SURJ Boston

SURJ Fundraiser for Community Change, Inc. (CCI)

Donate to Support Community Change, Inc.!

We're steadily trucking toward $8,500 to support CCI, a crucial force for anti racism work in New England since 1968. We raised over $400 at our fundraiser last weekend (not reflected in the fundraiser page yet!) - can you ask 10 friends to give $10 before 12/31? Donate here!

Prison Abolition

Mobilize for Free Phone Calls and Dignified Visits!

TOMORROW! Monday, 12/16, all day!

Make calls to your state legislators on Monday to support bills S1372 and S1327/H2047 for no cost calls and dignified visits. Corporations profit off Black and brown communities’ pain thru exorbitant phone call costs, and recent draconian visitation restrictions are cutting our people inside off from their loved ones. Here is a flyer, call script, and further information!

SAVE THE DATE: Panel for Justice-involved Women

Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office
1 Ashburton Place, Boston (downtown)
Monday, 12/30, 11am - 1pm

FJAH requests that we PACK THE ROOM in solidarity with directly impacted women and their families. More people in the room means greater accountability and a stronger demand for transparency from the state. RSVP to Ash at ashtrull@gmail.com if you want an email or text reminder a couple days before or need transportation support.

Get Your “Free Them All” Shirt from Massachusetts Bail Fund

Mass Bail Fund frees people from jail who are held pre-trial, sometimes for as little as $40! They support hundreds of people every year - buy a shirt to keep funding their work. Four styles, seven sizes, and five colors! $25-$40 depending on style. Bring big abolitionist energy into 2020 while funding the movement!

Support Mass Bail Fund’s Double Up Drive!

Until December 27, an amazing group of poker players matches donations to MBF! No need to keep up a pokerface, chip in to free even more people in 2020.

How?

1. Donate at MBF’s website

2. Email your receipt to receipts@doubleupdrive.com

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.

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.

Housing Justice

CHANGE THE INCLUSIONARY DEVELOPMENT POLICY (IDP) AND WIN TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The Coalition for a Truly Affordable Boston is organizing to demand bold changes to the city's affordable housing policy to address the crisis of displacement faced by working class communities. 13% affordability is not enough. We need private developers to include 1/3 affordable housing to help our communities thrive, at lower rents & prices we can truly afford. Learn more about the coalition and sign up here for email updates on the campaign.

Tour the Undesign the Redline Exhibit

Join us (SURJ Housing Justice) for a tour of the Undesign the Redline exhibit from a City Life/ Vida Urbana member on Tuesday 12/17 at 5pm! RSVP to dentilisa@gmail.com for more details.

Canvass Monthly with City Life/Vida Urbana

The SURJ Housing Justice Action Partnership is seeking canvassers to support City Life/Vida Urbana’s anti-displacement work on the third Saturday of every month. Canvassers help CLVU learn about what housing issues are happening locally, and spread the word about City Life so people can connect with housing justice organizing work and legal support. If you are interested in attending a canvass or if you'd like to learn more, please reach out to Brian at brian@mutualaid.info.

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.
• Sign the pledge here.

Queer and Trans Liberation

Support LGBQ/T Survivors!

The Network/La Red is a survivor-led social justice organization working to support survivors and end partner abuse in LGBQ/T, polyamorous, and SM communities. "We have a 24/7 hotline that survivors can call, as well as advocates that work with survivors one on one, phone-based support groups, and short and long term housing support. We are in the midst of a grassroots fundraising campaign to raise $30,000 from community donations in FIVE DAYS (December 2-6), which would be matched dollar for dollar by a small group of committed supporters. We are really relying on community members just like you to help us meet this match and ultimately raise $60,000 for our work with survivors. Even $5 helps us reach our goal and has a significant impact on our work!"

Click here to donate, or direct any questions to grassrootsfund@tnlr.org.

Immigration Justice

Muslim Justice League End of Year Fundraiser

Support MJL's critical work in dismantling the national security complex! MJL is a leader, locally and nationally, in organizing against the criminalization and policing of marginalized communities. Let’s help get them to their $5,000 goal!

BIJAN Fundraiser- Help Support Vilma

Folks are raising money for Vilma, a Catholic Latina immigrant and a Brighton resident whose husband has been held in ICE detention for over three months. Without his support, she urgently needs the support of her community to pay her family's hospital bills and taxes. If we can just get halfway, to $2000 by December 19th, this would be a huge help to Vilma. Can't give? Can you reach out to Brighton area folks and spread the word?

Activist Afternoons Data Entry for the MA TPS Alliance

MA TPS Committee members have been organizing diligently in protecting the 450,000+ current TPS holders and their families in the fight for a path to permanent residency. They need our help organizing their data and contact lists. Please bring a laptop! For more info: https://masstps.com http://nationaltpsalliance.org

SIM DACA Renewal Fund
The SIM DACA fund is being created to provide economic support to DACA recipients in MA. Applicants have to pay $495 in fees for their renewal application. Many members of our community, including DACA folks, live paycheck to paycheck and often are not able to pay for the application fees. We are asking our community to help the DACA recipients here in MA who are part of our community with any monetary support for their DACA renewal application.