"We've All Got to Bring Something to This Fight"

Indivisible National's co-founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, have the cutest little baby, a nine month old named Zeke.  If you're on the email list, you've probably seen pics.  Poor little Zeke has had both his mom, and then his dad, arrested in the past couple weeks.  Here's a message from Ezra:

"Hey Indivisibles,

Ezra here. I wanted to send a quick note just to explain why I was arrested in front of the U.S. Senate office buildings in D.C. this week, along with around 300 fellow democracy advocates from across the country. It’s only the second time I’ve been arrested -- the first was in front of Trump’s White House soon after he rescinded DACA. I didn’t expect to be driven to nonviolent civil disobedience during a Democratic trifecta, but here we all are.

“Which side are you on?” That was the question clearly printed on the sign Leah was holding when she was arrested for protesting in D.C. for the For the People Act a couple of weeks ago. And that’s the question I had to ask myself.

We know what the other side is for. They’re pushing the Big Lie. They’re suppressing Black and brown voters. They’re preparing to voter-suppress and gerrymander their way into power next year and totally disregard the election result in 2024. 

So if Rev. Barber with the Poor People’s Campaign, LaTosha Brown with Black Voters Matter, and Barbara Arnwine with Transformative Justice Coalition are risking arrest to fight for our democracy, how can I sit on the sidelines? If the Texas Democrats are fleeing their homes to fight for our democracy, how can I stand by and let others fight this fight for me? Which side am I on? 

I want to be on the side of a real, representative democracy in this country. So, yeah, I showed up. And, yeah, I got arrested. And, yeah, now I’ll pay a $50 fine and keep fighting. Proud to do it.

Nonviolent civil disobedience like this isn’t the only tactic in the fight to save our democracy, but it is an effective tactic used by every successful fight for democracy in recent American history -- from the fight for women’s suffrage at the turn of the century to civil rights in the 1960s to immigrant rights in the 2010s. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend you check out the Poor People’s Campaign, which has launched a season of nonviolent moral direct action to end the filibuster and save our democracy here."

(IMV:  We don't have an event scheduled locally for the Democracy Can't Wait rallies on Tuesday, August 10th, but if you want to organize one for that day or any time next week, IMV, we will support you and spread the word.  There are also phonebanks to join, to reach voters in critical states.  Check out locations and sign ups here.)  

"We need a diversity of voices and a diversity of tactics in this campaign to win. Luckily, that’s what we’ve got in this movement. We’ve all got something to bring to this fight. Some of us can make calls. Some of us will march. Some of us will organize others. Some of us will engage in escalating actions on the ground. Everything we need to win is in this movement already -- we just have to use it. And we will win."  -Ezra
 

IMV August 17th Meeting: Winning Local Elections

 Please be sure to join IMV (and bring a friend!) at our next monthly meeting: Tuesday, August 17th, 6:30-8 pm at Cherrywood (1 Cherrywood Circle, Clinton--just off Route 5).   This meeting is all about organizing ourselves effectively for the next 10 weeks to win elections this November.  That includes for town and common council seats, county leg seats, county family court judge, and Anthony Brindisi for NY State Supreme Court.  It is critical that we all commit to regular volunteer activities to support these campaigns, whether door knocking, lit drops, postcard writing, or other tasks that candidates need us to do.   We will also have some brief explainer updates about redistricting and protecting democracy.  Please be sure to join us!

We also encourage our members to sign up for national trainings, and regularly check the national training calendar so you don't miss the learning you want to do to get involved politically. 
 

Show Up to Canvass for Celeste and Sparkle!

Let's start canvassing now! 
Citizen Action is hosting a canvassing kickoff event for Sparkle Anthony, who is running for Utica Common Council, At Large: 
Wednesday, August 11th, 5-6 pm Training on Minivan (mobile canvassing app) and inspirational words from Sparkle, followed by canvassing 6-8 pm.  The event will kick off at Cornerstone Church, 500 Plant Street, Utica.  

Celeste Friend's Re-Election Campaign is nearing full-swing, with regular canvassing nights, every Tuesday from 5-7:30 pm, followed by the campaign's famous canvassing dinners if you want to join in this yea's campaign, drop Celeste a line at celeste4utica@gmail.com.   
 

Reversing Runaway Economic Inequality

One of the best justice workshops I have ever participated in was Citizen Action's Reversing Runaway Economic Inequality workshop.  Just yesterday I was talking with my teenager in the car about wealth and inequality, and I was able to use what I learned at that workshop from years ago to counteract false messages and social myths about systems, poverty, and economic injustice. 

If we want to change the false narratives that are all around us, we need to understand the truth of how things have gotten as bad as they have in terms of declining social mobility and vastly increasing inequality.  Sign up now to join in three evening sessions next week. You will not regret it.   --Jen D.
 

The Morrow Warming Center Needs Our Help

It has been touch and go for many low income renters and many folks who live on the edge of poverty or in extreme poverty. The moratorium on evictions has helped, but too many people have literally been left out in the cold or have found themselves on the streets in the middle of a pandemic. Some of them are struggling with long term or pre-existing issues like addiction, abuse and trauma, and mental illness.

In Utica, The Morrow Warming Center at Cornerstone Church (500 Plant Street @Oneida Square), opened its doors as a low barrier shelter (you can stay even if you're not clean and sober yet) in December 2020. Since then it has also launched a weekday work program in coordination with the city of Utica to help homeless people connect to a positive team and meaningful work that benefits the community, and it has been able to connect many homeless individuals to services they need. The Center was also one of the main emergency providers who helped house Obilston Apartment residents in need, especially those who could with pets who could not be accepted anywhere else.

Last weekend, Pastor Mike Ballman lived for 48 hours in front of the church in a cage as part of a live performance piece to call attention to homelessness and the need for policy solutions to address the needs of the homeless and very poor in our community. Much of the language people use to describe homeless people and their conditions on the street has the impact of de-humanizing them, and can even put such vulnerable populations at risk of harassment and violence.

Please consider a contribution to support the work of The Morrow Center. They are engaged in a struggle for social justice and just public policies, for an end to racism and classism in our community, and they are also caring for dozens of people every day who need food, shelter, and human care.

1) Financial Contributions here.
2) Volunteer to make meals. If you can make a meal in the Center's kitchen or bring a meal, or if you can make a bunch of sandwiches and drop them off, let Cathy Marsh know at silversinger47@yahoo.com
3) Donate items always needed: socks, underwear, cereal, milk, lunchmeat, sliced cheese, blankets, laundry detergent, deodorant, coffee, shampoo, paper towels, razors, snacks. Drop off donations at Cornerstone Church weekdays 1-4 pm or after 7 pm.

Let's keep fighting for a more just world, and stay strong as allies for those who in the greatest need.

In the meantime, be sure to call Sen. Gillibrand and Sen. Schumer today and tell them NO RECESS until they pass #ForThePeopleAct and make sure it has campaign finance reform, voter protections, and protections against gerrymandering and state legislature overrides of voting results.

There is no way to outorganize structural minority (Republican) rule. We have to pass the laws that protect the basic structures of majority win voter centered democracy. This is the summer where democracy is lost. Or it is the summer we start winning it back. If we do the work, we will win.

Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.