2 min readThis letter to the editor appeared in the Tucson Weekly the last week of January. Read the article here: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/letter-to-the-editor/Content?oid=6024651 The brother says it all! May we all be inspired and steadfast in struggle so this does not happen in South Tucson… ______________________________ Esta carta del editor aparece en el Tucson Weekly la última semana de Enero. Puedes leer el artículo aquí: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/letter-to-the-editor/Content?oid=6024651 El hermano lo dice todo! Necesitamos estar inspirados y firmes en la lucha así esto no pasara en el sur de Tucson… QUIEN PAGA POR LOS CAMBIOS EN EL DOWNTOWN? Estoy preocupada por la vergonzosa acción hecha por

3 min readby Brian Flagg Padre Juan Elias is a most profound and soulful guy. For weeks now at our parish Santa Cruz Catholic, he has been using the Gospel readings to awaken us to the fact that we need to more deeply encounter Jesus and that very soon, Lent would be upon us. He has been emphatic that this is a great opportunity for us to figure out, in the context of who we are as Catholics, as disciples of Jesus, what our mission in life is! I find myself seriously challenged, both personally and professionally. The Holy Father is another

< 1 min readCITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, February 9, 2016 3 p.m. City Hall The issue: Will the City renew the contract of their notorious union-busting bus management company? The Mayor invited the lawyer from that company, Transdev, to come from Phoenix to present at this meeting. Councilwomen Romero and Uhlich insisted that Farhad, commander in chief of RTA/PAG, be present to present some alternatives. Educate yourself. Attend if possible in your yellow shirt. MONTHLY MEETING Wednesday, February 10, 2016 5:30 p.m. Armory Park Senior Center 220 S. 5th Ave.

4 min readby Cesar Aguirre Yesterday a group of parents from south side TUSD schools met with Petra Falcon of Promesa Arizona and Robert Moses of Project Algebra. We started off with a simple exercise to help parents better understand algebra. The curriculum presented made it easy for parents of all levels of education to really understand and grasp the language of math. After the exercise we had lunch while we got to know Robert Moses better. It was truly an honor to sit by someone with so much knowledge and first-hand experience in the civil rights movement of the 60’s and

3 min readby Brian Flagg A paid sick leave ordinance for companies with more than ten employees is being considered by the Tucson City Council. This has been done in more than twenty other cities. It is being pushed by labor unions, especially the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and other grassroots Tucsonans. It was introduced in December by Councilwoman Regina Romero. I was there. She skillfully and passionately defended the measure against all kinds of lame objections from her colleagues. This seemed to fuel opposition from right wing, anti-worker entities such as the Chamber of Commerce and the HiSpanic Chamber of

2 min readby Alicia Nunez We at Casa Maria have gotten to know a grupo de young people from Barrio Centro who are passionate about growing their own food, defending their barrio, and preserving their roots and culture. Last week Casa Maria workers were invited to see the garden of Dora Martinez and Tito Romero (from Flowers and Bullets). We were allowed to take our kids, my daughter went with us, Amalia Tovar went also and she took her daughter Zaira Tovar. It was an interesting experience to know how we can produce our own vegetables at home in our garden and

< 1 min readby Brian Flagg Here are the 4 biggest issues looming as we move farther into 2016. This was agreed upon by everyone at the last Bus Rider Union meeting. If we don’t organize, mobilize, and throw down on these issues, bus riders will be screwed. 1. Dedicated funding source for transit We the BRU have not been pro-active, so, in the minds of the Mayor and Council, it’s basically a half cent sales tax for transit and/or cops and/or parks. The Mayor is currently leading an effort to poll voters as to their support. 2. Will a new management company

< 1 min readThe solution to climate change has much to do with people changing to alternate modes of transportation – THE BUS! Please attend the free screening of This Changes Everything and wear your yellow Bus Riders Union t-shirt.  

3 min readHey Catholics, The Holy Father told Americans to pay attention not only to the life of Dorothy Day, but also to the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.! Study and reflect on his life – let it inspire and afflict you. And may it lead you to ask yourself “Am I doing enough for the struggle?” Lately I’ve been reflecting on this past year and how absolutely awful the bus strike was for bus riders. And how to learn from that and act so that such suffering is never again put on mostly poor people, in this case

< 1 min readBrittany Jones, starter on the UA Women’s Basketball team, visited and worked in the Kitchen at Casa Maria this week! She was here the day after the Wildcats destroyed #21 ranked CAL. The Lady Wildcats are 10-3 so far this year. She is a junior from Dallas, Texas. She was gracious, articulate, and very patient answering all our questions and posing for pictures. We are all going to go see her play this year!