A Week of Testimony, Protest, and Song, Followed by???

By paulgibson51 on July 23, 2018 • ( 0 )

Report on last week’s actions, the challenges ahead, and actions for this week, including an urgent request for support for reunifying immigrant families in from Lutheran Family Services in Otero County.

Urgent Need for Support for Reunifying Families

SANTA FE and surrounding areas, Earth Care has a central drop off location for donations responding to the urgent need below. Fire Station #7, behind the Rodeo Grounds, 2391 Richards Ave, Santa Fe, NM 8750 (505) 955-3700.

Earth Care will start taking donations to Albuquerque tomorrow afternoon. Read on for details.

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On Friday, July 20th, Lutheran Family Services in Albuquerque were asked to provide emergency services to 300 immigrant families in Albuquerque, NM who were separated under the short-lived family separation policy. Overnight LFS organized the team in their Albuquerque office and sent additional help from their Denver office so we could begin receiving families today. We expect to receive 50 adults and children per day through July27th. They need your help.

LFS was called upon on short notice because of their reputation in resettling refugees, expertise working with children and families who have experienced trauma, and because of donors and volunteers who have supported the LFS mission of walking with the vulnerable. They are in our care for only a brief time (24-36 hours), and LFS staff are meeting immediate needs that include temporary housing, food, clothing, legal/health referrals, and transportation to their final destination with family and friends in the U.S.

The Albuquerque team knows that many of the children may be deeply traumatized from this experience, and are taking extra measures to protect their privacy. The biggest need right now will be resources for the families when they arrive THIS WEEK. A list is provided below as to what might be donated.

All donations in Albuquerque can be made at Albuquerque Fire Station #2 at 2401 Alumni Dr. SE, Albuquerque NM 87108 (near Gibson & I25) which is open late and always has someone available.

Food and Water – easy to pack cookies or crackers, fruit, bottled waters, paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins
NEW Clothing – ages 6 and up for children and small or medium men’s clothing (t-shirts, shorts underwear, socks), shoe laces, flip flops.
Backpacks for children and adults
Toys and stuffed animals
TRAVEL SIZE hygiene products- soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, small shampoo, etc.
Monetary donations to LFS: https://www.lfsrm.org/donate-family-reunification/

This is the kind of need for action where Retake could play an important role. We need YOU to do 2 things: 1) organize a package of goods and deliver them to Station # 7 (above) and forward this email to as many friends as possible and encourage them to do the same. This is urgent and if a few of you take this on and handle the minor amount of coordination and logistics involved, then we can have a significant positive impact.

Local Action Team Mtg. TODAY! Monday July 23. 6-7:15pm at New Energy Economy 343 E. Alameda. The Local Action Team has been organizing around issues in Retake’s 22-pollicy People’s Platform. Today, the team will discuss narrowing the focus of advocacy to a smaller number of policies and will also discuss how best to educate the community and our elected officials about these policies. Recently the Team has narrowed its focus to a more manageable number of policies. This is a great way to advocate for social justice at a city level. For more information, contact Jennifer Johnson at gridded@mac.com.

Roundhouse Advocacy Team. Thursday, July 26, 4:30-6:30pm at New Energy Economy, 343 E. Alameda. The Roundhouse Advocacy Team (or the Rat Pack) has been meeting for a year to develop a 2018-2019 Election and Legislative Strategy. We meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, same time, same location.

At this Thursday’s meeting, we will check in on progress making calls to activists in other parts of the state. This is a critical ‘next step’ in developing a statewide Rapid Response Network. This would be a very good meeting for people who haven’t come before, to jump in. We need twice as many folks to devote a few hours a week to this work. There is much to do and a very cohesive, well-organized team already in place. Join us! And if you can’t make it to these meetings, please just write to me, as there is PLENTY you can do from home and at your own pace. Write to me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org.

Friday, July 27, 6-7pm Wall of Love Returns, Santa Fe Raiilyard Performance Center. The Wall of Love was a project by a number of community volunteers who coordinated scores of Santa Feans developing their own square to be part of the Wall of Love.

Your last chance to paint for the Wall of Love is THIS Tuesday, July 24 at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden from 10-1pm. No need to RSVP. And here is an idea: Gather up some goods for reuniting families today, drop them off at Fire Station 7 tomorrow and then go to the Botanical Gardens to create your square.

A Path Forward from the Current Economic System to Something Like Justice

Tuesday, July 17. A wake-up call to Dem Party leadership: When do you stop throwing cold water on grassroots, progressive enthusiasm? Plus, the blog includes the clearest ‘next step’ to social & economic justice I’ve read. Also included in the blog is a powerful poem from Hakim Bellamy on what displacement feels like to impacted people. I highly recommend taking the 2-3 minutes it takes to read this poem.

Governors and Their Corporate “Sponsors” Convene. Time to Hit the Streets

Thursday, July 19. In addition to a report on the Governor’s Conference and the pay-to-play, the Thursday blog also a reports on a five point plan to curtail the rape of our natural and human resources by multi-national corporations, a petition to the Mayor and an announcement about our KSFR radio show. The article on how to regulate corporations is particularly intriguing, as the degree to which some will find its reforms too extreme is a measure of how limited our imaginations have become and how willing we have become to accept the narrowest definition of what is possible.

Lessons Learned from Five Years Car-Free in Santa Fe with Commentary on the Relative Value of System Change and Personal Change.Saturday

Saturday, July 21. Saturday’s post republishes a Green Fire Times article by Lena Hakim focusing on the value of personal sacrifice and change in personal behavior as a means of challenging the status quo. Hakim describes here five years without use of any car transport and offers suggestions as to how you can reduce your carbon footprint. I added a few comments, but otherwise let Lena’s article speak for itself.