Take Action
Defend City Council Districts 6 & 10
The December 15 runoff elections include two City Council seats—held by Jimmy Flannigan and Alison Alter. Flannigan’s opponent, Mackenzie Kelly, was spotted recently with Chip Roy and Roger Williams at a GOP fundraiser at the Broken Spoke (indoors, maskless, etc.). Alter’s opponent, Jennifer Virden, aims to reverse the city’s cuts to the police budget. She sides with Gov. Abbott on criminalizing homelessness.
There is always a massive dropoff in voter turnout between general elections and runoffs, which allows a very small group of people to determine the outcome. It is imperative that voters in Districts 6 & 10 show up to vote, and that the rest of us support the incumbents in every way we can.
- Weekends of Action (Facebook)
Find your City Council district
Speaking of runoffs… We can still take the Senate
Both Senate seats in Georgia head for runoff elections on Tuesday, January 5. Below are some organizations dedicated to flipping Georgia and taking back the Senate.
Fair Fight
Stacey Abrams’ organization promoting fair elections in Georgia and around the country, encouraging voter participation in elections, and educating voters about elections and their voting rights.
Black Votes Matter Fund
Black Voters Matter’s goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. Effective voting allows a community to determine its own destiny. We agree with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
GALEO
GALEO’s mission is to increase civic engagement and leadership of the Latino/Hispanic community across Georgia.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first and only nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in Georgia and the Southeast.
Contribute directly to the candidates: Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff
A simple donation form that splits your contribution evenly.
Protect the Results
Senators Cruz and Cornyn are still playing along with the charade that Trump can overturn the election results.
Demand that Cornyn and Cruz publicly accept that Joe Biden is President-Elect
Visit protecttheresults.com to stay informed of future events in Austin
We are still in a pandemic
…and it’s worse than ever, thanks to Greg Abbott and other “liberty-and-death” types. Please stay home over the holidays and also call Greg Abbott and demand that he act to stop the spread and slow the deaths. From the Dallas Morning News, reporting from El Paso:
The county’s public health committee asked Abbott’s office this week to adjust his executive orders here, including by eliminating the provision that lets bars open by selling food, allowing the county to prohibit in-person dining at restaurants, prohibiting in-person fitness classes at gyms and limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people or fewer.
“They’re not saying we need to go to full lockdown mode,” Jenkins said. “They’re saying if we do these few things, as a community of people sacrifice these few things, we can get to where we need to be and we don’t get to a place where we’ve got mobile morgues.”
Gov. Abbott: (512) 463-1782
Pivoting to the Texas Legislature
Thanks to all of you who took our survey on where to focus next. A clear majority believe we can be most effective next year in the Texas Legislature—which makes perfect sense, as the 87th every-other-year session takes place. We’ll also be very focused on Greg Abbott’s seat in 2022.
The survey also included open-ended questions, and your answers fully captured the gamut from despondency about the down-ballot election results to pride in our accomplishments and hope for the future. A few examples are below.
“I volunteered for a political campaign for the first time in my life. It wasn’t and will not be the last time.”
“We defeated Donald Trump (and he won Texas by a lower margin than every elections since 1996) and put American racial justice on a global stage.”
“For the first time in my life, I have been involved in politics. After Donald Trump was elected, I began calling my senators and congressman. I attended protests for climate change and BLM. I volunteered for the Beto O’Rourke and Julie Oliver campaigns. In the future, I am very interested in getting involved in local Texas politics and pro-democracy actions.”
It’s been exciting to see the TX suburbs turning blue over the past four years.
“I really dislike the demonization/purity politics directed at “moderate” or “establishment” Democrats. We need to stick together and be wise about how we can move forward to win elections.”
“When we use words like socialism or defund, I think we offend a large portion of the electorate. What we really mean is more equitable society and reallocation of funds to educate and prevent the current police cycle”
“Chip Fucking Roy.”
“Texas isn’t as purple as I thought it was. (I.e., bozo Dan Patrick, robot Greg Abbott, and stepford John Cornyn. They all still represent our state. ?)”
“Indivisible is now just an elect the blue team machine, it is why I stopped helping.”
“It was devastating that none of our heavily gerrymandered congressional districts flipped. Julie Oliver, Wendy Davis and Mike Siegel are great candidates and I wish they had won.”
“Older red-state Democrats might actually have some wisdom to share. They’ve seen a lot over their lifetimes. I would like for us to be able to share information and stop attacking one another. Let’s work together and stop demonizing each other and be realistic about what we can accomplish. Each district will be unique.”
“Abbott must go!”
“Thanks for everything, this is a much needed activist movement.”
“We are due for some deep introspection for why we are not bringing in more BIPOCS into the progressive fold.”
“How can we show Wendy Davis, Julie Oliver, and other amazing 2020 candidates the love and support to run for office again?”
“Texas must find their Stacey Abrams and also speak to the Hispanic voters. Without the Hispanic voters turning out like Black voters do, Texas will never turn blue.”
“I live in a rural area – phone banks/online sessions don’t work. I appreciate the postcard efforts and other ways I can participate from afar.”
“It all starts at the local level. Community organizing is key!”
Events
Thursday, November 19
Sierra Club Webinar: Oil and Gas Air Pollution: What Texas should be doing on flaring, venting and methane emissions and isn’t doing.
Your moment of Zen
In a first for the city of Ukiah, about 200 goats hired to eat weeds along the railroad tracks crossed four lanes of busy Perkins Street Friday morning with the help of their guardian dogs and herd owner Tony Gonzalez, who urged the youngest across with “C’mon, Sylvia!” ? pic.twitter.com/zMnDxePaLe
— Justine Frederiksen (@JustFrederiksen) October 23, 2020