Let's Prove Democracy Still Works

On Wednesday evening, President Biden called on Americans to uphold the tenets of democracy.  He said, “We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works, and we can deliver for the people."  

For  IMV and for Indivisibles across the country, saving democracy means the For the People Act (HR1/S1), along with making DC a state, the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill (HR4), and in order to pass those, an end to the filibuster immediately.  

Here's an update from Sarah Reeske: "S1 (For the People Act) will be getting marked up in a committee hearing on May 11th.  We need Sen. Schumer to put it up for a floor vote by the end of May. We want all the Democrats to vote for it, and for it to finally sink in that the Republicans are not going to join them.  Then, there needs to be massive demand for ending the filibuster from the public to give them the political capital to vote to eliminate it in order to pass S1. 

Indivisible’s Policy team says that S1 needs to pass no later than the end of July, preferably before the July recess.  Why? The House is going to pass the American Jobs Act before July recess, and then the focus will swing to getting it to pass in the Senate.   Recovery bills are important, which is why we want to see S1 passed before the focus turns to Biden's jobs act.  July passage means there will be enough time for states to implement the positive changes in S1 in the 2022 elections.  If not, then the GOP will gerrymander the Dems out of power for the next decade."

Feeling motivated now?  Then make your calls now to Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand.  
Tell them: "Pass S1. Pass S51. Before the end of May.  Eliminate the Filibuster to do it. " 

Sen. Schumer:  (315) 423-5471
Sen. Gillibrand: (315) 448-0470

And remember to write a Letter to the Editor about why S1 is critical for our democracy.  
 

Call Your Legislators Re: NY Health Act

For the first time in history, a majority of state legislators in the Assembly and Senate are supporting the, NY Health Act, the bill to make healthcare a guaranteed right to all New Yorkers by setting up a comprehensive universal, single-payer healthcare program. Please call your two state legislators in support of the NY Health Act.   Use this tool from the Campaign for NY Health to contact lawmakers.   Many of our Mohawk Valley legislators are not yet co-sponsors and they need to hear from constituents about the importance of passing the Health Act. Senator Rachel May is a longtime co-sponsor-- please thank her and urge her to push for a vote on the Health Act this session!  
 

Update on the CCIA

Check out the vote tracker from NY Renews to see if your legislators support the CCIA yet. Less than two months to go to get it done!

Call your state legislators and make sure they are registered to attend Budget Justice University--CCIA edition, Wednesday, May 12, 7:00-8:30 pm. "BuJu U" is for state legislators and their staff to understand more about the revenue side of the state budget and what it means for policy making.  They can register here: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisibleharlem/event/386410/ 

Finally, please consider joining the IMVers who will be visiting Marianne Buttenschon via Zoom to lobby her to support the CCIA.  Email: IndivisibleMV@gmail.com if you are interested. Need more info about the CCIA?  Info at https://www.nyrenews.org/ccia.
 

School Board Elections Update

School board elections and school budget votes are held on Tuesday, May 18th. Make sure you vote! In the meantime, keep your eye out for local information about Meet the candidate events and debates. IMV will have a Meet-n-greet with local candidates we think share our values on Tuesday, May 11th. See the calendar below!

Fundraising Efforts

Just a reminder that our fundraising for three social justice community projects continues. The fundraising for the Proctor Park Peace Garden has gone well, and we are still just looking for donations of about $10, so birthday fundraisers are a great idea. Jill Farnham-Us raised more than $700 for the project with her birthday fundraiser!

Please remember to support Rebuilding the Village (Cornhill community youth programs) and MVLA's La Abundancia (Latino community garden project). Those are the most important priorities right now, especially with summer programming on the horizon.

We also encourage everyone to begin contributing to local candidate campaigns if you have not already done so. This will be a significant need from now through the summer, so please consider even some small contributions as you plan your monthly budget.

Finally, Indivisible National is once again offering support to local groups through a distributed fund match. Every dollar received by IMV between now and the end of May will be matched up to a total of $500. You can contribute here.

Police Reform & Black Lives Matter

You have the right to film police. Here’s how to do it effectively — and safely.
Smartphone video was critical in convicting Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd. Here are five practical and technical lessons for using your camera to bear witness.

This Fresh Air podcast was very helpful in identifying the specific practices that lead to police harassment and violence, especially toward Black and brown people and in communities of color. Listen or read the transcript. Basically, if police officers simply stopped doing these practices: traffic stops (electronic speed signs are more effective), warrant checks during traffic stops (warrants for low level violations can be done by mail, and for more serious crimes at known addresses), and foot pursuits (a recipe for police violence). For crowd control: no more kettling or tear gas. This week's The Argument podcast hosted by Joan Coaston also had a good conversation with experts on policing including a leader in the Movement for Black Lives.

IMV is committed to supporting the efforts of Rev. Sharon Baugh and other Utica and Rome community leaders who are working on police reform from a Black Lives Matter point of view. Continue to educate yourself, join our weekly BLM rally in Clinton, and be ready to support and assist when needed.

Good Things Are Happening

There is a lot of good news coming out of Congress and the White House, and out of Albany as well. Just this week the Senate voted to reinstate the EPA's methane emissions standards dismantled by the Republicans under Trump. NYS lawmakers passed a bill that will ban the sale of new vehicles that are not zero emission starting in 2035. And there are enough votes to override Cuomo's veto if he tries it.

President Biden has turned out to be far more ambitious in proposing large scale public policy, both for Covid relief ($1.9 trillion), and for addressing structural issued that plague our economy, than anyone probably expected. Last month he proposed the American Jobs Plan, a $2.3 trillion bill that would modernize the country’s infrastructure and decrease the country’s reliance on carbon energy, while seeking to create millions of jobs. Next up is the American Families Plan, which, like the jobs-and-infrastructure bill, has support from more than three in five Americans, according to recent polling, and is described as a once in a generation investment in health care, education, and child care for regular people in America.

Still, we know there is much more to do. We need to keep pressing to end the filibuster and pass the For the People Act. We can't give up on immigration reform, police reform, or health care for all. We must do more to eliminate poverty and the vast economic inequality that is undermining democracy. It could feel overwhelming, but we know we are not each doing this alone. We are doing it together as Indivisible Mohawk Valley, and we are in coalition with Indivisibles across the state and the country, and many other groups that work on the key issues, like NY Renews, Citizen Action of NY, IONY, the Campaign for NY Health, and many other progressive action groups.

While we work on these issues, we also need to support our local candidates in the 2021 campaign season. President Biden is right that we have to "prove democracy still works" by passing big federal bills that make life in America better for everyone. But we also need to do it the old fashioned way: by caring about our local communities and the local governments that support them, and by electing to office people who share our values and will do the hard work of representing us on city and town councils, county legislatures, and school boards with their eyes always on ethics, accountability, sustainability, equity, and the wellbeing of those who are most in need of services, resources, and support.

Thanks for doing political action on issues and elections You prove that democracy still works!