Neighborly Actions: direct money toward health and well-being in PVD, Pawtucket and Central Falls!
Participatory budgeting, organizing training, and finally, maybe, a limit on utility bills.
Good morning! Still just Kate. Here are some things to do with our neighbors this week and next.
BY 5pm TODAY, remotely: Longtime utility justice advocates at the George Wiley Center say that now is the time to push for a Percentage of Income Payment Plan for RI residents—making it less likely that people will have to choose between groceries and electricity. You’re going to call or email your RI rep, and tell them to tell Speaker of the House Shekarchi to move HB5847 to the floor for a vote. Then you’re going to call or email your RI senator, and tell them to tell Senate President Ruggerio to move SB0518 to the floor for a vote. You can just say those two things to those two people, and it’s fine to email if the phone makes you queasy!
BY 6/19 (Pawtucket/Central Falls) or 6/20 (Providence ZIP codes 02908/02909), remotely: These two communities are asking the people who live in them to vote on how they’d like a whole lot of money spent. Public restrooms, you guys, public restrooms. You can learn more about the PVD projects here, and the Pawtucket/CF projects here, and then click through to vote. I did it yesterday, and it took about 10 minutes! Here’s an overview of this process, known as participatory budgeting, if you’re curious about how we got here.
6/24, 10am-5pm, location TBA: Sista Fire is hosting an organizing training for women of color and nonbinary people of color, to demystify the stages of a campaign development process, learn how to move from a problem to a shared demand, choose methods and targets, and more. Great for those who are ready for both connection and action on the conditions that affect their lives; if you want to know more about the group itself first, Sista Fire hosts monthly justice circles for women and nonbinary people of color, and there’s one on 6/26 at 6pm.
With love,
Kate
