Pantsuit Nation and other organizing

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UPDATE: Local March on Saturday, Jan. 21 at noon gathers at Martin Luther King Promenade.

Activists have been busy the week before the Inauguration and the protests surrounding it. A chapter of the national group Pantsuit Nation met at the Lost Dog Cafe Thursday Jan 12th to a lively crowd. On the same evening local #womensmarch organizers had a well attended poster making session. And the Dept of Public Art sponsored two sign making workshops Jan 8th and another on the 15th. In addition to the #womensmarch, there is another protest march on the day of the Inaugural Jan. 20th. They will gather in front of Union Station and walk toward the White House and a "Freedom Festival" at McPherson Square. There is a bus from Rochester for $60 with some scholarships 585 436-6458. Four buses from this area are going to the Women's March. The Aphrodite Access Fund, an abortion fund at the office of Dr. Amy Cousins office, is giving marchers "goody bags" with water and a snack with literature from the Abortion Conversation Project; the national activist group Shout Your Abortion is helping with the bags. (download handout below)

Citizen Action continues to have organizing meetings on Wed. evenings with several committees working on several issues. For more information, visit their website.

Stay involved, stay connected, sign up for our weekly e-news. We'll try to keep you up on all the events. (Please let us know what going on in your progressive organizing.)

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Winners Announced in Photo Competition

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6th BOB JOHNSTON MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW AND COMPETITION

SPONSORED BY Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club  January 6 – 28, 2017

The exhibit received 105 entries, which have been judged by Chuck Haupt, a former photographer at the Press and Sun-Bulletin and a member of the Cooperative Gallery.  “The response from area photographers has been outstanding,” commented Haupt, “and the quality of the photos is excellent.”

The winners are as follows: Best of Show “Clyde” by Peter Mason; Judge’s Choice Color: “Liberty Hosta” by Thomas LaBarbera and “Harbored” by Sandra Kirker;  Judge’s Choice Black and White: “Turbulence” by Mary Lou Shapinas and “Another Dimension” by Paula Friedman.

Honorable Mentions: “II” by JM Hogan; “Gone Fishing” by Mary Lou Shapinas ; “Flatlined” by Jessica Fridrich; “Snow on My Nose” by Grant LaBarr; “Under the Bridge” by Andrew Thayer; “Circles” by Lesli Van Zandbergen; “Summer Moonrise” by Kirk Van Zandbergen; “Ballooning” by Mike Ricciardi; “Preserved in a Puddle” by Dan Harendza; “Defying the Odds” by Jessica Fridrich; “Asylum” by Greg Chianis; “Lion” by Scott Anderson.

To see some of the winners follow this link: https://spark.adobe.com/page/JM40Wqr9B9PRf/

The Competition is named for Bob Johnston, a lifelong photographer and a gallery member who died in 2010. “Bob Johnston was an ‘Ansell Adams’ kind of photographer who worked mostly in black and white film and favored both urban and natural landscapes,” said Bill Gorman, also a photographer and member of the Cooperative Gallery. Bob Johnston defined a good photo this way: “For me, the successful photograph is one in which both the abstract elements and the subject matter of the image reinforce each other to provide an emotional experience for the viewer.”

The Cooperative Gallery, a popular stop on the First Friday Art Walk, located at 213 State Street in Binghamton, is open on Frist Friday 3- 9 pm and regularly Fridays from 3-6 and Saturdays from 12- 4 pm. Find us on Facebook at Cooperative Gallery 213 and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter on our website at  www.cooperativegallery.com or on our Facebook page.

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Fund Essential Menstrual Hygiene– Will Binghamton be First?

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The Women and Gender Studies Activism class at Binghamton University is announcing to the media that we will be having an open, public speak out in support of Fund Essential Menstruation legislation on December 7th at city hall at 6:30pm during the scheduled city council meeting.. We have written a proposed legislation titled Fund Essential Menstruation (FEM) Hygiene Act 2016. See their Facebook Page for more info.

Our mission statement is as follows: One of the most difficult things about being homeless is being a person who menstruates. There is no single “rulebook” guiding homeless people to the resources they need. Not every person has the privilege of reaching into their purse and grabbing a sanitary napkin. Without access to these sanitary items, they are susceptible to a range of health challenges including, but not limited to, yeast and bacterial infections and toxic shock syndrome.
Therefore, we are proposing legislation entitled, Fund Essential Menstruation (FEM) Hygiene Products Act 2016, requiring the city of Binghamton to provide feminine menstrual products in all city owned public facilities. Menstrual hygiene products should be included alongside the other sanitary items currently provided by the city of Binghamton in its public facilities.

If Binghamton City Council passes this legislation, we will be one of the first cities in the country to provide sanitary items for free.

 

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RiverRead to Close Jan 31 :-(

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Dear RiverRead Books supporters,
 
We have just sent a press release to the media announcing the closure of RiverRead Books effective January 31, 2017.

We are heartbroken to say the least.  When Pat, Jane and I sat down to plan the store and order the 10,000 books needed to offer a good selection, we had stars in our eyes and were so excited to be creating this great ‘third place’.  We took almost an entire year to plan, design and order for the store.  We wanted to do it just right.  To this day, we still get comments from locals and visitors from away, about the beauty and atmosphere of our store and the great selection.  Our plan was to offer a gathering place for all things literary and artsy, a place to share ideas and converse with the community.  Well, we did just that … in eight years we held almost 900 events.  Planning those events was important because we wanted to offer something for everyone.  We wanted to highlight the very talented local authors, to give them a chance to share their words with those who might never have known about their books.  We hosted monthly poetry open mikes, facilitated by the ever faithful J. Barrett Wolf, to whom we own a great debt of gratitude.  We enjoyed hosting musicians once or twice a month for everyone’s listening pleasure and we ALWAYS hosted a new visual artist every month.  We designed the store with a gallery wall specifically for that purpose!   We wanted people to drop in, browse the stacks, have a cup of coffee (or warm cider), ask some questions, compare notes and in general, share our enthusiasm for books.  Due to limited space, we needed to curate carefully … to be sure to offer titles to cover all interests.  And we established ourselves as the ‘go to’ place for ordering books.
 
When we moved into the store, the surrounding area was pretty sad.  Although the Riverwalk was completed, it was underutilized.  The old Fair Store became empty when the county employees who had temporary offices there returned to the newly refurbished County buildings.   We were visited daily by homeless people living out of shopping carts and on benches on the Riverwalk.  We became involved several times when someone was stricken with illness or were huddled in the cold.  We collected bottles and cans for them.  As the city has changed and more shelters were offered, the homeless moved on and the city began to host events at the Peacemaker’s Stage.  Every other month or so there were some very nice events there. Downtown has been transformed with all of the new student housing and eateries and we are happy and proud to have been a part of that.  Even though it didn't work out for us, we hope people will make an extra effort on behalf of all those who have taken a chance on downtown and support businesses, new and old, by spending their dollars locally.  We will miss having the store and for that matter, the entire bookselling community, other booksellers, authors and publishing reps.  But most of all, we will miss the people who came in regularly and visited with us.  We will miss you each and every day.

RiverRead to Close Jan 31 :-( Read More »

Post Election Fear

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A number of constituencies have reported an increase in the number of people fearful about the outcome of the election of Donald Trump. Muslims have reported incidents of harassment of women wearing hijabs. The Gay Help Line reports increased calls from people fearful and experiencing harassment. Immigrants who came to the US as children are fearful that they will be deported to countries that they have no memory of. Gay couples with children are inquiring about second parent adoption in case gay marriage is overturned. Fears about the loss of affordable insurance are rampant.

Locally, Citizen Action had 100 people at their first meeting and is scheduling several meetings to create an infrastructure that will create a rapid response to the incidents that are sure to come with a Trump presidency. The next meeting is Wednesday December 7 at 6:00 pm at First Pres Church 42 Chenango St. Binghamton.

Nationally, a "Million Women March" will be held Jan 21st in Washington DC and in several other cities. For more information see https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_lsTTIlJff6anpUaUdoYWUwVU0/view.

The Bridge received notice that a chapter of the Pink Pistols is opening locally. It is part of  a national organization that teaches those "who feel vulnerable how to legally and safely defend themselves and their loved ones with a handgun." They also offer unarmed self defense classes for women, LGBTQ and others who are interested. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1811022989138138/

Gov. Cuomo also made this statement:

"Hate crimes have spiked across the country and this state has not been spared. This week, fliers glorifying the KKK were found distributed on cars in Suffolk County. Last week in Allegany County, a softball field dugout was defaced with the words “Make America White Again,” accompanied by a spray-painted swastika. These are just a few examples. My administration has launched a number of investigations into hate crimes targeting minorities and immigrants. and immigrants." He announced a new hotline: "Residents who have experienced bias-motivated threats, harassment or discrimination are encouraged to call our toll-free hotline at (888) 392-3644 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. If you want to report a crime or fear for your safety, call 911 immediately."

 

Stay strong and keep involved!

 

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New VINES garden, Front St.

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VINES and First Ward Action Council partner to build new garden on Front Street
New garden location is 250 Front Street Binghamton, within the Binghamton Gateway Homes community

VINES and First Ward Action Council are partnering to build a community garden in the Binghamton Gateway Homes Community, at 250 Front Street.  Volunteers came together November 19th to construct raised bed gardens and fill them with soil and compost.  A community garden is developed and managed by community members to provide space for people to grow their own food.  The Front Street Community Garden will have 20 raised garden beds available 2017 growing season for a $20 rental fee. Priority for garden plot sign-ups will go to those living on Front St and the surrounding side streets.

Anyone interested in renting a bed at the garden or in helping to build the garden is encouraged to come to the Saturday workday. To sign-up to volunteer please call/text us at 607-205-8108 or email us at info@vinesgardens.org or rsvp on facebook. Light refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Photo: Some of the dozens of volunteers that helped construct the garden.

 

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Murals for Free

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Photo: Mural by Nathan Reese

The Dept of Public Art is offering 4 X 8' and 2 X 4' mural panels to people or businesses who want to display them. Last year 30 panels were painted at Mural Fest 2015 and most of them have been placed on boarded up buildings as a way to improve the appearance in blighted neighborhoods.  Eleven of them, on a food theme, were placed on a building on Chenango St. which is now being renovated into a Deli and Pizza Shop, so these are now available. Seven panels have been placed in community gardens–Liberty St. Garden, Roosevelt School Garden and Laurel Garden.

At the 2016 Mural Fest at Cheri Lindsey Park, another 16 panels were painted, most of them in a smaller format for ease in transport and placement. The panels are available for posting in Binghamton or any other area in Broome County. To request a panel contact DPA at binghamtonbridge@gmail.com. Photos of available panels can be viewed at https://binghamtonbridge.org/image  the image gallery on this site, and choose dept of public art in the pull down menu.

 

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Free Access to Vote Smart now until election day

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Free unimpeded access to all Vote Smart data now through Election Day.
 Vote Smart  votesmart.org

Vote Smart is a bipartisan database of every federal candidate for office–every position, every speech, every vote. Not only that it has several tools to help you make the best choice that matches up with your concerns. For instance, if the environment or reproductive rights are important to you, choose that filter and see who is worth your vote.

For a short time, Vote Smart had to charge to use the database which was created by hundreds of hours of volunteer time.
Pro Access, the system that limited access to those using Vote Smart data for professional purposes is being suspended. The over 20,000 professional users who had their access limited will no longer be impeded from using this incredible source of facts on thousands of candidates.
 
Thanks to Vote Smart member gifts, the access codes assigned to almost 20,000 users will no longer be needed.
 
Vote Smart everyone!

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