May 22 Action Blast!
🌾 Take Action for Grassy Narrows 🌾
Image: Image with a crowd of people marching outside and holding signs that say “Justice for Grassy Narrows.” Below the image, an orange background featuring black text reads: “Take Action with Grassy Narrows.” Join an online webinar to learn how you can join Grassy Narrows First Nation in their fight for justice. May 22, 7:30 PM ET. http://tiny.cc/GrassySolidarity
TONIGHT, May 22 at 7:30pm ET, join an online webinar to learn how to take action to support Grassy Narrows’ demands for justice. The devastating mercury crisis in Grassy Narrows First Nation has persisted for decades, with 9 tonnes of mercury dumped upstream in the 1960s and little action from governments to help the people.
In the webinar, we will be discussing what individuals can do to support Grassy's demands through online actions, postering, movie nights, and more!
Grassy is demanding that Ontario and Canada:
Compensate everyone in Grassy Narrows fairly for the mercury crisis
Respect the Grassy Narrows Indigenous Protected Area (end mining and logging plans in Grassy Narrows territory)
Support Grassy Narrows in restoring their community and way of life from the damage that mercury has done.
⏱TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO CALL FOR MIGRANT RIGHTS⏱
Image: A black-and-white image of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller overlaid with white text that reads: “TIME IS RUNNING OUT! TELL PM TRUDEAU: DON’T BACK DOWN. REGULARIZATION NOW!”
Call and email Prime Minister Trudeau to demand status for all! PM Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller promised regularization (permanent resident status for undocumented people) this spring. Parliament could go on holidays on June 6, and regularization has STILL NOT been decided on.
This is a once in a generation moment. One of the biggest anti-racist actions that could impact the lives of over 500,000 people with one decision, saying YES to regularization.
Send an email and make a phone call telling Prime Minister Trudeau to support a regularization program that:
Doesn’t have arbitrary caps
Is not restricted to people in just some industries of work
Grants permanent resident status and not precarious work permits
🫂 Learn How to Support People in Crisis 🫂
Image: Light pink background with ‘SUPPORTING PEOPLE IN CRISIS’ in red block letters across the top. Under this text reads ‘with Diana Chan McNally’ in thinner black font. Beneath the title and to the left is a black and white photo of Diana Chan McNally. Below Diana’s photo is a cluster of multi-colored flowers. To the right is a darker pink square with the workshop description which reads ‘"Incidents" do not occur as discrete events without context. When someone who is unhoused is in crisis or experiencing distress — what most "crisis management" workshops will describe as "escalation" — compassionate people must understand this as the result of both systemic and systematic oppression, and of people's personal histories of trauma (including the daily trauma of being denied one's full humanity through ongoing social exclusion). This workshop provides an understanding of how to work compassionately with street-involved people experiencing crisis or distress in public spaces, including on transit. Emphasis is placed on avoiding criminalization, and minimizing risks and harms to the person experiencing crisis or distress. This workshop is designed for anyone who wants to be more supportive of people in crisis.’ The left bottom of the graphic, in red text, reads Thursday May 30, 7-9:30 PM. Below this text is a red box with white font that reads ‘REGISTER NOW! tinyurl.com/SURJTOSupportingPeopleinCrisis.’ In the right bottom of the graphic is the Alternatives to 911 Community Skill-Building Series logo.
📚More Actions and Resources💻
Act:
URGENT! Email your City Councillor to vote against a motion to create “safety zones” to limit where protests are allowed.
Sign this petition for University of Toronto administration to immediately commit to the demands of U of T Occupy for Palestine.
Attend:
TONIGHT! Join this webinar at 7pm ET for an informative online panel and open Q&A about Haiti’s current unrest and foreign military intervention. Follow Dream Defenders for more info.
On Friday, May 24 at 7pm ET, join Davenport For Ceasefire, Eglinton-Lawrence & Don Valley for Palestine, and more at Another Story Bookshop for I Grant You Refuge Poetry Night Fundraiser, an evening of poetry from Palestinian and BIPOC poets, as well as readings of esteemed Palestinian poets. All proceeds will go to evacuating families from Gaza. RSVP and buy tickets HERE.
On Sunday, May 26 at 4pm ET, catch a screening and discussion of Manufacturing the Threat at Hot Docs Cinema. This documentary by Amy Miller shines a light on the murky world of police infiltration, incitement, and agent provocateurs in Canada. Buy tickets and use the discount code MTT10 for a $10 community ticket.
Read/Watch/Listen:
Check out this collection of resources compiled by World Beyond War to keep each other safe in the context of unprecedented Palestine solidarity organizing (and accompanying state repression) across so-called Canada in 2023-2024.
Watch this recap of events for the No Arms in The Arts Festival held by Toronto Writers Against the War on Gaza as a counter-program to the Scotiabank-funded Hot Docs Festival.
Read this shocking (though not surprising) account from a former CBC producer about the public broadcaster’s double standards and discrimination in its coverage of Palestine and discipline of employees who speak out.
