BOTTLE BILL PETITION

Following the service this Sunday, members of the Green Sanctuary Committee will be gathering signatures for a petition to expand the Bottle Bill in Massachusetts. Under this proposal, the types of containers subject to the 5-cent deposit would include those that hold water, tea and coffee-based drinks, sports drinks, and other non-carbonated beverages. This initiative will grow the market for recyclables, reduce litter, and provide additional revenues for recycling programs.  Please see a Green Sanctuary Committee member at Coffee Hour to sign the petition.

Raise Up Massachusetts - Update

As of Wednesday morning October 16, our affiliates have collected 20,223 signatures. BIC has gathered 3967 signatures, with First Parish UU in Bridgewater taking the lead with 791 signatures. For more details, click here. Building on a successful canvass last Saturday, BIC will be holding a weekly canvass on Saturday mornings. For details, check out the BIC events page.

UIA has collected 5084 signatures and St. Michael/St. Joseph has currently gathered the most at 1036 signatures. For more details, click here.

Up on the North Shore, ECCO’s St. Andrew’s has set the pace with 328 out of a total of 2712signatures. For more details, click here.

MCAN has gathered the remaining 8460 signatures. Many of the MCAN signatures have come through the MA Faith Voices initiative in which we are reaching out to other congregations in the state to collect signatures.  For details on our state-wide campaign, click here.


Blessings,
Lew Finfer

Lew Finfer, Director
Massachusetts Communities Action Network(617) 822-1499      http://www.mcan-pico.org/

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN

Documentary Offers Poignant and Disturbing Look at the Devastating Impact of War on Drugs

Filmmakers Teaming Up with Advocacy Groups, Law Enforcement, Elected Officials across Country to Educate and Mobilize to End Disastrous War on Drugs

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Scituate will host a special screening of the thought-provoking documentary, “THE HOUSE I LIVE IN ” on Sunday, October 20^th at 2:00 P.M. Since the 1970’s, the war on drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests and has cost more than $1 trillion. As a result, the United States has become the world’s largest jailer, and the high volume of drug arrests have destroyed low-income communities, creating a vicious cycle that must be stopped. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, “THE HOUSE I LIVE IN ” offers a poignant look inside US drug policy and it’s far reaching impact. Executive Producers include Danny Glover, John Legend, Russell Simmons, and Brad Pitt. The film won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Immediately following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with Barbara Dougan of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. She will speak about her work and the bills currently under consideration at the State House that seek to lift mandatory long sentences for drug offenses and return judicial discretion, ultimately resulting in less incarceration.  Also, Andrea James, founder of Families for Justice as Healing, will talk about her work with legislative advocacy on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.   One of the main goals of FFJAH is to implement programs to allow mothers to serve their sentences at home, monitored and with wrap-around services.  The impact of removing women from their communities is huge, as they are typically caregivers to their children and often single mothers.  Multiple people are punished when a woman is incarcerated.

More information about the film can be found at:

WWW.THEHOUSEILIVEIN.ORG

www.Facebook.com/DrugWarMovie

Follow on Twitter @DrugWarMovie

To Join the Email List Text “HOUSE” to 80077

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Scituate is handicapped accessible.  The church is located at 330 First Parish Rd, Scituate, MA (near Lawson Tower), 781-545-3324. For more information, please check our website:  www.firstparishscituate.org