SCHENECTADY NEIGHBORS FOR PEACE

Report of meeting 9/11 at Schenectady Library 

• Approximately 40 people met for the initial meeting of Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, (SNP). 
• The ad hoc steering committee consists of Elizabeth Villalobos, coordinator; Anita Paul, moderator; Bonnie ; PR, David Gerhan, treasurer.
• The working mission statement for the group:
  • Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, organized under the auspices of Upper Hudson Peace Action, will serve as an umbrella to those peace activities already happening in Schenectady County, and as a catalyst to stimulate new peace activities in this city and county.
•   People introduced themselves and identified the peace activities they were already involved with.
• David Easter, director of the Upper Hudson Peace Action office in Albany, outlined the relationship between the 2 groups and the support services that can be provided by his office.
• There are currently 2 peace vigils in Schenectady, one on Tuesdays at 5PM on the lawn of First United Methodist Church; the other on Fridays at 11AM on the corner of Liberty and Jay Streets.
• The Eyes Wide Open exhibit of the American Friends Service Committee is the first activity undertaken by SNP.  It will be on the Union College campus Monday, 9/25 from 10 to 4 in front of the Reamer Center, rain location in the Nott Memorial.  The following day the exhibit will be at the corner of Jay and State Streets, across from Proctors, also from 10 to 4, rain location at First United Methodist Church.  Volunteers are needed for both sites to set up, take down, and staff the exhibits.
• On Sunday, 9/24 at 7PM First United Methodist is hosting an interfaith prayer service in recognition of International Prayers for Peace Day.
• The Declaration of Peace will be presented at Senator Schumer’s office at the Federal Building in Albany at 2PM 9/19.
• A speaker concerning the possibility of war with Iran is tentatively scheduled for 10/11 at 7PM at Union College.
• Committees were formed around interest areas.  One group will be doing counter-recruitment, (Truthful Recruitment), at Schenectady High School once a month using materials developed by Upper Hudson Peace Action.  It will also be working towards counter-recruitment training.
• Another committee clustered around the desire to hold a series of discussions and/or films.  Since the Union College Peace Action group will already be doing this we will look for ways to support this program and increase the attendance from the community.
• The third group set up a rota of people who committed to writing a letter to the editor of the Gazette so that there would be one letter sent each week, topic to be decided by the writer.
• A media group will be investigating additional peace programming at Channel 16.
• The final group will be setting up an on-line newsletter and developing a web page that is linked to the Peace Action page already in existence.
• Additional ideas included a peace contingent in local parades; Raging Grannies; speakers bureau; establishing interfaith ‘study circles’ to have a dialogue among Muslims, Christians, and Jews; reading Twain’s War Prayer in local churches.
• We passed the bucket to collect funds to pay for the return of the Eyes Wide Open exhibit to NYC and collected $165.

Anita Paul, reporting