Facilitator: Brenda Collier Note taker: Diana Forman
Seven organizations and neighborhood groups were represented; thirteen people attended the meeting.
We began with introductions around the circle and then moved to the agenda.
Now is the time to reserve a table at the Fremont Market if we want to display and sell SNOW materials this summer. The cost is $30 per week, and any organization reserving a slot must occupy it at least three weekends per month but may sublet to fill out the month. Ellen Finkelstein raised the question of SNOW's having items to sell and recommended that we secure a table at the two-day Fremont Fair instead, since it's easier to staff than a weekly commitment for several months. We need more information about the current cost of securing a Fremont Fair table to decide, however. (Last year it cost $150 for a spot in the 'political ghetto' with a host of other such groups - and $300 to be located among the general assortment of stalls.) The Coordinating Committee will decide how to proceed once they have the information.
For the moment, even though we could start by reserving a place at the Fremont Market and then abandon it and our $30/40 deposit if we wished to quit, we would do so only if someone wants to coordinate the summer staffing for the table. No one has yet come forward to volunteer.
Marcia Mullins described the Walk for Peace and Justice being planned by the Iraq Working Group for May 20th. Work is proceeding on an inter-active website, on locating a hospital and/or physicians to do pro bono work, and on communicating with Cole Miller of No More Victims to locate a child in need of specialized medical treatment here in the Northwest. The committee's goal is both to raise $50,000 and also to heal a child and ourselves due to our collective culpability. In addition, the project will put a human face on the war.
John Repp of the Nonviolent Action Working Group reported that the group will hold its professional education event for secondary school teachers on February 15 at North Seattle Community College in cooperation with the World Affairs Council. Thirty teachers have registered for the three-hour workshop and will receive instruction in teaching about nonviolence using the PBS series 'A Force More Powerful.'
John went on to explain that the Pressuring Officials Working Group is still awaiting a date for its meeting with Senator Cantwell and is considering 'Plan B,' a bird-dogging of her appearances until a meeting it arranged. SNOW members accounted for half of the group of 30 who stood outside the Cantwell/Clinton gathering at the end of January.
Steve Ludwig of the Military Counter Recruiting Working Group reported that the committee is working on a College Not Combat resolution similar to the one passed in San Francisco last fall. It states the city's opposition to the military's presence in schools and elsewhere for the purposes of recruiting young people into the military, and Steve hopes that the Seattle City council will sign on.
There are two events planned thus far:
1) ANSWER has called for a Stop the War rally and march at noon at Westlake Center on Saturday, March 18. Marcia will put information into the SNOW Announce bulletin and onto the website as a mention, without stars. SNOW will also decline to be listed on flyers among sponsors, and Marcia will draft a three-sentence letter of explanation to ANSWER for the CC to review. She will mention that because we're not involved in the planning, we're unable to endorse the event.
2) Jobs with Justice is organizing an event for Sunday, March 19, with ministers and church congregations in the Hilltop area of Tacoma in order to tie the war to the defunding of social service programs. Jake Carton of JwJ does organizing and work in communities of color and hopes to reach military families and the low income, in addition to families of color, with its rally from 1:30 to 3:00PM.
It's important for SNOW to support the JwJ action because it provides an opportunity to work with and reach out to people of color and because the event is outside of our usual geographic area, involves military families, and supports a coalition member. To encourage folks to go to Tacoma from Seattle and Olympia we will use buses and charge folks to ride, stopping at various sites along the route to pick up passengers. The conversation indicated a strong inclination to support and participate with JwJ in this action.
Correlative actions include FOR's presence at Westlake on March 15 to talk about ways to get out of Iraq and encourage conversation with passersby, and a Port Townsend rally being organized by Liz Rivera-Goldstein that will include younger adtivists like Abe Delgado and members of Code Pink. Speakers who come to Port Townsend may also be willing to come to Seattle.
In addition SNOW will encourage neighborhood group activity during the week leading up to March 18/19 to increase visibility of the call to bring the troops home now. Marcia will draft an announcement of this approach in the form of a letter explaining why SNOW supports the JwJ activity plus neighborhood actions rather than the March 18 ANSWER rally and march. She will fold in remarks about buses and inquire whether anyone would like to help arrange car pools to Tacoma on the 19th. We'll need to help JwJ with phone banking, as well.
Steve suggests that SNOW start developing a plan to connect climate change to war and encourage neighborhood groups to have meetings on the subject.
Marcia piggybacked on the climate change theme and explained that one of the thoughts for the May 20 Walk for Peace and Healing is to have folks donate a certain amount to the effort with each fill-up at the gas pump. She also asked everyone to take flyers and start talking about the event with others, and inquired about whether anyone had connections with doctors or hospitals.
Gunnel Clark reminded everyone to offer ideas for benefactors or sponsors for the May 20 event, and Steve recommended the Green Bean, a coffee shop interested in progressive issues that also collects tips for various causes.
On March 2nd Scott Ritter will speak at 7:00PM at the University Temple United Methodist Church.
On February 27 in the King County Courthouse, Larry Gossett will be leading the move to change King County's logo by vote of the Council and would appreciate support from the community. The new logo will reflect Martin Luther King, Jr., for whom the county was named rather than crown to suggest 'king.'
On March 3 at 7:00PM in Smith Hall on the UW campus, Sam Hamil of Poets Against the War will deliver the first annual Bob Reed-Abe Osheroff ALBA (Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives) Lecture entitled 'The Role of Poetry and the Arts in Social Activism.' Abe Osheroff will be present to answer questions after the lecture.
On February 25th at 2:30PM West Seattle NPJ will present another film in its series of Meaningful Matinees entitled Three Kings at the High Point Branch of Seattle Public Library.
On February 21st Capitol Hill NPJ will screen 'Nashville Sit-Ins' from 'A Force More Powerful' at St. Joseph Church on Capitol Hill and follow it with a discussion as part of its exploration of the power of nonviolence.
The meeting then broke into groups in order to work on the Walk for Peace and Healing and planning for the March 19 rally in Tacoma. They concluded their conversations by 9:15PM.
The next SNOW general meeting will be on March 13, and the Coordinating Committee will meet on February 27.
Minutes by Diana Forman