Maine Green Independent Party co-chairs Riva O'Rourke and Jon Olsen today condemned the Maine State Legislature's actions in special session yesterday in passing passed LD 1646, "An Act To Implement Ranked Choice Voting in 2021." This bill, supported by members of both the Democratic and Republican parties, "sabotages the citizen referendum on ranked choice voting," said Olsen and O'Rourke. "This vote severely damages our first-in-the nation statewide effort to initiate RCV, and may have dealt it a fatal blow." Continue reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders declared their support for a recent demand by the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) for "international human rights observers [to be] sent to Puerto Rico to witness the extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria and whether the recovery efforts are putting poor people before profits or are further contributing to Puerto Rico’s economic crisis.". A follow-up statement from PPEHRC is appended below. The organization's co-founder and leader is Cheri Honkala, the Green Party 2012 vice-presidential nominee. Continue reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party's International Committee, on behalf of the party, has issued a statement on the crisis in Catalonia. The text of the statement is appended below. The Green Party condemns Spain's brutal suppression of Catalans who tried to vote in the referendum for independence on Oct. 1 and calls for peaceful negotiation without threats of reprisal to solve the impasse and for the release of political prisoners and withdrawal of sedition charges. Continue reading

PITTSBURGH -- The Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC) understands that Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will submit a proposal tomorrow in attempt to convince Amazon to establish a second headquarters in the Pittsburgh area, as was recently reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tomorrow is the deadline for municipalities to submit their proposals in response to Amazon's RFP. Amazon will announce its decision where it will locate its second headquarters in 2018. GPOAC is a political party with a mission based on four pillars: social justice, democracy, ecology and peace. We are grassroots activists using collective action to affect change at the local, regional, national and international level. Continue reading

  Editor's Note: Joyce Brown was elected in 1989 to the Chapel Hill Town Council and reelected in 1993 and 1997. In 1995, Alex Zaffron was elected to the Carrboro Board of Alderman in Orange County. Gray Newman was elected in 2002 to the Soil & Water Board of Mecklenburg County. On Tuesday, Dee Williams placed fourth in the Asheville, North Carolina City Council Primary out of a field of twelve at-large candidates. Williams, a member of the Western North Carolina Green Party, is the first Green candidate to break through a city council primary, and is now one step closer to becoming in the first Green Party member elected in the state of North Carolina. This historic grassroots campaign has been powered by a diverse cast of passionate volunteers. Williams, who received 1179 votes in the 2015 primary, nearly tripled her votes this year, with 3408 votes. Continue reading

PHILADELPHIA, PA – On October 19, cities across the country will submit their proposals to become the home of Amazon's new $5 billion headquarters. The Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) City Committee condemns Mayor Jim Kenney's decision to enter Philadelphia into this competition while ignoring the harsh reality of the poor and working class citizens of Philadelphia. Far from improving our city, an Amazon headquarters would only exacerbate the crises we already face. Amazon, which made $136 billion in revenue in 2016, is demanding tax breaks from the city it selects as its new home. Philadelphia cannot afford any more corporate welfare. The city has already given Comcast a ten-year property tax abatement in addition to tens of millions of dollars for Comcast's new Center City building. It seems Mayor Kenney, a willing participant in Amazon's bribery, can somehow put money on the table for Amazon but can't seem to do so for the people of Philadelphia. Continue reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders said that restoring Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria requires cancellation of the island's massive and unpayable debt and austerity policies under PROMESA, enabling Puerto Ricans to declare independendence, and an end to Puerto Rico's ongoing status as a colony of the U.S. since 1898. The Green Party calls for massive and ongoing aid beyond the U.S. House's proposed $36.5 billion disaster aid package. Puerto Rico remains in a state of dire emergency with a severe need for food, water, medicine, fuel, power generators, supplies for temporary shelter, and repairs for dams and other damaged infrastructure (see "Green Party: Remove barriers to emergency relief for Puerto Rico," Sept. 27. The party also supports debt cancellation and post-hurricane relief for the Virgin Islands. Continue reading

Highland Park, NJ – On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, while big money candidates prepared for an exclusive televised debate, Green Party candidate and long-time social justice activist Seth Kaper-Dale opened his church to an Indonesian couple, threatened with deportation today. The Reformed Church of Highland Park received an Indonesian family under order of deportation in a welcoming event at 12 PM today. Continue reading

Statewide meeting in Marquette to follow demonstration Green Party members from across the state of Michigan will join the Michigan Nurses Association on picket lines in Marquette this Friday night. The Michigan Nurses Association has planned a strike against Duke LifePoint, including a demonstration which is scheduled to continue until 7:00 am Saturday morning. Continue reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The next broadcast of GreenStream, the Green Party's livestream show, will feature an interview with Jabari Brisport, Green candidate for City Council, District 35, in New York City. The show will air on the party's Facebook page on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT. Continue reading