We're still keeping a full calendar of remote events. Check https://indivisibleyolo.org/calendar/for the most up-to-date information on actions and events you can join!
Hello Indivisibles,
Once again, white supremacy and police brutality are on full display in the national spotlight. Calls for justice for George Floyd and for an end to racist police violence have been met with more police violence, unabashed and on camera, across the country.
We have two actions this week in solidarity with protestors in Minneapolis.
First, we're contacting Representative Garamendi to ask him to cosponsor and vocally support the Omar-Pressley House Resolution condemning all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force throughout the country.
Second, we have concrete actions for our state representatives: we're asking them to support AB 2054, which encourages a community-based response to local emergencies rather than militarized police action; We're telling them to call for the repeal of California's so-called "Police Bill of Rights"- California is one of only a few states with these laws that make it impossible to hold police accountable when they harm people; and finally, to tell them to stop taking campaign contributions from police unions and PACs. Their response to police violence shouldn't depend on how it will affect their pocketbook.
If you aren't sure how to take action, please scroll down where you will find call scripts, phone numbers, and email links for our representatives.
Want some company making your calls to representatives? Join our Virtual Action Coffee Zoom meeting Monday morning at 10 am: https://zoom.us/j/721847201. We go over the action of the week, make our calls, and then come back and report how it went.
You may also find resources for taking action in solidarity with Minneapolis protestors on the national Indivisible page at this link: https://indivisible.org/resource/taking-action-solidarity-minneapolis.
It includes a link to donate to Black-led organizations and impacted communities, anti-racist education resources, and tips for protest safety to minimize the risk to yourself and people around you during in-person protests.
Sample script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY/ZIP CODE]. We need swift and comprehensive state legislation reforms to address police violence. I'm asking [Senator Dodd/Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry] to do three things:
First, to SUPPORT AB 2054, which encourages a community-based response to local emergencies rather than militarized police action.
Second, to call for the repeal of California's so-called "Police Bill of Rights", which makes it impossible to hold police accountable when they cause harm.
Third, to commit to stop taking campaign contributions from police unions and PACs, and to donate any money that has already been received to bail funds and mutual aid organizations.
Background on AB 2054:
AB 2054 will create a pilot program for community-based response to local emergencies like public health crises, unhoused people in crises, people experiencing mental health crises, people exposed to intimate partner violence, people with a substance use disorder, and people impacted by natural or climate disasters. These situations call for response from community experts trained in reducing harm, rather than increasingly militarized police action.
Tell Rep. Garamendi: Cosponsor the Omar-Pressley Resolution condemning police brutality
Sample script for Rep. Garamendi:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY/ZIP CODE]. TAKING ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH MINNEAPOLIS
Call script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am from [CITY/STATE]. I’m calling Rep. Garamendi to urge him to cosponsor and publicly call for the passage of the Omar-Pressley House Resolution condemning all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force throughout the country. We cannot allow these outrageous actions to continue.
