Richard Maopolski

for

PA House District 113

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Contact Person: Richard Maopolski

272-249-0195 and [email protected]  

Green Party Candidate Announces Bid For PA House of Representatives District 113 

Richard Maopolski of Scranton, PA, has officially declared himself a Green Party candidate in the 2024 electoral race for Pennsylvania State Representative District 113. The District is in Lackawanna County, and is composed of most of Scranton. Maopolski will run as a Green because he says, "The Republicans have forgotten fiscal responsibility, but it's the Democrats in power who have forgotten why we fight." He will caucus with neither party and looks to build a coalition of sharp-as-auditors fiscal representatives with a group of progressives who haven't forgotten to get into "good trouble."

Maopolski attended Harvard University, took courses at Lackawanna College, but never finished his degree. His sobriety was too important. If elected Maopolski says he plans to finish his degree at Widener University, and consider taking on an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania after that. 

The candidate has been a member of the board of the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminar in Millersville, PA; Scranton Tomorrow's Economic Restructuring Subcommittee; and is currently a member of Scranton Counseling Center's Assertive Community Treatment  (ACT) Board. He is also a constant presence in the community trying to turn people on to local events and to shop local. He is always at a cafe reading comics or something from the library. 

Indeed, the candidate has had a constant social media presence and can be found on Facebook by searching Richard Maopolski. His Instagram page is updated through his Facebook posts so you will get the same story there, if you prefer that platform. The Instagram account is RICH4REP. Twitter is @RichardMJM but is not updated frequently. He can be found on LinkedIn the same way as Facebook, but he prefers the less professional approach of Facebook and will post there more frequently. It is the best place to follow the action. 

To join Richard Maololski's Campaign Committee, please contact [email protected].  

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 20, 2023

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected]

PA Greens Celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8

By Tina Olson.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

-- Alice Walker

Women in America have come a long way despite the work that still needs to be done. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) will be “Embrace Equity.” The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) supports the principles of this day of recognition on March 8 because it adheres to our Ten Key Values. 

We believe that in order to confront inequalities we must include the diverse intersections many people cross. This includes gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, mental, and physical challenges. Our circumstances are not always equal. There is no equality without equity. “Embracing Equity” means recognizing and supporting policies that lift everyone up to a level playing field. 

In the big picture, it will be women who blaze this trail for future generations. It was women who plowed through the decades with protests for the equal treatment that we deserve. None of this was easy and sometimes the gains feel slow like stone work. Nevertheless, each stone is building a new inclusive world.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are different from my own.”

-- Audrey Lorde

Unbelievable as it may seem, there are still states within the U.S. which have yet to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This would enshrine equality and equity among vulnerable groups, including people of color and transgender individuals who have been the recent target of escalated hate. It will also create the basis for equity because the ERA recognizes differences in how women are treated within our patriarchal society.

Additionally, we will continue the push for equity by understanding pay gaps. According to the US Government Accountability Office in 2021, women earned $0.82 for every one dollar men made. Hispanic or Latina women earned about $.58, and Black women earned about $.63 for every dollar white men earned. This is a clear indication that our work is not done. We need equal pay for equal work. The Green Party supports the path to a more egalitarian society. As we fight for ourselves, we fight for women across the U.S. and the world. 

In the past year, we have seen some rights be challenged as Roe V Wade was overturned. This sliding backwards came as many Democrats became complacent while being chummy with the Republican Party, which would rather see women forced to give birth. In Florida, Republicans are banning books and Critical Race Theory. They would rather see our children never learn the importance of equity while drinking from a sippy cup of watered-down U.S. history. We see these negotiations and compromises becoming more invasive to women and other marginalized communities. This cannot continue, we need proportional representation so that Greens can hold the line for our freedoms.

“We don't need a seat at the table, we need a new table!”

-- Lilly Saini Singh.

As we celebrate women on March 8, it is important to understand the difference between equality and equity. Equity is essential for equality. Our job is far from done.

Tina Olson (Northampton) was co-chair of the GPPA Steering Committee during 2021. 

The Green Party of PA, https://www.gpofpa.org, is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information, please see:

“Our Ten Key Values,” Green Party of the U.S.,
https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values

Equal Rights Amendment, https://www.eracoalition.org/ 

Women in the Workforce, U.S. Government Accountability Office, December 15, 2022,
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106041  

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

 Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, January 30, 2023

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected] 

PA Green Party Joins MLK Week of Peace Actions

By Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick.

For about two billion people throughout some Asian countries such as China, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam the lunar calendar is used to mark the progress of months and years. The Lunar New Year began on January 22 with celebrations lasting up to 16 days. The Chinese predict this lunar year to be marked by peace, prosperity, and optimism.

As a member of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org), I long for this to be true because the U.S. is a key player in sustaining too many violent conflicts around the world instead of being, as it could be, a major force for facilitating and maintaining peace, prosperity, clean energy, and environmental sustainability. The U.S. could and should be a leader in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include the four goals cited above. They were adopted and committed to by the U.S. and 192 other countries in 2015.

These SDGs are about achieving social, economic, political and environmental progress for all of us but especially for the most vulnerable and exploited people on our planet. The Green Party’s 10 Key Values are very similar to the United Nations’ 17 SDGs.

Working to achieve and to maintain peace in our communities and between all the different nations of the world is such a crucial value and goal of the Green Party and an absolute necessity in helping to accomplish the other 16 SDGs. There are other NGO’s, thankfully, that make agitating for peace a high priority, and the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) is one of them.

Early last year, UNAC called for several days of actions and protests titled, STOP U.S. Wars: MLK Week of Actions, to run from January 13 through January 22, because it encompassed the U.S. holiday that celebrates the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a great visionary who understood the importance of promoting peace, love for humanity and the use of non-violent protest as a strategy to gain needed societal changes and social/economic justice. The GPPA Steering Committee endorsed these ten days of action to focus on changing policies and funding priorities to promote peace domestically and internationally, such as:

• Cutting the U.S. military budget in half;
• Ending new U.S funding of nuclear weapons and having the U.S. sign onto treaties that reduce nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear war;
• Having the U.S. deescalate the war in Ukraine and promote a peaceful resolution to the violence between Russia and Ukraine;
• Stopping the U.S. military support of the Saudi-led war in Yemen; and
• Ending U.S. financial, political, and military backing of the physical, social, and environmental violence and oppression being inflicted by Israel on the Palestinian people. 

Many of these issues and other policy changes that promote peace and social/economic justice are addressed in the Peace Platform of the Green Party of the U.S.

In Pennsylvania there were peace actions in Pittsburgh and King of Prussia (KOP), and three events in Philadelphia. The events in Philadelphia and KOP were also endorsed by the Green Party of Philadelphia. GPPA Communications Team Co-chair Chris Robinson participated in two of these events, which shared an emphasis on uplifting the anniversary of the U.N. Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty. Robinson said, "I was glad to see the Green Party presence on January 22 for the Anniversary of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This action was hosted by the Brandywine Peace Community and co-sponsored by the Grannie Peace Brigade, No War Now, and Divest Philly from the War Machine -- in addition to the Green Party. Despite the poor weather, the rally in front of the Federal Building was vigorous and finished with a march around the Liberty Bell." 

Other themes supported at these PA events were:

• NO to NATO!
• YES to Peace in Ukraine! and
• More funding for our communities to improve healthcare, improve and expand affordable housing, improve the access to and the quality of education, and save the environment – rather than the bloated war machine. 

The following are some observations that can be made about the STOP U.S. Wars: MLK Week of Actions:

• In the state of New York there were peace actions in the cities of Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse, Albany/Delmar, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Ithaca;
• Across New York City there were four rallies, two rally/march actions, and an action over several days to recognize countries which have already ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and
• About ten different actions in several cities across Massachusetts.

Some actions focused on specific issues tied to decreasing U.S. militarism such as ending NATO, stopping the involvement of the U.S. and NATO in the war in Ukraine, ending U.S. provocation of China over Taiwan, stopping U.S. weapons and money going to Saudi Arabia to help end the war in Yemen, and stopping the financial and military backing of Israel to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Other actions were broader in focus, identifying several issues the U.S. government would have more money for by cutting military spending and issues it must approach differently to foster peace, such as immigration, ending poverty, Indigenous treaties, reducing gun violence, universal healthcare, sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela and other countries, police brutality/over funding of police, the Green New Deal, and corporate capitalism. Some actions targeted state or federally elected officials with protest letters and petitions to urge them to take actions that promote peace, justice, and cuts to military funding.

Other demonstrations for peace occurred in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, Washington and Washington, DC; Berlin, Germany; Hamilton, Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria, Canada; and Melbourne and Sidney, Australia.

The need for these protests against militarism, racism, and materialism to vigorously continue was made even more obvious to me when I read the sickening comments by Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, on January 28 with RTP, a Portuguese broadcasting organization. According to RTP, “Rob Bauer insists that NATO is prepared for a direct confrontation with Russia and admits that rearmament is the Alliance’s top priority . . . . Bauer recalled that during the NATO summit in Madrid last year the Alliance decided to establish four additional multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“Bauer said that NATO countries ought to gear civilian industrial production to the needs of the military and expressed his support for the idea of a ‘war economy in peacetime’ . . . .” In a previous interview Admiral Bauer said that Russia will remain a threat to NATO even if its forces are defeated in Ukraine.

Clearly, we cannot be silent or inactive if we don’t want to be slaves to the war machine.

Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick is a former member of the GPPA Steering Committee and a current delegate to the GPPA State Committee from Delaware County.

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information, please see:

“Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals,” United Nations, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

“Our Ten Key Values,” Green Party of the U.S.,
https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values

“Peace and Disarmament,” Platform, Green Party U.S., I. Democracy, D. Foreign Policy, https://www.gp.org/democracy#demForeignPolicy

“Top NATO official says Alliance ready for direct confrontation with Russia,” Yahoo!News, January 28, 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/top-nato-official-says-alliance-212040555.html

Photo by Rich Gardner from the peace rally on 1/22/23 at the federal building in Philadelphia, PA.

END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, January 23, 2023

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected] 

New Leaders Vow to Expand PA Green Party

On January 8, fifty delegates and friends of the PA Green Party State Committee (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) met online to elect their 2023 Steering Committee. The Green Party members present hailed from  Philadelphia and Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Butler, Centre, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, McKean, Monroe, Montgomery, Wayne and Westmoreland Counties.

GPPA Co-chair Jay Ting Walker (Allegheny), who was halfway through a two-year term in office, had proposed a plan to expand the GPPA’s membership and influence. This plan, “GPPA 2023 Goals,” was adopted by the party in November 2022, and will be implemented by the newly elected Steering Committee. It calls for organizing well-functioning Green Parties in ten PA counties.

In explaining his plan, Walker said, “My intention is for the Steering Committee to be focused on implementing the 2023 Goals. With our 2023 Goals, county delegates to the GPPA state committee will focus on a return to the basics of organizing. We will build up our county parties so that we can better act on the issues we care about, while supporting Green Party candidates around the Commonwealth."

In explaining his role in implementing GPPA 2023 Goals, Joseph U. Murray (Berks), the new GPPA Secretary said, “As Secretary my role will be to keep all steering committee members fully informed of all meetings, minutes for each meeting and documenting team leaders reports for the State Committee and party membership. I will also assist the co-chair and team leaders in our goal work as needed.”

Two of the three newly-elected Steering Committee Members at Large explained their roles: 

Theron Gilliland Jr. (Allegheny) said, “For years the GPPA could boast of an incredible Communications Team, and the time is ripe to revitalize the other Teams in support of the county parties across the state. The new Steering Committee has considerable enthusiasm to tackle these challenges, and I personally hope to focus my energies on the Core and Greenwave Teams."

James E. Rasmussen (Beaver) said, “It’s important to keep moving GPPA forward and while activism remains core to our mission, we also have to build our voting base to win elections. I believe the GPPA 2023 Goals will begin that process and look forward to working with Jay Walker and other party members to achieve them.”

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For more information, please see:

 “2023 GPPA Goals,” Green Party Statement, November 11, 2022,
https://www.gpofpa.org/2023_green_party_of_pa_goals

“PA Green Party Elects 2022 Steering Committee,” GPPA News Release, January 14, 2022, https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_elects_2022_steering_committee

“Introducing the New Leaders of PA’s Green Party” by Beth Scroggin and Tina Olson. GPPA News Release, January 19, 2021,
https://www.gpofpa.org/introducing_the_new_leaders_of_pa_s_green_party 

“PA Green Party Elects New Co-chair,” GPPA News Release, January 20, 2019, https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_elects_new_co_chair 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 19, 2023

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected]

Organization Turns Passion into Action

By Beth Scroggin, Green Party of Chester County

After serving on the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) Steering Committee for over five years, I am taking a step back and allowing room for new leadership to step forth. I officially joined the Green Party in 2016, founding the Green Party of Chester County after seeing my efforts in the Bernie Sanders campaign sabotaged by establishment Democrats. Since Ralph Nader's presidential run in 2000, I had considered the Green Party to be the "cool party" and decided to devote my energy for politics to a party where my efforts may actually make a difference. 

Although I was at first hesitant to lead a county party with my only prior experience serving as a "worker bee" on the Bernie Sanders campaign, I quickly found many like-minded individuals at my county local meetings, which were held at the home of a generous elderly couple who always provided us with snacks and refreshing "down-with-the-man" sentiments. 

After attending the GPPA state meeting in Harrisburg in January 2017, I felt particularly inspired as Cheri Honkala announced her run in a special election for PA House District 197. I gladly walked along the streets of Kensington under multiple layers of warm clothing, canvassing for a woman who had been fighting for social and economic justice since I had been in preschool. That same year, my good friend Nate Craig ran as a Green for mayor of Phoenixville and earned an impressive 10% of the vote as a first-time candidate! Those of us who worked on his campaign had little or no prior experience in politics, but what we lacked in experience, we made up for with passion and a willingness to support an inspiring candidate. At the end of that year, I ran for GPPA Steering Committee Member-at-Large, and I was elected.

Just six weeks later, at the January 2018 State Committee meeting, I was elected Secretary of the GPPA. What I learned in my time as Secretary is that organization and record-keeping are absolutely critical to an organization's success. People need to know when meetings are being held, what topics are covered, what happened at meetings that they missed, and who is responsible for which roles. Organization is probably my greatest strength, and I was proud to put that strength to use in such a meaningful role. Organization helps turn passion into action!

In January 2021, I was elected Co-Chair of the GPPA. I was more hesitant than ever taking on this role, as our party membership had shrunk considerably during the pandemic. While I pride myself on my organizational skills, I have never considered myself an inspirational "idea-person," a quality I had admired about previous Co-Chairs. Thankfully, I had wonderful fellow Co-Chairs Tina Olson (2021) and Jay Ting Walker (2022), both of whom embodied co-chair qualities quite well!

What I have learned in my five years on the GPPA Steering Committee is that passion and commitment to shared values are essential for overcoming obstacles. As a small party which refuses to accept corporate funding, we are at a disadvantage in a country that allows endless corporate influence in politics. Well-funded politicians and corporations masquerading as special-interest groups would love to see us fail. Commitment to what unites us (Our Four Pillars -- Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice/Equal Opportunity, and Nonviolence) and turning that passion into action is what will make us successful. 

To all current and future members of the Green Party, I ask you to consider what your strengths are, and how you can put those strengths to use in our party. Be honest with yourself and others about how much time you can devote to our cause, and then commit to devoting that time. A proverb in many traditions says, “Many hands make light work.”� Take pride in what you can and do offer, but don't pressure yourself into committing to more than you can deliver. Consider quality over quantity when working as an activist.

An unfortunate setback that I have seen within the Green Party (more at the national level than at the state level, although it does appear at the state level from time to time) is people wasting their time with stubbornness. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Consider what is really important. We want the planet to continue to be habitable for ourselves and future generations. We absolutely must regain the power over our lives that corporations are stealing at an accelerating pace. On these principles I hope every Green would agree. There is room for compromise in most other places. Let's not cut off our noses to spite our faces. We can accomplish great things when we focus on what unites us and work toward common goals.

Although I am stepping back from the GPPA Steering Committee to focus more on my family, my career, and self-care, I do still plan to keep my county local party active. I also still plan to attend state meetings, because they are genuinely a fun place to be. No one inspires me more than my Green friends. I wish everyone reading this all the best in this new year. Let's make it a productive one!

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information, please see:

Four Pillars, Green Party of the U.S.,https://www.gp.org/the_four_pillars 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 12, 2023

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected]

Green Party Will Solve Hunger in PA

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) meeting in Harrisburg on June 11, 2022, decided by consensus to find solutions for bread and butter issues. One important issue is food insecurity, defined as inadequate caloric intake or access to the proper food.

More than ten percent of the U.S. is experiencing food insecurity. People of color are twice as likely to have issues with food. The numbers in 2019 were: Blacks - 19.1%, Hispanic – 15.6%, and Whites – 7.9%. Looking at education, neighbors with no high school diploma were at 27%.

 “During 2020 there were 1,772,340 of our PA neighbors living with food insecurity (including 537,080 children),” warns Chris Robinson (Philadelphia), a GPPA delegate. “The average PA food insecurity rate was more than 13 percent (childhood rate more than 20 percent), according to the most recent statistics from the PA Department of Agriculture.”

The following 49 PA counties have food insecurity higher than or equal to the U.S. average of 10 percent:

Cameron, Fayette, Forest and Philadelphia have more than 14 percent;

Blair, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, McKean, and Potter Counties have more than 13 percent;

Armstrong, Crawford, Erie, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Tioga, and Venango have more than 12 percent;

Beaver, Bedford, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Fulton, Somerset, Susquehanna, Warren and Wayne have more than 11 percent; and

Allegheny, Elk, Juniata, Lehigh, Montour, Snyder, Union, Washington, Westmoreland, and Wyoming have more than 10 percent.

Fortunately, the Green Party has some policies which will relieve food insecurity. One solution is to eliminate factory farming, a type of farming in which animals are raised in large groups to be harvested in factories. One-half of all grain is used to feed the animals in factory farms.

A second Green Party solution would be to eliminate as much food waste as possible. These are two fixes which could be done right away, but it is also important to look at food insecurity in more detail. Access to clean water is also part and parcel of the problem.

The U.S. is the largest exporter of food in the world, and yet it has 13.7 million people who are hungry. It is now time to put the Green Party on the ballot.

[Thanks to Bill Jones (Allegheny), who did much of the research for “Green Party Can Solve Hunger in PA.”]

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

MEDIA ALERT

Thursday, December 22, 2022

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected]

PA Green Party Endorses STOP U.S. Wars: MLK Week of Actions

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) Steering Committee has endorsed STOP U.S. Wars: MLK Week of Actions, which will take place from January 13 through January 22, 2023. This nation-wide MLK Week of Actions was called for by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). The week will include a variety of actions from demonstrations to teach-ins, banner drops to chalk-ins, street meetings to webinars.

As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so correctly reminded us, the U.S. is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.  Since WWII, the U.S. has initiated more than 60 military interventions in foreign countries. The U.S. is now in direct confrontation in Ukraine with Russia, another nuclear power.  As Dr. King said on April 4, 1967, “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world: my own government. I cannot be silent.” 

In addition, the Green Party is encouraging its county Green Parties in PA to organize and to participate in peace events during the STOP U.S. Wars: MLK Week of Actions. For more information, please contact Chris Robinson, GPPA Communication Team, at [email protected].

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.  

For more information:

United National Antiwar Coalition, https://unac.notowar.net/martin-luther-king-jr-week-of-actions/

Popular Resistance, https://popularresistance.org/stop-us-wars-mlk-week-of-actions-jan-13-22-2023/

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Michael Bagdes-Canning

for

PA Lieutenant Governor

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Contact Person: Michael Bagdes-Canning

724-431-8560, [email protected]  

PA Green Party Candidate Demands Broadband Internet

By Michael Bagdes-Canning, Green Party candidate for PA Lt. Governor

In early August, Christina “PK” DiGiulio for PA Governor and I earned our places on the 2022 General Election ballot. I am thrilled by the support we received from some of our fellow Greens and others who wanted a real choice in November. Our volunteers averaged around 100 signatures. Now that we are on the ballot, I hope we can enlist some of that energy for the next phase, building county Green Party organizations. 

Just think of the local issues for which the Green Party has solutions. There are many local issues in your county, which could be approached by your local Green Party. Here is one, which affects where I live in Butler County.

Last year, my local grandchildren, like many other children across PA – and their parents and grandparents -- were introduced to a new concept: remote learning. Obviously, this came with some social costs and a learning curve for all of us. On many days, my two grandkids came to our home, while their parents were at work. It was during these times that it dawned on me that there was something seriously wrong with our internet service.

In our area; we have “high speed internet.” This means that we are served by a copper direct service line. Copper is old and slow technology. What this lousy service meant was our two grandkids could not do remote schooling at the same time, or the system would bog down. Then they would lose connection with their teachers. It also meant that my wife, Karen, and I had to forego meetings and other internet-based things during school hours.

As I said, we are pretty well off for our district. There were some students (and their caregivers) who had to drive to the school parking lot to access their remote schooling, because they did not have access to internet or cell service. This is a horrible solution.

According to the Census Bureau, up to 20% of Pennsylvania households do not have access to broadband internet. However, folks living in rural areas and black and Hispanic families, and households earning less than $30,000 are disproportionately impacted, less likely to have access to basic internet service. The lack of broadband internet access has, among other consequences, social, medical, and economic ramifications.

I believe that internet service is the equivalent of what roadways, telephones, water, sewerage, and electricity were for prior generations. Students and businesses that are lacking infrastructure, suffer consequences that lead to unequal outcomes. We must do better.

When I am elected Lt. Governor of PA, I will see that PA publicly funds last-mile installation of fiber optic cable to underserved areas. PA should also reclassify the internet as a Title II communications service. This designation will allow the FCC to protect consumers against abuses by service providers, prevent unfair data caps and shut-offs, ensure network reliability, and affordability. PA should also remove barriers to competition -- including incentivizing public options. The digital divide is real and bridging it is an important step to revitalizing areas on the wrong side of the digital tracks.

As the focus of this campaign shifts, we’ll be looking for places to get our message out. We’re willing to go anywhere. If you would like to organize a backyard gathering, a campus event, a table at a local street fair, or anything else that we can attend, let us know. We will also respond promptly to media requests.

To join the DiGiulio Campaign for PA Governor and the Bagdes-Canning Campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please sign up here, https://www.greenslate2022.com/volunteer. To contribute to their Campaign, please visit, https://www.greenslate2022.com/donate. 

For more information:
“Broadband Internet access should be open to bidding, not simply the current choice between cable or telephone company monopolies, where grassroots Internet service providers must merge or go out of business. Broadband access should be a taxpayer-funded utility, like water and sewer, ending the "digital divide" that keeps low-income folks from access to the Internet.”
Platform, Green Party of the US, IV. Economic Justice & Sustainability, L. Advanced Technology and Defense Conversion, Paragraph 8, https://www.gp.org/economic_justice_and_sustainability_2016 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) held its state-wide delegates meeting on September 10 in Belefonte, PA. There were 25 delegates and visitors participating live and almost as many via Zoom. The Keynote Address was given by Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for President of the U.S. (2020) and candidate for Governor of New York (2022, 2018, 2014 and 2010).

By Howie Hawkins, GPPA Keynote Speaker on September 10

GPPA Co-Chair Jay Walker asked me to come here and to talk about whatever I think will rally the Green Party of PA. So, I will give you some suggestions for party organizing and then about policy.

My Main Point: Don’t be Discouraged.

The Green Party has always had internal fights and periods of low membership. For instance in the 1990s we had the GPUSA split with the ASGP. Then in the 2000s, we had the split between the Cobb and Nader factions.

When Ralph Nader ran for President as the Green Party candidate in 2000, we got 2,900,000 votes. Four years later, our candidate David Cobb got 120,000 votes. Gradually, this was rebuilt until our candidate Jill Stein received 1,500,000 votes in 2016. In 2020, I was your candidate, but I could not get on the ballot in 21 states – including Pennsylvania. I received 405,000 votes.

Still, it is our job to rebuild the Green Party membership and to build the vote for our candidates.

Fill the Vacuum on the Left.

Republicans are not just a conservative party. They have become an extremist, far-right, racist and authoritarian party -- a fascist party. The Democrats are a party of the corporate establishment with a program of neoliberal austerity at home and economic and militaristic imperialism abroad. Progressive Democrats make their party look better than it is, but they have little power.

Democrats don’t fight the fascists. They adapt to them. Biden is still seeking bipartisanship with the party that tried -- and is still trying -- to overthrow his 2020 election. The Democrats failed with their top issue, the For the People Act (HR 1), for voting rights. It wasn’t a priority for the Democrats. Biden and Schumer never made lifting the filibuster a priority or a public issue. The Washington Post kept score. There were about 10 Democratic Senators who really didn’t want to change the filibuster. So they gave the Republicans a veto. That’s not how to fight fascists.

Meanwhile, we know from public opinion polling that Green Party positions are 60%+ majority positions: Medicare for All; Green New Deal; Tax the Rich; Raise the Minimum Wage; and Tuition-free Public College. Sooner or later, there will be a surge of support for our policies and candidates.

Organize to Take in the Surge.

Social movements explode with little warning. Remember Occupy and George Floyd/Black Lives Matter? Social change comes in leaps, not a gradual linear accumulation of reforms.

So we have to be organized and ready to take in people when that surge comes. That means our local and state parties need to be well-organized and well-resourced so we can respond to people who come to us. We need to expand our base beyond the usual suspects who respond to our Facebook events.

Our county locals should be canvassing year round. Deep canvassing, not drive-by election canvassing. Deep canvassing, or relational organizing, where we talk with people one-on-one, usually on doorsteps (but also tabling or street corner leafleting) where we listen instead of preach.

We have found this to be the most persuasive form of political communication. First, we build relationships and trust, and then we can debate policy. Don’t despair if it seems we are small. Build the organization capacity so we are ready when mass movements arise.

Hawkins went on to answer questions and to discuss policy like fair ballot access, proportional representation, ecosocialist green new deal, economic bill of rights, and the war in Ukraine.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org or email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

For More Information:

“Strategic Plan,” Green Party of the U.S.

https://www.gp.org/strategic_plan

For Immediate Release

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Contact Person: Chris Robinson

267-977-0570, [email protected]  

PA Green Party Candidates, Unions Can Build Working Class Unity

On Labor Day 2022, Green Party candidates for PA Governor and Lt. Governor recognized the importance of organized labor in moving forward our Commonwealth. Green Party candidate for PA Governor, Christina "PK" DiGiulio (Chester County) said, “I am inspired to see a new generation of workers forming labor unions to elevate and protect their workforce.”

DiGiulio said she liked the statement made by her counterpart Paul Glover, who received 27,792 votes as a Green for PA Governor in 2018. At the time, Glover had said, “As I see it, unions should demand greater ownership, not just greater wages. This means ownership of factories and banks and farms. As we build such labor institutions, workers will escape middle class treadmills . . . .  These ultimate unions will empower workers as owners of co-operative enterprises whose purpose is to meet basic needs while replenishing the earth.”

Green Party candidate Michael Bagdes-Canning (Butler) for PA Lt. Governor, expanded upon this thought, saying, “Our economy is set up to keep us fighting against each other rather than for each other. The same forces keeping us as wage slaves are also destroying the very climate we depend on for survival, pitting us against each other – using race, gender, immigration status, and our zip codes to divide us. When we in the working class unite, that will all change.”

“That’s what inspired me about the history of our labor movement,” continued Bagdes-Canning. “Workers organizing in unions changed the face of the workplace and beyond. Those workers organized across the differences that divided them and brought workers together to fight for radical change.”

The Green Party Platform says, “The Green Party supports the irreducible right of working people, without hindrance, to form a union and to bargain collectively with their employer. This right was guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. We support the right of workers, without penalty, to inform other workers on the premises of a union being formed. This includes advertising and recruiting.”

To join the DiGiulio Campaign for PA Governor and the Bagdes-Canning Campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please sign up here, https://www.greenslate2022.com/volunteer. To contribute to their Campaign, please visit, https://www.greenslate2022.com/donate. 

For more information, please see:
Green Party Platform, GPUS, II Social Justice, G. Labor; https://www.gp.org/social_justice/#sjLabor 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

Richard L. Weiss

for

U.S. Senate from PA

For Immediate Release

Saturday, August 27, 2022

Contact Person: Chris Robinson
267-977-0570, [email protected] 

U.S. Senate from PA, Vote Green Party – Not the Same Old Story 

By Richard L. Weiss, Green Party Candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania

In the November General Election, you will see my name listed as the Green Party Candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. This is why you should vote for me.

First, End Cancer Causing Fracking

I believe that fracking is ruining the water and health of Pennsylvania. The latest UN report on climate change predicts heat waves, drought, famine and rising sea levels which the UN Secretary General says “puts us firmly on track towards an unlivable world” and which underscores the need to immediately make all efforts to stop emissions of greenhouse gasses. This can be accomplished through a "just transition" to renewable energy that provides jobs, and does not cause cancer like fracking and burning fossil fuels.

Pennsylvania is at a crossroads. The technology exists today. All we need to do is implement it. Fossil fuels provide fewer jobs, which are temporary, produce more expensive energy, leave behind environmental disasters and cause cancer. Renewable energy provides more and permanent jobs, produces cheaper energy, preserves the environment and doesn't cause cancer. Cancer is a high tax to pay. If you think the fires, droughts and floods we have seen so far around the world are bad, we haven’t seen anything yet from climate change.

As your U.S. Senator, I will work to end fracking and invest in a just transition to renewable energy as soon as possible.

Second, Universal Health Care

The pandemic shows no sign of slowing down let alone stopping. Recent research shows that 1 in 8 Covid cases (including mild cases) results in lasting symptoms post infection. These Long Covid symptoms may be debilitating and of possibly lifetime duration. In the media we see talk of a labor shortage and claims that people don’t want to work. There is no talk of the millions who are currently unable to work because they are either disabled by Covid or caring for someone who was disabled by Covid. Covid affects all organs and blood vessels, causing problems with kidneys, liver, pancreas, thyroid, brain as well as micro-clots and high blood pressure, which is why we are seeing strokes and heart attacks skyrocketing in all age groups. Post Covid there is increased risk of psychotic disorder, cognitive deficit, dementia, and epilepsy. Covid infects the cells of the pancreas that make insulin, resulting in record new onset diabetes cases. A case of Covid may age cells in the body 10 or 20 years.

Contrary to popular belief, past infection does not provide protection against future infection. In fact, the opposite. Covid weakens the immune system, making reinfection more likely, as well as increasing susceptibility to infections of all kinds and making latent infections active again. This is why we are seeing many infections spreading in addition to Covid, including monkeypox and now polio. Monkeypox spreads the same way as chickenpox. When I was little we did not have a varicella chickenpox vaccine. Everyone (~90%) got chickenpox. We do not want to do this with monkeypox, which has a higher case fatality rate than Covid.

Regardless of your position on vaccine mandates and masks, indoor air quality standards requiring CO2 levels to be maintained below 700 parts per million (ppm) would greatly reduce transmission. CO2 is a marker for the amount of air recently exhaled by others. For reference, a CO2 level of 800 ppm indicates 1% of the air in an indoor space was already exhaled and is being rebreathed. There are also HEPA filters and UV methods that remove or kill viral particles.

Furthermore we could have hours of operation for those who want masking. For instance, the hours of 6:00 am to 12:00 pm could be made mask-only at supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, and other essential services. We could have mask-only buses and mask-optional buses. The same with flights.

The Covid pandemic underlines the need for universal healthcare. Many who lose their job cannot afford to maintain their health insurance. In the modern gig economy, many do not receive health insurance through their employer. They may face the choice of paying for rent or healthcare, but not both. Current health insurance has too many deductibles, co-pays and limitations on coverage. Employers who provide healthcare will benefit from Medicare for All by having costs reduced. Employers who do not provide healthcare will benefit from Medicare for All by having healthier workers. Medicare for All costs less for better care.

Third, Negotiate Peace

I believe we need to negotiate peace in Ukraine, revoke the AUMF, reduce overseas bases to pre-9/11 levels, bring troops home and spend that money at home. Climate change is the greatest national security threat. Engage with China on an equal basis to reduce tensions. Stop funding terrorists and pass the Stop Arming Terrorists Bill proposed by Tulsi Gabbard. Freedom of contract is a fundamental Constitutional right including the right not to purchase, i.e. boycott. Create a Palestinian state. End U.S. support for the war in Yemen. Free Julian Assange, who only reported facts, and prosecute the perpetrators of the war crimes he revealed.

Fourth, Protect Civil Liberties, Reduce Crime, Save Taxpayer Money

Reproductive rights are in the Green Party platform, https://www.gp.org/social_justice/. My personal position on abortion can be found here:  http://ivoterguide.com/candidate?elecK=778&raceK=11199&canK=56347&

End civil asset forfeiture, the drug war, over-criminalization, pre-textual stops, excessive force, qualified immunity, mandatory minimums, the death penalty, the Patriot Act, FISA 702, secret watch lists, NDAA indefinite detention, and cash bail. Stop caging kids. Legalize cannabis and expunge prior records. Enact sensible gun laws.

Develop police standards of conduct. Put body cameras at all times on both officers and anyone arrested. All training and equipment should be devoted to taking suspects alive, and a death considered a failure. Our system of justice is based on the principle that it is better to let a guilty person go free than to convict an innocent one. Let us develop a system of policing based on that principle. I would rather take a bullet than shoot an innocent person.

If You Want Something Different, Vote for Something Different.  

Richard L. Weiss is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania where he grew up working in his family’s bakery business. He has worked as an attorney for the federal government at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and privately overseas. Weiss has worked on financing for the largest geothermal power plant in Indonesia in Sarulla on Sumatra Island. He earned a J.D. at the University of Denver and was a Ford Foundation Fellow in Public International Law at American University in Washington, DC. In addition, he has an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. 

You may volunteer to get Richard L. Weiss on the ballot here, https://www.greenslate2022.com/volunteer.  You may follow Richard’s campaign here, Twitter: @RichardLWeiss. 

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 18, 2022

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected] 

PA Green Party Calls for Community Based Economics

By Treasurer Joseph U. Murray, Green Party of Berks County

Housing, food and utilities are the basics for a human life. Yet in a nation with a $25 trillion economy, homelessness, hunger and poverty are steadily increasing as a recent letter from Habitat for Humanity stated: “17% of children in your home state of PA are living in poverty . . . . Secure housing provides a pathway to financial stability, safety for children and a healthy environment in which whole families can thrive.”

I paraphrased Habitat’s letter. They referred to home ownership, but the same applies to safe, affordable decent rental housing. The Green Party Platform warns, “State governments continue to weaken or preempt local rent control laws, while landlords who violate housing code requirements by failing to keep their property in habitable condition, are often tolerated or given lenient penalties. Housing discrimination also remains rampant against people of color, immigrants, disabled, single people, gays and lesbians, and families with children.” .

All those reading this should know their take home pay and their monthly living costs. This article focuses on housing costs, their skyrocketing level, and why you can never get ahead. The following figures are from a Zillow analysis in August to September 2021 and are for the Philadelphia Housing Market cited by a SOFI report:

Median monthly mortgage cost: $1,595
Median Studio Rent: $762
Median one-bedroom rent: $805 
Median two- bedroom rent $971
Median three- bedroom rent: $$1,085
Median four-bedroom rent: $1,155
Median gross rent: $951

Average utility costs in Pennsylvania: $ 353
Average grocery and food costs in Pennsylvania $278 per person per month.

These figures were before inflation took off in 2022 and rents, mortgage interest rates and food costs shot up so that all workers wage gains were wiped out and their actual earnings were driven down.

Behind this lies record profits for the oil and gas industries and cash flows for the private equity firms that snapped up foreclosed homes after the Wall Street-caused financial crash of 2008. Since that time those same financial corporations have been buying rental housing from small landlords in hot markets and jacking up rents while evicting rent-subsidized tenants to maximize investment returns.

It makes basic sense that stable housing in a community with all the essential basic services available and affordable make for a stable society in which gun violence records are not set daily. Why this isn’t the case is very clear and open, our society exists to serve the maximizing of profits and wealth concentration for those who control the assets, production, commodities, and property of PA.

This system is fully supported by the Democratic and Republican Parties which are the political franchise of the Wall Street powers. They will tell you it’s the best system for the majority and those who don’t benefit from it are at fault. This is a well proven lie by our own history, by the results of the GI Bill and VA mortgages which were established after WW II veterans fought politically for them here at home.

The Green Party has a different vision of how our society should work. Compare our existing system to this Green Party Key Value:

COMMUNITY BASED ECONOMICS

“[The Green Party supports] redesigning our work structures to encourage employee ownership and workplace democracy. We support developing new economic activities and institutions that allow us to use technology in ways that are humane, freeing, ecological and responsive and accountable to communities. We support establishing a basic form of economic security open to all. We call for moving the narrow “job ethic” to new definitions of work, jobs and income in a cooperative and democratic economy. We support restructuring our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy – those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work and the like. We support restricting the size and concentrated power of corporations without discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation.

The Green Party Platform calls for renter/tenant’s rights, publicly elected local rent control boards, promotion of affordable housing policy as a national priority, and vigorous enforcement of fair housing laws. The focus of Green Party values is community, humanity and the Earth that sustains all life. If we continue with the present system of politics and economics you will witness human civilization devour itself and the Earth leaving only the mocking cries of scavengers as our legacy of existence.  .

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org or email [email protected].  Please follow GPPA on social media:   Facebook and Twitter.

For More Information:
“Our Ten Key Values,” Green Party of the US, https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values 

“Green Party Platform,” Green Party of the US; Section II. Social Justice Paragraph K. Housing and Homelessness; https://www.gp.org/social_justice/#sjHousing 

END ITEM      ***  END ITEM      ***  END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saturday, August 6, 2022

CONTACT: 

Garret Wassermann, Green Wave Team Leader

[email protected]   

and

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected] 

PA Greens File Nomination Petitions to Put Fracking, Healthcare, More on the Ballot

On Monday, August 1, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) filed more than 500 petitions containing thousands of signatures from registered voters from across the state to qualify five candidates for ballot access in the November 2022 general election. This will put critical issues like fracking, climate change, healthcare, criminal justice modernization, corruption in government, and voting reforms on the ballot, giving voters a starkly different political vision than offered by Republicans and Democrats.

The Green Party candidates include Christina "PK" DiGiulio for PA Governor, Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lieutenant Governor, Richard L. Weiss for U.S. Senator, Jay Ting Walker for PA Representative District 23, and Queonia "Zarah" Livingston for PA Representative District 32.

These Green Party candidates call for a statewide ban on fracking; a just transition for workers and families to a renewable energy green economy to address climate change; a single-payer healthcare system that protects and expands abortion rights; decriminalization of cannabis and an end to cash bail; a gift ban to address legislative corruption; ranked choice voting and proportional representation for fair elections that end gerrymandering and better reflect constituencies; and more. More information about the candidates and the full GPPA platform is available at www.greenslate2022.com.

The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org or email [email protected].  Please follow GPPA on social media:   Facebook and Twitter.

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

When my candidacy for PA Lt. Governor was endorsed by the Green Party of PA (GPPA), I was excited to have the opportunity to relate to the movement for change on a different level. Over the last 40 years, I had become deeply involved with the movement to end fracking and to stop climate change. There were all kinds of struggles going on around me, but these movements were happening in silos. There was energy for change, but no one was doing the analysis or encouraging folks to turn up for the other’s events.

Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lieutenant Governor
www.facebook.com/michael.bagdescanning

For Immediate Release
July 27, 2022

Contact Person:
Michael Bagdes-Canning, [email protected]

It sometimes seems to me that things are impossibly broken. The climate fight seems lost. The Supreme Court has rolled back protections for women, the environment, and voting rights. We’re in yet another war. It seems that there is a mass shooting every week. Our prisons are filled. We are faced with a housing crisis, a crisis at our border, and the pandemic still rolls on. There seems to be no way out of this, and many have given up.

I’m reminded of a Bob Dylan song (Copyright ©1989 by Special Rider Music):

Everything Is Broken

Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken

Recently, I had a conversation with George Lakey, the nonviolence strategist and author of How We Win: A Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning (2018). George is an octogenarian with a wealth of experience in bringing about change. George and I were arrested in 2021 with 11 others in front of a JPMorgan Chase Bank headquarters in Wilmington, DE, demanding that Chase stop financing fossil fuel projects.

I asked George about our “brokenness.” Is it too late to do anything? George reminded me that times like these are ripe for change. He reminded me of the 1930s and the 1960s. They were both times of great upheaval, violence, repression, and war, but also times that changed the U.S. fundamentally.

What was it about those times? People were organizing across issues, thinking strategically, being relentless, escalating, demanding justice.

Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken

While organizing to stop fracking and climate change, one of the epiphanies I had occurred when I was working with folks in the struggle against mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in WV. One of their organizers said, “You know, we’re fighting the same monster, it just has many heads.” When I looked around, I noticed that not only were fracking, climate, and MTR related, but the monster also had its dirty hands in crushing unions, destroying local economies, pitting people against people in another region. Once I saw that, I knew that the monster was also pitting us against each other.

Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground

Somewhere along the line, I looked up and saw that there were all kinds of resistance right in my own community. There were folks trying to save our local hospital. There were folks looking to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance. There was a group trying to rebuild the local farm economy. There was another group pushing back against attempts to close a long-term care facility. There were folks decrying racism, embracing Black Lives Matter.

Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken

Running for PA Lt. Governor has given me another way to bring many movements together. I’ve come to believe that just showing up for each other is not enough. It is important for us each to see where our struggles intersect. We also have to overcome the divisions that artificially keep us apart. We have to come to know each other. I’ve seen this play out. My friends in the Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) have done an amazing job of building the Green Party but also making connections with front-line struggles. GPOAC consistently shows up, and they get to know people who oppose injustice. They have helped build bridges between groups. They are a great example of what building strength looks like.

Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face

On June 13, I was arrested with 10 others at the PA Capitol. Many of us were climate activists, but there were also a good many from a group which is fighting corruption in Harrisburg. The action we pulled off was a good example of fusion. We are facing the existential threat of catastrophic climate change. Despite having science and public opinion firmly on the side of climate action, our state government is actually taking steps in the wrong direction.

Broken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken

We need to build solidarity across fights. We need to recognize that we are often fighting different heads of the same monster. That’s what my run for PA Lt. Governor is all about. I want to build bridges between the many organizations which oppose injustice. There’s lots that is broken. It is now time for us to fix things.

If you would like to join Michael Bagdes-Canning’s campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please contact 724-431-8560 and [email protected]. 

For more information, please see: 

“Nonviolent Direct Action to Stop Climate Change,” Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lt. Governor News Release, June 22, 2022, https://www.gpofpa.org/nonviolent_direct_action_to_stop_climate_change 

“This Unjust System Cannot Survive the Storm,”  Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lt. Governor News Release, April 23, 2022, https://www.gpofpa.org/this_unjust_system_cannot_survive_the_storm 

Working toward a future where people and planet are valued, and our government represents all of us.

July 2022

A guide to the PA Green Party ticket and some of each candidates’ top issues

By Harrison Cann, City & State PA, May 9, 2022

While most election talks are focused on red versus blue, there’s another color looking to get on the ticket in the Commonwealth: green.

The Green Party has fielded candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate in a crucial election year in PA. Despite the lack of electoral success for third parties, the Green Party is hopeful it can get its three candidates on the ballot in 2022. The party’s platform stands on four ideals: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom and social justice. The candidates are seeking to be an alternative for apathetic voters tired of the two-party gridlock in Harrisburg and Washington, DC.

Here are the Green Party candidates seeking nomination in the Commonwealth.

CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: CHRISTINA “PK” DIGIULIO

DiGiulio, 44, a former analytical chemist for the Department of Defense, is the co-founder of the Watchdogs of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Better Path Coalition. From Upper Uwchlan Township in Chester County, she got involved in politics as a vocal opponent of the Mariner East pipeline. City & State spoke with DiGiulio in March when she first began her campaign and received the party’s endorsement. She stressed that outside of environmental concerns, the Green Party is focused on being the voice of the people rather than the voice of the party’s donors.

“It’s time to focus on the people 100%. We need basic human rights. There are people without clean water in 2022 in PA. That’s pretty pathetic,” she said. “I think third parties give people the option of something else, and I really think it’s necessary for getting our political party system straightened out.”

DiGiulio said that regardless of their electoral success, she hopes the Green Party can bring important issues to the forefront that aren’t normally talked about during elections. “If (Green politics) start to become part of the political conversation, I think that’s successful.”

CANDIDATE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: MICHAEL BAGDES-CANNING

Joining DiGiulio in her run for Harrisburg is Bagdes-Canning, mayor of Cherry Valley Borough in Butler County and a former vice president of the Grove City Education Association. Bagdes-Canning, also a co-founder of the Better Path Coalition, lost his previous attempt to run as a Green Party candidate for state representative in the 64th legislative district. Unlike DiGiulio, Bagdes-Canning has been involved in politics for decades. He started out on the Cherry Valley Borough Council in 1989 after one local council member died in a car accident. And more recently, he took over the role as mayor following the previous mayor dying due to COVID-19 complications. And having worked with DiGiulio in the past, he said he’s thrilled to campaign with her now.

He said his time in local politics revealed how many people avoid talking about difficult issues. “When a community can talk about silly or mundane stuff, but can’t talk about someone's voice … that tells me something about the state of our communities.” He added that local government plays an important role that’s often overlooked by the media, and that his focus would be on issues affecting people’s bottom line.

“That’s a sad thing … local governments are drying up, and even we have a tough time having enough people for a quorum,” he said. “The issues close to home don’t get enough attention.”

CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE: RICHARD L. WEISS, ESQ

Richard L. Weiss is a lawyer from Allegheny County who previously ran unsuccessful Green campaigns for attorney general and the Court of Common Pleas in 2020 and 2021, respectively. In the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas special election, he received more than 41,000 votes but failed to pick up one of the 11 open seats. As an attorney, he says he supports criminal justice reforms such as ending cash bail, decriminalizing drug use and sex work, and establishing citizens’ police review boards.

WHAT’S NEXT

With the Green Party’s statewide slate set, candidates are looking to ensure their spot as minor political party nominees in November. . . . Their work is cut out for them to meet signature requirements to get on the ballot. In order to secure a spot on the ballot in the general election, each candidate must obtain 5,000 valid signatures by August 1. read more...

PA Green News

Edited by Chris Robinson

Look at What Happens to Mothers in PA

 By Christina "PK"� DiGiulio, Green Party candidate for PA Governor

For women, it may seem as though our society is becoming more regressive and undemocratic. Because women have never had an equitable role in decision making, we have had to deal with the patriarchy. Now, more than ever, is time for women to step into our power.

The experience of being a woman is unique, and our voices must be heard while running for office. Women need things which are not being talked about from a feminine perspective in Harrisburg: universal healthcare -- including reproductive rights; equal pay for equal work; quality education for children; and freedom from fear of poverty, homelessness and hunger. I know that there are a lot of us who are well aware of how the patriarchy and the duopoly have treated us inequitably.

Healthy communities require healthy families.

Just look at what happens to mothers in PA. Right now, women are afraid for their children. Will children be safe at school; will they be safe from the pandemic; will they be safe from violence on the streets? Family work is important and should be paid adequately to achieve economic equity.

We need more women in office, who will say "No" to the fossil fuel companies which are polluting our air, land and water. Right now, Harrisburg is ignoring data about our health. Mothers would never do that!

I am running for Governor of PA to say "No" to the pollution which adversely affects childhood development and fetal health. "No" to contamination which harms our children's education ability. We need more women in office calling for research that improves health -- not research into making harmful corporations more profitable ...read more

PA Climate Convergence Day of Action

Chair Doug Mason, Centre County Green Party, told GREEN STAR, “I was one of ten protesters in the PA House of Representatives chamber in Harrisburg on 6/13. Two tried to unfurl a 20 foot by 30 foot banner that read, ‘You Take Bribes, The World Dies,’ while we all loudly chanted the same slogan repeatedly. Green Party candidate for PA Governor, Christine “PK” DiGiulio, was one of those with the banner during the House session. Me and two others showered the legislators with 203 one-dollar bills (one for each Representative) from the visitors gallery as well. Each bill had a message in marker, such as ‘Climate Action Now’ or ‘Pass the Gift Ban.’ Two were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, while the other eight, including me, were tossed out of the Capitol building and threatened with trespassing charges if we returned to the area. This was the first of a series of actions planned by the newly formed PAC (Pennsylvania Action on Climate). Ten others were arrested for occupying rabidly anti-environmental PA Sen. Gene Yaw’s office, including Green Party candidate for PA Lt Governor Michael Bagdes-Canning.” 

Stop Banking the Bomb

Green Party of Allegheny County Facebook page says, “The weather is always good when you are outside trying to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Yesterday (6/4) we were in Wilkinsburg, PA. We will not end this campaign until PNC Stops Banking the Bomb! ...read more

Campaign Updates

Only Time Will Tell If We Stand The Test of Time

By Chris Robinson

Well, friends, we are down to the wire. I remember when Van Halen sang (1985), "Only time will tell if we stand the test of time." That is exactly where you and the Green Party are right now. Will you help our candidates get on the 2022 General Election ballot? Or will you close the door on them and pretend you cannot hear their cries for help? 

We have three activist candidates running state-wide this year, and they need your help. Please down-load a Green Party nomination paper and ask your friends to sign, https://www.gpofpa.org/2022_petition 
It is now or never, so please do it NOW ! !

Then return the nomination paper to your county Green Party or to GPPA Green Wave, P.O. Box 59524, Philadelphia, PA 19102. 

 ‌National ‌Green‌ ‌News

Edited by Noah Alter

Green Party Calls for Real Systemic Solutions to Violence in Wake of Uvalde Mass Shooting

It is the time that we, as a nation, regardless of political affiliation, come to terms with the fact that we have a serious problem with gun violence. Furthermore, it is time that we realize that thoughts & prayers do not deliver. This may come as a surprise to many, namely those who are unwilling to wake up to reality, but the U.S. ranks second on the list of countries with the highest number of gun deaths. In 2021, 45,011 Americans alone died of gunshot wounds with a total of 692 mass shootings.

"It is necessary to implement strategies guided by research on risk factors that contribute to violence, easy access to healthcare, and community-based programs to support families such as developing and evaluating programs and settings in schools, workplaces, prisons, neighborhoods, clinics, and other relevant contexts to prevent violence," said Green Party of the United States Steering Committee Co-Chair Margaret Elisabeth (Washington). . . .

Unfortunately, under our two-party system, we have become immune to the nightly breaking news, presenting the daily round of gun violence. It is as if we accept this caliber of death as a normal daily occurrence. Sadly, NRA-backed politicians firmly believe that putting more guns on the streets by equipping teachers with a Glock is somehow going to solve the problem, specifically school shootings. Rather, we must heavily fund mental health programs; focus on equipping teachers with highlighters, pencils, and notebooks rather than a Glock; and enforce common sense gun laws. It’s time that we, as a nation, come together to combat needless gun violence.

The Green Party implores all of you to mobilize your friends and neighbors and hold legislators accountable for their unwillingness to prioritize the health and well-being of their constituents. Together, we will prioritize people over profit! ...read here

Global Green News

Edited by Hal Brown

U.N. warns of catastrophic food crises due to war and “climate shocks”

For a fourth consecutive year, East Africa has seen very little rainfall causing severe disruption in food supplies. In this region Somalia is a country that has faced war and poverty for decades, and has reported 448 deaths from malnutrition so far this year.

“Somalia is in danger of entering an unprecedented fifth consecutive failed rainy season, meaning hundreds of thousands of people face the risk of famine. Famine cost the lives of 260,000 Somalis in 2010-2011. This cannot be allowed to happen again in 2022,” said Adam Abdelmoula, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. ...read more

35th European Green Party Council to address security, climate and social crises

The Greens gathering in Latvia finished with the election of the next party committee. Benedetta de Marte was the newly-elected secretary general of the EGP. De Marte closed with a speech that was crucial to understand her purposes for the future: “Our mission in Europe is to fight against the climate crisis, for feminism, transforming the economy and protecting the law . . . . We have big challenges ahead. We need to listen to them, stay united, and take advantage of the great successes our Greens in government are achieving.” ...read more

G7 countries reach agreement on phase out of coal

On May 26 and 27, the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers held a meeting in Berlin. . . . The meeting was led by the German Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection, Steffi Lemke, and the German Federal Minister for the Economy and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck (Green Party). . . . Ministers have demanded that the World Bank and other international investors commit to stop financing coal. Moreover they agreed to end financing for any foreign fossil fuel projects at the end of this year.

The declaration also included provisions on transport. The high degree of decarbonization of the road sector will mean, among other things, that sales of electric cars will increase by the end of the decade. However, it was emphasized that the key to substantial change is sustainable transport, i.e. based on a significant and increased role of public transport. ...read more

GPPA Meeting Dates:

All State Web Conferences will be 12 Noon to 4:00pm

Green Party of Pennsylvania, http://www.gpofpa.org/

Christina “PK” DiGiulio
For
Governor of PA

For Release, Thursday, June 2, 2022

For information or interviews, please contact
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected]

Look at What Happens to Mothers in PA

-- By Christina "PK" DiGiulio, Green Party candidate for PA Governor.

For women, it may seem as though our society is becoming more regressive and undemocratic. Because women have never had an equitable role in decision making, we have had to deal with the patriarchy. Now, more than ever, is time for women to step into our power.

The experience of being a woman is unique, and our voices must be heard while running for office. Women need things which are not being talked about from a feminine perspective in Harrisburg: universal healthcare -- including reproductive rights; equal pay for equal work; quality education for children; and freedom from fear of poverty, homelessness and hunger. I know that there are a lot of us who are well aware of how the patriarchy and the duopoly have treated us inequitably.

Healthy communities require healthy families.

Just look at what happens to mothers in Pennsylvania. Right now, women are afraid for their children. Will children be safe at school; will they be safe from the pandemic; will they be safe from violence on the streets? Family work is important and should be paid adequately to achieve economic equity.

We need more women in office, who will say "No" to the fossil fuel companies which are polluting our air, land and water. Right now, Harrisburg is ignoring data about our health. Mothers would never do that!

I am running for Governor of Pennsylvania to say "No" to the pollution which adversely affects childhood development and fetal health. "No" to contamination which harms our children's education ability. We need more women in office calling for research that improves health -- not research into making harmful corporations more profitable.

Society may seem to be going backward at times. In reality, what we are living through is the backlash of those in power who resent the progress in recognition of the rights of women, people of color, disabled people, and children. They fear that our empowerment is their demise when the truth is that with the rising tide, all of our ships are secured.

We need women in office who will make society's foundations stronger by outlawing pollution and making polluters pay for their crimes. This change must bring about an end to the personal attacks on female officials.

I am running for Governor of PA to educate people about what is really going on within the duopoly. We do not need to fight and play their games. We just need to educate people about what is really happening in front of us. It is time for us to rise into our power.

Let's validate voters' experience and ask them to VOTE GREEN PARTY!

Christina “PK” DiGiulio needs your help to get on the ballot for the 2022 General Election. To volunteer, please email [email protected] or telephone (717)-839-2395. You may follow her campaign for Governor of PA on Twitter, @PKforPA; and
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PKforPA.

For more information:

"Since the beginning of what we call civilization, when men's dominance over women was firmly established, until the present day, our history has been marred with oppression of and brutality to women. The Green Party deplores this system of male domination, known as patriarchy, in all its forms, both subtle and overt -- from oppression, inequality, and discrimination to all forms of violence against women and girls including rape, trafficking, forced sex which is also rape, slavery, prostitution and violence against women within marriage and relationships and in all institutions. The change the world is crying for cannot occur unless women's voices are heard." Green Party Platform, II. Social Justice, A. Civil Rights and Equal Rights, 1.Women's Rights, https://www.gp.org/social_justice#womens-rights   

"We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young -- our citizens of tomorrow -- are increasingly at risk. Programs must ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, receive basic nutritional, educational, and medical necessities." Green Party Platform, I. Democracy, B. Community, 1. Families and Children, https://www.gp.org/democracy#dem_families

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

By Michael Bagdes-Canning, Green Party Candidate for PA Lieutenant Governor

I think our justice system is unjust. Worse, even the injustice is applied unjustly. The poor and disenfranchised are unlikely to get a fair shake.

Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lieutenant Governor

For Immediate Release
Monday, April 23, 2022

Contact:
Michael Bagdes-Canning, [email protected]

Moral philosopher John Rawls wrote in his Theory of Justice (1971), "Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust. Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others."

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit in a courtroom, where injustice was prevalent. I was there to support a friend who had participated in an action around an environmental issue. However, before we got to her case, we sat through several others. In every instance, the people on trial were poor, addicted, black, or a combination. In each case, the defendants were victims of a system that is stacked against them, that treats them as less, that had criminalized poverty. A woman in prison, unable to pay a fine imposed when she was deep in her addiction, a young unemployed man incapable of paying even a small amount required to set up a payment plan. What kind of justice is it to further impoverish the already impoverished, to kick an addict rather than treat them?

Our courts are packed with people accused of crimes of poverty -- crimes that people commit because they are impoverished. I’m in no way praising our injustice system, but I will note that the judge did treat the defendants with some dignity. He also showed some compassion for them. Not enough, but some.

My friend is not impoverished in a way that is easily recognized; she is a woman of perceived privilege. Make no mistake, though, she, like most of us, will not have the privilege of escaping the ravages of catastrophic climate change, her generation and ones that follow will deal with the dire consequences of our criminal neglect of this issue. She is already facing an uncertain future, one far less predictable, and less prosperous, than the one that I grew up in.

She was in court because she had been charged with harassment -- she hung a scary Halloween zombie ghost on the fence of a corporate executive of an ecocidal fossil fuel company. Oh my! The executive of a company, which is harassing present and future generations with the prospect of extinction, felt threatened by a zombie ghost. Shades of Ebenezer Scrooge! The Ghost of Christmas Present: "Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?"

Harassment is a silly charge. How about measured self-defense?

She, too, was a victim of our injustice system. Because she dared speak out against an eco-criminal, she had to appear in court, take off time from work, and travel to court. She was required to be there by 1:30. If she missed her court date, she would be guilty by default and fined. Not that her trial started at 1:30.

Defendants are expected to be there, but the court will get to you when it gets to you. In my experience, defendants like my friends are often last. I once sat in a courtroom all afternoon only to be told at the end of the day that I was “no papered,” – meaning there was no paperwork – the prosecutor either lost or, more likely, had no intention of arguing my case. Yet, I spent the entire afternoon in a courtroom, assured my case was coming up “soon.”

Around 2:30, my friend was the only defendant left in the courtroom. She was called to the bench and informed that the officer who was to testify against her was not going to make it. In a just system, she would have been innocent by default -- her accuser didn’t even bother to show up. But, no, her trial would be rescheduled. Another missed day of work, another commute to the courthouse, and more time sitting. Again, I have seen this over and over. I once traveled all the way to Harrisburg only to have the police come up missing. Last autumn, I drove over six hours to Wilmington, DE, where I had to book a room -- only to have the trial rescheduled because the police could not make it. These are not accidents!

In our system, we are told that we are presumed to be innocent until convicted. Yet, we are “fined”ťif we choose to fight against injustice. My friend missed work (and pay), she had costs associated with travel, and she gave up precious life energy. Yet, she still awaits her day in court, her chance at justice. And she will be fined, yet again. Even if she is found innocent, our justice system is unjust.

The Green Party seeks a just system, and as the next Lieutenant Governor of PA, I plan to work for the necessary reforms. As Matthew Stover writes in Shatterpoint (2004), "Jedi fight for civilization, because only civilization creates peace. We fight for justice because justice is the fundamental bedrock of civilization: an unjust civilization is built upon sand. It does not long survive a storm.”

If you would like to join Michael Bagdes-Canning’s campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please contact [email protected].

Green Party of Pennsylvania

News Release

For release: Thursday, April 28, 2022

For more information please contact 

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected]

Green Party Enlisting PA Volunteers

Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) Co-Chair Beth Scroggin told voters at the end of March, “The Green Party has an excellent slate of candidates running for office this year, but we need your help to get them on the ballot.  Whether you’re a seasoned petitioner or have never carried a clipboard before, we would be so grateful for you to join us this year in helping our candidates achieve ballot access and get into office, where they can start making the changes we so desperately need!”

Scroggin was talking about Richard L. Weiss, Esq. (Allegheny County) who is running for U.S. Senate from PA, Christina “PK” DiGiulio (Chester County) who is making a bid for PA Governor, and Michael Bagdes-Canning (Butler County) who is campaigning to be PA Lt. Governor. These three activists support renewable energy, single-payer healthcare, a just transition to a new economy, and an end to corruption in Harrisburg. Plus, they are ready to take on all candidates from the two corporate parties, if they have your support. 

Chris Robinson (Philadelphia), leader of GPPA’s communication team, made a good point when he said, “Great candidates are only as good as their supporters. Interested voters, who are disgusted with the two corporate parties, will have to volunteer if they want an alternative on the ballot. This will not happen by magic! It will take hundreds of volunteers petitioning in every city and borough to have Green Party candidates nominated for the November 2022 General Election.”

“Right now, gathering signatures on the Green Party petitions to nominate state-wide candidates is a great opportunity for new activists,” said GPPA Steering Committee Member Beth Schongar (Allegheny County).  

“First, it will give them a great opening to talk to people about the Green Party and progressive politics,” said Schongar. “Volunteers will be asking voters to help us get candidates on the ballot and increase everyone’s choices on Election Day. Most voters are glad to help and interested to find out that the Green Party is real and active. It can lead to interesting conversations and recruit new members.”

“Second,” continued Schongar, “getting enough nomination signatures to put us on the ballot will give Green Party candidates the opportunity to join debates, particularly with the League of Women Voters. It will also allow our candidates to issue news releases and join other forums to share Green Party views. When our candidates present Green Party policies, it helps people realize that the Green Party is the future. Petitioning and campaigning are our opportunities to make our views known and increase participation. Let’s make the best of it by getting out and collecting signatures on the Green Party’s nominating petitions!” 

Joining the Green Party effort is quick and easy, just leave your contact information via email [email protected] or telephone 717-839-2395. The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, ttps://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information:
“Announcing the Green Party of PA 2022 Candidates” by Co-chair Beth Scroggin, GPPA news release, March 21, 2022, https://www.gpofpa.org/announcing_the_green_party_of_pa_2022_candidates 

“Sign up here to receive instructions on securing a 2022 Green Party Nomination Petition,” GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/2022_petition  

END ITEM              END ITEM            END ITEM 

My whole political outlook has changed since 2014, when I was called by a distraught parent about a fracked-gas well on fire near Summit Elementary in the Butler School District. As it turns out, the well wasn't on fire, it was flaring. That was still alarming. Flaring wells are emitters of all sorts of toxins, and this one was dangerously close to the school.

I went around the neighborhood knocking on doors to find out what the neighbors thought, what they were saying. A woman standing by her mailbox told me, "I've lived here for 42 years. We all get along, but we don't talk about the tough things." After a few more minutes, I turned to walk away, and she called after me, "What can we do? They're so big, and we're so small.

Michael Bagdes-Canning for PA Lieutenant Governor

For Immediate Release
Monday, April 18, 2022

Contact Person:
Michael Bagdes-Canning, 724-431-8560, [email protected]

That neighborhood had lost all semblance of community. Neighbors knew each other. They waved to each other. They said hello, but they didn't talk about the tough things. So, when poisons were released from a gas well near the school -- putting children, teachers and staff in harm's way -- the neighbors didn't talk about it. We had lost our community.

This brings me to the current race for PA Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and U.S. Senator from PA. When I agreed to become a Green Party candidate, I was told that the plan was to build the Green Party base so that, moving into next year, we have more activists who can be a force in local races in places we haven't been before.

I am a politician, and I am campaigning to be Lt. Governor of PA. I am a retired teacher. I used to run a class of 20 students or less. They were delinquent boys. So that is like working with Democrats and Republicans, only my delinquents were more likable. I have held elected office since 1989. I am now the Mayor of a Cherry Valley Borough, but let's put that in context. There are 54 residents of Cherry Valley, and 39 registered voters.

My running mate for PA Governor, Christina "PK" DiGiulio, is a chemist who has never held elected office and who has certainly never run an organization approaching the size of the Commonwealth of PA. PK and I do not have experts sitting in the wings to coach us. What we have are proven ideas and people power.

Call me crazy, but I didn't sign up to be a real candidate. I signed up to be an unsettling force. The Green Party is not going to win in a system designed to make SURE we don't win. I have to embrace that. The Green Party has serious points to make, serious critiques of the political and economic system. I want to have fun doing that. I want to run a guerilla campaign -- playing to our strengths, avoiding fights we can't win. Using the resources we have and not getting bogged down trying to make do.

What you have in "PK" and me are disruptors. In our own ways, we are pretty good at shaking up the status quo. I'm not making a joke of the Green Party or of elections. I'm talking about exposing the rank hypocrisy of the two corporate parties and about how they betray working people. I'm also talking about acknowledging the obvious – this is not a campaign that is going to get the most votes. So let's have some fun. That's what I want to do.

Grassroots Democracy, one of the Green Party's 10 Key Values, means participation. None of us should be lifting more than their fair share. Our candidates are not "sages on the stages." They are the face of us! We should all be accountable, and we should all get our hands dirty. Personal and Global Responsibility is another Green Party Key Value. We, personally and as a party, need to reflect our commitment to making this Commonwealth a better place. If the Green Party is going to be a force, we have to build our community. We all need to play our role, to take ownership.

What can you do now to help us grow the Green Party infrastructure? Obviously, "PK" and I need your help in gathering voters' signatures on our nomination petitions. Also, if we are going to get the word out, we need places to go, people to talk with. We need social media. We need creative people to come up with disruptive things we can do. We need people to develop messaging. We need money. We need all sorts of things about which you can teach me.

The end of the story I started with is a testament to organizing. About three months after I had met with the distraught parent, I went to a Cherry Valley Township Supervisors meeting. They were considering a permit for a compressor station. The mother who had called me about the well fire had spent weeks organizing opposition. The meeting was packed with residents who opposed the compressor station. Many got up to speak. Toward the end, an elderly woman got up and "talked about the tough things." When she finished, she turned, looked at me, and nodded. The Supervisors rejected the permit application.

If you would like to join Michael Bagdes-Canning's campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please contact 724-431-8560, [email protected]

For more information:

"Our Ten Key Values," Green Party of the U.S.,
https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values

"'End the War on Drugs' says Green Party Candidate for PA Lt. Governor," Michael Bagdes-Canning news release, April 2, 2022,
https://www.gpofpa.org/_end_the_war_on_drugs_says_green_party_candidate_for_pa_lt_governor

"BREAKING: Green Party Candidate Announces Bid For PA Lieutenant Governor," Michael Bagdes-Canning news release, March 9, 2022,
https://www.gpofpa.org/michael_bagdes_canning_for_pa_lieutenant_governor

Join us for a brief interview and get to know Pennsylvania Native and Lock Haven University alumni, Christina "PK" DiGiulio. Learn about what made her get involve and what motivated her to public service. PK was interviewed by State Party Chair, Beth Scroggin in early March of 2022. 

Follow her on Twitter @PKforPA 

Help us secure ballot access in Pennsylvania  ... 

Sign a petition by starting here. 

https://www.gpofpa.org/2022_petition

Christina “PK” DiGiulio
For
Governor of PA

For Release, Monday, April 4, 2022

Michael Bagdes-Canning

for

PA Lieutenant Governor

For Immediate Release

Saturday, April 2, 2022

Contact Person: Michael Bagdes-Canning

724-431-8560, [email protected] 

Today, Michael Bagdes-Canning, the Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor of PA, has called for an end to the War On Drugs. In a conversation at his home in Cherry Valley, PA, Bagdes-Canning told voters:

The War on Drugs is more than 50 years old, and it is America’s longest war. Like other wars, it has diverted trillions of dollars from our communities, militarized our police departments, claimed thousands of lives, decimated communities, and, largely, been waged in poor and working-class neighborhoods.

Like other wars before it, the War on Drugs was built on a series of policy lies and decisions that perpetuated white supremacy, racism, and xenophobia. It was racist in intent and implementation.  As demonstrated in numerous studies, our criminal justice system has been weaponized against communities of color, with far reaching consequences for their residents. The War on Drugs has created suffering on an unimaginable scale, with no discernible benefit. Despite the trillions of dollars spent, drug overdose rates have exploded – from 6.1 per 100,000 in 1999 to 21.6 in 2021.

What would I advocate? Well, I like the recommendations found in the Green Party Platform:

First of all, PA should adopt a system of treatment rather than incarceration, similar to Portugal. We should redirect funds presently budgeted for the War on Drugs toward research, education, prevention, and treatment. Treatment and legalization have a track record which shows just how shameful the half-century long War on Drugs has been.

Second, PA should legalize possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis/marijuana.

Third, PA should grant amnesty and release from confinement without any further parole or probation, those who have been incarcerated for the use, sale, or cultivation of marijuana, and who otherwise are without convictions for victim-oriented crimes. Provide the option for drug treatment to those leaving confinement. All felony charges related to convictions for marijuana possession should be stricken from a person’s record.

Fourth, Congress should amend the Controlled Substances Act to reflect that drug use, in itself, is not a crime, and that persons living in the U.S. who are arrested for using drugs should not be incarcerated with those who have committed victim-oriented crimes.

Fifth, PA should reform our criminal justice system, acknowledging that it has, for centuries, been used as a tool of oppression. Therefore, we should invest in the communities that have been ravaged in this unjust war.

If the War on Drugs were an actual armed conflict, the generals would have been fired and the war called off. The War on Drugs was misguided from its beginning. We’ve lost this war. It’s time to declare a peace, time to rebuild communities.

If you would like to join Michael Bagdes-Canning’s campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please contact 724-431-8560, [email protected]. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

For release: Saturday, March 19, 2022

For more information please contact 

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected]

Green Party of PA Publishes “Eliminating Fossil Fuel Pipelines So We Have A Healthy Future”

On March 19, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) published a new monograph, “Eliminating Fossil Fuel Pipelines So We Have A Healthy Future” by Jocolyn Bowser-Bostic. This publication explores the various environmental problems associated with fossil fuel pipelines and the resulting health consequences. 

This free ebook offers a highly visual perspective, using photos from citizens affected by local pipelines and fracking sites in and around PA. You may read “Eliminating Fossil Fuel Pipelines So We Have A Healthy Future” by visiting, www.gpofpa.org/pipelines or https://www.gpofpa.org/an_essay_against_fossil_fuel_pipelines. 

Christina "PK" DiGiulio (Chester County), the GPPA candidate for Governor of PA, said, "As someone who lives in a community impacted by the petrochemical industry -- in particular the Mariner East Pipeline Project -- I am grateful for the Green Party and Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick for putting the work into and publishing this document. The photographs will be extremely useful for organizers who want to convince their neighbors of the harmful effects of pipelines.”

Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of PA Michael Bagdes-Canning testified, “As someone who lives in the shale-fields of PA, where the gas that fills Mariner East Pipeline is extracted, I can’t thank Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick enough for this document. Neither the Republicans, who deny the science, nor the Democrats, who ignore the science, are fit to lead us into the future. There is no sane reason to frack, crack, transmit, ship, or burn methane.”

That is not the end of the methane madness. Arianne Elinich of Bucks County Concerned Citizens Against the Pipelines (a PA resident directly impacted by the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline Project) shares Bagdes-Canning’s concerns. “From the harmful health and well-water impacts of fracking to the perpetual public safety risks of pipeline infrastructure, fracked gas is a ‘Bridge Fuel to Nowhere,’” said Elinich. “Folks are beginning to understand that fossil fuels are old school and that it’s essential for our elected officials to prioritize the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of PA over any possible corporate interests, inferred or otherwise. With the ever-growing opposition towards greenfield pipeline projects like PennEast, corporations will continue to look towards the repurposing of infrastructure, as is the case with the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline Project. But these projects in all actuality may very well raise even more significant public safety and environmental concerns as a result of the age, repurposing of, and the new facilities being constructed for such pipeline projects. Moreover, it is clear from the recent defeat of the PennEast Pipeline, that the power of the people is a force that is growing stronger, more constructive and more cohesive with every challenge. Do not doubt that change is possible.”

“I think this will be a quick, easy read for folks looking to digest some information on the fracking problem and how important it is to stop drilling now,” said Co-chair David Ochmanowicz of the Green Party of Bucks County and steering committee member of GPPA. “We are grateful to have had photography contributions from Bucks County Concerned Citizens Against the Pipelines, Kim Fraczek, Christine Pontecorvo and Christina “PK” DiGiulio.” 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, ttps://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

END ITEM              END ITEM            END ITEM 

Click here to download a free copy

Green Party of Pennsylvania

News Release

For release: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

For more information please contact 

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected]  

Green Party Co-sponsors PA Climate Convergence

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) has become a co-sponsor of the PA Climate Convergence. Meeting virtually on March 13, Green Party delegates, elected by their county locals, voted unanimously to co-sponsor the event in Harrisburg, PA, on the weekend on June 11 – June 13.

GPPA Co-chair Beth Scroggin (Chester County) explained, “We support the Climate Convergence because climate change is the most important issue any of us are facing. If we continue to ignore it, none of the other issues we focus on will matter, because we will all cease to exist. The Green Party has always prioritized the environment, and because our candidates do not accept corporate donations, we are not forced to remain silent on the issue or minimize it."

Hundreds of grass-roots activists from environmental organizations will join together for a weekend of actions, aimed at changing the climate conversation. They are alarmed by the backward stance of the PA General Assembly. Green Party organizer Joe Murray (Berks County) said, “Our government is keeping PA from being part of the solution to our biggest crisis by denying climate change and subsidizing fossil fuel production.”

Green Party Co-chair Jay Ting Walker (Allegheny County) said, “I will be part of the Climate Convergence because the PA General Assembly has been ignoring hazards to communities from fossil fuel production and refusing to train a new generation for jobs in clean, renewable energy.”

Following the vote, Michael Bagdes-Canning, the Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of PA, said, “I grew up shaped by the prophetic voice of Dr. King. On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King said, ‘We are faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.’ I think it's almost like Dr. King was speaking to us today, because we are faced with an existential crisis. Climate change is serious, and the PA Climate Convergence is an opportunity for people to come together, to plan vigorous and positive action. The fierce urgency of this moment requires it.”

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, ttps://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information, please see: 

PA Climate Convergence, https://www.pennsylvaniaclimateconvergence.org/ 

Emergency Global Green New Deal, Global Climate Convergence,
https://globalclimateconvergence.org/about/what-we-are-calling-for/ 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Michael Bagdes-Canning

for

PA Lieutenant Governor

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Contact Person: Michael Bagdes-Canning

724-431-8560, [email protected] 

BREAKING: Green Party Candidate Announces Bid For Lieutenant Governor

Michael Bagdes-Canning announced that he will seek the nomination of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.

Bagdes-Canning is a husband, father, and grandfather living in Cherry Valley Borough, Butler County, where he has held elected office for 33 years. He is currently Mayor. He is a retired teacher. Bagdes-Canning spent almost 36 years in the classroom, the last 29 teaching delinquent and dependent boys. He was a union member throughout his working life, serving as president, vice president, and building representative in his local. Since his retirement, Bagdes-Canning has been an organizer in the fracking / climate fight locally, statewide, and on the national level. He serves on the board of several community organizations and is a cofounder of Marcellus Outreach Butler (Butler County), a cofounder of the Better Path Coalition (PA), and works with Beyond Extreme Energy (national).

In the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, scientists said the planet is overheating and that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celcius, which appears likely on the current trajectory, would have devastating effects, from harming food production to further intensifying wildfires.

“After reading the most recent IPCC Report and hearing the totally inadequate response from our local, state, and national leaders to its findings, I could no longer sit by. Using the invasion of Ukraine as a pretext for more drilling, more pipes, and more export facilities is madness,” said Bagdes-Canning. “We can’t afford that kind of misleadership.”

Bagdes-Canning is also running to end corruption. “Our political system isn’t broken. It functions exactly the way the two corporate parties and the 1% want it to. Our government is for sale to the highest bidder.”

Bagdes-Canning has called for a gift ban, an end to the per diem, and an end to partisan gerrymandering. “These are highly popular reforms, but neither party has acted on them. Why would they? Both parties collude with the 1% to run things. That’s why politicians serve the people who  bribe them and not the people who elect them.”

Bagdes-Canning said he will work with other Greens seeking office. “Our plans will reflect the interests of the poor and working class of Pennsylvania. I’m thrilled to be running with fighters. The people of Pennsylvania deserve a government that serves them, not the rich.”

If you would like to join Michael Bagdes-Canning’s campaign for PA Lt. Governor, please contact 724-431-8560, [email protected]. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Christina “PK” Digiulio
For
Governor of PA

For Release, Monday, March 7, 2022

For information or interviews, please contact
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected]

BREAKING: Christina “PK” Digiulio Announces
Campaign for Governor of PA

Christina “PK” Digiulio is announcing her candidacy for Governor of PA. She was interviewed by Chris Robinson, leader of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) communication team.

Please tell me, Who are you?

Christina Digiulio: I am an avid lover of nature, a water protector and Pennsylvania resident near Marsh Creek Lake. I have a BA from Lock Haven University and am a former analytical chemist for the Department of Defense. I am a co-founder of the Watchdogs of SouthEastern Pennsylvania (WaSEPA) and the Better Path Coalition, and I have been actively opposed to Energy Transfer’s Mariner East pipeline system and the fossil fuel industry.

Why are you running for Governor of PA?

Christina Digiulio: I have been listening to the current batch of candidates, who have announced their campaigns from the two corporate parties. It is striking that none of them have mentioned their opposition to the way our constitutional rights are being violated. Under the Constitution of our Commonwealth, we have "a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment." 

Currently, our rights are being ignored, and we need a governor who will not be a pushover for polluters and profits. Allegheny County needs clean air, the Poconos need clean water, and citizens living downwind from landfills, compressor stations, and nuclear power plants need an end to constant toxicity and low-level radiation. There are ongoing, adverse health impacts from all these types of pollution.

The culture of corruption has had a harmful impact on our ability to solve these health problems. When the other candidates for PA Governor accept money from corporations, it is not surprising that they then overlook what is happening in our neighborhoods.

The fossil fuel infrastructure in PA has become a hazard to human health and to the natural environment around us. It has become a sinister system, which is protected by venal politicians.

Why are you requesting the endorsement of the Green Party for your candidacy for Governor of PA?

Christina Digiulio: I agree with the Green Party’s Ten Key Values. I especially like that the Green Party first called for a ban on fracking for gas in 2008, when it was instituted by a Democratic Governor in PA. The Green Party provides a contrast with the gubernatorial candidates from the two corporate parties, who have remained silent about our fossil fuel problems.

I also agree with the Green Party’s stand on liberating people from the confines of heteronormativity, which impacts the LGBTQIA+ community and all of our society.    

I hope that my candidacy for Governor of PA will build the membership of the Green Party and assist other Green Party candidates to make their mark on the electoral globe.

For more information, please contact Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]. 

For more information, please see:

Constitution of the Commonwealth of PA, Paragraph 27, Natural Resources and the Public Estate, https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=00&div=0&chpt=1&sctn=27&subsctn=0 

Ten Key Values, Green Party of the U.S., https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

* edited for accuracy 3/12/22 

Watch the interview 

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, February , 2022

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Stop Banking the Bomb Promoted by PA Green Party 

Stop Banking The Bomb (SBTB) is a Pittsburgh-based campaign targeting PNC Bank for its illegal investment in nuclear weapons. In total, PNC has invested 1.6 billion dollars ($1,600,000,000!) in eight nuclear weapon manufacturers. Nuclear weapons have been banned under international law since January 2021.

The SBTB coalition has more than two dozen organizations as members, including the Green Party of Allegheny County and the Green Party of Butler/Venango Counties. SBTB demands that PNC Bank immediately sell all of its assets invested in nuclear weapon manufacturers and make a binding commitment to never again invest in weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

"Our SBTB movement to reduce the threat of nuclear war by targeting PNC's billions invested in nukes was never about any particular activist group or political affiliation,” explained lead SBTB organizer Rev. Fr. Paul Dordal, co-director of the Christian Alliance for Peace. “We always saw this life or death issue as a means to join all people of goodwill to struggle together for humanity, for our environment, for our planet's very existence. That is why over twenty-five groups in Pittsburgh and nationally have dropped their differences and banded together to make peace a real possibility."

“The Green Party has been a proud member of SBTB,” said Chris Robinson, leader of the Green Party’s communication team, “because PNC Bank’s investment in nuclear weapons is evil. Green Party members stand for nonviolence as one of our Four Green Pillars, and we do not want our savings deposits used as an investment in death and destruction.”  

Stop Banking The Bomb regularly has rallies, die-ins, marches, and other events to put public pressure on PNC Bank. They held a recent teach-in on January 25 to educate people about their movement, the role and history of nuclear weapons, what PNC Bank does as a company, and the international treaties banning nuclear weapons. For information about their next event, please contact them at [email protected] or visit the SBTB Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/StopBankingtheBomb.  

This report was written by Vice Chair Riley Mahon, Green Party of Allegheny County (GPAOC, https://www.alleghenygreens.org/). The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

As the Allegheny County Health Department attempts to improve the county's air quality, environmentalists say enough isn't being done and communication between them and the department is lacking.

"While we have made some progress, Allegheny County residents still suffer unhealthy air quality far too often for officials to take a victory lap," Patrick Campbell, the executive director for the Group Against Smog and Pollution, said during the Board of Health meeting last Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
January 10, 2022
By Hallie Lauer

During that meeting, Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen briefly addressed the newly enacted Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule, an addition to the county's air pollution control regulations, to note that all 16 regulated facilities had submitted their air pollution mitigation plans.

The rule was officially approved in September by the Board of Health and Allegheny County Council. The 16 facilities had 90 days — until Dec. 26 — to submit their plans that outlined what mitigation strategies they would take on days where the county was under an air quality watch or warning. Although those plans became effective upon their submission, members of the Health Department's air quality team are still reviewing the plans and some of them may require changes, Dr. Bogen said.

But for many residents who tuned into the meeting, this step hasn't been enough.

"The regulations that Allegheny County Health Department has brought forth so far are improvements, but they're just small improvements," Matthew Nemeth [North Hills Coordinator for the Green Party of Allegheny County] told the board during public comment. "We need a lot more."

Mr. Nemeth went on to say that he has recently been apartment hunting and has intentionally avoided certain areas of the county because they are known to have worse air quality than others.

"When I looked up the address and saw that it was in West Mifflin, that immediately set off a red flag in my mind … and I know that those neighborhoods are completely polluted with terrible air quality from a lot of the industrial facilities, most notably Clairton Coke Works," Mr. Nemeth said.

Between Jan. 3 and Jan. 8, the SmellPGH app, designed by the Carnegie Mellon CREATE Lab to crowdsource reports from residents, received over 100 reports from residents of "foul odors" in the county.

Many of the reports included comments that described the air as smelling like "rotten eggs" or sulfur. The rotten egg smell is caused by an excess of hydrogen sulfide in the air, an issue the Health Department previously has cited U.S. Steel for at the Clairton Coke Works.

Most recently, the Clairton Coke Works facility was fined $5,500 on Dec. 15 for a leak caused by an equipment breakdown that occurred in August, which released an excess of hydrogen sulfide, along with four other types of pollutants.

"The current way that coke ovens are regulated, by allowing a certain percentage of leaking equipment and allowable seconds of visible emissions, is insufficient to protect public health," Jay Ting Walker, an organizer from Clean Air Council [and co-chair of the Green Party of Pennsylvania], said during Wednesday's meeting. "The Allegheny County Health Department must do much more to adequately address the environmental injustices resulting from allowing preventable air pollution that burdens the health of nearby residents."

The Health Department has issued nine violations to U.S. Steel over the past two years, according to the notice of violation sent in December. Health Department spokesperson Chris Togneri said that the department has been "extremely aggressive" with regard to enforcement and legal action. The Liberty air quality monitor, which is about 2 miles from the coke works, is often cited when people refer to air quality issues, but fine particulate pollution has decreased by 32% over the last 10 years at that monitor, which are "some of the largest decreases in fine particulate pollution anywhere in the country," Mr. Togneri said.

"We are extremely proud that last year, every single air quality monitor in Allegheny County met federal air quality standards for fine particulate pollution for the first time since that monitoring began," Mr. Togneri said. "We have made tremendous progress and have met those standards a year ahead of when modeling predicted that we would because of our proactive approach."

Even with the most recent citation, environmental advocates are looking for more information about the enforcement of regulations and the prevention of these issues.

"There's been no communication about what's causing the exceedances or what's being done to stem them," Mr. Campbell said at Wednesday's meeting. Mr. Campbell then asked the board members to "do all that you can to provide more frequent and substantive updates" about what the Health Department is doing to enforce these regulations and reduce air pollution.

"We are not stopping efforts to improve our air quality, and we are not satisfied," Mr. Togneri said. "We also recognize that we cannot do this alone, as we have said continuously. The Health Department will continue to engage elected officials at the local, state and federal level to ensure comprehensive and workable solutions are advanced for improving air quality in the region. "We will continue to recommend and assist in the development of policy solutions to provide additional tools to the department. We will continue to use the tools that we have, exploring new and innovative ideas that can allow the department to go further in addressing air quality and all of the other myriad of issues that they have been charged by state and federal government to address," he said.

Part of the newly enacted Mon Valley Episode Rule requires the Health Department to alert residents when the county is experiencing bad air quality days. The Health Department awarded nine "mini-grants" to community-based organizations to help residents sign up for the Allegheny Alerts system, where they can receive emails, text messages or calls about the Air Quality Action Days — but some think that isn't enough.

"More widespread and reliable notification for adverse air quality events to the public would greatly help families and at-risk individuals make informed decisions to protect themselves and loved ones on dangerous days," county resident [and Green Party member] Alex Downing said during public comment.

Mr. Downing also noted that even though hydrogen sulfide exceedances don't always trigger an Air Quality Action alert, they "can still be dangerous," and the public should be notified.

Emissions from the Clairton Coke Works rise above the City of Clairton on the evening of Sept. 3, 2021. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki / PublicSource)

 Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Green Party Opposes Fossil Fuel Pipelines in PA

Since 1971, the following passage has been in the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

"The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people."  

Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick (Delaware County), a former member of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) steering committee, pointed out, “These sane and wise words, however, might as well not exist because too many of our elected and appointed government officials refuse to enforce them. As I like to point out, there are numerous examples of how pipeline companies have been allowed to grossly pollute the environment without meaningful consequences, which therefore betray the above passage’s promise to current and future generations. There are many patterns of behavior we need to stop and many actions we need to take to make sure we will have a healthy, safe and beautiful environment in which we, our future children, and our precious wildlife can thrive, and the Green Party with its 10 Key Values makes sure these goals remain central to our purpose.”�

The Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Taskforce Report says, “Pennsylvania already has more than 12,000 miles of large-diameter oil and gas pipelines in the ground, but now, according to . . . a presentation made . . . by The Nature Conservancy, the miles of natural gas gathering lines alone will at least quadruple by 2030. The footprint of just that [new] expansion is larger than the cumulative area impacted by all other Marcellus gas infrastructure combined, and could exceed 300,000 acres, or 1 percent of the state’s land area. The movement of natural gas will also require compressor stations, estimated to number in the hundreds, to be built along the anticipated pipeline miles. All told, this pipeline infrastructure build-out will impact communities and the environment in every county in Pennsylvania.”

All of these buried pipelines are more dangerous than landmines when you consider their incendiary/explosive power and the fact that leaks in them may make it hard or impossible to breathe as well as cause other physical problems. Bowser-Bostick warned, “There is so much evidence on how dangerous these pipelines can be. In 2019, according to the U.S. Dept of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for all types of pipelines combined, there were 614 reported accidents which resulted in 10 people dying; 35 injuries; 2,113 evacuees; 86 fires; 28 explosions and $259 million in damages. The grim statistics of 2019 are actually slightly better than what was typical in each of the 9 preceding years. From 1/1/2010 through 12/31/2019 there were a combined 6,298 pipeline accidents which caused 140 fatalities; 656 injuries; 35,992 people to be evacuated from dangerous conditions caused by pipelines; 922 fires; 329 explosions; and $5,356,744,191 in damages.” 

There are many actions we can take to mitigate the dangers of these fossil fuel pipelines and put us on a faster path to a healthier and safer future that is free of fossil fuels. For example, all pipelines should have regular and comprehensive inspections by experts that are unaffiliated with the company that built the pipeline.

Bowser-Bostick explained, “Many people who have worked or lived near the gas drilling and fracking operations in the Marcellus Shale region and other U.S. areas have experienced noise pollution, smog, poisoned drinking water wells, skin rashes, constant headaches and body aches, respiratory problems, cancers, other health problems, physical injuries and deaths. Wildlife, livestock, and domesticated animals have also been seriously sickened or killed by these fracking and drilling operations. Profits and wages for a few do not justify this torment, and it seems more ridiculous to continue powering our societies with these dirty and dangerous forms of energy when we can satisfy all our energy needs through the combined use of improved energy efficiency, wind power, solar power, small scale hydropower and geothermal power that impose no health hazards on anyone.”

“My point of view,” she continued, “and that of the Green Party of PA is that there is no sane reason to be maintaining or adding to the pipeline infrastructure that we have in PA. In fact, on November 14, 2021, the assembled delegates of the Green Party of Pennsylvania voted unanimously to oppose any proposed or under construction fossil fuel pipelines in PA and to favor the dismantling of in-use fossil fuel pipelines as soon as possible, which will be able to happen as we adopt more clean energy infrastructure.”

“For the benefits of stopping the deterioration and improving the health of the public, animal species, and the environment and mitigating climate change,”� Bowser-Bostick concluded, “we must stop extracting oil and natural gas, not build any new fossil fuel pipelines, discontinue the building of unfinished pipelines, and stop our reliance on fossil fuel pipelines currently in use as soon as possible.”�

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

For more information please see:

“Our Ten Key Values,” Green Party of the U.S., https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values 

Constitution of the Commonwealth of PA, § 27. Natural resources and the public estate,

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/00/00.HTM

Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force (PITF) Report, February 2016, https://files.dep.state.pa.us/ProgramIntegration/PITF/PITF%20Report%20Final.pdf

7 major pipeline projects in Pennsylvania by Candy Woodall, updated May 22, 2019, Penn Live, https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2015/10/7_major_pipeline_projects_in_p.html 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saturday, December 18, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Your 2022 New Year’s Resolution

by GPPA Co-Chair Beth Scroggin.

Happy New Year, everyone!  With 2021 now behind us, January is the perfect time to look ahead and create the metaphorical trellis upon which the rest of this year will grow vines.  With your help, those vines can bear the fruit of Greens in elected offices across the Commonwealth. In 2022, Pennsylvanians will elect a new Governor, a new U.S. Senator, 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as 25 PA Senators and 203 members of the PA House of Representatives.  Now more than ever, the Green Party of PA (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) needs Green candidates who will stand for people, not for corporations.

A few weeks ago, a Democratic Party candidate for Governor, Josh Shapiro, visited West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, where I live. Stumping for Shapiro was the current Governor Tom Wolf.  A group of people from the Uwchlan Safety Coalition, www.uwchlansafetycoalition.org, organized a demonstration of residents to ask Governor Wolf, in person, to pull the construction permits for the Mariner East II pipeline. This pipeline threatens residents in a variety of ways, including the chance for a spontaneous explosion or poisoning the water supply. Pennsylvanians of all political affiliations have been protesting this pipeline for years, because – while it threatens our safety on a daily basis – it provides no benefit to anyone but Sunoco. 

While we protested, chanting "Pull the permits now!" and holding signs, both Wolf and Shapiro noticed us but did not acknowledge our presence. They were too busy patting themselves on the back for not being Donald Trump, and giving speeches devoid of plans for meaningful change. The experience exemplified for me how politicians in the U.S. operate. They blatantly ignore voters' pleas for change that will literally save lives, while quietly catering to corporations and congratulating themselves for being "better than the other Party."

Now more than ever, we need Green solutions to the problems plaguing us all. Climate change has already been causing violent storms in many parts of the world, droughts and wildfires in other parts. A lack of nationalized health care has caused many to die needlessly because they can't afford the care they need. Hospitals are understaffed and their workers are exhausted and underpaid. Similarly, lack of funding for education has led to staff shortages so severe that it's a wonder our schools can operate on a day-to-day basis. It's been more than a decade since Occupy Wall Street, yet wealth inequality continues to grow by the day. Mainstream politicians continue to ignore these issues. They will continue to ignore these issues because corporations benefit from the status quo, and those same corporations fund electoral campaigns of the two corporate parties. The Green Party is the ONLY party that does not accept corporate funding, and as a result, you can count on Green candidates to represent YOUR interests!

The Green Party is calling for YOUR help in 2022!
If you care about promoting our four pillars of nonviolence, social justice, grassroots democracy, and ecological wisdom, please join us! Whether you're new to politics, have plenty of experience but have taken a break, or have been fighting the system for decades, we will welcome you and find something important for you to do. We need candidates for all elected offices, as well as people who will help those candidates run their campaigns. Make one of your New Year's resolutions to get in touch with your local Green Party, or start one of your own!

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA. 

Beth Scroggin is co-chair of GPPA. She has also served as secretary of GPPA and as chair of the Green Party of Chester County.

END OF ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

It was a good run . . . but the race is far from over.

David Ochmanowicz has been a Green Party activist since 2011. During 2017, he ran for and won a seat as Director of the Quakertown Community School Board in Bucks County. Ochmanowicz did not run for re-election this year, and he has offered some thoughts about his presence as School Director.

-- By David Ochmanowicz.

As my 4 years as School Director conclude, who would have thought I would have so many mixed feelings over these last few months. What a privilege it has been to be the voice of a (my) community. What a responsibility it has been to be trusted to serve.

It's an end to something; an ending I chose with my eyes wide open. You might think that would make my transition into a more normal life much easier. But it doesn’t. Knowing I'll have literally dozens of hours every month to myself and with my family; being at home on Thursdays before 11; not having to check the calendar for Saturday workshops and School Board meetings -- all seem like things to look forward to. At least, that’s what people keep telling me.

But these are not really the joys that consume my thoughts. I cleverly, yet inadvertently, used the word “concludes” before, no doubt for some small, self-indulging illusion. Possibly some Jedi mind trick to make me believe that everything I thought was important has been concluded. Of course, it’s not.

Some of my successes have had a conclusion no doubt. A referendum regarding civics education in the classroom, a new Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service program, hundreds of votes on meaningful programs and day-to-day functions which allowed our students to access the best education we could provide, improving transparency, my 4 years at the Tech School, and many more are the joys I can carry away. For sure!

Yet – so many undertakings are still an ongoing process. I need to trust that those elected to serve in my absence will keep their eye on the prize; that prize is the public good, the common good.

Sometimes I shared in the voice of a majority, and often it was a time of unanimity. Many times, however, I was the voice of a not-so majority. Sometimes I stood with one or two other members of the Board on important issues where the not-so majority deserved a voice too.

I am worried about who will be left to speak for them now. As I “leave by choice” in my words, who else will keep up the good fight? Who will be fighting for the not-so majority? That is the hard truth.

What will happen next is still unwritten. “We the People” must pay attention, get involved, and participate. Otherwise, the pages of time will be written by private lawyers funded by corporate interests. You should support people who choose to fight for the public good, for the common good.

You should become a person who chooses to fight for the public good, for the common good.

David Ochmanowicz has been an elected delegate to the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) from Bucks County. He has also served as secretary of the GPPA and chair of the Green Party of Bucks County.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Green Party Candidates Reflect On 2021 PA Election 

In the 2021 General Election, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) had 12 candidates on the ballot and several write-ins. When the smoke cleared, the Green Party had seven candidates win election. Several Green Party candidates offered their thoughts on the 2021 campaign. Those thoughts are collected here to help future candidates, especially those who are running for office in 2022.

On Running for Office in 2022

Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva (Elected Judge of Elections, Berks County) said: "The advice I would offer Greens who plan to run for office in 2022 is this: start as early as possible. There were so many inevitable "hiccups" which I had not anticipated and felt pressured to navigate well under constrained circumstances; be they temporal or procedural. The more time you have, the better you will be able to anticipate issues and appropriately address them." 

Matthew Reitenauer (Elected School Director, Berks County) said: "The advice I would offer to any Green Party candidates that are running in 2022 would be to focus on the local issues, like clean water, saving farmland, and pesticides." 

Jay Sweeney (Elected Borough Auditor, Wyoming County) said: "I would advise Greens to seek offices that have no challenger or no candidate." [For some PA electoral offices, the Democratic and/or Republican Parties nominate no candidate.]  

Richard L. Weiss (Ran for Common Pleas Court Judge, Allegheny County) said: "Ground work is the most effective. Going door to door works but requires many people." 

On Mail in Voting

Jay Sweeney: "I am not opposed to mail in voting. Mail in voting is harder for third party candidates, unless, of course, ballot access is made easier."

Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva: "I think that more voters, in general, due to the pandemic, were made aware of the mail in option. I personally registered to receive a mail in ballot annually and automatically for convenience purposes."

Matthew Reitenauer: "I believe mail in voting is a great thing for Green Party members. It lets the people stay safe at home and vote. Mail in voting also makes it easier for people to vote for who they truly want instead of being persuaded elsewise by people working the polls. This process is also a safer, more convenient way for those who are handicapped to be able to vote. Those people's votes are very important too." 

Jay Sweeney: "Mail in voting deprives the voter a chance to meet a Green Party candidate and their volunteers who may be working the polls. I may have gotten 3% of the vote where I didn't have representation, while I got 20-30% or better in places where I or my volunteers worked the polls."

Richard L. Weiss: "Hopefully more people will vote and will see the Green Party on the ballot. Campaigning has to be early in order to reach mail in voters.”  

On Elections in General

Jay Sweeney: "Democracy demands a choice and the voters deserve one. I am proud to be a Green. I saw the way the Democrats gloated over winning a vote in the House of Representatives and the ugliness of the Republicans in denouncing it. However, I don't see progress until we can build a coalition big enough to tackle the two corporate parties."  

Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva: "I would like to invest more effort in winning local elections and cultivating a grassroots democracy culture and ethos in my community. The whole idea of running for Judge of Election in my precinct was to gain crucial and integral political skills to run for office in the future." 

Richard L. Weiss: "If the current PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro is elected PA Governor in 2022, there may be a special election for PA Attorney General. In that case, I would make myself available to run if the Green Party of PA will endorse me." 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For more information, please see:

“2021 November Election Results,” GPUS News Release, November 2021, https://www.gp.org/2021_november_election_results  

“Reflections on 2020 Election by Green Party Candidate Michael Bagdes-Canning,” GPPA News Release, December 11, 2020, https://www.gpofpa.org/reflection_on_the_2020_election_by_pa_green_party_candidate_michael_bagdes_canning 

“PA Green Party Candidates Reflect on 2019 Election,” GPPA News Release, November 15, 2019,
https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_candidates_reflect_on_2019_election  

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

PA Green Party Endorses Shut Down of Berks County Detention Center

Meeting virtually on November 14, elected delegates to the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) unanimously endorsed the Shut Down Berks Coalition. The coalition is a group of organizations and individuals demanding the closure of the Berks County Family Detention Center (BCRC) in PA and an end to the practice of imprisoning immigrant families in the U.S.

The endorsement was requested by Jay Walker (Allegheny County), a member of the GPPA Steering Committee.

Black Star News
November 28, 2021

Henry Conoly (Montgomery County), who is seeking GPPA endorsement for U.S. Congress District 1, said, "The inhumane and destructive detention and separation of children from their families must be stopped. These detention centers are known for their horrid conditions which leave children and families at risk of contracting disease, suffering from malnourishment, and potentially loss of life. We must close these facilities, and begin to bring these families back together while giving them access to our country."

"Detention is not a deterrent, and we have seen countless studies and statistics to that effect," explained Secretary Jes Potts of the Green Party of Berks County. "Citizens of Berks County do not want to have this backwards and unethical system perpetuated when there is so much good that can be done with the property. The best use of this facility would be to convert it into a treatment center to combat the continually rising tide of the addiction epidemic, to provide long term solutions to people who need a foundation from which to change their lives and grow into happy, prosperous and productive citizens. What Berks County and this society needs is more behavioral health resources, not more cages."

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party's Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org.

 Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, October 24, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Become a Rising Star in the Green Party

By Co-chair Beth Scroggin, Green Party of PA. 

October marked five years since I joined the Green Party.  After having worked on the Bernie Sanders campaign for nearly a year and seeing my efforts undermined by the Democratic Party, I knew that I needed to invest my future efforts into a party that represented my values AND had the courage and integrity to support grassroots efforts.  My involvement with the Green Party escalated quickly after the leaders of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) informed me that my county had no local chapter.  Shortly thereafter, I became the co-founder and co-chair of the Chester County Green Party.  A local couple allowed us to hold meetings in their home, and always made sure we were well equipped with office supplies, snacks, tea, and the occasional adult beverage. Our first meeting truly changed my life forever, as it is where I met my current significant other as well as some other very dear friends.  

Despite my natural need for structure and tendencies toward planning and organization, the decision to become a Green Party leader was one fueled by passion, and I had no particular plan in mind.  I simply held regular meetings, contacted interested people on a list provided to me by the state leaders, and made outreach efforts by attending meetings of other local progressive groups. Through those efforts, my county was able to find a candidate interested in running for mayor of one of our larger boroughs.  We supported his campaign, and gained a great deal of knowledge and experience in local politics, as well as helping him secure ten percent of the vote. As you may know, ten percent for a first-time candidate running with a third party is truly outstanding.

I tell you of this because the Green Party of Pennsylvania is currently looking for new leaders.  In 2022, we will have several open positions on our Steering Committee, as well as open spots for national delegates to the Green Party of the U.S. and its many sub-committees.  Additionally, we are always delighted to see people start a new local chapter in PA.  If you live in Pennsylvania and have a passion for our Four Pillars (Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, and Nonviolence), I urge you to email me at [email protected]. 

Our next state meeting will take place on Sunday, November 14, and I hope you will take that opportunity to nominate yourself for a leadership position in the Green Party.  If you don’t already know us, I can promise that we are a friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable group who will support you in your efforts to become a leader in the only party which does not accept corporate contributions and which seeks to represent the people.  If you do already know the Green Party, you know that we love to see rising stars in our party, and that it doesn’t take long to jump into a leadership position and start enacting real change.

As you consider taking on a leadership role in the Green Party, I will leave you with a quote from one of my personal heroes, subject of the book Into the Wild, “Don’t hesitate or make excuses. Just get out and do it. You will be very, very glad that you did.” 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

GREEN PARTY OF PHILADELPHIA

News Release

For release: Monday, October 18, 2021

For more information please contact 

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570, [email protected] 

Green Party Supports Reparations Movement

The Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP, www.gpop.org) endorsed the March for Reparations on October 16 in Clark Park, University City, Philadelphia. This was not a difficult endorsement because the Green Party holds that the national problem of white supremacy can only be resolved through reparations.

From the Green Party point of view, reparations should be offered for three types of white supremacy: the forced slavery of kidnapped Africans beginning in the colonial era; the resulting violence and discrimination against citizens of color since the formal end of chattel slavery in 1865; and the continuing punishment of people of color by “the ideology of white supremacy which permeates our institutions today.” Those institutions include healthcare, housing, education, finances, law enforcement, employment and food distribution. As a result, the Green Party in 2018 endorsed the call for a National Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans (HR 40).

The March for Reparations on October 16 was sponsored nationally by the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, which held similar events in Oakland, CA; Saint Petersburg, FL; Saint Louis, MO; and Portland, OR. There were five demands made by the marchers: Philadelphia must provide housing for the homeless; Temple, Penn and Drexel Universities must pay reparations for their land-grabs from the community; Philadelphia must pay reparations for the 1985 bombing of Osage Avenue and the incarceration of the Move 9; the immediate release of Mumia Abu-Jamal; and Philadelphia must pay reparations for “mass incarceration, police murder, violence of poverty, hostile colonial schools, and a genocidal healthcare system.”

Chris Robinson, a member of the Green Party of Philadelphia from Ward 29 (Germantown) spoke at the rally following the march. Here is what Robinson said:

Uhuru! And thank you for inviting the Green Party to participate.

I was prepared to give the Green Party’s arguments in favor of reparations, but I believe that will not be necessary for your crowd. [Laughter]

Therefore, I will instead make a suggestion to you. Next year, the citizens of Philadelphia will elect 23 people to the PA House of Representatives. The Uhuru Solidarity Movement’s demand for reparations and the five local demands of today’s March for Reparations may all be found in the Green Party’s platform. Therefore, the Uhuru Solidarity Movement should consider asking the Green Party to nominate some of your members for State Representative on the Green Party ballot line. Just think of the publicity for both of our organizations if the mass media began to ask Democratic and Republican Party candidates for their statement about reparations!

Uhuru! 

The Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP, www.gpop.org) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPOP candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPOP, please follow GPOP on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyOfPhiladelphia/, 
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/green_party_of_philadelphia/ and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPHL. 

For more information, please see: 

“March for Reparations, October 16, 2021,” Uhuru Solidarity Movement, https://uhurusolidarity.org/march-for-reparations-2021/;  

Green Party Platform; II. Social Justice; A. Civil Rights & Equal Rights; Reparations for U.S. Afrodescendants, https://www.gp.org/social_justice#Reparations; and  

“Green Party endorses U.S. House Resolution on Reparations for the descendants of Africans enslaved in the U.S.,” Green Party of the U.S., February 14, 2018, news release, https://www.gp.org/greens_endorse_reparations. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Election day is quickly approaching us!

Kearni is in search of poll watchers for November 2nd to help ensure she has a campaign presence across the city.

Poll watchers will sign up for specific time slots and will be assigned one of the twenty polling places to cover.

While we cannot pay you for this service, Team Warren will provide free campaign t-shirts to all helpers!

Sign Up Here

Please reach out with any questions.

Thank you so much for your support this Fall - only a few more steps until this historic election!

Best,

David DeMarco
Campaign Manager
The People For Kearni
www.warren4chester.com
warren4chester.nationbuilder.com/donation

Lorianne Burgess for Mayor Of Ambridge, PA

For Immediate Release

Thursday, October 7, 2021

For More Information, Please Contact:
Lorianne Burgess, [email protected]  

The Green Party of Pennsylvania endorsed Lorianne Burgess for Mayor of Ambridge Boro, PA. Lorianne Burgess has carried on an active campaign. She will be on the ballot in Beaver County for Mayor of Ambridge Boro on Tuesday, November 2. 

Here are the answers which Lorianne Burgess gave to some voter questions:

1. -- How have you been involved in the Ambridge Boro community?
   A. Lorianne Burgess -- I am a widowed mother of two children, and I have lived in Ambridge my entire life. I graduated from Ambridge High School. I understand the struggles of the people in our community. I talk to so many of my fellow citizens every day, in my bakery and walking down the street. I believe that there is something beautiful on every single block of this amazing town. There are genuinely wonderful folks in every corner of this diverse, inspiring melting pot of a community that we have the supreme privilege to be a part of. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.
   
   

Following in the footsteps of my older family members, I have been involved in community groups, happily giving back to our town. I have been involved in Girl Scouts, CCBA, helping out when I’ve been able to. I own and run Stangl’s Bakery, which has been in my family for over 100 years. I have served as president of the Ambridge Area Chamber of Commerce, and I currently serve as president of Ambridge Crime Watch.

1. -- Why are you running for Mayor of Ambridge Boro?
   A. Lorianne Burgess -- For quite a long time, there has been a lack of energy and community presence, in the office of Ambridge Mayor. I know quite a few people that have never met an Ambridge mayor, which is someone that should be out, meeting folks, and the face of a community.

1. -- What sets you apart from the other candidates for Mayor?
2. Lorianne Burgess -- I view myself as a very socially liberal person. I believe in equality. I pride myself in being a very caring person, without being naive. I have earned the trust of many of the pillars of the Ambridge community. I am approachable for young and old alike. I am always working on my conflict resolution skills, and I really want to bring “being neighborly” back!

1. What is the largest challenge facing Ambridge, and how will you approach it?
   A. Lorianne Burgess -- I think we have two major issues that need to be worked on, both equally important. One is that we need to bridge the ˜trust gap” between the police department and the community. Some really good steps have been taken toward accomplishing this, but we still need to work on it. The officers need outlets to engage with youth and charitable organizations. The other issue that we must address is, of course, our drug epidemic, which goes hand in hand with the mental health epidemic. 

Q. -- What will be your top priorities as mayor?
A. Lorianne Burgess -- As mayor, I want to put a fresh face of hope on our town. I don’t think the town needs another get-off-my-lawn old white man, in the mayor’s office. As a business owner in Ambridge, I have seen some hard times. We have had to really hustle and be creative. I think that’s what Ambridge needs: creativity and determination. We have some positive momentum, and it needs to be fed. With the right energy Ambridge could definitely see more positive things happen in the years to come.

1. -- Why are you running for Mayor as a Green Party Candidate?
   A. Lorianne Burgess -- The transparency is one of the best parts of the Green Party for me. The Green Party is the party with the most accountability. There are no string-pullers. I owe no favors. Should you vote for your party, or for what you believe in? I can do both with total confidence.

You may follow Lorianne Burgess’ campaign for Mayor of Ambridge Boro, PA, right here, https://www.facebook.com/Lorianne4Mayor/  

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

For More Information, Please Contact:
David DeMarco, 610-809-6032 and [email protected] 

SEIU Healthcare PA Endorses Kearni Warren for Chester City Council 

On September 24, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Pennsylvania endorsed Green Party candidate Kearni Warren, who is running for Chester City Council. SEIU Healthcare PA said on Facebook, "Pennsylvania healthcare workers are proud to support Kearni Warren for Chester City Council At-Large. As a home care worker, union member, and leader in SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, Kearni will fight for caregivers, working families, and good union jobs." 

Cheryl Womack, home care worker and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania member, said, "I appreciate Kearni Warren and support her 100%! Her record of loyalty, dedication, sacrifice, and willingness to help others is impeccable. She is a phenomenal woman, and I know she will bring positive change to Chester."

As a candidate in the November 2 General Election, Kearni Warren has taken a strong stand for union rights and fighting for caregivers to be respected, protected, and paid what they deserve. 

Kearni Warren said, “Home care work has been ignored and shamed for many years. Domestic work including care work were left out of the early labor laws due to the workers being primarily women and those women were disproportionately women of color. Home care work has had bad stigmas attached to it. Many people look down upon caregivers because they have never had the honor of caring for someone who was unable to completely care for themselves and unless you care for someone, you don’t know the level of skill and the amount of mental and physical strength and stamina required to keep the people you care for alive. 

“This is why I believe Congress must pass the Better Care Better Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2210, House Bill 4131). The Better Care  Better Jobs Act will bring a long overdue and needed investment into the care economy.”  

In response to her endorsement by SEIU Healthcare PA, Kearni Warren said, "Thank you! I have been a home care worker for 20 years, and I have been a union member of SEIU Healthcare PA for seven years. SEIU has made my voice stronger. The union along with my union sisters and brothers gave me comfort and purpose last year during the onset of COVID and the racial reckoning that was taking place throughout the country as I was having a difficult time emotionally watching black bodies brutalized, murdered, and disabled by American police departments. Because of the support of SEIU, I became more involved and became a union leader and member lobbyist later moving into employee roles as a member political organizer and a member organizer. Fighting for the rights and dignity of caregivers is personal to me and I am grateful that SEIU Healthcare PA, Pennsylvania's largest and most powerful healthcare union has endorsed me."

Kearni Warren’s inclusion on the 2021 ballot marks the first time a Green Party candidate has challenged Chester’s Democratic Party. You can learn more about Kearni Warren’s Campaign at her website, www.warren4chester.com, or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/kearniwarrenforchester. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Green Party Opposes Fracking Brine on Rural PA Roads

The State Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) has agreed to oppose the spread of fracking brine on rural PA roads. Meeting virtually on September 18, more than 20 elected delegates from county Green Parties achieved consensus on a letter to the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) demanding a ban on use of such waste materials.

Falls Township Auditor Jay Sweeney of Wyoming County, had requested the Green Party to take such action. Sweeney said, “I submitted the request for GPPA to sign on to the letter demanding an end to the spread of radioactive frack wastewater on our PA roads because this industry continues to be the biggest threat to the environment of rural PA and worldwide. The Green Party holds environmental wisdom as one of its Four Green Pillars.”

“Fracking continues to be the biggest threat to the environment in my opinion,” continued Sweeney, “because it consumes vast quantities of water that cannot be returned to its natural state. It results in this dangerous radioactive wastewater that the fossil fuel industry cannot recycle or dispose of in a benign manner. They use dangerous disposal methods including deep well injection techniques to drive the water underground. This not only threatens our water table, but has also resulted in earthquakes. Using the wastewater for dust control and deicing of roads is another disposal method that introduces radiation and other dangerous elements into our environment. In addition, fracking results in the release of methane into the atmosphere, a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and climate change. Fracking needs to stop!” 

The letter to DEP had already been signed by more than 60 organizations which defend the environment. Sweeney said, “We must join with others who are taking a leadership role on these issues. I hope the Green Party establishes a relationship with these leaders so we can take more timely action with them when necessary.” 

“This new proposal to dispose of fracking waste products by spraying them all over PA's roads is just the latest outrageous step in the entirely unnecessary fracking process,” explained GPPA Co-chair Beth Scroggin of Chester County. “The Green Party has been against fracking since it was introduced by PA Governor Ed Rendell in 2008. Fracking is unsafe for the environment, people, and animals alike. There is absolutely no need for anyone to be devising new ways to use fossil fuels at this point. There are all sorts of ways in which the process of fracking can malfunction, causing chemicals to leak into the groundwater or pollute the air. Additionally, it needlessly depletes our supply of freshwater. The fracking industry has already taken a devastating toll on neighborhoods across PA, so that corporations can make more money.”

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For more information, please see:

“Sign the letter to DEP re: Road Spreading of Brine,” https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfywuN-6wKXEOW2Zwqy5dHmhIt2XtwlHxJ2AgiQaA8KRPk8yQ/viewform; 

“PA Greens Push for an End to Fracking” by Matt Nemeth, Green Party of PA News Release, October 4, 2020, https://www.gp.org/pa_greens_push_for_an_end_to_fracking; and 

“Pennsylvania and Fracking,” Global Energy Monitor, April 30, 2021, https://www.gem.wiki/Pennsylvania_and_fracking. 

END ITEM      ***     END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

• By Co-chair Beth Scroggin, Green Party of PA

PHILADELPHIA – Welcome to October, a month when our Pennsylvania fall foliage can astound us with its beauty, and when our Green Party electoral campaigns are in full swing! The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is proud to be running ten candidates in local elections and is eagerly anticipating running a full slate of candidates for state-wide positions next year. My fondest memories of my work in the Green Party are from when I have worked for local campaigns: collecting nomination signatures, introducing candidates to potential voters at fall festivals, and knocking on doors to hand out literature and talk to voters about their concerns.

Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 13, 2021

CONTACT:
GPPA Communication Team
Chris Robinson, [email protected]

The Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) is running five candidates, including Ward Allebach (Bradford Woods Borough Council), Connor Mulvaney (Pittsburgh City Council District 4), Steven Martinez (Dormont Borough Council), Jay T. Walker (Judge of Elections Ward 7, District 6, Pittsburgh), and Abigail “Abi” Hunter (Judge of Elections Ward 7, District 8, Pittsburgh). Ward Allebach recently shared with GPPA GREEN STAR, “I’ve been volunteering with the Bradford Woods Conservancy to make my community a better place since I moved to Bradford Woods 15 years ago. Running for Council seems like the next best step to continue this work.” Connor Mulvaney expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “Now we can dig in with our neighbors and outwork an incumbent who thinks elections can be bought and sold. I’m really excited to keep listening to my neighbors and keep building our movement for change in Pittsburgh City Council!"

In Beaver County, also in western PA, the Green Party has candidate Lorianne Burgess running for Mayor of Ambridge Borough. I applaud the energy and excitement in western Pennsylvania and wish all Green Party candidates the very best!

Berks County Green Party here in eastern PA where I live, has two candidates running for office, including Matthew Reitenauer (Brandywine Heights School Board) and Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva (Judge of Elections, Ward 15, District 6, City of Reading).

Former chair of GPPA and 2018 Green Party candidate for PA Auditor General, Jay Sweeney is running for re-election as Falls Township Auditor in Wyoming County.

Last, but certainly not least, the Green Party is proud to have Kearni Warren running for Chester City Council in Delaware County. On her campaign page, Kearni recently shared, “It is time to reclaim and reframe Chester, PA. We walk the same streets that MLK did. We share the same activism, fire and spirit because we know what greatness comes out of Chester. From the arts to business, Chester has some of the most amazing potential. I’m proud to say I’m Chester Made. And this is what I live and fight for. This is my passion, the community. You are my passion.”

The Green Party is truly fortunate to have candidates with such dedication and integrity running for office. If you find that one of our Green candidates is campaigning near you, and if you share their passion for the Green Party’s four pillars of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and nonviolence, I encourage you to join their campaign and to relish the unique feeling of inspiration that comes from working for a candidate who represents your values.

If you would like to see Green Party values represented in your town, in our state, and in the conversation surrounding election season, we implore you to consider running for office as a Green Party candidate in 2022. You may run locally for the PA General Assembly or for a state-wide office, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or U.S. Senator. Running strong candidates is the most important work of the Green Party. I am grateful for all who have run with us and am eager for you to join us.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Henry Conoly for Congress
www.facebook.com/henryc4ushouse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 27

For More Information:
Henry Conoly, [email protected]

On Thursday, August 26, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) eviction moratorium and put millions of people at risk of being forced to the streets. This is happening at a time when a surge in COVID cases is occurring, and people are still yearning for a thriving wage that doesn't require them to spend a majority of their time at their workplace. It is clear that the theatrics from the squad in sleeping on the steps of the capitol did nothing more than gather the spotlight of the media and a chance to generate energy behind reelection hopes. What is even clearer is that the U.S. House and Senate must immediately gather in their respective chambers and begin to ensure that millions don't end up on the streets.

In their Ecosocialist Green New Deal, 2020 Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins and Vice Presidential Candidate Angela Walker laid out the grounds for ending homelessness in this nation. In their Green New Deal they called for both universal rent control and public housing in walkable communities. This plan is one which my campaign for U.S. House in PA's District 1 supports completely. In order for it to happen, we cannot have the largest homeless crisis in the history of our country come before it. That is why it is important that those currently in power act now.

Congress could reconvene and begin to work with the President to overturn and block the Supreme Court's ruling on the eviction moratorium. This would secure the homes that millions of people need during this dangerous moment in the pandemic. This is a moment that will require both the legislative and executive branches to put the people above their corporate donors, potentially damaging their re-election efforts but also protecting the most vulnerable in our nation.

If Congress fails to reconvene and begin working to ensure that millions don't end up on the streets, it should serve to the people of this nation as further proof of why we need new people, not beholden to corporate donors in Washington, DC. This failure, coupled with the many other notable failures of the oligarchy, serves as proof that the system is broken and not designed to help the people that elect those in power.

My campaign stands firm in our support for the worker, the renter, and those in this nation that want better. I said during the theatrics of sleeping on the capitol steps that if I was elected to the U.S. House I would have used my position to bully everyone back to Washington to take tangible action. I believe that being elected to office isn't about publicity but rather about risking everything to protect not only those that elected you but everyone else. I believe that being elected to office requires you to risk everything to help people you never met. I believe that housing is a human right, and I believe that any eviction is a violation of human rights. Evictions during a pandemic are even more egregious. Congress must take action now. 

By Co-chair Tina Olson, Green Party of Pennsylvania

Across Pennsylvania, this time of year begins a season for parents and teachers preparing for opening schools; dusting off iPads, lacing up new sneakers, and fulfilling the wishes of those toothless first-grader grins and whims. This year is the second year parents are faced with the uncertainty of COVID variants and supply lists for class requirements that can be economically overwhelming in this unprecedented time of scrimping and scraping. The online parent-portals are open, the animal crackers are packed, but the uncertainty of COVID variants looms over each of us as we prepare for the worst. We may be masked, but our common stressors are not hiding, our familiar struggles can not be sanitized.

"I'm gonna raise a fuss, I'm gonna raise a holler…"

What begs to be questioned is how do we go into this school year while the inequality of our different school districts continues to fail struggling families, but more importantly fails to recognize that in higher populated schools, the grim reality is overall unequal. Families with the means to adorn their kids with designer toddler-wear set a precedence of privilege that perpetuates the distinction of class struggle. Kids from rich school districts don't worry like the kids attending schools that barely keep the lights on and their lunch trays full.

It should come as no surprise that the bigger the school district the more likely parents feel they have no control. Enormous school districts like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can't compete with school districts like Radnor, which are 70% white and naturally have smaller schools with more individual attention. We know that many variables contribute to whether or not a student thrives, yet society fails to reflect the solutions in its misguided votes.

"...About working all Summer, just a-trying to earn a dollar…"

Better representation means the likelihood of better communication and making tough decisions to close in-person learning if a particular area spikes in COVID cases, or the opposite in areas with fewer cases. This is what we should have learned nearly two years ago: blanket closings hurt the relationship between the government and its citizens, while remaining open where we ought not will increase the mortality rate.

There is no Blue or Red Team, and there are no Covidiots, just people trying to carve out a living with misinformation flowing in two directions into two Blue and Red color-coded coffers. We are only people looking for our representatives to be vigilant, to protect our livelihoods and the lives of those most vulnerable from morbid outcomes of COVID-19. Additionally, we are all just trying to navigate our way through a for-profit Democracy that puts a paycheck above the people who have hired them to just do the bare minimum of curating a fair system for survival.

The recent arguments in Harrisburg from abortion rights to auditing past elections, these dispassionate and self-absorbed distractions that our representatives have to offer, leave a blank chalkboard where solutions should be sketched out. The growing inequalities as a result of the pandemic economy are resonating within a majority of our residents; from tenant disputes and displaced workers trying to find new jobs that offer a livable wage, to kids growing up in a climate of dystopian reality of burning forests and flaming faucets as a result of fracking profiteers.

"Sometimes I wonder what Imma gonna do…"

We need our representatives to stay focused on a sustainable directive. Take this crisis in this new century and crumpling infrastructure as a sign that hierarchical and centralized wealth-down capitalism will not save us or our planet.

As an alternative, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) calls for fully-funded schools at a hyper-local level. We believe that schools should remain democratic without the influence of private enterprise. What this means for the Age of COVID, is the increase of power over those who would rather choose to be reckless with our children's lives versus staying vigilant in the fight for better days during a continuing global pandemic.

In general, we know that class size and school size are crucial in a child's development, that better teacher-to-student ratios can strengthen the resolve, and that privatized alternatives have failed to fulfill the prime directive of educating kids moving towards a more complicated future. We simply need more time to teach students. This is why there should be no argument in expanding education to include an associate and baccalaureate education.

GPPA also demands that the minimum wage be no less than $15/hour while realistic wages should be $20/hour and more. We demand that healthcare be provided by public funds for all residents. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's that we need Healthcare for All and more incentives for students of all ages to enter the professional healthcare and teaching fields.

"There ain't no cure for the summertime blues."

This is why building the Green Party needs to focus on local elections. This year we have 10 candidates running for positions from mayor to school board members to city council who need your immediate support. Moving towards the 2022 elections, all of the PA Representatives and half of our State Senators are up for re-election. The Gubernatorial race is crucial in all of this. Collectively, the Green Party needs more members to build power in order to push the initiatives for a more equitable system. Please consider the advantage of running for office or becoming involved in local Green Party electoral campaigns. A win for Greens would be a win for so many lives of people you could affect.

While there ain't no cure for the summertime blues, there is a cure for the COVID-19 blues. Once again, the answer starts from within ourselves. The duty of each person is to recognize the need for fully-funded mutual aid and a fully-functioning representative democracy in every neighborhood, in every school district, and in every elected office in our country.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party's Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook,  Instagram,  and Twitter.

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

For More Information, Please Contact:
David DeMarco, 610-809-6032 and [email protected] 

Kearni Warren Makes History in Race for Chester City Council

Chester’s First Green Party Challenger

Chester, PA – Chester resident, community activist, and union member Kearni Warren is officially on the ballot in this Fall’s showdown for Chester City Council. She is the first minor party candidate to ever challenge the Democratic regime.

“I am extremely excited to enter this race as the grassroots voice of our community,” Ms. Warren said. “Chester is my home, and it has been for generations. I grew up in the Ruth L. Bennett Homes with my mother, Rev. Bernice Warren, who instilled in me the values of a true Chester leader: respect, dignity, and most of all, truth. I am launching this campaign to restore Chester’s leadership to these values.”

Kearni Warren is a strong advocate for local education, herself graduating from Eastern University’s Business Administration program, which aided her first entrepreneurial venture as a consultant. When her grandfather fell ill in 2001, Ms. Warren returned home to Chester to work full-time as a family caregiver, which was the start of her 20 year commitment to caregiving.  During her time as a unionized caregiver, she has worked as a member political organizer and lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania (SEIUHCPA) and United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania. She is an author, speaker, environmental and racial equity activist and is currently a member of the Emerge PA class of 2021.

In her platform, Kearni Warren takes aim at financial de-development, corruption, and environmental injustice. “For too long, Chester’s leadership has not been held accountable. For nearly all of the 20th Century, we had a Republican political machine that drained our city’s federal aid programs and invited waste industries to litter our waterfront.” Ms. Warren stated. “And now, in the 21st Century, we have a constant flow of Democratic council members who can’t even get the trash picked up on time, let alone address Chester’s severe social, environmental, and financial pitfalls.”

Kearni Warren shared one direct message to her neighbors: “Chester residents, Upon my election this Fall, I will work tirelessly to resolve the problems that face us day-to-day. I will focus on developing our waterfront for locally-owned businesses, revitalizing our infrastructure, and ending waste incineration in our city.”

Ms. Warren’s inclusion on the ballot this Fall marks the first time a Green Party candidate has challenged Chester’s Democratic Party. You can learn more about Kearni Warren’s Campaign at her website, www.warren4chester.com, or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/kearniwarrenforchester. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

For More Information:

Henry Conoly

215-853-4875 and [email protected] 

Green Party Candidate for Congress, PA District 1, says, “End war and welcome refugees”

For 40 plus years, direct and indirect military action in Afghanistan has led to a destabilization of a country which once valued and respected human rights and liberties. The U.S. funding of and training of the Mujahideen, later known as the Taliban, created a situation where the need to care for refugees and victims of our military occupation would be inevitable. 

Our withdrawal from Afghanistan was long overdue and should have been done 20 years ago. It is now the responsibility of the United States to provide safe refuge for all people seeking to flee Afghanistan. Providing a place of safety to those who are the victims of the destabilization of Afghanistan is not a partisan issue, it is a humanitarian issue. This humanitarian issue would have occurred following the Trump Administration’s May deadline or the Biden Administration’s deadline. 

This situation should also prove to us why we must end all U.S. foreign combat, close foreign bases and bring troops and U.S. military equipment back to the United States. My campaign for the US House in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District is committed to working to make these needed actions a reality. 

Once we bring our troops and equipment home, we can begin to address the bloated size of our military. The Pentagon budget in the United States far exceeds what is needed to provide defense against attacks on our homeland. Funding clandestine operations in nations, such as the operations which armed and trained the Taliban, do not make our country or the world a safer place. I believe that diplomacy and coordination with our global community will ultimately do more to make the world a safer place than any recent US operation.

Lastly, Congress must immediately end the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 (AUMF) that was authorized in response to 9/11. The AUMF has allowed four different presidents to control the power to wage war in direct violation of the Constitution's mandate on how war is authorized. We will only be able to end the disaster that has been the global war on terrorism when the AUMF is also struck down, not amended. 

END ITEM      ***     END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
           

Ranked Choice Voting and Proportional Representation.

Equitable Recognition of All Political Parties.

Equitable Ballot Access.

Publicly-Funded Elections.

End Publicly-Funded Primaries.

Automatic Mail-In Ballots and Same Day Registration.

PA Greens to March for Medicare For All

The Steering Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) is pleased to announce that it has endorsed the #M4M4ALL | Marches (https://m4m4all.org/) which will take place on Saturday, July 24. Many members of the Green Party will participate in this nationwide march to rally for the cause of universal health.

This grassroots organization and volunteer-run march will take place in more than 50 cities including Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. What started as a few Tweets became a new movement. The snowball effect has produced some very last-minute leaps of an effort to stand up and be heard by elected representatives, who have put this issue on the back burner. Well-known activists like Susan Sarandon, former presidential candidate Marrianne Williamson, and Chris Smalls (who famously took on Amazon) are among the many speakers who have been added across the country. Pennsylvania Greens Ed Grystar and Claire Cohen will be speaking in Pittsburgh. Barry Lawhorne (AKA Paleh0rse on Twitter) will be speaking in Philadelphia.

GPPA is mobilizing for single-payer healthcare in Pennsylvania. For more than 20 years, Greens have been active in our communities raising awareness of the tragedies of not having real access to medical care. Greens stand with our progressive neighbors, who know the best path forward is to fully fund real access to healthcare, provide decent wages for nurses, and erase medical debt.

For more details please visit: #M4M4ALL | Marches (https://m4m4all.org/). In Pittsburgh, https://www.mobilize.us/marchformedicareforallm4m4all-1/event/401956/, the march will begin at 10:00 AM at Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh. In Philadelphia, https://www.mobilize.us/marchformedicareforallm4m4all-1/event/401966/, the march will begin at 4:00 PM at Philadelphia City Hall, 1400 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity.

For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and

Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For More Information:

PA Green Party Demands Single-Payer Healthcare By Carl J. Romanelli, Green Party of Pennsylvania news release, March 6, 2021, https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_demands_single_payer_healthcare;

Green Party of PA Platform, IV Single-Payer Universal Healthcare – No more, No less, https://www.gpofpa.org/platform;

Green Party of the U.S. Platform, II Social Justice, F Healthcare, https://www.gp.org/social_justice/#sjHealthCare; and

Medicare for All as a Community-Controlled National Health Service, Howie Hawkins Green for President, November 1, 2019, https://howiehawkins.us/the-hawkins-healthcare-plan-medicare-for-all-as-a-community-controlled-national-health-service/.

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

PA Green Reflects on Summer Travel

By Beth Scroggin, Co-chair of Green Party of Pennsylvania. 

As we progress into August, I find myself reflecting on how this summer has brought awareness of political issues we face, and how the Green Party has always been on the right side of history.  Nearly every summer of my adult life, I have traveled to a different place in the U.S. or Canada and have sought to experience all that nature has to offer.  My travels have all reinforced my sense of urgency when it comes to protecting our environment, and have highlighted the importance of one of the Green Party’s four pillars:  Ecological Wisdom.  

In addition to drawing my attention to our environment, my travels this year have also made evident our collapsing economy.  While visiting Ocean City, MD, I was struck by how many stores were closed due to staff shortages.  While conservatives love to complain that “nobody wants to work anymore,” the reality is that fewer people are willing or able to work jobs with unreliable hours, no room for advancement, poverty wages, and inadequate or nonexistent benefits.  Now more than ever, we must also draw our attention to the Green Party’s pillar of Social Justice and run candidates who are willing to fight for it.  Although so many people had hoped that we could stop worrying about politics in 2021, we are all reaching a point at which our unstable environment and economy can no longer be ignored.

With absurdly high record-breaking temperatures this summer in the Pacific Northwest, a frighteningly lengthy and intense fire season on the West Coast, and increasing frequency of violent storms and odd conditions like the record wet-bulb temperature here in the East, we are all beginning to feel the impact of climate change.  The Green Party of the U.S. (www.gp.org) has called for President Biden to commit the U.S. to a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as well as to formally declare a climate emergency, embrace a robust carbon tax, and increase U.S. funding for the climate mitigation fund for developing countries.  

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the president’s climate goals fall far short of what is necessary.  Most of the President’s recent $579 billion infrastructure package expanded fossil fuel infrastructure, while omitting investments in green energy jobs, funds to combat the climate crisis, and programs to support energy efficiency for buildings.  In contrast, the Green Party has been calling for an Ecosocialist Green New Deal in the U.S. since 2010.  Recently, our Eco-Action Committee has called for Congress to pass a $4.1 trillion per year green economic stimulus for the next ten years to create 30 million jobs and to accelerate our transition to 100% renewable energy.

Both the media and employers alike have noticed the impact of our global worker shortage, and the resultant unpredictable shortages of certain products (currently, chicken wings).  Recent economic stimulus packages related to Covid-19 as well as expansion of unemployment benefits have caused workers to reconsider working jobs that do not compensate fairly.  In response, we can see fast food companies, grocery stores, and gas stations heavily advertising increased starting salaries and benefits.  The recently released Executive Paywatch reveals that the average S&P 500 company CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 299-to-1, with the worst offender, Amazon’s, ratio being 741-to-1.  

Unless legislation is passed to increase taxes on corporations and billionaires, we will never see workers being paid fairly.  Of course, with those corporations and billionaires funding politicians’ campaigns in the two major parties, we will never see such legislation passed if we continue to elect candidates from the corporate parties.  Because the Green Party does not accept corporate funding, our candidates are beholden only to the people they serve.  The Green Party Platform advocates for living wages for all workers, the reinvestment of military funding into family support, tax incentives for businesses paying living wages, and “income tax policies that restrict the accumulation of excessive individual wealth.”

This month, I encourage all readers to enjoy what remains of your summer and to look for ways you can support local Green Party candidates who will fight for the changes we need both economically and environmentally.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For More Information: 

“The Four Pillars,” Green Party of the U.S., https://www.gp.org/the_four_pillars; 

“Green Party Decries Biden’s Retreat on Climate in Infrastructure Stimulus, Line 3 Pipeline,” Green Party of the U.S., news release on June 29, 2021, https://www.gp.org/green_party_decries_biden_retreat_on_climate_in_infrastructure_stimulus_line_3_pipeline; 

“June 2021 News from the EcoAction Committee,” Green Party of the U.S., June 21, 2021, https://www.gp.org/june_2021_news_from_the_ecoaction_committee; and 

“Executive Paywatch,” AFL-CIO, 2021, https://aflcio.org/executive-paywatch. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, July 19, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

PA Green Party Remembers Mort Malkin (1932 -- 2021)

“As Co-Chair of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org), I was saddened to learn of Mort Malkin’s passing,” said Beth Scroggin (Chester). “Although I did not have the opportunity to meet Mort, I am grateful for the work that he had done over many years to ensure that the Green Party was available to me when I wanted to join. Mort spent his life working toward a better future for people and for the planet we inhabit. May his example inspire all of us to work today for people who have yet to join our cause.”

Beverly Beers, chair of Wayne County Green Party, said sorrowfully: "I received news that Mort Malkin of the Wayne County Greens passed away today, July 11. Mort was a peace activist, writer and fitness guru. He was the author of several books. His most recent was Homo Sapiens: A Violent Gene? (Pisgah Press LLC), in which he argued that human evolution and survival depended on cooperation and peace not violence and war. Mort was a mainstay of our Green Party. Members of the Green Party often lamented our lack of power in the face of the two behemoths which rule our political system. Mort never ever did."

"Mort approached every issue with the absolute conviction that our platform could be accomplished and that the world could live in peace," continued Beers. "He attended our June meeting and spoke of his concern about nuclear war. His main message was to get out info about the 800 U.S. military bases located around the world. Mort had recently written a letter-to-the-editor for The River Reporter on this issue. Mort wore his Green Party button with pride. He will be greatly missed."

__________

River Reporter, Letter to Editor, May 27, 2021
Nuclear weapons and military budgets

   The recent Green Party Presidential candidate, Howie Hawkins, recently sent a message to the American people. He urged us to join the 54 nations that signed and ratified the Treaty to Ban Nuclear, pledge no first use of nuclear weapons and reduce the U.S.’ military budget by 75 percent.

   Here are some other numbers: 32 nations, including the U.S., oppose the UN Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons. Currently, there are 13,400 nuclear weapons in arsenals. A great majority of Americans support the UN Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons. They also support a no-first-use pledge. Regarding the U.S.’ military budget, there are more than 800 U.S. military bases in other countries. The money to maintain them there is a significant part of the military budget.

   Let us write, email and call our elected Congress-people and tell them what we think.

Mort Malkin, Milanville, PA

__________

Jay Sweeney, GPPA 2018 candidate for PA Auditor General, also reminisced about Mort Malkin’s passing. "That is sad news! Mort was a retired doctor when I met him. He was a prolific writer. His interests were many and diverse. I am fortunate to have counted Mort as a friend. He taught me some of the mechanics of aerobic walking and offered to do one of his 100-mile walks in support of my campaign for PA State Senate.”

“Mort and I travelled to a Sierra Club meeting one time,” continued Sweeney. “He got the crowd up in arms by claiming that war is the biggest environmental threat. They didn’t agree. Mort also antagonized the Northeastern Sierra Club group when he used the term “global heating” about ten years ago. They thought his speech was too radical. Mort was brilliant and gifted beyond compare. His intellect and vision were astute. Mort will be sorely missed by his family, friends and community.”

________________ 

River Reporter, Poetry From Our Readers, April 15, 2020

Viruses

By Mort Malkin.

Very microscopic they are,
and barely a life form, but we
higher beings can’t match them for
virility. Homo sapien
does well though, large scale, as we’ve shown
at Hiroshima.  Then, we may
compete in the contagion game
with our entry:  ICBMs.
__________

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For More Information: 

Homo Sapiens: A Violent Gene? by Mort Malkin, Pisgah Press, 2021, https://pisgahpress.com/product/homo-sapiens-a-violent-gene/.
“Nuclear weapons and military budgets” by Mort Malkin, Letter to Editor, River Reporter, May 27, 2021, https://riverreporter.com/stories/nuclear-weapons-and-military-budgets-and-more,44560;
“Viruses” by Mort Malkin, Poetry From Our Readers, River Reporter, April 15, 2020, https://riverreporter.com/stories/the-masks-we-wore-and-more,36941; and
“The Gadfly,” a column by Mort Malkin, River Reporter, https://riverreporter.com/the-gadfly/. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

Pittsburgh Green Party joins Stop the Station

Stop the Station is a coalition of local activist groups fighting for police accountability in the city of Pittsburgh, PA. It was initially formed in the summer of 2020 to fight the relocation of the Zone 5 Police Station to East Liberty at a cost of $3 million. There was a backlash from the community to the project and to the city’s lying that the decision was by popular demand. Since then, Stop the Station has gained much support and momentum. The Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC, https://www.alleghenygreens.org/) is a member of Stop the Station’s Community Control Coalition. 

Riley Mahon, a Green Party activist, says, “Stop the Station has increased the scope of its demands, including an immediate halt to all police-related capital budget projects pending community review. It also supported the recent direct ballot initiatives in Pittsburgh to enforce Breonna’s Law and expand the power of the Civilian Police Review Board. Stop the Station now additionally pushes for a 50% decrease in police funding, which would essentially bring the police budget back to levels prior to the current city administration. The cut funding should be redirected towards democratically owned housing and social service.” For more information about Stop the Station, please visit https://stopthestationpgh.com/. 

Perhaps most notable is the recently launched Community Control of the Police campaign, another push for a direct ballot referendum. The referendum will be whether or not to implement a piece of legislation, written by Congressional candidate and law professor Jerry Dickinson and a group of his students, to replace the current appointed and toothless civilian police review board. This legislation would create a new, independent, democratically elected board with the power to hire, fire, subpoena and otherwise discipline the police as well as control their budget. Essentially, the new body would function very similarly to the school board, but for the police department.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/;
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

CONTACT:

GPPA Communication Team

Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]

or

Tina Olson, [email protected] 

Green Party Women Respond to PA Attack on Reproductive Rights

Since the beginning of Covid, the “Don’t Tread on Me” patriots have joked about masks, “Keep your laws off my body.” This bait-and-switch of a hijacked slogan took a turn for the worse on May 25 as a PA House committee passed three bills to legislate and incriminate people with uteruses. The offensive bills are, the Unborn Child Dignity Legislation (HB 118); the Heartbeat Bill (HB 904); and the Down Syndrome Protection Bill (HB 1500). Women of the Green Party responded in solidarity with protecting women’s right to choose.

Co-Chair of the Green Party of the U.S. Kristin Combs (Philadelphia) said, “I've grown to expect that even our most progressive state legislators only provide a levee between us and a dystopian future, but for three bills targeting reproductive rights to pass in one day is an extraordinarily reckless display of neglect.” 

Co-chair of the Green Party of PA (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) Tina Olson (Lehigh Valley) said, “The Green Party stands with a person’s right to choose whether or not to sustain a pregnancy. In fact, we encourage our representatives to push past the patriarchy and to fund free birth control which would reduce unintended pregnancies. Unintended pregnancies and medically harmful pregnancies should not be forced to term. Doing so increases maternal morbidity, the overall well-being and balance of self determination.”

“While all women deserve access to safe, healthy abortions regardless of reason, legislators who write and vote for bills such as these fail to account for the multitude of reasons why women choose, or in some cases require, abortions,” explained GPPA Co-chair Beth Scroggin (Chester). “They do not recognize the 14-year-old who is pregnant by her own father, the widowed mother of four who works day and night to support the children she already has and cannot accommodate another, or the woman who desperately wants a baby but has discovered her current pregnancy endangers her life.  Between one-in-three and one-in-four women has an abortion at some point in her life, each with her own reason.  Our politicians need to work for ALL of us.” 

While the media has been keen to keep us informed about the dickering between both major parties, they fail to use their power of sensational outrage when it comes to a true attempt to inhibit and prosecute people who become pregnant. Criminalizing medical procedures like terminating a pregnancy affects the health and welfare of an unfathomable amount of Pennsylvanians. 

“I think the anti-abortion bills are horrendous considering how the same people pushing for these bills aren't willing to support women after childbirth and also aren't willing to make family planning tools like contraceptives more accessible and affordable,” said GPPA member Whitney Mariah Turnbull-Huggins (Lancaster). “It also hurts women who don't actually want abortions, but need them due to medical emergencies.” 

Olivia Faison, Green Party 2020 candidate for PA Auditor General, pulled no punches on this topic, “What kind of governance have we foolishly voted for? Apparently, we have one that seizes the opportunity to kick its female population down even as we are all suffering with this pandemic.”

Olson agreed, saying, “The impact of Covid-19 on mothers and women has already negatively shifted our society’s progress towards a more equitable workforce. The disproportionate effect on people who are in their childbearing years and how this will play out in the future workforce is unknown. Mothers are still expected to be the primary caregivers and are often the secondary and lesser income earners. The expectations of having a successful career and being the perfect parent is only adding to pandemic maternal anxiety.” 

“Punish, Punish, Punish!!” continued Faison, “Is that the only remedy that the government has? Why on earth would an elected lawmaker want to pass legislation that would ruin the lives of a family, and punish a woman to a life sentence for deciding what she wishes to do with HER OWN BODY? What a miserable and hateful thing to propose.  Let's be fair and ask ourselves what would happen if that same life sentence were imposed on the men who wanted to have vasectomies on THEIR OWN BODIES?”

Olson concluded, “With both major parties in PA playing tit-for-tat -- like a never-ending game of table tennis where both sides are rewarded with millions of taxpayer dollars -- it’s increasingly difficult to be confident that any of our rights are safe. With mediocre responses by Democrats whose only solution is to fill their coffers at every turn while sliding further into the authoritarian and regressive policies that target the vulnerable among us, it’s become increasingly obvious that each of us needs to assess where we can affect change. If you are as worried as I am, please find a way to get involved. Moving forward, think about becoming a candidate, work on an electoral campaign, to flip our houses GREEN in 2022. 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/ and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For more information please see:

House Bill 118, An Act providing for the final disposition of fetal remains; and imposing penalties.

House Bill 904, An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in abortion, further providing for legislative intent, providing for fetal heartbeat examination, further providing for medical consultation and judgment, for abortion on unborn child of 24 or more weeks gestational age and for reporting.

House Bill 1500, Known as the Down Syndrome Protection Bill.

“Planned Parenthood Keystone Joins 19 PA Organizations To Issue Statement on Anti-Abortion Bills, May 25, 2021, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-keystone/who-we-are/newsroom/pa-sexual-and-reproductive-health-advocates-statement-on-anti-abortion-bills. 

“COVID-19 recession is tougher on women,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2020, https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2020/beyond-bls/covid-19-recession-is-tougher-on-women.htm. 

“Stress and Anxiety Levels in Pregnant and Postpartum Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, December 17, 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7766953/. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM

 Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

CONTACT:
GPPA Communication Team
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]
or
Tina Olson, [email protected] 

PA Green Party Denounces Israeli Violence  

In response to the Israeli killing spree in the Gaza Strip, many Green Party activists came forward to stand with Palestinians in their continued struggle for the right to exist. Members of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org)  joined in pro-Palestinian rallies that were held throughout the state on May 15. The Green Party joined other activist organizations such as Black Lives Matter; Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Coalition; Drexel Students for Justice in Palestine; New Afrikan Independence Party; Pittsburgh Anti-Imperialist League; and Jewish Voice for Peace, in solidarity to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Reports of Palestinian civilian casualties were flooding in from major media outlets and social media. The continuous bombing and arbitrary slaughter of civilians had been carried out by Israel since May 7. On the 73rd anniversary of Nakba Day, May 15, one such airstrike was aimed at the media itself, the high-rise building in Gaza housing the offices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Associated Press (AP) and Al Jazeera. 

Chris Robinson, a  member of the Green Party of Philadelphia, attended the rally there and described the following scene, “Support for the liberation of Palestine was vigorous in Philadelphia. More than 800 people paraded from Rittenhouse Square, chanting militant slogans and singing liberation songs. People understand that Israeli apartheid has lasted too long. It is our job to explain this to the U.S. corporate duopoly.” 

“One of the Ten Key Values of the Green Party calls for nonviolent methods of resolving conflicts while respecting the right for people to defend themselves,” explained GPPA Co-chair Tina Olson (Hellertown). “In particular, the decades-long conflict in the Israeli-Palestine region has been unfairly financed and supported by countries like the U.S. From the Green Party Platform we learn, ‘Our Green values oblige us to support popular movements for peace and demilitarization in Israel-Palestine, especially those that reach across the lines of conflict to engage both Palestinians and Israelis of good will.’”

Connor Mulvaney, 2021 Green Party candidate for Pittsburgh City Council, expressed his support for the Palestinian peoples’ plight, "An end to all hostilities is not possible until the oppressor-oppressed system the Israeli government uses to subjugate Palestinian Arabs ceases. Our campaign stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and supports the movement for the U.S. to boycott, divest, and sanction the Israeli government." 

“As activists protest and petition against the inhumane treatment of Palestinians, the Biden Administration continues to evade confronting the cries for change in U.S. policy backing Israel’s criminal overreach,” continued Olson. “Additionally, it has not taken any measures to reverse the policies that former president Donald Trump enacted. The bloated funding for the Pentagon is astronomical. Then add another $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, and it’s clear that the war hawks in DC are once again profiting from misery. There are no real divisions between the two corporate parties when it comes to the oppression of people for profit. Their lack of interest in helping to change the tide of the conflict by weighing the situation with some conscience also reminds us that when then-candidate Joe Biden said, ‘Nothing will fundamentally change,’ he meant it.”

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/,
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/ and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA

For more information please see:

“We Stand in Solidarity with the Palestinian People,” news release, Green Party of California, May 16, 2021, https://www.gp.org/solidarity_with_the_people_of_palestine; 

“One Secular, Democratic State for Palestinians and Israelis,” Green Party of the U.S. Platform, March 28, 2019, https://www.gp.org/israel_palestine; 

“Why Does the Green Party in the U.S. Support the Palestinians’ Right of Return?” Green Party of the U.S. International Committee, undated, https://gpus.org/why-does-the-green-party-in-the-u-s-support-palestinians-right-of-return/; 

In the photo: Emily De Ferrari, Green Party of Allegheny County, speaks during the Solidarity with Palestine rally in Pittsburgh on May 15. Photo credit: Matt Nemeth, Allegheny Greens. 

END ITEM      ***      END ITEM      ***      END ITEM 

 Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, May 16, 2021

CONTACT:
GPPA Communication Team
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]
or
Tina Olson, [email protected] 

PA Green Party Immigrant Rights Update

By Jenny Isaacs

Since 2019, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) has been on record calling for the closing of the Berks County Detention Center. Many people were shocked to learn that Berks had been housing immigrant families (including children) since 2014. They were unaware that family detention and mass deportation as tools of immigration enforcement did not originate with the Trump administration.

As of February 27, there are no more families and children being detained at Berks. HURRAY!!! Unfortunately, Berks County Commissioners are not being very transparent about whether or not their contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will continue. On March 26, Make the Road PA and the Sheller Center for Social Justice at Temple University Law School filed suit against the commissioners demanding that they publicly explain and discuss their negotiations with ICE and share relevant materials with the public. This would not stop Berks County from contracting again with ICE. So the fight continues to end reliance on detention and deportation as tools of immigration enforcement.  

The statewide fight for driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants is building power in 2021.  A bill in Harrisburg, HB 279, would allow all PA residents to secure a standard driver's license and ensure data privacy for all drivers in the commonwealth.  For more information on this crucial fight for workers and for the human right to mobility contact Driving PA Forward. Please contact your state Representative and urge their support. 

Shut Down Berks recently joined a national newly-founded coalition, the Family Liberation Abolitionist Network, calling for a permanent end to all family detention.  With Detention Watch and many other organizations across the country, they celebrated on April 29 when Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Freedom for Families Act (HR 53) into Congress to ensure "that no child or family is threatened by detention, separation, or emotional trauma because they are seeking safety in America."

Concerned citizens may help by urging their Congressional representatives to co-sponsor and support the Freedom for Families Act (HR 53), and if they want to help "Melt ICE in PA" they may contact Shut Down Berks.  

I am proud to announce that Immigrant Rights Action, the grassroots group I helped found in Doylestown in 2017, received Department of Justice recognition in May 2021 as a recognized nonprofit legal immigration services provider. We are the first and only provider in Bucks County. This will be an important expansion of our ability to uphold the rights of all immigrants regardless of status.

Jenny Isaacs was chair of Bucks County Green Party and leader of the Green Party of Pennsylvania Green Wave Team (2017—2019). 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/,
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/ and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA

For more information please see:

“Berks detention center is now empty, but will it stay that way?” by Jeff Gammage, Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2, 2021, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/berks-detention-center-is-now-empty-but-will-it-stay-that-way/ar-BB1e9ZK5;

“PA Green Party Says, ‘Shut Down Berks Detention Center, NOW !’” Green Party of Pennsylvania News Release, June 11, 2019, https://www.gp.org/shut_down_berks_detention_center;

Driving PA Forward, http://drivingpaforward.org/;

Shut Down Berks Coalition, http://paimmigrant.org/campaign-to-shut-down-berks/. To join their email list, https://www.facebook.com/ShutDownBerksCoalition/app/100265896690345/ and

Immigrant Rights Action of Doylestown, https://immigrantrightsaction.org/

END ITEM 

Green Party of Pennsylvania 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 13, 2021

CONTACT:
GPPA Communication Team
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and [email protected]
or
Tina Olson, [email protected] 

Walk For Our Grandchildren and Mother Earth, June 20 -- June 28

By Michael Bagdes-Canning.        

Like you and all my Green friends, I know that climate change is endangering all future generations, and I am part of a team organizing a major action in June to challenge this outcome, the Walk For Our Grandchildren and Mother Earth.  I hope you will consider walking with us. This isn’t just any stroll. We aim to pressure President Biden and his administration to do everything in their power to end fossil fuel extraction and burning, the making of nerdles for the dead-end plastic industry. We want them to transition immediately to renewables, especially wind and solar, energy efficiency and battery storage. We aim to take the fight directly to Biden – the march will start in Scranton, PA, the birthplace of “Scrappy Joe” and end in Wilmington, DE, where he has made his adult home. But “Uncle Joe” is not our only target.

This fight is personal to me. I live in the shalefields of western PA, and the last 10+ years of my life have been consumed by fighting fracking and climate change. This walk will take us from the shalefields of northeastern PA, past fracking waste disposal sites, through many pipeline fights, into environmental justice zones, and then into the corporate wasteland of Wilmington – corporate home to frackers, pipeliners, trash burners, and the dirty banks that fund them (and so much else). And, if you know me, that won’t be the end. 

As we all know, President Biden has proposed policies to accomplish these goals. But his Jobs Act is not sufficient. Much bolder action is needed. Our goal can be summarized by the proposal for a Thrive Act, which would invest one trillion dollars per year for the next ten years to build a jobs-creating, justice-based, renewable-energy economy. In the process, we intend to demonstrate that ongoing fossil fuel projects like Dakota Access Pipeline, Line 3 in Minnesota, Mountain Valley Pipeline, and similar projects presently permitted, financed and under construction, must be terminated immediately.

Vaccinated people of all ages are invited to participate and walk with us (those ineligible for vaccination are welcome). On the Summer Solstice and Fathers’ Day, June 20, we will gather and rally in Scranton, PA, where Biden was born and raised. Over the next eight days we will walk and drive to Wilmington, DE, Biden’s long-time residence. Along the way we will meet activists fighting environmental assaults and injustices like the Marcus Hook refinery in Philadelphia, the Gibbstown LNG export facility on the Delaware River in NJ, and a toxic trash incinerator in Chester, PA. On June 28, in Wilmington, we will challenge financing by Chase Bank, the largest U.S. funder of fossil fuels.

Please feel free to contact me so I can share my excitement about this great event and answer any questions you may have,
Thanks, Michael, 724-431-8560, [email protected].  

Michael Bagdes-Canning was the 2020 Green Party candidate for PA House District 64. Please follow Michael on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/mike4pa64/; Twitter, https://mobile.twitter.com/bagdescanning; Facebook, https://m.facebook.com/mikebagdescanning; and his website, https://www.mikeforpa64.com/. 

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media:
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/,
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/ and
Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

END  *  END  * END 

By Beth Scroggin, chair of the Green Party of Chester County and co-chair of the Green Party of PA

Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 14, 2021

CONTACT:
GPPA Communication Team
Chris Robinson, [email protected]
Tina Olson, [email protected]

PHILADELPHIA – Happy May Day! Celebrated in various ways throughout hundreds of years, May Day joyfully welcomes the change of season. My inner child looks forward to the May Day celebration at my daughter’s Waldorf School, which includes maypole dancing and a wooden boat race. My activist side, however, observes the significance and necessity of the coinciding International Workers’ Day. 

Started during the Industrial Revolution in response to deplorable (and at times, deadly) working conditions and long hours, International Workers’ Day continues to serve as an opportunity for workers to organize and protect and fight for their rights. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (now called the American Federation of Labor) held a convention and declared that eight hours shall constitute a legal work day. The Knights of Labor supported this declaration and encouraged workers to demonstrate and strike as necessary to fight for this right. May Day demonstrations have led to notable events such as the Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886, during which demonstrators and police officers clashed and a bomb of unidentified origin was thrown.

Then, the Pullman Strike in 1894 began as a strike at the Pullman Railroad Company but ended with a violent clash between striking workers and National Guardsmen. In response to the Pullman Strike, then-President Grover Cleveland declared Labor Day to be celebrated the first Monday in September. Some say that this move was an attempt to appease angry workers, while others believe Cleveland was trying to distract workers from International Workers’ Day and discourage potential radical activities. In 1958, Dwight Eisenhower continued the attempt to quell International Workers’ Day demonstrations by declaring May 1 to be Law Day, which would celebrate the existence of law and order. Clearly, the U.S. government has never been friendly toward or supportive of the American workers.

Now more than ever, workers must organize and fight for their rights. As a public school teacher, I have been a proud union member for the last 14 years. I am confident that I am part of an organization which works tirelessly to ensure that I am paid fairly and that my working hours and expectations are explicitly defined. Never have I been more grateful for my union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), than this past year. PSEA fought to ensure that teachers were paid during quarantine and that teachers received COVID vaccines as quickly as possible. The president of my own local union spoke with me over the phone for nearly an hour this past summer while I expressed my fears about the upcoming school year and contemplated my options. I imagined her having similar conversations with each of the other members and marveled at the ability of union leaders to take on the concerns of all workers and represent them in conversations with leadership. As one of my union representatives once said, “Sometimes people look at what union members have in terms of compensation, health care, and defined working hours and feel resentment toward us, when in fact, everyone deserves what we have.”

The Green Party has always stood for workers’ rights. We have supported strikes across the country throughout the years, as well as Fight for $15 protests. Green Party 2016 Vice Presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka has worked with the Green Party Power Project and has advocated for “reclaiming May Day as a day of resistance.” Most recently, the Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) attended a rally in support of Amazon workers attempting to unionize. In a speech addressing the rally attendees, GPOP City Committee member (and GPUS Treasurer) Hillary Kane pointed out that the Green Party’s own staff is unionized, and that by refusing to take corporate funding, our candidates will never be beholden to union-busting corporations. Working people need a political party who will fight for them and their rights, and whose elected candidates will serve them, and not corporate overlords. The Green Party will always choose people over profit

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

For more information:

Green Party Power Project,
https://greenpartypower.com/;

Green Party Stands with #BAmazon Workers by Hillary Kane,
https://www.gp.org/gpofpa_stands_with_bamazon_workers; and

The Cost of Structural Violence by Alan Smith, GREEN STAR, May 2019,
https://www.gp.org/a_may_day_message.