Weekly Actions
Members of Congress
(202) 224-2621 | Email (202) 224-3441 | Email | (202) 225-6311 | Email (202) 225-7761 | Email (202) 225-8901 | Email |
For the Week of Feb 10, 2025
đź”· Welcome to all of our new subscribers! We’re happy you’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, we’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 “in the know” in a fast-changing landscape.
đź”· Indivisibles have been Active!
- Indivisible Eastside members joined Seattle, Wallingford and Vashon Indivisibles on four separate visits to Senators Cantwell and Murray’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.
đź”· Four important upcoming Online Indivisible Events:
- Tonight: Feb 10, 7 pm – Conversation with WIN and Indivisible Co-executive director Leah Greenberg or Ezra Levin. Learn about our role as a Blue Trifecta State in the Blueprint for Blue States strategy.
- Tues Feb 11, 7-8 pm – WIN Schools Workgroup and Stop Moms 4 Liberty 2025 Kickoff meeting
- Thur Feb 13, noon-1 – What’s the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Indivisible’s Co-Founders.
- Sun Feb 16, 3-4:30 – IE Group Meeting – Virtual – come at 2:30 pm to chat or share thoughts.
🔷 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 Administration’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. We’ll also share a little about what’s happening in the 2025 WA Legislative session.
Here are your 2 actions and Bright Spots.
✊ Action 1 – 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 you’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 Indivisible’s focus, goals, strategies, and tactics.
Suzi and Eric LeVine’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, you’ll be in the know right away.
- Don’t Grab a Falling Knife and Know and Wield Your Power from Feb 4
- Court Wins, the Wisdom of Ezra, Timely Actions to Consider from Feb 7
The Ezra Klein Show Podcast – interviews with smart people – not always liberals. The Breaking of the Constitutional Order and Don’t Believe Him will help you understand where we are at this moment.
A note about Protests and Rallies: We’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, we’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, we’ll alert you via the newsletter when possible. If you’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 we’ll help you re-form the Indivisible Eastside Rally group.
Thank you for being engaged and active!
✊ Action 2 – Thank Senator Patty Murray for her part in strongly opposing Vought
This is an update on last week’s action Tell our Senators that we expect them to stand up to Trump’s power grab.
Many Indivisible Eastside members joined Seattle Indivisible and Wallingford Indivisible on four separate visits to Senators Cantwell and Murray’s offices last week. Our own Hanna F can be seen in an image shown on Rachel Maddow’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 Vought’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, “I’m not laying down and playing dead, and I hope nobody else does either.”
Positive reinforcement is crucial—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:
- 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)
- 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]
â›… Bright Spots
North Carolina Judge Rejects GOP State Supreme Court Candidate’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
- Mon Feb 10, 7 pm – Conversation with WIN and Indivisible Co-executive director Leah Greenberg or Ezra Levin. Learn about our role as a Blue Trifecta State in the Blueprint for Blue States strategy. Zoom. Register to attend or submit questions ahead of time.
- Tues Feb 11, 7-8 pm – WIN Schools Workgroup and Stop Moms 4 Liberty 2025 Kickoff meeting – online.
- Wed Feb 12, 6-7 pm – Washington Public Banking Virtual Town Hall – register to attend.
- 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.
- Sun, Feb 23, 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.
- Mon, Feb 24, 5-7 pm – Community Forums on Homelessness in Kirkland – Lake Washington Institute of Technology, 11605 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland. Register to reserve a spot.
- Wed, Feb 26, 5-7 pm – Community Forums on Homelessness in Kirkland – Lake Washington Institute of Technology 11605 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland. Register to reserve a spot.
Save the Date
- Sat, Mar 8, 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.
- 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.
Recorded events to check out:
- Bracing for Impact – Zoom calls with Indivisible co-founders and leaders Ezra and Leah. Watch on YouTube or register to join.
- Indivisible’s Strategy Briefing for Fighting Trump 2.0 with co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, plus Senator Elizabeth Warren. If you can’t watch the whole hour, check out the first 40 minutes.
… and More:
- Donate to Indivisible Eastside through ActBlue.
- Sign up for Take Action Network to organize and track your Activism.
- Check out the Indivisible Eastside logo wear store at www.cafepress.com/IndivisibleEastside.
- Email hello@IndivisibleEastside.com with ideas for the newsletter, questions about how to become involved, and ideas for long-term projects you’d like to be involved in.
- Forward this email to a friend!
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 you’re interested in.
Resources:
- Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink
- Indivisible: Democrats Safeguarding Democracy: A Blueprint for Blue States to Prepare for Trump 2.0
- Take Action Network – learn about an easy way to interact with state legislature
- Washington Indivisible Network YouTube Channel
- https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardGuideWA
- https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardAddendum
- https://bit.ly/RunForSchoolBoardGuideBlurb
- Indivisible Eastside Resources
- Indivisible Eastside Postcards to Voters Campaigns
- Washington State District Finder – Congressional and Legislative districts
- myreps.datamade.us – local and county districts
- US Senate Calendar, US House Of Representatives Calendar