PASADENA NOW: PUBLISHED : MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 | 5:12 AM
It was an afternoon of praise and accolades for longtime Pasadena-area activist Dale Gronemeier Saturday as more than a hundred friends and community leaders, the most active of local activists among them, honored him at the Neighborhood Unitarian Church for his 60 years of championing civil rights. Gronemeier, who formerly practiced law in Eagle Rock, resided in Sierra Madre, and fought many court battles in Pasadena, retired and left the region last year for San Antonio, Texas, to “live in a home with a view of the lake,” he said. At the lifetime achievement award ceremony organized by Pasadenans Organizing for Progress (POP!), Congresswoman Judy Chu called Gronemeier “a force of nature” for his long history. “Dale has been one of the most steadfast leaders in the community,” said Councilmember John Kennedy, “representing those who are underserved or underrepresented, and his voice has been consistent, whether its been fighting for a livable wage or overturning the discriminatory election that existed in City of Pasadena.”
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The City of Pasadena wants to hear from you! Please join community members, housing professionals, and service providers to discuss the need of the low and moderate income community and to explore the issue of fair housing in the City of Pasadena. Your input will help identify any impediments to fair housing choice.
Our neighborhood grocery workers are in the last few days of contract negotiations. The FINAL bargaining is happening next week We really need the community's help to get us to the finish line. Please join us at one of the Ralph Stores in Pasadena to show support for the grocery workers. Tomorrow -- Wednesday we'll be in Pasadena from 10am - Noon at Ralphs, 160 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101 Thursday from 2-4pm. Thursday, 2pm - 4pm, at Ralphs, 3601 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107 ![]() Two tours: Saturday, August 31, and Saturday, Sept 14, 2019, Start at 9 am at Rosebud Coffee, 2302 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA , (Free parking in rear of building) Pasadena Stands with Immigrants and Refugees! Thursday August 22nd, 6-9PM, Villa Park Community Center. Click Link for Video and more information. JOIN US! The Vigil for the adapting the vacant YWCA into permanent supportive housing is at 5pm tomorrow night, 8/19/2019. That will be in front of the Y on Marengo, across from the First Baptist Church, at 75 N. Marengo Ave. We will walk around the Y and then into the City Hall (which is right next to the Y) at 6pm to speak during public comment. The Council Chambers are on the SE corner of the 2nd floor. It is there at 7pm that folks will gather to support a stronger inclusionary housing policy.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO DIED IN EL PASO - ATTEND THE PASADENA VIGIL IN VILLA PARKE AT 7 PM ON THE LAWN BY RECREATION CENTER BUILDING, 361 E. Villa Street, (Just west of Los Robles) Today across the country, millions of hearts are beating with El Paso. As communities of immigrants and refugees, our hearts beat with El Paso: A community that straddles borders and cultures, a symbol of safety and inclusion for people from around the world, citizens and non-citizens alike. That is El Paso’s strength. Nothing will change that. Today, we must reaffirm our commitment to that strength. And we must redouble our commitment to defeat the vile worldview of white supremacy. Today, it is a moral imperative that decent people, and all Latinos, speak out. Vigils: This Wednesday, communities across the country plan to hold vigils to remember and celebrate the lives lost, and recommit to confronting the contemptible worldview behind the violence committed. Whether you work with an organization, church, business, or just want to express your individual support with family and neighbors, now is the time to speak out. From Pasadena to Parkland, Phoenix to Philadelphia, thousands of hearts beat with El Paso. And it has to be said -- what happened in El Paso was foreseeable and deliberate. Two tendencies have intersected that invariably will lead to this despicable violence. The uncontrolled access to weapons of war that has enabled mass atrocities in cities over and over again, has converged with the white supremacist political agenda that we see at every Trump rally, that we hear in every Trump speech. Sadly, too many local, state, and federal elected officials have remained silent, and worse, have served as conduit to this worldview. The hate-filled speeches that incite violence, the criminalizing of entire families and communities, and the scandalous collusion of elected officials with hate groups – enough is enough. We know that those who profit from weapons sales, who despise gun control, are often the same profiteers that make millions from arresting immigrants and putting children and families in migrant concentration camps. They profit from the politics of hate and fear. Their objective is fear. They want white people to fear immigrants. For immigrants to fear government. We must be clear, we do not hate them, and we are also not afraid of them. We know that our courage will always be greater than fear. It’s time that we join our voices to confront the sickening worldview that shows contempt for our lives, and profits from our suffering. This is the resistance of our communities, across this country, against white supremacy, against unfettered access to weapons of war, against the Trump hate agenda, against a worldview that sows misery and contempt for human life. This is a fight for safety, true freedom, and justice for every life that has been lost at the hands of hate in America. What’s been polluted by hatred and racist violence, will be cleansed by joining our voices, our hearts, and our voices. Because our collective voices - of compassion and solidarity - when joined together is universal and crosses borders, to alleviate the pain, to confront injustice, to fortify our resistance. ### #ElPasoFirme is anchored by Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, Repairers of the Breach, Poor People’s Campaign, and is endorsed by a broad array of faith, immigrant, civil rights, and grassroots organizations including Pasadenans Organizing for Progress (POP!) SPONSORED BY Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Pasadena, CA Voter enfranchisement✨ There will be a large amount of young voters in Pasadena in 2020 let’s get them organized and fully informed.
Please join us in supporting the United Food and Commercial Workers job action this coming Thursday, August 1 from 2 to 5 p.m at the Ralph’s Grocery Store over in Hastings Ranch area across from the Toyota Dealership on Foothill. Even if you can only march for one hour, it is very important to show solidarity with these workers. They stood up for the minimum wage increase in Pasadena and it’s time for us to show support for them.
JOIN US - Progressive Discussion Group – Friday August 2, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
DU-PAR’S , 214 S. Lake, Pasadena – Back Sun Room Topic: On August 14, the 9th Circuit Court of appeals in Pasadena will hear the Trump administration’s arguments to un-block his cancellation of TPS status. Hundreds of thousands of immigrant families may be deported. What can we do to stop it? What about their children who are US citizens and will be left behind? Panelists: Cecilia Menjivar -- Professor of Sociology, UCLA, She studies effects of immigration laws & enforcement, immigrant families, gender violence in Central America https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-07-24/trump-guatemala-asylum-safety Evelyn Hernandez and Orlando Zepeda, both immigrants - who are TPS holders will tell their story along with their children who were born in the US. Discussion Moderated by Ed Washatka – Member of Pasadenans Organizing for Progress – POP! and ACT / Arroyo Democratic Club Description:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-day-in-the-life-of-we-tickets-65802068759 The kids at Thrive Learning Lab of NW Pasadena are acting out their experiences with racism, bullying, and family separation. About this Event The kids at the Thrive Learning Lab of NW Pasadena are creating a play based on their every day lives and the oppressions and uncertainty they encounter: racism, bullying and family separation are part of their lived experience and they are using the theatre to ask for change and justice. We will engage and interact with the audience in order to raise the consciousness necessary to do something about the ongoing injustices that our children face !! Step into the world of our youth and see that there needs to be a change in the way we live in our society !! Date: July 25th Time: 4:30pm Location: Reformation Pasadena (570 East Orange Grove Pasadena, CA 91103 Contact: Florence Annang ([email protected]) Theodore Lang ([email protected]) PRESS RELEASE
July 9, 2019 Contact: Kris Ockershauser 626-792-0657 Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police/CICOPP/POP Yesterday the California Senate passed landmark legislation to strengthen the law on police use of force and reduce the number of deadly police shootings in the state. Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives, introduced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), and co-sponsored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), will establish a "necessary" use of force standard, paving the way for other states to follow suit. Police officers in California consistently kill more people than officers in any other state. As in other states, Black and Latinx people and people with disabilities are more likely than other residents to be targets of police violence. AB 392 addresses this problem head on by adopting best practices proven to reduce the number of use of force incidents. Pasadena resident Vince De Stefano joined an ACLU group of local supporters and was in the Assembly Public Safety Committee meeting where he heard testimony from upwards of a hundred of people whose family members had been killed by police. “It was standing room only for 3 hours and everyone in the room was overwhelmed by the stories of those who lost family members and were calling for change. I think that testimony turned the politicians around to support, and soon after the police organizations dropped their opposition” De Stefano recounted. Under current law, California police officers can use deadly force if it is "reasonable" — regardless of whether deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury, whether there were available alternatives, or whether the officer's own actions created the circumstances that led to the use of deadly force. AB 392 raises that standard to require that officers only use deadly force when "necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person." California would be the only state to combine this "necessary" standard with the requirement that courts consider an officer's conduct leading up to a use of deadly force when determining whether the officer's actions were justified. Nineteen Pasadena area clergy members joined the Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police/CICOPP/POP, the ACLU CA, the League of Women Voters of California, the State Office of NAACP, Indivisible and others statewide in the call for a revised standard for deadly use of force by police: Rev. Larry E. Campbell, Pastor of First AME Church Rev. John B. Bledsoe, Pastor of Zion Star Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Tyronne Skinner, Pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church Rev. Carlton Edwards, Pastor of Pasadena Community Christian Fellowship Rev. John Stewart, Pastor of New Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church Rev. George Van Alstine, Associate Pastor of Altadena Baptist Church Rev. Deborah West-Jones, Minister at First AME Church Rev. Nicholas M. Benson, Pastor of First Summit Evangelical Church Rev. Jacques Bolton, Minister at New Revelation Baptist Church Rev. Jennifer L. Oliver, Fuller Theological Seminary Rev. Christopher Frierson, Minister at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Matthew Colwell, Knox Presbyterian Church Rev. Mike Kinman, All Saints Episcopal Church Rabbi Marvin Gross, Pasadena Jewish Temple, Social Justice Committee Bert Newton, Ministry Associate, Pasadena Mennonite Church Pastor Camille Wooden, Pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Bible Church Dr. Jill Shook, CEO of Making Housing and Community Happen Rev. Lissa Gundlach, Neighborhood UU Church Pastor Beau Wammack, Northland Village Church Rev. Mark Bradshaw, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church AB 392 now heads to California Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature. ### AB 392 is sponsored by the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color/PolicyLink, ACLU of California, Anti Police-Terror Project, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), California Families United 4 Justice, PICO California, STOP Coalition, United Domestic Workers (UDW) – AFSCME Local 3930, Youth Justice Coalition Join us on Thursday, June 20th at 7-8:30pm – Throop church, 300 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena for a discussion on rent control and eviction protections.
Brave New Films has produced the Healing Trauma Series to address an important feeder of the systemic issues which fuel our incarceration crisis: trauma. The films in this series profile two different programs that aim to reduce the recidivism of formerly-incarcerated individuals by providing holistic, trauma-informed approaches that we can apply to our Pasadena community.
PANEL Homeboy Staff: Inez Salcido ~ George Nunez ~ Emily Chapa ~ Chris Finney, Flintridge Pasadena Reintegration Program Norma Jimenez, Gang Interventionist and Peace Advocate Thursday, June 27, 2019 Doors Open 6:00pm Screening Begins 6:15pm Sharp Panel 7:00pm Community Dialogue 7:45pm SUPPORTED BY NAACP (Pasadena Branch) IMA (Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance) CICOPP (Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police) POP! (Pasadenans Organizing for Progress) Homeboy Ministries We need your help to canvass Pasadena Businesses to talk with workers and managers about the July 1, 2019 Minimum Wage Increase. Sign Up: http://bit.ly/POPoutreach
AB 392- A Bill To Reduce Police Killngs And Hold Officers Accountable Makes It Out Of The Assembly6/1/2019 ACLU called the Assembly’s 67 to 0 vote yesterday a “breakthrough” on legislation that, if passed out of the Senate and signed, will give California one of the most stringent use of force standards in the country.
According to ACLU, the bill will update California’s outdated use of force standard to require that police officers avoid using deadly force when there are other options. The bill will also help ensure officers are held accountable when they fail to comply with this new standard. Survey: Majority Of Pasadena Voters Support Annual Limit Rent Control And Just Cause Eviction5/29/2019 Pasadenans Organizing for Progress (POP) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to support and endorse Pasadena Tenants Justice Coalition’s (PTJC) campaign to put a Rent Control / Just Cause Eviction measure on the November 2020 ballot. The PTJC announced its campaign at the Pasadena City Council Meeting, Monday, May 20.
The “California Act to Save Lives” provides a clear definition for when peace officers can use deadly force.
New Bill Limits When CaliforniaPolice Can Use Deadly Force February 8, 2019 By: Lizzie Buchen follow @lizziebuchen As a nation, we must address the brutal reality and deadly consequences of police violence. We have seen far too many people, particularly Black and brown people, killed by police. We have seen too many families and communities shattered by loss and tragedy. Enough is enough. We must limit when police officers can use deadly force and take someone’s life.
This year, police deadly force is the hot-button issue in the California State Capitol. The Legislature knows that too many families have been shattered by police violence in California. We know that police should never take a human life when they have alternatives. While this seems like a common-sense standard, it isn’t the current practice in California.
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