Greetings, Indivisibles. Donald Trump’s at it again. He wants another $1.1 billion to torment immigrants and deport people faster. Don’t let him get away with it! Call your member of Congress, as explained below. It’s quick and easy and we’ve even got a script for you. And the phone numbers are linked for your mobile calling pleasure.
Also covered in this post
- This week’s actions
- Great general meeting!
- Indivisible Tacoma happenings
- Upcoming Events by our allies
- New Mission Statement
- No Fracked Gas!
- Help Wanted
- Where to find us online
Urge Our Members of Congress to Protect Our Immigrants!
The Trump administration just asked Congress for an additional $1.1 billion to expand detention centers (yes, more cages), hire more ICE and CBP agents, and to accelerate deportations. As a member of the #DefundHate coalition, we are joining them in a national call-in day on Thursday, May 9 to ask MoCs to reject the administration’s supplemental funding request. We need to dismantle Trump’s mass deportation machine, not feed it with a billion more in funding.
Tell your members of Congress (MoCs) not to water down H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. H.R. 6 is scheduled for markup (amended and voted on) in the House Judiciary Committee next week. Even though Democrats have a majority in the Committee, we’re hearing reports that they intend to weaken the bill in order to “inoculate” it from Republican attacks. Call your MoC and tell them to pass a strong H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act!
Tell your members of Congress to act on H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. House Democrats need to pass H.R. 6 without delay.
Please share this info far and wide. It’s also important to have friends in the 7th and 8th Congressional Districts to call. That’s because Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Kim Schrier serve on the committees involved.
- If you’ve got any lefty friends in Seattle, urge them to call Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-7). She’s the only rep. in Washington state who sits on the House Judiciary Committee. And she needs to hear that her constituents support her in protecting our immigrants.
- If you’ve got any lefty friends in Rep. Kim Schrier’s (D-8) district, please urge them to call her at (425) 657-1001. Schrier serves on the House Education & Labor committee. The 8th district includes Auburn, Issaquah, Sammamish, Wenatchee, Leavenworth, and Ellensburg.
SCRIPT for Calling Your MoC
Hi, my name is [NAME], I’m with Indivisible Tacoma, and I’m calling from [PART OF STATE]. I’m calling to ask [MoC] to vote for H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, and to commit to rejecting any amendments in committee or on the floor that would narrow the eligibility rules.
The Dream and Promise Act would provide permanent relief from the threat of deportation to Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED holders. Trump has tried to use these communities as leverage against Democrats to force them to pay for his wall or otherwise expand his deportation machine. Democrats must fight back by extending protections to these people, many of whom have lived here their entire lives — and who would face serious threats of violence or death if they were forced to return to their country of origin. That includes rejecting any amendments that would narrow the eligibility rules.
Will [MoC] commit to voting for this legislation, and voting against any amendments that would narrow the eligibility rules?
Our Reps’ Phone Numbers
Here are the phone numbers for our reps here in Tacoma and in nearby districts. If you’re not sure what congressional district you’re in, the Washington State District Finder will tell you.
- Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-6) 253-272-3515
- Rep. Adam Smith (D-9) 425-793-5180
- Rep. Denny Heck (D-10) 253-533-8332
- Rep. Kim Schrier (R-8) 202-225-7761
If you’ve got any friends who are in the above reps’ districts, please forward this and urge them to call!
Great General Meeting Everyone!
We had an excellent meeting last Wednesday with our featured speaker, Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson. We were all so engaged and asked so many questions, the meeting ran later than planned. In case you missed it, we’ve posted the video below.
Skip past the seven minutes of us setting up the cam… And watch Anderson’s fascinating talk about all the steps her office is taking to ensure we can register to vote and that our votes will be counted. For starters, we’re ditching the touch screens and using all paper ballots this time around. Not only that, but they’ll be setting up way more of those safe-like ballot drop boxes for our convenience. And yes, Pierce County’s definitely beefing up cybersecurity to defend our data from hackers.
Indivisible Tacoma Happenings
General Meetings
We’re still nailing down the exact dates. But we’ve got some great events planned, so keep an eye out for the details!
- June: Featured guests from the Sunshine Movement and 350 Tacoma will talk about how they’re mobilizing to fight climate change.
- July: A special guest from FUSE Washington (Pierce County) will join us to discuss disinformation and its impact on the issues we care about.
Got any ideas or suggestions for future featured speakers? Please contact us and let us know!
Legislative Action Team Meeting
See what we’ve got planned for upcoming actions and meetings with members of Congress.
Tonight (Tuesday), May 7, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
University Place Pierce County Library
3609 Market Pl W, University Place, WA 98466, USA
Voter Registration 2020 Kickoff
Want to help get out the vote? We’re excited about launching our voter registration drive for 2020! Please come to our kickoff meeting.
Monday, May 20, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
University Place Library Meeting Room
3609 Market Pl W, UP
Questions? Contact Nina Rook.
Our Allies’ Upcoming Events
End of Session Celebration
Hosted by the Environmental Priorities Coalition
6:00 PM
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub, (Game Room)
1904 Jefferson Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
“We did it! Climate and Environmental le of legislation has been passed in WA!
Join us, and special guest Representative Jake Fey, as we celebrate all the activists and supporters whose tireless efforts helped secure a people’s win on environmental priorities like 100% Clean Electricity for Washington during this legislative session! Enjoy snacks and a beer on us as we celebrate and hear from speakers about the 100% Clean bill and other environmental bills, like the HEAL Act and Orca Recovery. Get the inside scoop on next steps you can take to advocate for the environment. If you have questions, feel free to email Tony at tony@wecprotects.org. See you there!
RSVP to be entered in our raffle giveaway!
https://www.tfaforms.com/4737045”
Medicare for ALL Canvassing
Sat. May 11, 9:00 a.m.
Sewell Park (Next to Stanley Playing Field)
Join Tacoma DSA, Our Revolution Pierce County and National Nurses United as they canvass to build support for the national Medicare for All movement! Hundreds of events are happening across the country as activists come together to win Medicare for All. Get there on time, as the training for door knocking starts right away.
If you support Medicare for All, call your rep and ask them to support Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2019 (H.R. 1384).
Language for the Revolution
Hosted by Our Revolution, Pierce County
Sat. May 11, 10:00 a.m.
Fern Hill Library, 765 S 84th St, Tacoma, Wash. 98444
Join Indivisible Puyallup and Joe Columbo, for his George Lakoff presentation on language and framing political discourse. They also plan to have an experienced phone bank leader and former candidate for office to discuss the basics of those endeavors.
Fossil Fuel Free 253: Speak Up at Tacoma City Council
Tues. May 14, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Tacoma Municipal Building
747 Market St. Tacoma, Wash. 98402
We can ensure a fossil fuel-free future for Tacoma (#FossilFuelFree253). The City of Tacoma, with its partners the Puyallup Tribe and the Port of Tacoma, are working on a Subarea Plan for Tacoma’s Tideflats, which will establish rules for economic development and environmental review (and hopefully permanently bans fossil fuels) in the Port of Tacoma. In November of 2017, Tacoma City Council passed interim regulations pausing new fossil fuel development during the Tideflats Subarea Planning Process.
These interim regulations must be renewed by city council every six months. If you believe Tacoma’s future must be fossil fuel free so we can reduce our city’s carbon footprint in this era of rapid climate change, we need you to speak at these three city council meetings. We need all our voices.
350 Tacoma General Meeting
Weds. May 15, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
311 Puyallup Ave. Tacoma, Wash. 98421
Join them in their new space. They’ll start off with a plant-based potluck and then talk about what’s going on and how to get involved. if you’re new, come at 5:30 to learn more about what they do.
We Got Our $500 Match! Thank You for Giving!
Our fundraising drive for April was a great success! Thanks to your donations through Act Blue, we got our $500 match from Indivisible U.S. Here’s the breakdown.
| APRIL FUNDRAISER RESULTS | |
|---|---|
| Donations via ActBlue: | $641.00 |
| – 10% to Indivisible U.S.: | -$64.00 |
| Indivisible U.S. Match: | $500.00 |
| TOTAL: | $1077.00 |
We’ve also received some checks and cash donations that we’re still counting, and we thank each and every one of you.
Indivisible Tacoma’s New Mission Statement
We’re still helping lead the resistance against the Trump agenda and send more progressives into Washington D.C. But we’re also thinking beyond 2020 and laying the groundwork for advancing reforms at the state and local levels. We’ve rewritten our mission statement to reflect these goals.
Tacoma’s mission is to promote social and environmental justice and democracy through representative government on all levels. We are citizen lobbyists and social activists resisting the Trump agenda and holding our local lawmakers and public officials accountable. We are non-partisan and wholly inclusive in our membership.
For more about us, visit our website at https://indivisibletacoma.net/.
No Fracked Gas!
In April, Washington state passed a Clean Energy bill that requires us to be fossil fuel-free by 2045. In light of Gov. Jay Inslee’s commitment to fighting climate change, we joined with progressive groups across the state to sign a letter. This letter to our governor urges him to ban all new fossil fuel infrastructure projects, including PSE’s liquid natural gas plant.
Help Wanted!
Help us become more effective in resisting the Trump agenda and lobbying for progressive reforms. We’re building our teams for 2020 and need volunteers to help with…
- T-shirt ordering and sales
- Social media and blogging
- Liaison with local colleges
- Notifications/organizing rallies/protests (GO4Action Team)
- Photographer, videographer
- Liaison with community allies
If you’re interested, please contact us and let us know!
Where to Find Us
- Website: https:IndivisibleTacoma.net
- Email: IndivisibleTacomaChapter@Gmail.Com
- Facebook page: facebook.com/IndivisibleTacoma/
- Facebook group: groups/IndivisibleTacomaCommunity/
- Twitter: @IndivisibleTac
- Instagram: @ndivisibletacoma
- Phone: (360) 347-6095
- Snail Mail: PO Box 7454, Tacoma, WA. 98417
Featured image: CC By-ND 2.0 Emily Mills via Flickr.
