Nestled off the 101 Highway between Santa Cruz and Paso Robles, St. John Catholic Church hosted a listening session to begin to "organize for justice and healing." Fr. Claudio reminded parishioners and community leaders that "righteousness and peace will embrace," before urging them to share their stories of abuse at the hands of the police. Resident after resident disclosed how thousands of dollars had been spent to recuperate cars that were unfairly impounded and sold by local police. The parish hall was packed; though the effort is young, people expressed hope in the possibility of addressing police practices as a community.

King City Residents Air Grievances, KION News - Channel 46

When confronted by Everett High School youth leaders about whether he would pitch in to help clean up Acosta Plaza, Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter didn't skip a beat. "Yes," he said to a group of presumptuous, yet polite, youth that had already successfully shaken down $500 from a neighborhood association for a basketball court. The campaign to clean up Acosta Plaza is led by East Salinan youth and recent college graduates eager to improve their neighborhood's image.

The Californian.com notes that Plaza cleanup is "going to do a lot of good."

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Industrial Areas Foundation Co-Director Ernesto Cortes, Jr. articulates and models the fundamentals of relational meetings, the core practice of broad based organizing.

This video, designed to showcase the craft of experienced organizer practitioners, was shot during a 3-Day IAF Training in Las Vegas, Nevada. Click on photo at right, or click here, to view clip.

When the Houston Independent School District Superintendent proposed the closure of five schools to cut costs, concerned parents noted that in at least one case students from a higher performing school would be re-directed to a struggling one. Port Houston Elementary School parents, who happened to worship at Resurrection Catholic Church, quickly organized a challenge to the closures in partnership with TMO, which their church had just joined.

Concerned TMO leaders met with HISD board members, in addition to meeting with parents and educators, to figure out how to preserve these schools. On Thursday, March 13th, over 100 leaders and parents descended upon the HISD board meeting and recognized board president Juliet Stipeche for removing Port Houston Elementary, Nathaniel Henderson Elementary and Fleming Middle School from the closure list.

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Catholic, Baptist and union leaders of Sydney Alliance challenged the wisdom of retail trading deregulation, given the impact on workers' families. Ten delegates gave personal testimony at a 'Take The Time' event; one related that as a father that works Sundays and 2 of 4 Saturdays per month, with a mother that works Saturdays, the only time to be a family occurs on days when shops don't open.

Facebook Post, Sydney Alliance

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At a town hall on Saturday, February 22nd, Rev. Errol Domingue directly asked leaders from the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus: Have you ever taken money from the payday lending industry? Will you continue to take their money in the future?

You could cut the tension with a knife.

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"Diane Vanette, a volunteer with OneLA who screens people at Obamacare enrollment events, recently informed a couple with deferred-action status that they were both eligible for Medi-Cal. "He was shocked, she was shocked," Vanette said.

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In advance of the early March election for County judge and Commissioner positions, leaders of EPISO and Border Interfaith organized an accountability session to challenge them on issues that emerged hundreds of conversations with their constituents. The El Paso Times reports the following:

"El Paso County judge candidates took different stances Sunday on two key issues, funding Project Arriba and early voting at churches, during the El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization and Border Interfaith Joint Accountability Session. The accountability session took place at All Saints Catholic Church for candidates for county judge, county commissioner for precincts 2 and 4, and state representatives for districts 75, 76 and 77...."

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Capital IDEA celebrated its 15th anniversary and 1,000th graduate at the Norris Conference Center in Austin. Elizabeth Soltero, the 1,000th graduate entertained the crowd with her story of triumph -- learning English then learning her third language, Technical English, before landing a job in computer security. Elected city and county officials were in attendance, and other graduates honored -- including a single father who not only worked his way through college, but volunteered at his son's pre-school.

Facebook Album, Capital IDEA

Leaders of the Border Organization confronted Democratic Party candidates for two seats on the Val Verde County Commissioners Court, Precinct 2, asking them whether they would work with the organization to address the clearing of dirty lots, demolition of abandoned homes, lighting on dark streets and roundup of stray animals.

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