FUND OUR COMMUNITIES!     REDUCE MILITARY SPENDING 25%!

Economic and social justice groups, and community based peace and justice groups in a number of towns in eastern MA are working on the '25% campaign':

Arlington (Arlington 25% Solution Campaign)
Contact Dennis Brown,  or Susan Lees
Bridgewater (Citizens for an Informed Community)
Contact Maryellen Kurkulos
Cambridge (Cambridge United for Justice with Peace)
Contact Vicky Steinitz  
Dorchester/Boston (Boston Coalition to Fund Our Communities/Cut Military  Spending 25%) http://linkupboston.net/campaigns/25percent
Fall River/New Bedford/Falmouth/Taunton (Coalition for Social Justice/Coalition Against Poverty)
Framingham (see Metrowest)
Metrowest (Metrowest Peace Action)
                                                                                                         Contact: Carol Coakley
                                                                                                          Milton (Milton for Peace)
                                                                                                          Contact: Maggie Constan 
                                                                                                         Newton (Newton Dialogues)
                                                                                                         Contact Prasannan Parthasarathi or Nancy Wrenn
                                                                                                          Somerville Contact David Grosser 
                                                                                                          Watertown (WCES)  Contact Eileen McCluskey                                                                                                             or Tony Palomba
                                                                                                          Wayland Contact Malcolm Astley 

Want help getting this work started in your community?  Please contact Susan Lees

As this new year opens, it’s an important time to move our Fund Our Communities, Reduce Military Spending 25% work forward.  Budget shortfalls and cuts are due to increase both statewide and locally in FY 2012, unemployment remains high, and more budget cuts are predicted for schools, libraries, public safely, public works and other services.  It will also be a vocal and feisty time as people and organizations join together to fight for more revenue, fewer cuts, and fairer ways in our budgets!  As we know, we have a critical role in seeing that cuts to the Pentagon budget are a visible and serious part of the long term solution.

1) Budget Hearings and the 25% Campaign:
The 25% campaign is working with groups that beat Question 3 last fall to organize our own budget hearings across the state this winter and spring. There people can bring their anger, testify about the harm in service cuts and layoffs, and push state legislators for fairer taxes that bring in more revenue for our state and cities. We will also say: let’s move money from the Pentagon for jobs and services in our communities. Communities planning budget hearings at this time, which will include cuts to military spending as well as support for progressive tax reform: Boston, Newton, SE Massachusetts, Worcester (See full budget hearing text here)

2) Resolution campaigns:  Local resolutions have been passed in Newton and Cambridge, as well as in western Massachusetts. Boston is considering introducing a resolution; Arlington is engaged in a 25% resolution campaign. (See the 25% Cambridge Resolution; Northampton organizers summary; Guide to passing community resolution)

The Fund Our Communities, Reduce Military Spending taskforce launches a wider city and town campaign.
The 25% grassroots organizing taskforce will be helping to set up 25% committees in a number of more communities over the next few months. The overall campaign is active in many communities in Eastern MA now, including: Arlington, Boston, Bridgewater, Cambridge, Dorchester, Metrowest, Milton, New Bedford and Fall River, Newton, and Somerville.  Please contact Susan at swlees@earthlink.net or our campaign office if you would like help in your own community, or need contact information for active communities.

1/16: Community peace activists met at the home of Susan Lees, to
discuss the details and challenges of the 25% campaign, and their communities. Meeting notes here.
1/11: Communities prepare for local budget hearings and resolution campaigns!: Arlington (resolution); Boston (budget hearings); Natick (resolution); Newton (budget hearings) .....
11-21: Nancy Wrenn hosted a great, and delicious, meeting at her home for 25% workshop trainers. There were 11 people present.
Mike Prokosch led the meeting. We worked particularly on a model workshop for people/organizations who were new to the subject. and we made plans for three other workshops:
for activists/groups already on board; for policy people; and for 'real security', through a zero-based military budget.
10-18: United for a Fair Economy signs on to the "Fund Our Communities, Reduce Military Spending 25%" campaign!

MA Congressmen Capuano, Delahunt, Markey, McGovern, Olver and Tierney signed onto the Frank/Paul Dear Colleague letter calling for serious cuts in military spending. In all, 52 Congressional representatives and 5 Senators signed on to the Dear Colleague letter by the October 7 deadline. The letter has been delivered; there has been good press coverage and much debate seems now in progress in D.C. See the final letter with signatures here. (Please see Alert update below for more information)

9/25 Arlington TOWN DAY: State Senator Ken Donnelly and State Representatives Will Brownsberger and Jay Kaufmann sign 25% Solution petition!!!  Arlington 25% Solution campaign collects nearly 100 petition signatures, finds new members and converses with town organizations affected by budget cuts. Update: 9/26 Arlington School Committee chair signs onto Fund Our Communities sign-on letter for MA Organizations and Elected Officials.

9/25 Bridgewater AUTUMNFEST: Citizens for an Informed Community members conversed with many who came and handed out about 200 25% brochures at the Bridgewater Autumnfest.

Summer/'10: Fall River and Worcester MAYORS sign on to campaign!
Fall River Mayor William A Flanagan and Worcester Mayor Joe O'Brien write President Obama and Congress in support of Frank's call to reduce military spending 25% and fund domestic needs.In this, they join the mayors of Boston, Northampton and the former mayor of Newton