Human Rights Film Festival – OKC – March 24 & 25

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Free and open to the public.

*** 24 March Saturday ***

1:10 pm – Life of Amnesty International Founder Peter Benenson
2:40 pm – Message From Fallujah

2:55 p.m. – Justice Without Border (Bringing human rights violators to justice)
3:35 pm -Fighting for Life in the Death Belt (follows Anti-Death penalty lawyer)

*** 24 March, Sunday ***

1:10 pm. – Not My Life (Explores Human Trafficking)
2:50 pm – This Way Out (Three people avoid persecution in their country because of their homosexuality)

3:20 p.m. – Torture on Trial (US Govt. adopted Torture as policy after 09/11)
4:10 pm – 2011 Human Rights Day Speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
4:40 p.m. Interview with the Executioner (Interviews ex-warden that executed people)

There will be snacks and beverages.  Free of charge, donations welcomed.

For additional information, call John at (405) 720-6467

or email: bigjohndiego@sbcglobal.net

www.facebook.com/amnestryokc

 

OKC to say goodbye to Anthony Shadid

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OKLAHOMA CITY – A memorial for OKC-native Anthony Shadid, who died last week while serving as a correspondent for the New York Times in Syria, will be held here on March 3.

Shadid, who earned two Pulitzer Prizes for his work, was set to receive an honorary degree from OU this May. OU President David Boren said that the honor would be presented posthumously.

The OKC memorial will be in the main auditorium of the Civic Center at 2pm on Saturday March 3rd. The public is invited.

Press release from city of Oklahoma City:

Memorial service for Anthony Shadid set for Saturday, March 3

A memorial service to honor the life of Anthony Shadid will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 3at the Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker.

Shadid, an award winning journalist and foreign correspondent, died February 16 while on assignment in Syria.

“In the finest tradition of foreign correspondence, Shadid was never content merely to opine from afar,” Vice President Joe Biden said. “He went where the story took him – from the fall of Saddam Hussein, to the battlefields of Southern Lebanon, to the profound transformations of the Arab Spring – often at extraordinary personal risk.  Few foreign correspondents of his generation, or any other, could match his mastery of the language and cultures in the region he covered.”

Shadid, born and raised in Oklahoma City, has a large extended family that still calls Oklahoma City home.

Mayor Mick Cornett said, “He took the values he learned in our community – a sympathetic eye, a sense of right and wrong, and the bravery to point out the difference – and applied them to his craft.”

Friends and colleagues are invited to join the family in honoring his life at the memorial service.

Hope he’s prepared for some serious questioning about his public service career

Community Voices, Events, Politics , , No Comments

Verbatim press release:

Councilman Kelly to host Ward 7 community meeting

Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly invites residents to attend a community meeting at 6 p.m. on January 31 in the Springlake Metro Tech auditorium, 1900 Springlake Drive.

The councilman will discuss issues significant to Ward 7 including the relocation of the Martin Luther King, Jr., post office, economic development, public safety, code enforcement, traffic issues and infrastructure improvements.

“This is a great way for residents to learn about what’s happening in Ward 7,” Councilman Kelly said. “Participants can get firsthand information and ask questions about the City services that impact them most,”

Representatives from Public Works, Police, Planning, Development Services and the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City will be on hand to answer questions.

Ward 7 covers much of northeast Oklahoma City, from NW 192nd south to SE 44 north and from Broadway Extension to Peebly Road.

For more information call 297-3884.

OKC files answer to tribes’ claim to water rights in SE Oklahoma

Environment , , , , 2 Comments

This press release came from the Oklahoma City press office, and therefore presents OKC’s side in this legal matter. What do you think?

Oklahoma City protects water rights with answer to Indian Tribes’ claims

Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust filed an answer today in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City disputing the unprecedented claims to water in Southeast Oklahoma made by two Indian Tribes.

An answer is the most common way to respond to a lawsuit and is the defendant’s opportunity to respond to specific allegations brought against them in a complaint.

“The City’s answer will help protect the water sources on which many Oklahoma communities for decades have depended for tap water,” said Jim Couch, City Manager for Oklahoma City and a Trustee for the Water Utility.

The Choctaw and Chickasaw Tribes filed suit against the City of Oklahoma City and State of Oklahoma on August 18, 2011. The Tribes are claiming the rights to virtually all of the water in the Kiamichi, Clear Boggy and Muddy Boggy Basins in Southeast Oklahoma. The water supply for much of Oklahoma comes from this part of the state. The Tribes later amended their lawsuit to include a claim to the 100-mile long Atoka Pipeline that, for 50 years, has transported much of Oklahoma City’s water supply.

“The City’s answer in U.S. District Court rejects the Tribe’s claim that past treaties give them the right to all of this water. While the Tribes do have some rights, these treaties and agreements clearly do not convey the broad rights that they are claiming,” Couch said.

The City is also participating in the mediation process ordered by the court.

“The City is committed to continuing the mediation process while assuring through our answer filing in federal court that Oklahoma City and other legitimate water users will have a seat at the table in this case,” said Couch.

The original complaint filed by the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations comes at a time when Oklahoma is in the midst of the worst drought since the days of the dust bowl. The City’s Water Utility has been working to both conserve and procure water, while the Tribes have decided this is the best time to take control over all the water in the Kiamichi, Clear Boggy and Muddy Boggy Basins.

The Utility’s sole focus is on procuring and delivering clean water for the long-term benefit of Oklahoma City and the State of Oklahoma. By law, the Trust is not allowed to profit from the sale of water.

For more than 100 years the City’s Water Utility has provided clean and plentiful water to the people of Oklahoma City, Central and Southeast Oklahoma, while placing the highest value on protecting the environment and wildlife. For more information, log on to www.okc.gov.

Citizen Advisory Team members announced for planokc

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Mayor Mick Cornett has appointed a 27-member Citizen Advisory Team to assist with the development of the City’s new comprehensive plan, planokc. Members will provide advice at key junctures in the planning process and oversee the collective work done by planners and stakeholder groups.

Name Representing
Blair Humphreys sustainokc
Bill Wylie connectokc
Cassie Poor greenokc
Ashley Dickson liveokc
Jorge Hernandez enrichokc
Steve Spain playokc
Sharron Jackson strengthenokc
Lucresha Redus serveokc
Jackie Jones Healthy Communities Oversight Group
Lynn Goldberg Healthy Communities Oversight Group
Jeff Click Development Sector
Clay Farha Development Sector
John Keefe Development Sector
Jim Burkey Public Schools
Kenneth Dennis Public Schools
Paul Hurst Public Schools
Torrey Butzer Community At Large
Ashlee Noland Community At Large
John Yoeckel Planning Commission Chair
Mike Hensley (Planning Commissioner) Ward 1
Ed Shadid (City Council Member) Ward 2
Buck Irwin (Planning Commissioner) Ward 3
Pete White (City Council Member) Ward 4
David Greenwell (City Council Member) Ward 5
Bob Bright (Planning Commissioner) Ward 6
James Williams (Planning Commissioner) Ward 7
Pat Ryan (City Council Member) Ward 8

“The Mayor received more than 100 applications from citizens interested in participating on the team,” said assistant planning director Susan Miller. “Team members have diverse backgrounds and expertise and will represent the various elements of the plan well. We are excited to start working with them.”

Meetings begin in February and are open to the public. A list of appointed members can be found at www.planokc.org.

The city’s comprehensive plan is a policy document used by city leaders, developers, business owners and citizens to make decisions about future growth and development. Citizen input is encouraged during the planning process.

For more information about planokc, visit www.planokc.org.