Countering White Supremacist Gatherings in Boston: Friday & Saturday

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As you have likely heard, there is a "Free Speech Rally" planned for this Saturday in Boston Common. This event couches its hateful and bigoted intentions in the language of free speech; We are sending out information about three gatherings and actions planned by broad coalitions of people of faith, labor unions, and other activists aiming to counter this hate.We recognize that certain actions may not fall within your Shabbat observance practices.Click here to read the Jewish Labor Commitment statement on the events in Charlottesville last Saturday.

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization: gbioInterfaith Gathering of Unity, Love, and Strength

When: Friday, August 18th | 5:00 p.m.Where: Temple Israel in Boston, 477 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02215At GBIO's Spring Delegates Assembly in April, GBIO adopted the, "Out of Many, One" campaign to fight against threats to vulnerable communities. On Friday we will continue in the spirit of this campaign as we stand together as an organized powerful voice in Greater Boston. We will hear inspiring words from faith leaders across Greater Boston, as we stand together against all forms of hatred, to affirm the power of love and righteousness. All members of clergy will be invited to stand together on the bima (raised platform), in full spiritual regalia.At 6 p.m., Temple Israel invites the interfaith community to join them for "A Sabbath of Love and Light," a Shabbat worship experience open to all, devoted to the values of justice and compassion. Please extend this invitation to your family and friends. This is the time for us to be together with all who wish to counter messages of hatred by kindling the light of compassion and human dignity for all.Additionally, a group of interreligious leaders have prepared a statement which the GBIO Strategy team has endorsed. Please see below and click here to share and invite other signatories.

Moral Movement Massachusetts Evening Interfaith Prayer Service

When: Friday, August 18th | 7:00 p.m.Where: Boston Common, 139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111The Moral Movement MA, and interfaith group committed to championing issues of moral importance including economic justice and and end to police brutality, invites you to the Boston Common at Friday at 7 pm - following the GBIO Gathering of Unity (see above) - to pray that the Common be sacred and peaceful ground on Saturday morning. Members and supporters will walk the perimeter of the Common and then stand at the center to offer our deepest hopes that this be a moment of spiritual evolution in our country. Participants will pray to keep moving forward, and not back, in the hope that when the morning comes, there will be a brighter day.

March and Rally Against Hate

When: Saturday, August 19th | 10:00 a.m.Where: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120.Individuals from the Jewish Labor Committee will be part of a contingent of labor folks meeting at the Roxbury Crossing train station and joining the march and rally. Please note that with all protests there are always risks involved and we want to make sure JLC members are taking care of each other. Please contact Ashley at asha34@aol.com or 617 935-1256 if you are planning to go.

Logistics:STARTING PLACE: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120ENDING PLACE: Boston Common, 139 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111MEETING TIME: 10:00 a.m. (those who can't march may join us at the Boston Commons, but PLEASE beware of neo-Nazi/white supremacist/far-right presence)LENGTH OF MARCH ROUTE: 1.9 milesSOCIAL MEDIA: #FightSupremacy #BostonResist

Jewish Labor Committee Condemns Bigotry, Prejudice, Racism, and Anti-Semitism In Wake of Violence in Charlottesville

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August 15, 2017: New York, NY - In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville this past weekend, Jewish Labor Committee President Stuart Appelbaum issued the following statement:The Jewish Labor Committee joins with all people of good will in our outrage at the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, surrounding the so-called "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, 2017. There is no place in our society for bigotry, prejudice, racism, and anti-Semitism. This language and those people who espouse it must be condemned at every turn.Our heart goes out to the victims of the neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists who marched shouting hateful slogans against African-Americans and Jews.They must be condemned, and defeated, in the press, on the streets, in the classrooms, in the workplaces, and in the halls of government, from the highest levels in the White House to every town hall and union hall across the United States.

Victory: MA Supreme Judicial Court Rules Against ICE Detainers

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On Monday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that ICE detainers are illegal. An ICE detainer is a request that ICE makes of local and state law enforcement to hold a person in custody for up to 48 to allow for the investigation of their immigration status.Ending ICE detainers is a key piece of the Safe Communities Act. The court's ruling affirms the legality of ending ICE detainers in the state. But SCA includes additional important provisions.Please continue to contact your state senators and representatives to urge them to pass the Safe Communities Act!

Click here to read the statement & summary from MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

Click here to read more.

Act Now: Update on Francisco Rodriguez's Case

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Francisco Rodriguez was detained on Thursday, July 13 at his check-in with ICE. Francisco is an active member of the Chelsea and Boston communities, a union janitor at MIT with 32BJ SEIU, and a father of two daughters with a third child on the way.You can read more about Francisco's case here and you can read his letter to the public from inside detention here.

Take action today to stop Francisco's deportation:

  1. Donate to Francisco's fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/help-stop-franciscos-deportation
  2. Call our Senators and Representative, thank them for their work on the case thus far, and ask for their support for Francisco’s immediate release from detention & and to weigh in personally with DHS to stop Francisco’s deportation
  3. Sign this petition and call Governor Charlie Baker and ask for his support for Francisco Rodriguez’s immediate release from detention and to weigh in personally with DHS to stop Francisco’s deportation
  4. Contact ICE and let them know you want Francisco Rodriguez to be immediately released from detention:

Important: If you've had a bad experience calling ICE re. Francisco's case, please write down the date, time, and the name of the officer that you spoke with and what happened and email it to me lily@massjwj.net.Sample Script for Senators/Representatives:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling to ask you to help stop Francisco Rodriguez ’s deportation and for his immediate release from detention. Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. I appreciate the work your office and the Senator/Representative has taken on with regards to Francisco's case. I'm calling to ask him/her to personally weigh in with ICE and DHS and to continue to do all he/she can to keep Francisco in our community. If he is deported, we would all suffer greatly. Thank you for your time."

 Sample Script for Governor Baker:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling with regards to the case of Francisco Rodriguez. I'm calling to urge the Governor to do everything in his power to stop the deportation and advocate for the immediate release of Francisco from detention. Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. Governor Baker has the power to do the right thing and personally weigh in with ICE and DHS to keep Francisco with his family and community. Our Commonwealth would suffer greatly if he is deported. Thank you for your time."

 Sample Script for ICE:

"Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I’m calling to ask you to help stop Francisco Rodriguez ’s deportation and for his immediate release from detention. His A-Number: 099-665-463. His A-Number: 099-665-463.  Francisco is a dedicated community member with young children. Despite following ICE's orders, he was detained on Thursday, July 13. I'm calling to urge ICE to use its discretion and keep Francisco in the community and with his family."

Keep Francisco Home: Week of Action

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MIT Rally & Press Conference

When: Tuesday, July 11 | 12:00-1:00 p.m.Where: MIT Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge 02139

The MIT community calls on ICE to stop Francisco's deportation! Join Francisco, MIT officials, faculty, and staff, 32BJ SEIU members, MIT students, and greater Cambridge politicians and community members.

ICE Check-In Support

When: Thursday, July 13 | 9 a.m.
Where: ICE Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington 01803
We will gather with community and union members to support Francisco as he attends his mandatory check-in with ICE and receives information about the future of his case and ability to stay with his family in the United States.

#HereToStay Vigil

When: Thursday, July 13 | 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Where: US Immigration Courts at JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room 320, Boston 02203
Come hear the campaign update and celebrate Francisco's good news OR call for his immediate release if he was detained at his check-in! Stand in solidarity with Francisco and all immigrant workers and their families who have faced detention and deportation.

About Francisco's Case:

Francisco Rodriguez is a union brother and devoted community member facing deportation.
Last month, we joined more than 40 community members from faith, student, and labor organizations to accompany Francisco to his immigration check-in. We went to support Francisco and his family and to show ICE that we are watching. After this meeting, Francisco received a call moving up his next check-in date from December to July.
 
We must continue to show up and put the pressure on ICE to do the right thing and keep Francisco here with his family.
 
Other ways to support Francisco:
 
1. Call
  • New England Regional ICE office Immigration officer Gary Roltsch: (781) 359-7500 X7625
  • Community Relations officer Alexia Koplewski: (781) 359-7511
2. Email
3. Write a letter or postcard to Immigration Officer ASAP:
 
Immigration Officer Gary Roltsch
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Boston Field Office
1000 District Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
Sample script for calls, emails, letters: "Hi, my name is __ and I live in __. I am calling to ask you to grant Mr. Francisco Rodriguez Guardado's stay of removal. His A-Number: 099-665-463. Mr. Rodriguez has lived in the U.S. since 2006. He is a father of two American citizen children and with a baby on the way. He is a member of his children's school parent committee, of the community organization Chelsea Collaborative, of the Church Tabernaculo biblico seguidores de Jesus, and a union member of 32BJ SEIU (Service Employees International Union) at MIT. Mr. Rodriguez  always pays his taxes and contributes to his community, church, children's school and at work. He is a beloved member of Chelsea. In addition, Mr. Rodriguez's mother who is currently a permanent resident will become a citizen next year and shortly after she will petition for her son's pathway to residency and eventual citizenship."

Strike Averted at Citizens' League for Adults With Special Services, Inc. (CLASS) in Lawrence

We are pleased to report that staff at CLASS, Inc., who directly care for individuals with disabilities, reached a settlement late Friday evening with CLASS management and avoided a strike. Their victory is the result of strong organizing and community support. The workers at CLASS are represented by SEIU 509.Facing a strike that was set to begin today (Monday) management at CLASS, Inc. returned to the table late Friday for a negotiation session overseen by a federal mediator and convened by Massachusetts Senator Barbara L'Italien. The resulting settlement is subject to a ratification vote next week by affected CLASS, Inc. workers, who returned to work today.Friday's settlement marks an inflection point in a years-long campaign by CLASS workers, organized through SEIU Local 509, to address the crisis in caregiving created by low wages at the agency. The one-year tentative agreement is a critical step towards reducing staff turnover and improving the standard of care for individuals with disabilities in the Merrimack Valley.The tentative agreement will result in a $.75/hour raise for direct care staff over the course of the one year contract, a significant raise for workers at CLASS, Inc. who are among the lowest paid at peer agencies across the Commonwealth."At the end of the day, we won a better contract," continued Thomas Baca, a driver at CLASS. "But the fight continues to make sure the individuals we care for can access the care they deserve."

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