Etcetera
2 -AGENDA- JANUARY 1992
ETCETERA
Dear Readers: AGENDA is interested in receiving items from you for etcetera. Press clippings, press releases, summaries of local events and any other ideas or suggestions are welcome. Just mail them to:
Etcetera Editor, AGENDA,
220 S. Main St.,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Taking Stock, One Year After Desert Storm
A coalition organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee will observe the anniversary of the start of the Gulf War. On Thur., Jan. 16, people will gather at the U-M Diag at 8 pm for a candlelight vigil for all who died or suffered because of Desert Storm and its aftermath. On Sat, Jan. 18, there will be a teach-in at Angell Hall, Aud. C, from 10 am to 6 pm. Experts will analyze the war's effects, both in the Middle East and in the U.S. There will also be videos, photo displays about the war's consequences, and tables at which people can learn about the current activities of groups which opposed the Gulf War.
Walt Whitman Coffee House
The Walt Whitman Coffee House is a monthly gathering at Common Language Bookstore, where gay and bisexual men can comfortably meet away from the bar scene. It was started this past Sept. by Harold Green and Phillip Hewitt, through the generosity of the bookstore and help from many community people. The next Walt Whitman Coffee House gathering will be on Jan. 10. Call Harold Green at 971-5411 for more details.
Dhoruba bin-Wahad Back to Prison?
Former New York Black Panther leader Dhoruba bin-Wahad spent over 19 years in prison for allegedly wounding two New York cops in 1971. He was released in 1990 because police and prosecutors concealed evidence, but now may be headed back to prison. The state appealed the decision which threw out Dhoruba' s conviction, and by a 4-3 margin New York's highest appeals court recently sided with the prosecution.
The ruling overturned a New York law that says that a judgment must be reversed if prosecutors tamper with evidence to get a conviction. Dhoruba's case was sent back to the lower court to see if suppression of the key prosecution witness's prior statements, which would have proved Dhoruba's innocence, was "prejudicial" (in which case the conviction gets thrown out), or "harmless error" (in which case the conviction stands). Even if the lower court voids the conviction, Dhoruba could be re-tried.
To help Dhoruba's defense, contact the Campaign to Free Black Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in the U.S., P.O. Box 339, Bronx, NY 10463-0339, phone (718) 624-0800.
Nixon vs. Rainbow People
December 20, 1991 was the 20th anniversary of a John Sinclair freedom rally at which John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger and other musicians joined with activists in Ann Arbor's Crisler Arena to press for Rainbow People' s Party (previously the White Panther Party) leader Sinclair's release from a 10 year prison sentence for giving two joints to an undercover cop. Sinclair was freed three days later.
However, Sinclair's legal problems were not over. Along with Pun Plamundon and Jack Forrest, he was accused in the 1968 bombing of Ann Arbor's CIA office. Those charges were eventually dismissed because the Nixon administration had, without a warrant, tapped phones at the Rainbow People's Party house. Lawsuits against Nixon and the government over the illegal wiretaps ended last year with the dismissal of Sinclair's last appeal.
Jeff Hale is documenting Nixon's campaign against the White Panthers/Rainbow People. He seeks interviews with former members of the White Panther Party or Rainbow People's Party. If you can help to preserve this bit of people's history, or know people who can, write to: Jeff Hale, P.O. Box 3113, Baton Rouge, LA 40821-3113.
Costa Rican Coral Reefs Poisoned by Agrochemicals
Some 60% of Costa Rica's Atlantic coast coral formations have died. Costa Rican environmentalists blame chemicals sprayed on banana plantations, which run off into the Caribbean Sea.
A coral is not an inanimate rock, but a colony of single-celled organisms, the skeletons of whose ancestors make up the rocks we sometimes call coral. A living reef is a spectacularly colorful place, with an extensive life chain of creatures which eat coral polyps, fish that eat coral-eaters and so on. A dead reef is a gray place with few fish.
Costa Rica's Atlantic side reefs not only provide seafood for the local population. They also bring fishers, snorkelers and scuba divers from around the world, who spend money in the poorest region of a poor country. The Costa Rican banana export industry, the world's second largest, provides chemical-tainted food for North American consumers, dangerous and low-paying jobs for Costa Ricans, and good profits for multinational corporations.
Health Questions?
Call ASK-A-NURSE
The Sisters of Mercy Corporation runs a free, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week health care information line. Registered nurses will give confidential answers to your questions, and help you to find the health care professionals that you may (or may not) need. Call ASK-A-NURSE at 1-800-472-9696.
Delegation to Visit Nicaragua in April
A delegation of Ann Arbor citizens is forming to visit Nicaragua in early April. The 12-day trip will focus on women's issues and will include visits to Matagalpa and Ann Arbor' s sister city, Juigalpa. The group wants more people to join (both men and women) and needs someone fluent in Spanish. For more information call Jeanine Palms 971-5870.
Activists to Rally in Defense of Cuba
Facing hard times as their Eastern European trade relationships crumble and an economically pressed Bush administration seeks to divert public attention via foreign adventures, Cubans are on short rations and preparing for U.S. military moves. Progressive people firom around the world, with diverse views about Castro's social and political policies but united in a determination to keep Cuba out of U.S. control, are rallying to the island nation's defense. The movement's two demands are an end to the U.S . economic blockade and opposition to any U.S. intervention.
Ramsey Clark, Bishop Gumbleton, Harry Belafonte and Alice Walker are among the initiators of the International Peace for Cuba rally which will take place in New York City on Jan. 25. Former Brazilian presidential candidate, Lula da Silva; Panamanian anti-intervention leader, Esmeralda Brown; Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano; British labor leader, Tony Benn; Puerto Rican human rights activist, Luis Nieves Falcon; and aide to martyred Grenadian leader Maurice Bishop, Don Rojas, will be some of the international participants. North American activists, writers, politicians, labor leaders, clerics and entertainers are lending their support. Besides Bishop Gumbleton, Michigan endorsers include Rep. John Conyers, Bishop Kenneth Povish and veterans of the Venceremos Brigades which have built housing and harvested crops in Cuba.
Car pools and buses will be taking people from this area to the rally. For more information call Eric Jackson at 487-7017.
Support the Community Development Corporation By Buying at Borders
The Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a non-profit organization, formed in 1984, that provides credit to women, minorities, persons with disabilities and low income residents for small business development. The Women's Initiative for Self-Employment, the CDC's main project, offers unemployed and underemployed women the necessary tools for self-employment. There will be a Borders Book Days benefit for the CDC the weekend of Jan. 24-27. Mention the CDC and a portion of the proceeds from your Borders purchases on those days will go to CDC's projects.
Domestic Violence Project Needs Volunteers
The Domestic Violence Project/SAFE House, which serves survivors of domestic violence, needs your help! Volunteers are needed to answer the crisis line, provide child care, counsel victims, facilítate support groups and speak to the public. Volunteers are also needed for the On-Call Team, which provides immediate assistance to survivors of domestic violence after an arrest has occured. People of color and formerly battered women are especially encouraged to apply. Men are needed, as well, for the Children's Program. Training is free and begins Jan. 24. Call 995-5444 for an interview.
Art Grant Applications Due
The Washtenaw Council for the Arts is accepting grant applications for arts projects scheduled from June 1 to Sept 30, 1992. Non-profit groups and institutions (but not individuals) may apply for up to $2,000 in matching funds.
All applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the WCA office by Feb. 7, 1991. For application packets or more information, contact the WCA at 996-2777.
Good Luck Jen and Jeff!
Homeless Action Committee co-founders Jennifer Hall and Jeff Gearhart have left Ann Arbor for cheaper rent in Kalamazoo. All of Ann Arbor, even city council, will miss them.