Annual GPNJ Convention April 30

The Membership Committee is planning the Green Party of New Jersey's (GPNJ's) 3rd annual Convention for Sunday, April 30, from 9:00AM to 5:00PM at the Labor Education Center in New Brunswick.  It promises to be a particularly exciting convention, as GPNJ sets its course for 2000 and kicks off New Jersey Green Campaign 2000!

The basic program is as follows:

GPNJ needs volunteers to help with the Convention.  We need a setup crew, folks to help with registration (a very important job), someone to contact media and meet and greet them on Sunday, and a cleanup crew.  We also need folks who are willing to show off their cooking skills (vegetarian, please!) for our covered dish lunch.  Please contact Madelyn Hoffman, Chair of Membership Committee at NJTOXICS@aol.com or 973-252-0797 if you'd like to help out.

Thank you!  Let's make this convention our biggest ever!

Convention Credentials

You must be a paid up GPNJ member in order to vote at the annual convention.  Annual dues are $36.50 for regular dues, $18.25 for students and low income.  New membership dues must be received by April 15 for convention credentials.  Renewals may be paid at the door.

Proposed By-Laws Changes

The By-Laws of the Green Party of New Jersey require publication of any proposed change to the by-laws 30 days in advance of the Annual Convention.

Decision Making Authority within GPNJ

Submitted by Steve Welzer

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within Section 2 -- Definitions

"Council" means the New Jersey Green Council as described in Section 6.

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 within Section 5 -- Executive Committee

Section 5.8 -- Authority The Executive Committee shall be subordinate to a Party Convention and to the New Jersey Green Council in terms of decision-making authority.  Decisions made by the Executive Committee can override decisions made by subordinate Party decision-making bodies.  In regard to day-to-day operations and decision-making requirements, within the policy and procedural guidelines established by Convention and Council decisions, and within any other limitations established by these Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to decide all substantive and procedural matters that significantly involve the Party as a whole.  This shall include but not be limited to the authority to (a) delegate decision-making authority or specific tasks to a Standing Committee or to a Special Committee; (b) make recommendations to or issue guidance to a Standing Committee or to a Special Committee; (c) request specific actions by a Standing Committee or a Special Committee; (d) delineate the responsibilities of each Standing Committee and decide any jurisdictional issue that is not resolved by the affected Standing Committees; (e) appoint Executive Committee Staff; and (f) expel or  discipline any Member for good cause, pursuant to Rules and subject to the  review of the Membership Committee.

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 within Section 6 -- New Jersey Green Council

Section 6.3 -- Authority

The New Jersey Green Council shall be subordinate to a Party Convention in terms of decision-making authority.  Decisions made by the Council can override decisions made by subordinate Party decision-making bodies.  The Council shall have the responsibility of deciding matters related to the procedural conduct or ethical behavior of Executive Committee members.

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 within Section 7 -- Conventions

[this is a new Section 7.3 and thus would bump down current 7.3 to 7.4, etc.]

Section 7.3 -- Conventions hold the highest decision-making authority Decisions made at Party Conventions hold the highest authority, i.e., decisions made at Party Conventions can override decisions made by subordinate Party decision-making bodies.

Candidate Qualification and Membership Classification

Submitted by Nick Mellis

As of January 1st 2001, all candidates for public office running under the Green Party banner (state-wide or in congressional races) must be active and paying members.  Active is defined as someone who has attended meetings (of their local) and has been visible in helping the Greens locally to help their local party grow.  The responsibility remains with the person who is heading either a local or county meeting and can provide proof that the candidate did in attend at least 60% of the meetings held.  Active shall not be defined as someone who simply writes a check and does not physically participate and presumes to have paid their way into running a campaign under the Green banner.  A paid member shall be defined as a person who has paid to belong to the GPNJ membership prior to the campaign they are interested in running.

Resolutions for Consideration by the Membership

Provision for Continuation of Consideration of Proposals at Green Council

Submitted by Roger Sedmont, Rich Raimondi, Paul Williams

At or near the end of the Convention agenda time devoted to considering proposals from members, the presiding Chairperson may determine that we will probably not finish these deliberations on time and shall announce:

"Due to time constraints, consideration of proposals will now be suspended and will be re-started at the next Green Council meeting.  All Party members may participate at this expanded Green Council meeting and are empowered to vote on any carryover proposals; however, no new proposals or other business from the Convention will be in order."

Decisions made on these carryover proposals at this expanded GC will be considered as having the same effect as any decided at the Convention.  The expanded GC meeting to consider any carryover proposals will be held on a Sunday at a location that can accommodate all interested party members such as the Labor Education Center in New Brunswick.

Replace "Demilitarization" with "Disarmament" in GPNJ Literature

Submitted by Rich Raimondi, Roger Sedmont, Paul Williams

We ask that the GPNJ strike the word demilitarization from all future GPNJ materials and we discontinue the distribution of any in print.  As an alternative, we ask that the following be substituted:  "that GPNJ supports global disarmament that is step-by-step, mutual and verifiable.  GPNJ urges that the United States join other nations and sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, as well as the International Anti-personnel Landmine Treaty."

[Friendly amendments / revised language will be sincerely considered by sponsors of this resolution.]

Reparations Now

Submitted by the GPNJ Diversity Committee including Joe Mosley and Joe Fortunato and by Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People's Organization for Progress

Comment from Joe Mosley:

I believe that anyone voting on this proposal should have information regarding the content of HR 40, hence I have added in capital letters additional wording and enclosed in brackets words that should be removed.

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The Green Party of New Jersey believes that African-Americans have a legitimate claim to reparations for the cruelty and exploitation that group    of people suffered during centuries of slavery, and for 150 years of racist oppression and discrimination which have followed.  African-Americans must be compensated for the labor that millions of people were forced to give during the period of their enslavement, and for the suffering and loss they have had to endure for generations due to its legacy.

IN OKLAHOMA A BIRACIAL COMMISSION HAS JUST CONCLUDED THAT JUSTICE DEMANDS THAT REPARATIONS BE PAID TO THE VICTIMS OF OKLAHOMA'S GREENWOOD MASSACRE.  We demand that the United States Government recognize this legitimate claim to reparations and begin the process of compensation.

As [a first] THE NEXT step towards reparations, we call upon Congress and the President to pass and to sign into law H.R. 40, A BILL "TO EXAMINE THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY," SUBSEQUENT "DE JURE AND DE FACTO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST FREED SLAVES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS," THE IMPACT OF THESE FORCES "ON LIVING AFRICAN-AMERICANS" AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONGRESS ON  "APPROPRIATE REMEDIES."  PASSAGE OF [a] THIS bill, sponsored by Congressman John Conyers, [which] would establish a commission to study reparation proposals [for African-Americans].  THIS IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE THE MAKING OF A WELL-REASONED CASE FOR BROADER NATIONAL RESTITUTION WILL DO WONDERS FOR THE SPIRITS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS.  

Slavery and the slave trade in the Western Hemisphere was one of the most horrific episodes in all of human history.  For hundreds of years, millions of Africans were forcibly brought to this country against their will and enslaved.  Their labor, for which they were not compensated, enriched this nation.  In 1860, the greatest amount of capital in the United States, larger than industrial and banking capital combined, was created by slaves.  African-American slave labor created tremendous wealth for America, wealth which would be valued at trillions of dollars today.  And, in addition to being super-exploited, slaves were prevented by law from accumulating any wealth of their own. 

After the Civil War, there was no program of    compensation or land reform put into place for America's ex-slaves.  With the abolition of slavery, a system of legal white supremacist segregation and discrimination was put into place that continued much of the unjust economic exploitation and racial oppression of Black people, right into our lifetime.  African-Americans must be compensated for the suffering and losses of slavery, for the agricultural peonage known as sharecropping, for the convict labor-lease system known as the chain-gang, for the expropriation and destruction of property during white racist riots, like that which took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1920s, and for economic discrimination as a result of Jim Crow segregation.  The Green Party of New Jersey supports the call for Reparations Now and supports the effort to pass H.R. 40, the reparations bill FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS. 

The Green Party of NJ position on Police Brutality, Repression and Criminalization

Submitted by Joe Fortunato

The Green Party of New Jersey RESOLVES TO stand with those who have been and remain active in both the Statewide and national movements against police brutality, repression and criminalization.  We agree with those, such as Amnesty International, for example, who have recognized that police brutality  is a national epidemic. We recognize that this scourge of police brutality hits hardest in communities of color. We believe that the problem is systemic, not just a case of a few "isolated incidents", or a problem of  "a few bad apples" on some police forces.  We have seen through efforts of groups like the Stolen Lives Project, for example, which have compiled documentation of over 2,000 incidents of police killings of civilians over the last few years, that the problem is massive and national in scope.  We support those who have taken to the streets to call for justice for Amadou Diallo, Abner  Louima, as well as for New Jersey victims such as Earl Faison, Stanton Crew,  Strawberry Daniels and Michael Anglund, to name just a few of those who have been victimized.

The Green Party of New Jersey also RESOLVES TO oppose repression in the United States and in New Jersey. We oppose the laws and decisions on both a Federal and State level, which have limited our rights to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as our rights to privacy. We view as ominous the increasing government use of cameras in public places, as well as recent court decisions that have called into question the basic Constitutional right to remain silent when accused. We recognize that there are political prisoners in the United States. We reaffirm our call for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, and call for a moratorium on the imposition of the death penalty in New Jersey.

Finally, THE GPNJ RESOLVES TO oppose the criminalization of our youth.  We recognize that there are now over two million of our people incarcerated in the United States, the overwhelming majority being people of color.  We oppose draconian drug laws that have criminalized so many of our young people.  We further oppose the privatization of our prisons, which has created a situation where longer and more incarceration of inmates means more profit for corporations.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE GREEN PARTY OF NEW JERSEY OPPOSES POLICE BRUTALITY, REPRESSION AND THE CRIMINALIZATION OF A GENERATION.

Campaign 2000

Nader / LaDuke

On the morning of March 7, GPNJ filed petitions containing more than 1300 signatures to place Ralph Nader for President and Winona LaDuke for Vice-President on the New Jersey general election ballot in November 2000, thus becoming the first state to gain ballot access for Green candidates by petition.  (Greens are recognized political parties in several states and thus have access to primaries and assured positions on the general election ballot.)  Although 800 signatures are the minimum required, we are still collecting signatures to protect against challenges by other parties and will file additional signatures by the June deadline.  If you haven't signed a Presidential petition yet and are eligible to vote in New Jersey, please remember to sign one at the Convention or contact Jane Hunter (732-560-0276; janemhunter@att.net) to arrange signing.

Congressional Candidates

Congressional candidates will be presented for review by the Green Council at a special meeting at 1 p.m. on April 22 at Jane Hunter's house in Bound Brook.  This will be immediately following the Executive Committee meeting at the same location.  All members are invited to attend and to participate in interviewing the candidates.  All Green Council members are strongly urged to attend.  Lunch will be served.

If you are willing to collect signatures for GPNJ Congressional candidates, please contact Earl Gray at 732-219-5841 or email earlgray@exit109.com.

Local Candidates

If you are interested in campaigning for local office in 2000 or are supporting a Green or independent with Green views for local office, please notify Jane Hunter at 732-560-0276 or email janemhunter@att.net.  Local candidacies are the critical electoral portion of NJ Green Campaign 2000 and coordinating planning early will allow resource (that's money, time and PR opportunities, folks!) allocation to local campaigns.

Super Tuesday

It really was a Super Tuesday for the Green Party, both in New Jersey and nationwide.

In New Jersey, Ralph Nader did his usual whirlwind tour, speaking out at a press conference in Trenton, a radio interview on WCTC, a Q&A session for Princeton University activists, a campaign address in Princeton, a video for a student organization, a reception at the Whole Earth Center, a fundraiser at the University Inn in New Brunswick, and a speech at Rutgers University (all of this between 1:30pm and 9:30pm!).  Each event was successful, but I think it was especially apparent to those who were able to attend several or all of the events just how much potential there is for the 2000 campaign to catapult the Greens to a much higher level of visibility in New Jersey politics.

We had our biggest single day of fundraising ever, distributed over 2,000 pieces of literature, and made dozens of new contacts.  We'll have to use some of the money we received to replenish our supply of literature and buy some campaign paraphernalia.  We gave out just about every available copy of our GPNJ brochure, plus all copies of Nader's Feb. 21 announcement address, copies of a major article about the campaign that appeared (fortuitously) yesterday in the New York Times, and all the buttons we had, even the ones we were wearing!

The press conference in Trenton began on a high note, with Madelyn Hoffman announcing that she had just come from the office of the State Division of Elections where a contingent of Greens had submitted our petition to get Nader on the fall general election ballot.  Ralph then made it clear to the press that his candidacy is serious and represents a very special kind of alternative to politics as usual.  This message came through loud in clear in the excellent coverage press coverage of this event.

Congrats are in order for all who made it a successful day -- Madelyn Hoffman, Jane Hunter, Joe Fortunato, Nick Mellis, Earl Gray, Joe Mosley, Bobbi Parmet, Steve Slaby, Carl Mayer, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Fred Disque, and Bruce Afran.

Ralph Nader remarked how well organized his campaign tour in NJ had been.  He made a comparison with some other states that shall remain nameless.  Now our job is to show that we can translate the growing interest in the Nader campaign into active support for his and other NJ Green campaigns.  If we can do that, then we'll get our fair share of votes in November. 

ASGP Platform 2000 Review

The Policy Committee invites all interested Greens to attend a meeting to review the ASGP Platform 2000 on Saturday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room 115, Labor Education Center, Ryders Lane, New Brunswick.  The complete text of the platform is available at http://gp.org.  Please print out a copy and come prepared to offer your suggested changes, deletions, additions, etc.

CAPP Suit Court Decision

The Green Party of New Jersey participated in an important new ballot access lawsuit that is being sponsored by the Council of Alternative Political Parties (CAPP).  Judge Parillo found in favor of CAPP, opening the door to permanent ballot status, Green voter registration and formal primaries for GPNJ.

It will take some time for Parrillo's decision to be implemented.  Hopefully by 2001 people will start to be able to change their registration to something other than just "Republican" or "Democrat" or "Independent."  When this occurs the Green Party will launch a registration drive.  We will make every effort to get registrants to become active members of the county locals.

GPNJ Incorporates!

On March 7, 2000, the GPNJ was incorporated in the state of New Jersey as the "New Jersey Green Committee".  Since many legal structures favor corporate entities, including the filing of candidate ballot petitions, USPS bulk mail permits, etc., this will make the logistics of operating a political party both easier and less expensive.

Calendar

GPNJ Meetings

The Essex County Greens, in lieu of our regularly scheduled monthly meeting, will gather and meet in Florham Park this Saturday, April 1st, as part of the SPANK THE BANK proceedings in Florham Park, NJ.  The gathering/ meeting will be held outside the Hamilton Park Conference Center, 175 Park Avenue, in Florham Park, just west of Madison.

Activities of Interest to Greens

Spank The Bank

Greens throughout Northern New Jersey have been very active recently in an ad hoc coalition made up of labor, environmental and people's organizations, which has called for a 48-hour, round the clock vigil in Florham Park, to protest the appearance of officials of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in New Jersey this coming weekend, March 30th through April 1st.  The vigil will begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 30th and will continue through until 5 p.m. April 1st at the Hamilton Park Conference center, 175 Park Avenue (just west of Madison) in Florham Park.  The pinnacle event of the weekend will be a large Mobilization for Global Justice rally, at 12 Noon on April 1st at the Conference Center.

Join us as we give the World Bank and IMF officials a fitting welcome to New Jersey!

Spring Offensive Against Police Brutality

Essex County Greens remain active in the growing and vibrant coalition of groups organized to oppose police brutality and racial profiling in New Jersey.  The Coalition, initiated by the People's Organization for Progress, held another large meeting on Tuesday night in Newark, where plans continued to for 41 days of protest by 41 different organizations this spring, one day for each bullet fired at Amadou Diallo.  The Green Party has committed to take some form of public action on Monday, May 1st, 2000.

In addition, the Coalition has formed committees to build for a major demonstration on Tuesday, April 11th, 2000 to mark the first anniversary of the death of Earl Faison in police custody in Orange, NJ. A rally and vigil will be held at the police headquarters in Orange where Mr. Faison died, at the corner of Lincoln and Tremont Streets in Orange, beginning at 6 p.m.