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Report from the Fall Gathering 2018

Saturday, November 10th

2018 GPWA Fall Gathering Review

by Mary Ellen Knoop



Our first Fall Gathering in several years went well. It was held at The Pasta Company in Ellensburg, WA. Although the attendance was less than we had hoped, there was representation from most of the state and it was well worth the time to be there and show our support for the impressive growth of the Green Party in Eastern Washington. The restaurant itself was crowded; it is obviously a popular place in Ellensburg but the room was perfect for our size group with good food, great service and they even had a good film screen for us to use.

We had a wonderful presentation by FairVote WA where they clarified Ranked Choice Voting beautifully. They are more than willing to send at least one of their members to any group and share their slide presentation. Great for a local chapter GP meeting! Boot Camp was great too with plenty of information to help new chapters get organized. We were also able to hear from Stoney Bird on things he and his campaign team learned from his campaign for Congress in CD 2. The rest of the program was interesting and informative as well, including the Women’s Caucus plans to lobby for public funding of all campaigns in 2019.

I was surprised that with the day being so beautiful, more didn’t attend; OK, maybe that was why more didn’t attend. We had about 17 people in attendance. The location, being central, was to me a perfect choice, easily accessible to everyone. The State Coordinating Committee really appreciated and enjoyed hearing from those who did attend on how we can grow the Green Party and help to best get our Green Party candidates elected. Thank you to everyone who shared the day with us and to the Fall Gathering Committee for making it happen.

Come meet other Greens and find out how you can help promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your government!

GREEN PARTY OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON

2019 Annual Membership Meeting

Join us build a movement right here in SW Washington to put people and planet over profit. This is the Annual Membership Meeting where members elect Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer. We need everyone to come and share their enthusiasm and ideas.

Non-members may attend, but they cannot vote unless they join. Membership forms will be available. Please RSVP if you're planning on attending.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

2 PM-4PM

Cascade Park Community Library

600 NE 136th Ave.

Vancouver, WA

The Snohomish County Green Party had a Winter Coat Exchange on Black Friday. We were surprised at how many homeless people showed up and traded their worn out coats for donated newer coats. What we discovered though is that the supply of warm coats was not near enough to meet the needs of our homeless population. We also realized that there was a huge need for warm hats, gloves and socks! We’re hoping to be better prepared next year!

Come join us at our Monthly Meeting the first Monday of each month at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201. 6PM-8PM.

The Green Party of the Mid-Columbia has been Planning for upcoming social events in Walla Walla and Yakima to recruit members. They are also actively working to find local boards, commissions and agencies that have empty seats. Their goal is to place their Green Party members on these boards in order to have a green presence in their community.

Javier Madrigal is applying to the Benton Clean Air Agency and Maricela Sanchez currently serves on the Historic Prosser Downtown Association. Their chapter meets usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library.

The Green Party of South Puget Sound was very busy in December fighting for Safe Sleep in Olympia.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to support safe sleep in our community. We packed the courtroom and accomplished our goal of making our presence felt without any arrests or incidents. The judge even commented and thanked us for our participation. Thank you also to Lizzie Carp and Luke from DSA for co-organizing.

The court ruled AGAINST the plaintiffs' motion for an injunction against the City of Olympia, stating that Olympia has a right to its legislative response to this emergency without court interference. What this means is that the City can continue to address this crisis with its limited means, including mitigation sites. The lawsuit will continue, probably to trial, but for now progress will not be stopped.

In one of the more compassionate and human actions I have seen in our so-called "justice" system, the court also ruled IN FAVOR of the motion to intervene by Phoenix Rae Tendw, making her party to the suit against the plaintiffs' claims of nuisance.

What we need to do now is continue to build mutual aid networks, finding solutions as a community wherever we can. We must also continue to pressure the County, State, and surrounding cities to step up and face this regional emergency in partnership with Olympia, instead of pointing fingers and hiding from the consequences of inaction. So far, they have fallen short. For years now, the City of Olympia and surrounding communities have been struggling with the reverberations of a failed economic system: a housing crisis based in artificial housing shortages and stagnant wages. We have all been buffeted by precarity.

In this context, Olympia's underhoused community has struggled with courage and dignity against impossible odds to secure their basic rights to survival. They have told their stories and occupied public space to mark their continued existence and humanity. The organizations and individuals that gathered today stand with these brave, persistent neighbors.

In its response and through multiple administrations, the government and the ruling class have not treated this crisis with the seriousness it deserves. This is why we find ourselves where we are today: inundated with more displaced people, unable to find solutions within the narrow, market-friendly paradigm in which our government operates. This insufficiency must end.

We must also urge the court to identify these plaintiffs so that unhoused people and their allies can take the necessary precautions to avoid and protect themselves against these neighbors who openly wish them harm, exposure, and possible death. The unconscionable words spoken by these plaintiffs' attorney to block even the most basic first step for stability is now public record: the court even noted the charged political language in their statement, based on discrimination and myths like the "magnet city" hypothesis.

We believe that everyone in this community has a strong stake in the outcome of this case, not just the wealthiest individuals. In whichever way we can, in every space we can occupy, we should offer the testimony of workers, tenants, and especially unhoused people themselves to shed light on the actual circumstances facing the City of Olympia and its community.

In solidarity,

Noah Martin

Did you know that there are many ways you can help the Green Party at a national level? There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help them to achieve their goals. And a person doesn’t have to be an elected delegate to the National Committee to serve on many of these committees. You can go to https://gpus.org/committees/ to find out more about all these and see where you might be able to lend your talents.

A new standing committee has just been formed that is currently in the process of looking for members.

Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC) will provide educational materials to Green Party members and Green Party candidates, draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems, propose platform amendments when deemed necessary to support Green monetary policy, endorse organizations that advocate banking and monetary reform that agree with the Green Party policy and values, and promote actions advocating banking and monetary reform (established 12/12/2018). Here is more information about that committee.

The Green Party has approved the mission statement for a new standing committee, the Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC). We are inviting state parties and caucuses to appoint new members to the committee. Members from at least 5 states or caucuses are required for the committee to be recognized formally as a standing committee.

An understanding of our national monetary and banking systems, as well as the monetary history that gave rise to our present institutions, is critical for representatives and voters in a democracy. The present debt-based monetary system is the major contributor to adverse economic conditions, the increasing wealth disparity, and systemic paralysis in responding to climate change. However, this debt-based monetary system is not included in the curriculum of high schools and undergraduate studies at colleges and universities.

As part of its mission statement the new committee plans to provide educational materials to members and candidates of the Green Party. These educational materials will include informational material about our current monetary system and the Green Party platform on the monetary reform necessary for long term funding of programs in the Green Party's comprehensive plan for the future. This monetary transformation will enable all citizens to have access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education, without our governments and people being ensnared by debt.

The Banking and Monetary Reform Committee will also draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems.

Greens who would like to assist in this effort will be able to join the BMRC by requesting their state parties or caucuses to approve them as members of the committee. Authorized officers of the state party or caucus must inform the temporary co-chairs of the committee and the GPUS secretary of the appointment. The name and email address of the representative should be sent to BMRC@gp.org and also to the GPUS secretary, Jody Grage, secretary@gp.org.

Rita Jacobs

Howard Switzer

Temporary Co-chairs, BMRC

Green Party of Washington Coordinating Committee Local Chapter Reps

Alice Whittington - GP of Seattle

Liam Turnmire - GP of Spokane

Scott Thompson - Whatcom County GP

Maricela Sanchez - GP of the Mid-Columbia

Margot Faubion - GP of SW Washington

Noah Martin - GP of South Puget Sound

Kathryn Lewandowsky - GP of Snohomish County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Committee! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

Together we can accomplish so much more!

Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you!

The End! But wait! No it’s not! Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com There’s plenty of room for more!

Galloping Greens (Temporary nickname)

January 2019 Bimonthly Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue I

Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members at large

Scott Thompson - Treasurer, GP of Whatcom County

Deputy Treasurer- Vacant

Maricela Sanchez-Secretary, GP of Mid-Columbia

Mary Ellen Knoop- Co-facilitator

Kathryn Lewandowsky- Cofacilitator, GP of Sno Co

Jody Grage - Member at Large

Margot Faubion - GP of SW WA

Noah Martin - GP of SPS

Alice Whittington - GP of Seattle

Liam Turnmire - GP of Spokane

https://greenpartywashington.org

https://twitter.com/GreenPartyWA

https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyWA/

We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator

Approx. 6 hrs/wk

Basic Database skills

For more information contact Jody@greenpartywashington.org