Contact Federal Government Officials
Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu
Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC
Fax legislators
for free: Reps: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
and Senate:
https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php
White House
contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
********************************
Many newspapers,
including New York Times and Washington Post require
subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles each month. We can also check with our local libraries to
find out how to get online access through them.
1.
The
family case management pilot, begun in January 2016 with 700 immigrant families
and cancelled by Trump in January 2017, allowed families to remain together,
monitored by caseworkers. 99% of these immigrants came to court hearings, and
the pilot cost $36 per day per family. In 2013, the combination of
electronic ankle monitors, voice-recognition software, and unannounced home
visits brought 96% of those enrolled to court and cost between 30 cents and
$8.04 per family per day (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/opinion/children-detention-trump-executive-order.html). Trump is demanding that the DOD
build “austere” camps on military sites to house tens of thousands of people at
a cost of $233 million for 25,000 people for six months (roughly $51 per family
per day): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44585716 and http://time.com/5321083/military-bases-house-migrants/. As taxpayers as well as human
beings, we should let the White House, our MoCs, and Defense Secretary James
Mattis that we are appalled at this vision of detention camps and their cost:
703-571-3343 or 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1000.
2.
In
an unusual move, the Pentagon has agreed to provide housing for at least 20,000
detained children on its military bases: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/pentagon-agrees-to-provide-housing-for-20000-detained-migrant-children. Let's ask the Pentagon why they can
do this for these jailed children yet not provide housing for homeless
vets and their families: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-defense.
3.
Private
prison companies are profiting immensely off of the Trump Administration, and
they are paying him back. The GEO Group has even started holding its annual
conference at a golf resort owned by Donald Trump (http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/357282-private-prison-company-moves-annual-conference-to-trump-golf-course). This
sort of conflict of interest is at the heart of Trump’s administration, but
it’s also a consequence of having private prisons at all. Let’s ask our reps to
outlaw private prisons.
4.
Four
NFL players are asking the president to issue blanket pardons for people
serving life sentences for non-violent drug crimes (http://thehill.com/homenews/media/393412-nfl-players-recommend-pardons-to-trump). Let’s tell the White House we
agree that non-violent drug offenders deserve treatment, not a lifetime of incarceration,
and then let’s tell our Senators to pass S. 1917, the Sentencing Reform and
Corrections Act, which would reduce and restrict enhanced sentences for
individuals convicted of non-violent drug-related offenses. This bipartisan
bill was reported favorably out of the Judiciary Committee in February, but
still has not come to the floor for a vote.
5.
Although
we tried our best to save the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
in Utah, Trump cut the area in half and removed most federal protections. Drilling
will soon begin (http://thehill.com/homenews/news/393540-canadian-company-to-begin-mining-in-land-that-used-to-be-protected). Let's ask our members of Congress
to step up, use their authority and stop the drilling.
6.
He
said he wouldn't do it, but Trump has changed his mind and is now back-tracking
on protecting our oceans and Great Lakes. As Alt Park Service notes: "His new executive order encourages more drilling and other
industrial uses of the oceans and Great Lakes. His emphasis was on industries
that use the oceans, particularly oil and natural gas drilling. This executive
order will open up our Great Lakes to industry developments." These
protections affect us and our neighbors: https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/06/22/trumps-ocean-great-lakes-policy-could-spell-trouble-for-canada-environmental-groups-say.html. Let's tell Trump to keep our
water protections as they are. They are serving us well.
Election 2018 – General
1. Our get-out-the-vote postcards do
make a difference! Personal notes and postcard writing have an as good or
better effect on voter turnout than the door-to-door canvassing commonly used
by political campaigns according to a recent study in Virginia. Let's read more
at Blue Virginia. Right now, we have the opportunity to help flip a
congressional seat in Ohio. Let's write 5 cards for Postcards To Voters' Campaign 93: Danny O'Connor for US Congress.
Election 2018 – By State
1.
If
you live in New York, you have a primary today! Read up on what’s at stake in
Political Change’s New York 6/26 Primary: At
a Glance.
Other Actions
1.
Who
is profiting from the separation of families at the border? Companies that have
received millions of dollars in government contracts, that's who. Here are the
details on five major contractors in charge of transporting and housing
detained immigrants: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-family-separation-policy-already-cost-millions/. Note that the websites for several
of these companies have already crafted placating public statements regarding
the crisis, despite the fact that there is evidence they are not on the level
(e.g. https://www.revealnews.org/article/everything-we-know-about-texas-regulated-facilities-holding-migrant-children-violations-numbers-and-more/). In any case, they are making big,
big money on a barbaric practice. Here is their contact info in case we'd like
to let these companies know that we don't want our tax dollars paying for
Trump's cruel "zero tolerance" policy, and that we object to their
complicity in it. 1) Southwest Key Programs, (512) 462-2181, 6002 Jain Lane, Austin, TX 78721; 2) MVM, Inc. (571) 223-4500, 44620 Guilford Drive Suite 150, Ashburn, VA 20147-6063; 3) Comprehensive Health Services, 321-783-2720, Toll Free:
800-638-8083, 8810 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral, FL 32920; 4) Dynamic Service Solutions, 301-281-2588, 137 National Plaza Suite 300, National Harbor, Oxon Hill, MD 20745; 5) Exodyne, 602.995.3700, 8433 N. Black Canyon Hwy., Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85021.
2.
U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are
conducting raids on Greyhound buses, without warrants. ACLU affiliates in ten
states have penned a letter to Greyhound Lines, Inc., asking the company to
change its policies and prohibit warrantless searches, as is their right under
the Fourth Amendment, and Democratic members of Congress led by Rep. Joaquin
Castro have joined the call for change (https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Castro-and-other-congressmen-urge-end-to-12992216.php). Let's join the ACLU in
their push. We can sign a petition to Greyhound at the link below: https://action.aclu.org/petition/greyhound. We can also reach out directly to
ask Greyhound president and CEO Dave Leach and Senior Legal Officer Tricia
Martinez to change their policies: 1) Dave Leach President and Chief Executive
Officer Greyhound Lines, Inc. 350 N. St. Paul Street Dallas, TX 75201; 2)
Tricia Martinez Senior Legal Officer Greyhound Lines, Inc. 350 N. St. Paul Street, Dallas, TX 75201 e-mail: Tricia.martinez@greyhound.com; 3) on Twitter @GreyhoundBus.
3.
The
Parkland survivors are organizing again. This summer they're hitting the road
with a new mission: turn the wave of young activism they helped spark into an
energized voting bloc for the November mid-term elections. Let's read more
about their efforts at NPR. We can check their
organization site March for Our Lives for tour dates. In June, the team will be in the Midwest. If we are
or know younger voters, let's encourage them to check this out and join the
movement.
4.
More
than eighteen months into Trump's presidency, the movement to boycott retailers
that do business with the president's family is going strong. Shannon
Coulter, a brand and digital strategist, started the #GrabYourWallet
hashtag in October 2016 to encourage people seeking a way to take concrete
action against Trump to boycott companies that do business with his family.
Some companies have already stopped selling their brands. Now, 24
retailers remain, spanning from huge names like Amazon and Macy's to smaller
companies like Wegmans and Filene's Basement. Let's read the article and
list at Business Insider. For a spreadsheet of
companies, their contact information and suggested action, we can check
out GrabYourWallet.org. Let's contact the companies we frequent.
5.
On
Monday morning, Trump took to Twitter to blast the outside appearance of
the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, VA – the restaurant that asked Sarah
Huckabee Sanders to leave over the weekend: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/393900-trump-dirty-restaurant-that-refused-sanders-needs-a-paint-job. If we can swing it
financially, we can show our support of the Red Hen by buying a gift
certificate there and asking them (in the notes field) to give it to someone in
their community: https://redhenlex.com/gift-certificates/. Please note that Red Hen in
Lexington has no connection to Red Hen in Washington DC.
6.
A
pharmacist at Walgreens refused to fill a prescription to induce miscarriage
for a woman whose pregnancy was deemed unviable, leaving her vulnerable and
exposed in front of her 7-year-old and other customers inside the store: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/25/health/arizona-prescription-walgreens-miscarriage/index.html. Let’s contact Walgreens Customer
Relations 1-800-925-4733, option 4; 200 Wilmot Rd., MS #2002, Deerfield, IL 60015: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Walgreens/, or Twitter @Walgreens.
7.
The
Women’s March is raising money for legal assistance, direct action training,
and a bail fund for activists who intend to participate in non-violent civil
disobedience on June 28 in Washington DC to end family detention. We can donate
to the fund through crowdrise or Facebook and find out more about the action at
https://www.endfamilyseparation.us/.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
1.
Saturday is
coming! Let’s make sure we have a plan (if we are able) to attend one of the
600 (!) Families Belong Together protests on Saturday, June 30th. They are
taking place in all 50 states. Let’s also reach out to family and friends to invite
them to attend one near them – we can start with everyone we know who attended
the Women’s March in 2017: https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/search/.
2.
Movimiento
Cosecha, “a non-violent movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity,
and respect for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US,” is
calling for a mobilization to shut down ICE. We can join their
conversation on appropriate action on June 27 by signing up here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/887c8386727b54a04ac87b605f06faf5/.
3.
Governor
Cuomo of New York is leading the charge to reunite families torn apart by
Trumps’ inhumane policies. Now we can use this #ReuniteTheFamilies tweetsheet
to urge every governor to follow in Cuomo's footsteps and make it mandatory for
any agency to that receives children from ICE to hand over info on the child
and parents so that families can be reunited. When we click on this link, we
will find 51 tweets, ready to be sent with just a few clicks. Since there are
so many with the same message, we need to space them out by and not tweet them
all at once The sheet can also be cross posted in other groups with tips to
tweet and call Governors (https://bit.ly/2trM0EY). We can also read about Governor
Cuomo’s latest actions, call our Governors and demand that they too, aid these
families in need: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-new-services-aid-immigrant-children-new-york.
States
1.
ID:
Introducing FLIP IDAHO, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's
part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in
helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the
state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can
turn our beautiful state Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state
by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipIdaho/.
2.
NE:
Introducing FLIP NEBRASKA, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections!
It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in
helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the
state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can
turn our beautiful state Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state
by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipNebraska/.
3.
OH:
Introducing FLIP OHIO, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's
part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in
helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the
state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can
turn our beautiful state Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state
by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipOhio/.
4.
WV:
Introducing FLIP WEST VIRGINIA, a Facebook group dedicated to winning
elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP
ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote
out of the state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks.
Together we can turn our beautiful state Blue, so let’s start getting our
country back, state by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it,
join here https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipWV/.
Reading/Watching
1. If we are concerned about fairness in
our electoral system, we can tune into this Tuesday’s episode
of The Grassroots Mouthpiece Show, where host Mercia Echols will be
talking with Edward Smith of Equal Vote. The Equal Votes Coalition’s goal
is to promote true equality in the vote itself. They believe that our
current voting method is inherently unequal, and this inequality has decidedly
negative consequences: outsized influence of money in politics, hyper
partisan rancor and widespread electoral disenchantment. We can learn about
their solution: One Fair Election. 2pm EST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marcusechols/2018/06/26/grassroots-mouthpiece-show-with-guest-equal-vote.
2.
"Foster mom on trauma of separated
migrant children: 'They are coming crying, almost hysterical'" https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border-crisis/foster-mom-trauma-separated-migrant-children-they-are-coming-crying-n884791.
3.
"Paul Krugman Calls Trump’s Immigration
Policy A Blood Libel" -
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