February 2019
New Legislation Leads Lasting Change
NYC's Demand for Justice
Holding Police Accountable
With the practice of spreading information reaching new heights through social media, the awareness and, in-turn, pressure regarding police brutality and police accountability has reached a boiling point across major cities and small towns alike. Police brutality is at the crossroads of many issues. Police forces like the New York Police Department target people of color, young people, homeless people, disabled people, immigrants and many other groups of marginalized people at astronomically disproportionate rates.
 
The grant PDF awarded Communities United for Police Reform (CUPR) has provided them with “room to be flexible and responsive to a changing political and cultural landscape,” they say. “It has allowed us the opportunity to continue to seek and end to discriminatory and abusive policing in New York City.”

Over the past year CUPR, has worked to hold police officers accountable for their actions. The Safer NY Act is a package of bills in the New York State Legislature that would help increase police transparency and accountability. CUPR was instrumental in getting the Right-to-Know Act (an act that requires police officers to get search consent and properly identify themselves) passed. CUPR also successfully pushed for the Police Statistics and Transparency Act bill to be passed. Since PDF awarded CURP a grant, the work CUPR has done received national attention when former NFL player and outspoken social activist, Colin Kaepernick, pledged $50,000 to CUPR for the upcoming year.

To read more about the Safer NY Act and about CUPR click here .
The New Detroit
Reshaping Development in Detroit
Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4), a 2018 PDF Community Organizing grantee and participant in PDF's Sustainability Project, is true to its name. Unlike traditional development organizations in Detroit, their emphasis is on broad representation. People of color (who make up almost 90 percent of Detroit’s population), low-income families and unemployed citizens’ voices are being broadcast by D4 at a whole new decibel - a volume usually reserved for wealthy white men.

2018 was a year of accomplishments for D4. They created the Civic Leadership Engagement Action Network (CLEAN). Members of CLEAN gathered information about the needs of over 600 residents through door to door surveys. CLEAN will compile and organize the information they gathered from the surveys to make development suggestions to the city council.

D4 and PDF share the belief that building relationships, sharing resources and a shared vision are vital to social and economic equity. D4 brings together organized labor and community groups from all over Detroit to have an open dialogue and build relationships. Last year, v­arious labor and community groups agreed to collaborate on a number of projects, perhaps the biggest of which is the creation of an “equitable development agenda.” D4 will work with the network to implement an action plan in 2019.

The equity of workers was also at the forefront of D4’s mission. In a published report called “Jobs in the District,” D4 compiled information regarding available jobs and their locations, specifically within each city district. D4 is planning to reach solutions for the lack of jobs through community outreach, innovative approaches and community based solutions. In a similar report published last year, D4 lays out the need to increase community benefits such as affordable housing, a living wage, preferred hiring for locals and maintenance in public parks.

To read more about D4’s accomplishments click here .
Remembering Martín-Baró  
30 Years Later
Three decades ago, Jesuit priest, Ignacio Martín-Baró was using his faith and deep understanding of social psychology to help Salvadoran people overcome the war and violence that was consuming their communities.

Martín-Baró was ultimately killed by the military. Friends and colleagues of Martín-Baró found it crucial to maintain his legacy, and founded the Martín-Baró Fund for Mental Health and Human Rights. 2019 marks the 30 th anniversary of Martín-Baró’s death, but it also marks the 30 th year of the Martín-Baró Fund. It is now a Community Advised Fund at PDF in which several members of the community raise funds and recommend how to distribute those resources.

In the last three decades, the Martín-Baró Fund has impacted local communities, advocated for mental health and given people hope. The Martín-Baró Fund brings support to those of all ages, genders and abilities.

As it was for Martín-Baró, community is one of the values of grantees recommended by the Martín-Baró Fund. One of these projects is the Children’s Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines. Children’s Rehabilitation Center works with the children living in areas subject to attack, often through art.

Another grantee started just four years ago in Mexico, the Center for Experimentation for Tzeltal Community. This organization helps Indigenous women of the Tzeltal community to gain knowledge on gender and human rights inequality, and how to fight back against it. Women feel empowered to step into leadership roles and reshape their communities toward peace.

Martín-Baró Fund has recommended grants to dozens of other projects all working towards a common goal of equality. With their more than half a decade of partnership, the Martín-Baró Fund and PDF have worked together towards their shared vision of a peaceful and just future.

To learn more about the Martín-Baró Fund click here .
Upcoming Events:
Peace Talk with Treaty Awareness Campaign
Come be part of an interactive workshop about the high cost of nuclear weapons featuring the Peace Development Fund’s fiscally sponsored group Treaty Awareness Campaign.

Wednesday, April 17th
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Center for Peace and Justice at 44 North prospect Street
Amherst, MA

RSVP to Hannah on or before Monday, April 15th
Thank you for your support.