Category: After Action Report - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Green Drinks in 2021 - After Action Report

1/17/2022

Green Drinks 2021 - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum held 11 Green Drinks events in 2021. Since March 2019, we have met monthly to network and listen to a presentation by a subject matter expert. In spite of the pandemic, Green Drinks continues to meet virtually on the first Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 pm. Watch this space for our 2022 gatherings, we have exciting programs coming up.

In January of 2022 the Executive Director of Citizen Climate International Joseph Robertson gave an inspiring talk about what happened at COP26. He gave us hope and motivated us to continue to do our advocacy work.

Susan Leuthauser

After Action Report - the Environmental Forum in 2021

1/17/2022

2021 Environmental Forum Activities - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum had a busy 2021. Here's summary of our activities:

Held ten Green Drinks virtual events and one Green Drinks in-person gathering.
Celebrated one specific environmental day/issue each month and published an informational and take-action flier (images and flyers below).
Held a weekly outreach table at the Farmers' Market during the market season.
The theme for the 2021 Earth Day was “Restore the Earth” and we celebrated this occasion with 2 events:
- Screened the film “Kiss the Ground,” followed by a panel discussion on the topic by soil conservation experts.
- Hosted an Earth Day Fair at the Farmers Market.
Supported City Council woman Judith Lee’s effort to pass the Davenport Resolution in support of a policy for Energy, Environmental, and Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency.
Participated in the St. Ambrose University Sustainability Fest.
Supported the NAACP Environmental Justice Committee Events.
Participated in several local cleanup efforts.
Participated in the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative to collect plastic waste data.
Worked with Rock Island County residents to address the issue of the closing of the recycling centers.
Worked with the Davenport North High School Environmental Club students on their environmental projects.
Actively participated as a member of the QC Earth Coalition and River Action Steering Committee.
Supported NAACP Environmental Justice Group events.
Initiated the QC Voter Turnout/Voter information project.

We have made our 2021 Monthly Environmental Celebrations into two flyers. They print off nicely back-to-back to make a perfect placemat for the family. We have attached the flyers here as pdfs of Side 1 and Side 2.

Susan Leuthauser

2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_1.pdf
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2021_monthly_celebration_placemat_side_2.pdf
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Plastic Pollution Initiative - After Action Report

12/22/2021

Plastic Pollution Initiative - After Action Report

Mississippi River City and Town Initiative

For the month of October, numerous organizations in the QC region participated in citizen scientist data collection. Those of us in the Environmental Forum participated in collecting litter and submitting information about the specifics to the Marine Debris Tracker app on our phones. Staff at the University of Georgia, National Geographic, and the United Nations Environment Programme analyzed the data and provided an overview at a Zoom conference on November 17th.

Data was collected from 6476 volunteers, who collected debris from an area equivalent to over 10,000 football fields. Significant take-aways included that the largest sources of litter were cigarette butts and food wrappers, with 76% of the material being made of plastic. What will be done with this data depends in large part upon our city commitments to reduce litter, particularly plastic litter. Ideas discussed at the meeting included modifying city contracts with mowing companies, who may not always clear trash before mowing. The trash is then chopped into little pieces, which then permeates our soil and water. There was also discussion of expanding Keep America Beautiful projects, and increasing the number of trash and recycling receptacles all around our communities. If you are interested in working on a litter campaign, contact the Environmental Forum.

Lori McCollum

Letter to Moline Mayor re: Bottling Water in Plastic - After Action Report

10/12/2021

Letter of Concern to Mayor Rayapati - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

On September 16th, an article in the Argus/Dispatch caught our attention because it noted that the city of Moline was “…examining bottling and selling the city’s award-winning water…”. Members of the PACG Environmental Forum sent a letter of concern noting that single-use plastics are a source of pollution from the point of creation to the point of disposal. We pointed out that there are many health concerns related to the chemicals that leach from plastics into food sources and cause health problems, and we encouraged Mayor Rayapati to consider a different way of providing their water to interested parties, such as using 5 gallon refillable water dispensers.

We also complimented the City of Moline on other environmental policies such as providing each homeowner with a recycling bin and supporting the Metrolink solar project and electric buses. Further, we noted that Moline’s representative to the Rock Island County Waste Management Agency’s Board was one of only two votes to maintain the drop-off recycling centers.

The mayor answered our email the next day with a thoughtful response, stating, “Thank you very much for bringing your viewpoints to our attention. They are valid and definitely need to be considered as we try to be environmentally aware in not only intention but in action. Thank you for recognizing our work to this point as well. Please feel free to reach out with more ideas for alternatives to single-use water bottling as you think of them.”

It was heartening to get a timely response, and to hear recognition of our concerns. We would like to find a way to be proactive in learning about other Quad City municipal actions that impact our local environment. If you become aware of local projects that impact our environment, either positively or negatively, please let our forum know, and we will reach out to the appropriate city staff.

Lori McCollum

Recycling Center Closures - After Action Report

9/29/2021

Closing of Rock Island's Drop-Off Recycling Centers - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

The Environmental Forum has taken RICWMA to task for their decision to close all 4 of Rock Island County's Drop Off Recycling Centers.

We have written letters and made phone calls, issued press releases, written a joint op-ed in the local paper, been interviewed on local television stations, and attended board meetings in an attempt to keep these centers open. We may not have been able to change their minds YET, but we have increased community involvement.

There were 25 people in attendance at the September board meeting, and they expressed heartfelt concern about this issue. The board appeared unwilling to revisit the issue at this time, which means nothing will be done until the next fiscal year. This is an appalling waste of waste. Because they backed out of their contract with Republic Services early, they wasted $5000 tax-payer dollars, and now 80 tons of recyclable material will be flowing into our landfills and probably our ravines EACH MONTH.

If you are a Rock Island County resident, please call 309-788-8925 to keep up the pressure. RI County residents are able to take their recycling to the Waste Commission of Scott County if they don't have access to curb-side recycling, and we certainly encourage that choice.

Lori McCollum

Annual Picnic and Pie Auction - After Action Report

9/21/2021

9th Annual Picnic and Pie Auction - After Action Report

Fejervary Park, Davenport

PACG Board

The 9th Annual Picnic and Pie Auction on Sunday, September 12th was a HUGE success! We had over 60 people in attendance, who were excited to connect with other progressives in person. Picnic goers interacted with each other over a get-to-know-you BINGO game. A delicious meal was provided by Taste of Ethiopia; information about all the great things PACG is doing was shared; Monarch butterflies were released; and, best of all, we raised close to $1400 with our pie auction! It was a great time!

Check out more great photos on PACG’s Facebook page: Here and here.

Allison Ambrose

World Cleanup Event - After Action Report

9/21/2021

World Clean Up Event - After Action Report

Davenport RiverFront Bike Trail

Environmental Forum

We had 7 energetic volunteers on Saturday, September 18th to clean up along the Davenport RiverFront Bike Trail. We even worked our way into the woods on the north side of the trail, finding tires, a foldable chair, and a cooler of empty beer cans. All told, we collected 8 large bags of trash, and had some fun sharing our energy between PACG, NAACP and CCL (Citizens' Climate Lobby) friends! Thanks to everyone!

Lori McCollum

"Race, Adolescence and Trauma" Webinar - After Action Report

6/26/2021

"Race, Adolescence and Trauma" Webinar - After Action Report - And More Action Ahead!
Resources and Additional Recording Viewing Options

Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities and Others

Several months ago, PACG’s Board of Directors member, Loxi Hopkins, attended an online conference where she had the opportunity to hear an amazing presentation on “Race, Adolescence, and Trauma” by Professor Kristin Henning of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Loxi was so inspired by this presentation, that she suggested at our next Board meeting that we should sponsor a webinar for our Quad City community. She knew that this could be useful as a tool to bring greater understanding and future action for those of us working locally for marginalized children.

We reached out to other local organizations, and soon Juvenile Justice Coalition of the QCA, Davenport NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizen) Council 10, One Human Family QCA, UUCQC (Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities) agreed to cosponsor a free webinar with PACG. As a group, we wanted a balance of citizens, as well as educators, law enforcement, local elected officials, and social service agencies in attendance.

After months of planning, we were proud to offer a 90-minute webinar on Tuesday, June 22nd.  The “Race, Adolescence, and Trauma” Zoom webinar was attended by almost 200 people (132 devices logged in, but we know that many of them involved groups of people watching together). After the presentation, Professor Henning answered some of the many questions submitted by the attendees.

If you were fortunate enough to attend the webinar, we know that you found that the information and ideas were presented clearly and logically, and in an engaging manner. Professor Henning touched upon ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adverse Community Environments); perceptional and reactional differences of youth of color; analysis of national and local communities regarding disparities in responses (suspensions/detentions/law enforcement response) to infractions by youth of color, and much more. Her facts were supported by dedicated research and numerous studies; and shared resources with us. She also suggested some logical solutions to shrinking the chasm between treatment of white and minority youth.

PACG and the other sponsoring organizations have received many emails and phone calls praising the quality of the webinar. We are excited to begin to work in coalition to implement the things we learned.

If you were unable to attend, there are now several opportunities for you to watch a recording to benefit from Professor Henning’s research and presentation.

A webinar rebroadcast will be Thursday, July 1st at 7:00 pm via Zoom. PACG will host this meeting, with Michael Guster of Davenport NAACP as moderator. Registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqcuCtqzstGtd82C2FNk7fLsVWlUdmKWBQ We encourage you to share information about this rebroadcast with friends, colleagues, and professionals who interact with youth, especially youth of color.

Due to the incredible generosity of Professor Henning, we are now able to also offer an online recording of the webinar for a very short period of time. Registration for viewing this copyrighted video can be made here: https://pacg.z2systems.com/np/clients/pacg/eventRegistration.jsp?event=511& You may share this registration link with others who may benefit from viewing. Note: this video is no longer available for viewing, per our agreement with Prof. Henning.

Those who attended the webinar, the rebroadcast or have watched the recording are invited to join us for the follow-up discussion on Tuesday, July 6th at 7:00 pm at
Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities (2930 West Locust St, Davenport, IA 52804 map).

This will be an in-person event, but we are exploring having a Zoom component for those who are unable to attend at the church. The problem with hybrid meetings is that it’s difficult to communicate as a whole. We are looking into this option and hope to have a solution for any potential problems.

Professor Henning has given us permission to share not only her suggested resources, but also a pdf of the PowerPoint she showed in the webinar. All links are available below.

The book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, written by Professor Henning, will be published in late September of this year. All of the resources mentioned here and in the webinar can be found there. You may pre-order it now wherever you get your books, or plan to get a copy at the local library.

PACG is proud to have been part of the group that brought Professor Henning to our community. Additionally, we are proud to have Board members who recognize a good presentation when they see one, and are willing to work hard to bring the work to us in the Quad Cities. We continue to strive for a community that promotes the common good.

And I we would like to add that, although this blog post has been added as an After Action Report to our Weekly Email Update and PACG website, there is still a lot of work to be done. Let’s get busy!

Julie Ross, PACG Office Manager
and Jeannie Price, PACG Webmaster

Resource links from the webinar:
Seeing What’s Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior and Using Language in Juvenile Court

Pair of ACEs Tree

Blueprint: Evidence-Based Programs That Work With Youth

Research Showing That Schools Rely on “Cops and No Counselors”

Iowa Department of Human Rights highlights racial disparities in their 2020 Racial Disparities Report

Scott County Detention Data

Annie E. Casey Alternatives to Detention

policing_as_trauma_annotated_bibliography-_updated_april_19_2021.pdf
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policing_as_trauma_annotated_bibliography-_updated_april_19_2021.pdf
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implicit_racial_bias_studies_annotated_bibliography-_updated_april_2021.pdf
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resources_for_how_to_support_victims_of_racism_and_how_to_become_anti-racist.pdf
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race_adolescence_and_trauma_ppt.pdf
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Earth Day Fair 2021 - After Action Report

5/25/2021

Earth Day Fair 2021 - After Action Report

Environmental Forum

On Saturday, May 22nd, PACG's Environmental Forum, along with sponsors, the Freight House Farmers Market and WVIK Quad Cities 90.3 FM, held the third annual Earth Day Fair.

We had such a successful day! The weather was excellent, despite a few sprinkles early in the morning. We had 20 vendors, including conservation, environmental, and outdoor activity organizations. The Metrolink electric bus returned after missing last year due to COVID. The Iowa State University Conservation Station was a hit, with its child-centered activities. We had five different musical groups, as well!

Based on the number of people circulating through the tables and decking, everyone enjoyed the event!

See you all again next year!

See more photographs on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PACGEF/permalink/4041850522573444/

Lori McCollum

Local Asylum-Seeker Fund Drive Successful! - After Action Report

4/6/2021

Fundraiser for Our Local Asylum-Seeker Was a HUGE Success! Thank You!

Civil Rights Forum and the Quad Cities Sanctuary Coalition

Thank you for your donations, and for spreading the word about our fund drive! We made our initial $2,000 goal and then raised an additional $1,000 to help get Ana settled once her case is decided. We actually ended up raising $3,545 through Faithify, and even more including donations made directly to the Sanctuary Project.

We can assure you all of the funds will be spent to support Ana, or the next asylum-seeker we sponsor if Ana no longer needs our financial support.

We are still looking for volunteer drivers and want to spread the word about sponsoring asylum-seekers. Have you approached your church leaders about sponsoring an asylum-seeker? We can help you do that. Contact me.

Progressive Action for the Common Good is a member of the Quad Cities Sanctuary Coalition (QCSC). Alta Price and Margie Mejia-Caraballo are the PACG representatives to the QCSC.

Ana, an asylum-seeker from El Salvador, was released from dehumanizing conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention as a result of the partnership between the Quad Cities Sanctuary Coalition and the Sanctuary Project at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities (UUCQC).

Due to the disruptive nature of our immigration system and other factors, we have had unexpected expenses of over $2,000 and there have been increased demands on our volunteers. For instance, ICE has repeatedly re-scheduled appointments upon us arriving in Chicago, in spite of our best efforts to confirm the appointment before undertaking the trip!

The Faithify fund drive has closed. You can still donate to the Sanctuary Project through the UUCQC church. Visit the Sanctuary Project page at the UUCQC website for details.

If you would like to volunteer with the Sanctuary Project at the UUCQC, please fill out this Google Form. We especially need drivers, both locally and those willing to drive to Chicago (we are mindful of Covid protocols).

As ICE releases asylum-seekers, more sponsors will be needed, so also please consider whether sponsoring an asylum-seeker is right for your organization. If interested, please email sanctuary@uucqc.org to arrange a discussion with a member of our group.

Contact me if you have questions.

Alta Price