Tell Them To Rein In ICE

Happy Friday, Activists!

We hope you've been maintaining sanity this week.  We know we need to keep up the fight but please remember to step away from the news from time to time to restore your energy and equilibrium.  I'll tell you, I went to Nashville over the holidays to visit kids and grandkids.  We watched a LOT of football and just hung out and visited.  I came back a new person.  Even some version of a few hours away helps so much and I hope you can find it every so often. 

If you'd like to send help to Minneapolis to places doing good work to support their community, you can go to this link to donate.  The group was vetted by Indivisibles on the ground out there and it has many options for where you want your donation to go.  Their advice is to prioritize schools, as they have become big targets and are trying to find funds to feed kids who can’t risk coming in.  Thank you. 

And with that, here we go!  You can also see our other Calls To Action from Tuesday's newsletter at this link.

CALLS TO ACTION

After watching what ICE is doing in our area and around the country, particularly now in Minneapolis, we're sick of their terror tactics. Fortunately, we have a moment now to flex some power because of the funding bill coming up by the end of the month.  

1.  Dems have an opportunity to pull finding from ICE and CBP through No votes on a bill coming up to fund Homeland Security.  We need to call our senators and House members and demand they refuse to vote for ICE funding unless the bill strengthens restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol’s ability to violate the law, use terror tactics, and march into our cities causing chaos. Contact info below.

2.  Indivisible has a phone bank next Wednesday to call voters in key states and encourage them to call their Senators to demand they rein in ICE's terror tactics. 

When: Wednesday, January 21st at 1:00 ET.

Sign up here.

3.  We need to call governor Shapiro and tell him to use his executive power to stop state collaboration with ICE.  Specifically, this means ending ICE access to state databases; strengthening state troopers’ ICE policy; ending collaboration between the state Department of Corrections and ICE; prohibiting immigration enforcement arrests in state facilities; and never leasing a state facility to ICE.

Call: (717) 787-2500Text: (717) 788-8990Email: Danafritz@pa.gov (Chief of staff)Here's a sample script: “Governor Shapiro, as a resident of Pennsylvania, I am calling on you to end state collaboration with ICE. Now is the time to use the full extent of your power to take administrative action so we can keep our neighbors, friends and loved ones in their community where they belong.  We need our Governor to stand up for immigrant communities."

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.

TOMORROW - PROTEST MILITARY ACTION IN VENEZUELA

Our friends at Peace, Justice, Sustainability Now will hold two actions tomorrow to demand our military leaves Venezuela.  They are below:

Protest at 2:00 at City Hall -  Here is all the information

Vigil at 5:00 at the Lightening Bolt sculpture at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge, 6th and Race Streets -- Here is all the information

JOIN SENATOR HAYWOOD ON

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE

We have another opportunity for you to show solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and remember Renee Good and her horrible killing at the hands of a federal goon squad.  We hope you'll join.

ICE WALK and VIGIL on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 19th.

Sen. Art Haywood and interfaith clergy are planning a larger ICE vigil and walk on this important day. It pays homage to Dr. King's admonition that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Prayer and singing at the Immigration Court, 900 Market Street promptly at 11 AM. 11:30- walk to the ICE Office -- about 4 blocks away, 114 N. 8th Street. Philadelphia.

NOT SURE WHAT A COMMITTEE PERSON DOES?

LEARN ALL ABOUT IT AT THIS TRAINING!

Have you ever wondered what a Committee Person does?  Or how to become one?  Or whether it's right for you?  Or maybe you've always wanted to be a Committee Person.  Now, here's your chance to learn, so you can decide if you would want to do it.

We're holding a training for how to run for Democratic Committee Person this year.  Yes, Committee People appear on the ballot and are elected every four years; and this is the year!  Come and find out all about it and then decide if it's right for you.

When:  Thursday, January 22nd, 7:30

Where:  Zoom

Sign up here.

PROTEST CITIZENS BANK

We have exciting news!  Next Saturday will be a huge regional protest as a coalition of several states with Citizens branches all protest on the same day!  We'll give you more details next week but so far we have Indivisibles in five other states participating. 

Citizens Bank has long financed private prison and detention facility companies even though there have been years of evidence 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.

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.

Next Saturday we'll protest at the two branches listed below.  We'll have handouts for you to give people walking by and you can bring your signs! 

When:  Saturday, January 24th, 10:30AM 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

 "UNMASK ICE" BILL

Two bills filed in the PA House and Senate to unmask ICE (HB 1880 AND SB 1071) are making their way through the legislature. Both bills have been referred to the judiciary committees of their their respective chambers, but neither has been considered for a vote. 

To get a vote in the House, we need Committee Chairman Rep. Tim Briggs (D. Montco) to call the bill up in Committee. He's the only one who can move it forward at this point, and it makes sense to contact his office and the Judiciary Committee to encourage them to call up a vote or even host a non-voting hearing for the bill.

The gatekeeper in the Senate is Republican Chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lisa Baker.  We can tell her she needs to move the bill forward for consideration and debate. 

Call Rep. Tim Briggs at (610) 768-3135

Call Senator Lisa Baker at (717) 787-7428

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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