Another Busy Week!

Happy Tuesday, Activists!

We hope you had a good weekend.  You can see last Friday's newsletter here but we need to tell you that the project to send supplies for women in detention camps has been paused due to the overwhelmingly huge response from you all!  The Indivisible sponsors of this project need to assess where the donations stand before they start it up again.  So thank you for your wonderful and generous support!  

CALLS TO ACTION

Demand that your representative say NO to the regime's efforts to expand its domestic spying capabilities. 

1.  Section 702 of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a War on Terrorism-era relic that skirts the Constitution to allow warrantless domestic surveillance by the federal government -- but it's set to expire or be reauthorized this week, possibly as early as today. Tell your representative: They can either greenlight AI-fueled warrantless mass surveillance, or uphold the Constitution.  We want them to let the provision to die on the vine or be modified by greatly narrowing it.  And after you've emailed your representative, then follow up with a phone call.  Thanks. 

2.  Tell our senators and representatives: No ICE concentration camps, anywhere. 

The regime has been scouting and purchasing commercial warehouses to expand its network of ICE prison camps -- but local, state, and legal opposition has successfully stopped or slowed 13 such projects. We know that Americans absolutely do not want to be a nation that warehouses humans, anywhere. Ever.  So tell our Members of Congress to publicly oppose new warehouse-style camps and any public spending to build, renovate, or operate such facilities.

Here are the contacts to call and write:

Sen. McCormick – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; email link

Sen. Fetterman – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. 202-224-4254; email link

For outside PA:  Find your senators’ phone numbers and emails at this link.

Rep. Evans – D.C. 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link

Rep. Boyle – D.C. office 202-225-6111; Phila office 215-335-3355; email link

Rep. Scanlon -- D.C. office 202-225-2011; Chester office (610) 626-2020; email link

Outside Philadelphia?  Find your Representative here.

JOIN OUR NEW CAMPAIGN AGANST CITIZENS BANK

Before you sign up to go to this Saturday's Citizens bank protests, below, we want to tell you about a new campaign we are starting to directly tell Citizens to stop funding GEO Group and Core Civic, the two biggest private detention camp contractors.  

These two companies make millions of our taxpayer dollars while they harm the people in their facilities - by withholding necessary medical care, illegally putting people in solitary confinement, and using other inhumane conditions.  Which is why we are protesting Citizens, a major funder of these companies. We've been telling people about what they are doing so they can help De-ICE Citizens.  Now we will be contacting Citizens leadership directly in no uncertain terms!  Sign up here!

Election day is May 19.  Make sure you're ready!

You can check all the details for the election in last Friday's newsletter here.  Below are a few highlights. 

The deadline to register to vote is May 4. You can register online at this link.  

If you're not sure about your voter registration status, use this link to find out. 

The deadline to apply for a Mail-In Ballot is May 12.  But don't wait until then - do it now!  You can apply for a mail ballot online, in person at a county election office (or satellite election office if a county has them), or through the mail. 

For online applications, the Pennsylvania Department of State has a full list of the approved forms of identification here.

If you have an emergency and miss the deadline, you may still be able to request an emergency application for an absentee ballot.

Your mail-in ballot must be received at the election office by 8:00 pm on election day.  Otherwise drop it in one of the many Philadelphia Satellite Election Offices and drop boxes.  

Make sure your mail-in ballot is counted!  Check instructions in this good explainer with lots of details about mail-in ballots at the PA Department of State website.  

You can vote in person by mail ballot before election day!  Once ballots have been distributed, you can apply for a mail-in ballot at your election board office before the deadline.  The office will hand you a ballot and you simply vote the ballot and drop it in the voting box there.

You can track your mail-in ballot at this ballot tracker.

Find the Satellite Election Offices here and the locations of all of the drop boxes here.  

You can see answers to a lot more questions for college student voting at this link.  

HERE'S HOW TO HELP MAKE OUR ELECTIONS SAFE

You can be a poll worker.  You can sign up to work at a polling place on election day to help make sure the voting runs smoothly.  Check out all the details here.

You can be a Poll Observer and work half a day at a polling place. This is a partisan position and you sign up for the Poll Observer program run by the PA Democrats by signing up for a training here:  Primary Election Day Poll Observer Training  

You can be a Designated Agent.  This is one of the most rewarding efforts you can do - you'll actually be helping get out a vote that otherwise wouldn't be counted!  Here's more info.  You can sign up for a required training to learn more.

PHONE BANK TO PROVIDE VOTING SUPPORT!

Turn Pa Blue and Promote the Vote are calling voters every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm ET to correct misinformation and offer voting support ahead of the May 19th Primary election.  Sign up hereThey provide training and support during every Zoom phone bank.  Sign up here

MORE VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES!

You can register voters and get them ready for this year's elections.  Join us and we'll give you a short training first and all the materials you need.  

Philly AIDS Thrift

Where: 710 South 5th Street

When:  Saturday, May 2, Noon to 4:00 pm (two shifts)

Sign up here.

MAY DAY RALLY!

Join us with our local unions at City Hall on May Day this Friday at 4:00 pm to say Workers Over Billionaires!  Sign up here!

Besides hearing from speakers, the plan is for folks at the rally to ratify their Working People's Vision for Philadelphia.  And as you can see above, if you're in Mt. Airy, you can come with a group from there.  

When you're at the rally you can bring signs to say thank you unions: for our 40 hour work week, no child labor, etc.  Sign up with us here.

NO WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING.

NO BUSINESS AS USUAL.

This is another part of the May Day effort.  It's about flexing our economic power on May 1, sending a message to Trump and his oligarch enablers: We refuse to do business as usual as you trample our rights, terrorize our communities, and conduct your war. The goals is to be a day of mass refusal to engage with the American economic engine.  

Part of this effort is the rally noted above.  Of course, not everyone will be able to refuse work, school, or spending entirely, but it's vital that each of us does whatever we can do to show the regime that we don't just have numbers -- we have economic leverage. Let's show it!

Next Citizens Bank Protests

Citizens Bank has long financed private prison and detention facility companies even though there have been years of allegations of forced labor, healthcare neglect, and other abuses. Citizens is a lender to companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group, which have caused widespread, documented harm to people in their facilities.

Here in Pennsylvania, GEO operates the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the largest ICE detention facility in the Northeast. When people in our communities are abducted by ICE, they are usually taken to Moshannon.

We will protest peacefully with signs on the sidewalk outside the branch and ww'll have handouts for passersby, to tell them about Citizens' support of abusive detention facilities.

Two protests in Philadelphia on May 2nd - 

Center City Citizens Bank Branch

Where:  1515 Market Street

When:  Saturday, May 2, 11:00 - Noon

Sign up here.

Chestnut Hill Citizens Bank

Where:  Corner of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike

When:  May 2, 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Sign up here.

MAKE CALLS TO SHUT DOWN MOSHANNON

Unlike many detention camps, ICE contracts for Moshannon with Clearfield County. ICE pays Clearfield County nearly $3 million a month plus a daily rate per person held. The county has hired GEO Group to run the facility.  Now, about 100 detainees have gone a hunger strike to protest against the contaminated food, inadequate medical care, and other conditions. 

We are targeting the Clearfield County Commissioners and demanding they end their contract with ICE.  We're making phone calls to folks in Clearfield County and asking them, as constituents, to contact the Commissioners with that message.  With your calls you'll be helping shut down Moshannon! 

The phone bank will link you to registered Democrats in Clearfield county and a script. Just use this link and follow the prompts. If you run into and problems or questions, just ask in the comments or send Kali a message.

JOIN OUR DETENTION CAMP LABOR PROJECT

Write Some Letters!

Join the 800 others who are writing two letters a week in our new Detention Camp Labor program!  You can join the team too and write two or three letters a week to the companies we are focusing on. Sign up here and we'll give you all the information you need!  Check out the project's background at this link.

MORE PROTESTS YOU CAN JOIN

1.  Springfield protest - Every Saturday, 1:00 - 2:00 at the intersection of Baltimore Pike and PA Route 320.  Bring your signs on your favorite topic!  

2. Tesla Takedown Protest - Every Saturday - 11:00 - Noon

Tesla Takedown Devon - At the Tesla showroom, 470 Lancaster Ave, Devon, PA 

3. Every Friday -- 11:15 am - Join Fridays@Fetterman's for the weekly Friday vigil for peace in Gaza/Palestine outside of Senator John Fetterman's office at 200 Chestnut Street from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm. Register here  

4.  Fitz Friday - 5:00 - 6:00 pm -- Protest at Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick's office at One Summit Square, Langhorne, PA. Bring signs about whatever you want. There's a lot to complain about!

5. NEW/OLD TIME, LOCATION: Every Wednesday  4:00 - 5:00 pm -- Join this resistance group at #WeThePeopleWednesdays for Singing for Sanity at High Point Cafe at Allens Lane.  More information is here.

6.  Every Thursday, 4:30 - 6:00 pm.  Join your Northern Liberties neighbors in peaceful protest at the corner of 2nd and Spring Garden Streets. Bring signs or borrow ours! 

7.  Every Wednesday at noon - Outside the Philadelphia ICE Office, 114 N. 8th Street.   Sponsored by New Sanctuary Movement.  This is a 40-week series of Interfaith Prayer Vigils.  

8. Every Monday at Noon - Monday at McCormick's -- Join our friends at Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW for Monday's at McCormick's, in front of Senator McCormick's office at 20th and Market Streets.

9 - 11.  Vigils outside the ICE office at 114 North 8th Street: 

• Every Monday at 11:00 AM - Sponsored by State Senator Art Haywood and led by local clergy.

• Every Wednesday at noon -  Sponsored by New Sanctuary Movement.  This is a 40-week series of Interfaith Prayer Vigils. 

• Every Friday at 3:00 - Join this vigil

11. Are you outside the Philadelphia area?  You can see all the protests planned by Indivisibles in your area at this link. 

And A Few More Things:

We can send you our No Kings t-shirt!  For the short sleeve shirt, make a donation of $35 and then sign up for your color choice.  Or, for the long sleeve shirt, make a donation of $45 and then sign up for your choice.  Your shirt will be mailed directly to you. 

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