Call to Action: April 19th

/ Tracy Abell

Hello, friends. I just had a change of heart regarding tomorrow’s Day of Action and want to share some thoughts. Zippy and I attended our local Hands Off! action on April 5th but because there was no clear “call to action” or visible (to me) organizing happening around it, I told Zippy I didn’t feel compelled to join future protests.

 

I’ve changed my mind and have journalist Laura Jedeed to thank because when I popped into Bluesky, this was at the top of my feed:

I felt called-out. I also knew in my gut that Laura was correct. And that feeling was cemented after reading her entire thread which also points out that optics do matter and how it’s imperative crowd sizes are even larger tomorrow than on the 5th in order to present a visual refutation of Trump’s so-called mandate.  (Go here to read a more fleshed-out version of Laura’s points via her newsletter.) Also? There was nothing stopping me on April 5th from doing some organizing of my own and it’s totally on me that I didn’t come prepared. Tomorrow, I will be prepared!

I’ll have the #TeslaTakedown flyers I didn’t think to bring on April 5th. (By the way, this campaign is having a huge impact and creating real pain for Nazi DOGE-bro Elon Musk: Tesla dealerships are no longer accepting Cybertruck trade-ins)

I’ll have Know Your Rights  With ICE flyers. From the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) site: These flyers explain what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) comes to your door or you have an encounter with immigration officials, what to do if you witness immigration activity by ICE or CBP, and examples of judicial warrants and ICE warrants.

I’m also trying to figure out how to also insert a QR code to the pdf flyer that links to an upcoming online KNOW YOUR RIGHTS / RAPID RESPONSE TRAINING led by WAISN. Doing so is a challenge for this low-tech person, so please share if you have ideas!

Anyway, I hope you’ll consider joining an action near you tomorrow, Saturday April 19th. I’ll be there and promise there will be no eye rolling!

Solidarity! ✊🏾

13 thoughts on “Call to Action: April 19th”

  1. I like your plan. Have been to all the protests but currently in Europe (meeting Pam and Alan in a few days). Yes we need the crowds. Keep doing good work.

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  2. I have been reading Hesther Cox Richardson’s daily updates. Her interview with (I think Maine) congressman made the point that writing your congressman is an important part of protesting. The key guideline is sharing story. Tell what specific things you are seeing or experiencing that you are upset about. Emails or letters to your own representative is most effective. For one your representative needs you when the next election happens. At heart, people have the real power… when it is exercised at strategic moments.
    Keep hope and keep drawing people in.

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    • Hello, Jasper. Good on you for reading those updates. Yes, I agree that sharing personal stories with representatives carries more weight and I try to do that in my emails and calls. I do remember, though, a Palestinian activist in Denver who shared at a rally how he’d had a sit-down with a rep and brought that rep to tears with the retelling of how many family members had been killed by US bombs in Gaza. The next day, that rep voted to send more weapons to Israel. Stories are powerful unless the recipient has no soul.

      Thank you for staying informed and holding onto your humanity. I appreciate you.

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  3. Thank you, Tracy, for getting out in the street and inspiring us to do the same. I’m torn in so many directions when it comes to taking action. On the one hand I feel like some of these protests are a waste of time and don’t address deeper empire issues. On the other hand, I’m glad people are getting out in the streets. I think it’s good we’re getting together offline and speaking out. And, I think doing something is far better than doing nothing.

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    • I share those torn feelings, Mara, but will say that once I made a plan to bring flyers to the protest today, I felt much more positive. I’m hoping to get more folks signed up for an upcoming immigration rights training plus share other info that may come in handy if someone were to witness ICE harassing a person. The more we can do to connect and invest in our shared humanity, the better we’ll be. So YES to getting together offline and showing our opposition to authoritarianism. Solidarity!

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      • That’s great that you’re handing out those flyers, Tracy. That’s one of the great things about these protests. Besides just protesting, we can share offline info in person. Not only because I’m getting more and more paranoid about internet data and privacy but because it’s probably a better way to get the word out. Not only that but it’s so important for us to physically be together. That said, at least Covid, while still around, seems to be less dangerous these days. Solidarity!

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