A welcome statement from the Co-Chairs
Welcome home! For many years now we have all been lulled into a false sense of freedom and democracy. Yet, freedom and democracy without choice or participation isn’t freedom, or democracy. Our republic should be based on a system of government of the people, by the people, for the people. Though, increasingly that has not been the reality.
Until now, your political power has been suppressed. Your so-called representatives have been usurped by corporate interests with an addiction to profit at all costs, at our expense, backed by a well-funded media machine leading the way.
Until now, you have been told what to think and how to vote by those whose priorities do not favor your well-being. This is why so many people continue to struggle in the wealthiest nation in the world. The “games” of the corporate parties are obvious, as is their culpability.
Your frustrations are not ignored. In fact, they are well documented by the powers that be. They incite them. They cultivate them through consistently manufactured conflicts which they never intend to resolve. And as elections approach, they use them on you as weapons of fear against an imagined enemy, while protecting a corrupt system.
This is why Single-Payer improved Medicare for All is not in the common national discourse. Nor is clean water. Or affordable housing and education. Or fair wages. Or collective bargaining. Or election finance reform. Or police reform. Or anything which traps you in a constant and overwhelming struggle. That is why we are here.
The Green Party is not bound by the shackles of corporate dependence. We are structured to function as a vehicle for grassroots democracy. We endeavor to practice democracy in all we do. Your participation as a member of our organization is vital to us accomplishing this goal. To this end, we would like to invite you, and encourage you to use your power to affect our policies and procedures from inception to completion.
Welcome! Start your journey today! Join us NOW!
Amy Slepr / Darryl Gibson
Co-chairs / Green Party of Michigan
Green Party of Michigan Statement on Pollution in Kalamazoo
| For Immediate Release: June 20, 2023 |
| KALAMAZOO – The Green Party of Michigan calls on all officials elected and appointed to put an immediate stop to the poisoning of Kalamazoo citizens residing near Graphic Packaging International’s paper plant and the city’s wastewater treatment facility.Despite hundreds of complaints, and no less than 14 violation notices from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, as well as fines and recommendations from the same department, this problem has persisted for over ten years. It shows a willful disregard of the safety of the neighborhood and Kalamazoo in general by Graphic Packaging.From an article published by WWMT Channel 3 a neighbor, Ms Andrews spoke on the situation: “You say that there are no short term effects but there are, so many of us here have felt them,” she said. “I have asthma and I smell Graphic Packaging all the time. Often times the odors are present on the weekends when Egle is not in the office, early in the morning and late at night.”For the safety of nearby residents and plant workers, GPI must be compelled to transition to clean and sustainable operations. Half-measures aimed at merely reducing the amount of toxic gasses being released by the facilities are inadequate. The Green Party of Michigan supports the 150+ households who have filed suit against GPI for $5M in damages, and Brandi Crawford-Johnson, who has filed complaints with a department of the Environmental Protection Agency against EGLE for its mishandling of this issue. More info: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/air-quality/facility-specific-info/graphic-packaging Graphic Packaging spill into Kalamazoo River triggers state and city violations – mlive.com Town Hall KzooCitizens protest over toxins found in the air near their homes in Kalamazoo – mlive.com Feds launch civil rights investigation over state’s permits for Graphic Packaging Plant | WWMT Judge allows federal air pollution lawsuit to move forward against Kalamazoo factory | WWMT Her 17-Year-Old Daughter Died of a Severe Asthma Attack, Son on Life Support Due to TOXIC Kalamazoo Paper Mill Concerns over Graphic Packaging emissions are ‘top priority,’ city says A $600 million lawsuit accuses GPI and the City of Kalamazoo of Clean Air Act violations Status Coup report (the Kalamazoo situation begins at 51:25) |
We are the Green Party of Michigan
1. Grassroots Democracy
All human beings must be allowed a say in decisions that affect their lives; no one should be subject to the will of another. We work to improve public participation in every aspect of government and seek to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We also work to create new types of political organizations that expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in decision-making.
2. Social Justice And Equal Opportunity
As a matter of right, all persons must have the opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, any discrimination by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, religion, or physical or mental ability that denies fair treatment and equal justice under the law.
3. Ecological Wisdom
Human societies must function with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society that utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture that replenishes the soil, move to an energy-efficient economy, and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.
4. Non-Violence
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in danger. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.
5. Decentralization
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. We seek a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system controlled by and mostly benefiting the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all.
6. Community-Based Economics
We support redesigning our work structures to encourage employee ownership and workplace democracy. We support developing new economic activities and institutions that allow us to use technology in ways that are humane, freeing, ecological, and responsive and accountable to communities. We support establishing a form of basic economic security open to all. We call for moving beyond the narrow ‘job ethic’ to new definitions of ‘work,’ ‘jobs’ and ‘income’ in a cooperative and democratic economy. We support restructuring our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy – those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work, and the like. We support restricting the size and concentrated power of corporations without discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation.
7. Feminism And Gender Equity
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as gender equity, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We recognize that the processes for determining our decisions and actions are just as important as achieving the outcomes we want.
8. Respect For Diversity
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across the human spectrum. We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We encourage respect for all life forms, and increased attention to the preservation of biodiversity.
9. Personal And Global Responsibility
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal wellbeing and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.
10. Future Focus And Sustainability
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or ‘unmaking’ all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions. We must make the quality of all lives, rather than open-ended economic growth, the focus of future thinking and policy.
“The Green Party is no longer the alternative, it is the imperative.”
Rosa Clemente
