PNN’s mission is to engage, educate and empower our neighbors to make our City a better place to live. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: Council Hearing on Affordable Housing, PA Budget Town Hall
Educate: What's In Gov. Shapiro's Budget? Thoughts on Fighting Fascism
Empower: Someone Has Put a Target on Target, Rally to Close Poison Prison
What's In Gov. Shapiro's Budget?
This week, Governor Josh Shapiro delivered his annual Budget Address. Our friends from the PAYBAC executive team have provided a synopsis of this week's Budget Address by the Governor - the good, the bad, and the missing - for your perusal. Click the link for more details.
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PA Budget Community Town Hall
Thursday, February 13th, 5:30-7:30PM, Zion Baptist, 3600 N Broad St.
There is an opportunity to learn more about the State Budget Plan from the people who work for us in Harrisburg, and to make your voice heard on issues that are important to you. Join State Reps Andre Carroll, Malcolm Kenyatta, Roni Green, Darisha Parker, Keith Harris and Danilo Burgos, and State Senator Shariff Street as they dig into the details of Governor Shapiro's 2025-26 budget.
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Rally to Close Poison Prison
Saturday, February 8th, 2PM, LOVE Park, 15th & JFK Blvd
With the governor's announcement that he plans to close two prison facilities our prison justice allies have asked us to join them tomorrow at LOVE Park in Center City to implore him to shutter the Fayette prison facility due to the fact that it was built on a toxic dump site! The rally will start at the park and then participants will march a few blocks to the governor's Philly office.
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Attend City Council Hearing on Affordable Housing
Tuesday, February 11th, 1PM, City Hall Room 400
Join housing advocates across the city as City Council meets to discuss the ongoing crisis around affordable housing in Philly. Councilmember Jaimie Gautier will be leading a panel discussion and Q&A with Philly Coalition for Affordable Communities and others to address the need for deeply affordable housing among other issues.
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Someone Has Put a Target on Target
We have heard of a boycott of the Target box stores nationwide starting on March 3rd and lasting through the month of March. We are told that it is being called because Target bent the knee to Trump extremism and stopped diversity hiring.
The point of the boycott would be to inflict financial penalty on corporate cowardice and make the boardroom boys more afraid of we the people than they are of Diaper Don. Target's first quarter revenue for 2024 was $24.5 billion and stock was selling for $130 a share.
Shareholders will not be happy if a big chunk of Target shoppers take their business somewhere else for the entire month of march. Will that serve as a "lesson learned" for corporate cowards?
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Thoughts on Fighting Fascists
We know that the branches of our government each have a role to play to help stop the unjust destruction of our democratic system by the current authoritarians.
Our elected representatives and senators need to stand up to try to prevent unjust laws from being passed and mean spirited, selfish, racist, sexist persons from assuming leadership in our various offices.
Our courts need to quickly analyze the issues presented to them by the application of Constitutional norms of fairness developed over years by the people that have inhabited our land and insist on imposition of righteousness.
The executive branch is, unfortunately the one leading the desecration of our society. The Coup is happening now: federal departments being shut down (US AID), funding stopped for critical services, federal employees being let go, unqualified cabinet confirmations, private data released, unelected Musk is running the government assault, none of it is good.
It is up to us – WE THE PEOPLE – to stop them. As we move forward through this dystopian landscape, we’ll figure out how best to do this, but we must begin with shared hope and compassion and belief that in the end equality and justice will prevail.
We need to call out the wrongdoing, find ways to communicate it to the masses, make clear statements through protest, organizing, writing, advocating, teaching and demanding change... and refuse to back down.
PNN plans to be on the front lines. We will let you know what we know of groups taking various actions, invite you to participate in all the ways people are calling for, bring you together to help strategize for ways to move forward and help form the RESISTANCE.
Please join as you can.
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This Week in History - In honor of Black History Month
Feb 7, 1926 – Negro History Week. Carter G. Woodson, also known as the ‘Father of Black History’ initiated Negro History Week, which led to Black History Month to deepen the study and scholarship on African American history.
Feb 8, 1944 – Black Reporter in WH Press. Washington Tribune reporter Harry McAlpin became the first African American journalist admitted to White House press conference.
Feb 9, 1971 – Paige Inducted. On this day, after a career spanning five decades, pitching legend Leroy “Satchel” Paige became the first Negro League veteran to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Feb 11, 1990 – Mandela Freed. After spending 27 years in a South African prison, Nelson Mandela was freed by the Apartheid government. Four years later, he would be elected president.
Feb 12, 1909 – NAACP Founded. On the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and other black leaders announced the formation of a new organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which played a huge role in the civil rights movement.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director
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