out it's collective opinion.
The process is simple, albeit slow.
For the purpose of illustration, look at the new law concerning the chaining
of dogs ~ an issue already resolved.
It was talked about in this forum, eventually forming into a resolution
which was sent back to each neighborhood. Each of the neighborhoods then
discussed it at their individual meetings, and a collective vote was then taken at
the following INC meeting. In this way, INC "statement" was reflective of the
community's collective opinion.
If a number of dog breeders who were opposed to the new law, had jammed this
listserv or attended INC meetings in an effort to make their opinion appear
to be the common thought, that would become obvious when the tally of the
neighborhood's votes were counted.
It's not a perfect system, but it's the best we have and a lot more than
other cities can claim. And I can already hear someone thinking "meals tax" as
an example. Well, compare Durham to Raleigh, where no vote by the people was
ever required. Raleigh just added it, and eventually built a $120 million civic
center with it's proceeds. A strong case in point of why Durham should have
stomached the nickel tax along with our $5 meals.
The reason the election results didn't match the INC's (in this one case) is
a lengthy discussion in itself. In my opinion, it reflected the fact that
neighborhoods that participate in INC are, for the most part, better informed
than neighborhoods that don't. That particular issue was rushed through with
little time to offset the misinformation that opponents spewed, resulting in
many believing the tax was to be levied on all food products, instead of just
the prepared foods.
Enough misinformed voters made it to the polls (focused mostly on the
presidential election) and pulled the wrong lever due to lack of accurate
information.
Before anyone assumes this rare occurrence means the INC's system is flawed,
we would have to look at the individual poll results for each district.
Those will comprise the neighborhoods who voiced their opinion and the district
results will likely reflect what the neighborhoods (inside each district)
thought.
Again, it's not perfect, but Durham at least had a say, where Raleigh did
not. And more often than not, thanks to INC's system, we already know the
results before the polls report in the Bull City.
Lastly, it makes little difference who presents the original resolution,
Melissa or anyone else. We can hash it out here, eventually hash it out at our
individual neighborhood's meetings, and eventually express the community's
collective opinion, all thanks to an organization that appears rare or unique in
the state of NC, except for Durham. And if you don't think that makes Durham
different, just ask the billboard industry.
Bill Anderson
In a message dated 2/7/2009 11:38:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
mmr121570 at yahoo.com writes:
Please see the People's Alliance's Statement-- against the Developer-paid
Jordan Lake Survey -- posted in their Feb 5 newsletter (attached below).
Shouldn't the INC make a statement on this issue at our Feb meeting? It
would be best if someone other than me brought this forward, since I've already
been at the helm of the resolution for responsible development as well as the
petition for an Independent Jordan Lake Survey (
http://www.petitiononline.com/jrdnsrvy/petition.html )
Thanks in advance for your concern and help in this very serious matter!
Melissa (Rooney)
Feb 5 Statement in the PA newsletter:
"Recently the Durham County Commission voted, 3-2, to support a survey of
the boundary of Jordan Lake paid for by a developer who stands to benefit from
a change in the lake's official boundaries. PA responded in a letter to
the County Commission:
"The Durham People's Alliance opposes modifications of the Critical
Watershed Boundary of Jordan Lake based on a survey paid for by a private developer
with obvious self-interest.
We are disappointed that a majority of CountyCommissioners voted to send to
the state Water Supply Watershed Protection Program for approval, a survey
that a developer has paid for that coincidentally shifts the normal pool
boundary away from the developer's property, thereby increasing its value many
times over. No matter the accuracy or inaccuracy of the survey, this is a
dangerous precedent and does not serve the best interests of the citizens of
Durham. Any adjustments to the normal pool boundary and critical watershed
boundary should be made only on the basis of an impartial and independent survey
by a firm hired by the Durham County Commissioners."
The full PA statement can be seen on the PA website: www.durhampa.org."
--- On Fri, 2/6/09, Durham People's Alliance <durhampa at mindspring.com> wrote:
From: Durham People's Alliance <durhampa at mindspring.com>
Subject: News From Durham People's Alliance
To: mmr121570 at yahoo.com
Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 11:05 AM
Durham People's Alliance
Activist Agenda
February 5, 2009
In This Issue _New Beginnings: Dave Austin selected for PA Coordinator
role_ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK6) _PA Office -- Space to
Share_ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK7) _PA Website & Database
Rejuvenation_ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK8) _PA sustenance. _
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK9) _PA Advocates Against Electronic
Billboards_ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK10) _Jordan Lake Survey --
Unbiased? _ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK11) _Immigrant
Solidarity Committee of Durham being Organized_
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK12) _Third Annual NAACP HK on J March_
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK13) _"Gotta Go: Ethics in Exile" Film Series_
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK14) _Hunger No More -- A hunger Crisis Conference_
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK15) _Campaign for Decent Housing in
Durham Feb Meeting_ (mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK16) _Best
Recent Read: "Whatever Happened to the Jobs"_
(mip://03188ee8/default.html#LETTER.BLOCK17) (http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101533150281)
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Dear PA members, friends, sustainers
The PA Activist Agenda will normally focus on upcoming events sponsored by
progressive organizations in the community and state. But in this issue we
want to start with news from PA itself. Thanks for hanging in there with
us through the last few months while we dealt with some interesting issues.
We're back!!
New Beginnings: Dave Austin selected for coordinator role
Dave Austin, who was recently selected to fill the Coordinator position, is
a long-time PA member - a Coordinating Committee member for 3-4 years in
the early 90s, and PA-PAC coordinator for 4-5 years in the late 90s. An
ex-Peace Corps volunteer (Western Samoa '70 - '72), Dave worked in worker
advocacy organizations - the Carolina Brown Lung Association and the NC
Occupational Safety & Health Project (NCOSH) for 10 years after graduating from the
UNC SPH in 1976. He then worked at the UNC Environmental Resource Project
for a year, next created and directed the workplace-giving United Way
alternative, N.C. Community Shares (still going strong), and then worked for 17
years at RTI, before leaving 2 years ago. He and his wife Pam George have
recently moved "downtown" (behind Duke East), and have one daughter, Kemen.
He's happy to have a closer connection to PA members, happy to see so many
friends still on PA membership lists, happy to see lots of people he doesn't know
on those lists (!) and happy to provide his youthful (??!!) energy and
exuberance to this project.
PA Office -- Space to Share
Dave is working out of the PA office in the NC Democracy South building at
the corner of Broad and Iredell streets in Durham. PA was sharing this
small office, and its cost, with one other tenant, who has now,
unfortunately, left. Sharing the cost was financially advantageous to PA, so we'd like
to find another co-tenant. If you know someone or some organization who
would be content to share our small space for a small cost, let Dave know
(682-7777 or email: durhampa at mindspring.com).
PA Website and Database Rejuvenation
The PA CC has hired Andy Edmonds to give the PA website a much needed
overhaul, and to analyze database needs and capabilities.
Andy grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Durham in 2005 after earning a
Masters in Geography from the University of South Carolina. He and his
wife, Jenny, were married in January of 2006 and held their wedding reception in
Bay 7 of the American Tobacco Historic District. Andy is currently a
stay-at-home dad with their first child, Robbie. Andy's interests in theater,
kayaking, and hiking have led him to hold volunteer positions with the Carolina
Theatre and the Durham Open Space and Trails Commission. He also sits on
the Preservation Durham Board of Directors and has coordinated, for the last
three years, the Saturday morning, historic downtown Durham walking tours.
Andy has led over 20 tours and developed the organization's first Ghost
[building] Tour, held this past Halloween. AND he knows websites and databases!
PA Sustenance
The abrupt loss of the previous PA staff person in June, 2008, together
with many demands on PA Coordinating Committee volunteers, created a problem for
PA's cash flow. Because appeals were not regularly sent out, money was not
regularly flowing in. Surprise! One high priority is improving the
system for reminding you what good work PA does, how important your donations
are, and how pleased we are to see them on a regular basis. Not the least
reason of which would be to increase staff hours from 10 to a more reasonable 12
hours/week. Look for more in the newsletter, and in your personal mail or
email for our appeal for your help to get back on track. Soon.
PA Advocates Against "Electronic Billboards"
At a recent membership meeting, Durham People's Alliance voted to oppose a
billboard industry initiative that would allow electronic billboards to be
installed along Durham area highways. These bills boards waste energy, pose
safety challenges, and reduce the quality of life for neighborhoods that
already put up with traffic noise. IN addition, federal law requires that, if
future Durham citizens ever want. to remove billboards they would have to
reimburse the company for the costs of the billboard AND the future revenue the
billboard would generate. The revenue generated by electronic billboards
would make such action cost prohibitive. Electronic billboards would be here
forever.
The full text of the PA resolution can be seen at _www.durhampa.org_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102427853964&e=001EMoFwIG59rPzx2c5s1jNN5QjM2Iii2LopiUxYMdU
jWJMM804tSfQSy_0Ti1EXcgmv-6wUTtrNfU9LkrUO_Tu05X6spnThRVP7gvLO1V0cluugqq6aufZCQ
==) , and the issue will be covered in more depth in the upcoming PA
newsletter.
PA takes (some) County Commissioners to task for Jordan Lake survey vote
Recently the Durham County Commission voted, 3-2, to support a survey of
the boundary of Jordan Lake paid for by a developer who stands to benefit from
a change in the lake's official boundaries. PA responded in a letter to
the County Commission:
"The Durham People's Alliance opposes modifications of the Critical
Watershed Boundary of Jordan Lake based on a survey paid for by a private developer
with obvious self-interest.
We are disappointed that a majority of CountyCommissioners voted to send to
the state Water Supply Watershed Protection Program for approval, a survey
that a developer has paid for that coincidentally shifts the normal pool
boundary away from the developer's property, thereby increasing its value many
times over. No matter the accuracy or inaccuracy of the survey, this is a
dangerous precedent and does not serve the best interests of the citizens of
Durham. Any adjustments to the normal pool boundary and critical watershed
boundary should be made only on the basis of an impartial and independent
survey by a firm hired by the Durham County Commissioners."
The full PA statement can be seen on the PA website: www.durhampa.org.
Immigrant Solidarity Committee of Durham being organized
Immigrant Solidarity Committee of Durham being organized -- volunteers
needed. Inaugural meeting: 2/18/09.
Immigrant Solidarity Committee of Durham -- a project of the American
Friends Service Committee. The objective: Triangle residents working
together to promote welcoming and compassionate attitudes towards our immigrant
neighbors.
Inaugural meeting: Wed. Feb. 18 from 6:30-8:30pm (6:30 Meal provided;
7:00 meeting begins) Place: Durham Friends Meeting -- 404 Alexander Drive,
Durham, 27705
Contact: Lori Khamala 336-413-8905, _LKhamala at afsc.org_
(mailto:LKhamala at afsc.org)
Please let me know if you are coming, so we can plan for food. Call also if
you have questions or need child care.
Workplace raids creating a culture of fear. Routine traffic stops leading to
detention for months. Deportations tearing apart families. Cities passing
discriminatory ordinances. Media pundits dehumanizing members of our
community. People of good will throughout the state are fed up with the hateful
anti-immigrant rhetoric filling our airwaves and the mean-spirited actions being
taken against immigrant neighbors. Now is the time to unite in support of
our immigrant brothers and sisters and work together to change the discourse
into one that acknowledges the humanity of all members of our community.
Third Annual NAACP HK on J March in Downtown Raleigh
February 14, 2009 - 3rd Annual NAACP HK on J March in Downtown Raleigh
HK on J: Historic Thousands on Jones Street
So far, more than 75 organizations have joined together and thousands of
North Carolinians have marched and rallied in support of HK on J's 14-point
civil rights agenda. In 2009, the HK on J coalition will commit even more
vigorously to this agenda, as well as reform of the criminal justice system to
prevent prosecutorial misconduct against any person, regardless of race. See
the entire agenda at _http://www.hkonj.com/_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102427853964&e=001EMoFwIG59rOUZIcS4vB
6OHjDCobofJ1GU7duqBP_xCvaJyAChUneymhUc6UjQkex6JkbUIMcSucnY9N5Cv--0W5_Nx_ZRKMdpJxnNSOzBYg=) .
"Gotta Go: Ethics in Exile" Film Series
2009 Ethics Film Series at Duke University: "Gotta Go: Ethics in Exile"
continues TUE 2/24. 7pm. Griffith Film Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus,
Duke University, Durham.
The 2009 series features four documentaries about people forced into exile,
whether by political, economic, or natural causes. They find themselves
questioning what constitutes home, who constitutes authority, and where a sense
of meaning and truth resides. The films encourage us to consider the ideas of
place and displacement. Free and open to the public. Free parking
available in the BryanCenter parking deck. Refreshments provided.
**TUE 2/24 -- THE AXE IN THE ATTIC
**TUE 3/24 -- THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
**TUE 4/24 -- PRIMO LEVI'S JOURNEY
For more detailed information: 919-660-3033 or _kie at duke.edu_
(mailto:kie at duke.edu)
Hunger No More -- A Hunger Crisis Conference. 2/27-28/09
Hunger No More - A Hunger Crisis Conference
The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi, 11401 Leesville Rd.,
Raleigh
The Franciscan Coalition for Justice and Peace invites you to join us as we
host a hunger crisis conference on Feb. 27 & 28, 2009. Entitled "Hunger No
More," this conference will assemble individuals from all over the country to
address ways people of faith and good will can respond to hunger at home
and abroad. For more info or to register see -
_http://www.franciscancoalition.org/HungerConference.php_
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102427853964&e=001EMoFwIG59rN8mlyZ-WVan9DxVI99uUWvcgD7b7pcUK4INYl_mdSPJYrtntjRGQOuVG6EUMrh65HTiTpbJOA
4rTFac4gp3nG9FbxzBHu3T2H09yVN7Aj6eNUeS_8WkTd2SuloA2d0td-8s72B4AzX6Jmzf_VIxMwO)
or contact 919-847-8205 ext 267, _joseph.wolyniak at stfrancisraleigh.org_
(mailto:joseph.wolyniak at stfrancisraleigh.org) Registration - Regular
($40.00); Student ($20.00); Hardship ($20.00)
Campaign for Decent Housing in Durham -- February meeting
Campaign for Decent Housing in Durham.
Meeting Tuesday, February 17, 5:00-6:00pm
Place: City Neighborhood Improvement Services; Golden Belt Building 2,
3rd floor; 807 E. Main St. on Morning Glory Ave.
Work on our 2009 Goals: - Foreclosure prevention - Vacant house reuse
- Neighborhood planning - Energy efficient homes - Housing for people who
are homeless. Questions? Contact: Lorisa Seibel, Durham Affordable
Housing Coalition: 683-1185.
Best Recent Read: "Whatever Happened to the Jobs" -- NC Justice Center
Best Recent Read: "Whatever Happened to the Jobs -- A Tale of Two Economic
Cycles" by John Quinterno at the NC Budget and Tax Center of the NC Justice
Center. Go to www.ncjustice.org for the full report.
Durham People's Alliance
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