STOP RECRUITING KIDS Bay Area Speaking/Fundraising Tour
Saturday, March 7, 4:00pm, San José
First Christian Church, 80 S. Fifth St.
Hosted By: One Voice!, MAIZ

*Looking for interested MAIZ members (2) who would like to perform Poetry or Spoken Word about how military spending and military recruiting in the Latino community has a negative effect on our youth. Spending cuts in public education, ICE raids and militarizing the border only deprive our community of opportunity, spread fear in our neighborhoods, and feeds the need for Latino bodies to fight in illegal wars.

*Also MAIZ volunteers needed day of the event for a variety of duties: set-up, clean-up, passing donation buckets, tabling.

BACKGROUND-
A small group of activists from the northern California cities of Arcata and Eureka formed an organization called Stop Recruiting Kids. They successfully gathered enough petition signatures to place a ballot initiative ordinance on the November 4, 2008 ballot. If passed, it would be ILLEGAL for military recruiters to initiate contact with minors under the age of 18 within city limits. On November 4, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure F in Arcata (73%), and Measure J in Eureka (57%)!

One month later the U.S. Department of Defense, filed a complaint with the U.S Department of Justice, to sue the cities of Arcata and Eureka, to invalidate the ordinances and the "will of the voters". On December 15, the U.S. Department of Justice notified both cities of their intention to sue them in Federal Court. In response to the suit being filed, both cities instructed their City Attorney's to prepare defending the Measures in Federal Court. The city of Arcata has a population of approximately 17,000, while the city of Eureka has a population of about 26,000. Hardly the deep pockets and tax base to take on the U.S Department of Justice in Federal Court. Within the last month very prominent Bay Area attorney's and law firms have offered to defend the cities in Federal Court, pro-bono (for FREE!).

On Saturday, March 7, Dave Meserve of Stop Recruiting Kids, will give a presentation on how this group of activists formed SRK, placed the Measure on the ballot, where the "will of the voters" stands today with a Federal Court battle, and lead a brainstorming session on different ways to develop and implement counter-recrutiment activites. David Ledesma of One Voice! will speak about what effect the new Obama Administration will have on military recruitment and further militarizing our youth.

FUNDRAISER:
Adults: $5-$10
Students/youth under 18/unemployed: Free

websites:
http://www.one-voice.info
http://www.stoprecruitingkids.org