Solidarity Lowell Events and Actions
Wear Orange 2022 – Rally to End Gun Violence
Sunday, June 5, 2-4pm
Ladd & Whitney Monument in front of City Hall
https://www.facebook.com/events/2855977348039948
There ARE things we could be doing about gun violence. Come share ideas with other concerned folks. Don’t forget to wear orange!
Next Solidarity Lowell General Meeting
Sunday June 26 at 5:30pm
Topic: To Be Determined
Notes and recording from May Meeting Now Available
Full notes here: https://tinyurl.com/ycyndtvd
Highlights: We voted in some minor revisions to the by-laws. See the by-laws here: https://tinyurl.com/2s36md96
Recording: https://youtu.be/76Z21IW3D2U
The ACLU presented its “Know Your Sheriff” and we learned that most incumbents run unopposed, although the notorious Bristol County Sheriff is facing opponents this year. Sheriffs run every 6 years and this year is unusual in that both sheriff and DA elections are falling in the same year. Unlike other states, MA sheriffs do not make arrests. But they do control a huge budget as they oversee the houses of correction and jails.
Assistance urgently needed for asylum-seeker Marius recovering from surgery
From: Merrimack Valley Interfaith Sanctuary Network (MVISN)
Asylum-Seeker Marius had surgery recently to address ongoing issues related to the violence he fled from in Togo and Guinea-Bissau. MVISN needs to extend ongoing assistance. Any amount will be gratefully accepted. Please donate to his GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/47gvz-marius
You can also donate via:
CashApp – $gollygee17
Venmo – @owlnerd
Checks are also accepted, please email Marissa (marissa@solidaritylowell.com) for the address. Please put “Marius” in the notes.
Lowell Events
Pride Flag Raising
Saturday June 4 12-1pm
Lowell City Hall
https://www.facebook.com/events/673888333675364/
Greater Lowell PRIDE
Saturday June 4 1-6pm
Kerouac Park
https://www.facebook.com/events/737142254108182/
We’re back! Join us for the Greater Lowell Pride Festival on June 4th from 1-6PM. Enjoy live entertainment, great food, fabulous vendors and more!
8th National Gun Violence Awareness Day
First Friday in June (Friday, June 3)
As we go to press there is a motion in City Council to recognize this date in Lowell. It kicks off Wear Orange weekend, during which activities are held all over the country to increase awareness about gun violence.
Lowell Litter Krewe
The LLK is in full swing helping to beautify our city.
To connect with them: https://linktr.ee/lowelllitterkrewe
Sign up to volunteer, check out their schedule and more.
Upcoming events:
Saturday, June 4 | 9AM – 12PM | STEM Academy Cleanup
Meet at 45 Highland Street
https://www.facebook.com/events/691014472201572/
Saturday, June 11 | 8-11am Tree Removal on First Street/VFW
With the Greater Lowell Road Runners
Meet at First Street at Duck Island End
https://www.facebook.com/events/1677165139327754
Saturday, June 11| 9am-12pm Rep. Howard’s Diaper Drive
Benefitting the Wish Project
Drive-up donations at Cawley Stadium
ARPA Public Listening Sessions
Take the Survey and let your thoughts be known.
www.lowellma.gov/ARPA
Deadline to submit: June 30, 2022
Information gathered from the public listening sessions and the survey will help guide City administration on how to use ARPA funding, providing long lasting benefits to the residents of Lowell.
Petition seeks justice for Cambodian-American student killed by WA police
https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-the-murder-jesse-sarey
Other Events
Billerica 4th Annual Pride Flag Raising & Celebration
Wednesday, June 1, 6:00-7:30pm
Billerica Public Library (outside stairs in front)
There will be speakers, music, fun, info and most of all, community. We gather on the steps and plaza in front of the library in the center of town.
March For Driver’s Licenses
Thursday, June 2, 3pm
Park Street, Boston Common
The Work & Family Mobility Act, which would enable all Massachusetts residents to obtain drivers licenses regardless of immigration status, has now been passed by the Massachusetts house and senate! Governor Baker vetoed the law and so it will return to the legislature to be voted on again. Join Cosecha Massachusetts in marching to support the bill through the final legislative steps.
Learn more here. https://www.facebook.com/events/1359510697895731
Disarm Hate
Mondays and Fridays, 3-5pm, next happening June 3
Phone and textbank to get gun reform legislation passed
Sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/brady/event/462576/
RepUs Massachusetts Chapter Meeting
Monday, June 6, 6:00-7:00 pm
Google Meet video call link https://meet.google.com/bdm-xqhg-ufq?pli=1
Join the monthly meeting of the non-partisan group Represent.US, working for campaign finance reform and fighting government corruption to make our democracy stronger. Represent Western Mass has merged with our eastern partners to form a statewide chapter and are building momentum to tackle the important work of fixing our democracy.
Work to get big money influence out of government by moving local, state, and national initiatives forward. Find out how your town can have a voice for clean government. All are welcome.
Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls
Saturday, June 18, Washington DC
The June 18, 2022 Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls will be a generationally transformative and disruptive gathering of poor and low-wealth people, state leaders, faith communities, moral allies, unions and partnering organizations.
It is NOT just a day of action. It is a declaration of an ongoing, committed moral movement to 1) Shift the moral narrative; 2) Build power; and 3) Make real policies to fully address poverty and low wealth from the bottom up.
If enough people sign up this area there could be a bus (cost: $150 round trip). If not enough people sign up from this area, there WILL be a bus from Boston, with a possibility of carpooling there.
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/33bx5pu7
h/t member Stephen Malagodi for this submission
Democracy Corner
Our members running for office
Zoe Dzineku, Lowell 16th Middlesex
https://www.govotezoe.com/
Tara Hong, Lowell 18th Middlesex
https://www.tarahong.com/
Teresa English, Billerica
https://www.voteteresaenglish.org/
Help Get Progressive Candidates Elected
Progressive Massachusetts proudly endorses Sonia Chang-Diaz, Governor (78% of Progressive Mass member vote); Dr. Tami Gouveia, Lieutenant Governor (78% of PM member vote); Tanisha Sullivan for Secretary of the Commonwealth (93% of PM member vote), Quentin Palfrey for Attorney General (62% of PM member vote), and Chris Dempsey for State Auditor (78% of PM member vote).
Getting them elected starts with getting them on the ballot. All campaigns are currently looking for people to help collect signatures to get candidates on the ballot. The required number of signatures must be submitted by May 10. Supermarkets and other areas with high foot traffic are the best places for collecting signatures.
Learn more about Sonia Chang-Diaz at https://www.soniachangdiaz.com/meet-sonia
Volunteer to help Sonia’s campaign at https://www.soniachangdiaz.com/volunteer
Learn more about Dr. Tami Gouveia at https://www.tamigouveia.com/meet-tami/
Volunteer to help Tami’s campaign at https://www.tamigouveia.com/volunteer/
Learn more about Tanisha Sullivan at https://www.tanishasullivan.com/
Volunteer to help Tanisha’s campaign at http://tanisha4ma.us/join
Organizer: nate@tanishasullivan.com
Learn more about Quentin Palfrey at https://www.quentinpalfrey.com/
Volunteer with the campaign at: https://www.quentinpalfrey.com/get-involved
Organizer: signatures@quentinpalfrey.com
Learn more about Chris Dempsey at https://dempseyforauditor.com/.
Volunteer to help the campaign at: https://dempseyforauditor.com/volunteer/
Signatures Contact: matthew@dempseyforauditor.com
National contests affect everyone
Changing Congress: Field Team 6
June 2, 8-9:15pm EDT
Volunteer Fair: https://tinyurl.com/52ejhy5p
The same names appear over and over on the list of those in Congress who block whatever legislation we progressives want to see passed at the national level, including gun control measures. This California organization offers various ways of helping to register more Democrats across the country: phonebanking, textbanking, letterwriting, postcarding, social media. This event will inform you of opportunities to make a difference.
www.TurnPurple2Blue.org
Stop the rollback of rights. Help fight for a wider margin in both houses of Congress so that legislation will pass. Find out how you can help more progressive candidates succeed in other states.
Swingbluealliance.org
Largest organization in MA working on both state and national elections. Help elect more Democrats to Congress.
State-level Actions
Take action for Housing Equity
https://www.homesforallmass.org/
Contact your legislators in support of bills that would add tenant and homeowner protections like eviction sealing and the right to representation in housing court. The bills can be added to the state budget now under consideration, as amendments. At the site, hit the Take Action button.. You will find pre-written emails you can edit to make your own and scripts for phone calls.
Action request for Tweeters from MLRI (Massachusetts Law Reform Institute) in support of HOMES Act
WinnCompanies, the largest affordable housing operator in Massachusetts, has announced its support for the HOMES Act and fair eviction sealing protections for MA residents and is urging the House to pass the HOMES Act so that people are not marked with an eviction record for life.
2-Second Action Needed: Please retweet WinnCompanies’ tweet – hot off the press – so we can increase visibility under the dome and urge the House to pass HOMES and move it to the Senate.
https://twitter.com/WinnCompanies/status/1528753794259030021
Thank you for continuing to urge your Reps and Senators to support the HOMES Act.
Take action to support the Safe Communities Act (SCA)
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/engage-your-legislators-on-the-safe-communities-act/
The deadline on the SCA has been extended to June 1. The link will take you to an editable email to send to the members of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, urging them to vote the bill favorably out of committee so that it can be brought to a vote in the full legislature.
Support Right to Counsel Bills (new deadline)
The Right to Counsel bills (H. 1436 and S. 874) have been extended until June 15, 2022, by which time the Housing Committee must issue a final report. This is good news! The Committee is closely reviewing the bills. The Massachusetts Right to Counsel Coalition is grateful to lead sponsors Senator DiDomenico, Rep Dave Rogers, and Rep Day for their work to advance the bills.
Please keep up your advocacy efforts with your Representatives and Senators and members of the Housing Committee*, especially Chair Arciero and Chair Keenan. It is making a difference!
*Membership: https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J28 We especially encourage our members from Chelmsford to reach out to Senator Michael Barrett, who is on the committee. No other Lowell area legislators are on the committee, but it wouldn’t hurt to write the other members, who, by dint of their being on the committee represent all Massachusetts residents, not just their constituents.
Sample script
Dear Legislator:
I’m writing you because [I am your constituent, from [town] and] you are serving on a committee considering a bill that I believe is important to the future of Massachusetts, The Right to Counsel bill H.1436/S.874] seeks to ensure that those facing eviction have counsel when they go to court. Research shows that 90% of landlords have counsel when they head to court; very few tenants do. And tenants who have legal representation have a much better chance of avoiding eviction and all the consequences that come with it. You can read more about the consequences at https://www.aclu.org/report/no-eviction-without-representation?redirect=evictionbrief.
The brief also references a report on the financial benefits to the state of providing legal representation.
For more background on the issue:
https://www.massrtc.org/fact-sheets-and-resources.html .
With affordable housing so scarce in our state, eviction is literally life-threatening.
I urge you to vote the bills favorably out of committee before the June 15 deadline.
Thank you for your consideration.
[Your name, address, phone number]
Support the Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment is a proposal to amend the Massachusetts Constitution, creating an additional tax of four percentage points on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million. The new revenue, approximately $2 billion a year, would be spent on “quality public education and affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.” To ensure that the amendment continues to apply only to the highest income taxpayers, who have the ability to pay more, the $1 million threshold would be adjusted each year to reflect cost-of-living increases.
More info: https://tinyurl.com/3s25dw24
Pledge to vote for the Amendment in November:
https://raiseupma.us/solidaritylowell
Take action to get the Work and Family Mobility Act Passed
The bill was passed by both houses. But the governor vetoed it. The good news is that it passed with veto-proof margins in both houses. Our legislators just need to stand firm. The House will vote again on June 8, and the Senate shortly after.
Write your legislator asking them to override the veto. All current Lowell legislators supported the bill. Thank them for their support and ask them to keep it up.
Our State Legislators’ Info
House Speaker Ronald Mariano: Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov 617-722-2500
Senate President: Karen E. Spilka: Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov 617-722-1500
Rep. Thomas Golden Thomas.Golden@mahouse.gov 617-722-2263
Rep. Vanna Howard Vanna.Howard@mahouse.gov 617-722-2800 x7302 / Google Voice: 978-272-9078
Rep. Rady Mom Rady.Mom@mahouse.gov 617-722-2460
Rep. Colleen Garry Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov 617-722-2380
Rep. Tram Nguyen tram.nguyen@mahouse.gov 617-722-2425
Sen. Edward Kennedy edward.kennedy@masenate.gov 617-722-1630
Sen. Michael Barrett Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov 617-722-1572
Sen. Jamie Eldridge James.Eldridge@masenate.gov 617-722-1120
Sen. Barry Finegold Barry.Finegold@masenate.gov 617-722-1612
(… or find yours here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator)
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02133
National Actions
Make tax-deductible donation to red-state abortion funds
Our Federal Legislators’ Info
Senator Elizabeth Warren: 617-565-3170
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion
Senator Edward Markey: 617-565-8519
255 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
https://www.markey.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion
Representative Lori Trahan: 978-459-0101 / 202-225-3411
https://trahan.house.gov/contact/write-your-rep.htm
Representative Seth Moulton: 978-531-1669 / 202-225-8020
https://moulton.house.gov/contact
The RRT (Rapid Response Team) Action List compiles action items from the week and upcoming events into one place. If you would like to add anything to the weekly update, please send it to Dee Halzack at dee@solidaritylowell.com.
Solidarity Lowell is a volunteer group of community members of Greater Lowell working toward social justice by defending the human rights, dignity, and equality of all persons against all forms of hate and discrimination.
Visit the Solidarity Lowell website at solidaritylowell.com
For more events not listed here, visit the full Events calendar: https://solidaritylowell.com/events/
May meeting notes:
https://tinyurl.com/ycyndtvd
May meeting recording:
https://youtu.be/76Z21IW3D2U
See recordings of past Solidarity Lowell meetings in our YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCohwMIkVdabQdDHsVTLIGsQ
For positive news visit Solidarity Lowell Upbeat on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326202548419687
Solidarity Lowell is a chapter of Progressive Massachusetts. Join at: https://www.progressivemass.com/donate/