Tag: Indivisible Ventura

Tell your senators to pass H.R. 1620 – the “Violence Against Women Act” for ALL women! Close the “Boyfriend Loophole!”

Quote from Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, 2014, by Christopher Schmaling, Sheriff, Racine County, Racine, Wisconsin.

One would assume that legislation called the “Violence Against Women Act” included meaningful steps to prevent violence against women…

Apparently, Republicans and the NRA are willing to live with the Lautenberg Amendment, (for now) the 1996 law that removes guns from the abusive husbands or live-in boyfriends of their daughters, sisters and mothers. They are, however, unwilling to expand that protection to women threatened by violent dating partners or stalkers, despite statistics showing that victims of this “Boyfriend Loophole” are dying in equal or greater numbers. And they don’t give a hoot for the lives or opinions of law enforcement officers either. Sheriff Schmaling stated, “Abusers routinely threaten to shoot my deputies prior to our arrival at domestic violence calls….”

One bill – H.R.1906/S.527 – Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act specifically addresses the Boyfriend Loophole. However, the far more comprehensive H.R.1620 – Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act has already passed the House with it’s own loophole-closing language. Unfortunately, due to GOP/NRA opposition, senators have announced a compromise bill (S.3623) that scraps the House version’s Sec. 801 and 802 – proven “HOMICIDE REDUCTION” stategies against abusive boyfriends and stalkers.

This deal hasn’t passed either the House or the Senate yet. Currently, nine Senate Republicans back this compromise, though lawmakers will need one more for the bill to pass. Democrats say they’ll continue looking for a 10th Republican senator to support the deal, which won’t be able to pass the upper chamber until they find one.

Call your senators and be sure your friends and family in RED states call theirs.
All those threatened by gun violence by stalkers and violent partners of any kind, and the law enforcement officers often placed between them, should have equal access to the protection afforded to those covered by the original Lautenberg Amendment.

Minimal Script for DEM senators: I’m calling from [zip code] to ask Sen. [___] to strongly support H.R. 1620 – The “Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act” with its language closing the “Boyfriend Loophole”! Why would the senator deny women facing violent boyfriends and predatory stalkers equal access to the protections of the federal law against domestic violence. Why would you ignore the please of law enforcement officials whose officers have died protecting them? Do better for us!

Continue reading “Tell your senators to pass H.R. 1620 – the “Violence Against Women Act” for ALL women! Close the “Boyfriend Loophole!”” →

Call your legislators! “Yes” to actions on local, state and federal gun legislation.

Quote: Ivy Schamis, teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the massacre. “Valentine’s Day should be a day of love and laughter, but on February 14, 2018, it was the opposite for me and my students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Today marks four years since a former student ambushed our building with an AR-15.”

Valentine’s Day was the 4th anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed the lives of 14 students and 3 educators. (President Biden’s statement here) In their names and in the names of others whose lives were cut short by our country’s shameful epidemic of gun violence, we have a responsibility to demand change.

  • Action #1: LOCAL – AB-1769 prohibits gun shows at the Ventura County Fair and Event Center.
  • Action #2: STATE – SB.915 prohibits gun shows at all CA state-owned property.
  • Action #3: FEDERAL – Pass national background check laws and close the “Charleston Loophole.“
  • Action #4: FEDERAL – For those who didn’t come home from school that Valentine’s Day, and all those before and since…it’s time to pass H.R.1808/S.736 – Assault Weapons Ban of 2021

Update: Remington Arms agreed Tuesday (2/15) to pay the families of five adults and four children killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School $73 million. This is the first time a gun manufacturer has been held liable for a mass shooting in the U.S.

Action #1: LOCAL – AB-1769 prohibits gun shows at the Ventura County Fair and Event Center.

Why ban gun shows?: Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine: “Gun shows are designed for one purpose — to sell and distribute guns in our community and every time a gun is sold, it increases the chances of another act of violence.” He added that gun shows are “a common venue for straw purchases” of weapons that later end up in the wrong hands. Ghost guns, the term for untraceable partially assembled weapons sold as kits, are also a big seller at gun shows and the ready-to-assemble kits have become one of the biggest sellers at the events. “The state of California should not be profiting off the sale of guns. This is blood money.” We agree.

(Ventura County Star) “Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, and State Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, introduced AB-1769 (Firearms: prohibited places) Wednesday targeting the long-running battle over the fairgrounds shows held several times a year by Utah-based Crossroads of the West. If successful, the ban would likely take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.” This bill specifically prohibits gun shows at the Ventura County Fair and Event Center.

Continue reading “Call your legislators! “Yes” to actions on local, state and federal gun legislation.” →

UPDATE – Who owns American history? The GOP’s battle against Critical Race Theory and what we can do about it.

We first wrote this action last year. Since then, oppressive legislation has exploded across the country, restricting our children’s freedom to learn – where hatred, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia hide behind words like “discomfort.” First, commit to showing up at local school boards when censoring accurate history is on the agenda (it’s happening in CA too!), then let’s start with these four actions.

edweek.org/leadership/efforts-to-ban-critical-race-theory-now-restrict-teaching-for-a-third-of-americas-kids/2022/01
  • Action #1 – Tell your legislators you support H.R.6261 – African American History Act.
  • Action #2 – Now that we’re putting money into improving history resources, lets make sure schools use it. “YES” on both American History Act bills.  
  • Action #3 – Let’s make getting into college more equitable with the Fair College Admissions for Students Act.
  • Action #4 – “First, they came for the minds of elementary school students and I did not speak out…” Write to university presidents to ask them to take a stand against states’ repressive anti-CRT laws before it’s too late.

Action #1 – Tell your legislators you support H.R.6261 – African American History Act.

Continue reading “UPDATE – Who owns American history? The GOP’s battle against Critical Race Theory and what we can do about it.” →

Emmett Till would have been 79 years old this year – Time for a gold medal, antilynching laws, and accountability.

  • Action #1 – Tell your House representative to push this through H.R. 2252 – The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021.
  • Action #2 – If they really wanted to honor Emmett Till, legislators would pass H.R. 55 – Emmett Till Antilynching Act and H.R. 1727 – Emmett Till and Will Brown Justice for Victims of Lynching Act 2021
  • Action #3 – If they really want to honor Mamie Till-Mobley, her son’s false accuser would be held accountable.

Action #1 – Tell your House representative to push this through H.R. 2252 – The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021.

Continue reading “Emmett Till would have been 79 years old this year – Time for a gold medal, antilynching laws, and accountability.” →

Freedom for you and your family is closer than ever! AB 1400 – CalCare has made it to the Assembly floor! Call/write your assemblymember.

UPDATE: AB-1400 – CalCare escaped the Appropriations Committee! WATCH THIS GREAT SHORT VIDEO and then call AND write an email to your assemblymember on how important universal healthcare is to you and yours!

https://vimeo.com/396537805?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=14089391

People who won’t wear masks, social distance, or vaccinate themselves to prevent getting or spreading COVID, often proclaim they are fighting in the name of FREEDOM!

How about fighting for actual freedom? Citizens of wealthy countries with universal health care systems, cannot understand why we’ve allowed ourselves to be caged, and cowed by an army of rapacious for-profit insurance companies (private equity firms now own more than 25% of hospitals!), middle-men, pharmaceutical firms, legislators and lobbyists. But we’ve been doing it for so long, we’ve forgotten how barbaric our system is. Watching Americans talk about accessing health care in other countries remind us that it’s time to fight for the freedom they have.

Action #1: Tell your assemblymember what the freedom of knowing health care is available when you need it, no matter who you are or what you do, means to you!

Tell your Assemblymember what the freedom of accessing health care without financial worries would mean to you and your family. That, under AB 1400, it would no longer matter who you are, what you do, what type of insurance you have or your income. Ask him/her to actively support AB 1400 Guaranteed Health Care for All (CalCare). Don’t put this off. This needs to be voted on by 1/31.

KEEP A COPY OF YOUR EMAIL – FINGERS CROSSED WE’LL BE SENDING THE SAME MESSAGE TO OUR STATE SENATOR!

Continue reading “Freedom for you and your family is closer than ever! AB 1400 – CalCare has made it to the Assembly floor! Call/write your assemblymember.” →

The work continues. Actions to support voting rights this WEEK!

But first, some statements and some inspiration…

Ezra Levin, Indivisible co-founder: “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the fascists win in a forfeit.” Read full post here.

Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO: “Today’s shameful outcome revealed who stands for, and who stands against democracy. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 took three attempts to pass into law, so we will continue to fight. Anything short of protecting the right to vote is a death sentence for democracy. The fight is far from over.”

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center:

Black Voters Matter:

Continue reading “The work continues. Actions to support voting rights this WEEK!” →

(5) actions to support voting rights this weekend!

Action #1: Follow these young AZ citizens on social media to increase their press coverage.

Action #2: Remind everybody you know that Ventura County is putting on its awesome 36th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration on Monday at 10:00 am!

Continue reading “(5) actions to support voting rights this weekend!” →

Jan. 6 is over, but U.S. corporations are still funding a slow-motion coup. Call them out!

Quote: Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US
  • Action #1 – OMG, Where should I start? May we suggest the corporate sponsors of the 2022 King Holiday Observance?
  • Action #2 – OK, I’ve got the hang this. Who else can I contact?

“In the days after the insurrection and the certification vote in Congress, Fortune 500 corporations and powerful industry lobbying groups vowed not to forget the horrific events of January 6th. They described the insurrection as “appalling,” an “assault on our democracy,” and “an attack on all those things that people cherish and associate with America.” 

Some permanently halted their PAC donations to the 147-member strong Sedition Caucus in response, but for many, any action was just temporary. +$8 million dollars has flowed to Caucus members, committee and allied party committees since the attack on our Capitol. Bruce F. Freed, the president of the Center for Political Accountability stated “Companies need a healthy democracy to compete and grow and thrive. They still look at political spending too narrowly as a matter of access. They’re not looking at what the broader interests and broader risks are...They think it’s back to business as usual, but our politics today are not business as usual.”

Which leads us to our current slow-mo insurrection. “Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup..[but] with tacit and explicit support from their party’s national leaders, state Republican operatives have been building an apparatus of election theft.” Over 33 laws in 19 states will make it harder for Americans to vote. We need to update our definitions…

Action #1 – OMG, Where should I start? May we suggest the corporate sponsors of the 2022 King Holiday Observance?

Continue reading “Jan. 6 is over, but U.S. corporations are still funding a slow-motion coup. Call them out!” →

Democracy won’t stand up by itself. Our job is to tell legislators to do their job.

  • Action #1: Contact your senators about the 4 essential bills necessary for democracy and to carve up the filibuster to do it.
  • Action #2: Keep election administration in these states (AK, AZ, GA, IA, KY, MI, MO, NH, PA, SC, or WI) from being usurped – Friends and family plan.
  • Action #3: Call on President Biden to support voting rights legislation

President Biden and Democrats in the Senate have the moral responsibility, and the power, to uphold the principles of democracy and protect our elections from sabotage. To let the GOP continue to use the filibuster – a “tool used overwhelmingly by racists,” to override the basic civil and voting rights of American citizens is equivalent to legislative malpractice. Our votes for them were a contract. Tell them you expect them to fulfill it.

Action #1: Contact your senators about the 4 essential bills necessary for democracy and to carve up the filibuster to do it.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to put their constituents first and push through these four bills to protect our democracy. The filibuster should be carved up or eliminated as necessary.

Continue reading “Democracy won’t stand up by itself. Our job is to tell legislators to do their job.” →

January 6 – Light a candle, light up the phone lines!

The leadership of Indivisible Ventura did not plan an in-person vigil for January 6 due to COVID. We know that others, due to geography, illness, weather, etc., would also not be able to attend a in-person vigil on Thursday evening – the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection. (Find a nearby in-person or virtual event here: https://www.mobilize.us/democracyvigils/) But there are great alternatives for expressing our support!

  • Light a candle: Small Deeds Done (https://smalldeedsdone.com) highlighted this idea of “putting a lighted candle (or one that works on a battery but looks like a candle) in a window visible to the street on the evenings of Jan. 5 and 6, just as a way of saying metaphorically, “I want to keep light and democracy alive.”” Then, “If you are on social media, take a photo of it and post with the hashtag #lightupdemocracy.”
  • Light up the phones and social media: Many hands make light work, and now we can do it from home. Pick an activity from below, even a type you’ve never tried before (training included), and join in to fight back against the forces of fascism and secession threatening the country we love. Yes, this work is effective!
  • NEW – Oppose the Sedition Caucus! Donate to “IT STARTS TODAY” – Eight Senators and 139 Representatives (all Republicans) voted to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Contribute today to the next opponent of every one of these treasonous legislators here: https://contribute.itstarts.today/anti-sedition
  • We will update as more activities are posted or are filled.

Thursday – 01/06/2022

Read transcript here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/06/biden-jan-6-capitol-riot-speech-transcript/9115459002/

10:00 am

Thursday – 01/06/2021 – LANCASTER – ”Defend Democracy January 6th Write Postcards with Field Team 6” (10:00am – 1:00pm PT)

Continue reading “January 6 – Light a candle, light up the phone lines!” →