Endorse the Take Back the Land Movement

Greetings All,

The historic month of May 2010 is rapidly dawning upon us. In addition to honoring International Workers’ Day and continuing to press for the right to dignity at work and legalization for all, this May Day will also serve as the commencement of the Take Back the Land Campaign. Beginning in May, communities and activists throughout the country will be engaging in autonomous direct actions throughout the country to realize the human right to housing and build the Take Back the Land Movement.

We want to encourage everyone of good conscience to join and help build this critical movement. Millions of families and communities are being displaced by the privatization of public housing, the deepening of the foreclosure crisis, and the escalation of homelessness and we cannot remain silent in the face of these injustices.

We are appealing for you and your organization to endorse the Take Back the Land Movement and support us in pressing for the following principles and demands.
1. That Housing is a fundamental human right that the US government has an obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill.
2. That in order to realize this right, the conditions of our time necessitate that we must build a mass movement to press our demands, and that non-violent direct action is a principle means of pressing them.

Further, we encourage all those who endorse to support the building of this movement in one or more of the following ways:
1. Conduct a demonstration in your local area against one of the major banks (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, etc.) or the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) linked to the principles and demands of the Take Back the Land Movement.
2. Conduct a community forum or teach-in about the Take Back the Land Movement to educate the people in your community, work place, place of worship, or school about this initiative and its importance.
3. Write an article or op-ed about the Take Back the Land Movement to submit to your local newspaper, or your organizations newsletter, journal or magazine to help educate the public and help build this critical movement.
4. Conduct a fundraiser in your area to help the Land and Housing Action Group provide training and technical support to Local Action Groups in the development of their actions and movement building activities. Donations can be made via Paypal at www.ushrnetwork.org or via check to US Human Rights Network, c/o the Land and Housing Action Group. Mail to US Human Rights Network 250 Georgia Ave. Suite 330, Atlanta, GA 30312.

To endorse and join the Take Back the Land Movement please email housingrights@ushrnetwork.org. And specify if you are endorsing as an individual or as an organization. For further information visit www.ushrnetwork.org or www.takebacktheland.org.

In Unity and Struggle,
The Land and Housing Action Group

Wednesday, April 21, 2010