SURJ Boston

Movement for Black Lives

Fundraiser for Black Youth Organizing

in support of ReThink
Friday, Oct 18, 6-8pm
65 Burroughs St, Jamaica Plain

Be sure to RSVP to this fundraiser via Eventbrite! Meet Rethink's Executive Director, karen "kg" marshall, and learn more about Rethink's vital work. After hearing from karen, we encourage you to donate at the following levels:

• DREAMER - $120 or $10/month
• SEEKER - $240 or $20/month
• ADVENTURER - $600 or $50/month
• VISIONARY - $1,200 or $100/month

If you can't make it, you can donate to ReThink online.

Vigil in Support of Black Lives Matter

First Thursday of each month, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Lawn of First Baptist Church, 633 Centre St, Jamaica Plain. Guest Speaker, Reading of Names, Silent Vigil, Announcements. Continuing every month since December 2015.

Confronting White Supremacy

Ongoing Solidarity with Victims of Operation Clean Sweep

Check out Boston Users Union's demands on Twitter, and contribute material aid - arrange pick up/drop off by direct messaging @classymscassie on Twitter

• Gift cards: Dunkin' Donuts, 7-11, McDonalds, Panera, CVS, Target
• Back packs
• duffel bags
• sleeping bags
• adult sized hoodies
• new socks

Keep the Conversation Going: Police Brutality is Every Day

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests confirmed this week that Capt. Danilecki of the Boston Police Department, responsible for much of the violence against those counterprotesting Straight Pride, was also involved in operation clean sweep. Read more about Danilecki's role in Operation Clean Sweep.

We continue to call on the anti racist, anti fascist community to emphasize that the violence of 8/31 is something that Black and brown communities, poor people, people who use drugs, homeless people, and LGBTQ+ people experience every day. Disarm, defund, disband the police!

Housing Justice

TAKE THE RENT CONTROL PLEDGE - WE CAN BRING RENT CONTROL BACK TO BOSTON!

• Communities of color, immigrants, working families - we all deserve affordable, healthy housing.
• Renters, homeowners and small landlords across the country are rising up and winning rent regulation.
• In Boston, real estate giants and their friends at the state house banned rent control 25 years ago. Rents - and property taxes - have spiraled out of control ever since, pushing families and whole communities out of our city
• We need to place limits on big corporate greed in order to protect our neighborhoods.

Grassroots Solidarity At-Large Candidate Forum

Wednesday, Oct 9 at 6 PM - 8 PM at Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC), 100 Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury Crossing

Right to the City Boston is hosting an At-Large City Council Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 9 at 6pm at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center. RSVP here if you can join!

Building a Truly Affordable Boston: Pressure City Hall to build more affordable housing!

Wednesday, Oct 16 at 3-5:30 PM - Boston City Hall Plaza

You make Boston beautiful. You deserve to afford to live here. With you, we can win affordable housing! The current Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) requires private developers to include 13% affordability. But 13% is not enough, and the "affordable" units are out of our communities' reach! We need private developers to include 1/3 affordable housing to help our communities thrive, at lower rents & prices we can truly afford. Join us in demanding true affordability in private developments! RSVP and Sign the petition and join us at 3 PM on Wednesday 10/16 to put the pressure on City Hall!

Finish the fundraiser: Donate to Support the Fight Against Evictions

We are so close to reaching our fundraising goal! We are supporting the Grahams, a couple unjustly evicted by a greedy landlord looking to redevelop their home into a condo building, to help cover their legal fees and a donation to City Life/Vida Urbana. We’re over 75% of the way to our target of $10,000 - can you donate today?

Sign to Support Dorchester Rooming House Renters

Developers want zoning variances for nearby projects while trying to force out tenants in another property (6 Humphreys Place) the own nearby. We say people over profit! Read more about the fight against zoning variances.

Immigration Justice

Drag the ICE Machine Outta Here: Ft. Naomi Chomsky

Thursday, October 10, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Jacques Cabaret, 79 Broadway Street

Join the Justice4Siham Campaign for a fun night of drag and musical performances to raise funds to help permanently reunite a family that was torn apart by ICE. For more information about the Justice4Siham Campaign, check out @FreeSiham or www.justice4siham.com.

Prison Abolition

COLLECT SIGNATURES FOR MASS POWER CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE THE #Right2Vote

The signature collecting for the Mass POWER campaign has begun! We have 100,000 signatures to get by November 20th, so we need all hands on deck. To sign up to canvas, please fill out this form. Additionally, the SURJ Prison Abolition Action Partnership is hosting an upcoming training for folks who want to learn how to be “signature captains” – AKA, people who help organize other people to collect signatures:

• October 10th, 7-9pm. (Cambridge, exact location released upon RSVP.) RSVP to this signature captain training here. You can also find this signature captain training on Facebook.

Donate Retired Cellphones!

Our friend Jude Glaubman is collecting retired cell phones for women leaving incarceration. If you have phones in usable condition to donate, get in touch with Jude at jglaubman@thecouncil.us

SIGN UP TO BE A MEAL CAPTAIN FOR FJAH PARTICIPATORY DEFENSE!

Looking to feed the movement? Families for Justice As Healing is asking allies to provide meals to support their participatory defense meetings, where people fighting cases get together to plan their legal defenses and find community support. These meetings are based on the model of Mothers in Charge, a Black woman-led organization in PA.

SURJB is seeking meal captains to:

• coordinate a meal happening every 2 months (doesn't mean you DO everything, but you make sure everything HAPPENS)
• get groceries, cook for 15, deliver to FJAH in Roxbury

Interested? Fill out the form and if you have questions email Ray at rachelbish91@gmail.com.

BLACK & PINK VOLUNTEER DROP IN

Black and Pink’s mission is to abolish the criminal punishment system and to liberate LGBTQ+/HIV+ people through advocacy, support, and organizing.

These drop ins welcome any kind of abolitionist energy, whether reading and entering mail into the database, writing letters, playing cards, or chatting. Formerly incarcerated and court involved people especially encouraged to attend. Cis, straight and/or free world allies are welcome!

• 1st/3rd Wednesdays in JP: 7-9pm at First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, MA.  Contact Annie at annieatwater@gmail.com; wheelchair accessible.
• Sundays in Cambridge: 3-6pm at Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St in Cambridge; partially wheelchair accessible, no accessible bathroom.