QEJ Holds a Vigil for Yvonne

QEJ Condemns The Killing of A New Providence Shelter Resident

QEJ Condemns The Killing of A New Providence Shelter Resident

Queers for Economic Justice is shocked and outraged at the police shooting of Yvonne McNeal, 57, a resident of the New Providence Women’s Shelter in midtown Manhattan on Sunday evening, October 1st, 2011. QEJ has been working with residents and staff of New Providence Women’s Shelter since 2003, and Yvonne was someone whom had become a part of QEJ’s extended family.

After an altercation inside the shelter that moved to the sidewalk outside of New Providence where the police shot Yvonne McNeal, killing her. Yvonne’s killing on Sunday underscores the reality that the police cannot be relied on to respond compassionately to low income LGBTQ people when it concerns issues of safety in our communities. At QEJ, we are asking again how many potentially dangerous situations every year have to end up in a police shooting? It cannot be accepted that calling the police can be deadly for low Income LGBTQ New Yorkers.

Even in aggravated situations, the police have a choice to use non-lethal deterrents. A 57 year old woman with a cane that is attempting to re-enter a building, should not be the target of lethal violence. Like Oscar Grant in Oakland, the police had a choice; they chose to kill instead of preserve life. When police targeted largely white Occupy Wall Street protesters, they used pepper spray. When faced with a vulnerable woman of color, they chose to use lethal force as their first option.

“I feel that as homeless people, we don’t have a justice system,” said Gykyira Rodriquez, a member of QEJ’s LGBTQ support group at the New Providence Women’s shelter.

QEJ works at the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity to do organizing and advocacy around LGBTQ poverty, homelessness and economic survival.

Ms. Rodriguez, who is a QEJ volunteer and support group leader, echoed the sentiments of many shelter residents, including other active members of QEJ’s support group community. QEJ has seen this repeated pattern of racism and disregard for human life when the police are dealing with issues of violence because we are poor, from communities of color and may also be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or perceived as such.

A report released last year by Queers for Economic Justice Welfare Warriors Collective in conjunction with the Graduate Center of the City University of New York found that calling or interacting with the police can be dangerous: 19 percent of 171 low income LGBTGNC survey responders in NYC had been physically assaulted in the past two years. Among those who were currently homeless, the number jumps to 24 percent. These numbers reflect broader national research that shows that LGBTQ individuals often find themselves victims of police violence when reaching out to the police for safety (NCAVP, 2008).
One QEJ study participant said, “I feel if you call the cops, the cops are going to think you are the criminal (when) they come.”

At QEJ, our hearts are broken at the senseless loss of Yvonne’s life. We are proud to remember Yvonne as she marched with us in the Gay Pride March this year. Earlier this summer, QEJ launched its Shelter Safety Campaign, directed by organizer Doyin Ola in partnership with Shelter Program Director Jay Toole. The violence inside and outside of the shelters, the threat from law enforcement and the wounding that comes from the prison industrial complex illustrates the absolute need for a project of this nature. The Shelter Safety Campaign will honor Yvonne by working to end the senseless and brutal violence bred by racism, poverty, transphobia and homophobia and aimed at the working poor, those in poverty, people of color, women, immigrants, mental health issues and the LGBTQ community.

For information on the Shelter Safety Campaign or the Shelter Organizing Project contact Doyin Ola, Shelter Safety Campaign Organizer, at doyin@q4ej.org or Jay Toole, Shelter Program Director, at jay@q4ej.org.

For information on QEJ and our work, please direct yourself to our webpage: www.q4ej.org.

For questions or comments on this statement, please contact Amber Hollibaugh at amber@q4ej.org or via telephone at: (212) 564.3608

Queer Voices

For the past month, QEJ and Brooklyn-based writer, Sassafras Lowery, have teamed up in leading Queer Writing Workshops. Intended for anyone interested in our work–volunteers, shelter residents, stakeholders and more–to come together and write their stories. These classes have been informative, powerful and loads of fun for everyone involved.

Our writers have written some amazing work ranging from stories to poetry to non-fiction. Join us this Friday, August 12th at the QEJ office at 6pm for QUEER VOICES: A Performance by QEJ’s Writers’ Group. We will be listening and supporting each others’ spoken word and talent and we hope you can be there to join!

Food will be provided, metro cards are available to those who need them.

Sit back and relax as we turn the QEJ office into a hip writers’ cafe! We’ll see you there!

12 Police Officers Harass & Handcuff Homeless Woman for Sitting in Fountain

A friend of QEJ, David Pring-Mill, was in City Hall on July 28th where he witnessed and recorded NYPD harass a homeless woman for sitting in a public fountain. He sent us these photographs, a video, and a write up of the incident and asked that we share them with the public through our website. *Trigger Warning*

On July 28, 2011, a homeless woman sat in the fountain in NYC’s City Hall Park to wash herself (while fully clothed) as well as additional articles of clothing. 12 police officers arrived on the scene. The woman got out of the fountain and sat on the edge of it. The officers encircled her for over half an hour, and then handcuffed her when she tried to walk away.

Full Story (written by David Pring-Mill):

I had heard stories about police misconduct in regards to NYC’s homeless population, but did not witness any such occurrences firsthand until Thursday, July 28, 2011. In the late evening, I strolled through City Hall Park. It was a hot day, and a homeless woman was sitting inside one of the semi-circular pools of water that are adjoined to the sides of the Jacob Wrey Mould Fountain. She was fully clothed, but appeared to be bathing, seeking relief from the heat, and washing some additional articles of clothing. I thought to myself that the sight of a homeless woman resorting to cleaning herself and doing her laundry in a public fountain epitomizes the current state of poverty in America in a profoundly sad way. I felt affected by it, then found an empty bench near the entrance to the park and sat down.

Then the cops arrived. I spotted about five police officers initially. I thought that this quantity was a bit excessive, and I walked over to see what was happening. The officers told the woman to get out of the fountain, and she complied. It looked like two of the officers were then walking away and I thought that they had realized that more officers responded to this call than was necessitated by the circumstances. But then those officers came back. And then another officer arrived. And another. And another. The officers stood and watched as the woman got out of the fountain. She removed the wet clothes that she had been hand washing and hung them out on the fountain edge. One of the officers parked his motorcycle at the scene and nonchalantly leaned against it. After the woman finished, she sat down on the edge of the semi-circular pool as additional police officers arrived. Eventually, there were literally a dozen officers encroaching upon the woman. I say “a dozen” not as a rounded or exaggerated number. I counted twelve, I photographed the incident with my BlackBerry, and my photographs substantiate this count.

As I took the photos, a few of the officers glared at me. Upon seeing this concentrated show of force, people stopped and seemed puzzled as they tried to figure out what was going on. Due to the proximity to City Hall, it is doubtless that some of them must have thought that the large number of officers was provoked by a terrorism scare as opposed to a homeless woman who had been sitting in a fountain. A Canadian couple asked me for directions to the nearest sightseeing tour bus stop, and also inquired about the presence of the officers. When I explained that the large police presence was in response to a homeless woman who had sat in a fountain, they expressed shock and related it to an incident of police brutality that occurred in Canada.

As the events progressed, the police officers proved to be exceedingly more disruptive to the public than the woman had been. She wasn’t violent. She remained seated the entire time. She didn’t shout out any threats. The substance of the conversation was not known to me because she was controlled in her level of voice. She was speaking and was seldom spoken to as the officers gathered around her. It is possible that she was refusing to leave the park, but she had already gotten out of the fountain and at no point did she try to get back into it. Eventually, she stood up to walk away and spoke loudly and with determination. “Okay I’m walking away, I’m leaving,” she said. The officers swiftly moved in and handcuffed her. I hurriedly fumbled to switch my BlackBerry to video camera mode and I filmed her being taken away by the officers. She implored them to state what she’d done wrong and she repeatedly asked for an explanation as she was ushered along. The officers didn’t reply.

If her offending actions consisted of her being in the fountain, why didn’t the officers take her away immediately? Why did they only do so after a standoff that persisted for well over half an hour? I use the word “standoff” ironically. The term denotes that both parties are standing or on some equal ground – this woman was sitting, with wet clothes, while she was surrounded by standing men with guns. If she said anything during the preceding standoff indicating that she might harm others, it wasn’t audible, and it wasn’t at all reflected in her disposition as she was being taken away. She seemed lucid, albeit understandably frustrated, and she articulated rational questions. The sense of panic and indignation in her voice was obviously the result of the officers’ actions. If she said anything objectionable to the officers prior, it may have been the result of the fact that she was surrounded by twelve law enforcement officers after a situation in which her dignity was already compromised. She did not seem to be a threat to herself either. To the contrary, she was concerned about why she was being handcuffed, and in the video, she can even be heard asking about her bag of things. If the officers wish to allege that she was at risk for self-harm, why would a woman seeking to harm herself be concerned about her meager worldly possessions?

The officers put the woman into a FDNY EMT ambulance, and then they shook each other’s hands and congratulated one another on a job well done. It was sickening to see such pride in such a shameful act, in the feat of twelve armed men handcuffing and carting away a frail homeless woman who was trying to clean her clothes. Most of the officers had merely been spectators. They evidently had heard the call over the radio that a woman was caught bathing in a fountain, and they couldn’t resist the novelty of witnessing such an occurrence. They did so at the taxpayers’ expense and were consequently not available to immediately respond to more urgent matters that might have actually required them to be there.

I confronted a police officer and asked, “Excuse me, why was that woman arrested?” The exchange went as follows:

“She was in the fountain…”

“I know she was in the fountain, but she got out of the fountain. You guys told her to get out and she did; she was no longer in the fountain.”

“You don’t understand, this woman, she’s wacko… she’s not thinking right…”

“About ten percent of the American public have mental illnesses. Are you going to arrest all of them, too?” (Note: After getting home that night, I did a search on Google to fact check myself. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, that figure is actually 19.9 percent.)

“She wasn’t arrested. She’s being taken to a hospital,” the officer replied.

Two other officers stepped up beside me and chimed in: “She’s crazy… she’s out of her mind.”

“A regular hospital or a psych hospital? What hospital?” I asked.

“I don’t have to tell you that. That’s all private. I don’t have to tell you her name, that’s private. A person’s medical records are confidential. That’s all confidential.”

“I’m not requesting her medical records…”

“All of this is none of your business,” he insisted, clearly done with my questions.

“It is if it’s a civil rights violation.”

He waved his hand dismissively in my face. Then those three officers walked away, and all of the officers dispersed from the park.

I am left now with troubling feelings about all of this, as well as the palpable photographs and video of the arrest. It is very probable that at some point in time in this city, rowdy teens have played in public fountains, and a drunken businessman or woman has stepped inside of one. Such occurrences probably resulted in those people being ticketed when caught, if not let off with warnings. But this woman wasn’t ticketed. She was intimidated, handcuffed, and forcibly submitted to a psychiatric evaluation at an undisclosed hospital. It seems that she was treated differently because she was homeless. If her offensive action was being in the fountain and such an action legally warranted that response then that response should have happened immediately. Otherwise, it would seem that they handcuffed her and carted her away because they didn’t like the things that she was saying or the way that she came across, even though there were no perceptible indications that she was a danger to herself, a danger to the officers, or a danger to the public. Do we now live in a city in which the police can handcuff and hospitalize citizens for seeming “wacko” during completely medically unqualified assessments in which the citizens are vastly outnumbered and demeaned?

Clearly, action needs to be taken. Homelessness is symptomatic of larger societal problems, and the fundamental issues need to be addressed. Too often in this country, we treat the symptoms of a problem without rectifying the underlying causes of that problem. In some instances, we not only fail to treat both the symptoms and the causes but we actually regard the victims of our society’s ills with something that comes close to contempt. Correcting the underlying causes would require broad reforms and thorough democratic discuss ions, but presently, one thing is readily apparent. An acceptable solution was not at all reflected in these police officers’ decision to infringe upon the freedom of a compliant homeless woman, encircle her in massive numbers, harass and intimidate her, regard her with derision, and subsequently justify such actions by calling her “wacko.” The NYPD is capable of being better than this, and I hope that New Yorkers will urge the department to institute sensitivity training that will prevent such encounters from occurring in the future. If we want to live in a society of compassion in which the freedom of individuals is respected without appearance or social class serving as a prerequisite, then this incident and other similar incidents are in fact our business, in spite of any claims to the contrary made by the police.

- David Pring-Mill, 7/29/2011

pringmill@gmail.com

QEJ stands in solidarity with the Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers

Hungerstrike News
July 17, 2011 No. 1, Day Seventeen

Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers Reject Proposal:

The Strike Continues!

Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition <http://t.ymlp118.net/eqataybwakajswaoahh/click.php>

Friday, July 15 – This afternoon leaders of the Pelican Bay hunger strike unanimously rejected a proposal from the CDCR to end the strike. In response to the prisoners’ five, straightforward demands, the CDCR distributed a vaguely worded document stating that it would “effect a comprehensive assessment of its existing policy and  procedure” about the secure housing units (SHUs). The document gave no indication if any changes would be made at all.

While the CDCR has claimed that there is no medical crisis, mediators report that the principal hunger strikers have lost 25-35 pounds each and have underlying medical conditions of concern. Despite the promises from the federal Receiver overseeing the CDCR, no one has received salt tablets or vitamins.

The hunger strike is now in its third week and shows no signs of weakening. In fact, the settlement document distributed last night to all hunger strikers at Pelican Bay prison, resulted in some people who have gone off the strike to resume refusing food. Hundreds of prisoners at Pelican Bay remain on strike, with thousands more participating throughout the CA’s 33 prisons. Advocates and strike leaders dismiss the false claims that the strike is being orchestrate by prison gangs. (Click here <http://t.ymlp118.net/eyazaybwaiajswatahh/click.php>  for a clip from a legal visit with hunger strikers, explaining why prisoners are doing this hunger strike)

International solidarity with the striking prisoners also continue to mount with demonstrations and messages emerging from the US, Canada, Turkey and Australia.

According to mediation team Laura Magnani, “From day one. the CDCR has demonstrated it’s inability to resolve this situation. We call on Gov. Brown to step in and negotiate in good faith to bring this situation to a just resolution.” Strike supporters plan to flood the Governor’s office with phone calls and emails, echoing the striker’s demands.

Given how basic the strikers’ demands are, it is immoral that the CDCR would insult these men with such poor faith proposal,” state mediator Dorsey Nunn.

The challenge for supporters outside of prison is to match the courage of the hunger strikers, and to effectively pressure the CDCR to immediately negotiate on the standards any negotiation should follow: with the prisoners in good faith, addressing all of the demands, and with the prisoner-approved outside mediation team.
It is still important to continue calling in and writing letters to Sec. Cate.

We also need to intensify pressure on all elected officials, from Governor Brown to local state representatives, to get involved in this struggle–urge them to make sure the CDCR negotiates with the prisoners, urge them to visit Pelican Bay and demand to see the prisoners. We can also be targeting press and media to do the same.

MOBILIZE to SACRAMENTO:
MON, July 18th from 1-4pm. Demonstration outside CDCR Headquarters. 1515 S. St.

*FOR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE:
Join a conference call to hear direct updates, and to strategize effective ways to support the strike and the prisoners in winning their demands!

NATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE CALL:
Monday, July 18th: 6 pm EDT/ 5 pm CDT/ 4pm MDT/ 3 pm PDT
Toll-Free Call In Number: 1(800) 920-7487
Participant Code: 62435226

Click here for a complete list of Coalition press releases and advisories. <http://t.ymlp118.net/msalaybwafajswaoahh/click.php>

Recent Media Coverage

• Protestors In Support Of Pelican Bay Prisoners March Through SF <http://t.ymlp118.net/muaiaybwakajswaiahh/click.php>  - Jana Katsuyama reports for KTVU television, July 15 2011
• Prison Reform Movement’s Blogtalkradio show <http://t.ymlp118.net/meacaybwagajswadahh/click.php>  talks to Ed Mead, Julie Tackett, and D.J. Vodicka, on July 16, 2011
• Interview with Carol Strickman, staff attorney for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children “The CDCR is using every method they have to try and stop this hunger strike” <http://t.ymlp118.net/mmapaybwaxajswagahh/click.php> Revolution #239, July 17, 2011
• Interview with Clyde Young, revolutionary communist “We should stand firmly with the prisoners and their demands” <http://t.ymlp118.net/mjapaybwavajswaxahh/click.php> Clyde Young is a revolutionary communist and a former prisoner. This interview was originally done on The Michael Slate Show and has been posted at revcom.us <http://revcom.us>  courtesy of The Michael Slate Show (KPFK, 90.7fm Los Angeles, 98.7fm Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org <http://www.kpfk.org>  worldwide).
• Interview with Lance Tapley, journalist; U.S.: “The World Torture Champions” <http://t.ymlp118.net/mbagaybwavajswavahh/click.php> Lance Tapley is an award winning investigative journalist at the Portland Phoenix in Maine where he has covered the Supermax prison in Maine. Lance is also one of the contributors to the anthology “The United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration and Abuse”. This interview was originally done on The Michael Slate Show and has been posted at revcom.us <http://revcom.us>  courtesy of The Michael Slate Show (KPFK, 90.7fm Los Angeles, 98.7fm Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org <http://www.kpfk.org>  worldwide).
• Interview with Manuel LaFontaine, member of All of Us or None and the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition: “The worst of the worst is not allowing people to be treated as human beings” <http://t.ymlp118.net/mhafaybwadajswagahh/click.php> Manuel LaFontaine is a member of All of Us or None and the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition. This interviewed was originally done on The Michael Slate Show and has been posted at revcom.us <http://revcom.us>  courtesy of The Michael Slate Show, (KPFK, 90.7fm Los Angeles, 98.7fm Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org <http://www.kpfk.org>  worldwide)
• Emergency Press Conference in San Francisco: “We cannot stress enough how critical the situation is” <http://t.ymlp118.net/mwapaybwalajswapahh/click.php> Revolution #239, July 17, 2011
• Thousands of California Prisoners & Supporters Rally for Weeks <http://t.ymlp118.net/mqaraybwaxajswavahh/click.php> MIM(Prisons), July 2011
• When the Hunger Strike is in the US | Cubadebate (English) <http://t.ymlp118.net/myataybwaxajswaxahh/click.php> By Juana Carrasco Martín, Cubadebate Jul 16th, 2011 A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann
• Letters from Hugo Pinell and other hunger strikers – Rally to support the hunger strikers <http://t.ymlp118.net/jsanaybwaaajswacahh/click.php> San Francisco Bay View July 15, 2011
• Protests Grow in Solidarity with California Prisoners as Hunger Strikes Enter Third Week <http://t.ymlp118.net/juavaybwafajswaaahh/click.php> Democracy Now July 15, 2011
• Carl Small of the Montreal Hungerstrike Support Committee interviewed on Radio Free Worldinterviewed on Radio Free World <http://t.ymlp118.net/jeavaybwapajswarahh/click.php> , CKUW 95.9 FM Winnipeg, July 15 2011
• Pelican Bay/California hunger strike: 6,000 prisoners and growing <http://t.ymlp118.net/jmacaybwaoajswazahh/click.php> By Michelle Schudel, Liberation (Newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation) July 15, 2011
• Pelican Bay Hunger Strike: Supporters Plan to Rally, Possibly Disrupt the Evening Commute <http://t.ymlp118.net/jjaraybwaoajswazahh/click.php> By Erin Sherbert San Francisco News, July 15 2011
• Rush Hour Protest Today to Back Hunger Strikers at Pelican Bay <http://t.ymlp118.net/jbafaybwagajswagahh/click.php> Rachel Swan East Bay Express, July 15, 2011
• Calif. inmates fight lockdowns, punishment of groups by race <http://t.ymlp118.net/jhacaybwacajswaoahh/click.php> BY ARLENE RUBINSTEIN, The Militant – July 25, 2011
• July 15: Amidst Pressure, CDCR Enters Negotiation with Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers <http://t.ymlp118.net/jwalaybwanajswaaahh/click.php> press release from the Prisoners Hungerstrike Solidarity Coalition
• Corrections officials accede to pressure, begin negotiating with hunger strikers as their health deteriorates <http://t.ymlp118.net/jqaiaybwafajswatahh/click.php> by Isaac Ontiveros, Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity, San Francisco Bay View July 15 2011.

Needless to say, a link to an article does not imply endorsement.

Click here for complete list of links to news articles since July 1. <http://t.ymlp118.net/jyataybwapajswakahh/click.php>

Upcoming Events
(next 72 hours)

EVERYWHERE
*Monday, July 18th: 6 pm EDT/ 5 pm CDT/ 4pm MDT/ 3 pm PDT:
NATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE CALL: FOR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE. Join a conference call to hear direct updates, and to strategize effective ways to support the strike and the prisoners in winning their demands! Toll-Free Call In Number: 1(800) 920-7487. Participant Code: 62435226

In the US:

California

Los Angeles
Monday, July 18th, 9am – 5pm ALL DAY – Reagan State Building, 3rd and Spring Sts., Downtown Los Angeles

Sacramento
Mon, July 18th1:00-4:00pm: Demonstration @ CDCR Headquarters.1515 S St. Sacramento, CA

San Bernardino
Sun, July 17th 12:00-3:00 pm: Demonstration at San Bernardino County Central Detention Center (CDC). 630 East Rialto Avenue. San Bernardino

San Francisco
EVERY DAY at noon. California State Building, Van Ness and McAllister, San Francisco.

Nevada

Las Vegas
Mon, July 18th 8:00- 9:00 p.m: VIGIL IN SOLIDARITY WITH HUNGER STRIKE ACROSS CALIFORNIA. Address: *waiting on location*

New York

New York City
Mon, JULY 18th 11:30am – 1pm Demo in Solidarity with Hunger Strike in California. California State Franchise Office, 1212 6th Ave. between 47th & 48th, Manhattan, New York City, New York.

Arizona
Tuscon
Tues, July 19th @ 8pm: Informational Update on the Hunger Strike and Radical Folk Music Show featuring Ryan Harvey. At Dry River Radical Resource Center 740 N.  Main Ave. Click here <http://t.ymlp118.net/bsakaybwaxajswadahh/click.php>  for more info.

Rhode Island
Wed, July 20th: Fast/Rally (assuming the strikers haven’t had their demands met by then). organized by DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality). For more info, call: 401-351-6060 <http://t.ymlp118.net/buadaybwaaajswaxahh/click.php>

This list is of upcoming events we know of within the next 72 hours – for a complete list click here <http://t.ymlp118.net/beadaybwanajswapahh/click.php>

If you are organizing an event in your area, let us know <mailto:hstrikenews@yahoo.ca> !

Hungerstrike News can be reached at hstrikenews@yahoo.ca

QEJ Seeks Executive Director

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Executive Director

Queers for Economic Justice seeks an experienced, creative, visionary, progressive leader to fill the position of Executive Director (ED). This position is full-time and located in New York City. Check out our website at www.q4ej.org/jobs for more details including a full job description.

Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ) is a progressive multiracial, multi-class and multi-gender non-profit organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation. We are committed to the principle that access to social and economic resources is a fundamental right, and we work to create social and economic justice through grassroots organizing, public education, advocacy and research. The organization currently has a staff of three, associated consultants, many dedicated volunteers and a committed board of directors.

QEJ’s work is well known and respected in progressive social justice circles throughout the United States. The organization is committed to its foundational program of organizing with LGBTQ people living in homeless shelters within the five boroughs of New York, while looking forward to reviving and leading new projects.

We are looking for the right individual who brings

• Vision.
• A progressive analysis of class and intersecting issues of race, gender, age, ability, and immigration status.
• Political commitment to LGBTQ low-income folks.
• Organizational experience.

Responsibilities include: Supervise overall programming of the organization while maintaining autonomy of staff and volunteers; strategic planning and program development; collaborate with staff in representing QEJ public events, government and media; fundraising and major donor development; managing and expanding the organization?s $350,000 budget; building coalitions with other LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ social justice organizations; and collaborate with staff in representing QEJ in government and media.

Qualifications: Minimum 3-5 years of both organizational management and budget/fundraising experience; a broad understanding of economic justice and how it affects LGBTQ people on the local and national level; experience with coalition-building with multi-racial and multi-classed organizations; and superior writing and strong public speaking skills.

Applications will be accepted until October 1, 2011. No phone calls please. Women, people of color, people with disabilities, gender nonconforming people and transgender people are strongly encouraged to apply. QEJ welcomes applications from applicants regardless of nationality, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, sex, citizenship/status or disability. Hire is expected April 1, 2012.

For more information about how to apply as well as a complete job description including qualifications and salary/benefits please refer to our website at www.q4ej.org/jobs.

Please forward this announcement widely!

Needed — Shelter Support Group Leaders

Shelter Organizing

SUPPORT, TRAININGS AND ADVOCACY FOR THE LGBT HOMELESS

QEJ are the only organization to focus our work on the issues facing homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults.

* Outreach and Support: We run outreach and support groups at homeless shelters across the city. We are the only LGBT organization (and one of the very few groups of any kind) who go into homeless shelters. We provide support, and provide referrals to LGBT-sensitive services.
* Trainings: We also bring shelter residents out of the shelter and into our monthly “Know Your Rights” Trainings, where we offer concrete information and tools for LGBT homeless people to better advocate for themselves.
* Media: Q-Talk is our monthly television series which highlights political issues of concern to low-income queers. It can be viewed on MNN cable channel 34, and online.
* Advocacy: We advocate for fairer policies in the shelter system.
o In 2007, we successfully organized a coalition to demand that the City treat homeless LGBT domestic partners as if they are a married couple when they apply for shelter.
o In 2006, we succeeded in getting the City to create a policy that would allow transgender residents to self-determine which shelter system (male or female) they would like to live in.

For more information about the Shelter Project or to get involved, contact Jay Toole at jay-at-q4ej.org.

Sunday! QEJ Joins Forces with Labor Orgs To Show Solidarity at NYC Pride March

June 24, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

QEJ Joins Forces with Labor Orgs To Show Economic Justice Solidarity at NYC Pride March

Queers for Economic Justice, United Auto Workers (UAW), Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) & Walmart Free NYC Coalition join forces to make the economy’s impact on LGBTQ people visible at NYC Pride March

Contact: Amber Hollibaugh, Interim Executive Director, QEJ. 646.696.1266

Who:Queers for Economic Justice, United Auto Workers (UAW), Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) & Walmart Free NYC Coalition

What: NYC Heritage of Pride March

When: Sunday June 26, 2011, 1130am.

Where: Groups to convene at 39th Street between 5^th Ave and Madison

New York, NY—For the first time in many years, New York’s Heritage of Pride Parade this coming Sunday will have an economic justice contingent in the parade, comprised of labor unions, Queers for Economic Justice, and the coalition to keep Walmart out of New York City.

“Whether or not marriage equality passes in New York, LGBT New Yorkers are in desperate need of affordable housing, healthcare, jobs that pay livable wages and access to services,” said Amber Hollibaugh, co-founder and Interim Executive Director of QEJ. “The time is right for QEJ to stand strong with labor, and vice-versa, to speak out against the targeting of public employees and their unions and the criminalization of immigrant workers, including LGBTQ immigrants. QEJ is proud to celebrate the power of the labor activism happening in Wisconsin and the Midwest. We hope our joint presence at the parade will remind people of the bread-and-butter issues many of us continue to face.”

National data all point to the fact that LGBTQ people, especially people of color, are more likely to be homeless, lack adequate healthcare, and be discriminated against in the job market. In 2010, QEJ released the results of a survey of 171 low-income LGBTQ New Yorkers and found that 70% of them were currently, or had been homeless at some point in their lives.

“Today’s part-time employed might be tomorrow’s homeless,” noted Jay Toole, QEJ Co-founder and Director of the Shelter Project at QEJ. “Every day I meet queer people in the shelter system who’s main problem is that they are unable to get a decent paying job, or any job at all. And you can’t get housing without work. It becomes a viscous cycle. I am glad QEJ is beginning to work with labor so that we can get more of our people into jobs, and more into affordable housing.”

While QEJ has largely made organizing and advocacy for queer and trans people who are homeless and on public assistance it’s focus, it is laying the groundwork to be organizing more LGBT people who work in economies where there are a disproportionate number of marginalized workers.

Anyone who wants to march with this contingent of the Pride Parade should arrive at 11:30am on East 39^th Street bet. 5^th Ave & Madison Street.

For more information visit:

Queers for Economic Justice: www.q4ej.org | United Auto Workers: www.uaw.org | Walmart-Free NYC Coalition: walmartfreenyc.org | Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: www.rwdsu.org

A quick glance at our Summer events!

Summer is still poppin’ at QEJ with out awesome August events. Check it out!

1. Jay’s Walking Tour on Saturday, July 30th. The famous Jay Toole, QEJ’s shelter organizer, will be leading a tour of her life through the 60′s as a homeless butch lesbian. The tour will begin at 12:00pm in Washington Square Park and last about 2 1/2 hours.
2. Queer Writing Workshops on August 3rd and August 10th–both from 6:30-8:30pm. Lead by Brooklyn-based writer, Sassafras Lowrey, these workshops are for shelter residents and friends to explore their creative side and share with a queer-friendly group. Food and metro cards will be provided. Our writers will have a Queer Performance on Friday August 12th at 6pm where they will read their work. This event is open to the public.
3. Are you interested in being a shelter facilitator? QEJ works in several shelters around NYC organizing queer shelter residents; if you want to learn more join us for Shelter Facilitator Orientation on August 5th (6-7:30pm) and August 6th (1-2:30pm). You only have to come to one! At this orientation Jay and Carlos will lead the group in learning how to facilitate shelter sessions.
4. Come to QEJ’s 2nd Leadership School on Saturday August 13th from 12-5pm. This 4-5 hour workshop is intended for activists and shelter residents and will discuss queer history, defining racial/economic justice, and learning about the systems of economy. Food and metro cards will be available.
5. Sunday August 15th is QEJ’s August Game Night! From 6-8pm we will be relaxing with some snacks and fun games. Scrabble? Monopoly? Spades? What’s your favorite game? Come school us (or watch us school you) as we enjoy a relaxing Sunday night together.
6. Saturday August 20th is the 2nd Monthly Resident’s Movie Night. Join QEJ and friends from 6-9pm as we watch The Aggressives, a hard-hitting documentary about masculine butch lesbians. A discussion will follow the movie showing. Food and metro cards available.
7. Monday, August 29th, QEJ’s Board Chair Terry Boggis will lead a Know Your Rights Training at 6pm. This event is for anyone interested in understanding their legal rights family issues and family law.

All events unless otherwise noted are held at the QEJ office. Metro cards are available to those who need it. We are located at 147 W. 24th St., 4th Floor New York, NY 10011

Support us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Queers-For-Economic-Justice/18201778500

QEJ Pride March

Do you want to march in the Pride March on Sunday June 26th but don’t have anyone to march with?

Well look no further friend, come join QEJ as we proudly show New York that poor queers are just as important to the movement as anyone else. QEJ staff, volunteers, shelter residents and more will be struttin’ our stuff down 5th ave, and we would absolutely love it if you joined

Meet PROMPTLY 12pm on 39th St btwn. 5th and Madison Ave…look for the QEJ Van

RSVP with Jay at 917 939 2511 or jay@q4ej.org

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