More than symbolic gestures (which certainly has its place); I am more excited to see the development of this kind of direct organizing and activism in Baltimore. There is real potential here to raise the profile of the predatory practices of banks in Baltimore and its impact upon the city’s Black community and the poor especially. It also creates opportunity for people in desperate need of housing to literally come in from the cold this winter.

It is shameful and sinful, in my opinion, to be in a city that on any given night has 3400 homeless people on the streets and at the same time have nearly 40,000 city-owned vacant properties.

The local Occupy Our Homes group draws inspiration from the Take Back The Land Movement founded by Max Rameau. I believe that the conditions are ripe for a new kind of activism in Baltimore and I believe that People of Faith need to be partner with the effort. In this clip, Max Rameau explains Take Back the Land and below you’ll find a flyer inviting you to join your power with Lila’s power to prevent her eviction from her home.

I hope you’ll be moved to support this effort. (Click the flyer for larger view)

“I think I have some sense of what neighborhoods in Baltimore are like and what they need.” That was, in part, M.J. Brodie’s response to my critique of his agency’s impact on Baltimore’s Black Community. He knows what our neighborhoods are like and he knows what we need. Really?

In an open-air, public meeting with him organized by Another BDC Is Possible (an offshoot of Occupy Baltimore) I, along with others challenged him on the lack of participation, lack of transparency, and lack of commitment to economic justice within the Baltimore Development Corporation. I told Mr. Brodie that his agency operates from a “just trust us to do what’s best for you” mentality, however, that unearned trusts that the Black Community has given the BDC and other Baltimore agencies has produced some strange fruit.

I used that line in my words to Brodie – “strange fruit” – and I almost wished I hadn’t now because he seemed more concerned about proving to me that he knew where the reference came from rather than addressing the central concern of my challenge to him in that the majority demographic of Baltimore – the Black Community – has in essence an extremely limited “official” role in helping to give voice to the vision and future of the city.

I spoke at the mic that night feeling a certain responsibility to the silent workers of Baltimore who clean the skyscrapers downtown while smiling at “Boss” and enduring dehumanizing dynamics because of the economic dependence on less than suitable wages. I spoke with responsibility to the folks who are bused into the Inner Harbor to make sure tables are clean, doors are opened, food is warm, and a pleasurable experience is created for the monied, and privileged “upper economic class” that are said to be so key to the advancement of this Black City. I spoke with responsibility for the Black Youth whose very presence at the Inner Harbor is a protest against a city that creates enjoyable spaces for tourists while closing schools and threatening to shutter recreational centers. I spoke to Brodie with responsibility to 80 acres of a Black Community in East Baltimore that was summarily moved out of their homes in a gentrification project to make way for “other people” who are treated as if they are the promise of a “better” East Baltimore – and those grandmothers, grandfathers, and Black Families that they replaced were a curse that caused the dilapidation of the infrastructure around the behemoth that is Johns Hopkins.

Just trust us, he says. “I know what’s best for you.”

That night I left the polished skyscrapers of the Inner Harbor which stand like monuments to White privilege and power in this Black town and went back to my community where there are about four liquor stores and a dingy Murry’s that serves as the community’s food depot. “Tobacco and Groceries” reads the banner announcing the latest business coming to the block. Vacant buildings, liquor, check cashing, and stale food are the staples of the area of the community where I live which is just south of Belvedere Square – a posh, boutique, and restaurant area partly financed by the Baltimore Development Corporation and definitely designed with the local higher income, White community in mind. To see it and then look at the businesses and buildings in my immediate neighborhood, one would think you’re looking at two different cities – not two pictures of the very same street!

With the BDC’s support, some get high-end food, dining, furnishing, and events and others get….this:

STRANGE FRUIT INDEED

I was already a bit on the fence about my primary bank which was Wachovia. Though I had been with the bank for some years, I began to give Wachovia the side eye when I learned about 8 years ago that it had history wrapped up in the enslavement and sale of my Ancestors. I would not have learned this if it had not been for former Chicago Alderman Dorothy Tillman who introduced the Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinance in 2002.

But Wachovia went from being on the fence to getting kicked to the curb when Wells Fargo acquired the bank earlier this year. Wachovia fully transitioned into Wells Fargo in Baltimore this past October.

That pretty much did it for me. Wells Fargo’s lending practices have been particularly predatory as it relates to the American African community. Consider these findings from a 2009 National People’s Action Report entitled, The Truth About Wells Fargo: Racial Disparities in Lending Practices.

• Over 37% of all loans made by Wells Fargo to African American borrowers were high cost loans; compared to 12% of loans received by White borrowers.

• 45% of all refinance loans received by African American borrowers were high cost, compared to 19% for White borrowers.

• For low- and moderate-income borrowers, 48% of all Wells Fargo loans to African Americans were high cost loans as compared to 20% of the loans for equivalent White borrowers.

• For middle and upper income African American borrowers, 34% of Wells Fargo loans were high cost loans as compared to 11% for equivalent White borrowers.

• African Americans were charged higher interest rates on high cost loans than other borrowers.

• African Americans paid an estimated $137 million more than Whites for their high cost Wells Fargo loans.

How could I continue allowing this bank to have my business considering its role in helping to manufacture the hardship that so many people are facing!

As if that wasn’t enough, I learned that Wells Fargo has 3 1/2 million shares in the private prison industry valued around $90 Million dollars. Wells Fargo is helping to prop up the Prison Industrial Complex – that same system that preys disproportionately upon Black and Brown people in the so-called United States.

I cannot in good conscience continue to do business with Wells Fargo.

In her book, Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of our Daily Choices, Julie Clawson helped me to think about my everyday actions as either helping to foster social justice or helping to maintain systems of oppression. Down to where I buy food, what clothes I purchase, what gas station I buy from, and in this case – where I bank. It’s not always that cut and dry, but in this case where I bank is a moral decision.

And today, I have decided to join countless others on November 5, 2011 in withdrawing my money and business from Wells Fargo. It’s been a long time coming, but I will no longer cooperate with a bank that fosters injustice and disharmony the world over. I will no longer support a bank that preys on my people and the impoverished of the world.

I will be formerly closing my Wells Fargo bank account on Saturday, November 5, 2011 and designating my credit union account at MECU as my primary account. Instead of making stock holders and investors first like corporate banks; credit unions serve their members and support the communities in which they are located in a myriad of ways.

Will I miss having my bank’s ATM on every corner or flying to any city in America and seeing my bank there – sure. That convenience will be missed, but now I’ll feel much better while banking because I’ll know that I won’t be actively participating financially in the exploitation and subjugation of others. Instead my money will be helping to support small business start ups, assisting families in purchasing their first home at reasonable rates, and will support community projects that help empower the place where I live.

For those who wish to learn more about this effort or to find a credit union or community-oriented bank in your community, you can visit the Move Your Money Project website among many other sites.

SOURCE: David Shankbone

If all goes as planned. Today – October, 4, 2011 – will be a day that is remembered and perhaps even recorded in the “People’s History of Baltimore City.”

For the past couple of years a committed group of activists have been challenging Maryland state plans to build a multi-million dollar youth jail in East Baltimore – in a community that is already saturated with prisons and jails. While initial activism around the issue was met with strong resistance from political and agency leaders; some of them are beginning to become more vocal opponents of the youth jail citing stats that reveal that crime among youth in Baltimore is decreasing (following a national trend related to crime in general) and fiscal restraints are forcing political power brokers to consider other options.

Last year, this month, community leaders and grassroots activists hosted Youth Justice Sunday which brought a crowd of a few hundred to the neighborhood and site of where the construction of the youth jail is planned in East Baltimore. Today, youth leaders are joined by nonprofit professionals and their allies to once again march and raise awareness about the community’s continued disagreement with this youth jail project – demanding instead that dedicated operating and capital monies be redirected to schools, recreation centers, jobs, and other critical services that residents desire.

Today also marks the start of #OccupyBaltimore – an outgrowth of the #OccupyWallStreet effort that’s been going on for two weeks now in New York. The New York effort – which is a logistically impressive and passionate protest – has gained much attention in people-owned media and communication media, but just recently began grabbing the attention of corporation-owned media after NY police officers pepper-sprayed female protesters. (Wouldn’t be surprised if someone in the #OccupyWallstreet camp knew that crying White females on television in America gets the national TV cameras there quick!)  The #OccupyWallStreet narrative continued to develop with what protestors call the “Battle of the Brooklyn Bridge.”

200 people show up for inaugural meeting of #OccupyBaltimore

#OccupyBaltimore, which was started by the actions of those inspired by the NY-action, organized rapidly – largely on social networking sites and google. Remarkably, approximately 200 people attended the first meeting of the group (Sunday at 9PM!), more than 400 people have joined the Google group, and nearly 1,000 people have said on Facebook that they will join the group as they will begin “occupying” (that word has heavy negative baggage, but I get it.) downtown Baltimore at the corner of Pratt and Light Street – in the heart of Baltimore’s corporate and tourist district. Interestingly enough, the Baltimore police have already begun “monitoring” and likely infiltrating #OccupyBaltimore according to the Baltimore Sun:

“Baltimore police were monitoring social media and news reports for updates on the Inner Harbor protest, said spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.”

Stay tuned for up to the minute details regarding Baltimore’s Day of Protest. We’ll have pictures, video, and livestream of protestors and reactions.

As someone who experienced poverty while growing up in an inner-city community in Brooklyn, I know there is a great deal of strength among the poor; it takes enormous tenacity and resourcefulness to survive in an underserved community. I have experienced well-meaning Christians from more privileged backgrounds who feel called to serve poor people, but instead end up negating their autonomy and enacting charity, as opposed to justice.

I have also been blessed over the past few years to be part of organizations that follow a justice model for ending poverty—groups such as Union Theological Seminary’s Poverty Initiative, which is dedicated to “building a movement, led by the poor, to end poverty.” It includes both poor people and those who are not from poor backgrounds at every level of leadership, from speaking and writing to on-the-ground organizing. Based on my experience, here are some practical ways to build a multiracial, multiclass, progressive Christian movement.

1. Make a habit of supporting indigenous leaders. If you are called to relocate to serve a different community, first seek out existing local leaders in that community. No one can be “given” a voice; instead, those of privilege must step aside so that everyone’s voice is heard. In the Poverty Initiative, when we take students from Union Theological Seminary on immersion trips to poor communities in Appalachia or elsewhere, we do not come to lead, but to listen to leaders of indigenous organizations.

You can look for leaders in churches or community centers, or ask to find the popular teenager on the block or the elder who knows everyone and everything in the neighborhood. If you are a leader who comes from the community you want to serve, seek allies to support you.

2. Socially locate yourself. In my work with the Poverty Initiative, we make it a practice before every Bible study, training, or sermon to socially locate ourselves: We talk about our experiences with poverty or privilege and what has brought us to this work. These times of testimony are powerful and encourage others who are marginalized to find their voices and join the movement.

Starting with our social location shows others that all types of people can do activism—whether they are rich, poor, African American, white, male, female, new converts, or seasoned saints (as we call them in the African-American church). Within the Poverty Initiative’s work, this practice has given a voice to white poverty, an issue ignored by many anti-poverty movements.

READ MORE

This society’s addiction to the amassing of “things” is not only indicative of our loss of a sense of self worth, but it also is having a crippling effect on our neighbors. The “American Way of Life” is literally suffocating our own spiritual health and promoting injustice and exploitation around the world. If I could borrow the well-known phrase – Another World Is Possible. Marginalized communities around the world and prophetic ministries like Faith and Money Network stand ready to teach and share a better Way to “Be” in this society that ranks you according to what you can buy.

Enjoy this short clip from our creative demonstration at Walmart on Black Friday last year.

Toward that end, I’m pumped about this group called JASecon – Just Alternatives for a Sustainable Economy. In September 2009, they hosted a grassroots, bottom-up economy festival. More than 450 people and 50 organizations participated in a celebration for the emerging economy for the people and the planet. This is the type of activity that feeds my soul these days. Check out the video from the festival.

Last week I attended an urban agriculture conference organized by Engaged Community Offshoots, Inc. (ECO) and hosted at the United States Department of Agriculture. ECO is an organization which “seeks to reverse the effects of systemic poverty, racism, and environmental destruction through establishing and promoting social venture community-based businesses.” My friends at Baltimore Food & Faith Project made it possible for me to attend and I must say I really enjoyed the conference.

I left with great information about local resources, businesses, and community folks who are helping to create the nexus of sustainable living, responsible environmentalism, and alternative community building. The conference underscored the great challenges of our society today which are very real. For instance, a few of the speakers reminded us that now in the United States there are 40 million people enrolled in the federal food stamps program now called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). However, while the problems are real, the opportunities are just as stimulating. Sometimes, when the ground under your feet shakes violent enough, you’ll start looking for another leg to stand on. The attendance at the conference was evidence to me that people are truly searching out sustainable ways to co-exist with each other and the earth.

One of the stars of this urban agricultural movement is Will Allen, head of the national nonprofit organization called Growing Power, Inc. By way of live internet stream and approximately 600 powerpoint slides, Mr. Allen shared with us the Growing Power story. It’s no surprise that he and his organization have been recognized by the White House, Time Magazine, and countless other organizations and publications.

And as inspiring as his story is, he’s not the first to introduce the nobility of agriculture as community development to me. I must recognize the Nation of Islam for the pioneering work that they’ve been doing down through the years in terms of empowering impoverished communities with seed, soil, and spiritual uplift. Their Ministry of Agriculture provides fabulous information, research, and encouragement about how to eat to live.

In addition to the obtained information, networking, resource identification such as the USDA Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships; I probably benefited the most from learning about the many other religious communities in the country who have taken more initial, yet similarly compelling steps in agricultural and community development. As wonderful as Growing Power and other similar national efforts are, at times I can read or watch their stories and feel like it’s too far out of reach for where I am right now with my church. I don’t have acres of land (yet!). I have a backyard on a main road. I don’t have a massive staff. I have about 2 faithful volunteers who know what they’re doing and a few more like me who are just developing green thumbs. Hearing the stories of those who are just a bit closer to the starting line was most helpful to me. At this stage, I need building blocks. And I got them at the conference while learning about efforts like Common Good Farm in Washington, DC, Faith in Place in Chicago, and Goodness Grows in Ohio. Meeting folks connected with these farms and agricultural efforts caused me to play with the idea of hiring a Church Farmer or something. In my religious context, I’ve never seen that, but given the complex challenges related to food and health in my community, maybe it’s time to consider different models of how we minister to the mind and body of Believers.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and left with greater conviction that food and environmental stewardship is a spiritual and political issue that I cannot ignore in my personal life or public ministry.

In the days following the attack, thousands of Palestinians, Israelis, and Internationals stood together in solidarity to decry the attack and raise our voices in resistance to the Israeli Occupation.

In this video, I marched in a nonviolent demonstration with many others in the Palestinian cultural city of Ramallah. While marching, I was able to interview a passionate Palestinian community activist who had a special message for American citizens.

The Israeli Apartheid Wall

Today was an extremely full day that started bright and early at 8AM. Well, for me the day started at 5:00AM. After going to bed at about 11PM the night before, I found myself lying in bed staring at the ceiling at 5. I tried to force myself back to sleep, but I couldn’t do it. After showering and getting dressed, I made my way to the roof of the hostel. And in the pre-dawn hours of a beautiful Jerusalem morning I shared in conversation with a fellow delegate and we watched the sunrise in this beautiful place.

The beauty of the sunrise, however, was quickly eclipsed by the facts on the ground which we learned about during a tour with a amazing guide named Miya from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. She’s an extremely passionate 20-something Israeli female who gave us a crash course on the modern history of this complex conflict. After sharing stats, facts, and maps from Jeff Halper’s lastest book, Obstacles to Peace, we left the lecture hall and piled up in our bus to take a tour of East Jerusalem.

It was a tour that was almost surreal. I’ve blogged about the blatant racism, discrimination, and oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli Government over the years, but being up close and personal is a whole different story. We toured East Jerusalem – the Palestinian side of Jerusalem (with pretty big caveats called Jewish settlements) and saw how they were being forced to live in utter squalor within what Jeff Halper calls a “matrix of control.” It’s much deeper and complex than I can go into right now, but to give those who are unfamiliar a picture of what the situation is like here, think about Jim Crow laws, Black Codes, segregation, racism, and lynching of people of African descent in the states. I propose that when you can put that mental image in your mind, you are very close to envisioning what I’m seeing here right now.

I have to leave now, but real quick – the picture above is a photograph of a wall that has at least two names. The Israeli Government calls it the “security fence” and the many Palestinians and their allies call it the “Apartheid Wall.” We saw this wall today and learned about how it is used to intentionally make life unbearable for Palestinians in the West Bank – separating family members, making employment difficult if not impossible, making freedom of movement impossible, and by way of its placement – snatching even more land from the Palestinians. Many would conclude that the Israeli Government is trying to ethnically cleanse the land of all Palestinians and if that’s so – this wall is an integral part of that plan. It sounds like “Apartheid Wall” fits better.

That’s all I have time for tonight, but stay tuned. More updates are on the way.

Salaam.