Upcoming . . .

Walk for the Earth set for February 24th-April 13, 1996. The Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice is coordinating a 725-mile walk from the Everglades to Tallahassee, starting February 24th, 1996, and ending April 13th in the State Capitol. Beginning in the traditional home of the Seminole, the walk will call for government leaders to firmly address the issues of pollution, rampant development, and corporate control in our state. The poor bear the brunt of environmentally damaging policies; walkers, as they pass through areas of contamination (phosphate mining, agricultural chemical and pesticide use, dumps, urban sprawl, power plants, and incinerators), will meet the people who live there with the goal of presenting their stories to the government. The culmination of the march on April 13 will see a statewide demonstration to underscore the march's goals and to present knowledge gained from it.

The walk will pass through Gainesville coming up 441 from Orlando, so local organizing in support of the walk will also be needed. Contact the FCPJ at P.O. Box 90035, Gainesville, FL 32607 (904) 468-3295.

Women's Clinic defenders/escorts needed. Abortion rights defenders are needed to be on call or part of a regular schedule to counter clinic pickets. Both Bread and Roses and Gainesville Women's Health Center have been sites of regular pickets in recent months, with Veterans for Peace members Jim Creaven and Pierce Butler defending at Bread and Roses, and a coalition of different groups defending at GWHC. Picketing has largely subsided at Bread and Roses, but GWHC has been picketed more recently--on Saturday morning and also on Wednesdays and Fridays. As the activities of the anti's seem to be growing, we need to be ready to support the women and men on the front lines of abortion rights: the providers who live under physical threat for providing abortions and reproductive health care.

The Young Democrats are now coordinating clinic defense. Contact them at 378-3756 to volunteer. Volunteers should pick a time slot they can commit to on a regular basis, simply to be present so the clinic knows a friend is outside monitoring activities.

St. Francis House is in need of personal hygiene and medical items for their guests. You may bring items to St. Francis House at 413 S. Main Street, on weekdays from 10 am to 10 pm, phone 378-9079. Items needed include: disposable razors (urgently needed), feminine sanitary pads, diapers, sample sized shampoo, sample sized toothpaste (urgently needed) shaving powder, deoderant, foot powder, nail clippers, antibiotic ointment, Ibuprofen and Tylenol, Tums, Rolaids, Pepto Bismol, cold medication (non alcohol), cloth bath towels, hairbrushes, socks.