Updates

Dear Greylock Together,

We are outraged at the news that the Williamstown Police Department broke the law and our community’s trust by engaging in retaliatory investigation of those citizens who have raised concerns about racism, sexual assault, and anti-Semitism.  Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the law, and that means that the police can’t selectively target their critics.  It is a positive step that Interim Williamstown Chief of Police Mike Ziemba has worked with many of the victims to begin to make this right, and we hope that the investigation will be concluded quickly and more information released immediately.  But this was a gross abuse of power and cannot be tolerated.

We would like to send a letter to the Williamstown Select Board.  The text is below.  Please put your name in this form if you would like to be included as a signatory with us.  You can also just reply to this email with your name and the town where you live, if the link doesn’t work.

Thank you!
 

Dear Williamstown Selectboard,
We write to you as members of the leadership team of Greylock Together. Greylock Together is one of thousands of Indivisible groups fighting for progressive values and a stronger democracy. We are grassroots, loosely structured, and action-oriented. Our advocacy efforts have included local, state and national concerns. Our core membership base resides in north Berkshire but we have members from across Berkshire County and beyond on our email list which includes over 900 individuals. 
We are writing to express our outrage at the news that the members of the Williamstown Police Department broke the law and our community’s trust by engaging in retaliatory investigation of those citizens who have raised concerns about racism, sexual assault, and anti-Semitism in the police department and town government.  These searches were a violation of Massachusetts General Law, Ch. 6, Section 167A.  Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the law, and that means that the police can’t selectively target their critics.
It is a positive step that Interim Williamstown Chief of Police Mike Ziemba has worked with many of the victims to begin to make this right, and we hope that the investigation will be concluded quickly and more information released immediately.  But this was a gross abuse of power and cannot be tolerated.  Our friends and neighbors have been targeted.  
Greylock Together is committed to using our collective voices and advocacy to support you, members of the DIRE committee, and the Williamstown Racial Justice and Police Reform group and other parties. We must have a full independent investigation of misconduct; the current independent investigator should be tasked officially with doing what they can to examine this issue, as well as existing concerns. Further, we are committed to community dialogue and advocacy and to a new chapter in public safety in Williamstown that ensures every resident of the community is equally and equitably protected.

Dear Greylock Together,

“For nine months, Williamstown community members have spoken out, attended every single Select Board meeting to ask questions and force transparency, emailed, called, organized themselves and given (countless) hours of their personal (and collective) time to hold accountable those who contributed to the culture of racism, antisemitism, sexism, sexual assault and retaliation at the Williamstown police department. This is a hopeful moment. This is accountability. My town has much to account for and rebuild. I look forward to a future we can create together under new leadership and with a new relationship between the community and those who serve us.” – Peggy Kern, fellow member of WRJPR 
 

*See WRJPR’s full statement below in response to the resignation of 
Williamstown’s Town Manager

I have been the beneficiary of serving with WRJPR team members since May 25, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the upheaval of 2020. No matter how many countless, collective hours and meetings and sleepless nights we have shared, they cannot begin to undo the harm that has been done in this community. May our commitment to those closest to the harm and to each other be a model for what a more creative and imaginative vision for community and public safety might mean for Williamstown. May we hold ourselves accountable, create and welcome new systems for communication and oversight, and applaud the growing number of actively engaged citizens who show up, again and again, because of how much they care. 

To all of my amazing fellow Greylock Together friends and teammates, may I offer the most profound gift I’ve received these past 9 months as my activism at the national and state level has turned so necessarily and fiercely to the work right here in my own backyard, the one where I grew up and returned to with my own family 23 years ago. What is happening here in Williamstown is a snapshot of what is happening in small towns, cities and suburban neighborhoods across this fractured country. (Did George Floyd’s murder at Cup Foods—four blocks from my daughter’s apartment in Minneapolis—shake the ground more viscerally beneath this mother’s feet? No doubt. Proximity is often an instant catapult to action.) What better way to impact the national conversation and necessary change in Washington—where white supremacist insurrectionists attempted to destroy our democracy six weeks ago—than to acknowledge the work that must be done on behalf of our very own neighbors who have every right to feel safe and cared for in this place we all call home. The profound lesson: all politics begin locally, as messy and uncomfortable and difficult as the work involved clearly is. When we seek to hold each other to standards of truth and human dignity, we all win. We transform Together. 

In solidarity,
Jessica

News Release: Williamstown Racial Justice & Police Reform, February 19, 2021

Today our thoughts are with the members of our community who have been so deeply hurt by what we understand to be a longstanding culture of racism, antisemitism, and sexual harassment and assault. We are proud to be part of a community that is taking responsibility to address these harms, and we commit to the work of structural change necessary to ensure that this town’s future includes safety, dignity, and collective responsibility for each other.

We center the lives of the victims in our community so that fewer lives will be victimized in the future. We call out harms as we learn about them, not to create discord, but rather to shine a light on actions that prevent the safety and wellbeing of all of our neighbors. 

We hope that our new Town Manager will uphold Articles 36 & 37 in ways that center those who are and have been marginalized in our community. We know that Williamstown is not exceptional in its exposure to white supremacy and structural racism. 

We firmly believe that the insistence of transparency and accountability from those in leadership positions is a positive development that shows respect for every resident and visitor, regardless of their life experience. 

We encourage broad community participation in articulating the qualities and recruitment of the next Town Manager. We hope residents and leaders will closely examine the vestiges of our town policies and Charter; to imagine creative improvements together will open Williamstown and its many gifts to others for decades to come.  In order to heal our community, may we be reminded of author and educator Michelle Alexander’s words from Thursday’s Claiming Williams Day at Williams College: From Racial Injustice to Restoration —

“There is no justice after the fact, but we can make the promise to minimize the chance that harm like this will never happen again.”
 

Want to stay connected to WRJPR?
Subscribe to WRJPR’s weekly newsletter and forward to a friend. Our website is also a great place for easy access to links to attend DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion & Racial Equity Committee) and Select Board meetings via zoom.

Dear Greylock Together,

Just a few quick notes — full newsletter next week.

Berkshire Mutual Aid.  Berkshire Mutual Aid has been doing amazing work since the start of the pandemic, scrambling and bartering to get people the help they need.  Julie Berger and the rest of the group were the tip of the spear recently when the governor announced that caretakers for the elderly would also be eligible for vaccines.  It was immediately obvious that this would be exploited by the unscrupulous, and this article in the Eagle discusses the work BMA has done to fight that exploitation.  Check it out.

Navigating Difficult Conversations.  ROOTS Teen Center is holding a special workshop by ZOOM on February 17th, Navigating Difficult Conversations, led by Michael Obasohan, ROOTS board member and Associate Director of Readiness and Success at MCLA.

Do you find it hard to have conversations with friends and family on difficult topics such as race, religion, sexuality, and identity?  Don’t know where to start?  Attend this engaging session with a trained facilitator and gain the skills and confidence to navigate these types of conversations.

Contact dropin@rootsteencenter.org for details and registration.

Raskin.  If you appreciated the brilliant leadership and rhetoric of impeachment manager Rep. Raskin last week, then you can show your appreciation with a donation to the foundation he started to honor the memory of his son, the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals.

Resist and persist!

Dear Greylock Together,

Maybe you’re following the big-ticket items on the news.  I understand they’re chatting in the Senate about an out-of-work insurrectionist these days, for example.  And you’ve probably seen the stimulus bill news and COVID-19 items, too — the 28% increase in vaccine supply, etc.  But here are some items of good news that you might have missed.  It’s okay to be happy about good stuff, folks.  This list got really long, so here’s just some of the highlights.

• ICE will be directed to focus on national security and serious criminals, and will no longer be rabidly focused on deportations above all.  It’ll be a dramatic shift.
• The refugee cap will be lifted hugely by the end of the year, going from 15,000 to 125,000.  It should be far higher, but this will still be the highest number of refugees allowed to seek refuge on our shores since the early 1980s.
• The Massachusetts climate change bill was vetoed by Governor Baker last term.  So they’re passing it this year again, unchanged.  It’s a pretty good bill.
• USA is back in the WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement.
• The Keystone XL Pipeline permit has been canceled.
• The US will no longer be supporting the Saudi attacks on Yemen.
• Trans people can serve in the military once again.
• DACA is no longer under threat (for now… immigration reform is still needed).
• The Muslim ban is gone.
• Trump managed to build about 80 miles of new border wall, but did replace about 370 miles of existing fencing with the new design.  It won’t be finished, though — President Biden has canceled all existing construction contracts.

Good stuff, folks!

BIC Success.  The BIC fundraiser raised over $4,000.  Thanks to everyone who contributed, and thanks to the companies that donated gift cards: Big Y, Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, Wal-Mart, Target, and the Berkshire Co-Op Market!

Williamstown and North Adams Vacancies.  There are openings in government in both towns and they need progressives to fill them.  In Williamstown, there are many openings (listed here), but most importantly there are two seats on the Select Board and one seat on the Planning Board that will be open.  You’ll need some signatures (not electronic, but real!) on official papers, which you can get from the town clerk (contact here) and which are due by March 23rd.  No word at this time about incumbents.  The list of North Adams openings is longer and can be seen here — notice Planning Board, Zoning Board have openings!

House Rules Delay.  New MA House Speaker Ron Mariano has opted not to immediately try to pass a rules bill, which leaves open the possibility of maybe getting a more open process.  Act On Mass is on it, and we hope for more movement on this front.  The rules vote is now going to be in six months… this is something we’ll be keeping an eye on! 

State Chair Nonapology.  The MA Democratic state chair Gus Bickford has apologized in a general way for his role in helping smear Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, formerly a candidate for MA-01, during last year’s election.  He didn’t apologize to Alex Morse.  There are no plans for significant change.  The whole thing is an outrage.

Punchbowl Chat.  Our friends at Force Multiplier MA are hosting a conversation with Anna Palmer, founder of Punchbowl News (a new publication focused on politics news that scooped up a bunch of big names in journalism last month).  It’s free and it’ll be fun!

GT Book Group.  The GT book group’s Feb 25th meeting (at 7) will be reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.  Their March 25th meeting will be reading Evil Geniuses: the Unmaking of America by Kurt Anderson.

Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.

Events (GCal,iCal)

GT Book Group
25 Feb @ 7:00 pm
Zoom (link to follow)

CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:

• Book Group – Greg
• Newsletter – Alexander/Jess
• Antiracism/Racial Justice – Jess

Dear Greylock Together,

Yesterday, we watched as President Biden replaced Trump and Majority Leader Schumer replaced McConnell.  And it was great!  We laughed, we cried, and we clapped.  Good times!

But today, we’re making a few calls.  After all, we’re not here just to change out personnel… we’re here to change the world.

You might remember the Congressional Review Act from the start of the Trump presidency, when it was used to reverse a few rules passed during the end of the Obama administration.  The general idea is that Congress reserves for itself the right to study any rules coming out of the executive branch, so if a rule is issued too late in the session for proper study, then there’s a law that says that it’s treated as though it were issued on Day 15 of the next session and it can be repealed with a simple majority not subject to filibuster (more details from CRS here).  Because a “legislative day” is a pretty creative unit of time, that functionally means that this new Congress can reverse any rule issued by the Trump administration since August 21st.  That’s more than 1,455 rules — some of which were incredibly vile!

Take just a few minutes today to make three calls, and get our people to work on this right away!  They need to know we’re watching.

Hi there.  I’m a constituent from <TOWN> and I was calling to ask for you to take a look at starting immediately on putting together bills to will repeal some of the worst Trump regulations under the Congressional Review Act, especially <RULE>.  It’s very important and time is limited!  Thank you!

Possible rules to cite:

• The methane rule
• The restrictions on lenders to decline to loan to oil companies
• The restrictions on EPA ability to regulate greenhouse gases
• The restrictions on pension managers from considering the environment

Rep. Neal: (202) 225-5601
Sen Warren: (202) 224-4543
Sen Markey: (202) 224-2742


Barrett.  Some GT folks met virtually with Rep. Barrett the other day and talked about possible changes in the MA House under new Speaker Mariano.  Barrett was optimistic about a more open process, and happy to support recent bills like the climate bill (reintroduced today, to be passed over an expected second veto from Baker).  He was unwilling to sign the Act On Mass pledge, but did say he’d commit to always tell us how he voted.

One thing I particularly loved was an anecdote Rep. Barrett told us from that time, when he went to the state HHS to ask about the testing.  He told the staffer in charge that she needed to change the policy immediately, because “there’s this group up here with me, Greylock Together, and they’re starting to make calls.  And they’re very annoying when they want something done.”

Rep. Barrett meant it in a good way, but he was right.  So let’s keep at it.  Make those calls!


Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.

Events (GCal,iCal)

No events scheduled.

CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:

• Book Group – Greg
• Newsletter – Alexander/Jess
• Antiracism/Racial Justice – Jess

Dear Greylock Together,

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thank you for the ways in which you have responded to our four-year crisis in ways that center service. We have all—in myriad ways—become a collective team of those who show up, stand up, speak up, and serve in order to begin again. We seek to serve the collective good and the belief in a just and equitable multiracial democracy, one that our country has betrayed when faced with the same choices, again and again.   

There are many specific opportunities to serve TOMORROW in order to honor and uplift MLK’s life and legacy. Find a way to keep leading by joining in, giving back, serving your neighbor, your community, your commitment, your hope, your truth. Thank you all for your dedication not just tomorrow—but each and every day; we are mighty Together. (Links to virtual connections below.)

NORTHERN BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY COALITION:
2021 MLK JR. DAY OF SERVICE
 

Multicultural BRIDGE: MLK VIRTUAL DAY OF SERVICE: SAFETY & JUSTICE IN OUR BELOVED COMMUNITY

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Day of Service 2021 with the NAACP-Berkshire County Branch at Berkshire Community College

Crooked Media’s MLK DAY OF SERVICE

(4 MORE DAYS!!! )
 

Dear Greylock Together,

Last week,the legislature passed an Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, and Governor Baker has until this today to sign it.    

The bill represents a tremendous, bi-partisan effort to produce the strongest bill possible to support urgent climate action. 

An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (S2995):

• reinforces the Commonwealth’s efforts to steadily and permanently reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at the scale and pace that science demands
• codifies the goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050
• codifies a comprehensive definition of environmental justice to ensure protections for overburdened communities
• maximizes our ability to fairly and efficiently achieve climate goals that will build a thriving economy that creates jobs, protects health, and benefits all of us

Please call the Governor at (617) 725-4005 or email him using this link and ask him to sign this bill immediately. You can find sample scripts for your calls or emails here.
 

Dear Greylock Together,

Well.  That was a hell of a thing, wasn’t it?

The House in 2018.  The presidency in 2020.  And the Senate in 2021.  President Trump will leave office broadly recognized as a proto-fascist white supremacist, who incompetently managed every domestic crisis and tried to corrupt every institution within his reach.  In his final flailings, Trump gathered a mob, told them to march on Congress with him to overturn the results of an election, and then went home to watch the carnage.

The vote for the second impeachment is tomorrow morning.  Just a few minutes ago, the 55-page report from House Judiciary counsel was released, laying out the facts of the case.  The third-ranking Republican in the House, Liz Cheney, has announced with other Republicans that they will join in the impeachment.  No matter what happens in the Senate — and it’s not a foregone conclusion! — President Trump will go down in history as the only president to be impeached twice.

Sorry, I’m really underselling it.  President Trump is a failure of historic proportions.  He’s the only president to lose both chambers of Congress and their own reelection.  He has failed to pass any significant legislation except for a swathe of tax cuts, most of which have a ten-year duration.  His accomplishments will amount to a legion of judges, gift-wrapped to him by Minority Leader (!!!) Mitch McConnell, half a border wall, and a broken Republican Party.

And so we will bid goodbye to Trump, and

The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.

Next.  What then for the future?

We’ll be starting monthly meetings again soon.  We’ll have sharp focus on things we can change.  Greylock Together has always been a practical group.

• We’re going to demand progressive results from the people we worked so hard to elect.  They work for us.
• We’re going to be working on reforming our state party.  You might be surprised to find out how much clout we have, and how much we need to do with it.
• We’re going to fight for racial justice.  There’s work to do, both here and elsewhere.
• We’re going to fight for economic justice.  No one should be hungry.
• 2022 is going to be a hard election, and right next door in particular: New Hampshire needs our help.

Fight for change.  Do what you can.  We stop when the earth is free.

Thank You.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard for so long.  Stay safe — we are grateful for your tireless work!

Indivisible Guide.  There’s a new version of this short (30 page) guide.  The 2016 version changed the country and informed our every call to action.  Now there’s a new playbook.  Take a look.  It’s basically 100% right.

Indivisible Mass Call for Action.  The state Indivisibles pass this on:

We are rallying residents of Western Mass to send mass numbers of calls to our MoC’s encouraging their support of Trump’s removal from office immediately.

We ask that you call Congressman Neal and Senators Warren and Markey on Wednesday, starting at 9:00AM (calls can also be made throughout the week).

You can use this tool from Indivisible to be connected to Congressman Neal.

https://indivisible.org/demand-your-representative-take…

And this tool from Indivisible to be connected to our Senators.

https://indivisible.org/demand-your-senator-return…

Book Group.  The February book group pick will be Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson.  The March pick will be Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America, by Kurt Anderson.  Grab your copies soon and get ready to read and chat!

Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.

Events (GCal,iCal)

No events scheduled.

CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:

• Book Group – Greg
• Newsletter – Alexander/Jess
• Antiracism/Racial Justice – Jess

Dear Greylock Together,

There are only a few days left before the Georgia runoff elections that will decide control of the Senate.  It is — shockingly, unbelievably, amazingly — nearly a tossup.  Do you want to be a part of this?  Do you want to help change things?  Spend an hour making calls.  You can make a difference.  Right here, right now.

️SPANISH SPEAKERS ONLY: Call Latino voters with Mijente PAC

Latinos helped turn Georgia blue in November, so we’re doing everything we can to make sure they feel empowered for these Senate races. NOTE: This opportunity is for very proficient Spanish speakers. If you feel very comfortable speaking Spanish, please make calls to mobilize the Latino vote during a time that works for you all the way through Election Day on January 5. 

Dates: Multiple times available from January 2 to January 5 — Register here.

️Black Joy Call Party hosted by Color of Change

Black voters turned out in record numbers for the general election, and we’re eager to see how far their momentum takes them for the runoffs. Join Color of Change to make calls to Black voters (and have some fun in the process!). All allies and members are welcome.

Dates: Multiple times available starting tonight through January 5 — Register here.

️Indivisible’s GOTV Call-a-Thon with a special guest

Make calls in the final hours before Election Day with our special guest — Alyssa Milano! Talking directly to voters is the most effective way to increase voter turnout. Join our Indivisible community to help get out the vote.

Date: January 4 at 6 pm EST — Register here.

DeLeo.  The Speaker of the Massachusetts House has resigned in favor of a teaching position.  His lieutenant and chosen successor, Majority Leader Ron Mariano, has already taken control. There was virtually no chance of a different outcome in the House; for his dozen years in power, DeLeo’s motto seemed to be that he wished to avoid difficult votes as much as possible, working to duck any issue unless it could attain the support of nearly the entire Democratic caucus.  This made him a moderate roadblock to some important change; it took until 2018 for the passage of a law that will increase the minimum wage to $15 in 2023, for example.  We need to continue to work for structural change to the rules of a chamber that permit one moderate to restrain policy changes that have supermajority support.  The Massachusetts Democratic Party is not an idol, and we shouldn’t sacrifice good policy on its altar.

Roe Bill & Police Reform.  The state legislature has expanded access to safe abortion and put a backstop behind the principles of Roe v Wade, overruling Governor Baker’s veto and preparing for possible restrictions from the conservative Supreme Court majority.  They have also finally passed a police reform bill, watered down first by the House and then by Governor Baker, successively.  The biggest wins in the bill are public disclosure of police misconduct records and a new database to keep track of police violence.

Restorative Justice Book Group.  Bridget S passed on this message from First Church Williamstown:

As part of our ongoing discernment process as to how First Church Williamstown embodies the Not in Our County Pledge, we invite you to participate in a book study of “The Little Book of Restorative Justice” by Howard Zehr.  The group will meet via Zoom on Thursdays, January 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM.
The group will be facilitated by Michael Rich, family law attorney of Arlington, MA, and Brenda Nolan, chairperson of the Restorative Justice Task Team of the UCC’s Southern New England Conference, along with Reverend Mark Seifried. All three helped educate and lobby legislators for the Commonwealth’s 2018 omnibus bill for Criminal Justice Reform, which includes Restorative Justice as a tool for prosecutors, police and sheriff’s departments, and judges. 
Please sign up here by December 25th deadline: https://forms.gle/hcUJGMNFRwSssktH7 
Books are available for purchase at the Williams Bookstore ($5.99 each) and there is also a copy available to read online: https://www.unicef.org/tdad/littlebookrjpakaf.pdf

“Eulogy.”  Bette Craig passes on this free video of a recent performance by Shaun Leonardo in North Adam’s MASS MoCA, called “Eulogy.”   It’s a half-hour long, memorializing through song and word the “generations of Black lives lost to police violence in America, giving voice to the essence of powerlessness and vulnerability evoked by systemic oppression.”

Check out more news from this week at Muckraker Farm.

Events (GCal,iCal)

No events scheduled.

CONTACT INFO FOR GT TEAM ACTION:

• Book Group – Greg
• Newsletter – Alexander/Jess
• Antiracism/Racial Justice – Jess