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Please be on the lookout for our upcoming fundraising appeal. Due to the concerns of COVID-19, we will not be gathering this year for our Annual General Assembly. The center has been very active throughout the pandemic helping the most vulnerable of those in our community. We understand this may not be the best time to request financial support. However, we believe that the work we do to support marginalized communities, the environment, and social justice is never-ending and deserves your support even during the most unsteady times.
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Upcoming Event:
A free interactive nine week course via zoom, sign up asap!!
August 3- October 5
Mondays 5:30-6:30pm Eastern Time
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No Penobscot County Jail Expansion Update—Larry Dansinger
First: The good news that Penobscot County has informally decided (no official vote but agreement by all three county commissioners) not to do a bond issue for a new, larger jail on the November ballot. A proposed new jail got pushback from Bangor residents, city councilors, and, of course, our group. Then, the pandemic hit, the population in the jail has been reduced, finances are uncertain, and so the existing jail, which is not in good shape, will have to do for now. A proposal for a new jail, or perhaps more likely a renovation to and expansion of the existing jail, may come up in 2021. We can support a small new or renovated jail but not the larger one that commissioners proposed.
More good news: The population of the jail and numbers boarded out has gone down noticeably, from a total of about 225-235 in February to 145-155 in early June. If the county can continue to arrest fewer, lock up fewer, and focus on reducing the jail population on a permanent basis, there will clearly be no need for a larger jail. Public pressure (all of us), urging the county sheriff and local police to maintain arrest and jail policies to minimize the jail population, will benefit our communities in the long run.
We hope to be working with other groups in the area around police accountability and ways for all people to feel safer and secure in Eastern Maine. Recent rallies protesting racism and police violence have demonstrated (again!) the need for change.
No one at Penobscot County Jail has not yet been tested for the virus but both inmates and staff need to as the best way to prevent an outbreak. Our group continues to press county commissioners and the sheriff to initiate testing. Many changes are taking place in the criminal legal system that are encouraging, perhaps even revolutionary. Join us! For more information, see our web site, https://www.nopenobscotcountyjailexpansion.com or contact Larry Dansinger, (207) 262-3706 or larryd@myfairpoint.net.
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The Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine strives for a better world of peace, human rights, economic justice, and sustainable environment.
Please visit https://www.peacectr.org to see what groups are meeting at the Center, what we have been up to, and email us any inquiries on how to get involved.
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A GROW Grant has been approved to PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER OF EASTERN MAINE ($2,200 of Grant Funds”) for the purpose of growing vegetables specifically for the purpose of supplying local food pantries, homeless shelters, and food security programs. We are excited for the UMA garden to be continued. Andrew Williams is leading our side of the garden project that is in collaboration with UMA community garde.
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The Peace and Justice Center's Program Directors, Desiree Vargas and David Patrick, also co-founded local organization, Racial Equity and Justice (REJ). The Black Lives Matter Rally in Bangor, Maine last month was organized by Racial Equity and Justice.
"We have heard from reporters that there must have been over 1,000 people there. The speakers included, Angela Okafor, Clare Davitt, David Patrick, and Desiree Vargas. After the speakers were heard, hundreds marched for Black Lives and in honor and grief for George Floyd in addition to many other Black lives taken from Police murder and hate crimes. People marched to the park across from the Bangor police station where people had a vigil, and listened to local acapella singers and poets. The work doesn’t stop though just because the rally stopped. REJ's objective was to raise awareness for the work needed to be done after the rally. In a recent interview with Maine Public Radio I explained the services we offer which is in our website, some of our affiliated organizations, in addition to current projects we have going which include: expert consultation for professional spaces, certified racial equity & diversity trainings, redistribution of resources into BIPOC (Black, Brown Indigenous, People of Color) & marginalized communities, racial advocacy, event planning, content writing & key note speaking, and offering support & healing modalities to BIPOC individuals (Maine is 95% white demographically & one of the oldest states and it’s so complex living here for BIPOC). We have been partnering with other organizations like The Peace and Justice Center for mutual aid to address food insecurity and covid 19 responses, jail issues, racial issues, and more. If you would like to support the work we are doing please check out our website and hit the donate button We have some huge projects happening behind the scenes. Currently some of those projects include having a seat on the table with our official leaders from different departments, private, and public sectors discussing how to best tackle racial inequity and racial biases."
- Desiree Vargas
Please check out REJ's website: http://www.racialequityandjustice.org |
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Many thanks for the following donations in memory or honor of loved ones:
In honor of Silas Brogunier, from Michele Brogunier
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The work of the Peace & Justice Center is supported by donors like you! To contribute by mail, make a check out to Peace & Justice Center (or, if you wish your contribution to be tax deductible, make it out to ROSC) and mail to: 96 Harlow St, Suite 100, Bangor, ME 04401.
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