Join Us Tomorrow – Tues Nov 9th
Voting rights. Virginia. The filibuster. Policing in Chicago. So much happening, not all of it encouraging. How do we keep up AND stay positive?
Let’s join together Tuesday, Nov 9th, 7:30-9:00 pm, to discuss recent developments in Congress, in the states, and in our city. We’ll share ways to stay positive and keep fighting for better.
Tomorrow — attend our online event Let’s Stay Positive. Special guests are Mike Lenehan and Bill Mengebier of Indivisible Chicago Alliance. Get updates on:
- Congress: The Build Back Better Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, the filibuster. What’s good, and what do we keep fighting for?
- Illinois: We have a new map – new Congressional districts. What are they? What does this mean?
- Other states: What just happened in VA & NJ?
- Chicago: What’s new with ECPS, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance toward community control of police?
And discuss: How do we keep up our energy and stay positive? Share your actions & ideas!
RSVP to get the Zoom link for Let’s Stay Positive, Tues, Nov. 9th, 7:30-9:00 pm. Sign up here.
If you’re working on postcards, feel free to bring ’em along to our Zoom gathering. Scroll down for info on ordering postcards & join the effort.
Nov 13: Indivisible Illinois Convening
From Indivisible Illinois: Attention Progressives in Illinois, and Our Coalition Allies! Indivisible Illinois‘ coalition of leaders and progressive groups will be hosting a free Convening on Saturday, November 13 from 1-5 pm.
A convening is an exhilarating get-together of progressive activists! Via Zoom, we’ll hear from dynamic speakers, talk about issues that concern us, and get revitalized to work for the 2022 election to get out those voters for progressive candidates.
This Convening will be even more powerful with nationally renowned speakers, including: REVEREND WILLIAM BARBER, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, and EZRA LEVIN and LEAH GREENBERG, Founders and Chairs of Indivisible National. It also includes HEATHER BOOTH, A Civil Rights Activist and a leading strategist for progressive issues.
We at Indivisible Illinois are ‘fired up and ready to go’. We hope you are too. Please join us on Zoom. Get info/sign u
Expand the Court Town Hall – Nov 19
Do you live in Illinois’s 1st district, with Rep Bobby Rush as your congressman? (Check here.) If yes, this announcement is for you.
From Demand Justice: Join Demand Justice volunteers for a virtual constituent meeting with Rep. Bobby Rush’s office to urge the Congressman to co-sponsor the Judiciary Act, which would add four seats to the Supreme Court.
Event: Virtual Meeting – Tell Rep Rush to Support Supreme Ct Expansion
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 19th, 12:00-12:30 pm
RSVP: Get Info/Sign up
Demand Justice adds: This meeting is only for constituents of Rep. Rush [in IL-01]. Even if this will be your first time attending a constituent meeting, don’t worry! We’ll make sure to provide you with training and talking points, so you feel totally prepared. Please note that how we conduct ourselves in this meeting is likely to affect the outcome.
Does My Vote Still Count? Nov 29 Town Hall
Join Rainbow PUSH Coalition, local chapters of the League of Women Voters, and other organizations for a virtual town hall, Promoting Equity IL: Does My Vote Still Count? This online event will take place Monday, November 29th, from 7:00-8:30 pm.
Distinguished speakers include:
- Dr. Barbara Arnwine, Esq., President and Founder, Transformative Justice Coalition. Topic: Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Frederique Desrosiers, Policy Organizer Chicago Votes Topic: Voting Rights in Prison Bill SB828
- Jay Young, Executive Director of Common Cause. Topic: Redistricting Process and Status in Illinois
- Ami Gandhi, Senior Counsel at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Topic: Racial Inequity in Voting
- Lance Gough, Former Executive Director, Chicago Board of Elections for over 30 years. Moderator
To attend this online event, register here.
THIS WEEK: Join Us & Phone Voters
Good news – the Freedom to Vote phonebanks are continuing! Help support the Freedom to Vote Act by phoning voters in key states and patching them through to their senators. Connect to day-of training and constant friendly support via Zoom. All you need is your laptop and a phone.
Tuesday, Nov 9:Phonebankto Arizona voters – Kyrsten Sinema territory – in support of the new bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. Tuesday, Nov. 9th, 3:00 pm and other dates. Via Indivisible Chicago, in partnership with Common Cause. Learn more/Sign up
Wednesday, Nov 10:Phonebank to voters in other states – in support of the Freedom to Vote Act. Wednesday, Nov. 10th, 5:00 pm and other dates. Via Indivisible Chicago, in partnership with Common Cause. Learn more/Sign up
Choose your day: If you can’t make the above phonebanks, choose a Common Cause phonebank on another day! Learn more/Sign up.
Postcards, Letters Get Out the Vote
Lots of IC-SS members are writing to voters. Research shows this work is effective in getting out the vote (GOTV) among the voters we want to encourage.
ACT: Write to voters in one or all of these ways: Vote Forward + Postcards to Swing States + Postcards for Climate. (NOTE: You can get on the mailing list for alerts to upcoming campaigns.)
Register Voters!
ILVOTE invites Indivisible Chicago-South Side members to volunteer – find many opportunities to register, inform, and motivate voters!
Stay Informed on Voting Rights
Stay informed on the urgent need to strengthen and defend our democracy – including voting rights, fair elections, and counteracting the filibuster loophole as an obstacle. Check the IC-SS Democracy Doc – new resources weekly: websites, articles, podcasts, videos, and more.
Organizations & Opportunities
Indivisible Chicago-South Side shares information and action announcements from other organizations on issues important in our country, state, city, and communities.
Community Control of Police: Join the Fight!
This summer, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance (ECPS) was passed in the Chicago City Council. This legislation gives Chicago residents some of the most comprehensive accountability over city police in the nation. The struggle for police accountability, however, is not done.
Now we need the City Council to put a referendum on the ballot, so Chicago residents can vote for even further control.
If there is a referendum, Chicagoans can vote to give civilians the power to directly elect a commission of community members who will have powers over the police superintendent, members of the police board, COPA Chief, and police union contracts. This will mean further safety from police violence for Chicagoans.
The first step: convincing the City Council. This means reaching voters in key wards and urging them to pressure their alders to agree to a referendum. We can help by working with CAARPR.
LEARN: At weekly Zoom meetings, you can learn more about the ECPS ordinance, the Referendum, and how CAARPR is organizing to get folks on the interim Commission, to pass the Referendum, and get folks to run for District Councils. There is also discussion and Q&A. Sign up for the next weekly session this Saturday at 10 a.m.
ACT: You can help encourage community members to notify their alders that Chicago needs the referendum. Please sign up to phonebank, drop literature, or table. Contact the CAARPR organization or IC-SS Co-LeaderTeri Watkins.
Reimagining Our Lakefront: Nov 12
From Friends of the Parks and Preservation Chicago: Here’s your chance to speak up and speak out about YOUR lakefront parks. Speak up for the repair and restoration of the historic limestone revetment at Promontory Point and for rescuing the historic limestone at Morgan Shoal. Support unlimited access to parks, not gates.
Advocate for a National Lakefront in Chicago to keep parks public and for all people. And talk about why climate change makes access to Lake Michigan most vital for you and your family. What does democracy in parks and along the lakefront look like?
Event: Reimagining Our Relationship with the Lakefront: What’s It to You?: a collaborative conversation (via Zoom)
Date/Time: Friday, Nov 12th, 12:00-2:00 pm
RSVP: Register for Zoom Link
Gun Possession Symposium: New Perspectives
At the end of September, Northwestern’s Bluhm Legal Clinic hosted a symposium called Gun Possession in Chicago: What the Headlines Don’t Tell You. The clinic also launched an initiative called the Illinois Blueprint for Peace; and the symposium recording is posted here.
The Blueprint website has just posted the different sessions of the four-hour symposium. Watch the Gun Possession session at this page. What you hear may change your thinking on gun possession, criminal system responses, and violence prevention.
