Monday 8/14 – Be like water.

What happened in Charlottesville this last weekend should come as no surprise. This has been building up since the days of Trump’s hate-filled campaign.

It is profound that these marchers no longer felt a need to hide their faces.

It is profound that they felt powerful enough, that they felt tacitly supported enough at the highest levels of our government, to bring their message out openly, like the Nazi’s of darkest history.

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Trump has declared war on the rest of us, those of us not part of the cabal of billionaires and corporations that inform his every action.

He has declared war on our immigrants.

He has declared war on our Muslim citizens.

He has declared war on our education.

He has declared war on our environment.

He has declared war on our judicial system.

He has declared war on our poor and elderly.

He has declared war on the role of our media to call out corruption of our democracy.

He has declared war on every aspect that makes us America.

And we need to fight back. Every. Damn. Day.

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So welcome to Monday in Post-Charlottesville America.

This week is going to be a little different.

We’re going to have larger topics for each day. Do as much as you comfortably can. Take a moment to learn to make calls faster. And to be more comfortable doing them. Pick things that are close to your heart and then do something for others.

Turn on your computer. Pick up your phone. Fight back. We have power in our numbers.

Separately, we are like drops of water.  

Millions of us together, we can carve through stone.

Stand Indivisible.

MONDAY – 8/14

1) CALL TO ACTION: Here are five actions to take regarding the neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville, Virginia,this weekend. (from Lauren O’Neal)

a. Donate to one or more of the following:

• C-ville Victim Relief GoFundMe for the medical and other expenses of the victims of James Alex Fields, who killed Heather Heyer and injured around 20 others with his car
• GoFundMe for the medical expenses of Dre Harris, the black man brutally beaten by white supremacists
• the Charlottesville chapter of the NAACP
• the Charlottesville chapter of Black Lives Matter
• the Charlottesville chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
• IMPACT Cville (an interfaith pro–social justice org)

b. Be ready to protest any upcoming neo-Nazi/white-supremacist/alt-right rallies in your area. If you, like me, live in the Bay Area, there is one coming up in San Francisco on 8/26 and in Berkeley on 8/27 as part of an alt-right “Liberty Weekend.” We’ll be sending out more details on this when we know more.

c. Donate to and/or volunteer with the Virginia chapter of Flippable. The registration deadline for Virginia state elections is coming up in October (as in, just a couple months from now). Registering more voters is not just a way to flip seats blue and elect better politicians who can achieve concrete progressive goals. It also directly combats the Republican strategy of disenfranchising voters, especially voters of color. Republicans spend so much time, money, and effort suppressing the vote because they know voting is a powerful tool. Let’s make sure the people of Virginia actually have the right to use that tool, the way they’re supposed to in a democracy.

d. Do not let yourself go into denial about what is happening. It’s very easy right now to look at groups of white supremacists marching with Nazi flags, giving Nazi salutes, and chanting Nazi slogans, and just mentally check out because it’s too much to deal with and it doesn’t directly affect you. It’s very easy to see Trump, who has viciously insulted virtually every other group and individual imaginable, refuse to outright condemn neo-Nazi violence, and think, “There’s no way the president of the United States could really be pro-Nazi, is there?” Please don’t, especially if you’re white. When you go into denial and say things like, “Oh, they don’t really mean it, they’re just trying to shock people” or “These people are on the fringes, they can’t do that much damage,” you’re doing exactly what the white supremacists want. (In fact, here’s a screenshot of them explicitly saying so.)

e. Be very clear, in your social circles and on social media, that you consider being a white supremacist shameful, unacceptable, and inexcusable. Say loud and proud that you’re against white supremacy, neo-Nazis, the KKK, and the alt-right. Say that it’s shameful Trump won’t condemn them. Memorialize and honor Heather Heyer, who gave her life protesting them. Per the aforementioned screenshot, neo-Nazis deliberately try to keep their real goals secret in order not to scare normal people away. They’re afraid of social opinion turning against them. So turn social opinion against them.

2) CALL TO ACTION: Ask your MoCs to demand that Trump disavow white nationalism and fire staff associated with it, starting with Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, as well as Sebastian Gorka. Each man has a history of either promoting their own racist views or amplifying the views of other extremists. Call or email.

Script: I’m calling to ask {Rep. [Brownley/Carbajal], Sen. [Feinstein, Harris]} to call for the resignation of Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller. These three men have histories of extremist ideologies and should not be working in the White House. The American people deserve a Presidential administration that has no ties to racism, the KKK, white supremacy, or Nazis.

3) CALL TO ACTION:  For all Trump’s big talk about keeping America safe, his proposed budget puts Americans in danger of attacks like the one in Charlottesville. Trump’s budget cuts funding to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Community Partnerships, which supports the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program. The program is designed to battle all forms of domestic extremism. But Trump proposed earlier this year, along with cutting its budget, to change its name and mission so that it was exclusively focused on Islamic sources—eliminating any focus on white nationalism. In fact, the Trump Administration cancelled a grant approved by the Obama Administration to Life After Hate, an organization that educates communities on the dangers of white nationalism. In FY18, Trump proposes eliminating CVE grants altogether. The bottom line: we need a Department of Homeland Security that fights domestic terrorism on every front—including white nationalism—and they have to have the budget to do it. Call or email.

Script: I’m calling to ask {Rep. [Brownley/Carbajal], Sen. [Feinstein, Harris]} to require that the Countering Violent Extremism program retains its focus on white nationalism, that CVE grants are fully funded, and that a substantial portion of CVE grants are awarded to respond to the threat of white nationalism.

4) CALL TO ACTION: Donald Trump’s approach to the budget is simple: defund the programs we need and that keep ups safe in order to fund those we don’t need, harm our communities, and make us less safe. If your MoC tries to argue that there is no room in the federal budget to sustain the CVE program, remind them that the House of Representatives just voted out a spending bill that allocates $1.6 billion as a down payment for the “huge wall” Trump promised at his 2016 campaign rallies. That first year of wall funding alone would cover the CVE program’s $50 million FY18 budget 32 times over. Remember, it’s Congress not Donald Trump that decides what gets funded and what does not. Make sure they fund the programs that keep us safe, like the CVE program, and not Trump’s border wall and mass deportation force. See this resource for more information about Trump’s mass deportation force, and some of the other things that money should be used for instead. Call or email.

Script: I’m calling to ask {Rep. [Brownley/Carbajal], Sen. [Feinstein, Harris]} to #DefundHate every chance they get in the appropriations process. 

Senator Feinstein: DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Senator Harris: DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884https://www.harris.senate.gov/content/contact-senator
Rep. Julia Brownley: (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
https://juliabrownley.house.gov/contact/email-me
Rep. Salud Carbajal: (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
https://carbajal.house.gov/contact/email

These aren’t your people?: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

PLAN AHEAD FOR TUESDAY “DACA Day of Action” – 8/15

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If far-right Republicans get their way, over one million immigrants could be deported. Texas Attorney General Paxton and others are pressuring President Trump to end the immigration protections of DACA and TPS that millions of us rely on the live, work, and study here.But here’s the thing: We are stronger and we outnumber them. The majority of Americans don’t want to see young immigrants deported. Far-right Republicans want the public to believe lies and falsehoods about immigrant youth.Every story of a young immigrant living, working, and thriving here is a weapon we will use to poke holes in their lies. That’s why, on August 15th, we’re taking to the streets — and to the halls of Congress — to speak our truth.On August 15th, all across the country, we are showing up and speaking out with, and for immigrant youth. Here are some activities that we’re supporting.

5) CALLS TO ACTION (2):

One of the most important programs created under President Obama was the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program has allowed close to a million DREAMers to live and work in the U.S. lawfully. It is one of the most celebrated programs under President Obama—and now Trump is dead set on getting rid of it, and then deporting those who have benefited from it. Here is what you need to know about it. In 2012, President Obama created the DACA program to grant relief from deportation to individuals who came to the U.S. as children, if they met a number of requirements (like background checks). The Obama Administration recognized that there were millions of undocumented young immigrants who grew up in the U.S., who thought of the U.S. as their home, and who were essentially American in every sense, except on paper. The program has allowed approximately 800,000 young people the opportunity to live and work lawfully in the U.S. It does not provide a path to citizenship. A DREAMer is anyone who came to the U.S. as a child, who grew up here, but remains undocumented. They are called “DREAMers” after the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow these young immigrants to stay in the U.S. and put them on a path to citizenship, if they meet certain requirements like enrolling in college or joining the military. The only difference between DACA and DREAMers is that DACAmented youth are those who have applied for and have been officially allowed to stay in the U.S. through the DACA program. Obtaining DACA has proven to be transformative. A 2016 study revealed that DACA has improved the lives of its recipients and their families, showing that, among DACA recipients:

• 95% are currently working or in school
• 48% got a job with better working conditions
• 63% got a better paying job
• 90% got a driver’s license or state ID
• 54% bought their first car
• 12% bought their first home

Script: I’m calling to thank Congressperson (Brownley/Carbajal) for co-sponsoring the American Hope Act (HR 3591) to give those with DACA and others who arrived the the US as children a path to permanent legal status and eventual citizenship.

Rep. Julia Brownley: (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
https://juliabrownley.house.gov/contact/email-me
Rep. Salud Carbajal: (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
https://carbajal.house.gov/contact/email
These aren’t your people?: http://www.phoneyourrep.com

NATIONAL IMMIGRATION DAY

Indivisible Ventura has been active in helping Indivisible members in Steve Knight’s district (CA-25). We encourage everyone to assist them as they work to flip their district and draw attention to their concerns.

If you have some time on Tuesday, go down and lend a hand.

Start: August 15, 2017 • 11:30 AM

Congressman Steve Knight’s Office

26415 Carl Boyer Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91350

Host Contact Info: CHIR LA (Coaition for Humane Immigrant Rights L.A. ) Information link here.

BOOKMARK THIS RESOURCE: 

DETENTION of Immigrants in America; Please access the link below for an informative and comprehensive assessment of how the U.S. deals with immigration and how it criminalizes immigrants and violates their human rights.  In the U.S. immigration enforcement system is intimately intertwined with the criminal justice system, as exemplified by the long-standing U.S. practice of using prisons to confine immigration detainees. This practice has been largely banned in most major developed nations, particularly in Europe where the EU European Union directives provide that immigration detainees be kept in specially designed facilities separate from criminal-related prisons.