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	Bike Exchange to outfit homeless riders Long-time justice and peace activists Peter Sprunger-Froese and Brian Gravestock have been repairing bikes for more than a decade in hopes of outfitting homeless riders with crucial transportation. Think about it – how can a homeless worker get to a job interview or commute to and from work without a car or depending on our bare-bones transit system? Unfortunately, Peter and Brian’s waiting list is weeks, if not months, long! To support their efforts, the PPJPC will launch an end-of-summer campaign to collect good-condition (i.e. no repairs needed) bicycles from the community. The city of Colorado Springs has agreed to donate a free storage space in one of its unused properties near America the Beautiful Park – a stone’s throw from Peter’s bike clinic on the north side of the Colorado Avenue bridge. Another partner is the Colorado Farm & Art Market, which will allow us to collect bikes 3-7 p.m. every Wednesday through October 13. Now we need the community to gather up those good-condition-but-unused bikes parked in sheds and garages around the region. Bikes in need of even small repairs should be fixed before they are donated. Our goal is to outfit every able-bodied person who needs a bike but has no money. For more information, contact Steve Saint at (719) 632-6189 or econjustice@ppjpc.org. Come Out of the Cold Action Teams hard at work After three months of enforcing the No-Camping Ordinance, the tents disappeared! But where did everybody go? Many got a bus home, some got into drug or alcohol programs, some got jobs and others are staying in motels. Many of those camping outside in March are still outside - just hiding their camps better than they used to! Citizens interested in helping find solutions for our homeless neighbors are working in Action Teams. To join a team or get more information, contact Steve at (719) 632-6189 or econjustice@ppjpc.org . Here are progress reports on five Action Teams: Second Shelter: The Salvation Army runs the city's best emergency shelter with more than 200 beds. While this program is excellent, some campers are unable or unwilling to enter the shelter given its rules and restrictions (no pets, no couples together, no intoxication, etc.). The Second Shelter Action Team is looking for a new facility with different rules that might accommodate campers left in the cold. We are also following the efforts of Rev. James McMearn of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, who is organizing a rotating shelter concept at churches. He hopes to launch this in November. Outreach: Teresa and Karl McLaughlin spoke to a group of about 25 at the March 1 forum about the challenges of moving campers (willingly) into shelter programs. The couple has helped more than 100 people out of the cold, moving many to temporary quarters in local motels. They expressed the need for a storage unit to warehouse the belongings of campers as they transition out of the creeks, and Action Team Chair Bill Lawson helped arrange for that storage unit within week. The group is enlisting and training volunteers for a "Community Outreach Team" (COT) to augment the police's "Homeless Outreach Team" (HOT), who are now enforcing the new No-Camping Ordinance. COT volunteers are reaching out to homeless campers at the Colorado College Community Kitchen lunch on Sundays and are looking to engage in outreach at the Marian House as well. Bike Exchange: The J&P is looking to support and enhance the efforts of long-time allies Peter Sprunger-Froese and Brian Gravestock, who are repairing and refurbishing bicycles for homeless people in need of local transportation. This project may grow into some kind of community bike co-op. Click here for Gazette coverage of the project. Homeless Job Network: This Action Team is trying to connect homeless people with skills to employers that might hire them. At their last meeting, representatives from Catholic Charities, the Independence Center and other organizations discussed how to mold existing employment efforts into a more robust, coordinated system. Designated Camping Area: This group has basically exhausted its search for a designated camping area on private land that could accommodate campers not yet ready or willing to move to indoor shelter. City Councilman Tom Gallagher presented one option at the forum - the old KOA campground near South Nevada Avenue - that is being eyed for commercial development and could include a case-managed section for homeless campers (click here for coverage in the Independent). After meeting with the property owner, the group has determined this is not an option. We don't know where all these efforts are headed, but it's quite possible we will eventually form a coalition of some kind to address the interconnected issues of homelessness, affordable housing and economic development. An example of this type of organization is the Anti-Displacement Project in Western Massachusetts. In the meantime, we have until the end of summer to create new options for our homeless friends. "An Evening in Jerusalem" a hearty First Cup of Tea About 100 people crowded Bemis Hall in July for a Middle Eastern dinner (catered by Arabica Cafe) and exploration of the common ground between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This was the first of three "cups of tea" to be co-sponsored by the J&P and the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs (and any other partners who join us along the way). If you were unable to attend, don't hesitate to join in the peace-making when you can! The next cup of tea will be a movie and mixer night in October. For more information, contact Steve at dynamic@ppjpc.org or (719) 632-6189. Iraq - Seven Years Too Many! March 20 was the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and we held our first "cyber-rally"! More than 100 people joined our group on Facebook. Seven years ago, George W. Bush attacked Iraq on the premise that Saddam Hussein was harboring Al Qaeda and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction - two claims we now know were falsified. Unfortunately, that deception ushered in the Bush Doctrine, under which military aggression is justified as "preventive war" - attack other countries before they attack you! Wrap aggression in the rhetoric of defense! Assume peace is best achieved through violence and get on with it! Did you know that more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in seven years of war? More than 4,700 U.S. and allied servicemen? At a cost of more than $1 trillion (how would you have spent that)? Did you know that opinion polls show at least 75 percent of the world opposing the U.S. occupation of Iraq. It's time to exit the Vietnam-like quagmire of Iraq (and Afghanistan). Peace community opposes Afghanistan surge The peace community made its voice heard in Acacia Park when President Obama announced his escalation of the war in Afghanistan. While the Gazette published a photo of Bill Durland (left), the accompanying story focused on how local military brass endorse the surge. NewsFirst 5 interviewed J&P intern Lisbet Rattenborg for their piece. Mark Lewis' video highlights can be viewed here. If you really want to see how opposed people in Colorado Springs are to military solutions in Afghanistan, watch this clip from Sunday’s News Hour on PBS. Everyone from Rev. Benjamin Broadbent to military families (the rank and file) have had enough of the Vietnam-style quagmire America faces in Afghanistan. Y-Core leads vigil to mark 900 U.S. casualties in Afghanistan Students from Palmer High School marked the 900 death toll in Afghanistan with a lunchtime vigil in October in Acacia Park, catty-corner from the school. Leaders from the campus PeaceJam and ECO clubs held signs, read poems and handed out information to students in the park. Reporters interviewed Brian Buckley (ECO Club) and Barak Ben-Amots (PeaceJam), key organizers in the J&P's Y-Core, a network of youth and young adult activists. October was America's deadliest month in Afghanistan since the war started, with the death toll at more than 900. Congratulations to our latest members of the Green Hall of Fame: John Crandall and Becky Elder. Thanks for being tireless champions of the environment - you inspire us all! And many thanks to the local sponsors of our June 5 World Environment Day celebration: Blue Sage Catering, Bon Appetit at Colorado College, Bristol Brewing Co., Colorado Springs Utilities, Garden of the Gods Gourmet, Grant Family Farms, InteriLife, Jan-Pro of Southern Colorado, Laurel's Bags, Metro Rides and Terra Essentials. Also kudos to the crew that pulled off this annual tribute to global environmentalism: Michelle Matos, Megan Andreozzi and Y-Core members Brian Buckley, Samantha Carty, Ben Felson, Madeline Frost, Matt Eskew and Dylan Lake. We couldn't have done it without you!

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