PeaceNYC Proposal to NYC


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PeaceNYC Proposal to NYC

Monday, 01 October 2007 11:31

Overview: Create a city level peace and non-violence commission in NYC, and all cities actually, called PeaceNYC that sponsors and convenes fun and innovative programming to educate in the principles of peace building, reduce violence, reengage communities through outreach, revive the civic conversation and juice the democratic process to redirect massive resources wasted on war to fund our city and state. 19 From such programming, great conversations from crime, violence, hate and war to education and health care to sustainable transportation, energy and economic policies can emerge as we redirect the political will and funding from avoidable and protracted foreign wars to our own critical domestic quality of life issues. I call it, "Trickle up peace" instead of "Trickle down hatred. Trickle down violence. Trickle down neglect."

Goals: To encourage a full court press of both the City Council and the Office of the Mayor to legislate or mandate PeaceNYC as an umbrella city commission and media outlet for all peace building organizations public and private. PeaceNYC would seek to leverage existing public institutions and to create public-private partnerships to convene exciting forums and activities as outlined in the proposals below. This would include a prominent, officially recognized and top of the mind media rich website to showcase great peace building projects, to facilitate connections and to link organizations like Brooklyn for Peace and Borough President Marty Markowitz's Teen Violence Task Force. 19 Ultimately, implementing PeaceNYC as a city-level commission would officially legitimize peace and the peace building it requires like never before, resulting in less violence, recidivism, hate crimes and more funding for our city and state budgets. 19

Outreach: To start the process as a private citizen, I would be happy to participate in any forum or conversation regarding the PeaceNYC proposals and what they mean or how they are connected to other initiatives such as Livable Streets. I would also be happy to lead roving softball and soccer games for young and old that integrate a civic conversation. Fields, friends and a mic needed for a conversation in your neighborhood. Feel free to contact me anytime.

Doug Biviano
Brooklyn, NY
917-257-3652
www.bivforbrooklyn.com

The PeaceNYC Proposals

There are two proposals. The first introduces the idea of a city level peace commission, precedent and background. The second fleshes-out fun and innovative programming and explores integration into existing commissions within the City of New York.

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Initial Proposal

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October 1, 2007

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City of New York
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Re: Mandate for Peace Commission

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I am the father who, in the stairway at P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights on the first day of school in 2006, asked you if you could do more to stop the war in Iraq. To my delight, you engaged me with the question of what can you do as the Mayor of New York City. In an instant, you were whisked away by your staff before we could discuss the matter. I propose to you now a very concrete way that you can not only help stop the war in Iraq, but you can foster the following tangible effects:

sooner bring our sons and daughters home from harms way in Iraq,
stop future war with Iran,
without a doubt reduce the likelihood of NYC remaining a top terrorist target,
increase funds available for local budgets in NYC including education,
reduce local division, hatred, crime and violence in NYC,
further your relevancy as one of the most influential mayors,
project a more healing, universal and unifying dialogue, and
officially legitimize peace.

Proposal
To foster the above, I propose that you mandate a fully funded Peace Commission in the City of New York. The mission and responsibilities of the proposed commission should be based on existing municipal peace commissions.

Precedent
To be sure, this proposal is not unusual by any means. Other individuals, non-profit organizations and cities have similar missions with volunteer and paid Peace Commissioners. As an example, I have enclosed for your review a posting for the Peace Commissioner position for the City of Cambridge, MA.

In addition to the initiative of these cities and organizations, the notion of linking local problems to national and foreign policies and solving them non-violently is age-old, finding roots in the many secular and religious teachings including those of Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, the mission of the United Nations, Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and more recently the New York Society of Ethical Culture, Amy Goodman of www.DemocracyNow.org and Presidential Candidate and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. As further example, I have enclosed the bill H.R. 808 introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr. Kucinich to establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Additional Prospects
Mandating the Peace Commission legitimizes peace, nourishes the peace-building process and cultivates a true culture of peace. However small at inception, the good news will spread and it will provide a public relations outlet for local, national and international journalists to look for official statements on matters of war and peace and how they affect us locally. The Peace Commission will influence dialogue in an unprecedented manner in what I call “Trickle up peace.”

The Peace Commission will not be a perfect cure-all. But it will alleviate many of our problems. It will redirect priorities. It will bring home funding freed from the clutches of the war machine that is needed to invest in our communities to combat the kind of neglect that leads to poverty, resentment and crime. It will inspire us to use our treasure and natural resources more wisely inline with our local needs. It will create a new kind of prosperity. It will invite tourism and welcome major events the world thirsts for. It will reach out, educate, unify and uplift us all.

Outreach and Collaboration
Since the Peace Commission is a vision of vast community outreach, I foresee great opportunity in collaboration with one of your most talented Commissioners, Nazli Parvizi of the Community Affairs Unit. If a mandate for a singular commission is a slow process, is there immediate opportunity to start the Peace Commission as a deputy to Commissioner Nazli on either a volunteer, part-time or full-time basis, depending on available budget? A deputy commissionership under the tutelage of Commissioner Parvizi is a fine home.

Embracing the spirit of established movements, our own community leaders call out for a peace commission mandate at this very moment. In response to the recent hate crime of “Kill all Jews” and swastika graffiti in Brooklyn Heights on September 25, 2007, Rabbi Aaron Raskin of Congregation B’nai Avraham, which was vandalized, instead of lashing out, reached out in The Brooklyn Paper, September 29th edition:

It reminds us that there are ignorant people out there and that we can’t rest on our laurels. We must educate people in a positive, loving, proactive way to promote peace and understanding to all mankind.

Time is of the Essence
Sowing the seeds of peace is like planting a tree. Although the full and abundant yield of a Peace Commission may be decades away, we will see immediate fruits for our efforts, but we must not become impatient and abandon our commitment when we are set back. Because peace takes time, we must sow the seeds of peace today without delay. Thousands of lives are at stake.

If staff is not immediately available to fill the proposed mandate, I would apply personally. I would dutifully resign from my current position as a web and database programmer to commit to such a post at any level. I would be willing and could maintain a volunteer level for some time as I also hold a part-time job as a superintendent in a building in Brooklyn.

Background and Pending Convergence
My idea of bringing a Peace Commission to New York City stems from the atrocities of 9‑11 and the war in Iraq coupled with the more recent hate crime graffiti in Brooklyn Heights and my knowledge and interest in the inspired teachings of Gandhi, Dr. King, Ms. Goodman and Mr. Kucinich. Since 9‑11, I have researched and participated in multi-cultural and interfaith dialogue, international conflict and roots of terrorism as they relate to governmental policy, historical perspectives of non-violent solutions to problems and modern day peace activism.

Not surprisingly, I see continued convergence of local, national and international policy and issues as witnessed by Hurricane Katrina, the Jena Six, our looming healthcare and federal deficit crises, our decaying infrastructure as demonstrated by the recent Minneapolis bridge collapse, and our aggressive rhetoric and action aimed at Iran without initiating any real reconciliatory dialogue whatsoever. In fact, on September 27, 2007, the U.S. Senate officially designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a “foreign terrorist organization,” thereby explicitly extending prior executive “Authorization for Use of Military Force,” Public Law 107-40 [S. J. RES. 23] passed on September 18, 2001:

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States …Whereas, the President has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States: Now, therefore, be it …

What does this mean locally for NYC and our children? What does it mean for the Iranian people? Could it be good for either of us? And what democratic voice did the great City of New York express in this matter?

A few years ago at an interfaith discussion on the Middle-East, one of the distinguished guests, Dr. James Fleming, recounted his experiences and perspective as a pastor in Israel and the Palestinian West Bank, ten years on each side of the Green Line. Intimately connected to the conflict, he expressed that we should not blame the suicide bombers because they are victims too. Dr. Fleming argued that we must reject their teachers, the teachers of violence, to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the greater divides of faith. After he spoke, I had the opportunity to ask him, “By extension of this logic, is not the U.S. – the self-proclaimed leader of the ‘free world’ – a ‘teacher of violence’ and do we not set the standard in that we refuse to take violence off the table in resolving our conflicts?” Dr. Fleming agreed with a resounding, “Yes.” Thus, we need to ask, “Who will change the paradigm to teach peace instead of the hate that has filled the vacuum?”

We must also understand how these unintended lessons play out on local, national and international levels. No one has made this principle more lucid than Dr. King. Forty years ago, Dr. King made the connection of local problems with our national and foreign policies in his prescient speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." Here is an excerpt of Dr. King’s speech of what I call "Trickle down hatred. Trickle down violence,"

... My third reason moves to an even deeper level of awareness, for it grows out of my experience in the ghettoes of the North over the last three years -- especially the last three summers. As I have walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked -- and rightly so -- what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn\'t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.

... A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling differences is not just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation\'s homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

It is easy to dismiss my sentiment and make the argument of self-accountability, that citizens of the United States are educated, bound by the rule of law and simply know better. However, I argue that we hold the President of the United States in great esteem and call him a leader because we believe he leads. If he leads by approaching differences with our world communities by the abandonment of unifying dialogue, threatening and divisive rhetoric backed by violent action and massive investment in raging wars without end, then he inadvertently legitimizes violence and teaches us locally and the world over that this is how we settle our differences. And we follow. Our troops serve without question.

Reasonable minds cannot find congruent the notion that leaders foster peace when they lead by the example of divisive language and extreme violence in “shock and awe” warfare, yet they invest almost nothing nor lend any legitimacy in the promotion of non-violent conflict resolution. “Leaders” cannot say they are serious about peace until they begin to invest in peace, teach and cultivate a culture of it. We can talk peace all we want, but until we officially legitimize peace on local, national and international levels, peace will remain the neglected malnourished stepchild of a darling well fed war machine.

Gandhi summed it up best, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

I offer one last thought of our interconnectedness and war in the words of Mr. Kucinich:

We need to understand the connection between peace and the environment. We know that life on our planet is threatened by the twin threats of global warring and global warming. They are linked, and we have to understand that as we recognize the world as being interconnected and interdependent, we know that resource wars are passe and that the focus on sustainability will create peace.

In closing – together with the communities of this great City of New York – let us lead from the community up in the twenty-first century, teach our national leaders to better practice peace and officially invest in lasting peace starting now. If you believe, “…we're always striving to do everything possible to make our city safer from terrorism,” let us try together.

I look forward to your response. Feel free to call me at any time to discuss my proposal further. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Doug Biviano, P.E.
Father of three and resident of Brooklyn Heights

Encl (2):
City of Cambridge, MA, job posting for Peace Commissioner (http://www.cambridgema.gov/peace/)
H.R. 808 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.808:)

CC:
Rabbi Aaron Raskin, Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, United States House of Representatives
Commissioner Nazli Parvizi, City of New York Community Affairs Unit
Deputy Commissioner Jarrod N. Bernstein, City of New York Community Affairs Unit

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Follow-Up "PeaceNYC" Proposal to Flesh-out Programming of Initial Proposal

(A note on context: Nazli Parvizi was a food major in college and loves food).

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October 23, 2007

Commissioner Nazli Parvizi
Community Affairs Unit
City of New York
100 Gold Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10007

Re: PeaceNYC
Mandate for Peace Commission
Fleshing-out of proposal submitted on Oct 1, 2007
“There’s nothing more healing than a catch.”

Dear Ms. Parvizi,

I thank you for taking the time to meet with me on October 3, 2007 and for your favorable reception of the proposal. At our meeting, you expressed opportunity for proactively promoting interfaith dialogue from your commission. You were also interested in having me ‘flesh-out’ the proposal. More specifically, you asked how the proposed Peace Commission would fit into existing commissions in the City of New York. You also wanted specific examples of the programs possible. In a nutshell, this proposal answers the need to revive the Civic Conversation with fun, inspiring and innovative programs utilizing existing under-utilized city resources while providing relief to over-burdened city commissions by tapping mentor volunteers.

Established Peace Commission
Initially, I suggested that you review the City of Cambridge Massachusetts Peace Commissioner job posting (enclosed with the original proposal) for more information on the types of programs that have proven successful elsewhere. I have further reviewed and enclosed information on the Peace Commission website for the City of Cambridge. 1 To gain specific insight, I have personally contacted Cathy Hoffman, the sitting Peace Commissioner for over 21 years. In fleshing-out the proposal, I draw from Commissioner Hoffman’s 21 years of experience and blend it with my own enthusiasm for life like a Lemon Zest Espresso.

According to Commissioner Hoffman, her most successful programs are simply the programs that educate and build connections and recognition. The programs start locally in the community and in schools. In some instances, they reach out internationally. I have enclosed the 2006 and 2007 Cambridge Peace Commission reports of accomplishments for your review. Here is a summary of some of Commissioner Hoffman’s most successful programs – merely as a basis or ‘stock’ – before we add the seasoning and spice to follow in ‘Connections à la Fun’ in the making of PeaceNYC.

Table 1 – Summary of Successful Programs of Cambridge Peace Commission
Program	Description
Cambridge Youth Peace and Justice Corps (PJC)	“…a multi-racial team of youth who build community by finding their voices, working to understand injustice, and participating in the creation of non-violent change.” 2 PJC participants develop leadership skills and work for peace through meetings, reunions, retreats and creating opportunities for education and networking among youth.
Collaboration with the Center for Peaceable Schools at Lesley University	“…to organize a summer Institute for educators and community workers with tools and relationships to foster inclusive communities and equitable, high-achieving democratic school climates.” 3 “Peaceable Schools and Communities envisions a global community free from violence, disconnection, and systemic inequity where inclusive, empowered learning is rooted in the values of affirmation, consensus building, excellence, and equity is a reality for all members. As a result of the Center\'s efforts, educators, young people and other community members will have the tools, knowledge and relationships to live out and generate welcoming, dynamic and interconnected communities.” 4
Annual Peace and Justice Awards Evening	“Celebrating the 10th annual Peace and Justice Awards Evening with more than 300 Cambridge residents honoring a diverse selection of local contributors to the community with a posthumous tribute, remarks from Charles Ogletree and [inspirational music] from Emma’s Revolution [Duo].” 5
Interfaith	“Collaborated with faith-based, peace, educators and community participation to sponsor a series of videotaped forums and teacher workshop on Forgiveness and Reconciliation… “With communities of faith, school personnel and city staff, chairing the Cambridge committee for the annual Holocaust Program with music, remembrances and reflections at Temple Beth Shalom.” 3 “Collaborated with faith-based, peace and community members on workshop and educationals (sic) on the principles and practices of nonviolence, nonviolent communication and ‘The Metaphor Project.’… “Promoting a facilitated dialogue on the Middle East amongst conflicting perspectives ‘See(k)ing Higher Ground’ now being used as a model for other communities, creating support for a community ad ‘We Stand with Human rights, Peace-building and Recognition of our common Humanity and supporting an interfaith Prayers for Peace gathering.’” 5
Global Outreach and Sister Cities	“Acting as a clearinghouse and resource to community members and agencies on strategies and materials which support peace-making.” 3 “A Sister City is an official relationship between [two] municipalities. In Cambridge, a group of people, usually composed primarily of residents, present a request to connect with another community which is then passed by the Cambridge City Council. “The Sister City Committee defines the relationship, keeps the connection going and raise whatever funds are needed. The official nature of the relationship opens doors for receptions by city officials, exchanges with city departments and access to city institutions. At the citizen level, sister city committees are open to all and draw from a diverse membership including educators, religious people, health workers, artists and neighborhood residents... “San Jose Las Flores, El Salvador In 1986, a small group of Salvadoran families being held in a refugee camp in San Salvador decided to return to their community of origin the rural village of San Jose Las Flores with the help of the Catholic Church and international solidarity. These civilian peasants had fled their homes many times in reaction to raids and killings by the military…Cambridge, home to many Salvadorans, faith-based and secular groups … and a sympatric city council was approached. In March of 1987, the link was made official. When 11 members of the community were captured by the military a month later, telegrams and calls from [Cambridge] city officials and residents to the US embassy resulted in their safe release. “Initial delegations from Cambridge focused on taking aid and messages to the community (which was cut off by the military) and bringing home stories of the conditions under war. Delegations included clergy and church members, health workers, and Central America activists…” 6

Connections à la Fun
“There’s nothing more healing than a catch.” When was the last time you threw or kicked a ball with a friend or a stranger for that matter? If you have not done so in the last few months, it is essential that you immediately grab the closest person next to you in your office, find a ball, go outside in the court yards nearby or perhaps South Street Seaport and kick or catch for twenty minutes. I guarantee you will attain a very welcoming and healing state of mind and body. Like bees to honey, we are drawn to such play.

By approaching from the angle of our playful nature, the success of programs elsewhere points the way for PeaceNYC to build exciting and innovative programs that reach out and make connections in the community, between faiths, cultures and beyond. Ultimately, I envision sports, the outdoors and adventure, the arts and contests of creativity as inclusive educational vehicles and ‘gateways’ of dialogue to more formal, in-depth or ‘primary’ forums for conversation of peace and non-violence.

I suggest tiered levels of programming, starting with entry-level youth oriented programs that I foresee as powerful feeders or gateways to the more formal primary discussions and events that can be just as fun and scintillating. Gateway programs would be designed for inclusion, broad appeal and the power to draw participants, especially youths and young adults. Suggested tiers of programming are presented in tables below. Please keep in mind the programs are cursory for you to conceptualize the greater possibilities. Here comes the spice!

Table 2 – ‘Connections à la Fun’ Gateway Youth Programs of PeaceNYC
General Format
All gateway programs and games described below would begin and end with discussions of peace practices, affirming diversity and non-violent resolutions of all problems large and small with a special emphasis on sportsmen like conduct, self-confidence and individual civic responsibilities. Peace Commissioner would steward programs initially but where they lend themselves to independent development like sports games, collaboration of individual participants, volunteers and existing mentor programs could generate numerous simultaneous games and opportunity for visiting interfaith and inter-community ‘travel teams.’ Inter-community games should be encouraged to build connections, mutual respect and common ground. Announcements would be made for other activities and events scheduled by the Peace Commission, especially larger venue or primary programming. Programming would be presented on a dynamic media rich website with technical support from Information Technologies. Production support could be provided by NYC TV for some events for live streaming, video on demand and pod casting. Larger gateway events can be recorded or produced in their entirety. As part of further programming, documentaries and marketing shorts can be produced from smaller more regular games and activities. All of the programs listed below would be built around this model of making connections, building bridges and initiating dialogue of peace principles.
Program	Description
‘Playing for Peace’ Roving Sports Games	Lets Catch! Lets Play! Lets Talk! Depending on the season, games could include team sports such as baseball, softball, basketball, ice hockey, street hockey, and soccer. Annual ‘Playing for Peace’ tournaments could be a natural progression. A great and healing collaborative potential exists with joining citywide congregations of different faiths. Additional prospects for collaboration exist with the Police Athletic League of NYC (PAL) and the YMCA of Greater New York, both which emphasize and establish places of connection where our children can learn leadership skills.
Outdoor and Adventure Socials	Oh to sail a gaff-rigged schooner around New York Harbor and dream for a bit… There’s something about adventure that inspires great things in all of us and opens our minds. Lets tap this gusher of things possible with our youth. Life changing trips and socials could include swimming, sailing, guided kayaking, helicopter rides, ice skating, summer beach trips, ski and snow boarding day trips, and nature walks in our beautiful parks, gardens and zoos. Activities can be drawn from both public and private resources. Where costs can be considerable, sponsorships from our business community are quite possible. Where participation may be limited like helicopter rides, prizes at other events can be used in selection.
Diversity Affirming Indoor Activities and the Arts	Activities could include dance lessons, writing, film, comedy, drama, singing, and making music in the formats of participatory events, lessons, workshops, plays, sing-a-longs, jams, recitals and galas that incorporate a dialogue of peace and diversity. For example, dance lessons could span cultures in the great classic dances and culminate in Dancing for Peace Galas where young and old don Black Ties and Gowns and feel like something special. Music and film making workshops could culminate in producing CDs and DVDs. Venues and instruction can be provided from the vast creative arts opportunities in both our public and private institutions. New York City is second to none in this department! Potential collaboration exists with different citywide congregations, the PAL, the YMCA, BAM, NYC Ballet and beyond.
Talent Contests, Public Speaking Competitions and Fashion Shows with a Twist 17	Expect great things here! From fashion shows, film, comedy to music contests of rock, pop, the spoken word and mixed formats – all with a twist on peace – the possibilities and reach of these programs are limitless. Some of the larger events can be captured and virally disseminated with the production support from NYC TV. Production support could include recording to archive for future editing into documentary videos as part of other gateway programs and video on demand. Picture a mixed format of fashion and the spoken word where participants walk down the runway in their fashion designs then make a brief spoken word statement about peace at the end of the runway before turning back. If you come from a purist sense of art form and find this mixed format a bit edgy, the process of selecting the final format for artistic events represents a perfect starting point for student organizers in exercising conflict resolution. I say that with a wink and a nod. Perhaps the organizers would decide on a traditional fashion show of peace, letting only the fashion make the statement. Either way, a question and answer session could be allotted for the audience to ask the participants about their personal designs and messages of peace. Or how about school wide Public Speaking Competitions like www.wordsthatshooktheworld.com or Debates and Conversations about peace building and important issues. Words That Shook The World is a national high school public speaking contest founded by Richard Greene that engages our students in their future and allows them to express “What’s your message for America?” Let’s give our children a mic and inspirational forums that build meaning in their lives. 17 Potential collaboration exists with different citywide congregations, the PAL, the YMCA and universities like Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.).
Special Events Outreach	At special events like trade shows and fairs like ‘Atlantic Antic,’ fun booths can be constructed to attract more participants and disseminate information of the Gateway and Primary Programs under PeaceNYC. For example, a ‘Wheel of Peace’ game, similar to ‘Wheel of Fortune’ can be played. The difference would be that the puzzle could be quotes of people of peace like Dr. Martin Luther King or nouns for infrastructure or instruments of peace like renewable energy policies or diplomacy. Contestants could win prizes made available by sponsors and of course explain in their own words how the puzzle subject fosters peace both locally and abroad.

Primary Programs
Primary programs of PeaceNYC would up the ante in more formal formats. Programming would be for all ages, not just teens and young adults, and would be designed to educate and to push the envelope of dialogue, problem solving and reconciliation. I do not see much progress unless we start conversations about the real challenges facing our future as New Yorkers, Americans and as global citizens like PlaNYC. However, we can do it in a reconciliatory, problem solving and even fun way that unifies instead of divides, again like PlaNYC. We must create venues that challenge the status quo to reshape conflict resolution and resource allocation in peaceful, non-violent yet practical ways. We must invite all of our leaders of communities, faith, secular institutions, universities and government and ask them tough questions routinely, but engage in conversation, not debating, yelling or proselytizing. We must ask questions on the minds of our communities. Feeder and gateway programs can help fill the venues and shape the questions. We must then ask ourselves what are our own individual responsibilities in, as Gandhi once said, “…becoming the change we wish to see…” If you like spice, here comes the heat!

Table 3 – Primary Programs of PeaceNYC
General Format
Primary would be more formal and structured in nature and closer resemble the types of programs in the established Cambridge Peace Commission. However, with vast and under utilized resources of the great City of New York, much larger venues, creativity and scale are possible. Gateway programs elaborated above would act as feeders through dissemination of primary program information, announcements and general interest generated from participation and spiritual growth. A PeaceNYC website – or virtual community meeting place – would be essential. Many of the Primary programs like the Interfaith Dialogue and Conversation Series, lend themselves quite well to collaborating with NYC TV and NYC Media Group for production support to disseminate programming via live streaming, multimedia productions, pod casting and video on demand with viral Web 2.0 features. 16 Further collaboration with NYC Information Technologies would be needed to create a dynamic PeaceNYC website to present rich media and programming content, initiatives, invitation to participation, scheduling and web feeds. Since the internet is the ‘currency of the realm,’ PeaceNYC will be there for everyone in New York who is online.
Program	Description
PeaceNYC Youth Peace and Justice Corps (PJC) and Collaboration with existing Commission on Human Rights Neighborhood Human Rights Program (NHRP) 14,15	Based on the Cambridge Peace Commission model, organize a multi-racial and interfaith team of youth to build community by finding their voices, working to understand injustice, building bridges and participating in the creation of non-violent change. PJC participants would develop leadership skills and work for peace through routine meetings, reunions, retreats and creating opportunities for education and networking among youth. Meetings and workshops can be established in schools and a unified greater meeting for all of NYC in larger perhaps roving venues. 15 Inspiring venues would be encouraged to interest young leaders in governance and civic responsibility. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) offers on-site professional training, grants, fellowships, free online training courses, free publications, actual peace agreements and free teaching guides for classrooms including role playing exercises. 7 These extensive and free materials provide great opportunity to easily implement a framework of study material for the PJC to build on. Projects could also include a World Face Book. In other words, creating media that puts faces and visuals of cities on our supposed enemies so that we see them as humans first. From there, we can make connections, build bridges and resolve conflict.
Collaboration with existing Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Programs such as existing Commission on Human Rights Neighborhood Human Rights Program (NHRP), 14,15 at NYC universities and other non-profit peace based programs like Seeds of Peace. 8	Based on the Cambridge Peace Commission model, initiate a collaborative effort to establish on-going educational workshops, community projects and perhaps a summer institute for youth, educators and community workers with tools and relationships to foster inclusive communities and equitable, high-achieving democratic school climates. Programs would include instruction in attaining global communities free from violence, disconnection, and systemic inequity. Inclusive, empowered learning would be rooted in the values of affirmation, consensus building, excellence, and equity. Educators, young people and other community members would be given the tools, knowledge and relationships to live out and generate welcoming, dynamic and interconnected communities.
“Davis Projects for Peace” and inspiring Peace Building and Direct Action Programs for Students18	Create initiatives and funding at CUNY and city high schools similar to the Davis Projects for Peace which is “…an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program schools to design their own grassroots projects for peace that they themselves will implement anywhere in the world during the summer of 2008. Through a competition on over 85 campuses, 100 projects will be selected for funding at $10,000 each. “Intentionally, no clear definition is offered so as not to limit the imagination. We leave it up to the students to define what a “project for peace” might be. We hope to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The overall program (all 100 projects) is to be worldwide in scope and impact, but specific projects may be undertaken anywhere and as grassroots as desired, including in the U.S.” 18
Annual Peace and Justice Awards Evening, Special Events, and Scholarships 17	Celebrating and recognizing the work of our youth leadership and peace workers within NYC and our communities is vitally important. Local leaders who make tangible progress in our communities by utilizing peace education, principles of non-violence and other unifying methods must be recognized like we recognize our statesmen. Other special events like concerts and film festivals for peace could also be considered. College Scholarships for Peace Studies could be created. 17
Interfaith Dialogues and PeaceNYC Conversation with a Twist Series similar to “Live from the NYPL” 16	A large majority of Americans identify as ‘spiritual’ but about half identify themselves as ‘religious.’ The Civic Conversation on social issues from the perspective of shared values and ethics builds bridges between peoples of faith and includes those who claim no faith at all. Division, hatred and violence begin when conversation stops. Conversely, reconciliation begins when conversations start again. Interfaith groups are talking. Lets keep talking. Lets keep resolving our differences and solving our problems. The Civic Conversation is all but dead, supplanted by sound bites and polemic discourse. New York has an opportunity to revive and model it for the nation. The possibilities are endless so long as we keep conversing. A variety of formats exist. In consulting with former Director of Trinity Church Television & New Media, Richard Johnson, the most successful dialogues result when faith group and other community leaders engage in a live Internet telecast conversation and take questions from the studio and internet audiences. Mr. Johnson does not recommend a town hall approach with a large audience. Ultimately, round table conversations would focus on pressing issues and questions facing our communities from a shared perspective of values and ethics. No doubt, there would be an emphasis on reducing crime and violence locally and internationally. Some dialogues could be comprised only of the Abrahamic Religions of Islam, Judiasm and Christianity, including diverse clergy within these branches. Others could be more philosophical in nature such as the events conducted by the New York Society of Ethical Culture. 9 The USIP issued a special report called, “What Works? Evaluating Interfaith Dialogue Programs.” 10 A copy is enclosed for your review. In addition to Interfaith Dialogues, PeaceNYC could convene a Conversation with a Twist Series of all disciplines of study for understanding conflict. Conversations of “unexpected encounters”16 could be comprised of both religious and secular significance including matters of governance, economics, history, education, the arts and natural resources. 16 Veterans, diplomats and all members of governance would be welcome. The Interfaith Dialogues and PeaceNYC Lecture Series represent the best opportunities to produce ongoing educational opportunities utilizing NYC TV production support capabilities. These core programs and their foundations in community suggest that PeaceNYC would make a fine home in your Community Affairs Unit.
Media Outlet for Peace, Global Outreach and Sister Cities	PeaceNYC would act as a clearinghouse and resource to media, community members and agencies on strategies and materials which support peace-making. “Did you know that New York City has ten Sister Cities? They are (in chronological order through the year of establishment): Tokyo (1960), Beijing (1980), Madrid (1982), Cairo (1982), Santo Domingo (1983), Rome (1992), Budapest (1992), Jerusalem (1993), London (2001), and Johannesburg (2003).” 11 Further potential exists for establishing Sister City programs with cities in Israel (additional cities), Palestine (additional cities), other Mid-Eastern, Asian, Eastern European, South American and African nations. Most urgently, a sister program should be explored with Tehran, Iran and other cities viewed as in conflict. “New York City recognizes that globalization has changed the traditional role of the world’s great cities. It has presented both challenges and opportunities that can only be addressed if global cities are ready to share their experiences and innovative approaches to solve 21st Century problems. New York City Global Partners promotes cooperation and the sharing of information on best practices among the world’s great cities by convening summit meetings on important questions of mutual concern. What will the new urban economies look like? How do global cities provide effective and efficient public services to their diverse populations? How will global cities ensure that they have sufficient energy and other resources to compete in an increasingly complex world economy and to educate their populations and keep them safe? Will global cities remain the centers of innovation in science and creativity in the arts? “New York City is a world leader in advancing economic opportunity, democratic values, creativity and cultural diversity. New York City Global Partners is working to forge strong relationships among global cities to ensure that they continue to be places of freedom and opportunity.” 11 Further collaboration of PeaceNYC exists with NYC TV and New York City Global Partners in creating a World Face Book consisting of multimedia productions and videos that put a face on the people of our Sister Cities in their own beautiful cities and countries. Lets link New Yorkers instantly with video on demand to see the faces of the children of the world so that we see them as we see our own children and resort to dialogue before violent conflict.

Collaboration of Existing NYC Commissions
There is both overlap and room to collaborate on PeaceNYC projects as outlined above. In some cases, PeaceNYC could alleviate other over-burdened commissions. Further study would be needed, but here are some obvious “Peanut Butter in my Chocolate” examples where synergism would be anticipated.

Table 4 – Collaboration of PeaceNYC and Existing NYC Commissions
General Format
Creating a process of identifying and implementing collaboration on programs and projects of mutual interest and mandate of multiple NYC Commissions. Non-profit and other organizations could be included.
Commissions	Programs
Community Affairs NYC TV NYC Media Group Information Technologies Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation NYRP NYCulture NYC Latin Media & Entertainment PAL of NYC YMCA of Greater New York NYC Global Partners Live from the NYPL (www.nypl.org/live) 16	The Community Affairs Unit is a fine home for PeaceNYC especially when you consider the focus on community in both the gateway and primary programming proposed. Interfaith and Community Dialogue programs seem to be at the core of your commission. A great synergy would be realized in working with NYC TV to create media that puts a face on the people of NYC Sister Cities and Global Partners. Many of the programs outlined above in Table 2 (Gateway) and especially in Table 3 (Primary) like the Interfaith Dialogue series lend themselves quite well to collaborating with NYC TV and NYC Media Group for production support to disseminate programming via live streaming, multimedia productions, pod casting and video on demand with viral Web 2.0 features. Further collaboration with NYC Information Technologies would be needed to create a dynamic PeaceNYC website to present rich media and programming content, initiatives, invitation to participation, scheduling and web feeds. Great collaboration potential exists with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, NYPL, the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, NYRP, NYCulture, NYC Latin Media & Entertainment, PAL of NYC and YMCA of Greater New York for assistance, venues and guidance of almost all programs outlined above. 16
PlaNYC GreeNYC	Peace has everything to do with proper planning, resource allocation and the creation of viable infrastructure especially for mass transit, renewable energies and healthy neighborhoods and environments. Dennis Kucinich makes connections with resources and matters of war and peace very clear as I quote him in the original proposal. Cross-commission opportunities exist in both education and participation in events.
Access NYC Center for Economic Opportunity Mayor’s Volunteer Center Commission on Human Rights NHRP15 CUNY Office to Combat Domestic Violence Police Department Community Assistance Unit	Programs of human rights, dignity, education, social welfare and uplift are essential components for peace promotion. Educational opportunities exist in explaining how social uplift programs [relate] to non-violent solutions to problems. “The Commission’s Neighborhood Human Rights Program (NHRP) conducts school workshops on conflict resolution and diversity training for students.” 14,15 PeaceNYC can also inspire at risk youth to get back on track. I think I speak for many people in that when people feel disconnected from their leadership and their communities a feeling of helplessness can settle in. I believe PeaceNYC can help break this cycle of disconnection and re-empower individuals to make better choices. Further collaboration exists with the center for Human Rights and CUNY in identifying, studying and educating how violations of human rights can lead to violence and crime locally and internationally. Perhaps educational opportunities exist in joint collaboration with the Police Department, Office to Combat Domestic Violence, Commission on Human Rights, Community Assistance Unit and PeaceNYC to help police officers reach out to at-risk youth and crime ridden neighborhoods to foster relationships that build bridges, reduce crime and safeguard both community members and police officers. Perhaps police officers would join in ‘Playing for Peace’ games by extending the scope of games and discussions with PAL.
NYC Big Events NYC Marketing NYC Sports Commission Business Related Commissions NYC Global Partners	As noted in the original proposal, additional prospects for prosperity exist. NYC can host large peace related events that the world thirsts for in conjunction with NYC Global Partners. For starters, conventions for the promotion of peace principles, non-violence and peace commissions are there for the taking. Musicians for peace can be embraced and courted for benefit concerts. And so much more. Collaboration potential exists for ‘Playing for Peace’ annual tournaments and other large benefit sporting events furthering the cause of peace, non-violence and community outreach. Great potential exists to create partnerships and strategic sponsorships that enhance gateway and primary programs and help grow hometown businesses.
NYC Administration for Children’s Services Department of Youth Community Community Assistance Unit Mayor’s Volunteer Center Commission on Women’s Issues	“The Office of Youth Development offers a range of programs and services to help young people prepare for adulthood by developing skills and relationships that will last a lifetime.” 12 From mentoring to fun programs and activities, the overlap and collaboration potential is robust and the shared vision is almost identical for youth coming of age (between 14 and 21 in foster care programs). PeaceNYC would develop said skills and relationships via programs of outreach that are fun, healthy, educational, made of inspirational dialogue and instill leadership. PeaceNYC could also tap the peace movement for unrealized volunteers in challenging members of the movement by asking them to “…[become] the changes they wish to see…”
NYC Dept. of Education CUNY	Many of the gateway and primary programs outlined can be implemented through middle and high schools and CUNY. Workshops and courses for peace and non-violence principles can be established. Leadership skills and inspiration for continuing education can be fostered through the hope and reconciliation in the application of peace.
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Office of Veteran’s Affairs Office of the Mayor	PeaceNYC can help the Mayor, advocates in the Office of Veteran’s Affairs, and intergovernmental liaisons better understand how foreign policies of aggressive war divert needed financial resources from city, create future liabilities with our veterans who return disabled, break families of those who die in service, and actually make our city a greater target for terror attacks. I make the last charge based on this statement in the Annual Threat Assessment and U.S. National Security Challenges, “We know that the nation requires more from our Intelligence Community than ever before because America confronts a greater diversity of threats and challenges than ever before.” 13 In doing so, the Mayor, the Office of Veteran’s Affairs and intergovernmental liaisons can better understand how to leverage their democratic voice and influence the federal government in matters of war and peace for the benefit of NYC.

Potential Case Study in Collaboration
Given the series of anti-Semitic and racial hate crimes that are plaguing our city at this very moment, I propose an avenue of outreach to alleviate the problem. Collaborating with the Police Department, the District Attorney, the Office of the Mayor’s News from the Blue Room, press releases can be made inviting the perpetrators to come play, talk and learn via many of the inclusive and appealing gateway programs outlined above. Assuming for a second they are teens or young adults, perhaps they can be reached instead of realizing a continued hardening of their hearts by further alienation and threat of harsh jail time if caught.

We do not need to dismiss their self-accountability in this process whatsoever. Perhaps we can work with Police Department and the District Attorney to find an appropriate community service and reconciliation program with PeaceNYC that engages these youths and brings them back to being constructive citizens.

The purpose this type of outreach goes back to the notion discussed in the original proposal letter of the suicide bomber being a victim of the teachers of hate and violence. Fortunately in this instance, nobody has been physically harmed. Perhaps with this kind of reconciliatory outreach we can make the perpetrators of these hate crimes and the communities that were attacked whole again.

Special Considerations
Care must be taken in avoiding politics in appointing the Peace Commissioner. The Peace Commissioner – by definition – must be an established community member dedicated to the principles of peace and non-violence. Additionally, special leeway in press releases and separation from the Mayor should be granted, without consequence from the Mayor. Obviously, press releases and positions taken by the Peace Commissioner could potentially be in conflict with policies and political alignments of the Mayor. Without exception, such releases and positions of the Peace Commissioner must be presented in a constructive and healing manner as is the overriding premise of this proposal. They must never be ad hominem attacks or political in nature. Ultimately, the Mayor has full executive and policy making authority in all matters. The Mayor also has the loudest voice by far. Although the perception of internal discord could be challenging for the Mayor at times, I firmly believe that the net result would be very positive for any mayor in lending an ear to a steady voice of peace and non-violence, thereby embracing the democratic process of free speech. In difficult matters, citizens recognize that we do not live in an ideal world. Over the long term, perhaps decades, I would expect the gap to close between policies of mayors and the ideals of the Peace Commission as a matter of progress.

Funding
Core programs like Roving Sports Games really cost nothing more than a few bags of equipment and new game balls for baseball and softball. Others draw on under-utilized resources such as our many beautiful parks, gardens, zoos, theaters, museums, recreational and other public facilities. Mainly all that is needed is the organizational drive of a Peace Commissioner and interested volunteers.

Where greater costs are incurred such as sailing trips, music or venues for larger events and galas, I see great opportunity to collaborate with other existing institutions and businesses in our community and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC. For example, interfaith discussions can be hosted at rotating churches, synagogues, mosques, universities, and secular, public and private facilities. Since groups to be approached have obvious vested interests they would be willing to host such events. The proof is in the fact that these events already exist, just not at the scale and dissemination the city can foster.

For other events like galas and award celebrations, planners can approach sponsors for food and small per person fees are not unreasonable. Grants are available from USIP. Other creative fundraising methods like those of NYRP can also be considered. For something like ski trips and concert special events, I see ski mountains and other large companies jumping at the chance to sponsor such events from both public relations and strategic marketing standpoints. For example, MilliontreesNYC utilizes sponsors. Partnerships with corporate sponsors could also fund Peace Studies Scholarships. 17

Furthermore, many of these programs may already exist but are limited in exposure. A little research and collaboration under the Peace Commission umbrella can bring more of our youth together to realize these wonderful opportunities, help themselves and their communities today and for the foreseeable future.

In fleshing-out the proposal, it is apparent that the Peace Commissioner to lead PeaceNYC has a lot of work ahead. Therefore, the Peace Commissioner should be a fully paid city position. Resources like office space and computers should be made available for the Commissioner and volunteers, preferably in or near the Community Affairs Unit. A small budget to seed the programs would also be beneficial. It should be noted that the leadership and positive results PeaceNYC will bring will be a huge ROI on a relatively small and affordable budget.

Conclusion
Ultimately, I hope to communicate through all these wonderful programs that these very programs proposed are only possible through peace. With very modest funding, I hope to reduce division, hatred, crime, waste, violence, terror and ultimately to redirect resources from war to our city and state budgets. I hope to become wind in the sails for many of the existing programs of social uplift, diversity and culture in NYC. They are a dividend and celebration of peace that cannot be sustained in the absence of it. I hope to weave this greater celebration of life through the fabric of community and time. I hope to create an image of strength through peace and non-violence to make peace handsome and bold. Peace and non-violent conflict resolution must become the right choice and understood as the only economically sustainable model on every level from the streets, City Hall, Albany, all the way to the White House. 19 I hope to create an appetite for the zest of diversity. Together we can tap all of the connections to be made from fun and games, to the arts, to adventure, to our own personal faiths and to even our culinary delights. How about a little baseball, baba ganoush, PeaceNYC and the good ole’ U.S.A.! 15

I look forward to your response. Feel free to call me at any time to discuss the proposals further. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Doug Biviano, P.E.
Father of three and resident of Brooklyn Heights

Encl (5):
Cambridge Peace Commission Website, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge Peace Commission Final Report of Accomplishments 2006
Cambridge Peace Commission Interim Report of Accomplishments 2007
“What Works? Evaluating Interfaith Dialogue Programs,” USIP
Resume of Douglas Biviano

CC:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City of New York
Rabbi Aaron Raskin, Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights
Congressman Dennis Kucinich, United States House of Representatives

References

Cambridge Peace Commission Website, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, http://www.cambridgema.gov/dept/peace.html, copy enclosed.
Center for Peaceable Schools and Communities, Lesley University, http://www.lesley.edu/academic_centers/peace/staff.html.
Cambridge Peace Commission Final Report of Accomplishments 2006, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, provided by Commissioner Cathy Hoffman, copy enclosed.
Center for Peaceable Schools and Communities, Lesley University, http://www.lesley.edu/academic_centers/peace/vision.html.
Cambridge Peace Commission Interim Report of Accomplishments 2007, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, provided by Commissioner Cathy Hoffman, copy enclosed.
Cambridge Peace Commission Website, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, http://www.cambridgema.gov/dept/peacefui.html, copy enclosed.
United States Institute of Peace “Teaching Guides”, Washington, DC, http://www.usip.org/class/guides/.
Seeds of Peace, New York, NY, http://seedsofpeace.org.
New York Society for Ethical Culture, http://nysec.org.
United States Institute of Peace “What Works? Evaluating Interfaith Dialogue Programs,” Washington, DC, http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr123.html, copy enclosed.
New York City Global Partners Website, City of New York, http://www.nyc.gov/html/unccp/scp/html/scphome/home.shtml.
New York City Administration for Children’s Services Website, http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/html/support_youth/support_youth.shtml.
Annual Threat Assessment and U.S. National Security Challenges 2007, U.S. Dept. of State, http://www.state.gov/s/inr/rls/79065.htm.
New York City Commission on Human Rights Website, City of New York, http://nyc.gov/html/cchr/html/programs.html.
Revision on October 25, 2007 of original “PeaceNYC” letter dated and delivered to Commissioner Parvizi on October 23, 2007.
Revision on November 2, 2007 of original “PeaceNYC” letter dated and delivered to Commissioner Parvizi on October 23, 2007 to incorporate a most delightful “unexpected encounter” with “Live from the NYPL” which embodies the very spirit I hope to communicate with this proposal of what’s possible through conversation, http://www.nypl.org/live.
Revision on December 27, 2007 from discussions with a representative of the Suffolk Peace Network in Suffolk County, NY and also for the innovative and inspirational “Words That Shook The World” national high school public speaking contest founded by Richard Greene, http://www.wordsthatshooktheworld.com.
Revision on January 8, 2008 of Mayor Bloomberg’s participation in the University of Oklahoma Bipartisan Forum led me to the “Davis Projects for Peace” founded by Kathryn Wasserman Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist. http://casweb.ou.edu/home/students/information/info_davis_peace_projects.html http://www.kwd100projectsforpeace.org/

Furthermore, Mayor Bloomberg and the other distinguished panelists at the forum literally cried out for initiatives such as PeaceNYC throughout their entire January 7, 2008 conversation.

Senator David Boren, co-host and president of the university, had these opening remarks, “For the first time in history, polls tell us that a majority of Americans no longer believe that our future will be as great as our past. We must band together to reject that pessimism. We must reassert the ‘can do’ American spirit which embraces the future with all its possibilities.

“Today, we come together with hope and determination, with a determination to stop politics as usual which seeks to divide us for political gain. We come together to resurrect that kind of bipartisan statesmanship that united us as Americans to win the Cold War. We come together to appeal to all presidential candidates to tell us how they plan to bring us together. Hear our plea! Bring us together! Bring us together! Bring us together and the American people will assure our future.

“History teaches us that bipartisanship is possible. It is not some romantic dream…citizens to have a serious and civil discussion of the imperative issues facing our country at home and abroad…

“If as a nation we begin to ask, debate, and address these and other fundamental issues, we can renew our commitment to community and empower those we elect to govern effectively…we can turn America’s peril into America’s promise and face our future with optimism.”

Senator Boren talks about the same grave convergence as in the background given for the original PeaceNYC proposal. Clearly, he understands and speaks to the same process to “Bring us together!” as outlined in the PeaceNYC proposals.

In Mayor Bloomberg’s own words, “We are a country of optimists. We believe we can do everything. And we want to get back to that. And this panel is not here to criticize. It is simply to help people find ways where we can pull together and, in the end, get what we all want, and that’s results.” http://www.ou.edu/etc/medialib/web/pdfs.Par.35945.File.dat/BIPARTISANFORUM.pdf
Revision on March 3, 2010.