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Organizing the Community For Increased Transit Options for All

June 21, 2011. Organizing the Community For Increased Transit Options for All. The first thing to do to help improve public transportation for persons with disabilities. is to stop working to improve public transportation for persons with disabilities. A Long Story Short.

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Organizing the Community For Increased Transit Options for All

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  1. June 21, 2011 Organizing the Community For Increased Transit Options for All

  2. The first thing to do to help improve public transportation for persons with disabilities . . . is to stop working to improve public transportation for persons with disabilities.

  3. A Long Story Short . . .

  4. Fortune Cookie wisdom “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” October 10, 1996 & May 5, 2009

  5. The Midwest Academy Model of community organizingIt’s all about self-interest.

  6. “If some one else speaks for you, you lose. “ Ed Roberts December 14, 1996 The People’s Transportation Forum & Barbecue

  7. We discover our mantra! “We will never have a transit system good enough for the poor, good enough for seniors or good enough for persons with disabilities Until we have a system good enough for Mayor Logie.” Tony Wong, July 1997

  8. April 11, 2000 The First Rapid Millage is approved.

  9. PTF becomes . . .

  10. The Rapid Millages in 2003 & 2007 Top Reasons to Vote YES for the Public Transportation Proposal: • 1. Key to continued economic growth for metropolitan Grand Rapids • 2. Greater access to employment, job training, and education opportunities • 3. Freedom and independence for senior citizens and people with disabilities • 4. Key lifeline to the doctor, hospital, pharmacy, grocery store, church, friends, and family • 5. Less traffic congestion and improved air quality • 6. Equal opportunity for all people – regardless of age, income, or ability – to access community resources Friends of Transit 161 Ottawa Ave, NW Suite 211 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Designed and created by DDM Marketing & Communications. VOTE YES! TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2007

  11. Organizing & Teaching Alliance for Justice (www.afj.org) What 501(c)(3)’s can do Annual Legislative Lunch on Transit

  12. The 2005 Transit Summit On October 3, 2005, over 220 area business leaders, activists, public officials, environmentalists, planners, and others (many of whom are regular bus riders) came together to discuss public transportation. The participants came up with a vision defined by 15 priorities to guide our community’s growth towards a comprehensive public transportation system.

  13. Importance of Transit in the Grand Valley Region Transit meets the Triple Bottom Line: Economic Vitality Environmental Quality Equity

  14. Summit Focus Areas • Transit service improvements • Land use and transportation • Funding for transit services

  15. Faith In Motion With a prophetic voice, the religious communities of metropolitan Grand Rapids call for a comprehensive public transportation system to be built in our community. We believe that a usable and viable transit system is a means to: • Support the dignity and freedom of all individuals, • Create an open, hospitable and welcoming community, • Respect the environment, • Open economic opportunity to all and • Move people where they need to be.

  16. But is it not about BusesIt is about community . . .It is about . . .

  17. Call to Action! Get Involved!

  18. The Rapid Transit Master Plan: http://rapidtmp.org Friends of Transit—The RapidYes Campaign: www.RapidYes.org

  19. A Tax Increase for Public Transportation Two competing views:An investment * A subsidyFor my family, friends and neighbors * For “those people”Impactful, effective & sustainable * Inefficient and wastefulSupport the “common good” * I’ve got mine/ “you need to pay your own way”Building a community asset * “taking money out of the economy”Hand up * Hand outBuilding places people want to liveProviding mobility options

  20. Why us so many wordswhen one word is enough?

  21. Thank You!

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