Join the New Afrikan Scouts on our Annual Camping Trip

ONE WHOLE WEEK OF FUN AND ADVENTURE FOR YOUTH!

Camp Pumziko 2011 is on Sunday, July 29th, we will be welcoming campers at 12pm and we will be dismissing campers on Saturday, August 4th by 12pm.  We will have Family Day on Saturday, August 4th, so please come prepared to have a fun-filled experience with your camper. We are located at: lake allatoona campgrounds

Hard Labor Creek State Park
Daniel Morgan Campground
5 Hard Labor Creek Road
… Rutledge, GA 30663

* As a member of the New Afrikan Scouts the cost is $150 per child.

* If they are not a member; the cost is $175 per child.

* There is a $25 sibling discount.

* A $50 deposit per camper is required to secure a slot at camp.

***Please note that travel costs are NOT included in the price above***

***An extra fee of $350 is required to travel from NYC to Atlanta with a different payment schedule***

* Please contact one of the people below to remit payment.

Contact Info:

Sala Cyril. 917-674-0618 Brooklyn, NY

Khary Williams. 678-654-7721 Atlanta, GA

PURPOSE

To give youth, particularly from poor communities, an opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience in a wholesome and structured setting geared towards building character and self-esteem; to offer a curriculum that includes Afrikan history, cultural awareness and physical development; to bring them into contact with adults committed to being positive role models, thus filling a void in their lives; to provide a meaningful alternative to summers of “just hanging out” with “nothing to do”; to offer survival skills for functioning in a chaotic system that has seemingly failed them. Camp Pumziko has grown tremendously since 1994 and the progress can be measured by the campers who have returned each year and through the dedication of those that attended as campers and are now returning to be counselors themselves.

NEW AFRIKAN SCOUT CAMPING EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

Camping Supply List

1. Back pack

2. Sleeping bag or bed roll

3. Flashlight with extra batteries

4. First Aid Kit (small)

5. Toilet kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, brush/comb, lotion, soap)

6. 1 roll toilet paper

7. Clothes suitable for expected weather and activities

8. Sleepwear/Pajamas

9. A pair of old, comfy sneakers and/or hiking boots

10. Coat/Jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt

11. Several pairs of socks for hiking

12. Raingear (raincoat or poncho…umbrellas won’t work on hikes)

13. Water bottle/Canteen

14. Washcloth and towel

15. Bathing Suit

16. Insect Repellant

17. Hat

18. Watch

19. Pillow or pillowcase (can stuff their jacket into pillowcase to use as a pillow)

20. Notebook and pens or pencils

Optional items:

Camera, compass, rope, book, board game, one stuffed animal to sleep with.

Working Paper:Reclaiming TARP, Reclaiming Public Housing

Since the fall of 2008 the United States Federal Government has purchased millions of foreclosed properties through the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP. These acquisitions were made in an attempt to help stabilize the worlds financial markets, which were quite literally on the verge of collapse throughout the latter half of 2008.

The Land and Housing Action Group maintains that all of the properties purchased with public funds via the TARP program constitute public goods that must be utilized to fulfill a public need. To be more direct, we maintain that these homes are now in fact public housing, and that they must be used as such to fulfill the US government’s human rights obligation to provide adequate housing to all the citizens and residents under its jurisdiction.

We reject the approach being employed by the Obama administration, rooted in neo-liberal economics, which allows the banks to determine the use and ownership of the properties purchased and insured with public funds. This approach, although consistent with the imperatives of capitalism, is inconsistent with human rights and constitutes a fundamental violation of the government’s obligations to respect, protect and fulfill economic, social and cultural rights. Rather than allowing these properties to be resold and the profits privately appropriated by the banks, we maintain that these properties must be removed from the commodities markets and placed in the possession of local community land trusts to ensure that the economic, social,and cultural rights of impacted communities are progressively realize dutilizing the maximum available resources possessed by the government.

To this point, the concrete result of the TARP bailout has been to transfer of an astounding amount of public wealth (over 1.5 Trillion dollars) to private institutions and individuals to preserve their fortunes. While this transfer has helped forestall the collapse of the worlds financial markets, it has not stopped millions of families throughout the United States, particularly working class African American and Latino families, from being displaced and dispossessed from their homes and communities. In short, the banks have been saved, but the people have been abandoned.

The Land and Housing Action Group is encouraging everyone to join us in changing this shameful reality. We call on everyone committed to protecting and realizing the human right to housing to join us in building the “Take Back the Land” campaign and supporting the declaration that all the properties paid for with public funds must be turned into public housing immediately. It is only by building a mass direct action movement to Take Back the Land that we will realize the fulfillment of our human right to adequate housing.

For more information on how you can join or support the Take Back the Land campaign email housingrights[at]ushrnetwork.org.Or call 404.588.9761.

Crystal House is a project that recognizes housing as a Human Right. The project came together as a transitional low cost living space dedicated to supporting the growth and leadership of Black & Brown poor/working/ and queer individuals. Crystal House is a place to identify, understand and transform colonization and aims to provide a safe space for holistic healing with access to resources and training.

Crystal House is committed to being a space for young adults and adults. It’s a place for artists, community members, visionaries, and organizers from the age of 18 and up. At Crystal House people come together to exchange positive energy and look out for one another. By design the project opens the door for folks to maintain a safe and sustainable living space in order to sharpen skills needed to transform oppressive power dynamics and environments.

Crystal House strives to be a place to learn new dynamics of power through self determination in order to transform oppressive power relationships amongst individuals and communities at large; not merely mirroring the dominant mainstream ways of living. Transforming oppressive power relationships amongst individuals and communities’ at large means reassessing our every day actions while connecting them to structural systems of oppression; challenging the silencing and domination of women, making space for queer, youth, trans, and female leadership and healing ourselves and community.

The Crystal House project recognizes the shuffling and uprooting of our folks as a way to keeping us moving from one spot to another in order to keep us disenfranchised and divided from one another. The folks who come thru Crystal House have been targets and survivors of state and institutional violence as well as personal violence within their homes and neighborhoods. Crystal House is a social investment for headz that are at a crossroads and seek to live within the values of cooperation, communication, transformation, self-determination, sustainability and revolutionary change.

What is the Human Right to Housing?

The right to housing guarantees the right to live in security, peace and dignity. This right must be provided to all persons regardless of income or access to economic resources. The right to housing should not be narrowly defined or restricted to being viewed as a commodity wholly dependent on market forces. Instead, housing should be viewed as a fundamental resource indispensable to ensuring human development and community participation.

What folks do:

Safe Space Initiative:

Creating a safe, healthy and forward-moving community
A “safe space” is where; people are able to safely exist as they are, with respect to their race, gender/gender representation, class, and sexual orientation.

Community Life Marketplace
The Community Life Marketplace is a space for members of the East New York Community to gather, build relationships, and unity around food, music, art, and our collective experiences. The marketplace was created to give folks in our community an opportunity to sell products or services and share their talents. The Community Life Marketplace is held every third Sunday of the month. Starting this May will be in Green Gems Community Garden. Located on Glenmore Ave. btw Crystal St. and Logan St.

strong>Green Gems Community Garden
When banks/government agencies abandoned communities, folks committed themselves to improving conditions for their families, their neighbors and each other. Going strong for 15yrs the garden continues to grow food, be a green space in the area, show films, hold spoken word events, and support with so much more.

Where is Crystal House Located?

The House is in East New York, Brooklyn via the “A” train on the Euclid Avenue stop and is located at 89 Crystal Street, 11208.

What is the process in getting housing at Crystal House?

Folks interested in living at Crystal House meet the current headz living in the space to see whether or not folks are feeling one another. If all goes well and you are still interested folks who live in the house take a vote where everyone must agree.

How much does it cost?

Depending on the room size and the finances of the house, folks pay anywhere from $400 to $600 a month. Utilities are included.

For more information:

• Asere: 646-413-3110 or Asere@mxgm.org
• Kana: 347-265-4484 or healthiswealth21@gmail.com

The Community Education Workshop Series

As part of our dedication in fighting for self determination, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement has initiated the Community Education Project, a community workshop series. This series consists of nine focused and informative workshops on issues faced by Black/New Afrikans in America.

“Education is our Passport to the Future, for Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

-Malcolm X

Know Your Rights – How to Deal With Police Confrontations

Using interactive role plays and audience discussion, this workshop provides participants with information on what to do if they are arrested, harassed, or injured by police. Participants will learn the four levels of police encounters in New York and how to recognize and respond to each of them. Facilitators will also analyze the role of the police in Black (New Afrikan) and Latino communities, the crisis of police brutality, as well as organizing and galvanizing effective
community responses.

Political Prisoners & Prisoners of War

This workshop provides participants with a definition of these often misunderstood terms, along with the economic,social and political implications these prisoners raise for America today. Workshop participants will receive information on how to get involved in the ever-growing movement to free the political prisoners and prisoners or war…today there are more than one hundred.

Hurricane Katrina Workshop

This interactive workshop provides detailed and useful information for those seeking to find out more about the results of the hurricane and the government indifference to its victims. In addition, there are pragmatic steps offered for those who wish to be involved in organizing with survivors to have a real say in the re-building of their city and not allowing a corporate takeover of peoples land and housing.

Rap, Racism, and the Entertainment Industry

Recognizing the meteoric rise in the popularity of rap, this workshop focuses on why Black (New Afrikan) artists have not fully benefited financially from this billion dollar industry. In uncovering the often deceptive and exploitative nature of the music industry, this workshop also provides aspiring entertainers, musicians, and poets with guidance in avoiding the mistakes many talented artists make when entering this competitive and often underhanded field.

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Deconstructing Patriarchy

An examination of the role of women and the effects of sexism in the larger Black (New Afrikan) community. Participants will learn how to identify patriarchy, distinguish between supportive and destructive behavior, and how to correct sexist habits. This workshop can be facilitated to either single-sex or co-ed groups, and is highly recommended for student groups, fraternities, sororities, and community organizations.

Organizing 101

This workshop is designed to give the basic steps and skills necessary for organizing people into an organization or issue campaign. As well as providing definitions of commonly used organizing terms, this workshop breaks down the many types of organizations as well as the needs they are designed to meet. Also analyzed are the various roles within an organization, such as Organizers, Leaders, Members, and Allies. To fortify the notions presented, this workshop features an interactive “model organizing” exercise.

Prison Industrial Complex (P.I.C.)

The various components that make the prison industry the fastest growing industry in the country are outlined during this course. After developing an understanding of the function and structure, as well as the players in the prisonindustrial complex, participants will discuss how it affects them and their communities in addition to how they can take action to dismantle the PIC.

Black (New Afrikan) Relationships

This sometimes emotionally charged workshop addresses the dilemmas Black (New Afrikan) women and men face in fostering healthy, productive, and fulfilling relationships with each other. The workshop focuses on the communication, physical, financial and emotional issues Blacks (New Afrikans) must confront within their relationships. The workshop concludes by providing suggestions and solutions for Black (New Afrikan) couples to build strong, vibrant relationships and even stronger Black (New Afrikan) communities.

Goals of Alternative Education

This workshop explores traditional and alternative approaches to education and discusses how tests and certain teaching methods are used to subjugate Black (New Afrikan) children. Participants will also explore how alternative educational methods and institutions can be a means of liberation.

A committee within MXGM which opposes any form of oppression that limits girls and women from becoming self-determining individuals and reaching their fullest potential.  As a manifestation of our sixth principle of unity (ending sexist oppression), NAWC recognizes that cultural, economic, political and social institutions, practices and beliefs limit the human worth of our girls and women.  We  NAWC will actively struggle for the liberation of the New Afrikan Nation –By Any Means Necessary!

Accomplishments & Activities:

In response to the scheduled stoning execution of a Nigerian woman accused of adultery, members of the NAWC conducted a letter writing campaign to address this human rights violation. Our campaign was among the many movements which led to the reversal of her death sentence.

In April of 2003, the NAWC organized an event in honor of women’s history month. Entitled “Sistahs in The Struggle: Celebrating Women and Resistance.” The program incorporated political education along with performances, presentations and poetry readings by women musicians, members of the NAWC and the community.

The Caucus co-sponsored and raised funds at a cultural program to support political exile, Nehanda Abiodun.

The NAWC has written and distributed materials on sexism and patriarchy and the integral role of the struggle for women’s rights within the context of human rights for Black people. Additionally the caucus has developed and conducted our highly requested “Deconstructing Patriarchy” workshop.

In 2004 NAWC started a young girls mentoring program called S.T.A.R.S. (Sisters Taking All Roads to Success). Currently the program is run out of our office space every Saturday. The program looks to offer mentorship, critical thinking skills and life skills to the youth involved.

IF THE COPS STOP YOU:

• Stay calm and be cool.
• Don’t physically resist.
• Don’t run!  If you do, you may be shot and even killed.
• Give your name and address but you don’t have to give any other information.

THE LESS YOU SAY THE BETTER.

Although it may be difficult, try to remember the badge number, name and a
physical description of the cop(s) who stopped or arrested you.

IF THE COPS ARREST YOU:

• You will be handcuffed, searched, photographed and fingerprinted.
• Once you are told you are under arrest, give your name and address; give your parents and or employer’s name address and telephone number. (This information is needed in setting bail.)
• “YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT”. DO SO.  Besides giving the above information only say, “I want to talk to a lawyer.”
• Don’t talk to the police, speak on videotape, or to a District Attorney about anything that has to do with the crime you are arrested for.  DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!
• When cops stop you, ask bystanders to stand at a discreet distance and observe the police without interfering!(Cops don’t like people watching them breaking the law.)
• DO NOT TALK TO INMATES IN JAIL ABOUT YOUR CASE.

IF YOU ARE 16 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER:

• You have the right to make one (1) call to your family or lawyer.
• Remember, the cops can stop you if you are hanging out during school time or if they suspect that you are a runaway. That means ANYTIME THEY WANT TO! (Remember the previous information about being calm, not running away and memorizing the cop’s badge number, name and physical description.)
• They can ask you your name, age and address.  Always carry ID, otherwise the cops will use it as an excuse to take you in.
• IF THE POLICE ARREST YOU THEY MUST NOTIFY YOUR PARENTS!
• If you are arrested, besides giving the above information, say you want to speak to a lawyer and your parents.   DON’T BE INTIMIDATED OR FOOLED INTO TALKING TO THE COPS.

If you need legal representation or advice on a police abuse or brutality case please call one of the following organizations:

If you need information about a friend or relative who has been arrested, call Central Booking in your borough:

• Bronx (718) 590-2804
• Brooklyn (718) 875-6586
• Manhattan (212) 374-5256
• Queens (718) 520-9311
• Staten Island (718) 876-8490

There are over 100 people incarcerated in the U.S. because their beliefs and / or actions were in opposition to the repression of this government. A country which claims to have been founded on the idea of political freedom and diversity should have no political prisoners.

We remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. was incarcerated many times, for example, because he opposed economic and political segregation. Yet, MLK wasn’t the only person to be incarcerated. Many people of his generation have been languished in prisons for 20, 25 and 30 years. We believe it is a human right to oppose oppression and domination.

These prisoners’ convictions reflect as yet unresolved issues of civil, racial, and economic justice of the 1960′s and 70′s, a time when thousands of people of all races, young and old, women and men, formed militant movements to demand fundamental social change. Their trials occurred during a time when their juries and the general public did not know that, in response to these movements, the government was engaging in illegal and unconstitutional acts – acts of infiltration and surveillance which, according to the government’s own documents, carried over into the legal arena. Foremost in the government’s campaign was the FBI’s now-infamous Counter-Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), which was later condemned by a 1976 United States Senate Committee.

Some of the people in severely damaged by COINTELPRO have received redress in the courts. For example, in 1990, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, a former Black Panther Party leader incarcerated for over 19 years in New York, won his release when it was revealed that the prosecution had withheld exculpatory evidence. In 1996 in California, Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt also won his release on the same grounds. In both cases, all charges were then dismissed at the request of prosecutors.

Goals:

Clemency – to develop and promote clemency petitions for political prisoners in New York

Truth & Reconciliation Commission – to create and implement a Truth and Reconciliation Commission focused on the war against the Black Liberation Movement

Crisis Management – to provide “crisis management” to political prisoners as it relates to the policies and practices of Department Of Corrections, Department of Parole, Federal Bureau of Prison towards activists inmates.

Criminal Litigation – to exhaust all possible appeals and challenges to the criminal convictions of New York State political prisoners

Civil Litigation – to research possible civil cases to highlight the existence of political prisoners regarding the past practices of COINTELPRO and current “COINTELPRO like” practices

2004 Activities:

Over the last 12 months we held several news conferences, which received widespread attention in the case of Herman Bell and Jalil Bottom. Both these former panthers have been locked down for over twenty-five years and they both had parole hearings in 2004.

To our delight the son of one of the officers Jalil and Herman were wrongly convicted of slaying came forth and said that these men should be released. MXGM will continue to be active in the New York State Task Force on Political Prisoners, organize visits, and do fundraising to support the Political Prisoners. We will follow up on legal appeals and other casework that has been on going throughout the year. We have also begun to develop a strategy to address the politics of the parole system as it related to political prisoners.

Vision: PSDC recognizes the right of all people to live free of oppression and human rights violations, as well as any community’s right to observe and document abuse. People in communities of color are routinely stopped, searched, and detained without probable cause or reasonable suspicion. We believe that increased community control is one solution to this problem.

Goals:

• Community control over police – The community must control and operate any institution that holds the power of life and death over it. Democratically elected community police boards must be developed with the power to hire, fire, discipline, and promote.
• End the 48 hour rule and the option to a trial by judge – Police officers accused of brutality and murder are given 2 days to “get their stories straight” and are not required to give any information about the incident. They also avoid being tried by a jury that reflects the communities they police.
• An independent prosecutor for police brutality cases – District Attorneys work directly with the police on a daily basis. They rely heavily on one another to indict, prosecute, and try cases. They function as one institution and we believe that a local DA prosecuting constitutes a conflict of interest.
• Disband the Street Crimes Unit (accomplished in 2004), Operation Condor, and all “COINTELPRO” type policing programs!
• A “REAL” Civilian Complaint Review Board – An independent CCRB should be established with the power to indict.

In 2005 the PSDC:

• • Filed 20 Notices of Claim on behalf of police brutality victims
  • Filed 25 Complaints with the Civilian Complaint Review Boar
  • Assisted 23 individuals with their police abuse/misconduct cases
  • Successfully settled Class Action Lawsuit against the NYPD Street Crime Unit

  • Trained over 250 youth in how to deal effectively with police encounters as part of our Know Your Rights workshop series

Components of the Peoples Self Defense Campaign

Cop Watch: The Central Brooklyn Community Cop Watch recognizes the right of Central Brooklyn residents to live free of oppression and human rights violations. The Cop Watch attempts to prevent incidents of police brutality and misconduct from occurring in the central Brooklyn community, to document ongoing human rights abuses, and educate the community about their “so-called” 4th Amendment Rights and to be free from arbitrary arrest and detention. The program was developed with the advisory assistance of the Medgar Evers Center for Law and Social Justice and the National Conference of Black Lawyers.

Know Your Rights Workshops: These interactive seminar/workshops assesses participants current understanding of their rights and explains in detail the arrest, detainment, and incarceration procedures. The session also includes a role-play to assist people in practicing “the right way” to advocate for their rights when stopped by the police. Lastly the session encourages the community to stand a reasonable distance away and bare witness to police actions in the community, it’s our their right.

Legal and Orgaizing Support: The last component of our program is to provide legal and organizing assistance to victims of police misconduct and brutality in New York. PSDC gives individual help to people who have been victims of police misconduct by helping them file complaints, lawsuits, and organize community/political support around their cases.