Legal-Legislative Summit

International Legal and Legislative Summit on Water Affordability, Sanitation and Housing*1

In conjunction with
International Gathering of Social Movements on Water Affordability and Housing

May 29-31, 2015 PROGRAM
The Summit will take place in conjunction with the International Gathering of Social Movements on Water Affordability and Housing (http://SocialMovementsGathering.info)

Date: Friday, May 29, 2015
Time: 8:30 AM – 4 PM
Address: Hotel St. Regis- 3071 W Grand Boulevard, Detroit - MI - 48202

8:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast, arrival, check in, meet and greet

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Morning session – Alice Jennings, Summit Co coordinator, Session chair

Call to Order and Welcome – Alice Jennings, Edwards and Jennings, P.C., Coordinator - Lyda Pro bono Lawyers Committee

• Welcome to Detroit – Maureen Taylor, Co Chair, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
  
• Reverend Charles Williams 2nd, King Solomon Baptist Church – Detroit, President,
  National Action Network Michigan and Detroit Chapter
  
• Welcome to the Summit – The Honorable John Conyers, U.S. House of Representatives, Detroit
  
• History of Water Shut offs in Detroit – Rev. Dr. Joann Watson, former Detroit City Council Member
  
• Lila Cabbil and Melisa Desmuke – People’s Water Board
  Morning Panel 1: Realities of water affordability and water shut offs in Cities (45 min) –
  Chair: Monica Lewis Patrick, We the People
  * Sponsors: Highland Park Human Rights Coalition, James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership, Lyda Pro bono Lawyers Committee, Edwards and Jennings, P.C., Michigan ACLU, Michigan Chapter - National Action Network, Michigan Legal Services, Michigan Poverty Law Program, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Moratorium Now, NAACP LDF, National Lawyers Guild - Michigan, Peoples Water Board Coalition, Sugar Law Center, UUSC, We the People.
  

Highland Park – Marian Kramer and Kurt Swanson, Highland Park Human Rights Coalition
Detroit – Pastor Bill Wyle Kellerman, Pastor of St. Peters Episcopal Church;
Valarie Burris, R.N., Ms. T, Nicole Hill
Flint – Bishop Bernadine Jefferies, Claire McClinton, LeAnn Walker, and Mellisa
Mayes
Boston – Suren Moodliar, Co coordinator, Massachusetts Global Action Benton Harbor – Ms. Emma Kennard – Interim President of BANCO Hamtramck – Ms. S.
Baltimore – Curtis Cooper

Morning Panel 2: Litigating water justice cases and housing foreclosures (45 min)
Chair: Mark Fancher, Racial Justice Project of ACLU of Michigan, Lyda Pro bono Lawyers Committee
Valdemar Washington, Flint constitutional case
Michael Steinberg, Michigan Chapter of ACLU
Julie Hurwitz, Goodman and Hurwitz, P.C., Homrich 9 Defense and Lyda pro bono Lawyers Committee

International Perspective (30 min) – Dr. Inga Winkler, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU School of Law

12:00 12:30

UN Mandate Guidance to governments on implementation (http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pag es/Handbook.aspx )
Commentary – Bret Thiele, Co-Executive Director – Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (amicus – Lyda case)

LUNCH

Keynote: “Protest, Courts, and Legislation: The Road to Social Justice”
Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

1:10 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Afternoon Sessions, Patricia Jones, Summit co-coordinator, Sessions chair

1:10 Afternoon Panel 1 – State Legislative Initiatives (45 minutes) Chair: Lorray Brown
California Experience – Colin Baily, Executive Director, Environmental Justice Coalition on Water
Michigan State Initiative - Hon. Stephanie Chang, Michigan State Representative (Detroit)
Lorray Brown, Co-director and consumer law attorney, Michigan Poverty Law Center
Marilyn Mullane, Executive Director, Michigan Legal Services Jim Olson, FLOW

1:55 Afternoon Panel 2 – National Administrative and Legislative Initiatives (30 minutes) Monique Lin-Luse and Patricia Jones, Session Chairs

Monique Lin-Luse, Assistant Counsel, NAACP LDF
Martha Davis, Northeastern University School of Law - PHRGE Patricia Jones, Senior Program Lead – human right to water, UUSC Rebecca Landy, US Human Rights Network

Idea Trust – Chairs: John Philo, Sugar Law Center and Marilyn Mullane, Michigan

• Opening remarks: Roger Colton, Fisher, Sheehan and Colton, water affordability plans
  
• Banks and foreclosures, Jerry Goldberg, Lyda Committee and Moratorium Now
  
• Focus Groups
  1. National legislative initiatives focus group discussion – Monique Lin-Luse / Patricia Jones, (facilitators)
  2. State Legislative initiatives focus group discussion, Lorray Brown / Marilyn Mullane (facilators)
  3. Litigation initiatives focus group discussion – Kurt Thornbladh, Lyda Pro Bono Lawyers Committee / John Philo (facilitators)
  4. Foreclosures and Housing focus group discussion – Vanessa Fluker, Foreclosure Specialist, and Jerry Goldberg
  3:50 Close and Adjourn Alice Jennings, Summit Co coordinator ******
  5:00 p.m. Friday – Reception - Wayne County Community College, 1001 West Fort Street Opening Event – Gathering of Social Movements
  ******
  Saturday, May 30th - Gathering of Social Movements Events Sunday, May 31st - Gathering of Social Movements Events
  ******
  June 3rd, 10:00 -11:30 AM Hearing (Rep. Stephanie Chang) – water affordability and safety in Michigan, Room 426, Capitol Building, 100 Capitol Avenue, Lansing MI 48933
  

2:25 – 3:45 Legal Services