Peace Council Pages

Rich Gerharz (left) and Peter Swords participate in the Hiroshima procession in 2006. Don’t miss this year’s event on Wednesday, August 6. Photo: DJ Igelsrudthe

Remember Hiroshima & Nagasaki Demand a Nuclear-Free World
This year's commemoration of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been expanded to include a second event. Gather for the annual dramatic procession through downtown Syracuse on Wednesday, August 6 at 11:30 am at City Hall Commons, 215 E. Washington St. Please wear white or light colors. The procession begins at 12 noon and ends at Clinton Square with outreach work. Please join us for this powerful remembrance and call for nuclear abolition.

The new event this year will be floating lanterns for peace on Onondaga Creek. We will gather for Interfaith Sharing for Peace at the Zen Center, 266 W. Seneca Tpk. on August 7 at 7:30 pm. At dusk, we will float the lanterns on the creek. Help us fold paper cranes and build lanterns on Monday, August 4 at 7 pm at the Peace Council office, 2013 E. Genesee St.

This year's commemoration is co-sponsored by the Peace Council, Peace Action, Pax Christi and the Syracuse Solidarity Network. Contact Andy.

Bands Against Bombs
Five local musical groups will perform at Bands Against Bombs, a benefitfor

SPC on Sunday, July 20 from 2-8 pm at the Dewittshire Tavern, 3010 Erie Blvd E. All proceeds support the Peace Council’s work. The cost is $5-20 on a sliding scale (no one turned away) and food will be available for purchase from Sparkytown.

The featured performers are: Colleen Kattau, Miss E, Ashley Cox, CD-R (Chris Townsend, Ric Brush, Denn Bunger) and Lisa and Leo (Lisa Henderson, Leo Boylan). See www.peacecouncil.net for schedule.

Come enjoy the music, bring friends and spread the word. This is a great opportunity
to help new folks connect with SPC. Subscribers please post the flier.Contact Andy.

Help Build an Army of None
The American Friends Service Committee Youth Empowerment Project wants you to attend a Counter-Recruitment Training Program on August 22 and 23 in Syracuse. The first day will focus on Syracuse efforts. We welcome people interested in getting involved locally with our Military Alternatives Education Project to attend. Saturday will have a regional focus, including how to start a successful counter-recruitment program in your own community. The training will be led by the National Coordinator of AFSC's Youth and Militarism Project (www.afsc.org/youthmil). Please contact Twiggy Billue or Chrissie Rizzo at 475-4822 for information. To register, email cbillue@afsc.org with your name, address, phone number, dietary requirements and whether you need Friday night accommodations.

Bikes for Peace

Bikes for Peace has completed our first two clinics of the season - both at the Northeast Community Center - and is getting ready for our first clinic at Loguen Park. We worked with over 40 youth to repair their bikes, and also helped youth fix up eight bikes (which were given away to youth who helped at the workshops).

Given the popularity of this program, we could really use some extra hands to help during clinics. Just 2-3 hours twice a month is all it takes. Our last three clinics will be July 22, August 12 and August 19, all Tuesdays, 5-7:30 pm (see calendar for locations). Contact Jessica.

SPC at the Great NYS Fair
Plan to spend a day at the fair this year!

SPC and other local activists are planning activities from street theatre to flyering, both inside and outside of the fairgrounds. Every year hundreds of thousands of people come to Syracuse to attend the fair; we hope to bring an antiwar message by engaging with them in fun and provocative ways.

The fair runs from August 21 - September 1. Look for details on www.peacecouncil.net or contact Jessica or Carol.

SPC’s booth at the Downtown Arts & Craftsfair in 2005. Come get some great new t-shirts, buttons and bumperstickers. Photo: Tammy Crandall

Visit SPC's Outreach Tables

SPC will once again have a booth at the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival (July 25-27). Come visit - look for us on Montgomery Street. Better yet, help staff the booth. Shifts are several hours long and always with another person.

SPC outreach tables will be at several other events this summer. Please consider helping staff a table - it's a fun way to meet interesting people, find out what the community thinks, and raise money for the Peace Council. Contact Carol.

End of Summer Sale to Benefit SPC

SPC's annual garage sale will be held this year on Saturday Sept. 6 (bargains Sun. 9-noon) at 401 Scottholm Blvd., Syracuse. Keep us in mind as you come across items you no longer need, but which are still in good condition (no clothes). To drop off donations contact Rae Kramer 445-2840. Last year we had an amazing selection of items and raised over $1,000 to support SPC's work.

Fund Appeal Just Out, Phonathon to Come
Recently we sent a fund appeal mailing to PNL subscribers, which included a letter of support from Howard Zinn. Thanks to all who have responded - and if you haven't yet, it's not too late.

People who didn't receive the mailing can see it at www.peacecouncil.net. It also includes a photo collage of SPC's work over the past six months and information on how to donate online or using automatic withdrawal. Contributions of $50 and over can be tax deductible - make your check out to the Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice and put " SPC" in the memo line.

SPC has organized its first fundraising phonathon in many years for July 23 and 24. We will call as many SPC supporters as we can - we look forward to talking with you.

For more information about SPC's finances, contact Carol.

Paul Pearce (left) and Herm Bieling pose, despite their tiredness, with the several hundred pound base of the SPC cutter which their ingenuity and brawn moved from 924 Burnet Ave. to the ground floor of the Center. Photo: Carol Baum

Activist Appreciation - The Dynamic Duo (Herm Bieling and Paul Pearce)
Words cannot express our appreciation of Herm Bieling and Paul Pearce for the many ways they contribute to SPC's health and vitality.

Herm is a mechanical genius with a peaceful heart who quietly holds up SPC. He lifts, fixes, mows, totes, loads, unloads, recycles, supports, and was a rock throughout our move. He also demonstrates, gets arrested, and is on SPC's steering committee.

Paul is a creative life force and Viet Nam veteran turned peace activist who got sucked into SPC over 25 years ago. He nested in the basement as a printer for SPC Press and became part of the glue that held SPC together through thick and thin. Activist, artist, thinker, SPC-TV was Paul's vision, and he continues to produce it today.

Together, they recently faced two formidable tasks - cleaning up the print shop at SPC's former home and moving the over-half-ton gigantic paper cutter from the basement there to our new home. Watching them work was a lesson in cooperation and gentle strength.

Thank you, Herm and Paul.

 

SPC Bids a final farewell to 924 Burnet Ave. Photos: Andy Mager and Alex Gottwald.

Final Goodbye to Our Old Home
SPC's former offices were in a house we owned on 924 Burnet Ave. We had been there for 36 years … and had accumulated 36 years worth of stuff. In mid-April, we moved SPC's operations to our space at the Center. But that still left a full attic, basement and garage at our former home. After a lot of sorting, cleaning, packing, carrying and recycling, we finished our move in mid-June. Our former home was sold June 20 - to people who plan to live there.

Many thanks to everyone who helped us finish: Carol Baum, Herm Bieling, Brent Bleier, Sera Brown, Charlie Crafts, Andy Mager, Jessica Maxwell, Mike Miller, Glenda Neff, Paul Pearce, Chris Riley, and Rose Viviano, and to Lanny Freshman who continues to help us settle in to our new office.

Groups in the Center Work Together
June saw two opportunities for the Center's resident organizations to work together.

First was getting office supplies and furniture. The M & T Bank branch in downtown Syracuse had four floors of office furniture to give away. The Center's resident groups rented a truck together, and spent all day helping each other load and unload.

The second was political. Citizen Action has been very involved with city school issues and encouraged representatives from the other groups to attend a public meeting on the Syracuse City School Board's proposal for the use of Contract for Excellence funds. The resident organizations were well represented.

They currently are the American Friends Service Committee, Citizen Action NY, Peace Action of CNY and the Syracuse Peace Council.

Weekly Peace Outreach

“End the War; Bring the Troops Home” If you think it's hot on Syracuse street corners, think about Baghdad. Stand Against the War Tuesdays: 4:45 - 5:30 pm • July 22: Rt. 695 exit ramp to W. Genesee St. (Fairmount) •July 29: Rt. 20 (Albany St.) and Lincklaen St. (Cazenovia) • August 5: E. Genesee St. and Erie Blvd. (Dewitt) •August 12: Geddes St. and W. Genesee St. (Westside) • August 19: Teall Ave. and Rt. 690 (Eastside) • August 26: NY State Fair Main Entrance • Sept. 2: Rt. 11 (in front of Northern Lights Shopping Center, Mattydale) Also every Saturday 9-10 am in front of the Regional Market Park St., Syracuse

SU Militarism
The April Peace Newsletter featured a special section on the growth of military programs at Syracuse University. A panel presentation and discussion organized by SPC drew some 60 people at the end of that month.

Follow-up efforts have continued with an eye to developing a campaign to uncover the extent of military involvement at SU and make SU a home for peaceful solutions, not warmaking.

Plans include full documentation of the role of the military at SU, development of a website with the information uncovered and building support among students, faculty and the larger community to make SU an institution of peace, not war. Contact Andy or see www.peacecouncil.net/su-military.

SPC Public Events - Not Yet on the Second Floor
SPC is mostly settled in to our new second floor space at the Center. Please come and visit, if you are able.

Our offices surround a large meeting room. SPC's Steering Committee has decided that, until an elevator is put in to make the second floor accessible, we will neither hold nor co-sponsor any general public events there. Committees will continue to meet there unless we receive a specific request to move them to the first floor.

The Center is engaged in the second phase of its capital campaign to raise the funds to build a new front lobby with an elevator. If you have ideas about potential sources of funding, please contact Andy.

 

$timulate SPC…

Did you know that last year SPC’s income and expenses were about $95,000? This covered 75+ hours per week of staff time (that’s what they get paid for, not what they actually work!); all ongoing programs and special events; maintenance and upkeep of the building and officeequipment;and utilities, phones and all other officeexpenses.

We've got the Union Bug
The Peace Newsletter now comes with the Union Bug (look underneath our return address on the back cover)! Starting with our June issue, Prompt Printing Press of Camden, NJ is now printing the PNL. It's a Union shop that prioritizes work for peace and justice organizations. It was a hard decision - we really value keeping our business local whenever possible. After searching for a few months, we were unable to find any local union shops or small, progressive printers who could do the type of printing required for producing our newsletter. We hope you enjoy it.