Today’s Local Actions – Monday 8/3 – “Dear Simi Valley” Edition
- Be absolutely sure you are ready to vote.
- Be sure you are counted. Be included on the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail at 2020census.gov!
Check out all our “Watch Party” videos here.
- Recently added: How Fascism works
- Recently added: Beating Trump’s Fascism.
- Recently added: Is the US headed towards tyranny? The Rise of Tyranny.
- Recently added: The Leesburg Stockade Girls
- Recently added: “What defund the police” really means.
- Recently added: Suppressed: The Fight to Vote – Full Film
Events happening today!
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; It must be demanded by the oppressed.” ~ MLK
- We’re putting up information on local protests and actions by others we’re finding from informal sources. These listings are not endorsements nor guarantees as to time/place/type of protest or participant safety. Events can and have already been cancelled without notice.
- Protest safely in the time of pandemic and police overreaction: Go here for resources on camera apps, equipment, what to know if you’re stopped by police.
Thank your essential workers!
We heard that there was a workshop at Simi’s “Republican Values Center” last weekend to teach anti-maskers how to get into stores without their masks. Anti-masking is not just a political statement. It’s also a racialized one. We discuss this along with other facets of anti-masker mythology in our post today, but we also ask that you try out some of the listed methods of appreciation for the essential workers who help you today! Our post is here.
Mon 8/3 – ONLINE LETTER CAMPAIGN – Keep Abusive cops out of our communities – Pass SB 731
Sign on to ACLU CA’s letter here. California is one of only five states that has no process to decertify abusive cops from its streets. Decertification ensures those cops cannot be hired as police officers somewhere else. Over 200 other professions in California have licenses that can be revoked if they violate their licensing rules. California gives police officers a license to kill without the ability to revoke it if they abuse their authority.
SB 731 will improve community safety by keeping officers who commit misconduct off the streets by:
- Establishing a statewide process to automatically decertify officers who are fired for specified misconduct such as excessive force, sexual misconduct and dishonesty.
- Giving the California Department of Justice the power to independently investigate allegations of misconduct and decertify those officers who resign before they are fired.
- Requiring local law enforcement to report fired officers to the state and ensure that during the hiring process California law enforcement agencies contact the state to find out why an officer left their previous positions.
- Adding officers who are decertified to the National Decertification Index (NDI), a national database that tracks decertified officers across state lines.
- SB 731 would restore the burden of proof to general intent, lowering the barrier for families to seek justice.
Mon 8/3 – ONLINE – ACLU SoCal Webinar “Police Decertification Act. (3-5pm)
Click here to register.
Mon 8/3 – ONLINE – Summer 2020 Book Study (6-7:30pm PST)
Sign up here:bit.ly/2V9EXhJ
Starts 8/3: – Walking Podcast – Black History Boot Camp
“Black History Bootcamp starts on August 3, 2020. Back by popular demand! It’s a 21-day walking meditation and viral podcast for self-care and survival powered by GirlTrek. In this edition, we will have a live daily countdown where we walk and talk with thousands of Black women about the 21 most powerful turning points in Black history. Don’t miss out. NPR, Forbes, and New York Times all covered it. The WORLD got in. The podcast went viral!! It was an all-out wellness revolution.
HOW TO SIGN UP: If you’re new to the game, sign up here. If you’re already on the roll from last month, we got you, no need to sign up – but forward this email to your friends and tell them to stop playing. lol
WHO IS THIS FOR? Black History Bootcamp is designed for Black women – for us by us. So get your crew, families (we promise to try to stop cussing for the kids), sororities, church groups …make an office pool. This includes our sisters across the diaspora. We’d also like to extend a special pass to our allies – anyone who is down with this life-saving mission. Bootcamp is a perfect opportunity to learn and connect without taking up space. Thank you to the hundreds of friends who asked – yes, you’re welcome.”
Hunger Strikers for Breonna – Day 14
Hunger Strikers for Breonna: Week Two Safe Housing Fund – Donate here.
Here’s a guide for actions to take now.
Petition asking Oxnard City Coucil to support Medicare for All.
Petition link here. From Carmen Ramirez: “The COVID-19 public health crisis has made it clear that we must have universal healthcare for every person. When some people go without access it affects us all. PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE! I need your help to show the support of our community. We will be back in session in September when the resolution will be on our agenda. With the pandemic and economic crisis, many who had insurance have lost it along with their employment. Many who never had it are not getting the medical attention they need to stop the spread of the virus and to stop the suffering. This is urgent!”
Petition for Psychology Today to publicly revoke racist article.
Petition link here. “This petition is being supported by Psychologists of Color. Please be so kind to sign and share. In the US, there are only 4% of psychologists who are Black and 5% who are Brown. Please make our voices heard to dismantle systemic racism within the mental health system. Thank you.”
Teachers – join in! Justice in the Classroom needs you.
Student leaders fighting for curriculum reform, and they need our help; they are asking for support.Join their Teacher Advisory Board here:Agenda: Teacher Brainstorm Session on Curriculum ReformWeek of August 3-7th: agenda here.
ONLINE – “Resistance, Reconciliation, Reform: 2nd community conversation on Policing & Racial Justice. View the video
Don’t forget, you can still view Part One of this series at https://youtu.be/2MtLhRKuWAA.
Call/email – Tell your legislators to stop the “TRUST” Act and vote for the “Social Security 2100” bill instead!
The GOP is trying to scare us into passing another really bad idea during this pandemic. The TRUST Act would allow small groups of legislators to create fast-track legislation on Social Security with limited public input and no amendments. It is widely considered a trojan-horse bill for the GOP to finally gut the program they’ve hated for 80 years, with plausible deniability for all when they face their own constituents.
Meanwhile, there’s a good bill to help stabilize the program – the Social Security 2100 Act. Call both your House representative and your two senators today. More information here.
Contact:
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com
Learn about voting by mail!
Go to Vote Save America where you can request your vote by mail ballot, and while you’re there, you can sign up to call or text young voters in swing states and tell them to do the same. This election will come down to every last vote, and we can’t afford to lose a single one
“Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen. [___] to get the US Postal Service the $25 billion stimulus funding it needs to continue to provide the vital public services we depend on.
More script if you want it: We see the new Postmaster General,Trump’s crony, trying to destroy out the Postal Service from the inside out. He, along with the GOP’s lunatic retirement funding mandate from 2006, need to go.
Contact:
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com
Why is this happening? The GOP caused the USPS’ current budget crisis with a bill in 2006 requiring them both “run like a business,” while pre-funding their employees’ retirement funds – a bizarre condition no real business would be able to do. Learn more here. Postal services are specifically enumerated in the Constitution (Article I) to serve a geographically far-flung nation. It was never intended to “run like a business,” any more than the military, or the schools or any other public service. “Run like a business” is a code word for oligarchs and privateers to move in.
Join the Black2thefuture.org “Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America” – (3) Actions _HEROES ACT, PETITION, SOCIAL MEDIA
Watch this great video!
Indivisible Ventura has long admired this group’s “The Black Agenda 2020,” ( shorter summary here). Its principles for a just and thriving environment for the Black Community would also help the 40% of all Americans who are struggling to survive on crumbs from the tables of robber-barons and tattered safety nets.
Their great “Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America” online resistance package can be completed in 10 minutes or less.
Click here for their action package, which includes:
- HEROES ACT – CALL/EMAIL: Even if you’ve already called your senators to pass the HEROES Act before, it time to do it again with black2thefutures’s terrific script. (Nice explainer here) (The House passed their version on May 15th and the same GOP who slipped a $135 BILLION dollar giveaway to the wealthy into the CARES Act, are embracing austerity for the rest of us. For convenience, we’re including their contacts below.)
- HEROES ACT – Petition: Sign their petition here.
- Share on your social media: Download their HEROES Act Toolket with graphics and videos.
Contact:
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com
CALL/Email Action!: “Then they came for the Democrats.” (7) actions to fight back.
People dismissed comparisons to the conditions that led to Hitler’s takeover, or the those that allowed Pinochet’s brutal regime of 17 years. But with people being kidnapped off the streets, and Trump announcing his power to ignore Congress, we are on historically perilous ground. But there is strength is numbers against the worst of tyrants. Here are 7 actions you can take to add your strength to this fight.
- Tell your senators to vote for S.4220 – “Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act,
- Tell your legislators to actively support H.R.7711 “To require the display of certain identification for certain law enforcement officers
- Email the Department of Homeland Security
- Demand an investigation
- Tell your legislators to actively support HR. 7221 – “Prohibiting Law Enforcement Use of Chemical Weapons Act” and S.4114 – “No Tear Gas or Projectiles Act.”
- Yes on H.R. 1714 – Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act and S.3912 – Justice in Policing Act.
CALL/Email Action!: In honor of John Lewis. “Wake up, America, wake up! For we cannot stop, and we will not be patient.” – (3) Actions
Link with more information and call scripts here: (3) actions in honor of John Lewis, including a petition and a call to your legislators.
- Rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge after him.
- Pass H.R. 4 /S.561 – Voting Rights Advancement Act and rename it as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act!
- Sign this petition to Governor Kay Ivey. Almost half a million have signed on by this morning.
CALL/Email Action!: Urge your legislators to vote “YES” on the “Breathe Act”
“For decades, the federal government has incentivized mass criminalization through policies and funding programs that increase arrests, prison construction, hiring of police officers, and the militarization of police. This funding has fueled the violent over-policing of Black people, while leaving social services and basic infrastructure that actually keep people safe woefully underfunded.
The BREATHE Act proposes policy and funding that upends this violent reality. Policy is one of many tools at our disposal, and with this bill, we are creating a national standard of civil rights that will bring our demands into reality. We are not interested in someone else’s version of what is politically possible. We are interested in defending Black lives.”
The bill doesn’t appear to have a number yet. Minimal script for representatives/senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep./Sen [___] to vote “YES” on Rep. Pressley and Tlaib’s BREATHE Act.
Contact
Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email.(CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris:email,DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my representative/senator?:https://whoismyrepresentative.com
ACLU petition – CONGRESS: END POLICE MILITARIZATION AND OVER-POLICING IN OUR COMMUNITIES NOW.
Sign this petition. “The tragic and unnecessary killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade – and countless Black people at the hands of law enforcement – confirms what we’ve known for too long: Lawmakers must take serious action to fix the racist policing systems in our country.
Police militarization is not the answer. Police in our schools is not the answer. The over-policing of our communities – where Black and Brown people are criminalized, targeted, and killed – is not the answer. The only way to fix the brutality and violence of police in America is to divest from it as an institution. That is why we must call on Congress to end the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) grants, and to rein in Byrne JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) grants – as long as it continues to perpetuate police violence and harm against.”
Actions happening soon!
Oxnard Neighborhood Councils Weekly Packet
Go here for full packet.
Tues 8/4 – ONLINE – The Root Institute – Week 1
Subscribe here. Week 1 of The Root Institute will be about politics and voting rights and will open on August 4th with a Q&A between possible Joe Biden vice presidential pick Stacey Abrams and Danielle Belton, editor-in-chief of The Root, followed by a second one-on-one between Rep. Ayanna Pressley and The Root’s video producer and host, Felice Leon.
Wed 8/5 – ONLINE – Community Forum on the intersection of race and law enforcement (5:30-7:30pm)
County to hold virtual community forum on the intersection of race and law enforcementOn Wednesday, August 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the County of Ventura will host a virtual Community Forum open to all members of the public online via Zoom to discuss the intersection of race and law enforcement in our community. The Community Forum will consist of a panel of County leaders and community representatives who will participate in a roundtable discussion, followed by questions from the public.The August 5th Community Forum will be moderated by Monique Nowlin, County of Ventura Diversity and Inclusion Task Force representative and Deputy Director of the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging. Panelists will include:• Bill Ayub, Ventura County Sheriff• Claudia Bautista, Assistant Ventura County Public Defender• Regina Hatcher-Crawford, President, Ventura County NAACP• Sevet Johnson, Director, Ventura County Behavioral Health• Marcus Mitchell, Director, Ventura County Department of Child Support Services• Mike Powers, Ventura County Executive Officer• Greg Totten, Ventura County District Attorney• Roslynn Wilfert, Representative, Black Lawyers of Ventura CountyDue to COVID-19 and current health orders, members of the public are invited to attend the webinar online or by phone. The online forum will also be livestreamed via social media on the County’s Facebook page and Spanish Facebook page. Questions for the panelists may be submitted via email prior to and during the forum at webinar@ventura.org. To attend the forum, please visit www.ventura.org/forum.
Thurs 8/6 – ONLINE – The Root Institute – Week 1
Subscribe here. – Week 1 of The Root Institute will be about politics and voting rights. Thursday’s programming will feature a panel including Glynda Carr of Higher Heights, Judith Browne Dianis of Advancement Project and Rashad Robinson of Color of Change.
Sat –8/7 – OXNARD – Neighborhood Pride Weekend- City-wide Cleanup!
Thurs –8/13 – PHONEBANKING – SURJ Racial Justice Phonebank- (6 pm)
From SURJ National:” We are building a bigger, more skillful WE to take on white supremacy. Join us Thursdays at 6PM EST to phonebank for racial justice!
What you need:
- Internet connected computer, laptop or desktop is fine (tablets do not work)
- Chrome or Firefox browser (system does not support Safari or Explorer)
- Cell phone or landline
How the 3 hour phonebank works:
1. Up to 1000 of us get info on who we’re calling and why
2. practice the script with other phone bankers
3. returners start calls, (new folks get tech training first)
4. debrief on how it went
5. grab your friends and return next week
How we decide who we’re calling:
- work with leaders in M4BL, Latinx and Indigenous communities to identify the most timely issue (past topics have been progressive candidates in GA, defund the police in PA, and Charles Booker support in KY)
- prioritize white voters who have historically been ignored in elections
- build a script that focuses on shared stake in racial justice
Tues 8/11 – Thurs 8/13 – ONLINE – The Root Institute – Week 2
Subscribe here. – Week 2 will focus on entertainment and culture, featuring one-on-one conversations with Lee Daniels and The Root’s entertainment writer, Tonja Stidhum, and Ava DuVernay with Belton. The week will also host an examination of Black joy led by Very Smart Bros. Senior Editor Panama Jackson, and a panel on the intersection of art and activism featuring Aloe Blacc.
Thurs –8/13 – ONLINE – ACLU Power Lunch Series for Prop. 15 – (11:30am every other Thursday)
Register here to receive the Zoom link. “You’re a crucial part of the people-powered effort to pass (Prop. 15) Schools and Communities First so we can reclaim $12 billion every year for our schools and critical local services by closing corporate property tax loopholes, all while protecting residential property owners and implementing new small business tax relief.
Each Power Lunch will provide a space for activists to participate in conversations and hands-on trainings to practice core strategies and tactics to engage your community and voters.With the power of we, we can ensure that our schools and communities come first. We look forward to having you join us for our Power Lunch series!”
All seminars start at 11:30 amPart 1 (Jul 16): Our Voice = Our PowerPart 2 (Jul 30): Powering Up Supporters, Endorsements, & Community Outreach!
Part 3 (Aug 13): Campaign Organizing While Physical Distancing: An Intro to Digital Organizing & Voter Engagement Tactics
Part 4 (Aug 27): Nuts & Bolts to Making Voting (during a pandemic!) Safe and Inclusive for All
Tues 8/18/Thurs 8/20 – ONLINE – The Root Institute – Week 3
Subscribe here. – Week 3 will touch on health and wealth, as well as a special panel on diversity and inclusion. Featured speakers include Planned Parenthood’s Alexis McGill Johnson, author Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Joy Altimere of EHE Health, and more.
Tues 8/25/Thurs 8/27 – ONLINE – The Root Institute – Week 4
Subscribe here. – Week 4 will culminate on social impact, featuring a one-on-one conversation between Tarana Burke and Managing Editor of The Glow Up Maiysha Kai; as well as other featured speakers, such as author Darnell Moore, president of the National Black Justice Coalition David Johns, communications expert Chelsea Fuller of Blackbird, and more.
Thurs –8/27 – ONLINE – ACLU Power Lunch Series for Prop. 15 – (11:30am every other Thursday)
Register here to receive the Zoom link. “You’re a crucial part of the people-powered effort to pass (Prop. 15) Schools and Communities First so we can reclaim $12 billion every year for our schools and critical local services by closing corporate property tax loopholes, all while protecting residential property owners and implementing new small business tax relief.
Each Power Lunch will provide a space for activists to participate in conversations and hands-on trainings to practice core strategies and tactics to engage your community and voters.With the power of we, we can ensure that our schools and communities come first. We look forward to having you join us for our Power Lunch series!”
All seminars start at 11:30 amPart 1 (Jul 16): Our Voice = Our PowerPart 2 (Jul 30): Powering Up Supporters, Endorsements, & Community Outreach!
Part 3 (Aug 13): Campaign Organizing While Physical Distancing: An Intro to Digital Organizing & Voter Engagement Tactics
Part 4 (Aug 27): Nuts & Bolts to Making Voting (during a pandemic!) Safe and Inclusive for All
August 27-28 – ONLINE – 2020 Virtual March on Washington
URL here or text “POWER” to 40649.
For generations, African Americans in this country have faced an anti-Black pandemic. From the unjust killings of innocent African Americans to the disproportionate impact of a global health pandemic, Black people have been getting attacked on all fronts. This moment has exposed the inequities embedded in the underlying fabric of our nation.
The 2020 Virtual March on Washington will take place on the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
This year, thousands will virtually March on Washington to restore and recommit to the dream. This one of a kind event will set forth a bold new Black agenda. This virtual grassroots mobilization will drive the movement from protest to policy to power.
Sun – 8/30: OXNARD – Swap Meet Justice – Free Citizenship Fair on the LAST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH (9am-3pm)
More information here on how to volunteer to help, or to get immigration paperwork, including citizenship application, renewals for DACA and green cards, done under the oversight of volunteer local immigration attorneys and accredited representatives. This fair is cosponsored by CLUE-VC, Ventura Co. Legal Aid, El Concilio Family Services, UFW, SEIU 721, and community volunteers
Petitions/Funding
Additional petitions here.
Sign the petition here. “Saturday, June 6th’s protests show that Simi Valley is a city begging for change. Our city has for too long been known for racial injustice and our leaders have an obligation to promote justice on all levels of our city. Inspired by the continued Black Lives Matter protests across the world please join local Simi Valley youth organizers in making these demands to the Simi Valley Unified School District, Simi Valley City Council, and Simi Valley Police Department.”
Donations needed to rebuild the Maricopa County Democratic headquarters!
(Repost from concerned reader) “Speaking of fascism: The headquarters for the Arizona Dems and the Maricopa County Dems was destroyed the other night and it looks like it was arson. This is a devastating blow just days prior to the August 4th primary. This county and this state is ESSENTIAL to the fight to flip the Senate and to defeat Trump in the electoral college.
I know there are so many appeals for money these days, but if you can donate even $5 or $10, it would not only help them rebuild but let them know they have our moral support during this challenging time. https://maricopadems.org/recoveryfund/“
Not everyone has a president to help them – Equalize access to justice!
We have two justice systems in our country.
Roger Stone: Found GUILTY by jury on 7 federal criminal counts. Original jail time of 9 years revised by presidential intervention to ±3. No jail time.Kalief Browder:ACCUSED of stealing a backpack. Couldn’t post bail. Spent 3 years at Riker’s awaiting trial. Due to the trauma of brutality he experienced in solitary confinement and being imprisoned he ultimately died of suicide shortly after being released.
Kristen Clarke, JD Exec Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. We fight for racial justice. You can donate here to help give regular people a chance.
Ventura, CA: Freedom of Speech!
Petition here. The city of Ventura, Ca requires “Free Speech Permits”. It cost $25 to apply and the website states any event, “that impact City streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public property, airways, public buildings, and traffic require a City permit. Many private properties also require City permits for special activities that have the potential to impact the public-right-of-way.”
The right to free speech and the right to assemble is protected by the United States Constitution under the first amendment. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Notice how it says “free exercise thereof”? How is a $25 fee to apply for a free speech permit constitutional?
Tell ICE: #FreeTheFamilies
Sign this petition to demand you comply with Judge Dolly Gee’s order to release all children who have been detained for more than 20 days by July 17th and that all family members and guardians of detained children be released as well with their children. Not ONE child should be separated from their families!
Amnesty International and RAICES petitions here.
HOLD THE US ARMY ACCOUNTABLE: Justice for Vanessa Guillen
Sign the petition here.
A gofundme has been organized for the the farm workers now in quarantine.
“An outbreak of COVID-19 has left at least 176 residents and staff members infected at a farmworker housing facility in Ventura County. Of the 216 tests administered to people affiliated with the facility, more than 80% returned positive.” (LATimes)
Proceeds will be used to aid the farm workers who are now unemployed & receive no benefits. They will have medical expenses and bills to pay. They have picked the food that sits on our tables, now we can help put food on theirs.
OUR GENTE NEEDS US!!! SIEMPRE UNIDOS!!! Link here.
Cut Ties with the Fraternal Order of Police
Read/sign the petition here.
(Color of Change) TO: All elected officials and candidates for office
“The continued violence against Black, brown, and Native communities at the hands of ‘law enforcement’ is disgraceful. Police unions are in the business of defending the most consistent murderers and abusers and creating obstructions to justice.
We are urging you to stand on the right side of history: refuse to take any political donations from police unions or sheriff associations and donate any contributions you have taken in the last year to Black-led community-strengthening initiatives.”
Calls for Justice!
For more information and scripts, go here.
Contact information for officials, from city to the feds, here.
- Join in the boycott of Goya Foods!
- Make discriminatory 911 Calls in CA a hate crime – “YES” on AB1550
- Call your legislators about the ICE “Citizen Academy” boondoggle.
- Make DC a state: Call your Senators and demand they cosponsor S.631 – Washington DC Admission Act
- Send some postcards to ICE! – Stop these crimes against humanity now.
- “NO” on throwing more money at the military: Call your senators and demand vote “NO” on S.4049 – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
- Bounty-Hunting: What are they going to do about reports that Trump ignored or dismissed Putin-funded Taliban bounty-hunting?
- Rent is due on July 1st, and millions won’t be able to pay. Pass “HR 7301″ – Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020”. UPDATE: [H.R.7301 which waspassed by the House this week] CALL YOUR SENATORS!
- Stop Water Shutoffs!: Send a letter to your Senators today demanding a nationwide moratorium on water shutoffs.
- No more Tear Gas!: Call your legislators to make one’s right to protest safe from chemical warfare.”YES” on H.R. 7221 – “To prohibit law enforcement officers from using chemical weapons in the course of policing activities, and for other purposes.”
- Poor People’s Campaign: Call your legislators to enact the planks of the Poor People’s Campaign
- #Juneteenth – No more Excuses – Time to make Juneteenth a nation holiday. “YES” on HR 7232!
- Yes on Reparations study: CALL ACTION #2: It’s past time to make amends! “YES” on HR 40/S.1038 – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act.
- No more contributions from law enforcement unions
Featured Resources
Food Share
Free meal delivery for seniors or with a disability.
“Please share! Are you a senior who is sheltering in place or do you know one who needs meals delivered? Who qualifies for enrollment into the program? (Full FAQ’s here)
- Individuals who are 65 or older, or 60-64 and at high-risk as defined by the CDC, including:
- Individuals who are COVID-19 positive (as documented by a state/local public health official or medical health professional),
- Individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 (as documented by a state/local public health official or medical health professional), or
- Individuals with an underlying condition.
- Individuals must live alone or with one other program-eligible adult
- Participants must not be currently receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs
- Participants must earn no more than 600% of the federal poverty limit
- Individuals must affirm an inability to prepare or obtain meals
Our local restaurants are preparing these healthy meals through a grant from FEMA. More participants have been approved from 1800 to 2500. More on the program here. Apply here.
Volunteers are also welcomed.
A free face mask for everyone who needs one.
The Activ(ist)Wear brand DHVANI is giving a free mask to anyone in the United States who requests one. All masks are 100% free and paid for by donations. Learn more here. https://www.gofundme.com/f/MasksForAll
If you’d like a free mask, go here: https://DHVANI.com/FreeMasks
If you can pay $10 for a mask to help fund others, go here. All proceeds go to helping provide masks for others.
The pandemic has left millions hungry. This group helps people get food benefits fast, by text.
In the past six years, this nonprofit has helped more than 700,000 people across the country connect to potentially lifesaving benefits by texting the word “food” to the number 74544. Their website is here. WAPO article here.
Resource: Kids and Trauma/ Race Trauma/ COVID-19 Isolation
Read here.
FYI: Outside rallies, with masks, are “moderate-low” risk.
Aid for those impacted by COVID-19
Facebook photo here. Website here.
Have you been laid off or have your work hours been impacted due to COVID-19? You may be eligible to receive up to $800 in supportive services assistance for housing, utilities, childcare, transportation, and telework equipment, such as a computer or internet. For more information and to apply for the COVID-19 Support Services Program, visit venturacountyajcc.org or call 805-204-5186.
Ethnic Studies Webinars
An archived broadcast can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/CAEducation/videos/768846657195648/
Read and consider how this can apply here.
Poor People’s Campaign
Read the Poor People’s Campaign platform here.
More Racial Justice resources here. Extensive BLM resources, including donation sites, onlines classes, Black-owned businesses, reading/watching lists and more.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America
“For too long, Black people have had to work twice as hard to barely get half as far in America. The rules of the economy, our democracy, and our society are rigged — and as a result, Black communities are falling farther behind.
COVID-19 has exposed the connection between rigged rules and their impacts on our families: Black people are infected at higher rates, and comprise the majority of deaths from the disease in many cities across America.We need a plan for Black communities that protects our families, provides access to the care we need, and that builds new infrastructure to address the crises facing us. It’s time to change the rules, and make new ones that protect and strengthen our communities. The Black Agenda 2020 is a roadmap for making Black people powerful in all aspects of our lives.To flatten the curve and level the playing field, Congress must adopt the following Black Agenda2020 priorities immediately.”
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