Wichita needs The Peace & Social Justice Center - Annual meeting

The Peace & Social Justice Center of Wichita, KS, is one of the most important anti-imperialist organizations in the state of Kansas. This last Friday was the Annual Dinner & Meeting and it included a speaker; Dr. Russell Arden Fox on “Why Sustainability Needs Wichita.” At least 60 people attended this event, which was a good turnout for Wichita.

"Sustainability needs places in the middle," Fox said. "As you see of New York City we are not them. We are in the middle."

Fox also said there are a lot of small farms that can produce food locally. He said that the local production of food here contribute to a more sustainable economy. New York and larger cities don't have the advantage of small farm production and most agriculture is too far away from the urban centers to be as accessible as they are in Wichita and similar sized cities.

Other issues he brought up were the attempts by people to move away to the suburbs to create nature and space for them to live in, but the homes are too expensive for most people and the distance people move to avoid the urban environment puts a strain on city services.

During the meeting, Peace & Social Justice Center President Pat Cameron listed some of the major accomplishments of the center this year. They include;

• Actions taken against gun violence. This includes efforts to stop the Republican efforts to liberalize gun laws. The center has had a group of people trying to push for restrictions on the sales and use of guns in Kansas. 
• Programs to highlight the struggles of the Palestinian people. This has included discussions, films and speakers.
• Taking part in protesting the US Army School of the Americas, in Fort Benning, near Columbus, Georgia. This school has been a training ground for Latin American military suppression against popular political movements in that part of the world. The school is known by some of us as "the School of Assassins."
• The center has been involved in efforts to stop the privatization of Wichita's water system. Kansas Politicians have pushed for privatization of many of the state's services. The results have not been good and they tend to strip citizens of their control over our public programs and utilities. An example is KanCare, the privatization of Kansas Medicaid. The three private insurance companies that administer the Kansas Medicaid program under KanCare lost $72.6 million in the first half of 2014, after losing $110 million in 2013.

- សតិវ​អតុ 

About 60 people attended the Peace & Social Justice Center - Annual meeting.