Read the notes from Sunday’s meeting here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XUKrNa2K5UIfBahoyi6o_-Qp_ZjyhCas/view?usp=sharing
To weigh in on topics discussed at the meeting, please fill out the poll here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfW9Q2oR-8T633BnqFb1Q55orSUd35lVTbbF06U_Y1OlMV8QA/viewform
Hey, the Rapid Response Team Action List is ONE YEAR OLD! Crazy! A year ago in our first update we had nothing in the Local section (which is now almost consistently the longest) and were posting about saving the Dakota Access Pipeline… which unfortunately is moving forward. Should I mention we were already writing about saving Obamacare back then too? No? Okay. But you know what? This does help, it does make a difference, and we’re going to keep doing it! Onward!
Local
Lowell Transitional Living Center Needs Donations
Daily through November 29th, Lowell Transitional Living Center, 205-209 Middlesex St, Lowell
Look out for deals on bulk items this weekend and buy a gift for LTLCs Winter Emergency Bed Program: foot powder, chapstick, towels, disinfectant wipes, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, mop heads, laundry detergent, sheets, pillowcases, hand sanitizer, flip flops, scrubs, sweatpants, socks, waterproof gloves, etc.
Find donation hours here: https://www.facebook.com/events/130249270986218/?active_tab=discussion
Lowell Drums!
Monday, December 4, 12-2pm, on the corner of Middlesex and Marston Street, Lowell
Lowell Drums is a bucket drum circle bringing the community together through song. The Lowell Community Health Center will be doing free blood pressure screenings. Warm refreshments will be served.
Raise Awareness for Changing Lowell’s Voting System
There are a number of ways you can get involved to raise public awareness and build support for changing Lowell’s voting system, including hosting house parties to provide information about the lawsuit to your friends and neighbors, writing letters to your city councilors and local media/or organizing letter-writing campaigns, and coordinating visits to city councilors by small groups of residents to express your opinion on the lawsuit and current voting system. Please help spread the word about the benefits of moving to a ward or hybrid voting system!
More information:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B716TaA9X__OMUpLTjRqdnpybDR3V1NBWGxpWmQ5UGo4S2w4/view?usp=sharing
A Rapid Response Rally if Mueller is Fired
If it happens before 2pm, the event will be held at 5pm the same day. If it happens after 2pm, the event will be held at noon the following day. Location is the island outside City Hall, across from Cobblestones, 309 Merrimack St, Lowell, MA
Nobody is above the law! Donald Trump is publicly considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller. This would be a constitutional crisis for our country. Our response in the minutes and hours following a power grab will dictate what happens next, which is why an immediate response is imperative.
Sign up to be notified: https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/14830
State
Resist Deportations! Save TPS!
Saturday, December 2, 12-3pm, Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA
Save TPS! Defend DACA! Resist Deportations! No Wall! No border militarization! No Muslim ban! Permanent Legal Residence! Jail Joe Arpaio — Not Migrants! Resist Fascism! Rally at noon on the steps across from the Massachusetts Statehouse, then march to the JFK Federal Building.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/2062238520729058/
Stopping the Rising Tide of Hate
Saturday, December 2, 4-6pm, Congregational Church of Needham, 1154 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA 02492
Featuring keynote speaker Lecia Brooks from Southern Poverty Law Center and a panel discussion on active hate groups in the US and Massachusetts, methods of spreading hate, reforms and economic policies to promote social justice, personal stories from the Boston area, and ways to promote tolerance and diversity.
RSVP here: http://www.progressivemass.com/progressive_needham_and_leticia_brooks_of_splc
Federal
Defend Bears Ears National Monument
Elizabeth Warren: 617-565-3170
Edward Markey: 617-565-8519
Niki Tsongas: 978-459-0101
From the Bears Ears Coalition website, “The proposed reduction in size would leave thousands of sites more vulnerable to vandalism, compromise the integrity of the landscape as a whole, and disrespect the unified voices of tribal nations that have consistently called for Bears Ears to be protected.”
Sample Script: “Hello, my name is ________ from _______, Massachusetts. Please protect Bears Ears National Monument and vote against any bill dividing up this protected land. It sets an extremely irresponsible precedent for other parks and monuments going forward. Thank you!”
More information: https://bearsearscoalition.org/