Say No To Extra ICE Funding

Happy Friday, Activists!

I imagine you're getting ready for the cold weather this weekend.  Stay safe and warm out there! 

You can check out more calls to action from Tuesday's newsletter at this link.  And check out our special new project that we launched yesterday at this link. 

TODAY - SUPPORT MINNEAPOLIS

You can go to a protest at City Hall today at 5:30 to be part of an ICE Out protest to show solidarity with Minneapolis.  Several groups are participating.

ALSO, if you can, you can send help for Minneapolis to organizations doing good work to support their community.  You can go to this link to find all kinds of support groups.  (This link works.) Thank you. 

CALLS TO ACTION - NO MORE MONEY FOR ICE!

ICE continues its terror tactics. Fortunately, we have a moment now to flex some power because of the funding bill coming up for a Senate vote soon - IF Democrats stay strong.  

1.  Keep at it - Senate Dems have an opportunity to pull their funding through NO votes on a bill coming up to fund Homeland Security.  Not surprisingly, a bunch of House Dems caved and voted for the bill.  It's coming up for a vote in the Senate soon, so we need to call our senators and demand they refuse to vote for more ICE funding. 

Congress could end Border Patrol deployments to our cities; restrict ICE and Border Patrol’s dragnet operations, racial profiling, and mass surveillance; and prevent these agencies from stealing funds from other programs to run their mass deportation machine. All of these provisions would have real impact on the ground, but none of them were included in this bill. 

Call our senators and demand they vote NO on the DHS funding bill until these provisions are included.

2.  Remember Epstein? 🤔  It's been six weeks since the deadline required by law for the Department of Justice to produce all of the Epstein files by December 19.  Let's remind our electeds that we have not forgotten and they need to push to force the regime to follow the law and produce them.  We can't forget about this just because of their other distractions. 

Here are the contacts to call and write:

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.

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.

PROTEST CITIZENS BANK

We have exciting news!  TOMORROW there will be a huge regional protest as a coalition of several states with Citizens branches all protest on the same day!  At least 40 groups in 8 states and D.C will protest at their local Citizens Bank branches.  It's Pennsylvania Indivisibles and more from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island - so far.  We are bringing more states on board to swing into action for the next one!  This is exciting, because we'll get national media attention to put Citizens on notice more broadly.  Also, we will start writing letters to their national and regional offices soon too.

BACKGROUND:  Citizens Bank has long financed private prison and detention facility companies like GEO Group and Core Civic, even though there have been years of evidence of forced labor, healthcare neglect, and other abuses in their facilities.

In Pennsylvania, GEO operates the cruel and inhumane Moshannon Valley Processing Center, one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the Northeast.  It is where most of our neighbors are taken after ICE abducts them off the street.

Join us this Saturday at one of the two locations below!

PLEASE NOTE: Given the cold weather, we are starting a little later with only half an hour protest.  Dress warmly!  

When:  Saturday, January 24th, 11:00AM to 11:30AM

Where: Two locations for you to choose from - 

1515 Market Street - Sign up here

900 South Street (near Whole Foods) - Sign up here

JOIN OUR LEAFLET PHILLY TEAM!

You don't want to miss this!  Join this exciting team and hang door hangers once a month. It's easy and effective!  

Here's how it works. You'll receive 100 door hangers to hang on door knobs up and down the block. We'll give you the specific blocks near your home for you to go to. 

We're currently dropping 54,000 door hangers around the city right now - that's 10% of the city's reachable doors!  We're reminding people that those higher food prices for their holiday meals are not in their imagination - plus who is causing it and who to call about it.  

WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We have a lot to talk about!

Join this fantastic team and learn the best techniques for getting your views published.  Three more of our LTE writers just had their letters published.  Congratulations to Karel, Gary and Tom! 

We'll give you topical ideas and tips to effectively send your thoughts to folks willing to consider another point of view.  The team is getting so many letters published!

Even if you're just not sure if you want to join, you can sign up and find out more to make your decision.  Sign up here.  

Or just get answers to your questions by emailing us here. 

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 - 4:00 - 5:00 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. Every Wednesday 5:30 - 6:30 pm -- Join this resistance group at #WeThePeopleWednesdays for Singing for Sanity at Unitarian Universalist Church, 6900 Stenton Avenue.  More information is here.

6.  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.  

7. 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.

8.  Every Monday at 11:00 AM - Vigil outside the ICE office, 114 North 8th Street, Phila. sponsored by State Senator Art Haywood and led by local clergy.

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

And One More Thing:

We can send you our No Kings t-shirt!  First, make a donation of $35 . Then, check out the t-shirts, sign up for your choice and we'll send it to you to wear any time! 

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