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UMA Garden
by Andrea Simoneau
Art Director
The Peace and Justice Center in partnership with UMA Bangor is proud to announce our Food
and Art Garden project. This 2,000 square foot garden labyrinth will provide fresh, first-pick
produce to six community food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and food security programs in
Bangor and on Indian Island. We’ll be providing vegetables to The Salvation Army Soup
Kitchen, The Shaw House, Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, Health Equity Alliance Food Pantry,
UMA’s Student Snack pantry, and St Ann’s/Penobscot Food Pantry. We have a number of
awesome student volunteers of all ages working with us, including UMA students, the UMA
Women’s Rugby Team, who did the lion’s share of the work in constructing the garden last fall,
and YMCA’s Teen Center program have all signed up, and we’re in talks with several other kid
groups to come help us plant, maintain, and harvest and distribute the produce.We hope to
provide amazing, first-round produce for as many community food security programs as
possible, and thus we hope this garden, a permaculture installation, will provide bountiful
vegetables for years to come. We have a long list of donors to thank for coming this far,
including UMA Garden Club for space and seeds and our co-coordinator and UMA staff liaison
Kati Corlew, The Onion Foundation, SeedMoney and all the people who donated to it, The
Commission for Cultural Development of the City of Bangor, and Bangor Greendrinks. Through
the generous grants of these organizations, we were able to purchase almost everything we
need to get the garden planted, as well as the generous donations given by our P&J members
and friends. We still need funds for weed control/path construction using recycled asphalt, and
protection against predators and pests.Donations can be made directly to the Peace and Justice
Center website, our location, or on our Facebook. Just put “For the garden” in the memo on
Donorbox, and we’ll earmark it for the garden. Thank you so much!
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SAVE THE DATE!
Please join us for the P&J Center Annual General Assembly on June 15th6-8pm at the UU Church on Park Street in Bangor
The annual General Assembly give us the opportunity to consider and adopt new bylaws for the Peace and Justice Center; to elect members of the Steering Committee and commit to our goals going forward.We plan to have draft by-laws available for folks to read before that date.
As a member driven organization, your participation is key to the success of the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine! Join us on June 15thand make your voice heard!
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Update on P&J Newsletter/E News
by Mary Ellen Quinn
I wanted to share an update about where we are related to our conversion to the monthly E News format and our attempt to create a printed copy of E News for distribution to members who prefer a print copy.
First and foremost, I recognize that many members valued the News & Views and absolutely miss it. I also affirm that the E News is very different and does not contain a lot of the same type of information as did the newsletter.
A number of volunteers worked together to provide a print copy, collate and send off copies to members who requested it. We learned quickly that the E News format does not print in a simple manner. The printed copies were produced but the goodwill effort fell short as it was difficult to read due to shaded areas and overall the printed copy was unsatisfactory.
So where do we go from here? It has been suggested by members that we develop a quarterly publication that provides substantive articles and analysis related to local, national and global issues. The Steering Committee is supportive of this idea. It would require a volunteer-run coordinating committee to oversee the solicitation of articles, review/edit them and make decisions on format etc.
We have so many talented, well-read and informed members who are passionate about various issues. This may be the perfect opportunity for a team effort that would serve our community well! Think about being involved in some way. Anyone who is interested or just wants to talk further about the concept, please contact me at memquinn@peoplepc.com
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Colonization and Its Effects on Indigenous People
6 p.m. Sunday, May 19
Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine
96 Harlow St., Bangor
Carol Dana and June Sapiel, both members of the Penobscot Nation and residents of Indian Island, will speak on the wide-ranging effects of centuries of colonization –suicide rates, incarceration levels, life expectancy, loss of language and culture – in short, the toll on the mental, physical and emotional health of indigenous people.
Carol is the mother of six. She works at the Penobscot Nation Cultural and Historic Preservation Department as a language specialist, having learned the Penobscot language from June’s grandmother, Madas Sapiel, as well as many other teachers. Now, in a turn of the circle, Carol is passing the language on to June.
June is the mother of three. She was greatly influenced by her grandmother, Madas, who participated in the American Indian Movement. She is a member of the Bear Clan and has been to Standing Rock four times between August 2016 and March 2017.
There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.
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Promoting Less Incarceration, Not More
by August Sender and Larry Dansinger
Public attitudes toward criminal justice are changing. There are many fewer people saying, “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” because jails and prisons are overflowing. Incarceration is not good for those who are arrested, for taxpayers, or the community where inmates return.
Even many district attorneys, police chiefs, and county sheriffs are recognizing that jails and prisons don’t heal people or increase public safety. So, it is distressing that Penobscot County commissioners are considering spending $65-70 million for a new, larger county jail.
The current Penobscot County Jail is in bad condition. It's over capacity and the county spends a lot sending inmates to be housed in other county jails. But, the proposed fix is to send to voters a bond issue to build a 300-bed jail, almost doubling the size.
We think there are better options. A group has formed to advocate for a smaller jail, one that diverts many arrestees to mental health, substance use disorder, and other services. There are too many stuck in jail just because they can’t make bail, including a higher percentage of people of color and indigenous people. There are alternatives to incarceration, such as restorative justice and community service that can be utilized much more.
Those who want a smaller jail are speaking out to encourage alternatives to jail at weekly meetings of the Penobscot County Commissioners, Tuesdays, beginning at 9 AM, at the courthouse, 97 Hammond St., downtown Bangor.
There are other actions we can take to reduce the size of a new jail, such as arranging talks about the proposal and joining our citizens group. For more information and email addresses of commissioners: Larry Dansinger, (207) 262-3706 or larryd@myfairpoint.net.
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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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