|
|
NYRA Freedom
ISSN 1933-5229
Volume 7, Issue 6
June 22, 2007
Contents:
Introduction
NYRA Helps Defeat Earlier DC Curfew
Board Election Set to Begin
DC All-Ages Ban Defeated
Annual Meeting a Month Away - Remember to RSVP
NYRAthon '07 a Success!
News from the Web
Conclusion
Introduction
This has been an important month for youth rights. Important
legislative victories have been made in our nation's capitol and
important progress has occurred with fundraising over the last few
months. Coming up we have the election and the annual meeting, both
important events that NYRA members should participate in.
This month isn't all good news however. Longtime "NYRA Freedom"
editor, Scott Davidson, has stepped down from the position he has held
for the last 4 years and will no longer be writing this newsletter.
Davidson had a great deal to do with the shaping of the current
newsletter and indeed of the organization over the last few years.
NYRA wishes him luck with all his future endeavors and thanks him for
the time he has invested in the organization and this newsletter over
the years. His presence at the helm will be missed.
And that means "NYRA Freedom" is in need of a new editor. If you care
about youth rights and want to help the cause out by taking over the
newsletter, please let us know. This is a perfect job for student
journalists and aspiring writers. For more information on the
position please inquire: NYRA a^t youthrights.org.
NYRA Helps Defeat Earlier DC Curfew
In a move meant to circumvent not only the freedom of Washington, DC's
youth, but to circumvent the democratic process, city council members
Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) and council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6)
introduced an emergency resolution to lower the curfew time to 10 p.m.
this summer (instead of 11 currently) and raise the age to 17 (instead
of 16 currently). As emergency legislation this bill avoided the
standard hearings and public comment that non-emergency bills have.
With no crime emergency and no appeal for an earlier curfew from the
police chief or mayor many council members recognized this as a ploy
to avoid public participation.
NYRA has a long history of opposing the DC curfew and organized large
protests against the curfew when it first went into effect in 1999.
NYRA once again was on the forefront of fighting this measure as we
made a last minute mobilization against this bill. NYRA sent letters
to all city council members and urged all areas members to do the
same. We also spread the word to other business owners, youth groups
and community leaders who hadn't heard about this bill because of the
rushed and sneaky introduction of it.
Thanks to the efforts of NYRA, the ACLU, and many concerned businesses
and citizens this bill was voted down. With a vote of 7 in favor and
6 against it failed to reach the 9 votes needed to pass as emergency
legislation. The most forceful opposition came from council member
Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) and council member Phil Mendelson (D-At
Large). Thomas said the curfew was creating a "state of apartheid"
for D.C. youth. Many council members were opposed to the curfew
altogether.
This is a great victory for NYRA and a great victory for the rights of
young people in Washington, DC. If you live in the DC area and are
interested in organizing a chapter to fight the existing curfew law
and be on guard for future bills that infringe on youth rights please
contact us: NYRA a/t youthrights.org.
Read the Washington Post article here:
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11728
Board Election Set to Begin
Next week voting begins in the 2007 NYRA board election. We have 13
members running for 9 seats this year, it will be as competitive as
ever. Five incumbents are running for reelection. Incumbents seeking
reelection to the board of directors are: Keith Mandell, Adam King,
Alex Hull-Richter, Katrina Moncure and Alex Koroknay-Palicz. New
faces seeking a spot on the board running this organization are Chip
Sinton, Jacob Ritter, William Fleming, Yonaton Hillel Yares, Stefan
Muller, Victoria Minerva, Jessica Roeder, and Adam Zarnowski. This is
Chip Sinton's second attempt to gain a spot on the board after falling
short in last year's election.
NYRA is at an important crossroads right now and this board of
directors will have a large impact on the future of the youth rights
movement. Only NYRA members can vote, so please pay your membership
dues here:
http://www.youthrights.org/donate.php
All youth rights supporters though have an interest in this election
even if you can't vote. We have a dedicated location in our online
forum for discussing the issues and getting to know the candidates.
There is more information about each candidate in the forum, so check
it out here:
http://forums.youthrights.org/forumdisplay.php?f=38
DC All-Ages Ban Defeated
A bill that NYRA members have been working on for several months
finally met with defeat at the hands of the DC City Council.
Initially proposed in January by city council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), the initial bill would have effectively banned everyone under
21 from music venues, clubs, and other events in the city. After a
vocal initial outcry Graham began hosting weekly workgroup meetings to
discuss details of the bill with many different stake-holders in the
city. NYRA attended half a dozen of these meetings and was able to
work out many important compromises in the bill language.
Ultimately though, the compromises did not go far enough and the bill
would have still imposed unnecessary restrictions, penalties and
burdens upon young people in and around Washington, DC. In early June
the bill was tabled by the city council and many key provisions that
NYRA opposed are unlikely to resurface. NYRA still strongly supports
the over arching goal of the bill - to keep young people safe - and
hopes that elements of the bill that improve safety for all DC
residents without discriminating against and punishing young people
should be passed by the council.
Annual Meeting a Month Away - Remember to RSVP
July 28-29 NYRA members from around the country will be in Washington,
DC attending the 2007 NYRA Annual Meeting. This year's event will
have the most extensive collection of trainings and workshops yet. So
far we are expecting workshops from Youth Venture, Students for
Sensible Drug Policy, the Youth Policy Action Center, YouthACT and
several from NYRA members and activists. Plus, as always, the Annual
Meeting will feature the presentation of NYRA's Annual Report,
strategy discussion for the year ahead, and final voting for the
Board Election. Best yet Annual Meeting
attendees get to be the first in the country to hear the election results!
Since most of our members are scattered around the country this is the
best chance to reconnect face-to-face with all the people you've
worked with and talked with online. We will be gathering for informal
events in the city in addition to the workshops and business at the
Annual Meeting. Every year we have a lot of fun, so please come if
you are able. Attendence is free. The schedule will be sent out once
it is finalized, but be sure to RSVP so you can be certain you get all
the details for attending.
RSVP for the annual meeting here:
http://www.youthrights.org/annualmeeting2007.php
NYRAthon '07 a Success!
Thanks to the generosity of our members, NYRA's third annual spring
fundraiser has been a great success! We set a target of $3,000 and
from March through June we raised over $3,200. In total, 57 people
contributed to make this year's fundraiser successful. This money is
essential for keeping NYRA running. Already this money has allowed us
to begin work on a new student rights section of the website, helped
stop the passage of two very anti-youth bills in Washington, DC, rally
in front of the Supreme Court for free speech, begin planning a
potential big drinking age campaign for the fall, and help educate
thousands of people about youth rights. The winner of this year's
fundraising contest has decided to remain anonymous and will donate
the contest prize back to the organization. Thank you everyone who
contributed to make this year's NYRAthon a success!
News from the Web
Articles Quoting NYRA
D.C. Council Rejects Earlier Youth Curfew
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11728
Ads from Allstate drive a debate
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11585
No legislation without representation
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11447
If colleges can't curb drinking, it's not for lack of effort
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11286
Other Youth Rights Articles
Video Game Addiction a Psychiatric Disorder?
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11727
Cops charge 3-year-old 'rioter'
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11719
Youthful Councillors Back Lower Voting Age
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11717
'Lower voting age' - Give 16-year-olds in Jamaica a voice in politics
- Norman Grant
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11716
Bradford proposes law to lower voting age to 16
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11715
Many parents would back limits on TV violence
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11712
City cracks down on curfew violators
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11711
Drink at 19? Make it 21!
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11707
Alcohol and teenagers: What's a parent to do?
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11706
Bumping drinking age to 19 doubted
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11700
Trashing Teens
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11697
No touching allowed in VA School
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11687
Harman calls for equality as endgame nears
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11685
FYEG and EFAy congratulate first EU country to lower voting age
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11684
Police fight a liquor loophole
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11676
Ten-cigarette packs face ban to put off teens
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11663
More Driving Restrictions
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11658
Backlash forms against 'zero tolerance'
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11654
House bill aims to curb indecent TV programs
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11650
Drinking-age laws don't make sense
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11646
Conn. Lawmakers Propose Raising Smoking Age
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11619
Democracy in Action
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11616
Do away with public schools
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11614
Laurel teens get curfew
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11611
Why not drink at 18?
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11610
Underage Debate
http://www.youthrights.org/article.php?threadid=11608
Conclusion
Too often we hear bad news. New curfew laws, new restrictions on
driving, stricter enforcement of the drinking age and other
infringements on the rights of youth are all too common. This month
however we have started to see the tide turn. Important victories in
DC have stopped thousands of young people from being unjustly
arrested. When an entire generation risks being thrown in jail simply
because of their birthdate there is a profound ill in our society that
must be cured. NYRA is that cure and this month we stepped up and
provided direct help to young people in need. We poked a small hole
in the dark clouds of ageism to let in some sunshine.
We can't do this alone. We can't do it without the continued
involvement, support, and activism of you, our members. Your
donations and your volunteering make all this possible. Please keep
this organization running. Make a donation, start a chapter, apply to
take over "NYRA Freedom", vote in the board election, and come to the
annual meeting. Our progress is only limited by our resources,
energy, and effort.
------NYRA------
Back to "NYRA Freedom"
| |
