In Northampton about 150 people attended a rally to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, organizers told the Valley Post. The rally was on February 16. In Greenfield on February 21, about 25 people attended a rally for the same cause, organizers told the Valley Post. One of the groups that organized the rallies has a web site at www.jvp.org.
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In Greenfield about 50 people attended a rally to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The organizers have web sites at www.traprock.org and www.jvp.org. The rally was on February 10.
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In Brattleboro on February 27 there will be a rally to protest the school board's decision last month to stop investigating alleged sexual abuse by school employees. The rally will be outside 107 Atwood Street from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., during the nearby school board meeting at the same time, one of the organizers told the Valley Post. For more information click:
In Northampton, about 300 people attended a rally to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the organizers told the Valley Post. The organizers have a web site at www.jvp.org. The rally was on February 4. On February 6 in Springfield, about 30 doctors, nurses and other health workers held a rally for the same cause. They delivered a letter signed by about 200 local health workers to congressman Richard Neal's office.
On February 1 in Northampton, about 400 workers formed a union. They work in the dining halls at Smith College. The federal government conducted a secret ballot election, which the workers won overwhelmingly. The workers have a web site at www.opeiuLocal153.org.
In the 1930s, workers went on strike around the USA, forcing politicians to pass the first minimum wage laws. To this day, unions lobby to raise the minimum wage. On average, union workers make $191 more per week than non-union workers. Inequality is bad for democracy. Billionaires buy politicians.
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In Northampton on January 20 about 65 people attended an abortion rights rally, organizer Marisol Pierce Bonifaz told the Valley Post. The event was organized by the group Generation Ratify Amherst.
A major cause of climate change is overpopulation, according to:
www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/
The average American produced about 15 tons of carbon dioxide last year. The average Ugandan produced about 0.1 ton. The average Swede produced about 4 tons. That data is from:
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-metrics
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On January 8 in Westhampton, Massachusetts there will be a teachers' union rally. Westhampton borders Northampton. The rally will be at 5:30 p.m. outside 19 Stage Road in Westhampton. Details are at:
About 500 people marched 25 miles from Northampton to Springfield on December 16. They were calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The march was organized by a group that has a web site at www.jvp.org.
In Brattleboro, there will be a rally to demand politicians stop U.S. military aid to Israel. The rally will be on December 23 at noon at Pliny Park. JVP endorsed the rally.
In a victory for nature, farmland has been saved. Developers had planned to pave it. The land borders Brattleboro and the Connecticut river. It's in Dummerston, Vermont. It is 49 acres. The Dummerston farmland committee, appointed by the select board, led this effort. The deal was announced on December 14. Funding came from votes at the annual town meeting from 2003 until Covid. The meeting will resume in 2024. The next step is to convert the land to organic farming. More information is available via:
www.dummerston.org/boards/farmland.asp
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In Northampton on December 3, there will be a rally to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The rally will start at 12:30 p.m. outside city hall. It's being organized by the the Western Mass Coalition for Palestine. The coalition's members include the groups Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Code Pink, and the Western Mass Area Labor Federation. On November 24 in Hadley, Massachusetts about 100 people attended a rally for the same cause. Hadley borders Northampton.
In Greenfield about 60 people attended a rally to call on Biden and congress to stop funding Israel's war in Palestine. The November 4 rally was organized by a group that has a web site at www.traprock.org.
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Thanks to the work of environmental and affordable housing activists, 15 new apartments will soon be for rent in downtown Brattleboro. The apartments are at 47 Flat Street.
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