August 25, 2023
Negligent immigration detention facilities, infrastructure hypocrisy, restoring reproductive rights in Ohio, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- DHS FINDS BARBARIC, NEGLIGENT CONDITIONS AT IMMIGRATION DETENTION FACILITIES
NPR has published another investigative report on conditions in immigration detention, and it is damning. The Department of Homeland Security’s own Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties found serious malfeasance at more than two dozen facilities across 16 states, including negligent physical and mental health care, unsafe and filthy living conditions, racist and physical abuse of detainees, and issues that contributed to detainee deaths. While these findings date from the Trump years, many of these facilities remain open and are still being managed by the same private, for-profit prison corporations, and both the Trump and Biden Administrations resisted the release of these records. Let’s contact our members of Congress and ask for them to push for hearings on these reports, accountability for those responsible for these wrongs, and the changes immigration detention needs, including an end to contracts with private prison companies. We can also reach out to the Department of Homeland Security and to the White House to ask for reform and to ensure the people who let this happened are disciplined and removed from their positions, and to keep their promises on transparency on what’s happening in our immigration system. - INFRASTRUCTURE HYPOCRISYMany Republican senators who voted against the Infrastructure Bill are now going around saying how wonderful it is, implying they were in part responsible for it. Toll of War has created 26 memes highlighting those senators still in office, how much their state is getting for improving broadband, and stating clearly that they voted AGAINST it. Let’s download and share these.
- VOLUNTEER TO #RESTOREROE IN OHIO
The battle to secure reproductive rights in Ohio is heating up, and folks on the ground are looking to secure a decisive victory with support from across the political spectrum in November. The Ohio Democratic Party will be running phonebanks Tuesdays and Thursdays starting August 29th, and an Ohio abortion rights coalition is already canvassing door-to-door. Let’s sign up here to help the Dems make calls from wherever we are, and add our names here to get more information on opportunities to volunteer with Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights.
- COUNTERING MAGA IN SCHOOLSPlenty of us face MAGA extremists in our local schools. So it’s great to see Indivisible focus on that with their Our States Our Fates toolkit. Topics include: What is MAGA Extremism in the context of education and why does it matter?, Effective Messaging, Action Tactics, and Media Support. Let’s use this toolkit, that is great for giving ideas on how to push back against the MAGA narrative – which is really helpful. (h/t Small Deeds Done)
- FREE ORGANIZING COURSE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTSSwing Left, an organization that seeks progressive electoral wins through grassroots participation, is offering a free, nine-week course to teach college students how to form and run a Swing Left group on their campuses. The application deadline is September 10. Classes are conducted via Zoom. Let’s learn more here, and let’s apply if we’re college students, and let’s all spread the word!
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- NY – BAN NEONICOTINOIDS IN NEW YORKThis year the New York State legislature passed the first noenicitinoid-covered seed ban in the nation! Neonicotinoids have been described as the worst pesticide since DDT. But to go into effect, this bill still needs to be signed into law by the governor. If it passes it will be a major environmental milestone protecting human health and the environment. On August 30 at 7 pm (ET), Dr. Kathy Nolan from Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter’s Caitlan Ferrante, and Dan Raichel from the NRDC will be discussing the dangers posed by these “treated” seeds. Let’s join in on this Zoom presentation where we’ll all take substantive actions using the Climate Action Now App to ensure the Governor does the right thing. Let’s register here for the Save the Bees! Action Party.
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