AZ Week of Action: Dec 13 - 18

This special legislative session will be during the week of the Sex Outreach Workers Project protest at the Department of Corrections on the 18th – which means the Capitol will be a site for actions by all sorts of groups in the days leading up to the event. Might as well just make that a Week of Action. Anyone who already has stuff planned for that week, please let me know. 

We do need support at the ADC on the 18th - especially women we can all blend in with. Scattered solidarity actions leading up to and happening on the 18th are as good as joining the protest at the ADC, though - especially for the folks who are already working away on people like Arpaio - just tie something into an action that week that demonstrates visible solidarity with sex workers demanding an end to brutalization, and send us pictures so we can show everyone that you're out there. We need to make our resistance more visible, as Puente and allies have done.

The "International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers" is actually on the 17th, when there will be a more somber event and memorial in Tucson, which people are welcome to - the red umbrella image on this page links to SWOP-Tucson, where you can get the flyer. I think we'll come up with a common symbol (umbrella?) or color (red or black?) or sign (end violence against...) or something that other groups can use to demonstrate the connection between seemingly unrelated events. Those are just some thoughts for now.

Contact me with other ideas.

The women with SWOP - USA are asking the governor to make a state proclamation officially recognizing the "International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers", by the way. Letters from the public to the governor's office supporting such a declaration would help. I would imagine that the unions, police organizations, women's rights groups, and advocates for survivors of violent crime would all be in support of such a resolution, and would register their support in writing.  

But they may need to be asked to do so, first.  

We could use a hand getting all this together next week, so if you’ve been wondering how you can help, I have all sorts of ideas. Please contact me if there's anyone out there interested in doing some community organizing - we need you now through Christmas, at least.

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New Special Session Expected to Begin December 14, but Don't Get Your Hopes Up About Any Arizona Budget Solution

Phoenix New Times
By James King in Budget Blunders

Thu., Dec. 3 2009 @ 8:50AM

​Arizona's lackluster Legislature is looking to call its next special session the week of December 14 to discuss ways to bridge the state's $1.6 billion budget gap.

Despite having no plan other than Governor Brewer's one-cent sales-tax increase that has failed time and time again in the Republican-led Senate -- and something called the "I didn't pay enough fund," where legislators are asking for taxpayer donations and is frankly the worst idea we've ever heard of -- legislators will duke it out once again to try to find a solution.

Considering the state maxed out a $700 million loan from Bank of America in less than a week, you would think legislators would view the situation as a bit urgent and not schedule proceedings for two weeks from now. Until the state has a budget and can pay back the loan, the interest owed to Bank of America will continue to rack up...