Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice (NWCPJ) is a group of residents in Illinois' 3rd Congressional District who came together in opposition to war and occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan and their disastrous consequences.  We also work to support justice and environmental sustainability in  communities large and small.

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Bring the Illinois National Guard Home!  It's the law.  Sign our petition asking Governor Pat Quinn to act now HERE!  Download a petition and take it to everyone you know.   Click HERE for a pdf copy of our petition to the Governor that you may pass along to  friends, family and neighbors.  

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  Last November 4, 2008, residents in Berwyn (and Riverside for #2)Township voted in favor of the following Questions of Public policy: 

1. Shall our representatives in Congress hold current and former public officials, and private contractors accountable for war crimes, including torture and unprovoked aggression, in connection with the Iraq war?

2. Shall our elected officials in Illinois take steps to phase out nuclear power in the state, replacing it with renewable sources such as wind and solar?

• Wear & distribute black ribbons and armbands
• Buy no gas on that day
• Pressure politicians and the media
• Hold vigils, pickets, rallies, and teach-ins
• Hold special religious services
• Coordinate events in music, art, and culture
• Host film showings, talks, educational events
• Organize student actions: Teach-ins, school closings, etc.  

• For more information or events in your area contact The Iraq Moratorium.

Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice placed the following question on the Berwyn Township Ballot for the election held February 5, 2008: “Shall our representatives in Congress pursue all available means to limit military funding in Iraq to only that which is required to bring all U.S. troops home safely?”

This referendum question passed by 77%. 

NWCPJ thanks all those who signed petitions, wrote letters, made calls and attended the rallies and meetings to support the Morton West High School students  who were threatened with expulsion after staging a sit-in to protest the Iraq War on November 1, 2007. More than two hundred students participated in the All Saints Day anti-war protest through the course of the day.  Our next jobs will be to clear the records of the students involved and to get counter-recruiters into the campus on a regular basis.

Thanks also to Students for a Democratic Society for their petition for individuals: http://www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/  and for Student, community, civil liberties, human rights and labor organizations:  http://cccsds.wordpress.com/

In order to have an organization placed on the petition, please contact   cbrenz [at] gmail.com ASAP.
 

Here's the story: Dozens of Berwyn High School Students Faced Expulsion After Antiwar Sit-In on November 1.  The school cafeteria event served in part as a counterpoint in the school setting to military recruiters on campus, who routinely visit the high school multiple times each week seeking to enlist young people into military service. More than two hundred students participated in the All Saints Day anti-war protest through the course of the day.

Students complied with a school administrator's request to move the action outside the cafeteria after initially being assured that the only disciplinary action they would face was citation for cutting classes. But administrators subsequently threatened expulsion, including for students who joined the sit-in later in the day. Administrators have since issued formal notices to dozens of student that they will be expelled from the school, suspended many more, and threatened to bring criminal charges against students age 17 and older who participated in the anti-war action.

School administrators also put the school on lockdown briefly during the All Saints Day protest. That action stands in stark contrast to administrators’ response to a report of a student with a gun on campus last month. In that incident, administrators chose not to lock down the school.

The District has said they will issue final decisions on appeals of the suspensions, on Tuesday, however, they say the orders of expulsion still stand. The District 201 School Board is scheduled to meet at 7PM at Morton East High School on Wednesday evening.

Morton West High School parents are planning a press conference for Tuesday morning, where they will read a letter to the school superintendent demanding complete amnesty for the students, and then parents and students will take questions from the press before delivering the letter to the School District 201 office.  You can also read more about the event here:

[ http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/80059/index.php ]

 A Concert for Peace, on Sept. 8,  was fabulously successful and a lot of fun.  NWCPJ thanks all those who helped in this effort: the artists and performers who donated their time and all the volunteers from Unity Temple and Oak Park Coalition for Truth and Justice. 

The Vote was "Yes" for Peace November 7, 2006!  Illinois voters took the opportunity to vote yes for withdrawal from Iraq. 
Election results of Townships: 

• Berwyn-yes 71%
• Riverside-Yes 61%
• Oak Park-Yes 76%
• DeKalb-yes 58%
• Geneva-Yes 52%
• Aurora-Yes 58%
• Downers Grove-Yes 55%
• Champaign-Yes 58%
• Cunningham (Urbana) -Yes 65%
• Capital (Springfield) -Yes 59%

Election results of Counties:

• Cook Co.- Yes 73%
• Whiteside- Yes 59%