Ella's Voice: February 2007

ELLA'S VOICE: ONLINE EDITION
Volume 1, Issue 1 :: Thursday, January 25, 2007

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BOOKS NOT BARS: Arnold Starting to Catch On — Let's Go Further
Last year, the "Action Governor" was missing in action, doing virtually nothing
to fix the crisis in California's youth prisons. We grilled him for it all
year. Now several federal judges are taking him to task about the adult
prisons. With the pressure on, the governor is finally starting to catch on to
what we've been saying: the simplest and most effective solution to the youth
prison crisis is keeping kids out of prison. His new plan would cut the youth
prison population in HALF — a great first step.
But we can do even better. Stay tuned for how you can help us push through the
reforms that are going to lead to closing the youth prisons altogether.

Read more: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=18&contentid=170


RECLAIM THE FUTURE: The Teaching Curriculum Is Here!
Reclaim the Future has developed an incredible teaching curriculum exploring
the key themes of our work and outlining our green-collar solution for the
problems of urban America. We designed this interactive five-part series with
high school students in mind, but it can easily be adapted for students of all
ages. From the green economy, to eco-equity and eco-privilege, to model cities,
to restorative justice, you can teach and learn about it all in the Reclaim the
Future Teaching Tools.

Download the curriculum:
http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=27&contentid=23


SILENCE THE VIOLENCE: New Series of Exclusive Parties Kicks Off
Silence the Violence is helping put on a series of parties to make sure that
young people have a safe place to kick it, relax and have fun without worrying
about the violence in our neighborhoods. These parties are exclusive; only
people who have signed our "Silence the Violence Pledge" can get in. The first
one was last month and it was a big success, with more than 700 people coming
out!

See pictures: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=59&contentid=168


BAY AREA POLICEWATCH: Another Death in SFPD Custody; PoliceWatch There for Family
Last month, Herbert Watt died mysteriously in police custody in San Francisco.
Bay Area PoliceWatch is working closely with his family to ensure a fair,
timely investigation of his death. Witnesses say officers used excessive force.
The police say that they did no wrong. But when it comes to in-custody deaths,
SFPD has a long history of caring more about exoneration than investigation.
We're concerned that the department will once again drag its feet while the
family suffers, waiting in vain for the truth to come out. Stay tuned to get
updates about Mr. Watt's case and for opportunities to support his family.

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Van Jones Podcast: Dream to Win, Win to Dream
In a rousing speech to close the National Conference on Media Reform, Van Jones
talks about the inspiring accomplishments of the pro-democracy media reform
movement — and the possibilities he sees for the movement. Hear the talk in its
entirety, and subscribe to our podcast to make sure you don't miss a single
one.

Listen: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=51&podcast=166


Video: Ten Years of Ella Baker Center
Ella Baker Center turned ten last year. As part of our birthday celebration, we
made a short video history of our amazing adventures so far. If you haven't
seen it yet, be sure to check it out. It's one of the videos available in the
Watch/Listen section of our website.

Watch: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=44&video=113


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