20250909 STAND Newsletter – Disturbing the Peace
What’s new with STAND
STAND seeks peace through justice, equity, and the raising of all voices. We will celebrate that pursuit of peace on September 20th. Until then, we have work to do and we need your help. Please read below.
Action NOW!
Second-Saturday protest at Clairemont Oaks! Join us at 12pm at 441 Clairemont road for 20 minutes of advocacy for medicare, medicaid, social security and HUD. Bring your sign!
STAND in a pub! Our next SIP is at Marlay House on September 17th. Come and relax with your community!
Then we prepare to STAND for Peace on the 20th. Bubbles, music, and the stories of our neighbors. Volunteer needs are here.
Here are some other vetted actions sponsored by allies in the area.
Dear Friends,
Last Saturday, almost 75 people came together for our movie night to sit down for a meal and watch the film “Disturbing The Peace”. It was extremely challenging, following the lives of Hamas militants and Israeli soldiers as they found ways to set aside the history of bloodshed between their peoples and begin to recognize their shared humanity. Coming to terms with the extent of that bloodshed and its impact on the lives of the people is sobering and horrific, which makes the ability of a courageous few to depart from that horror and share in becoming the seed of a movement of peace all the more uplifting.
In the end, the conclusions drawn by the film and the people who inspire it are clear – to protect any one of us, we must protect all of us. To uplift the humanity of our own people, we must first recognize the shared humanity in our neighbor. As MLK Jr. said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere, because the marginalization and dehumanization of even the least of us paves the path towards the marginalization of any of us.
We cannot allow our neighbors to be marginalized by an oppressive government. Both for their sake, but also for our own. The power of Empire cannot be allowed to whittle down those that represent ‘real America’ to a likeminded few, and our work is at those boundaries of who is deemed acceptable by the State.
It has become clear that the current government will not extend hands of welcome to the people most in need. It’s clear that our most trusted institution will follow their lead when money is on the line. So we must be that welcoming hand. On the 20th at 1:30pm, we dig into that work.
Please consider pitching in, and importantly, reaching out to bring your neighbors and friends. It’s for you, and for us all, but most importantly, it’s for those that we invite to the space to experience a welcoming community willing to listen to their stories. I know we are that community because I’ve seen it – let’s make it real.
STANDing with you,
Matt
