All sorts of Worcesterites are coming together to support Worcester's street vendors, for all sorts of reasons. Some see vendors as a good part of urban life. Others think the City Council should stop hurting small businesses. Others see an attack on street vendors as hurting the poor.

One vendor requested a petition to the Worcester City Council that his customers can sign. If you'd like to add your name to this petition, please e-mail realsolutionsworcester@yahoo.com.

We recognize that Worcester's vendors are an important part of small business and community life in our city. We oppose any measure by our City Council that would restrict the ability of vendors to do business, especially: 1) contraints on times that vendors may operate, 2) laws against vendors operating on Main St., and 3) laws that require vendors to move every 5 minutes.

Full story at Indymedia.

Summary:
1. Beaver Brook 9 Mann St
2. Crompton Park 40 Canton St
3. East Park 200 Shrewsbury St
4. Greenwood Park 20 Forsberg St
5. Holmes Field 221 Plantation St
6. Kendrick Field 7 Brooks St
7. South Worcester 53 Camp St
8. Tacoma Pool 485 Tacoma St
9. University Park 955 Main St

Artist, anti-war activist, Catholic Worker, and long-time Art Museum faculty member Tom Lewis will be honored with a retrospective exhibition of prints, drawings, and pictures. Tom died unexpectedly in April.

The exhibit is in the Worcester Art Museum's Higgins Education Wing from June 23-August 8, 2008. There will be a special reception July 10, 5-7:30pm, to coincide with the Catholic Worker National Gathering held in Worcester.

More information: Link

Worcester Roots Project Presents . . .
TOXIC SOIL BUSTERS
LIVE FROM THE GREEN CARPET
WHO: Toxic Soil Busters & Mingo + Epinero
www.WorcesterRoots.org/TSB
http://www.myspace.com/HOPERECORDZ
WHAT: EXCLUSIVE tour, film screening, &
Live Music!
WHERE: Backyard
of
Stone Soup, 4 King St
WHEN: Thursday, June 12, 2008
6-8pm
WHAT TO WEAR: SOMETHING GREEN!!

Check out the famous documentary explaining ways to conquer global warmiing. Kilowatt Ours offers a fresh look at things we can all do to avert this crisis. Following the film a discussion with a city councilor and an energy professor from Worcester State College will elaborate on the film.

June 12th 6:30pm Worcester Public Library

Trial begins June 17, 2008 for the five people arrested for praying the rosary in the lobby of Worcester’s federal building March 19. They prayed for an end to the Iraq War, and for forgiveness for the sin of the war.

More info and updates: Link

Walk to Freedom!

DO YOU WANT TO STOP CORI FROM HOLDING GOOD PEOPLE DOWN?

May 18th – May 22nd

EPOCA is walking from WORCESTER TO BOSTON, and through your town, to raise our voices for CORI REFORM.
WE CAN WIN…BUT WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE!!

If you can’t walk, show your support by sending us off!
Worcester City Hall, Sunday May 18, 9:00 am

Or join us for the last leg of the walk from Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown to the State House in Boston! Thursday, May 22 11:00 am to 2:30 pm.

Freedom from CORI discrimination!

Food and lodging will be provided, free of charge.

Call EPOCA to sign up (508) 410-7676

The Mass. Alliance Against Predatory Lending is a newly formed coalition of over 30 community organizations, housing counseling agencies, legal services groups and others who have come together to work on the sub-prime foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts.

We are proud to welcome their homepage to WorcesterActivist.org: Link

E-mail from Gordon Davis:

Hello Everyone,

The City Clerk and City Solicitor have confirmed that the Worcester Peace Works Petition to City Council is suitable. The petition is to seek money in lieu of taxes from military entities in Worcester , including recruiting offices and bases. The money would then go to the City's Veterans Affairs Offices for services to veterans in need This would relieve the burden on the taxpayers of Worcester whose taxes now fund that office.

The second part of the petition is to have the City Council go on record in favor of an immediate end to hostilities in Iraq as a means to reduce the wounded veterans and the tax burden on the City.

The petition is on the agenda for April 29, 2008. If you know a City Councillor please call hom or her to allow Worcester PeaceWorks to speak on the petition and to vote in favor of it. Also if you could come to the Tues. April 29, 2008 , 7PM. meeting it would add strength to the petition.

This petition could open up a new discussion about how war adversely affects the economy, how the military is given no tax status, how the wounded and sick are not taken care of by the military. The recruiters should pay forward for the harm that they do to all of us.

I bet this will be super-helpful. Link