7/21/20
NATIONAL
ISSUES
Contact all Federal
Members of Congress
(includes contact info and
links to social media)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Purchase stamps, postcards,
and other mailing supplies:
White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
RISING
FASCISM IN THE UNITED STATES: Things
continued to devolve in Portland over the weekend as unidentified federal
officers continued to intervene in protests in unwelcomed, anti-Constitutional,
and violent ways and Trump is promising to do the same in other cities: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-race-protests-trump/trump-plans-to-send-federal-law-enforcement-personnel-to-democratic-led-u-s-cities-idUSKCN24L1ZN
Peaceful protesters in Portland are being grabbed off the streets by armed DHS
agents in unmarked vans and arrested without probable cause, under the guise of
protecting federal property against “a violent mob.” https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892277592/federal-officers-use-unmarked-vehicles-to-grab-protesters-in-portland
and Trump is threatening to do this in other cities with frequent protests in
support of Black Lives Matter. Apparently, these agents do not have proper
training. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/507976-federal-agents-deployed-to-portland-did-not-have-training-in-riot This is a clear violation of our First
Amendment rights and another scary step down the road to fascism. We need to
stop these tactics now with a massive public outcry. Let’s contact our MoCs to
say that we demand their swift response to this increasingly horrid situation.
Let’s also
spread the word on social media and support groups like the ACLU, which are fighting this in court. Let’s
also follow this advice from Act 4 Progress: flood the DHS Office for Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties with complaints about the actions of Department
of Homeland Security which "more closely resemble those of a
gestapo in a despotic state than law enforcement in a democracy with rule of
law (Bonnie
Watson Coleman)." Here's where to do it:
https://bit.ly/3jeRCKP or email directly at CRCLCompliance@hq.dhs.gov
HONORING
JOHN LEWIS: Following his death this past weekend, many
have been calling to have the Edmund Pettus Bridge renamed for John Lewis. While
that would be a good symbolic change, his memory deserves something more to
honor his years of service and activism.
The best way to honor this public servant would be to focus on voting
rights just as he had his whole life. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/20/honor-john-lewis-pass-voting-rights-act-mitch-mcconnell-column/5468222002/The
House has already passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4). We’ve
heard GOP members praising Lewis. It is
time they put their vote where their mouth is. Let’s contact our Senators
and Mitch McConnell to get this bill up for a vote now. Instead of putting his name on a bridge, let’s
rename this bill the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020.
SAVE THE
POST OFFICE: “The US Postal
Service is our original essential service, dedicated to the public good and
embedded in the constitution. The US Postal Service enables a free press and
delivers vital medications, paychecks, love letters, and benefits. It connects
us all. And, more critically than ever before, the Postal Service provides
access to the ballot box via vote by mail.” We all know the Post Office
is in trouble: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-schumer-us-post-office-20200719-kt7cgdkwm5cqpmsrkka5s4pjnm-story.html Let’s use Rise and Resist’s Save the Post
Office toolkit: https://www.riseandresist.org/savethepostoffice
DACA: Following the Supreme Court's ruling that
upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, the Trump
administration has not met the deadline to file for a rehearing. Rather,
the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is refusing to
accept new applications (https://lat.ms/2Beq0nV). Let's
join the 33 Democratic senators who sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Chad Wolf, and tell him to reopen DACA for new applicants: Mailing Address:
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 20
Massachusetts Ave. NW MS, 2090, Washington, D.C., 20529. Those of us whose
senators did not sign on to the letter can also get in touch with them and tell
them that the administration's refusal to comply with the Supreme Court is
unacceptable and that we expect them to speak out on this.
DEMAND
SCHOOLS ENDORSE 14-DAY-NO-NEW- COVID-CASES BENCHMARK TO REOPEN: There is great pressure to reopen schools, but
done too quickly, without adequate safety measures taken, infections will flare
up, lives will be in danger and schools will hastily shut down again. As an
example, in just six weeks, Israel has gone from only 10 new cases a day to a
499% increase of infected citizens, with schools identified as the primary mega
infector: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/israel-fights-coronavirus-early-progress-stalled-by-early-reopening.html
Refuse to Return, a
national group of educators committed to safe schools, informs us that,
“more than 17,000 children under the age of 18 have contracted COVID-19 in
Florida alone. Now new research suggests that children transmit COVID-19 just
as easily as adults do.“ While schools struggle to come up with safety policies
and procedures, there is one simple benchmark that can help keep our
schools from infecting our students, teachers and staff: only reopen after
there are 14 days with no new COVID cases. We can contact our
local/state officials (school board members, superintendents, deputy
superintendents, city/county officials, local legislators, local health
officials, governor, Lt. governor, state superintendent of public instruction,
state board of education, etc.) to demand that they endorse the benchmark of 14
days of no new cases of COVID-19 in our counties as a condition of return to
campus. We can find information and key talking points in these Letter
Templates: tinyurl.com/rtrletters
TRANS-INCLUSIVE
JOURNALISM: As we have
previously discussed, the words we use matter. From using "racist"
instead of "racial bias," to using "concentration camp"
instead of "detention center," accurate terminology is essential for
reliable reporting that builds trust in journalism and prevents the spread of
misinformation. This remains true as we provide coverage of the trans
community. For this reason, among others, the Trans Journalists Association was
created to not only support trans journalists, but to also provide guidance on
how to improve trans coverage. Let's check out the TJA website and
be sure to read through their comprehensive Style Guide to
learn how we can better our reporting.
APPRECIATION
FOR DR. FAUCI: Despite the many
attacks and undermining he has endured from the Trump administration and its
supporters, Dr. Fauci has been a calm, consistent voice of reason and source of
current information on our battle against COVID. Now we can let him know how
much he is appreciated by sending him a postcard, offering support as he
continues to find ways to give us the information we need to keep our
communities, families and selves safe. Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a trusted
voice of reason throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and for his efforts, he
has been ignored and abused by Trump. He recently expressed how stressful this
has been, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-donald-trump-meets-match-anthony-fauci-analysis/story?id=71822115 . Let’s
send a note of thanks (the stamp helps the USPS, too): Dr. Anthony Fauci c/o
NIAID Office of Communications and Government Relations, 5601 Fishers Lane, MSC
9806, Bethesda, MD 20892-9806. (Source: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/global/contact-us)
Correction: PPE SHORTAGE? “The US
could soon face another shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and run
out of items like gloves, goggles, and body bags. Health
and Human Services Department documents obtained by NBC News show that
national bodies in charge of distributing such equipment have vastly depleted
stocks.” https://www.businessinsider.com/us-could-face-new-ppe-shortage-coronavirus-surge-2020-7 and https://www.wwnytv.com/2020/07/14/calls-grow-trump-administration-aid-ppe-production-amid-shortage/
Due to the lack of a national response to COVID, this is already an issue,
but reports are it will get worse as the surge continues. Let’s ask our MOCs what they are doing to address
this urgent need. States should not be
competing against each other and the federal government for needed
supplies.
Correction: COVID MEDS AND PROFIT-MAKING: From one
of our own: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services must do more to ensure access to potential Covid-19
treatments, including remdesivir. There is a law (28
U.S.C. § 1498) which allows federal agencies to take control of industry
owned patents using a tool known as government patent use. https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/02/powerful-law-gives-hhs-right-to-control-remdesivir-manufacturing-distribution/
How much of our taxpayer's money has
gone to Gilead Sciences for the development of remdesivir? There should be NO
PANDEMIC PROFITEERING! Gilead will soon begin charging outrageous prices of
more than $3,100 to treat a typical Covid-19 patient with private health
insurance. We need that price to be the price of manufacturing cost of $1.00/day.
Let’s call or write Secretary Azar to
invoke the law (28 U.S.C. § 1498): 202-690-7000 or write to Secretary@HHS.gov
POSTCARDING
OPPORTUNITIES: From one of our own: I've been thinking about the lawlessness of
the current moment: the use of CBP agents as mercenaries, the administration's
flat-out refusal to honor the Supreme Court DACA decision, the administration's
repeated failures to release folks in immigration detention withing
court-ordered time lines—or to release them at all. It can feel, and is, very
discouraging, but I think we can also view it as a sign of our success. The
measures the administration has to take to pursue its agenda are more and more
extreme because we are good at resisting. They could be doing all
this by simpler, less obvious means if we weren't paying attention, but
we are paying attention. This is the moment in the monster
movie when the monster is in its death throes, stumbling and flailing about.
The monster can do a lot of damage in this condition, but it is dying. Let’s write some postcards: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mo93ggVVWKaB7fPsZxh4nGlvzH2Ei_LYeGe9KoEuR2Q/edit?usp=sharing
WEAR THE
RESISTANCE: We can support
-- and advertise -- organizations doing the hard work of preserving our
democracy by buying T-shirts from them. Some really cool new styles can be
found here, for @resistbot, a service that delivers our letters to our elected
officials: https://cottonbureau.com/products/bot-on-fire#/4177745/tee-youth-youth-tee-red-100percent-cotton-xs.
Or this "Vote" style, which supports the Immigrant Freedom
Fund: https://teespring.com/shop/vote-colorado2?pid=370&cid=6531.
And this T-shirt, offered by the American Civil Liberties Union, lets the
police know that their bad behavior will be held accountable: https://shop.aclu.org/protest-tee-black/.
Finally, we can show the embattled U.S. Postal Service some love with this logo
T-shirt: https://store.usps.com/store/product/stamp-gifts/us-mail-t-shirt-P_843309
Let’s wear some resistance!
COVID-19
PREVENTION NETWORK SEEKS STUDY SUBJECTS: The COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) “was formed by the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the US National Institutes of
Health to respond to the global pandemic.” https://coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/about-covpn/
They are
looking for volunteers for a COVID-19 prevention clinical study. Let’s
read about it and consider signing up: https://coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/
ELECTION/VOTING
2020
ELECTION CALENDAR: This
resource is searchable by date and state - https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx
HONOR
THE MEMORY OF JOHN LEWIS: US
Representative from Georgia John Lewis, may he rest in peace, devoted his life
to empowering and enfranchising the unempowered and disenfranchised. Let’s
dedicate our actions to advancing his legacy. One way we can do so is by
writing letters to Georgia voters who need warm encouragement to go to the
polls in November. We can get started here: https://votefwd.org/
GET
VOTE BY MAIL INFORMATION FOR ALL 50 STATES: With the pandemic still raging, and voter suppression on the rise, the
safest way to vote is by mail. The procedures vary from state to state, but
finding out how to vote by mail in our own state, or sharing accurate voting
information for voters from other states, just got much easier, thanks to Postcards for Americas new
website. Postcards for America offers us a page with all the links and
information we need to sign up for Vote By Mail in all 50 states: https://www.postcardsforamerica.com/vote-by-mail.html.
We can also find postcards for each downloadable from PfA photo albums: https://www.facebook.com/pg/postcards4USA/photos/ The
information is also here in this GoogleDoc: https://pc2a.info/50StatesVoteByMail
FLIP
GEORGIA: Georgia is
important in 2020. It is considered a battleground state, with 16 Electoral
College votes. It has not one, but TWO, US Senate seats in play, https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Georgia,_2020,
and two highly competitive US House seats, https://ballotpedia.org/U.S._House_battlegrounds,_2020.
The entire state legislature is up for election, and if Democrats win one of
the chambers—which is doable if we work for it—they can block extreme
Republican gerrymandering for a decade and help create a Congress that better
represents the majority of Americans. https://blueripplepolitics.org/blog/ga-leg-2020
Let’s help advance Democrats in GA by donating to a slate of
candidates, https://secure.actblue.com/donate/brp-galeg2020 ,
volunteering with Reclaim Our Vote, https://actionnetwork.org/forms/reclaim-our-vote-signup ,
and/or signing up with Swing Left, https://swingleft.org/p/georgia
HELP
ELECT THE FIRST BLACK MD TO CONGRESS: Dr. Cameron Webb is running for Congress in Virginia’s 5th Congressional
District. Both a medical doctor and a lawyer, Webb is an alumnus of President
Obama’s White House Fellowship, White House Health Care Team, and My Brother’s
Keeper Initiative. He’s running in a district that has been drifting toward
Democrats, https://www.virginiagrassroots.org/election-candidate-profile-2020.php?firstname=Cameron&lastname=Webb&disttype=Congress&distno=5&year=2020 ). We
can support his campaign directly, https://www.drcameronwebb.com/,
and we can write postcards to get Virginia 5th Congressional
District voters to the polls for him with Postcards for Virginia, https://addresses.postcards4va.com/
TURN PA
BLUE POSTCARD CAMPAIGN—Turn
PA Blue https://turnpablue.org/
needs volunteers to write postcards to Pennsylvania Democrats in targeted
districts to urge them to vote by mail. Our efforts will help deliver PA to Joe
Biden and turn the PA legislature blue to end Republican gerrymandering. We
can purchase our kits ($8.00 for 50 postcards; shipping is free) here: https://turn-pa-blue.myshopify.com/products/turn-pa-blue-postcard-kit-package-of-50 .
LET’S
BE STRATEGIC IN THE 2020 ELECTION: How? By making our activism count on more than one level. We can help
get more Democrats to the polls in certain key elections, which will not only
boost Joe Biden’s chances for winning the presidency, but can lead to a
Congress that is more representative of the will of the majority of Americans,
and to state governments that are more likely to pass progressive legislation.
All these things are possible when we support the work of the National
Democratic Redistricting Committee, https://democraticredistricting.com/ . We
can support the NDRC’s work by donating to it directly, https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/ndrcpac?refcode=hpage ,
and/or by volunteering for or donating to their endorsed candidates, https://democraticredistricting.com/endorsed-candidates/
MOBILIZE
BLACK VOTERS: The NAACP
Civic Engagement Program is seeking volunteers to make history on Election Day,
November 3. Volunteers call and/or text up to 10 infrequent Black voters in
their community and encourage them to vote. Let’s volunteer! https://blackvoiceschangelives.org/
POSTCARDS
TO ELECT MCGRATH, DITCH MITCH:
Grandmothers for a
Brighter Future is seeking volunteers to write postcards to Democratic
voters in Kentucky to elect Amy McGrath to the US Senate—and send Mitch
McConnell packing. We can sign up for addresses and a postcard template
here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeb_f9P6AY4XAefHgOQagKlSoBvO0oRgLtasN7gneoq38Lcxw/viewform
STATE/LOCAL
MOST - PROTECT AMERICANS FROM TRUMP’S STORMTROOPERS: Secretive
federal police have been unconstitutionally detaining Americans exercising
their right to protest in Portland, Oregon, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/18/portland-federal-agents-protests-trump-mayor .
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing. Her lawsuit hauls into
federal court the US Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, US
Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Protection Service. https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/07/oregon-will-sue-federal-police-agencies-open-criminal-investigation-into-use-of-force.html These
shocking actions of the Trump administration are an assault on all Americans
and on our Constitution, and every states’ attorney general should line up
behind the Oregon AG. Let’s contact our state AGs and ask them to file
an amicus brief in support of the Oregon AG’s lawsuit—we can look up our AG’s
contact info here: https://www.usa.gov/state-attorney-general
MA - GUARANTEE SAFETY ON MBTA: Yesterday, Boston
resumed front-door boarding for trolleys and buses and the MBTA claims that the
installation of barriers will be enough to guarantee social distancing and
minimize COVID spread. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/the-mbta-is-resuming-fare-collection-and-front-door-boarding-heres-what-to-know/2162271/.
However, many citizens’ groups feel that the measures are not safe enough, and
will especially compromise the lives of Black and Brown people, who often do
not have other transportation options. Community members have put together this toolkit with information, phone calls, and scripts we
can make to Governor Baker and MBTA officials. Let’s ask Governor Baker and
the MBTA to consider reversing this decision, and also ask them what steps they
are taking to track the effect of this move on COVID-case increases.
MA - PASS THE LAW GRANTING DRIVER’S LICENSES TO UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE ENDS ON JULY 31. Since Friday a group of activists has been camping out and fasting at the statehouse to demand action on the Work and Family Mobility Act, which would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. https://www.masslive.com/politics/2020/07/immigrant-rights-groups-push-for-drivers-license-amendment-to-massachusetts-senate-police-reform-bill.html?. In order to expedite passage of the bill, they are calling for this provision to be added to S2820, a widely supported police reform bill that was passed by the Senate, but not yet taken up by the House. Let’s call our state legislators and ask them to include the Work and Family Mobility Act as an amendment to the Police Reform Bill.
ALL - EXCEPT VA: PASS LEGISLATION GUARANTEEING COVID-19 PROTECTIONS FOR WORKERS: Virginia became the first state to pass a bill last week that requires businesses to “provide personal protective equipment, mandate social distancing guidelines and put in place response plans and training for workers on COVID-19. This is a huge victory, especially for the many immigrant workers at state poultry plants, who have had to work in difficult conditions and were afraid to speak out in the past. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/19/892757768/virginia-workers-see-victory-in-covid-19-protection-rules Let’s ask our state legislators to pass a similar bill to protect workers in our state.
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
10,000
CALLS TO CONGRESS TO SAVE THE POST OFFICE: To continue functioning, and to get our mail-in ballots counted, our
imperiled US Postal Service needs billions in federal funding, https://www.npr.org/2020/05/30/865258362/as-more-americans-prepare-to-vote-by-mail-postal-service-faces-big-challenges ; https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/14/834336341/hoping-to-save-the-postal-service-people-rush-to-buy-stamps .
US Mail Not for Sale, the worker-led campaign to save the USPS sponsored by the
American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter
Carriers, https://usmailnotforsale.org/about/ ,
is holding a Call-in Day of Action on July 23. They need our
help to make 10,000 calls to pressure Congress to pass $25 billion in COVID-19
relief for the USPS. Let’s sign up and save the Post Office: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/usmnfs-sign-up-for-the-senate-call-in?source=website
SURPRISE
RETIREMENT PARTY: Field
Team 6 wants us to join in to Tweet, post, 'Gram, TikTok & text up a
social storm to roll out their first virtual voter registration drive on
Saturday, July 25 from 5-6 pm PT. Let's get the VOTERIZER.org link out to every
eligible unregistered American......and have some online fun sending Donnie
into retirement! Let’s get a little more information and sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/287772/?refcode=newsletter07162020
LEARN
DIGITAL ORGANIZING BASICS: The
Campaign Workshop is
offering a series of free workshops this summer, starting with Let's Get
Digital w/ Sophie Thurber on July 30. In this workshop, we will learn
digital fundamentals and find creative ways to engage with our targeted groups,
using different platforms, creating a strong online presence and integrating
digital communications into our strategies. We can learn more and sign up
for the Campaign Workshop’s Digital Organizing webinar here:
TRAINING
TO WIN 2020: “Got Covid
Blues? Ready to pivot to virus free, online electoral action? Training to Win
2020 has got you covered. We're here to help you navigate pandemic-induced
challenges in traditional grassroots and field organizing, to boost the total
number of voters reached and volunteers recruited in 2020.” We can learn more and sign up for this August 1st (10:00am to 1:00pm PDT) free
virtual training here: https://www.mobilize.us/training2win2020/event/287118/
FREE
ACTIVISIM 101 WEBINAR: Activism 101 is a free, one-hour (ish)
webinar for folks who have very little to no experience with activism and/or
political action. It’s a survey course with one goal: to give those who are
furious and sickened by the state of our, bite-sized actions they can take to
help vote Trump out, flip the Senate, win a bunch of down-ballot races, and
basically make good things happen in November and beyond. Workshop will be led
by Jessica Craven who is a mom, veteran activist, elected member of the Los
Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, legislative chair of her
Moms Demand Action chapter, and the author of daily actions email “Chop Wood,
Carry Water.” Let’s grab a few
friends and inquire about times: cwcwdailyactions@gmail.com
READING/WATCHING/LISTENING
A Group
Of Moms Formed A Human Wall To Protect Portland Protesters From Federal
Officers - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/moms-human-wall-portland-protest-federal-officers
The way
the US measures poverty is outdated, misleading, and could leave millions of
Americans without the help they need to make it through the pandemic - https://www.businessinsider.com/us-poverty-measure-misleading-outdated-leaves-out-millions-american-families-2020-7
Is it
safe to strike up the band in a time of coronavirus? - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/it-safe-strike-band-time-coronavirus
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We can stay up
to date on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes
a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
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