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Members of Congress

  • Sen. Patty Murray
    (202) 224-2621 | Email

  • Sen. Maria Cantwell
    (202) 224-3441 | Email

  • Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st)
    (202) 225-6311 | Email

  • Rep. Kim Schrier (8th)
    (202) 225-7761 | Email

  • Rep. Adam Smith (9th)
    (202) 225-8901 | Email
    		•

    For the Week of Jan 13, 2020

    🔷What a week! With all that has transpired in the news in the first two weeks of this year, it’s enough to make your head spin, but we won’t let it get us down! Nevertheless we persisted!

    ☮️We protested #NoWarWithIran last Thursday with Alphabet Resistance on the i-405 overpass in Bellevue. Check out our message!

    📬We continue to write Postcards to Voters on Friday mornings at 9:30am at the Crossroads Mall. This week we wrote to Texas voters for the Mar 3rd Pres Primary as part of a Sister District research project. If you would like to join next week please RSVP HERE, so we know how many addresses to prepare for.

    🎈On Sunday we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary with an inspiring potluck gathering to keep us motivated! We heard from Debbie Lacy of Eastside Refugee & Immigrant Coalition on a new initiative Eastside For All. We celebrated the past and brainstormed what we could do this year to remain engaged to bring about the progressive change we need this year! You can read the meeting notes HERE.

    🔷On Jan 18th, join Indivisible Eastside for the 4th year of the Womxn’s March Seattle. Meet across Denny way from the NW the corner of Cal Anderson park at 12:40 for a group photo, then we’ll move into the park to hear the speakers. Planning on meeting up with us? Email hello@indivisibleeastside.com and let us know.

    📬We will be writing postcards at the Womxn’s March! The plan is to meet at the Armory/Center House at Seattle Center at 2:30 where the march ends. This is a great option for those who want to participate but not march. Our goal is to recruit new writers; encourage them to try writing one card or a few while onsite and sign up with Postcards to Voters and/or with the local postcarding groups. If you want more information or have questions email postcards@indivisibleeastside.com.

    🔷 The WA State 2020 Legislative Session begins today! We will be tracking bills and sharing out action items in a separate email weekly on Fridays just through the legislative session which ends in March. We are working through our email system to target those emails, as best we can, only to people in the specific Legislative District needed. (We have you listed in the XX legislative district, if you have moved or this is incorrect, please update.) (We do not have your LD, please reply back with that information so you don’t receive unnecessary emails.) With your help, we hope to pass some really needed progressive legislation this session. Stay tuned…

    🔷 Here are your 3 actions this week.

    ✊ Action 1 – [US House & Senate] Protect Iranian Americans at the Border

    From WAISN and CAIR

    Last weekend after the United States killed the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Quds Force, we heard reports of Iranian-Americans being detained at the Blaine Border. The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) reported Sunday that up to 150 Iranians and Iranian-Americans experienced extremely long delays and about 60 of them were detained and questioned at length at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, WA this weekend. Those detained reported having their passports held while they were questioned about their political views and allegiances.

    It is in these times that we must remind each other that we have rights, and that our families belong together and free without fear of violence or persecution, no matter what country of origin they came from. We must support our immigrant families in ensuring their freedoms.

    Please read this article from WAISN which has helpful information about Know Your Rights, how families can get legal support, how you can join a Rapid Response Team, and how to stay informed of the latest information to support our immigrant community.

    Contact your senators and congressional representative to convey your concern and urge them to pass the NO BAN Act.

    ☎ Sample Script:

    “Hi – My name is [NAME], and I’m calling from [CITY, ZIP]. I am concerned about reports that Iranians and Iranian-Americans have been targeted based on their national origin and were detained at the Canadian border. I urge you to press for an investigation and to hold Customs & Border Protection and the Dept. of Homeland Security accountable.

    I also urge passage of the NO BAN Act, which would repeal all versions of the Muslim ban, refugee ban, and asylum ban; change immigration law to prevent discrimination based on religion; and limit executive authority to prevent any president from issuing future discriminatory bans again.

    Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.”

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

    ✊ Action 2 – [YOU] Be a Citizen Lobbyist, attend a Lobby Day!

    The word Lobbyist usually conjures up disgust and frustration, because we typically think of the big corporations who pour tons of money and time into hiring lobbyists to influence legislators to craft legislation for their benefit. But there is another kind of lobbyist that can be just as powerful if we organize together, and that is the Citizen Lobbyist, using a form of advocacy that focuses on educating or influencing representatives in our government. You do not need money or power to lobby. The Public Disclosure Administration requires disclosure of paid lobbyists in our state, however, “citizens who petition their state government — through personal contact, telephone calls and letters — without payment of any kind and without spending funds to benefit public officials are not subject to the law.”

    Many different types of coalitions and groups organize official “Lobby Days” while the WA State legislature is in session. That means now, since the Legislative Session for 2020 starts today!

    These organizations provide everything you need to lobby your legislator in just one day, and you will be able to do that with other like-minded citizens. Pick an organization or topic area you are passionate about and sign up to attend! It will be empowering to experience to know you had a hand in sculpting democracy in WA State.

    Click the link to register:

    Sex Ed Hearing Day with Planned Parenthood: Thurs, Jan 16

    WA State Dems Lobby Day: Fri, Jan 17

    League of Women Voters Lobby Day: Tues, Jan 21

    NARAL Mid and North Puget Sound Troublemakers Advocacy Day: Thurs, Jan 23

    Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day: Wed, Jan 29

    Environmental Lobby Day: Thurs, Jan 30

    #IGNITEtheCapitol: Thurs, Jan 30 (IGNITE is a Young Women’s Political Organization)

    WAISN Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day: Wed, Feb 5

    WaSIC (Washington State Indivisible Coalition) Lobby Day: Tues, Feb 18 (Link goes to Carolyn Barclift for registration)

    Or find more lobby days on the Take Action Network.

    ✊ Action 3 – [US House & Senate] Oppose Privatizing the U.S. Postal Service

    From Seattle Indivisible

    The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been steadily losing money for more than a decade. In 2018, the Trump administration proposed to significantly restructure, then privatize the USPS. The proposal received bi-partisan pushback in the House, as well as opposition from consumers, postal worker unions, and businesses. Under a privatization scheme, rural areas would likely see price hikes and a decline in postal services because they are more costly to serve and less profitable.

    Now, with a majority of Trump appointees on the USPS Board of Governors and the possibility that we will soon have a new Postmaster General favorably disposed to privatization, the concern is that the administration will again push for a restructuring and privatization scheme that will favor business interests over the public good.

    Most experts agree that something needs to be done to put the USPS on a more solid financial footing, but privatization is not the answer. Democrats are working on at least one alternative proposal, the USPS Fairness Act, to improve the situation, although no single alternative proposal has moved forward yet. Here’s an article with more information.

    ☎ Sample Script:

    “Hello. My name is [NAME], and I’m calling from [CITY, ZIP] about the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to restructure and privatize the US Postal Service. I’m very opposed to any changes in the Service that could undercut its fundamental mission of providing reliable and affordable mail delivery to every resident in the nation. I urge [MoC] to oppose privatization of the USPS or other so-called “reform” efforts that focus on reducing services, raising individual customer rates, or cutting postal worker wages, and to look at alternative ways of addressing the problem of solvency for the Post Office that are equitable across all USPS customers and USPS workers.

    Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.”

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

    Calendar of In-Person Events:

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