Actions Previous 2025

Previous Actions from 2025

For the Week of Feb 10, 2025

šŸ”· Welcome to all of our new subscribers! Weā€™re happy youā€™re here, and hope to connect with you in a meaningful way, but, as all Indivisible Leaders around the country are finding with a surge in interest, weā€™re a bit under-water at the moment! In the meantime, for those of you who are brand new to Indivisible, please check out this recent newsletter action as an introduction to who we are and what we do. (Note – all previous actions are available on our website.) Also see Action 1 for recommendations for how to be ā€œin the knowā€ in a fast-changing landscape.

šŸ”· Indivisibles have been Active!

  • Indivisible Eastside members joined Seattle, Wallingford and Vashon Indivisibles on four separate visits to Senators Cantwell and Murrayā€™s office last week. See Action 2 below.
  • Over two sessions 24 volunteers made over 120 gorgeous valentines to distribute to 6 care homes on the Eastside. We asked the staff to choose residents who may get few visitors or calls. Beyond the act of sharing joy to our neighbors, we had a chance to relax, get to know one another and eat cookies.
  • On short notice in response to the alarming actions by Musk and his DOGE bros, Sally F organized two protests. Alphabet Resistance on the overpass and a street level protest near Crossroads.
  • Thanks to generous monetary donations from our members, a group of us were able to feed over 100 houseless men on Sunday Feb 2nd. A salmon dinner was a real treat, and as we watched the snow falling outside the dinner area windows one gentleman thanked us deeply by saying it felt like Christmas. PorchLight Men’s Shelter feeds and shelters over 100 men three meals a day 7 days a week. Donate to them directly HERE, and if you would like to help with a future dinner email us and we will see if we can put something together. We also want to thank volunteer extraordinaire, Sally F, for taking the lead on this effort. The Steering Committee can only do so much on our own, so we rely on members like Sally to lead in doing the good work.

If you want to lead an act of resistance, or community enriching event, give us some notice and we can help spread the word to get more folks involved.

šŸ”· Four important upcoming Online Indivisible Events:

šŸ”· You are invited to join Indivisible Eastside on Zoom Sunday February 16th. New members, please join at 2:30 so we can get to know each other. We have a full agenda from 3:00-4:30. Our featured speaker, Mark Manuel, has over 20 years experience in diversity, equity, and belonging and is currently serving as a manager in this field for county government. With the Trump Administrationā€™s all-out war on DEI, Mark will help us all be better equipped to understand and defend the concept and practice in our communities. Weā€™ll also share a little about whatā€™s happening in the 2025 WA Legislative session.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Be the activist you want to see in the world!

During these dizzying times, many of you are reaching out to Indivisible Eastside Steering to help you figure out how you can best become active. We want to be that resource for you, but as we work hard to welcome new members, we hope youā€™ll take it upon yourselves to get up to speed via excellent resources Steering members use to stay informed and write this newsletter. We know it takes time, but our democracy is worth it.

Indivisible has evolved and grown from a couple of former congressional staffers drawing from their experience of responding to GOP tactics, to its current form – an incredible resource for Indivisible chapter leaders AND individual activists. Signing up directly to receive explainers and actions in between our Weekly Actions is the best way to understand Indivisibleā€™s focus, goals, strategies, and tactics.

Suzi and Eric LeVineā€™s Newsletters. Many on the Steering Committee look forward to receiving this amazing newsletter. Below are recent ones we highly recommend. FYI, FFOTUS = First Felon Of The United States. Some of the actions are now out of date, but if you subscribe, youā€™ll be in the know right away.

The Ezra Klein Show Podcast – interviews with smart people – not always liberals. The Breaking of the Constitutional Order and Donā€™t Believe Him will help you understand where we are at this moment.

A note about Protests and Rallies: Weā€™ve received quite a few requests via email and Facebook for Indivisible Eastside to host a protest. We have done so in the past, and likely will need to do so in the future. Rallies and protests have high visibility, but in order for them to be effective they should be part of an overall strategy to achieve a goal. Until we have a clear understanding of how a protest will fit into an Indivisible Strategy, weā€™ll put our energies towards more effective actions locally and nationally. If direct action energizes you, Mobilize is a great resource for finding them, and if enough advanced notice is given, weā€™ll alert you via the newsletter when possible. If youā€™d like to be part of a team ready to spring into action in the event we need to host a protest, email us and weā€™ll help you re-form the Indivisible Eastside Rally group.

Thank you for being engaged and active!

āœŠ Action 2 – Thank Senator Patty Murray for her part in strongly opposing Vought

This is an update on last weekā€™s action Tell our Senators that we expect them to stand up to Trumpā€™s power grab.

Many Indivisible Eastside members joined Seattle Indivisible and Wallingford Indivisible on four separate visits to Senators Cantwell and Murrayā€™s offices last week. Our own Hanna F can be seen in an image shown on Rachel Maddowā€™s show Tues. Louise, Wendy, and others were in a meeting room with about 125 other activists telling senate staffers exactly how we expect the Senators to be reacting to the illegal and harmful actions of the Trump Administration. These events popped up quickly and were shared in our Facebook Group. If you want to hear of future such actions in time to participate, look on Mobilize.

On Wednesday, Senator Murray joined 30+ other Democrats to stay on the floor through the night to speak out against Project 2025 architect Russell Voughtā€™s nomination to run the Office of Management and Budget.

This kind of public opposition is exactly what we need to see from every Democrat and exactly what we were demanding. When Democrats fight, it builds momentum and sets the standard for the rest of Dems across the board as well as making it clear to Republicans that we will NOT simply sit back and watch. As Senator Warren said, ā€œIā€™m not laying down and playing dead, and I hope nobody else does either.ā€

Positive reinforcement is crucialā€”while pushing them to do better is necessary, acknowledging and thanking them when they take the right stand is just as important! Now, consider taking 2 actions:

  1. Thank Senator Patty Murray publicly! A simple Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram post or tweet can go a long way. Here is a thank-you graphic you can use, and of course be sure to tag the Senator so she’ll see it. (@pattymurray.bsky.social, @senatorpattymurray, @senpattymurray, @PattyMurray)
  2. Call her office! Encouraging her to keep up the fight by calling her office and making it clear that her leadership matters and that she should maintain this direction. Staffers really appreciate hearing from you!

Suggested Script – please personalize especially if this affects you or your family:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent living in [CITY], Washington. Thank you, Senator Murray, for taking important visible action to oppose corrupt and dangerous agency nominees, and to highlight the illegal and harmful acts taken by the Trump administration. I appreciate your participation in holding the Senate floor through the night in opposition to the confirmation of Russel Vought to head the OMB.

I look forward to seeing you keep applying sustained pressure in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you,

[NAME]

ā›… Bright Spots

North Carolina Judge Rejects GOP State Supreme Court Candidateā€™s Bid To Throw Out 60K Ballots

A Wake County Superior Court judge rejected a bid by GOP North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin to overturn his 2024 election loss to incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs by disqualifying over 60,000 lawfully cast ballots.

US judge temporarily blocks Musk’s DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan issued the order, after a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 19 U.S. states filed a lawsuit arguing that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has no legal power to access the U.S. Department of Treasury systems.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.
  • Mobilize – Actions in the Seattle area – use filters to narrow the type of activity youā€™re interested in.

Resources:

For the Week of Feb 3, 2025

šŸ”· Welcome to all of our new subscribers. For those of you who are brand new to Indivisible, please check out this recent newsletter action as an introduction to who we are and what we do. (Note – all previous actions are available on our website.)

šŸ”· 18 craftivists gathered to make Valentines for care home residents on Fri Jan 31. We had such a nice time, weā€™re going to gather again Friday Feb 7, 12:30-3:00 pm in Redmond. Sign up HERE using access code ā€˜valentineā€™ and join us!

šŸ”· Join WIN and Indivisible Co-executive directors on Feb 10th, 7 pm on Zoom.

Washington Indivisible Network is excited to announce that Leah Greenberg or Ezra Levin (weā€™ll know which one closer to that night) will join Indivisibles in Washington for a special conversation.

This will be a moderated conversation focused on what the Blueprint for Blue States Strategy means for our work in Washington state. Since we will have limited time with our guest, we ask that you send us your questions in advance via the registration form or email us at washindivisible@gmail.com. Familiarity with the Blueprint for Blue States Strategy is recommended.

šŸ”· Black History Month will take place from February 1ā€“28, whether Trump likes it or not. The City of Bellevue will present Voices Unbounded, an art exhibit featuring the work of 21 Pacific Northwest Black artists. The exhibit will be presented at City Hall in February and March. The community is invited to an opening reception for the exhibit on Wednesday, Feb 5, 6-8 pm, at City Hall, 450 110th Ave NE. Registration is required. Please support all Black History Month events that you are able to.

šŸ”· Naren Briar was our wonderful guest speaker at our last group meeting. Please join her for a lecture titled Syria Unraveled on Sun Feb 9 at 11 am, at Redmond Library, 15990 NE 85th St. Please register to attend.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Tell our Senators that we expect them to stand up to Trumpā€™s power grab

From Indivisible National

Last week the new administration set the tone for Trumpā€™s reign by issuing an executive order that froze billions in federal funding that had been authorized by Congress. The chaotic rollout of the policy led to the rescinding of the memo and panicked finger pointing within the administration once the scope of it was publicised. But the fight isnā€™t over. The White House still intends to enforce Trumpā€™s unconstitutional executive orders and withhold funds for critical programs.

This isnā€™t a moment for half-measures or political games. Democracy is at stake, and Senate Democrats must respond as if the Constitution is on the lineā€”because it is. We must demand that Senate Democrats put up every barrier they can to his plans. There are tactics that they can – and must – use to slow down and maybe even halt procedures on upcoming measures. No Democrat should be voting for Trump nominees for any office or supporting legislation that advances his agenda. There have been a few hopeful signs but not nearly enough indications that they understand that they are the party of opposition.

They must use every procedural toolā€”quorum calls, endless amendments, and withholding consentā€”to grind Senate business to a halt. No votes, no deals, no cooperation until Trump stops threatening to cut funding levels established by Congress (which has the Constitutional mandate to control funding). Specifically, they must:

  • Commit to oppose all nominees until Trump stops threatening to cut funding levels established by Congress.
  • Reject every request for Unanimous Consent to advance Senate business.
  • Vote NO on all Cloture votes, Motions to Proceed, or any other procedural vote.
  • Request Quorum Calls at every possible opportunity to slow things down.
  • Refuse to Negotiate. Trump is using federal programs as hostages in a power grab. Democrats must refuse to engage in any funding or debt ceiling negotiations while this freeze remains in place.
  • Sound the Alarm. Every senator must become a megaphone for whatā€™s at stake. Go on TV, hold town halls, and flood social media with the stories of families who will lose food, homes, and healthcare because of Trumpā€™s chaos.
  • Back Legal Challenges. Support every lawsuit challenging threats to funding. File amicus briefs, amplify cases, and make it clear this isnā€™t just morally wrongā€”itā€™s illegal.

Senator Cantwell voted to confirm Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary, Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary, and Doug Burgum as Interior Secretary just last week. Senator Patty Murrayā€™s record is better but not perfect, and she has been outspoken in her criticism of recent events in her leadership capacity.

Please ask our Senators to use every tool at their disposal to place obstacles in the way of Trumpā€™s schemes to defund public programs in order to pay for tax cuts for himself and his cronies.

ā˜Ž Sample Script: (You can add a comment to Sen.Cantwell expressing your disappointment in her many votes to confirm Trumpā€™s nominees and also a note to Sen. Patty Murray to thank her for her outspoken condemnation of Trumpā€™s policies.)

Hello,

My name is [NAME] from [CITY], WA, and I am a constituent. I am asking that you use all procedures available to you as a Senator to block the Trump administrationā€™s efforts to cut funding to programs that impact the lives of millions of Americans, as well as opposing all of his nominations for all positions that you are able to vote on.

This includes:

  • Rejecting every request for Unanimous Consent to advance Senate business
  • Voting NO on all Cloture votes, Motions to Proceed, or any other procedural votes
  • Requesting Quorum Calls at every possible opportunity to slow things down
  • Refusing to negotiate

Please be vocal in your opposition so that your constituents know that you are on their side. This is not the time for concerns about following ā€˜regular orderā€™ as there is nothing regular about our current situation. Democrats are the party of opposition and should act accordingly.

Thank you.

[NAME]

IF CALLING/LEAVING A VOICEMAIL PLEASE:

  • Leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied
  • Request a written response
  • Ask for the name of the staffer (for follow up)
  • Be polite!

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Support immigrants under threat

One of the communities most threatened by the new administration is our immigrant community. They have been in the front lines of the attacks on civil liberties and it will only worsen as the focus of the attacks broaden. In our state one of the primary organizations supporting immigrants is the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN).

WAISN was born in response to the results of the 2016 presidential election, and have spent every moment since then building a statewide network of solidarity, support, and advocacy to protect and uplift immigrant communities.

In their words, ā€œThis moment calls us to remember: WAISN was made for this moment. Weā€™ve been here before, we survived, and we will continue to thrive long after Trump has left office. Let us remember that hope is an act of resistance.ā€

Please support this important organization. Here are some ways you can take action right now:

  • Join a Rapid Response Team in your county.

    Join this workshop to learn more about existing rapid response networks that support communities, build pressure to stop detention and deportation, and ultimately keep families together.

    Rapid Response Training dates:

    • Wed Feb 5, 6-8 pm. Register to attend.
    • Sat Mar 29, 12-2 pm. Register to attend.
  • Learn about Accompaniment.

    Join WAISN for a two-part Accompaniment Training Series, where we equip volunteers with the tools to provide critical support to immigrant community members. This training will prepare you to accompany individuals to immigration hearings, bond hearings, court appointments, and USCIS check-ins, offering a supportive presence in often challenging and confusing environments.

    Accompaniment Training dates:

    • Feb 12 (Part I) and Feb 19 (Part 2), 6-8 pm. Register to attend
  • Make a recurring gift to support their advocacy work. They can accept donations from digital wallets (ApplePay, Google Pay, etc.) and ACH (Bank transfers).
  • Share the Stronger Together: Toolkit for Collective Action with your community and networks: This toolkit is here to help us come together, rally resources, and build solidarity to drive real action for immigrant justice. Itā€™s packed with ways to support, connect with, and sustain the incredible work happening across our network. Together, we can ensure no one is left behind and that every part of our movement has what it needs to thrive.

ā›… Bright Spots

  • A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked federal prison officials from transferring a transgender woman to a men’s facility and denying her access to gender-affirming care in accordance with an executive order issued by Trump.
  • Democrats have flipped an Iowa state Senate seat in a district that overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in November.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • Sun Feb 16, 3-4:30 pm – IE Group Meeting – Virtual – come at 2:30 pm to chat or share thoughts. Register to attend.
  • Thur Feb 20, 7-8 pm – IE Open Steering Meeting – Join Indivisible Eastside steering online, hear what we’re working on, share what you’re working on.

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

Resources:

For the Week of Jan 27, 2025

šŸ”· Welcome to all our new subscribers. Weā€™re happy youā€™re here!

šŸ”· Community is the antidote to despair. Our social gathering to make Valentines for care home residents is coming up! Join us on Friday Jan 31 (10:30-12:30) in Kirkland for this fun activity where we hope to meet new and old members for socializing and service. Register to join using the access code ā€˜valentineā€™. Email hello@indivisibleeastside.com to help organize.

šŸ”· Support local businesses that align with your values and provide a boost to queer-owned Eastside businesses by using this directory of providers and performers, shared with us by local advocacy group Pride Across the Bridge.

šŸ”· Are you concerned about the threats to our public schools by the new administration? Join an online training series by Heal Together called Solidarity 2025 to learn how to protect our schools. The six 90-minute training sessions start on Jan 29 (4-5:30 pm PT) and are always on a Wednesday. Attendance at previous sessions is not required to join a session. Register to attend.

šŸ”· Naren Briar was our guest speaker at our last group meeting. There was interest at the meeting in further discussion on Syria so Naren will be giving a lecture titled Syria Unraveled on Sun Feb 9 at 11 am, at Redmond Library. Please register to attend.

šŸ”· Be sure to check out the calendar at the bottom of this newsletter. Lots of new and interesting events are coming up!

Here are your 2 actions and a Bright Spot.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Take a breath and make a plan

From Indivisible.org

For the past week weā€™ve seen a campaign of ā€œshock and aweā€ — a blitz of executive orders and policy pronouncements meant to divide and overwhelm us. The next few months are going to be exhausting. Weā€™re going to suffer some temporary losses on issues we care about. Itā€™s important to remember that this is a tactic to make us feel powerless and paralyzed and is textbook authoritarian behaviour, as described by Timothy Snyder in his book ā€˜On Tyranny.ā€™

We must all commit to finding ways to manage the stress that this tactic produces in order to be able stay in the fight for the long haul. Weā€™ve been here before and we know that we need to be resilient in order to mitigate the worst of what is to come. Some ways that we and others have found helpful in dealing with the onslaught are:

  • Refine your list of news sources and limit your intake to a few trusted outlets a few times a day. Check out and support independent journalists and others that focus on providing clear information and analysis. Some good suggestions are Democracy Docket, Public Notice, The Contrarian, Bolts, The.Ink, Talking Points Memo and of course Heather Cox Richardson. Not all of these require a subscription – many are available as emails and on social media.
  • If youā€™re overwhelmed by the breadth of the damage being done, choose one or two areas to follow in depth (e.g. immigration, climate, education) and find relevant organizations to contribute your time or money to.
  • Be prepared to take breaks. The adage that itā€™s a marathon, not a sprint, still holds true but you can also think of it as a relay, or a choir where members hand off to each other from time to time.
  • Remember to have some fun every now and then – joy is resistance! Listen to music instead of a politics podcast or a news show, read some great fiction instead of more dire articles, take a walk – it will all still be there for you to come back to if you need to.
  • Be thoughtful in your use of social media. Block or mute people who annoy you – you really donā€™t need to know their every thought. Delete apps from your phone so you have to make an effort to check them on a desktop.
  • Take actions often! Use this newsletter and TAN for targeted and local actions, which is particularly important for local issues, where we can have a big impact. Other resources are 5calls.org, Chop Wood, Carry Water, and Indivisible National.

So as we endure this shock and awe campaign letā€™s remember, itā€™s not a sign of Trumpā€™s invincibility. Itā€™s a sign heā€™s at the height of his power now. He can make a lot of noise, cause a lot of damage, but soon heā€™s going to realize the constraints of his very narrow governing coalition and run up against rising backlash to his staggeringly harmful and massively corrupt policies.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Thank our Attorney General for leading the fight against the Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

Indivisible has always been about holding our elected officials accountable to their constituents. In this new era of growing authoritarianism it will be tempting for those in power to succumb to the fear of retribution and begin to ā€˜obey in advanceā€™. We have already seen this from the tech oligarchs and unfortunately also from some elected Democrats, most notably in the recent vote to pass the dangerous Laken Riley Act, where two of our Washington Representatives were among those who voted to pass it. (Indivisible members in their areas are definitely letting them know what they think of that!)

Per Indivisibleā€™s advice, in this climate it is also important to thank our elected officials when they do the right thing and to let them know that they have our support for their actions, because they will definitely be receiving criticism and worse. We are grateful that our new Attorney General, Nick Brown, working with several other states, was ready to hit the ground running with his lawsuit against President Donald Trumpā€™s unconstitutional attempt to deny birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants who will be born in the United States.

The Federal judge (appointed by Ronald Reagan) wasted no time in granting Washington Stateā€™s motion for a nationwide temporary restraining order. This will be a long hard fight and there are many other lawsuits being filed but in this instance we want to acknowledge the quick actions of our Attorney General. Please take a moment to contact him and thank him for taking this early and clear stand against this terrible executive order. Letā€™s let our elected officials know that we have their backs when they do the right thing.

ā˜Ž Sample Script (edit to personalize):

Hello,

My name is [NAME], from [CITY], WA. I would like to thank you for taking an early and clear stand against the Executive Order to ban birthright citizenship. I was proud to see our state helping to lead the fight for the rights of children born in the United States, rights that are clearly stated in the Constitution of our country.

Thank you.

[NAME]

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]

ā›… Bright Spots

  • Thank you to Bishop Mariann Budde for her stirring sermon at the National Prayer service after the inauguration, where she asked for mercy for immigrants and LGBTQ people who are in a state of fear since the election. We also applaud her bravery in standing her ground and refusing to apologize.
  • Thank you Costco shareholders for standing up to attempts to end their DEI programs!
  • Thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for commiting to provide funding to help cover the U.S. contribution to the U.N. climate body’s budget, filling a gap left by the new administration.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

Resources:

For the Week of Jan 20, 2025

šŸ”· Sharing from King County Democrats – ā€˜We hope that you have a meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, Monday, January 20th. We honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader as we celebrate the twentieth anniversary since renaming our county after him in 2005.

As a community we are inspired by his vision and strive to commit ourselves to bringing equality and justice for all. On this occasion, the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service, we urge everyone to make a commitment with action to breathe, live, and act with collective love and hope. Let us serve, support, and lift one another and our diverse communities.ā€™

šŸ”· As a result of your generosity at our Group Meeting on Jan. 11, we are thrilled to say that we delivered two carloads of donated items and over $800 in gift cards to The Sophia Way shelter in Bellevue last week. We are so appreciative of our membersā€™ generosity!

šŸ”· Thanks to the generous donations of our members, the Steering Committee has made a decision to donate $1,000 to the Safe Haven project of Eastside For All, which we talked about extensively at our meeting. It will go towards updating and translation costs for their resource guide for families at risk of detention and deportation. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this possible.

Here are your 2 actions and a Bright Spot.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Block Unqualified Cabinet Extremists

From Olympia Indivisible

Indivisible National is urging us to ask our Senators to block five of Trumpā€™s most dangerous cabinet nominees – ASAP.

While Trump has nominated 54 individuals, weā€™re focusing on five nominees whose appointments would have catastrophic consequences. These arenā€™t just bad picks ā€“ theyā€™re calculated moves to advance a MAGA agenda of extremism, disinformation, and dismantling democracy:

  • Kash Patel, FBI Director — A Trump loyalist with a history of undermining justice. Patelā€™s confirmation would politicize the FBI and weaponize it against political opponents.
  • Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense — A right-wing propagandist with no qualifications. His confirmation would endanger national security and push divisive ideological agendas.
  • Russell Vought, OMB Director — The architect of Project 2025, designed to dismantle federal programs and concentrate power. His confirmation would supercharge MAGA authoritarianism.
  • RFK Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services — A notorious anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist whose nomination would threaten public health and safety.
  • Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence — a Putin-apologist and Democrat-turned-Republican. Gabbard has no relevant experience, has amplified Russian propaganda, and shared content from state-run outlets like RT.

If confirmed, these nominees will shape everything from public health to national security. Stopping them is critical. The confirmation hearings (the first step in the process) have already begun. Please take this action today to send a message to our Senators about the importance of blocking these five candidates from taking office.

Suggested text for subject line if using email – Stop these five dangerous cabinet nominees!

ā˜Ž Sample Script: (Please feel free to personalize your message)

Hello, my name is [NAME] and Iā€™m a constituent. I live in [CITY], Washington, [ZIP]. I urge you to oppose five of Trumpā€™s most dangerous cabinet nominees. They are:

  1. Kash Patel for FBI Director
  2. Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense
  3. Russell Vought for OMB Director
  4. RFK Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services
  5. Tulsi Gabbard for Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Thank you!

[NAME]

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Get to know Indivisible Eastside and consider how to get involved

At the Jan 11 meeting we were hoping to devote more time to general discussion and answer questions that members may have had, especially as we had so many new attendees. (Welcome to those who came to the meeting and to new subscribers of this newsletter!) As we ran out of time to do that we want to take a little time here to fill that gap.

By way of a quick introduction (or re-introduction), we formed in January of 2017 in response to the 2016 election. The National organization had just started a month or so earlier and after we connected with their network the group grew rapidly. Eight years later, we are still here, ready to carry on the fight. Itā€™s not where we were all hoping to be for this inauguration but at least this time we have years of experience, great networks, contacts and resources, and a determination to do what we can to help those who will be adversely affected by the new administration.

As we say on our website, we are a SHARED RESOURCE on current governmental activities, critical legislative issues, marches, rallies, and group and individual actions and events. You can read more there about our Mission and how we implement it and our Principles. Please give it a read.

Indivisible Eastside is run by a Steering Committee of eight people. One of our main strategies is to produce well-researched actionable items for members to take, and communicate them by means of the weekly newsletter. This is produced by a team of three writers who share the work and is edited and processed by three other stalwart volunteers. As the newsletter comes out once a week there will be actions that donā€™t make it in there because of timing and capacity. There are many other resources such as our Indivisible National , 5 Calls, and our new favorite, the Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter, that you can use to take action more often.

One discussion that we wanted to have was around how members can participate in the group in meaningful ways and grow our scope of activities. Everyone on the Steering Committee has other projects, jobs, and commitments, and we donā€™t have the bandwidth to start new projects but will gladly facilitate efforts by members to engage in meaningful ways. We are still processing the index cards that you filled out at the meeting. Your input is appreciated and we will be following up soon. We are looking for ways for you to help our community become even more supportive and effective, and one way we can do that is by developing service projects. We anticipate that, with your help, there will be other ways that we can help members to solidify their interests into actions but we are going to start with a project that echoes several that we know of around the state.

ā¤ļø Volunteers Needed! Weā€™d like to host a social gathering to create beautiful Valentines to deliver to people in care facilities (following the example of our friends in Spokane Valley). This is a low key way to come together, connect with others, and do something small, but meaningful for those who may not receive mail very often. Weā€™ve reserved space in Kirkland Friday Jan. 31st (10:30-12:30) and need a few folks to help organize, as well as folks to show up at 10:30 to participate! We need volunteers to take on tasks such as gathering or purchasing supplies (IE will fund this), finding a care facility with residents who would enjoy a Valentine, organizing refreshments and music, delivering the cards, set up and clean up. This is a great chance to get involved and would help us out so much. Email hello@indivisibleeastside.com to volunteer to help organize! Fill out the Valentines Signup to attend (access code ā€˜valentineā€™).

We have also set up two recurring opportunities for members to talk to Steering, have your questions answered, and share ideas. We hope that new members in particular will find these helpful.

  • We meet weekly on Thursday evenings on Zoom at 7 pm. Once a month we are going to make the meeting open to members. Share what youā€™re up to, hear what weā€™re up to. The first open meeting will be on Thurs, Feb 20. Please register to attend.
  • We are going to open our next Group Meeting (Feb 16, Zoom) half an hour early so that anyone who wants to chat or share can join at 2:30 before the regular meeting starts at 3:00. Register once for the year to attend. We anticipate repeating this for all Zoom Group Meetings, which are bi-monthly.

We hope that you will be part of an ongoing conversation about how we can be effective as a group as our country faces a very difficult time. Please let us know your thoughts and share your ideas with us. You can contact us at hello@indivisibleeastside.com.

ā›… Bright Spot

On Jan 16 the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld rulings requiring private prison operator GEO Group to pay more than $23 million to the state of Washington and hundreds of immigrant detainees who were paid $1 a day to participate in a work program. This is the group that runs the Northwest ICE Detention Center in Tacoma that has been at the center of protests for several years for its widespread mistreatment of detainees.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

Resources:

For the Week of Jan 13, 2025

šŸ”· We had a wonderful birthday celebration on Saturday, heard about the upcoming legislative session, collected donations for Sophia Way, and listened to Naren Briarā€™s excellent presentation on immigration and refugees. Check out our notes and slides HERE. Thank you to everyone who donated!

šŸ”· Indivisible National founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin will be hosting weekly discussions every Thursday (1/16, 1/23, and 1/30) in January at noon PT. They will open with some reflections on news of the day, but mostly will be taking questions — which you can send ahead of time or ask live. Register and submit questions for 1/16 here, or find registration pages for the later “Bracing for impact” calls here.

šŸ”· Immigrant rights organizations are looking for volunteers to help with their Asylum Clinic on Monday, January 20th. In particular, Spanish, Lingala, French, or Portuguese interpreters are needed. They are planning to serve around 200 asylum seekers. To learn more or sign up to volunteer, contact IE Member Michelle Mentzer.

Here are your 2 actions and a Bright Spot.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Support LA Fire Relief

Our hearts go out to the people in California who have lost so much in the fires that have destroyed entire towns. There has been a lot of hateful rhetoric and misinformation being thrown around, but the reality is that climate change is causing these extreme weather events. Communications expert Antonia Scatton wrote about Framing the Fires to give us tips on how to handle the messaging.

Much of the news is focusing on Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the wealthier neighborhoods, however, Altadena has been devastated by the Eaton fire. Consider helping the families linked in the article to support this historically Black community.

Donate to help Californians in need:

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Get ready for 2025: Sign up for or refamiliarize yourself with Take Action Network to be part the Legislative Action team

Thank you to the 160 people across the state who filled out the Legislative Priorities Survey. Now itā€™s time to get ready to join Indivisible Eastside in lobbying our State Legislators on these issues in 2025. Thirty Washington Indivisible Legislative Action (WILA) Bill trackers from 9 Indivisible groups are working hard to choose strategic times to issue Calls to Action, and constituent action is KEY. The legislative session begins this week. Help us ensure that good bills move forward and bad bills get no oxygen by signing up for Take Action Network (TAN). If youā€™re a lapsed TAN user, view the two-part Introduction to TAN Videos to refamiliarize yourself, and take THIS Action to make sure TAN emails are not going to your SPAM folder.

Five features make taking action easy:

  1. Youā€™ll only be asked to email your reps or senator when they are in the position to vote on a particular bill.
  2. With one click, a pre-filled email will be created for you that you can quickly customize and send (see 3rd video).
  3. Youā€™ll see how many others around the state are taking each action, and when you click ā€œMarked as doneā€ youā€™ll encourage others to act by adding to that count. During the last legislative session, members reported using Take Action Network to take over 16,000 Actions!
  4. You can share these actions with others simply by copying the address from the browser address bar.
  5. You can create and save searches that will send an email only when a new action fitting that search is published. Interested in Tax Reform? Healthcare? Environment? Create a search (see 4th video)!

Because of the targeted approach built into TAN, most of the actions will NOT appear in the Indivisible Eastside Weekly Actions newsletter and will ONLY be available to those who have taken the step to sign up for TAN.

Are YOUR Legislators Hearing From YOU? If youā€™re not signed up, please see IEā€™s TAN website page for details on how to sign up and be part of making Washington better for all.

Are you an experiential learner? Indivisible Bellingham’s Kevin L will be hosting 1 hour TAN trainings starting January 7th. See dates and sign up at https://bit.ly/TAN-Training-Dates

ā›… Bright Spots

Last week Biden signed two memorandums to protect more than 600 million acres from offshore oil drilling. This included nearly 250 million acres of Pacific coastline that is the habitat for ā€œseals, sea lions, whales, fish, and countless seabirdsā€ off the coasts of California, Oregon. and Washington.

šŸŽ‰2025: Keep Democracy Alive. FrameLabs New Yearā€™s Resolutions

Be Brave. Avoid helpless/hopeless talk. Authoritarians want you to feel powerless because it makes their work easier. Courage, faith, and optimism are essential. Fascism feeds on cynicism and pessimism. Starve it. No regime lasts forever. Resolve to do your part to ensure the survival of democracy. Choose to believe that we will find a way to come out stronger.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

Resources:

For the Week of Jan 6, 2025

šŸ”· Happy New Year! Leah Greenberg (Co-founder of Indivisible National) sent an email with 5 New Yearā€™s Resolutions. The 5th one was Have Fun, and she says ā€œFascism is frightening. But self-flagellating judgment or descending into despair are not gonna help us. Our power is in our numbers, which means we have to create welcoming, fun, caring, impactful communities for folks to join.ā€ With that in mind, please join us in celebrating our 8th Birthday this Saturday, January 11th from 2-3:30 pm at the Redmond Library. Indivisible National is asking all groups to participate in a day of action, so we invite you to join Indivisible Eastsideā€™s Supply Drive for The Sophia Way – a place of hope and change for women on their journey from homelessness to safe and stable living. We will be collecting donations at the January 11 Indivisible Eastsideā€™s In Person meeting at the Redmond Library. Click the link for details on what is needed, and how to contribute.

šŸ”· Are you a PCC member? Is the PCC deli your go to for salads, soups, and prepared meals? Well, those items are slowly being outsourced to an outside vendor taking work away from your local deli worker, and sacrificing the daily made-from-scratch quality for corporate profit. If this shift in mission does not sit well with you, please email using this contact form and tell them you value the deli workers and the quality products they make.

šŸ”· Indivisible National founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin will be hosting weekly discussions every Thursday (1/9, 1/16, 1/23, and 1/30) in January at noon PT. They will open with some reflections on news of the day, but mostly will be taking questions — which you can send ahead of time or ask live. You can register and submit questions here.

Here are your 2 actions and a Bright Spot.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Get ready for the Legislative Session

Shortly after the election, Indivisible National created the ā€œDemocrats Safeguarding Democracy: A Blueprint for Blue States to Prepare for Trump 2.0ā€ toolkit to help blue state residents like you demand action from your leaders and support good work being done. Many activists just focus on federal action, but the Legislative Session for WA State begins next Monday, and there is much we can do to protect democracy here. The Washington Indivisible Legislative Action Team has been creating statewide actions since 2020, and they make it very easy for individuals to have an impact. Sign up for Take Action Network to organize and track your Activism.

If you are particularly fired up about a certain topic area you can put in your search browser ā€œWA state lobby day 2025 [topic or organization]ā€ and a plethora of results will come up. Lobby Days are when organizations rally their supporters and head down to Olympia to meet with legislators to push their legislative agenda. This can take the form of individual meetings with legislators and/or rallying in front of the legislature. The more people show up, the bigger the impact.

Here are a few lobby day events in different topic areas:

Browse the internet and see if your favorite organization is hosting a lobby day!

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Tell Planned Parenthood to stop union busting

Roe v. Wade fell in June of 2022, causing an increase in patients at Planned Parenthood Washington, an increase in stress as employees found themselves targeted by harassment and an increase in fears that providing abortions in Washington to out-of-state patients could end in prosecution for clinicians and medical assistants alike. In 2022, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, Karl Eastlund, told The Sightline Institute that without additional funding, the organization might be forced to reduce preventive care, primary care, and mental health services in order to meet the urgent need for abortion healthcare. But within a year, Eastlundā€™s pay had jumped by $100,000, with his compensation more than doubling between 2019 and 2023. As Eastlundā€™s career was on the rise, employees who became vocal about poor working conditions, and the need for a union, slowly got pushed out. In early November, Eastlund contracted with the Labor Relations Institute (LRI), an organization that calls itself one of the oldest ā€œlabor relationsā€ consultants in the country and has been described as ā€œCorporate Americaā€™s Favorite ā€˜Union Bustingā€™ Firm. If you support Planned Parenthood, email development@ppgwni.org and tell them to stop their union busting practices.

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

I am a donor to Planned Parenthood, and I just learned that the CEO has hired a union busting firm to persuade workers to not unionize. Since the fall of Roe in June of 2022, workers in WA state have been greatly impacted by new out of state needs. While CEO Eastlund is making big bucks, my donor dollars are helping to pay for consultants hired to prevent workers from unionizing. Planned Parenthood of Greater WA and Northern ID is a great organization that has taken a wrong turn. Please stop your union-busting tactics so that I can continue to support your good work.

Thank you.

ā›… Bright Spot

Despite right-wing pressure against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in the workplace, Costco believes DEI improves its business and is standing behind its efforts. This is in contrast to actions taken by companies such as Walmart, John Deere, and Tractor Supply. We appreciate companies that recognize the work and contributions of people of different races, genders, and classes, as well as veterans and people with disabilities.

Calendar of Events

Recorded events to check out:

ā€¦ and More:

More Resources for Your Activism:

  • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
  • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
  • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
  • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

Resources:

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