Still catching up from vacation – so here’s a few random things I didn’t have more time for.
POLICE AND RACISM
This Thursday a coalition of student organizations, Students for Equitable Law Enforcement, is putting on an event to talk about the intersection of police policies and racial disparities from a student perspective.
We’ll have art and music from students and former students on the subject, including First Wavers Michael Penn and Taylor Scott and also Danny Mulligan and Sundar Sharma.
After that we’ll have a short panel with Madison College Student Senate President Colin Bowden, former UW student and United Council staff Damon Terrell, UW-Madison sophomore and Student Labor Action Coalition member Emily Baer, and others. We’ll then break out into open discussion about what steps students should take to address the problems of racism in policing.
The event is 7 PM, Thursday (12/12) at the Masley Media Room in the Red Gym (716 Langdon St., Madison).
Students for Equitable Law Enforcement includes United Council, ASM Diversity Committee, the African Student Association, Student Labor Action Coalition, Student Progressive Dane, the Asian American Student Union, the Teaching Assistants’ Association Diversity Committee, and the MultiCultural Student Coalition.
Hope to see you there!
NATIONAL AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING CRISIS
New York Times article
The problem is national, and particularly acute among the working poor. The number of renters with very low incomes — less than 30 percent of the local median income, or about $19,000 nationally — surged by 3 million to 11.8 million between 2001 and 2011, according to a report released Monday by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. But the number of affordable rentals available to those households held steady at about 7 million. And by 2011, about 2.6 million of those rentals were occupied by higher-income households.
As a result, the share of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing jumped to 50 percent in 2010 from 38 percent in 2000. For renters with incomes of less than $15,000 a year, 83 percent pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent.
SKATEBOARD PARK DESIGN MEETING
Central Park Skatepark Design
The City of Madison Parks Division will have a public input meeting to discuss the proposed skatepark improvements at Central Park. At this meeting, City staff will discuss the project and seek input on the skatepark design.Thursday, December 19, 2013
5:30 P.M.
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center
Yahara Community Room
953 Jenifer StreetYou are invited to attend this meeting to provide comments or input on the proposed project. If you have questions or comments but are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Mike Sturm at (608) 267-4921 or at msturm@cityofmadison.com
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ORDINANCE 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
The City of Madison is inviting all citizens to participate in an event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Equal Opportunities Ordinance. This year marked the 50th Anniversary of many significant civil rights events, the “March on Washington”, the Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Civil Rights Activist Medgar Evers. Some of us were alive and remember these events, but more importantly, we all should understand their significance.
Historically, groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Color People, (NAACP) and the League of Women Voters have been at the forefront of civil and human rights. In 1963 in the City of Madison, members of these two groups helped form the Madison Citizens for Fair Housing and were instrumental in addressing discrimination in the City of Madison by helping to draft and secure legal protection for residents of color. The Equal Opportunities Ordinance predates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is now one of the most comprehensive Ordinances in the nation, offering protection from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations for twenty-five protected classes.
Please join us on Thursday, December 12, 2013 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., in the lobby of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the City of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Ordinance. The Celebration will be a flowing Community Reception with brief programs at 4:30 p.m. – The Process; at 5:30 p.m. – The Experience and at 6:30 p.m. – The Legacy. The programs will feature comments by Mayor Paul Soglin, past and current civil rights leaders, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kaleem Caire, Dr. Richard Harris and Author Jim Carrier, short performances by local artists and refreshments.
For more information regarding the Community Reception, please call the Department of Civil Rights at 608.266.4910 or visit our website at: www.cityofmadison.com/dcr.
WATER UTILITY PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SURVEY
Madison Water Utility is gathering feedback for a major update to our Public Participation Plan. We feel it’s vital for community members to have a role in our projects—to have access to information directly from our project managers, and to be involved from the very early planning stages all the way through completion.
Please take a few minutes to complete our Communication and Public Participation Survey. Your ideas and comments will guide us as we draft a new plan. And if you would like to continue to be involved in this process, please provide your email address at the end of the survey.
We would also appreciate it if you could promote our survey so we can get as many responses as possible. Please feel free to forward this message or direct folks to our website and Facebook page to complete the survey.
CITY COMPOSTING PROGRAM
This video is an interesting overview of the City of Madison’s successful organic diversion pilot program. And now, the City is planning to scale-up this pilot converting more food waste into renewable biogas and compost using anaerobic digestion. The biogas would be used to refuel the city’s fleet with renewable biogas, saving money and reducing air pollution.
WINTER SOLSTICE BONFIRE
Hello – please dress warmly and travel safely! No rain/snow date. Times approximate.
Please contact jsteines@gmail.com if you want to volunteer as fire guard, wish agent, ‘set designer’ (worker bee), puppet wearer – weather permitting, other assist…. All much fun!
Woolens recommended as ash may place hole in synthetics if you are down wind. Never recommended to be downwind, but not always controllable. Sponsored by Friends of Starkweather Creek, Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association, WORT 89.9 Community Radio, and local businesses.
It happens with you.
Event name: Starkweather Winter Solstice Bonfire
Brief Description: Twelfth annual celebration, ice lanterns, hot cider, wishes, singing, drumming, puppets, community
Start time: 4 pm, bonfire lighting 4:30 pm
End time: 7 pm, fire out
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2013
Location: Olbrich Park, lakeside, below sledding hill, 3301 Atwood Ave.
Cost: Free
