http://www.pjpc2016.org/

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People's Justice & Peace Convention

Twenty-plus groups started working together in January to bring people together who are very different from the Republicans coming to Cleveland in July. We all knew that the Republican convention wouldn’t include the most vulnerable people in their plans. We knew that their solutions would not bring people together and would not address many crucial issues.

We gave ourselves very little time to bring a large project together.

Collectively, we work on a vast array of issues. Some of us are meeting each other for the 1st time. Some of us have known of the others, but never worked together before. Some of us are long-time allies.


Our goals -

- Promote just, nurturing, nonviolent solutions to our problems
- Identify resources that could be re-directed to implement our policy recommendations
- Educate ourselves about immediate steps we can take to change the direction this country is headed
- Develop and share these ideas with both political parties, with individual politicians, and with media outlets


Who we are -

Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Counties Farmers Union
Black-On-Black Crime
Carl Stokes Brigade
Cleveland Catholic Worker
Cleveland Nonviolence Network
Cleveland Peace Action
FaCT
Immigrant Support Network
Inter-Religious Task Force on Central America
NEO American Friends Service Committee
NEO International Workers of the World
NEO Sierra Club
Peace in the Hood
SPAN Ohio
Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor


facebook post
May 14, 2016

Dear representatives of national peace, justice & environmental organizations:

Your organization is invited to be represented at the People’s Justice & Peace Convention, July 
15 -­17 in Cleveland, Ohio!

The Republican and Democratic parties both promote policies that benefit the wealthiest 
individuals and corporations and promote and expand U.S. militarism, while the concerns of the 
vast majority are ignored, distorted and/or manipulated for political gain. Join us in Cleveland 
the weekend before the Republican National Convention (“RNC”) for the People’s Justice and 
Peace Convention. We hope to challenge both parties to propose real solutions to the often 
ignored hurting in our world and call upon them to implement a political climate, foreign policy, 
economic approach, and environmental policy that is neither imperialistic nor militaristic, that 
protects the environment, and that nurtures inclusion, genuine security, nonviolence, and peace 
and prosperity for everyone.

The People’s Justice and Peace Convention will bring together at least several hundred citizens 
and representatives of local, state, and national organizations dedicated to sharing information 
and strategies for implementing real justice and peace. The Convention will feature keynote 
speakers, committees/panels dedicated to addressing specific issue areas, films, and cultural 
performances. A major component will be developing a “People’s Justice & Peace Platform” 
that articulates policy preferences that affirm the dignity and value of all humans and the earth. 
The platform will be presented to both the RNC in Cleveland and the DNC in Philadelphia. 
While we hope the People’s Platform will be a finalized product emerging from the convention, 
we believe the process of working together on the convention and platform will be invaluable. 

We hope to use the Convention as an opportunity to learn from and work with one another and to 
create a diverse network connecting issues, groups, and movements that are working to achieve
justice and peace. 

The five broad issue areas of the Convention are:
• Economic justice
• Social and racial justice
• Political justice
• Environmental justice
• International relations

You are invited to send one or two official representatives from your organization to actively 
participate in the Convention. To defray costs, we respectfully request participating 
organizations to make a financial contribution ($500 would be grand, but whatever you can 
afford will be greatly appreciated!). Make your check payable to St. Paul’s Community 
Outreach with CNVN People’s Convention in the memo line and mail to Cleveland Nonviolence 
Network, P.O. Box 14418, Cleveland, OH 44114­0418. In exchange, participating 
organizations are offered the opportunity:

√ To facilitate a committee/panel discussion that addresses one or more of the above­mentioned 
issue areas that is both educational and action­oriented.
√ To present one or two specific draft “planks” or proposals to be discussed, refined and agreed 
to in your committee to be then presented to the larger plenary for inclusion in the final People’s 
Platform which will be agreed to at the final plenary Sunday, July 17. 
√ To have a table throughout the Convention for your organizational materials.
√ To enjoy home lodging for the duration of the People’s Convention­­and possibly beyond­­
based on your desire to remain in Cleveland once the RNC begins and the willingness of your 
host(s). 

Our planning coalition includes representatives from the Cleveland Nonviolent Network, the 
InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Cleveland Peace Action, the Cleveland Human & 
Civil Rights Coalition, the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee, Organize Ohio, 
and representatives of several religious congregations, among others. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I will follow­up in the next few days to 
discuss whether your organization is interested in participating in this event.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Don Bryant,

On behalf of the People’s Justice & Peace Convention Planning Committee
clevelandnonviolence@gmail.com


P.S. You may also be interested in participating in and/or sponsoring two other events directly 
related to the Republican National Convention with which we are affiliated. The first is our RNC 
“Real Neighborhoods of Cleveland” tours that will highlight the failed policies that have brought 
violence, disruption and inequality to our neighborhoods. The second is the “End Poverty Now: 
March for Economic Justice” to take place Monday, July 18.