Over 100 people came out to the State Capitol in Augusta to the Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods (M.A.I.N.) November 2nd Conference. There were folks from as far north as Limestone to as far south as York County who came to participate in the gathering.

This year's theme was "Who's House? OUR House!" The Legislature was not in session at the time, so MAIN folks really took over the place, getting to sit in the seats of the House of Representatives, participate in a mock vote, and ask questions of Legislators who showed up for the event, including House Majority Speaker, Glen Cummings, Rep. Gary Connors and Representative Kim Silsby of Augusta. Portland Representative Herb Adams led tours of the Capitol, passing on his knowledge of the history and purposes of the place, and changes that have occurred with the new renovations. One MAIN participant commented that it was easier to get access to the building and there were more accessible parking spots before the renovations.

The Conference opened in the Hall of Flags, with registration and socializing, informational tables, and yummy food. MAIN Leadership team Steve Hoad, Rachel Newman, Pam Morin and Heather Curtis welcomed the Conference–goers and talked about the importance of having regular people involved in the decision–making processes the Legislature so that we can be more effective in our work for economic and social justice.

Workshops included "There Ought to Be A Law," a film and discussion, a Mock Public Hearing and one on Relationships & Legislative Success, with discussion on how to develop relationships with legislators and allies plus how to participate in political campaigns.

I attended a morning workshop on Economic Human Rights led by Jesse Vear, a coordinator of Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER). She talked about the need to include Economic Human Rights in our organizing and legislative work, and about work in Pennsylvania that's been done to educate legislators about Economic Human Rights, which include the rights of all people to housing, health care, food, jobs, and the pursuit of happiness. Jesse explained some history of the fight for these rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was signed after World War II, the Poor People's March and Martin Luther King's organizing in the late 1960's, and the work of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) over the past 10 years. Everyone who attended the workshop received forms to document Economic Human Rights violations, and after the presentation and a showing of "Copy this Video" (a documentary by PPEHRC folks), there was a discussion on how we can work together to support each other in including Economic Human Rights in our organizing. There is more info online at the POWER website:
http://www.povertyontrial.org .

Another workshop, I attended was the showing of the film "There Ought to be a Law," which follows Cathy Crowley of Lewiston in the months after her 18–year–old son bought a shotgun at Wal–Mart and killed himself. The film documents how Cathy, who had no previous political involvement, campaigned for a bill in 2005 that would require a waiting period before young people could buy guns, and after the film there was a discussion with Cathy and Representative Stan Gerzofsky, who sponsored the bill. In the question and answer session following the workshop, Cathy and Stan explained that the film had never been shown at the Capitol while the Legislature was in session because several legislators, who are shown in a less than positive light, objected to the film, saying it was "disrespectful" of the legislature. Cathy and Stan argued that the film simply shines light on what's already going on in State Government.

The conference ended with many attendees loading up on various free–for–the–taking items that had been donated, including apples, bread, lightbulbs, and a half ton of squash.

Steve Hoad contributed to this article.

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