April 2012

Beyond Vermont: Voices for a People's Budget in Florida
April 27, 2012
The People's Budget Review in St. Petersburg, Florida, is mobilizing tens of thousands of residents to make their voices heard in this year's local budget process. The mobilization is slated to culminate in September for the adoption of the city's final budget and revenue plan. Here... Keep reading »
A Caste Society or an Egalitarian Democracy: Using a Human Rights Lens to See the Bigger Picture in Arizona Case
April 26, 2012
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the federal government’s challenge to Arizona law SB 1070, an “attrition through enforcement” bill explicitly designed to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants in the state by making life so difficult and... Keep reading »
First Step Toward a People's Budget Passed by Vermont Senate Committee
April 24, 2012
The People's Budget Campaign in Vermont has successfully pushed to define the purpose of the state budget as addressing "the needs of the people of Vermont in a way that advances human dignity and equity." After constituents from across Vermont, mobilized by the Vermont Workers... Keep reading »
People Mobilize to Disrupt Foreclosures and Call for an Eviction Moratorium
April 20, 2012
A few hundred housing activists, impacted community members, and occupiers in New York City came together last week to disrupt the weekly foreclosure auctions in all five boroughs of the city.  The disruptions began with a reading of a "Declaration of the People's Moratorium on... Keep reading »
While Communities Move to Claim Vacant Homes for Human Need, Obama Kicks Off Plan to Sell to Wall Street
April 6, 2012
“What has taken place was not only predictable, it is a consequence of the very structure of the housing system and financial system,” says Michael E. Stone, Professor of Community Planning at the University of Massachusetts, reflecting on the ongoing foreclosure fallout. Ten million... Keep reading »
Communities Weigh in on Federal Teachers Incentive Fund
April 5, 2012
On March 30th, 2012 the Dignity in Schools Campaign submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Incentive Fund, a part of the Obama administration's educational platform which would provide funds for implementing teacher incentive programs in states and districts with... Keep reading »
The People’s Budget Bill: In Times of Austerity, a Tool for Rights-Based Change
April 2, 2012
Vermont’s Put People First Campaign is organizing communities for a proactive solution to budget cuts and health care financing reform. Recalling that the real purpose of budget and revenue policies is to meet people’s fundamental needs, the Campaign has developed, in partnership... Keep reading »
Why Losing the Public Realm to Private Companies Costs Lives – Including the Life of Trayvon Martin
April 2, 2012
Fuelled by a quest for “security,” a growing us-versus-them mentality has gradually eroded people’s rights and put lives on the line. Trayvon Martin was perceived as “the other” – black and presumably poor – as he entered the controlled space of a private... Keep reading »