Take Action
March for Our Lives-Austin
Following the lead of the Parkland students and our own local student organizers, on Saturday, March 24, we’ll join thousands of Texans marching on the Capitol to demand real change from our lawmakers to strengthen gun laws. The Austin march is expected to be one of the largest in the country. Indivisible Austin is a supporter of the local march, and we’ll be marching and hosting an action table at the Capitol. We’ll work to get at least 1,000 signed petition postcards addressed to members of Congress and state legislators. There are local marches in Round Rock and Pflugerville, too.
Sign up to volunteer at the Indivisible Austin table!
RSVP for the March (on Facebook)
RSVP for the March (not on Facebook)
Attend the poster-making party! Wednesday, March 21, 4-7 pm at Zilker Clubhouse, 200 Zilker Clubhouse Rd., 78704
Protect the Mueller Investigation
As Mueller closes in on Trump and the Trump Organization, the president is becoming increasingly desperate. The national Indivisible team has a guide to protecting our Democracy that includes these red lines, which must not be crossed:
- If Trump fires Mueller
- If Trump fires Rosenstein
- If Trump pardons key witnesses
- Note: firing Sessions does not qualify as one–though it does trigger coalition-wide push to register folks for the mobilization events, to prepare folks for subsequent line-crossing.
If any these lines are crossed, we take to the streets. Protests are pre-planned via MoveOn’s “Nobody is Above the Law” website. In Austin, we’ll gather at the state capitol.
Domestic Terrorism in Austin: Be Vigilant and Supportive
Breaking: As we were prepping this newsletter, there were reports of an explosion in SW Austin. We sincerely hope this is not another attack, and that everyone is okay.
The Austin Police Department and the FBI continue to investigate the recent package bombings. Anthony Stephan House and Draylen Mason were killed and Esperanza Herrera and Shamika Wilson (Draylen’s mother) were seriously injured in three separate package bombings in the last two weeks. DO NOT pick up unexpected or suspicious packages, especially if they have no mailing label. Call 911, and do not go near or allow anyone to go near the package.
Law enforcement agencies have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest & conviction of person/s responsible to $115,000. Please contact Austin Police at (512) 472-TIPS (8477) with any details.
Donation links:
- GoFundMe for Esperanza (Hope) Herrera
- GoFundMe for Anthony Stephan House
- Second GoFundMe for House’s 8-year-old daughter
- YouCaring for Draylen Mason
Calendar Highlights
- Monday, Mar. 19th, 9 AM, William B. Travis Bldg, Rm 1-104, 1701 N. Congress Ave. – Texas Commission on Public School Finance holds first meeting open to public comment on (Facebook event)
- Tuesday, Mar. 20, 6-7 PM, Cactus Cafe – KUT’s Views and Brews hosts Yascha Mounk and James K. Galbraith discussing ‘What is Freedom?’ (Facebook event)
- Saturday, Mar. 24, 12-3 PM, Austin City Hall to Texas State Capitol – Austin’s March For Our Lives, organized by local students, kicks off at noon at City Hall (Facebook event)
Action spotlight
Austin Justice Coalition and Black Lives Matter Austin on March 15th co-hosted the East Austin Bombings: How We Must Unite to Protect Our Community town hall to discuss the recent attacks, with investigation updates from APD and community dialogue. Videos of the meeting can be found in the event’s Facebook discussion.
Photo credit: DaLyah Jones
Counter Balance: ATX and Black Pflugerville on March 16th co-hosted the Push for Peace Experience, a “journey to heal, commune, and support each other.”
Org Spotlight: Grassroots Leadership
Laura Monterrosa was released from detention Friday evening, thanks to a sustained months-long effort by Grassroots Leadership. Laura broke her silence about sexual assault while in detention, for which she faced retaliation. Since then, activists leveraged an array of disruptive tactics: rallies in front of the detention center, phone calls and petitions by the thousands, direct advocacy of elected officials, and daily visits. Claudia Muñoz, immigration programs director at Grassroots Leadership, said, “This is a huge victory for Laura, for all the women who have organized and spoken out, and for the community that came to their support.”
Your moment of Zen
Bask in baby elephant love from the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand:
…and now a word from our Treasurer
You’ve signed up for the newsletter.
You’ve opened it and read this far.
You’re disgusted that Donald Trump is in the White House.
Take one more step with us in the fight to change that.
Click on the link to make your contribution today!
Let’s save our country together.