Actions Previous 2025

Previous Actions from 2025

For the Week of April 14, 2025

šŸŽ™ļøApril 14, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio

šŸ”· Alphabet Resistance is back!Ā  Our first action in Bellevue will be on April 24th from 4:45 – 6 pm. Newcomers Welcome! No experience necessary. Information and sign up HERE using access code ā€˜alphaā€™

šŸ”· Please join us for our April 27, 3-4:30 pm Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting on Zoom. New Member Orientation begins at 2:30.

We are pleased to share that US Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9) will join us for the first 30 minutes. You can listen to this Pod Save America interview to hear some of Rep. Smithā€™s thoughts on where the Democrats should be headed.

After our speaker, weā€™ll move into breakout rooms by topics crowd-sourced by registrants. During zoom registration, you can share a question youā€™d like us to pose to Rep. Smith as well as a discussion topic or project you’d like to help with. Weā€™ll form the breakout rooms around your topic suggestions. Example topics: May 18 In-Person Meeting Planning, Community Building, Immigrants, and Postcarding/Letterwriting. If you’re willing to lead a discussion for the topic you suggest, please say “can lead” in your note.

Register HERE.

šŸ”· Were you about to leap into the Electric Vehicle (EV) market, but then ā€¦ Elon took a hard right turn? Maybe you own a Tesla but arenā€™t in the position to sell it right now. Explore the Better Than a Tesla website for details on other EVs on the market, as well as what to do with that Tesla you love, but also hate.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Resources

Tesla Takedown protests continue at dealerships, showrooms, and charging stations in 26 states, DC, and other locations worldwide.

More protests are ongoing and being added constantly and we are collecting local ones in Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for easy access.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Hands Off! Followup

If you were inspired by attending a Hands Off! event April 5th, or by viewing some of the coverage of the over 1400 events (see details in 1c below), please take the next step.

Action 1a. Our friends at Indivisible Washingtonā€™s 8th District compiled a terrific Hands Off Post-Rally Actions document for people to learn more and take action on some of the many areas threatened by Trump and DOGE. Check it out and SHARE with friends and relatives you have in other parts of the state and country. https://bit.ly/IndivisibleAfterRallyActions

Action 1b. You may have heard rumors about the next big protest date being set as April 19th. There will be some groups protesting, including the Kirkland group with their standing Saturday Street Protest to Protect the Constitution, and Capitol Hill Pride We The People Means Everyone Rally, but April 19th has shifted to be a Day of Action. The idea is a bit like the rallies-plus-actions on each year’s ML King “Day of Service.” Youā€™re encouraged to create a hyperlocal action with friends and neighbors. You might donate food, clothing, money, or time to an organization that assists people locally. Many of these organizations are facing increased demand and could use your help. Create a hyperlocal action with friends and neighbors.

Action 1c. Take a minute to celebrate the work and participation of activists around the country, and hear why participating in protests and rallies is so important.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Protect Head Start and Public Health

From 5Calls.org and MomsRising.org

You may have read of the WA Head Start staff who were locked out and let go due to Trump cuts. This is happening all around the country.

The Trump administration is decimating our nationā€™s federal public health infrastructure at a devastating pace, making sweeping cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS is an umbrella agency tasked with protecting the health of all Americans. It includes critical agencies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Trump team has initiated sudden layoffs of 10,000 HHS workers, and have shuttered entire programs without concrete plans to replace the services they provide.

These attacks on HHS directly endanger our nationā€™s health. The HHS office that helps senior centers distribute 216 million meals a year lost 40% of its staff. The entirety of the Division of Energy Assistance, whose LIHEAP program helps 5.9 million low-income households pay utility bills, has been laid off. Dozens of HHS employees who administer early childhood education programs for low-income children are out of work, threatening Head Start funding and operations. And, of course, these cuts erode public health capacity to reduce infectious disease, research cures for diseases like cancer, monitor and respond to emerging illnesses, and ensure food and medication safety and quality.

Congress must vocally oppose these cuts and demand HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. justify his plans for this destructive HHS reorganization.

šŸ”· Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Seattle 206-553-5545 | EMAIL

šŸ”· Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Seattle 206-220-6400 | EMAIL

šŸ”· Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st): DC 202-225-6311 | Kirkland 425-485-0085 | EMAIL

šŸ”· Rep. Kim Schrier (8th): DC 202-225-7761 | Issaquah 425-657-1001| EMAIL

šŸ”· Rep. Adam Smith (9th): DC 202-225-8901 | Renton 425-793-5180 | EMAIL

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m reaching out to ask [MoC] to vocally oppose the recent staff and program cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. These cuts endanger everything from infectious disease control and cancer research to essential programs like Head Start and Meals on Wheels. [MoC] must also demand Secretary Kennedy attend congressional hearings to explain the reasoning behind these dangerous changes.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

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

ā›… Bright Spots

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • ā€‹ā€‹Thurs May 1, 7-8 pm ā€“ IE Open Steering Meeting ā€“ Join Indivisible Eastside Steering online, hear what weā€™re working on, share what youā€™re working on.
  • Sat, May 3, 3-5 pm – Fuse Opposition Summit – in Seattle; exact address provided with RSVP.
  • Sat May 10, 12-4 pm – Downtown Redmond Station Opening Celebration: Trails 2 Transit. Hosted by Move Redmond, with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners, Africans on the Eastside, and others. Walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

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 April 7, 2025

šŸŽ™ļøApril 7, 2025_Weekly Actions Audio

šŸ”· Are you horrified with how this administration is treating our Canadian neighbors with tariffs and overall disrespect? While everything seems to spin out of control at warp speed, one thing we can control is where we spend our money. Choosing to support Canadian business and Canadian-made products means supporting our neighbors and showing them some love. Our friends in Be The Change 509 (Spokane) and Indivisible Bellingham have developed a list of Canadian businesses so that you can send some business their way and let them know that we appreciate them. Support #Elbows Up and Shop Canadian!

šŸ”· Have you heard about Rep. Pramila Jayapalā€™s Resistance Lab trainings? These are in-depth grassroots trainings led by the Representative and thought leaders from across the movement. The first one was attended by hundreds of people in Seattle and the follow up was watched by thousands from across the country – you can watch it HERE. Sign up at her website to join upcoming trainings and learn about how to continue to fight back against the growing authoritarianism.

šŸ”· The City of Bellevue has several openings on its boards and commissions. These groups meet regularly to advise the council and engage the public and are an excellent way to be deeply involved in how the city is run. Current openings are on the Environmental Services Commission, Transportation Commission, and the Parks & Community Services Board. Residents interested in shaping Bellevueā€™s future are encouraged to apply online by 5 pm on Monday, April 14.

šŸ”· Save the Date – Sun Apr 27, 3-4:30 pm – Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting on Zoom. New Member Orientation at 2:30. Registration link coming soon.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Resources

šŸŽ‰ We are so proud of the thousands and thousands of people who showed up at the hundreds of protests all over the country this weekend, especially the close to 1000 people who attended the Hands Off Rally at Redmond, organized so well by our fantastic new Rally and Protest Group.

The energy of the crowd was wonderful and the interaction with passing drivers was overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to our great speakers for lifting up the crowd. We appreciated hearing from elected officials Osman Salahuddin (Representative, 48th LD), Patty Kuderer (WA Insurance Commissioner), Suzan DelBene (US Representative WA-1) and Claudia Balducci (King County Councilmember) about how the administrationā€™s policies are already affecting Washington residents and how we need to support our city and state governments who will bear the brunt of the cuts as programs are cut. We are grateful too for the inspiring words of speakers James Webster (Pride Across the Bridge) and veteran Ted B. who fired up the crowd – thank you all!

Thanks also to the many people who attended protests in other locations across our region. What an inspiring day!

Donā€™t forget that protests are ongoing and being added constantly and we are collecting local ones in Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for easy access. Please continue to support the hard work of rally organizers.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Support union recognition for agricultural workers in the Yakima Valley

Workers with the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union are in a dispute with the owners of a company in Yakima that sells mushrooms to Western Washington grocery stores. They claim that work conditions and practices at the farm are unfair and are trying to unionize and get a fair contract in place. The company, Windmill Farms, was subject to a lawsuit in 2023 by workers for retaliating against employees who were trying to organize. Under their previous owner, Ostrom Farms, they were also sued by then-Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson for discrimination against female and domestic workers and retaliation against workers who asserted their rights. Ostrom denied the allegations but agreed to pay workers $3.4 million in a settlement.

Despite these efforts, employees say that problems at the farm have continued under the new owner, and the UFW lawsuit against the company has yet to yield results. Last December the UFW asked for a boycott of the company. Last week, on Cesar Chavez Day, they brought their protest west of the Cascades and held a rally outside a Safeway store in Tacoma. The union wants shoppers to stop buying Windmill mushrooms at Safeway supermarkets and other grocery stores. Some of them are labeled with the Windmill brand, while others are sold under generic store brands. Windmill is the Pacific Northwestā€™s regional supplier of mushrooms, and shoppers can assume that store-brand mushrooms with labels that mention Sunnyside are Windmill mushrooms, according to the UFW.

Please check the source of the mushrooms that you buy. If in doubt, ask the store, or avoid buying mushrooms altogether if you canā€™t ascertain whether they come from Windmill Farms. UFC organizers say that Monterey Mushrooms are an alternative to look for in stores ā€” those are produced by unionized workers.

If you are wondering about the effectiveness of boycotts, this article mentions Target and Costco and sheds some light on how recent boycotts have been working.

Please do what you can to support our important agricultural workforce in their attempt to bring the company to the table and secure a fair contract by boycotting Windmill Farms mushrooms.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Thank Senator Maria Cantwell for standing up to the new tariff policy

Within a short time of the announcement of the catastrophic tariff policy by this administration, Sen. Cantwell announced a biā€“partisan bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) which would require that all new tariffs would expire in 60 days unless they are approved by Congress. When enacting a new tariff, the president would have to notify Congress within 48 hours and include the reasoning behind imposing the tariff. You can watch an interview with her about it HERE. This announcement came the day after four Republicans broke with the GOP and voted with Democrats to revoke new tariffs on Canada, which meant that the measure passed the Senate 51-48.

The introduction of the tariffs seems to have spurred Senators into action in a way that other measures havenā€™t. The bar to pass any of these measures is very high, given the make-up and extremism of Congress, but we should thank Sen. Cantwell for taking a stand and perhaps opening up a channel for more Republicans to begin to push back against this disastrous economic policy.

Please call or email the Senator and thank her for co-sponsoring this bill. We need to see more of our elected officials taking concrete steps to fight back.

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY], WA. I would like to thank you for co-sponsoring the Trade Review Act of 2025, to re-assert Congressā€™ authority over setting and approving trade policy. The tariff policy of this administration will be devastating not only to our state and national economy but to worldwide trade. Please continue to do everything that you can to push back on this dangerous move by the administration.

Thank you,

[NAME]

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

ā›… Bright Spots

Thank goodness for some good news this week! Amongst other things, letā€™s celebrate:

  • Senator Corey Booker gave a deeply inspiring marathon speech on the Senate floor.
  • Judge Susan Crawford won victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by double digits.
  • In Florida, while Democrats didnā€™t flip either of the two deeply red seats, they overperformed by 16 and 23 points respectively.
  • Senator Adam Schiff announced he will place a hold on the nomination of Ed Martin for D.C. U.S. Attorney, which could delay his appointment to the post.
  • New DNC Chair Ken Martin has announced the formation of a Peopleā€™s Cabinet (similar to a Shadow Cabinet in many other countries), which will ā€œfeature subject matter experts on policy, elevating national and local leaders, and community voices on issues impacting working families.ā€
  • Check out Chop Wood Carry Water for more great actions and Bright Spots.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • ā€‹ā€‹Thurs May 1, 7-8 pm ā€“ IE Open Steering Meeting ā€“ Join Indivisible Eastside Steering online, hear what weā€™re working on, share what youā€™re working on.
  • Sat May 10, 12-4 pm – Downtown Redmond Station Opening Celebration: Trails 2 Transit. Hosted by Move Redmond, with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners, Africans on the Eastside, and others. Walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

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 March 31, 2025

šŸŽ™ļøMarch 31, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio

šŸ”· Your last chance to help in the April 1st Wisconsin Supreme Court election is today and tomorrow. Join Wisconsin Dems to make calls to voters! First time making calls? Phone banking is easy, fun, and rewarding! Youā€™ll receive comprehensive training at the start of your shift.

šŸ”· Hands Off! Redmond Fights Back hosted by Indivisible Eastside is looking for the following: Outdoor speakers with microphone to reach 200 people, videographer, second photographer, people interested in speaking for a few minutes at the event about their first-hand experience with the Administrationā€™s tariffs or changes to Social Security, Medicaid, veterans care, public lands, education, immigration law, or other DOGE cuts. Reach out to rally@indivisibleeastside.com if you can help!

šŸ”· Consider attending the Hands Off! Mass Call for mobilizing against Trump’s power grab online event Tuesday Apr 1, 5-6 pm PDT. Join movement leaders from MoveOn, Public Citizen, Stand Up America, and the Not Above the Law Coalition, experts, and more for a mass call to make sense of the Trump administrationā€™s unprecedented power grab, efforts to remove limits to its power, and what we can do to confront it on April 5 and beyond. Then see the Protests and Rallies Resources below for how you can participate April 5th.

šŸ”· Check out The Card Campaign – printable cards on a variety of topics including the latest Social Security and You: Facts and Myths. Download, print, share with people!

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Resources

Protests are being added constantly and we are collecting local ones in Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for easy access.

Apr 5 – National HANDS OFF Protests. Indivisible recommends people attend rallies in state capitals and large cities. We encourage everyone who is able to attend:

  • Seattle , 12-3 pm at the Seattle Center, hosted by Seattle area Indivisibles.
  • Olympia 2 – 4 pm

Here are other options for those not able to travel or walk far.

  • Redmond 10:30 am – noon – sign waving + rally
  • Bothell 11 am – 12:30 pm – sign waving
  • Renton 12 – 1 pm – sign waving
  • Issaquah 10 am – 12:30 pm – sign waving, march, rally

For other options check Hands OFF on Mobilize.

Printable Hands Off Posters

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 – Call for the Release of Alfredo Juarez Today

On Tuesday March 25th, Alfredo Juarez, a well-known, well-loved activist and member of Indivisible Skagit, was violently taken by ICE. It is widely believed that it was a targeted attack on Farmworker leadership. See Seattle Times story here for more information. He has been moved to the NW Detention Center in Tacoma and the only way he will be released is if our elected officials step in.

Please call to demand that they intervene and take action to get him released and back home with his family.

  • Senator Patty Murray DC Office: (202) 224-2621 – or see her other office phone numbers
  • Senator Maria Cantwell: DC Office: (202) 224-3441 – or see her other office phone numbers
  • Attorney General Nick Brown: (360) 753-6200
  • Governor Bob Ferguson: (360) 902-4111

Suggested Script (for Senator Murray, add a thank-you for helping Rep. Rick Larsen to address the arrest):

My name is [NAME], my zip code is [ZIP], and I’m a constituent and a member of Indivisible Eastside. A fellow Indivisible member from Indivisible Skagit, Alfredo Juarez, has been detained by ICE and is being held at the NW Detention Center. He is likely being targeted due to his activism. I am calling to ask you to do everything you can to help secure his immediate release.

Are you familiar with this situation and can you tell me what (Elected official) is doing about it? (Let them answer and repeat your expectation that they take action.) Thank you!

āœŠ Action 2 –Ā Stop the SAVE Act

From Democrats Abroad and 5calls.org

On Monday, March 31st, the House Rules Committee will take up the so-called SAVE Act, a bill designed to gut voting rights through punitive registration requirements. This bill goes hand in hand with Trumpā€™s March 25th Executive Order and is a direct attack on democracy itself. It will move fastā€”once the bill goes through the committee, we expect a floor vote, and if that passes, it will head straight to the Senate.

šŸšØ Act today. Call your Representative and Senators immediately and demand they vote NO on the SAVE Act. Then, ask your friends and family to call too. Every voice counts.

ā˜Ž Sample Script (Click here for further scripts):

My name is [NAME] and Iā€™m a constituent. My zip code is [ZIP]. I care deeply about my country and my right to vote. I’m calling to ask (NAME) to oppose the SAVE Act. This bill would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and disenfranchise countless voters, especially women, seniors, and low-income citizens. Will the Sen/Rep protect my right to vote?

Thank you.

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

ā›… Bright Spots

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • Thurs April 24, 12-1 pm – Lifelong Learning Webinar: Courageous Communication. Hosted by Gonzaga University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Register to attend.
  • Fri April 25, 12-1:30 pm – Until Justice Just Is – Immigration: Myths vs. Facts – online panel.
  • Sun Apr 27, 1:30-4:30 pm – Climate Action Forum – East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street, Bellevue. More details coming soon!
  • Sun Apr 27, 3-4:30 pm – Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting on Zoom. New Member Orientation at 2:30.
  • ā€‹ā€‹Thur May 1, 7-8 pm ā€“ IE Open Steering Meeting ā€“ Join Indivisible Eastside Steering online, hear what weā€™re working on, share what youā€™re working on.
  • Sat May 10, 12-4 pm – Downtown Redmond Station Opening Celebration: Trails 2 Transit. Hosted by Move Redmond, with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners, Africans on the Eastside, and others. Walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

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.orgĀ  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:Ā 

For the Week of March 24, 2025

šŸŽ™ļøMarch 24, 2025_Weekly Actions Audio

šŸ”· We had a full house of over 150 people at the Group Meeting on Saturday! It was wonderful to see so many engaged and enthusiastic members, particularly those who are new to the group. We hope that you were inspired to find a way to translate your concerns into activism. Here are the Notes from the meeting, which includes a link to the slides. If you werenā€™t able to attend, there is a sign-up link in the notes so you can join others for specific projects. A phone, a gray fleece, and two water bottles were left behind. They are at the church.

šŸ”· Please respond to Eastside Urbanismā€™s survey as part of their Bellevue Vision Zero advocacy efforts. Anyone who uses streets in Bellevue or the Eastside is welcome to take the survey. The Bellevue City Council is planning to talk about safety for road and sidewalk users on April 1. Eastside Urbanism wants to present a unified proposal to Council about which kinds of safety projects the community would like to see in the Vision Zero Action Plan.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Resources

Rallies are being added constantly and we are trying to collect local ones HERE for easy access. Some other resources are the Facebook group Seattle Protest Communications Project and the blog Big List of Protests (BLOP). We encourage you to always look at WHO is organizing the protest, and make sure that you understand their plans, permits (if needed), and intention.

Here are other options for those not able to go into Seattle. These are likely sign-waving events and not rallies:

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Phonebank for Judge Susan Crawford

Last chance to help Judge Susan Crawford to win election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court! Election Day is April 1st but early voting has already begun. Elon Musk has poured $13 million into the race so far and has upped his game by employing the same shady tactics he used before last Novemberā€™s election. Crawfordā€™s opponent has resorted to groundless allegations of fraud. If the progressive majority on the WI Supreme Court is lost, Wisconsin will return to gerrymandered districts in this very important battleground state, and voter access may be disrupted.

Donations and phone calls can still help. Indivisible is one of several organizations that have organized phone banks for this race. Check them out and sign up to help. Training on Zoom is typical for phone banks.

Donations can be made at Susan Crawfordā€™s website.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Demand Democrats Take Action Against Trumpā€™s Education Cuts

From indivisible.org

Trump has launched the biggest attack on public education in U.S. history, signing an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. This move should be unpopular across the country. Polls have consistently reported broad opposition to shutting down the department. Democrats can leverage this by calling it out and using it as one more tool to increase opposition to his administrationā€™s agenda.

According to Dan Pfeifferā€™s newsletter, the best thing Democrats can do to slow the carnage is make Trump unpopular. An unpopular Trump struggles to pass his agenda and gets less support from stakeholders to dismantle the government. Most importantly, an unpopular Trump is more likely to lose control of Congress in the midterms. A focus on Trumpā€™s attempts to abolish the Department of Education could help accomplish that strategic objective.

Trump does not have the power to unilaterally shut down a federal agency created by statute. It would require an act of Congress that would be unlikely to pass the House and have no chance of surviving a Senate filibuster. Democrats in Congress must go all in to block this orderā€”using every tool at their disposal, from budget negotiations to emergency legislation. They must act on this right away.

Please call or email your Members of Congress now and demand they fight back against Trumpā€™s dangerous attack on public education.

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

Hello,

My name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY], WA. I am asking that you take immediate action to fight Donald Trumpā€™s executive order dismantling the Department of Education.

This order puts billions in school funding, special education programs, and student loan assistance at risk, and must be stopped before students and educators suffer its devastating consequences.

Please publicly commit to opposing any budget that cuts public education funding. Also, introduce and support emergency legislation such as Congresswoman Jahana Hayes’ “Department of Education Protection Act” (H.R. 433)

Use every tool availableā€”public statements, floor speeches, media interviewsā€”to expose Trumpā€™s plan and hold Republicans accountable for enabling it. They must be held accountable for such an unpopular policy.

Thank you.

[NAME]

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

ā›… Bright Spots

Calendar of Events

  • See list of upcoming Seattle and Eastside Protests HERE.
  • Mon Mar 24, 6:30-7:30 pm – 1st LD Telephone Town Hall (Sen. Stanford, Rep. Kloba, Rep. Duerr). Constituents will receive a call or can dial in using (855)-756-7520 Ext.120782#.
  • Tues Mar 25, 10 am – Pack the Seattle Federal Courthouse as oral arguments are heard in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Trumpā€™s Trans Military Ban. 700 Stewart St, Seattle.
  • Tues Mar 25, 1-2 pm – Meeting with Senator Maria Cantwellā€™s Staff, organized by Seattle Indivisible.

Auditorium, Fourth Floor, Jackson Federal Building (enter from 2nd Ave). Register to attend.

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 March 17, 2025

šŸ”· ā€‹Update – Indivisible Calls on Schumer to Step Aside

ā€‹On March 15, Indivisible National put out a Press Release asking for Sen. Chuck Schumer to step aside. This followed two emergency meetings of Indivisible groups in New York and across the country. Please see the Press Release for details.

šŸ”· A reminder that the Weekly Actions and Events Newsletter is now available as audio for those looking for an alternative to screen-time. Listen at March 17, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio. A huge thank-you to audio artist Arisa for donating her time and talent to this endeavor.

šŸ”· Mark your calendar for our next in-person group meeting on March 22nd from 3-4:30 pm in Kirkland. We will have a new member welcome at 2:30 pm. Given the high level of new interest, we ask attendees to sign up so we can be prepared with seating, refreshments, and handouts.

Sign up at https://bit.ly/IE-Group-Mar-2025 using the access code ‘indivisible’. If you’d like to provide refreshments, please let us know in the sign-up comments.

šŸ”· From March 15-23, Members of Congress will be in their districts for Recess Week, a time when they are supposed to meet with constituents and hear their concerns. We donā€™t have any news on Town Halls by our Members of Congress to share with you. We should, nevertheless, thank them – our entire Washington Democratic delegation stood strong against the blank check spending bill that was passed.

šŸ”· Kirkland City Council will be acknowledging Transgender Day of Visibility and Cesar Chavez Day at the Tuesday March 18 meeting (7:30 pm, Council Chamber at City Hall, 123 5th Avenue, Kirkland.) The community members receiving the proclamations would appreciate support from the community. Please attend if you can!

šŸ”· WA Dems are asking for help to pack the Seattle Federal Courthouse (700 Stewart St, Seattle) on Tuesday March 25 at 10 am as oral arguments are heard in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Trumpā€™s Trans Military Ban.

šŸ”· Eastside Urbanism is conducting a survey as part of their Bellevue Vision Zero advocacy efforts. Anyone who uses streets in Bellevue or the Eastside is welcome to take the survey. The Bellevue City Council is planning to talk about safety for road and sidewalk users on April 1. Eastside Urbanism wants to present a unified proposal to Council about which kinds of safety projects the community would like to see in the Vision Zero Action Plan, so they created this survey to figure out which projects to highlight as the community’s top priorities.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Resources

From Katherine C.

Many of you are looking for information on protests. Indivisible Eastside will share key protests that we have vetted, and ones where we know who is organizing, and understand the security situation and stance on Non-Violence. There are also many smaller protests and actions happening locally. There is a Facebook Group tracking more than we are, which operates as a clearinghouse. We encourage you to always look at WHO is organizing the protest, and make sure that you understand their plans, permits (if needed), and intention.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ File a formal request to find out what personal data DOGE has for you

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.

Last week the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an injunction commanding DOGE to comply with citizen requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This law encompasses the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, which entitles any citizen to access personal information held in any U.S. government records system. Citizens need only fill out the form and mail it in to DOGE. This newly recognized federal agency, which has been systematically accessing government computer data systems, now has an obligation to respond to specific information demands from any of the 340 million U.S. citizens who exercise their legal right to defend their privacy and establish the security of their private information.

Please print, fill out, and mail a Privacy Act request form and exercise your legal right to defend your privacy and establish the security of your personal information.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Take actions to learn how to organize for social and climate justice

Action 2a – Join Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for an evening of learning and empowerment at The Resistance Lab: Organizing for Justice event on Thursday March 20 from 5-7 pm in Belltown, Seattle (the exact location will be provided after you register). Youā€™ll hear from amazing speakers, get the inside scoop on how social justice movements have shaped our history, and dive into strategies you can use to take action in your community.

Action 2b – Join Congressman Jamie Raskin in a mass call with Climate Defiance on ā€˜The Struggle Ahead – Whatā€™s Next for Climate Defianceā€™. The call will be on Wednesday March 19 at 2 pm PDT.

ā›… Bright Spots

  • Volunteers are in the process of reconstructing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website called restoredcdc.org. It will contain some of the reputable and accurate data that it carried prior to its dismantling under the new administration. It is a work in progress but you can visit the site, as well as reading about how they are going about it.
  • Have you been looking for ways to avoid shopping on Amazon? There are many great products that arenā€™t available in stores and you can find a comprehensive list of them at goodgoodgood.co.

From Chop Wood, Carry Water:

Calendar of Events

(For Town Halls in other LDs, check here)

  • Tues Mar 25, 10 am – Pack the Seattle Federal Courthouse as oral arguments are heard in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Trumpā€™s Trans Military Ban. 700 Stewart St, Seattle.
  • Thurs Mar 27, 6 pm – Immigrant Know Your Rights Session (scroll down for 3/27 information) – Chinatown International District, Uncle Bob’s Place, 417 8th Ave S, Seattle.

Save the Date

  • Sun Apr 27, 1:30-4:30 pm – Climate Action Forum – East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street, Bellevue. More details coming soon!
  • Sat May 10, 10 am-4 pm – Trails to Transit, a celebration of Downtown Redmond Station Opening! Hosted by Move Redmond, with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners, Africans on the Eastside, and others. Walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

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 March 10, 2025

šŸ”· This Weekly Actions and Events Newsletter is now available as audio for those looking for an alternative to screen-time. A huge thank-you to audio artist Arisa for donating her time and talent to this endeavor. Listen HERE today!

šŸ”· Mark your calendar for our next in-person group meeting on March 22nd from 3-4:30 pm in Kirkland. We will have a new member welcome at 2:30 pm. Given the high level of new interest, we need attendees to sign up so we can be prepared with seating, refreshments, and handouts.
Sign up at https://bit.ly/IE-Group-Mar-2025 using access code ‘indivisible’. If you’d like to provide refreshments, please let us know in the sign-up comments.

šŸ”· From March 15-23, Members of Congress will be in their districts for Recess Week, which is intended to be a time when they meet with their constituents and hear their concerns. While we have seen some of our local MoCs step up by holding Town Halls, it hasnā€™t been uniform and we need to continue to push for them all to be more effective in their opposition to this regime. Indivisible has many great ideas for mobilizing our MoCs to use their leverage, gathered into a toolkit called Musk Or Us. In that toolkit, for ways of finding out a MoCā€™s town hall plans, search (CTRL+F) for the phrase HOW TO FIND OUT. Please take a look and see how you can exert pressure on them to fully represent us.

šŸ”· Just in time for Recess Week, the ACLU will be hosting an Action Call on Mar 13 at 5 pm PT, which will prepare you to address lawmakers at town halls, pressure them to check President Trump’s abuses of power, and uplift the voices of those most impacted. Register to attend.

šŸ”· If you are looking for ways to help Ukrainians, consider Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers; United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations); RAZOM, an American NGO, tax-deductible for US citizens, which supports civilians; and BlueCheck Ukraine, which aims for efficient cooperation with Ukrainian groups and is also tax-deductible.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Update –Ā  (use this link for a comprehensive list of Eastside and Seattle protests, which now includes Boycotts of companies that support the Trump- Musk agenda)

Current Boycott Campaigns:

  • March 5 – April 13 – 40 Day Target boycott that calls for supporters to give up shopping at the companyā€™s stores during the Lenten period.
  • March 7-14 – Amazon Blackout ā€“ No Amazon purchases, no Whole Foods, no Prime orders.

Protests

Weekly at Redmond Starlink: Indivisible Valley (Duvall) is holding weekly ā€œMusk or Usā€ protests. Theyā€™ll be held on the sidewalks in front of Muskā€™s Starlink/SpaceX complex, located at Redmond Ridge Drive and Novelty Hill, every Wednesday from 4 till dusk or when the traffic dies down. Indivisible Valley would love to see members from other Indivisible groups join them.

Federal Building Fridays: Our partners Troublemakers and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) are teaming up to host ā€œFederal Building Fridaysā€: Every Friday, 11:30 am ā€“ 1:30 pm, Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle.

Street Protest to Protect the Constitution: Saturdays 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. Kirkland, corners of Central Way and 6th Street. Join Walt and Jerrie in their ongoing protest every Saturday until the First Felon Of The United States (FFOTUS) is removed from office.

Mar 20 Indivisible Eastside Protest – Redmond Downtown Park. Bring a friend or two! Bonus points for young people! Signup and event info is HERE.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠ Action 1 ā€“ Support Judge Susan Crawford for the Wisconsin Supreme Court

As we mentioned last week, in this yearā€™s April 1st Wisconsin general election, progressive judge Susan Crawford will face Brad Schimel, a right-wing politician with a long record of putting politics above justice. Many of you will remember that in 2023, the court flipped to a liberal majority for the first time in over a decade with the election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz. The 2025 race will determine if the court remains under liberal control or switches back to a conservative majority. If Schimel wins, conservative control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will be a disaster for voting access in a critical battleground state in the 2026 and 2028 elections. Thatā€™s why a group funded by Musk has spent more than $2 million on TV ads attacking Crawford. Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, has paid out more than $3.2 million on voter turnout, texting and digital ads.

Wisconsin Democrats, led by Ben Wickler, have stepped up their opposition to Schimel with a campaign called The People v. Musk. They highlight the support that the increasingly unpopular Musk is giving to Schimel and are asking for help in counteracting this flood of billionaire money. Please check out the website and donate if you are able. Share it with people you may know in the state who may want to volunteer in other ways.

Other options to support Susan Crawfordā€™s race include:

  • Writing letters to WI voters with Vote Forward, writing postcards with postcardstovoters.org.
  • New phone banking opportunities for Wisconsin, organized by Indivisible. A short phone banking training will be included at the beginning of the event. Be sure to have both a computer and a phone so that you can make phone calls to voters. The dates are Mar 13, Mar 25, and Mar 27-31, at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET. Register to attend.
  • Center for Common Ground’s National Guided Phone Banks, every Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-5 pm PT to make calls to registered Black voters in Wisconsin and encourage them to vote in this important race.

We helped to pull off a win for Justice Janet Protasiewicz a few years ago. Letā€™s step up again and keep the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Vote pro-union in the REI Board Elections

Are you a member of REI? The election for new board members began last week and runs until May 1. Unionized REI employees are calling on members of the outdoor retail co-op to vote no in this yearā€™s board of director elections after the company excluded two union-backed candidates from the ballot. The two candidates are Tefere Gebre, chief program officer at the international environmental advocacy group Greenpeace USA, and Shemona Moreno, a Seattle climate activist who leads the nonprofit 350 Seattle.

Anyone who has an active REI membership can vote in its board elections. Members can also nominate themselves to run for a board seat but the existing board has the final say over who gets on the ballot. When the board released its approved list of candidates for three open seats on March 3, Gebre and Morenoā€™s names were conspicuously absent. The board nominated three candidates, which means this yearā€™s election will be noncompetitive.

The opaque nature of the selection of board candidates has further damaged relations between REI and its workforce. Union members are concerned about the undemocratic election process and how the restrictive board rules are reflective of REIā€™s increasing shift away from its co-op roots. They have been fighting for a contract since 2022 over concerns about pay, short staffing, and a lack of training for new employees. Staff are also concerned about the boardā€™s recent decision to sign a letter supporting U.S Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, a Trump-administration appointee who has been criticized by environmental activists for supporting oil and natural gas drilling on public lands.

Please support the workers at REI in their call for a more democratic process to give them a voice. Members can use this link to access the ballot. You will need your member number. The union asks that you vote ā€˜withholdā€™ on the three candidates that are up for election.

ā›… Bright Spots

From Chop Wood, Carry Water

Calendar of Events

(For Town Halls in other LDs, check here)

Save the Date

  • Sun Apr 27, 1:30-4:30 pm – Climate Action Forum – East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street, Bellevue. More details coming soon!
  • Sat May 10, 10 am-4 pm – Trails to Transit, a celebration of Downtown Redmond Station Opening! Hosted by Move Redmond, with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners, Africans on the Eastside, and others. Walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

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.Ā 
  • 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 March 3, 2025

šŸ”· Mark your calendar for our next in-person group meeting on March 22nd from 3-4:30 pm in Kirkland. We will have a new member welcome at 2:30 pm. Given the high level of new interest, we need attendees to sign up so we can be prepared with seating, refreshments and handouts.
Sign up atĀ https://bit.ly/IE-Group-Mar-2025 using access code ‘indivisible’.Ā 

šŸ”· Concern over the personal data being compromised by Muskā€™s minions at Doge has people freezing their credit. This article explains what a credit freeze is and how to put one in place for free with the three credit bureaus. Meta is also collecting a bunch of your data on social media. John Oliver had a segment on this, and set up this website on how to change your settings to make yourself less valuable to Meta.

šŸ”· In this yearā€™s April 1st Wisconsin general election, progressive judge Susan Crawford will face Brad Schimel, a right-wing politician with a long record of putting politics above justice. If Schimel wins, heā€™ll give conservatives control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the power to restrict voting access in a critical battleground state in the 2026 and 2028 elections. Thatā€™s why an Elon Musk-funded PAC has already dumped millions in an attempt to buy this election for Brad Schimel. Write Letters to WI voters with Vote Forward, write postcardstovoters.org, orĀ  attend Reclaim Our Voteā€™s Wisconsin Supreme Court Guided Phone Banks, every Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-5 pm PT to make calls to registered Black voters in Wisconsin and encourage them to vote in the upcoming Supreme Court race!Ā 

šŸ”· Black History Month is over, but we can all continue supporting partner organizations that are leading the fight to stop attacks on civil rights and build the power of Black voters all year round:

Black Americans have been on the forefront of every movement for justice in American history. So much of that progress is under direct attack from the forces of backlash, of white Christian nationalism, of concentrated power, so itā€™s all of our responsibility to honor the past and to fight for the future.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Update:Ā 

Weekly at Redmond Starlink: Indivisible Valley (Duvall) is starting weekly ā€œMusk or Usā€ protests. Theyā€™ll be held on the sidewalks in front of Muskā€™s Starlink/SpaceX complex, located at Redmond Ridge Drive and Novelty Hill, every Wednesday from 4 till dusk or when the traffic dies down. Ā Indivisible Valley would love to see members from other Indivisible groups join them.

Federal Building Fridays: Our partners Troublemakers and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) are teaming up to host ā€œFederal Building Fridaysā€: Every Friday, 11:30 am ā€“ 1:30 pm, Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle.

Street Protest to Protect the Constitution: Saturdays 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. Kirkland, corners of Central Way and 6th Street. Join Walt and Jerrie in their ongoing protest every Saturday until the First Felon Of The United States (FFOTUS) is removed from office.

Mar 4 #Light4Democracy: 5:30 pm in The Park at Bothell Landing (sidewalk on HWY 522) in Bothell. League of Women voters organized this gathering to take place during the Presidential address to Congress.

Mar 7 Stand up for Science: 12-3 pm, Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle. A rally to defend science as a public good and central pillar of social progress.

Mar 8 International Womenā€™s Day March: 10 am – noon, Bellevue Downtown Park to Medina Park (round trip). Sign up and event info HERE.

Mar 20 Indivisible Eastside Protest – Redmond Downtown Park. Bring a friend or two! Bonus points for young people! Signup and event info is HERE.Ā 

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.Ā 

āœŠ Action 1 – Stop the catastrophic cuts to Washington families

Governor Ferguson has proposed $4 billion in cuts to the Washington State Budget on Thursday.Ā  Washington state legislators will need to slash billions of dollars from the programs that are keeping people across Washington housed, fed, and healthy, unless they pass new progressive revenue this year. Before leaving office, Governor Inslee put out an example of an all cuts, no revenue budget, and the WA State House Democrats have put together this website to show how devastating those cuts would be. Meanwhile in D.C., Congress pushed through a budget that takes $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion from food assistance, gutting lifesaving programs that millions of Americans rely on. If the Republicans in the US Congress get the budget they want, it will mean even more devastation for our state. We need to let our state legislators know that we need progressive revenue legislation to fix these budget problems.Ā 

  • Sen. Derek Stanford (1st LD): Olympia 360-786-7600 | EMAIL
  • Sen. Bill Ramos (5th LD): Olympia 360-786-7608 | EMAIL
  • Sen. Lisa Wellman (41st LD): Olympia 360-786-7641 | EMAIL
  • Sen. Manka Dhingra (45th LD): Olympia 360-786-7672 | EMAIL
  • Sen. Vandana Slatter (48th LD): Olympia 360-786-7694 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Davina Williams Duerr (1st LD): Olympia 360-786-7928 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Shelley Kloba (1st LD): Olympia 360-786-7900 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Victoria Hunt (5th LD): Olympia 360-786-7852 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Lisa Callan (5th LD): Olympia 360-786-7876 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Janice Zahn (41st LD): Olympia 360-786-7894 | EMAIL
  • Rep. My-Linh Thai (41st LD): Olympia 360-786-7926 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Roger Goodman (45th LD): Olympia 360-786-7878 | Kirkland 425-739-1810 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Larry Springer (45th LD): Olympia 360-786-7822 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Osman Salahuddin (48th LD): Olympia 360-786-7936 | EMAIL
  • Rep. Amy Walen (48th LD): Olympia 360-786-7848 |Kirkland 425-822-1114| EMAIL

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

My name is _______Ā  from [CITY], Washington [ZIP] and I am a constituent. Please do not address our state’s revenue shortfall by cutting the services we currently rely on, nor by dialing up regressive taxes as a tool to balance the budget. We need new, sustainable, progressive revenue to keep working families, schools, and critical programs afloat. There are several innovative and truly progressive revenue ideas for your consideration this year, and I especially urge you to support closing the payroll tax loophole on employers who pay the highest salaries, and a new tax on excessive financial assets. These options are practical, popular, and most importantly, provide sustainable funding for our services for years to come. Washingtonians are more aware than ever that our tax code is one of the most upside-down in the nation, with low-wage workers paying three times more of their incomes in local taxes than their wealthy neighbors.Ā 

Itā€™s time to make the wealthiest individuals and corporations pay what they truly owe in taxes, so that we can all have what we need.

Thank you.

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

āœŠ Action 2 – Save the USPS, Protect our vote by mail elections!

It is being reported that the President is planning on taking action on the US Postal service, for example, by placing the USPS under control of the newly appointed Commerce Secretary, Wall Street billionaire Howard Lutnick. This PBS news story interviews the reporter that broke the news of this action that could privatize the USPS. Trump and his greedy corporate buddies have been trying to gut and sell off the USPS for years. In 2018, they pushed a privatization plan. In 2020, they attempted to sabotage mail delivery ahead of the election. Election Lawyer Marc Elias from Democracy Docket speculates this is also a potential attack on our vote-by-mail system. USPSā€™s ā€œuniversal service obligationā€ requires it to deliver mail regardless of distance or profitability concerns, which means it is often the only carrier that will deliver to rural parts of the country. Contact your Senators and tell them to push back against the destruction of the USPS.Ā 

šŸ”· Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Seattle 206-553-5545 | EMAIL

šŸ”· Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Seattle 206-220-6400 | EMAIL

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

My name is [NAME] and Iā€™m a constituent from [CITY], Washington [ZIP]. I understand that Trump is planning to take action on the Postal Service, possibly by attempting to fire the entire Postal Board of Governors and place the USPS under the control of Wall Street billionaire Howard Lutnick. This is a disaster. Itā€™s an illegal takeover that defies the Constitution. Congress, not the president, has authority over the Postal Service. Please do everything you can to stop this privatization attempt.Ā 

Thank you.

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

ā›… Bright SpotsĀ 

From Chop Wood, Carry Water

  • Mitch McConnell announced that he wonā€™t seek re-election. Buh-bye.
  • Four out of 10 Americans have already shifted their spending over the last few months to be more consistent with their moral views, according to a Harris poll.
  • Government employees have started a website to debunk the attacks on them!Ā 

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • Sun Apr 27, 1:30-4:30 pm – Climate Action Forum – East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street, Bellevue. More details coming soon!

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.Ā 
  • 5calls.orgĀ  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.Ā  Free or paid subscriptions HERE.Ā 
  • 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:Ā 

For the Week of Feb 24, 2025

šŸ”· CD1 Constituents! Congresswoman DelBene is holding a telephone town hall TODAY, February 24th at 6:15 pm. Special guest Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02) will join her. Please attend by registering HERE.

šŸ”· The Peopleā€™s Union are calling for a 24-hour Economic Blackout: For one day we show them who really holds the power. Friday, February 28th from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm. What Not to Do: Do not make any purchases, do not shop online or in-store, no Amazon, no Walmart, no Best Buy, nowhere! Do not spend money on: Fast Food, Gas, Major Retailers. Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for non-essential spending. What You Can Do: Only buy essentials if absolutely necessary (Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies). If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses. Spread the Message: Talk about it, post about it, and document your actions that day! Freedom Writers Collaborative has a great toolkit to help you spread the word. Join our rally in Redmond the day before. Why This Matters! Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line. If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.

šŸ”· The NAACP issued the Black Consumer Advisory to inform and caution Black consumers about the ongoing and intentional rollback of nationwide diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. We must continue to advocate for policies that insure people of color, women, veterans, those with a disability, and all protected groups have equal access to opportunities across the country. Shop intentionally.

šŸ”· There have been a lot of questions about the 50501 Protest (50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement) that organized quickly, since there was confusion and hesitation on whether it was legitimate or possibly a trap. Last Wednesday they hosted the 50501 Mass Training Call 2/19/25 on YouTube with Cori Bush and Indivisible’s Leah Greenberg, among others. It gives a sense of how this group has formed and different facets of resistance beyond protests. Take a look at the websites, as well: Build the Resistance and 50501.

šŸ“£ Protests and Rallies Update:

Weekly at Redmond Starlink: Indivisible Valley (Duvall) is starting weekly ā€œMusk or Usā€ protests (search the web page for ā€œRedmondā€). Theyā€™ll be held on the sidewalks in front of Muskā€™s Starlink/SpaceX complex, located at Redmond Ridge Drive and Novelty Hill, every Wednesday from 4 till dusk or when the traffic dies down. Indivisible Valley would love to see members from other Indivisible groups join them.

If you do plan to join, please review the following:
Please park on the side streets and not in business parking lots.
Signs should be directed specifically at Musk so that we irritate both him and his boss.
Do not impede traffic.
Do not enter the complex or the complex parking lots.
It might be hard to find street parking. The workers take over street parking on Marketplace Drive (the closest street parking). If you can’t find parking on that street, try the following:
1) NE Alder Crest Drive
2) Redmond Ridge Baseball Park
3) Timberline Middle School

Federal Building Fridays: Our partners Troublemakers and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) are teaming up to host ā€œFederal Building Fridaysā€:

Every Friday, 11:30 am ā€“ 1:30 pm
Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle
One of the achievements of post-New Deal America is a federal civil service workforce that’s professional, diverse, nonpartisan, and union members. Join the Federal Building Fridays protests in front of the Seattle Federal Office Building to show solidarity with federal workers, who are now under direct assault by billionaires and MAGA bullies and every vulnerable group scapegoated by the Trump administration. Come for 2 minutes or 2 hours!

Feb 27 Redmond: Indivisible Eastside is supporting the Economic Blackout with a rally in Redmond, Thurs Feb 27th from 4 – 5:30 pm. We encourage attendees to bring signs publicizing the economic blackout, and their resistance spirit, for example: ā€œBUY NOTHING FEB 28ā€. Sign up and event info HERE.

Mar 7 Stand up for Science: 12-4 pm, in Seattle, location TBD. A rally to defend science as a public good and central pillar of social progress.

Mar 20 Eastside Protest: Sally F has a protest planned on Thurs March 20th in Redmond (location will be provided to those who sign up). Bring a friend or two! Bonus points for young people! Signup and event info is HERE.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠAction 1 ā€“ Our Eastside immigrant community needs our support!

Several members of IE attended an Eastside immigrant community support coalition meeting last week. The stories that were shared were heartbreaking. Our Eastside immigrant community is being terrorized with hate and fear of deportation. We heard stories of members of our community (not criminals) being taken to GuantĆ”namo. Immigrants from Africa have been deported to other countries. They are using tactics like past traffic infractions as an excuse to deport people. Folks are missing their therapy and support group meetings (such as domestic violence survivor support groups) as they are too afraid to attend. Virtual therapy appointments are being cancelled because their minor children are staying home from school due to fear, and they don’t want to attend therapy in their presence at home. We heard news of funding stresses. They cannot fundraise using social media due to hate messages. Federal funding is in jeopardy and some of those funds have already stopped coming in. They are stretched so thin from doing the actual work that they cannot go out into the community to highlight their causes. Not to mention the fear of the hateful backlash preventing them from being public.

These organizations need to know there are people in the community who support them. Donate generously if you are able.

www.africansontheeastside.org Contact them with a message of support Donate
www.thecircle-wa.org Contact them with a message of support Donate
www.eastsideforall.org Contact them with a message of support Donate
www.4tomorrow.today Contact them with a message of support Donate
www.hopelink.org Contact them with a message of support Donate

Our other takeaway was that our cities need to hear from us that these organizations need their support. Not just to listen to them and nod, but to actually come out with messaging and dollars to show they do actually support our very diverse immigrant community. Please email your city council:

šŸ”·Bellevue City Council Email & City Manager

šŸ”·Issaquah City Council Email & Mayor

šŸ”·Kirkland City Council Email (Mayor is included in council)

šŸ”·Redmond City Council & Mayor Email

Sample Script (edit with your own words for greater impact):

Dear [CITY] Councilmembers,

Our immigrant community and the organizations that support them need our support right now. They are stretched thin and losing funding. They are afraid and need to know their city is here for them. Please reach out to organizations such as Africans on the Eastside, The Circle, Eastside for All, Hopelink, and 4Tomorrow and ask what you can do to help them. Find funding for them. Our city always boasts about our diverse community. Now is the time to step up and show them you care.

Thank you.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Save us from the SAVE Act!

From: LWV, Public Citizen

The House is about to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register or re-register to vote and would upend most methods of voter registration.

Voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. Non-citizens are prohibited from registering and voting in federal or state elections. State election officials have systems to verify an individual voterā€™s eligibility and ensure that elections are secure and voter rolls are accurate.

The billā€™s requirement for documentation creates one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. Compared to white US citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship, or face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, only one-third of Black Americans possess one.

The bill would also obliterate or upend longstanding and popular methods of voter registration for all voters, including registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration.

The bill would functionally eliminate mail registration by requiring voters registering by mail to produce citizenship documents ā€œin personā€ to an election official before the registration deadline. It would also abolish many or all voter registration drives and online voter registration systems, which are typically treated like mail registration. (Moreover, the bill does not contemplate copies or electronic records of citizenship documents.) And it would severely hamper automatic voter registration, as many of those transactions donā€™t occur in person while someone has citizenship documents with them.

Congress must act to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division.

The bill will likely come for a House vote the week of February 24th. Contact your Representative:

šŸ”· Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st): DC 202-225-6311 | Kirkland 425-485-0085 | EMAIL

šŸ”· Rep. Kim Schrier (8th): DC 202-225-7761 | Issaquah 425-657-1001| EMAIL

šŸ”· Rep. Adam Smith (9th): DC 202-225-8901 | Renton 425-793-5180 | EMAIL

ā˜Ž Sample Script:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent living in [CITY, ZIP]. Iā€™m reaching out to ask you to vote NO on US HB 22 ā€˜The SAVE Actā€™. This bill would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters by requiring overly restrictive voter ID requirements, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, including seniors, students, and people of color. These strict ID requirements could even hurt people whose full names donā€™t match whatā€™s on their birth certificates ā€” like the millions of married people who changed their last names. Please vote NO on the SAVE Act when it comes up for a vote.

Thank you.

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

ā›… Bright Spots

  • Seattle voters approved funding for a social housing agency.
  • Tesla shares have tumbled 27% since peaking in December. Their U.S. sales fell 11.5% in January and in Europe their January sales collapsed by at least 40%. (Read this to see why a Tesla boycott could actually really hurt Musk, by the way.)
  • According to its co-founder, more than 19,000 people have signed up with Run For Something to consider running for local office just since Election Day – 6000 of them just in the last three weeks.

Calendar of Events

Save the Date

  • Sat, Mar 15, 10 am – 4:30 pm – NAMI Eastside – Mental Health First Aid training – Cost $0-$50 sliding scale. Together Center, 16305 NE 87th St, Redmond. Register to attend.
  • Thurs, Mar 20, 4-5:30 pm Indivisible Eastside Signwaving protest – Redmond – signup for details and to attend
  • Sat Mar 22, 3-4:30 Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting – In Person. Location TBD
  • Sun Apr 27, 1:30-4:30 pm – Climate Action Forum – East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 SE 32nd Street, Bellevue. More details coming soon!

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.org5 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 17, 2025

šŸ”· The Indivisible We Choose To Fight Senate office visits have made an impact. If you participated in one, Thank You. Get inspired with some photos and some of the press coverage from around the country. Senators are waking up and taking their resistance role more seriously. Since the office visits started Cantwell has voted NO on all cabinet nominees, as have other Democratic senators. If you want to help keep up the pressure, join the Seattle Indivisible Lunchtime Meeting w/ Sen. Cantwell’s Staff online Tuesday at 1:00 pm, and take Action 1 – ā€œMusk or Usā€ Congressional Office Visit during Recess.

šŸ”· Over 450 folks joined Washington Indivisible Networkā€™s discussion with Indivisible Co-Executive Director Leah Greenberg last Monday. Thank you to our own Kat Pipkin for moderating! If you missed it, you can catch up on YouTube.

šŸ”· It was great to meet so many new folks on our Zoom Call Sunday. If you missed it, you can see all the details in the Notes document including recording of the presentation on Diversity, Equity, and Belonging. And donā€™t miss this slide-show of some of Indivisible Eastsideā€™s Actions 2017 – 2025!

šŸ”· Protests and Rallies Update:

Feb 17 No Kings Presidents Day Protests: A grassroots organization 50501 (50 protests, 50 states, 1 day) has sprung up to set dates and publicize events for local groups to hold protests. 50501/Washington Subreddit has lots of details. There are some not too far away at Noon except where noted. Seattle | Tacoma | Olympia | Covington | Everett (4:30 PM)

Feb 22 and Mar 20 Eastside Protests: The folks that joined Sally F for the small street-level protest at Crossroads a week ago had a really positive experience. As Sally notes: ā€œThere is merit in letting our fellow Eastsiders see that their neighbors are up in arms and out in the streets about the corruption and illegal acts of the Trump presidency. Letā€™s show the Eastside we are against the oligarchy taking over, the illegal acts of the Trump administration, and so many other harmful policiesā€

Sally has two protests planned in the coming weeks – Sat. Feb 22th in Bellevue and Thurs March 20th in Redmond, with more to come. Signup and event info is HERE. ā—Š Event duration will be about 90 minutes. You may come for some or all of that time, though having lots of people at the beginning is important. ā—Š Precise location will be shared 1-2 days before the event. ā—Š Please bring your own sign. Sample pictures and tips for making signs are HERE ā—Š Suggested messaging for the dayā€™s event will be shared a few days before, but so far we have found that signs focused on Elon and Oligarchy seem to garner the most attention. ā—Š Bring a friend or two! Bonus points for young people! SIGN UP HERE.

New IE Rally Team: Seven people have stepped up to work together organizing more rallies and protests – some small like Sallyā€™s, but if need be larger ones. They will be scheduling a meeting soon so if youā€™d like to be part of the team ready to spring into action in the event we need to host a protest, send an email and weā€™ll connect you to the new Indivisible Eastside Rally team.

Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.

āœŠAction 1 “Musk or Us” Congressional Office visit during Recess

From Indivisible’s Musk or Us Toolkit

Trump and his billionaire allies are dismantling democracy in real-time. Hereā€™s whatā€™s happening:

šŸ’„ Economic terrorism at OMB: Trumpā€™s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) attempted to cut all federal funding for child nutrition, healthcare, domestic violence shelters, and veterans’ programs. A judge blocked itā€”for now.

šŸ’° Elon Musk has his hands on U.S. Treasury payments: Trumpā€™s Treasury Secretary secretly gave Musk access to a system that moves trillions of dollars. Will he block payments to safety-net programs? Funnel confidential financial data to his companies? We donā€™t knowā€”because there is zero oversight. His actions are being challenged in court.

šŸ¦ The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was gutted: Trump-installed director Russell Vought ordered all investigations and enforcement actions to stopā€”allowing banks, payday lenders, and credit card companies to scam Americans with zero consequences.

āš–ļø JD Vance declared the courts illegitimate if they try to stop Trump. He openly stated that the judiciary has no right to constrain the presidentā€™s power. His comments drew widespread criticism.

And while all of this unfolds, House Republicans are trying to ram through an extremist budget that rips food off tables and puts education and healthcare out of reachā€”while handing over control of government funding to Elon Musk. Theyā€™re slashing programs that help families afford rent, childcare, and healthcare and stripping resources from the very agencies that keep corporations in check. All the while, Musk and Trump tighten their grip on the government, using it as a piggy bank for their own gain. This isnā€™t governance; itā€™s outright theft.

They think they can get away with it because people wonā€™t notice. Thatā€™s where we come in.

House Democrats have powerā€”if they use it. But they need to be reminded. We need to show up for the ones fighting, celebrate their courage, and remind them to hold the line. Weā€™ll push them to commit to voting NO on any budget that gives Musk and Trump control over our governmentā€™s spending or includes extremist cuts. And weā€™ll make sure they know that when they fight, we fight with them.

GOALS:

  • Strengthen the resolve of Democrats who are fighting backā€”let them know they have our support.
  • Push wavering Democrats to hold the lineā€”make sure they donā€™t cave under pressure.
  • Secure public commitments to vote NO on any budget that hands control to Trump and Musk or includes extremist poison pills.
  • Encourage them to use their leverageā€”demand procedural hardball to block Republican sabotage.
  • Make it clear that when they fight, we have their backsā€”but if they fold, we will hold them accountable.

Members of the House of Representatives will be back on home turf from Friday, February 14th, through Sunday, February 23rd, and itā€™s our opportunity to remind them who they work for. Fighting back against the Trump-Musk coup is going to take all of us.

Tactics for a visit to your US Representative’s office:

šŸ“ Find Their Office

  • Locate their office at house.gov (enter zip code on the upper right, select your Rep, and go to their page).
  • Confirm their office hours to ensure staff availability.

šŸ“… Pick a Strategic Time

  • Plan for a weekday during business hours (Mondayā€“Friday, 9 AMā€“5 PM).
  • If they are holding a public town hall, show up and ask tough questions.

šŸ‘„ Gather and Prepare Your Group

āœ” Spokesperson ā€“ Opens the meeting, states the demand: ā€œVote NO on any budget that hands control to Trump and Musk.ā€
āœ” Storyteller(s) ā€“ Share stories about how Muskā€™s control over the government affects them.
āœ” Note-Taker ā€“ Records the meeting, including any commitments or dodging.
āœ” Social Media Lead ā€“ Captures content and spreads it online.
āœ” Backup Disruptor ā€“ Reinforces the urgency if staff tries to brush off concerns.

šŸ”„ Prepare Your Ask ā€“ what you want your Representative to do:

  • Commit to voting NO on any budget that lacks ironclad protections against Trumpā€™s power grab.
  • Demand hearings and make motions to subpoena Musk and Trump officialsā€”put them under public scrutiny. If Republicans refuse to hold real oversight hearings, Democrats must take matters into their own hands and hold shadow hearings to expose how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government and rig the system for billionaires.
  • Use procedural tools to slow House business and block GOP sabotage. Put Republicans on the record about their harmful policies and force votes when GOP members are absent or trying to skip procedural steps.

šŸšŖ Execute the Visit

  • Be persistentā€”do not leave without a commitment from the office.
  • If they are already strong fighters, show support but press them to go even further.
  • If they refuse to engage, make sure their silence is loudly documented.

šŸ“ø Document Everything & Follow Up

  • Take photos and videosā€”especially if they refuse to commit to fighting back.
  • Post updates on social media with #MuskOrUs.
  • Follow up via email to get an official stance from the MoC.

For more information about planning a successful District Office Visit, check out our expanded resource here.

āœŠ Action 2 ā€“ Email Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Tell Him to Start Fighting

From Indivisible.org

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave one of the most embarrassing press conferences in recent memory. When asked about lessons learned from the last time Republicans did a giant tax scam in 2017, he lamented that Democrats couldnā€™t work with Republicans to give corporate CEOs the tax break they asked for.

Then, when pressed on what leverage Democrats have in these budget negotiations, Jeffries shrugged as if Republicans werenā€™t a broken, dysfunctional mess completely dependent on Democratic votes to govern. ā€œIā€™m trying to figure out what leverage we actually have,ā€ was his response. Well, fortunately, Democrats do have leverage, and we expect them to use it. Jeffries and Democratic Leadership must make this clear and lead their caucus into fighting formation.

Speaker Hakeem Jeffries: Contact Form

Suggested Script (please edit to make it personal)

Leader Jeffries,

Your recent press conference was a disappointment. When asked about the disastrous 2017 GOP tax scam, you lamented that Democrats couldnā€™t work with Republicans to cut corporate taxes. And when pressed on what leverage Democrats have in budget negotiations, you shrugged.

Democrats do have leverage, and we expect you to use it. The Republican majority is in complete disarray, barely able to function without Democratic votes. Itā€™s time to stop bailing them out and start setting clear red lines:

  1. Whip a hard NO on any weak deal. No more vague statementsā€”every Democrat must vote NO on any bill that fails to meet progressive demands.
  2. Publicly define red lines and stick to them:
    1. Lack of concrete guardrails to stop billionaires like Elon Musk? NO votes.
    2. Any cuts to core programs? NO votes.
    3. Any poison pills? NO votes.
  3. Use bill numbers #11 – 20 strategically to introduce high-priority legislation and force Republicans to take public stances through discharge petitions.

Democrats have power in these negotiations, but only if they choose to use it. We are watching, and we expect bold leadership, not excuses.

Thank you,

[NAME]

ā›… Bright Spots

  • Governor Ferguson reports requests to change gender designation are being processed within 3 days – previously up to 10 month wait.
  • Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit against Trumpā€™s executive order targeting gender affirming care for youth, and a WA judge has responded by temporarily halting the unconstitutional order.
  • Danielle Sassoon and other highly-placed conservative prosecutors resigned in protest when asked to engage in a quid pro quo in the corruption case against Eric Adams, elevating the Trump DOJ scandal.

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 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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