There is a philosophy, in both Judaism and Islam, that is paraphrased “whoever destroys a life, it is as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he has saved an entire world.” 33 worlds are now gone.
(Go here for today’s LEGISLATIVE actions.)
“What did you do, grandpa?” – when our country ran amok, when we put scared, desperate men, women and children into freezing cages, when we pulled screaming toddlers from their parents’ grip, when we fed them inadequate or rotten food, or trapped them in vans, or carried their bodies out of our facilities.
Over the last week, we’ve read ferocious arguments on Facebook over the term “concentration camp“. We’ve seen “READ HISTORY!” hurled at each other on Twitter. We watched “Never Again” being reduced from the robust internal tripwire it should be to a verbal tombstone.
Yes, social messaging is a crucial issue in our modern political world. Everyone should be reminding their media circles that we can’t let shame or denial keep us from hearing the warning 6 million souls are screaming to us. There are also active things we can do to help drive that message, to connect with other resisters and to help affected people directly. Here are some options…
Action #1 – June 29th – “Know Your Rights” Workshop
This event, and another offered on July 9th in a different location, are sponsored by Buen Vecino and will be conducted in Spanish. If you’re interested to becoming a Know-Your-Rights educator in English, Spanish or in other languages, check out buen-vecino for further information.
Action #2 – June 30th – Swap Meet Justice
You do not need to be a lawyer. You do not need to speak another language. However, all volunteers with bilingual skills are appreciated.
Every last Sunday of the month! Give a couple of hours once a month, help people and have a great time!
When: 8am – 3pm – 6/30, 7/28, 8/25, 9/29, 10/27, 11/24, and 12/29. You may come for a shorter amount of time, but please come at 8:30 for new volunteer orientation. We also don’t start new applications after 1:30 or 2:00, so we can finish in time for the marketplace’s closing.
- Where: Oxnard College Marketplace & Swap Meet
- FAQ’s, downloadable posters and handouts: here
Action #3 – July 12th – Lights for Liberty
Update: Here in Ventura County, a coalition of immigrants’ rights advocates and allied organizations is considering joining these protests in three locations:
1. The High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, near Victorville (about a 90-minute drive);
2. The Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego (about a four-hour drive);
3. A protest in Camarillo, outside an ICE facility and across a freeway
Please take this poll by Friday, June 28th, at 5 pm if you are interested in carpooling or taking a bus to the first two options.
We are coordinating with Camarillo Cares and over 20 groups county-wide to hold an vigil-type event on this day. Facebook event page here.
(from Camarillo Cares) **Specific Camarillo Location TBD — Stay tuned for details, more information coming soon. Use the comment section here to learn more & discuss/share ways to take action!
**If you’re in Ventura County or a nearby area, join us on #FridayJuly12, at 7:30pm for an event held in solidarity with the nationwide Lights for Liberty Vigil to #EndDetentionCamps.
If you are comfortable doing so, we would love to see your city on your signs (ie: #CamarilloCares, #VenturaCares), so that as we gather we can visually demonstrate that people from all over our county and beyond will not sit by and allow these atrocities to happen.
#PleaseShare this event and #InviteYourFriends and family in Ventura County and nearby areas. Let’s join together to demonstrate that we refuse to stand idly by while fellow humans are robbed of dignity and basic human rights.
Current list of cohosts:
Democratic Moms of Camarillo
Indivisible Conejo
Indivisible Ojai Valley
Indivisible Simi Valley
Indivisible Ventura
Indivisible Ventura County
UNA – Westlake High School
Buen Vencino
TheLAB
Diversity Collective
Get Loud Movement
Veterans For Peace Ventura County
Ventura County Women’s Forum Collaborative
Anonymous Mommy
Suburban Women’s Advocacy Network (SWAN)
Ventura County LULAC
Ventura County Democratic Party
DSA Ventura County
Democratic Club of Ventura
Democratic Club of Conejo Valley
Democratic Club of Camarillo
Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats (GOOD)
Santa Clara Valley Democratic Club
Can you travel?
#WantToTravel to a Detention Center to protest?
If you are willing and able to travel down south to a detention center, we wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. We have connections to organizers who are setting up carpools & buses to San Diego and Adelanto Detention Centers. PM this page and we will connect you with those organizers.
For more information about the national Lights for Liberty Vigils, and locations of Detention Centers visit:
LightsForLiberty.org
Can you donate?
#WantToDonate to help get needed supplies to detainees?
This is a trusted organization and donations to this fund will be used to provide detainees with desperately needed items and resources.
https://www.cluejustice.org/julio_barahona_exodus_fund
From Lawyers for Good Government…
(1) Contribute to the Project Corazon Travel Fund so we can send more lawyers (particularly Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers) to the detention centers and refugee camps where help is desperately needed. We’ve already sent 37 and we can send dozens – even hundreds – more with your support. Click here to learn more & donate.
(2) Pledge your frequent flier miles to help get more lawyers to the border. If you have unused airline miles, you can pledge your airline miles to help the cause thanks to L4GG’s partnership with Lawyer Moms of America. We use these miles to help cover travel costs for pro bono attorneys. Click here to pledge your airline miles to the travel fund.
(3) Volunteer your time and expertise. Below are a few ways you can do that.
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If you’re an immigration lawyer and would be willing to donate your time to help asylum seekers in remote locations (but can’t afford the associated travel expenses), click here to apply for travel funding.
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If you’re bilingual (Spanish/English) and have a few hours a week to help conduct intake interviews with detained asylum-seekers remotely (by phone), click here to learn more about how you can help with our remote intake program.
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If you’re a lawyer at a large law firm, ask your pro bono coordinator whether your firm is part of Project Corazon. If your firm is already a Project Corazon partner, there may be immediate opportunities for you to volunteer for our remote CFI and/or remote bond projects. If your firm would like to learn more about partnering with us, please ask your pro bono coordinator to email us at corazon@L4GG.org.
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If none of the above opportunities is applicable to you, but you’d still like to help, make sure you’re on our email list and check the websites of some of our organizational partners for other ways to volunteer – RAICES, Immigration Justice Campaign, and Al Otro Lado are good places to start.
If you’re unable to offer money, miles, time, or expertise right now, you can still help by sharing this post with your friends, family, and contacts via email, Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks. Please help us get the word out.
#LightsForLiberty
#DontLookAway
#EndConcentrationCamps
#KeepFamiliesTogether
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 