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

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

3/4/2019

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

On February 23rd, close to 50 people attended our 2nd Annual Toast the Resistance party. We celebrated the RESISTANCE at The Key restaurant in downtown Davenport. Many of the attendees were new to PACG and had come to learn more about our organization and about how they could get involved in making a difference.

Allison Ambrose delivered a "Toast" to the Resistance and membership awards were given for "Most Active New Resister” - Deb Sperry; "Worker Bee Resister” - Susan Meenan; "Behind the Scenes Resister” - Jeannie Price; and, the "Successful Forum Event" award went to the Environmental Forum for the Renewal Energy Conference they presented in November.

The energy in the room was at a high level while everyone discussed with each other the “goods” and the “bads” of the past year. Forum facilitators informed the crowd of the various things being done to advance progressive causes and the PACG Book Club publicized their activities. Those in attendance were encouraged to sign up for a forum and/or the book club.

At the conclusion of the event, the various sign-up sheets were full of names. Everyone had a great time! Cheers!

Drug Policy Coalition Forum - After Action Report - February, 2019

2/25/2019

Iowa Drug Policy Coalition Forum - After Action Report
St Ambrose University (SAU), Rogalski Center

Thanks to everyone who attended our first Drug Policy Iowa Public Forum. We were excited to welcome these amazing speakers:

Grant Tietjen, PhD SAU Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Kim Brown QC Harm Reduction
Aaron Schoeneman, AJP Former President Iowa NORML
Shelly Servadio, RN Iowa Registered Cannabis Nurse
Joe Bolkcom, Iowa State Senator

Topics ranged from research, decriminalization, the human cannabidiol system, the punitive impact Iowa laws have on on medical cannabis users and others, therapeutic dosing levels needed for effective treatment, opioids vs. cannabis for pain management, harm reduction, current legislation and of course advocacy.

Actions taken at the event:

Senator Bolkcom discussed and handed out information about his new cannabis-related bill soon to be introduced to the Iowa legislature.

Attendees completed postcards to their federal legislators regarding Senate and House Bills that advocate to remove cannabis (marijuana) from the Controlled Substances Act,

Attendees completed postcards to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to advocate for improved medical cannabis legislation to expand qualifying conditions, raise the 3% THC cap, cannabis decriminalization and overall harm reduction.

Channel 4 was there and filmed most of the event which resulted in a 3 minute report.

Stay tuned for our upcoming Illinois Public Forum at the Moline Library with Rev Alexander Sharp representing Clergy for a New Drug Policy, who will review and explain the new Illinois law which legalizes cannabis. Date/time to be determined.

Caroline Vernon

Holiday Party Was Another Success!

12/17/2018

2018 PACG Holiday Party - After Action Report

Over 70 people sat down to a potluck dinner on December 6th at the Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) Holiday Party at Cobblestone Place in Davenport. More than 26 PACG memberships were renewed or started and many more friendships were formed or deepened during our annual dinner.

The PACG Holiday Dinner is also the platform to announce The Dick Fallow Endowment for Social Justices annual grant awards. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad-Cities and the Teamsters Community Action Network (TeamCan) both received awards to support their work in the QC Community.

The Reverend Jay Wolin of the UU Congregation of the QC accepted the award for the Sanctuary Team and said that they will use their award to hold events to educate the public about immigration policy and the Sanctuary Movement.

Jesse Case, President of the TeamCan Network, accepted their award. TeamCan will use their award to broaden their networks to distribute locally grown organic food to people in eastern Iowa who are food insecure.

The Dick Fallow Endowment was established in 2013 to carry on the life work of Richard E. Fallow, local activist and union member. Each year, the Endowment issues grants to organizations that fulfill his mission by working in the areas of labor / economic justice, environment / sustainability and/or democracy/ human rights.

Greg Coleridge, Outreach Director of Move to Amend, also talked about amending our Constitution to establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. He encouraged all those who attended to sign a petition reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling.

The PACG Holiday Committee thanks you for coming and for celebrating another busy year:
Allison Ambrose, Margie Mejia Caraballo, Susan Meenan, Janice Williams, Caryn Unsicker, and Ann McCluskey.

If you have not done so already please sign up here for the PACG weekly email update to keep on top of our activities for 2019.

Happy Holidays and may you all have a busy 2019 fighting for social justice.

Ann McCluskey
mccluskeyam@gmail.com

Inhumane Treatment Isn't a Partisan Issue - Dispatch-Argus Column by Aaron Wagner

12/11/2018

Quad Cities Interfaith Organizer Aaron Wagner's Powerful Column in Dispatch-Argus on Asylum Seekers

The Dispatch-Argus published a powerful column by Quad Cities Interfaith organizer Aaron Wagner, who brought PACG and other community organizations and churches together to protest the tear-gassing of asylum seekers on our southern border. Aaron was responding to criticism of the rally. Read the whole column at the Dispatch-Argus.

Here is one of my favorite paragraphs:

All persons of conscience need to conclude that if we have $200 million to spend in deploying troops to the border as a pre-election political ploy (the current White House admitted as much), we certainly have the resources to legally process asylum seekers at the border, to not jail or detain them, and to put resources into providing a path to citizenship for 11 million currently undocumented New Americans.

You can also view television and print coverage of the rally itself at this PACG Blog page.

Alta Price

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

12/7/2018

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

We had a good turnout at the rally in support of asylum seekers on Friday, November 30th at 4 pm. We also had great press coverage! Check it out at the following links:

KWQC

WHBF-TV/KGCW-TV/KJLB-TV

WQAD

Read this story at the Dispatch-Argus.

Thanks to all who came to a cold winter rally in support of Central American asylum seekers who were tear-gassed by our government. We are a land of immigrants, and we demand that our government and ICE treat asylum seekers humanely. We further demand that our government and ICE follow our own laws and international laws that give asylum seekers the right to apply for asylum.

We plan to follow up this rally with meetings with our Illinois and Iowa Senators and Representatives and local ICE officials.

The rally was organized by Aaron Wagner of Quad Cities Interfaith.

Our First Online Fund Drive Was a Success!

9/26/2018

Working Together: Make America Progressive Again Online Fund Drive

PACG Message to our membership

Our first Online Fund Drive was a great success! With the matching grants, we raised about $3,800. More importantly, we learned a lot about Facebook and about making videos. Check out our feature videos on the home page of our website, pacgqc.org.

Thanks to all who donated. A special thanks to our Facebook Ambassadors: Allison Ambrose; Cath Bolkcom; Linnea Crowther; Alta Price; Caryn Unsicker; and Caroline Vernon. We are also grateful to our many donors who give in other ways through the year. We couldn't do all we do without all of you!

Alta Price, Board President

Toast the Resistance - January 20, 2018 - After Action Report

2/2/2018

Toast the Resistance - January 20, 2018

On Saturday, more than 40 people came out to celebrate the Resistance on its one year anniversary at Soiree Wine and Martini Lounge in Moline. Many of the attendees were new to PACG and had come to learn more about our organization and about how they could get involved in making a difference.

Alta Price delivered a "Toast" to the Resistance and everyone interacted discussing the “goods” and the “bads” of the past year. Alta and forum members informed the crowd of the various things being done to advance progressive causes.

At the conclusion of the event, the various sign-up sheets were full of names. Everyone had a great time and our common thought was that this should become an annual event!

Allison Ambrose
Chair, Membership Committee

August 20, 2017 -After Action Report - Fifth Annual PACG Picnic

1/25/2018

PACG Picnic Committee
Longview Park, 1300 17th Street, Rock Island

Great music created by Chris Dunn filled the air as around 90 people gathered for our 5th Annual PACG Picnic this year at Longview Park in Rock Island. We enjoyed the delicious pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans and other picnic fare catered by Fresh Deli, who also contributed one of several gift certificates won by various attendees during the raffle drawings.

Early on, PACG President, Alta Price, introduced Senator Rob Hogg, who said a few words about something important to us all: Climate Change.

Later, Renee Conklin and Tracey Leone talked briefly about the Dick Fallow Endowment for Social Justice and how to apply for the annual grant that will be awarded to a deserving, local organization later this year.

And once again, the Annual Pie Auction featured a wide variety of delicious homemade pies donated by progressive volunteers!

Everybody seemed to have a good time visiting and catching up on things - and there was a lot to catch up on this year! If you were there, thanks for coming! If you weren't able to make it this year, we look forward to seeing you at our sixth annual picnic in 2018 - or maybe even sooner at our Holiday Party on Thursday, December 7th, when the Dick Fallow Social Justice Grant recipient will be announced. Meanwhile, enjoy these beautiful summer days as they turn into fall. My how time flies!

Susan Meenan,
Picnic Coordinator
sjmeenan964@yahoo.com

April 11, 2017 Event - After Action Report - In the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

1/25/2018

In the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
PACG Civil Rights Forum and St. Ambrose at Rogalski Center

On Tuesday, April 11th, the PACG Civil Rights Forum and St Ambrose University co-hosted “In the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” a panel discussion on racial disparities in the criminal justice system including racial profiling and the mass incarceration of people of color.

Betty Andrews, President of the Iowa/Nebraska NAACP, moderated the discussion. Panelists included the Davenport Chief of Police, Juvenile Court Officers, a Public Defender, the District Director of the Department of Corrections, Criminal Justice Educators, and a Seventh Judicial District Judge, all of whom had extensive professional experience in this area. They shed light on the inequities in the criminal justice system based on skin color. Participants were impressed with their degree of expertise as well as their commitment to find solutions to correct this all too common situation.

Well over one hundred people attended the event.

Judith Morrell
Civil Rights Forum Facilitator

2017 Holiday Party - After Action Report

12/25/2017

Front Street Brewery, Freight House, Davenport IA

Over seventy members and friends of PACG attended the Annual Holiday Party on December 7th. The Holiday Party is a time for good discussion and fellowship, and this year's event was no exception.

A $500 Dick Fallow Memorial grant was presented to the Guardians of the Prairie and Forest. The Guardians will use this grant to fund the bioblitz at Nahunt Marsh they are planning in 2018.

For those who missed the holiday party, this YouTube video of the grant award ceremony provides an explanation of the bioblitz and other planned Guardians activities:

https://youtu.be/FCRh4rz-ETY

Cliff Day, Photographer