Trump Is Attacking Our Immigrant Communities And We Are Fighting Back #FreeIvan #Juntos #Galee #WilliamsWay

The war on our most vulnerable is getting worse under the Trump administration. This war is causing people to rethink about doing the right thing when applying for citizenship. The risk of ICE invading vulnerable members of society aka immigrants rights is the turning point in doing the right thing. Immigrants are now members of the demographics with targets on their back. This target is preventing them from living a safe, productive and happy life.

Jose “Ivan” Nuñez and Paul were looking to do the right thing by attending on January 31st their marriage interview at USCIS. Some how ICE found out about this interview and stormed the site, taking Jose Ivan Nunez to the York County Detention Center where he is now at risk of being deported. If Ivan is deported back to Mexico, his life will be in jeopardy due to his sexuality. Ivan came to our country to live his life free as he please without hurting anyone.

The #WarOnImmigrants is violating human rights and destroying peoples lives. Juntos, Galaei, William Way and supporters are demanding that ICE release Ivan and reunite him with his husband Paul. #FreeIvan #AmorSinFronteras As of January 13th, USCIS has deemed Ivan and Paul’s marriage petition valid and Ivan has passed his Reasonable Fear interview, meaning there is no reason why he should still be in detention. Please sign the petition: https://action.mijente.net/petitions/gay-couple-torn-apart-by-ice

This violation raise concerns for intersectionality and how our culture, sexual orientation and demographics are being used against us in a false sense of #EthnicCleansing which has been going on since the beginning of colonialism. We are in a time when we get to see those in our society who don't have the ability to accept diversity. More and more are resisting this administration backwards progress. We want to live in a country that accepts us for being us and not dictate who we can be or how to obtain happiness. More and more are looking to #EndRapeCulture aka #MadeInAmerica and that may be the best part of this administration.

2/23/18 Join Refuse Fascism, POWER Northeast and the Haitian Coalition of Philadelphia in a panel discussion on the escalation of the Trump/Pence regime's attacks on immigrant, their program of ethnic cleansing, and the need for massive sustained resistance to drive them from power.

First they came for the Muslims then they came for the immigrants. Not this time! It's time to stand up for ALL immigrants. Trump's ICE foot solders are on rampage to put into place this fascist agenda. They are going door to door terrorizing families and community members and attacking Sanctuary cities and their stand. Now is the time for everyone to come to the defense of those first and most viciously under attack and strengthen the movement to drive the fascist Trump/Pence regime from power. Come learn about the communities that are being targeted and deepen your understanding about the situation our immigrant brothers and sisters face, dig into how this fits into Trump's fascist agenda and how we can defend those who come under attack and stop this nightmare.
Arch Street Methodist Church 6-9pm. 

Teaching “Precious Knowledge” | Growing Up in America

https://growingupinamerica.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/teaching-precious-knowledge/

Mar 16, 2013 - Throughout the course of McGinnis' 70 minute PBS documentary Precious Knowledge, we juggle themes of hope and loss. ... Are we so elitist that we believe any knowledge of other cultures is a threat to our nation?

#Juntos is building #CommunityResistanceZones by arranging community canvasses to educate immigrants about their right not to open the door for police or ICE who don't have a warrant signed by a judge. We inform the immigrants to ask to see the warrant via window or through the door. We inform immigrants that they have the right to remain silent and not to answer any questions without an attorney present and don't sign anything without talking to an attorney.

#ResistanceZone

You can support our immigrant community if you see an ICE raid, police stop or hate crime, you have the right to document under the first amendment. If you use your phone and do a facebook live video please tag #Juntos or share with Juntos. Police or ICE do not have the right to confiscate your phone without a warrant and cannot erase your photos or videos. Please take note of where the incident occur, time, date, how many agents and what they were wearing. 

You can reach out to #Juntos at 215.218.9079 info@vamosjuntos.org 600 Washington Ave. unit 18UA Philadelphia Pa. 19147

Puerto Rican Evacuess In Need of Extended FEMA TSA And Support Services In Philadelphia

Charito Morales Puerto Rican VOCES De Barrio Advocate

Connecting our most vulnerable members in our society to much needed resources and support is what VOCES De Barrio member Charito Morales is asking for from Philadelphia officials whom she met in Puerto Rico when establishing the Philadelphia connection for vicitims of Hurricane Maria and Irma. Charito is advocating for the #HumanRights of Puerto Ricans who are American citizens living on the island of Puerto Rico until the hurricanes destroyed their home land. Puerto Ricans have entered the mainland due to the catastrophe and are entitled to supports and resources. Question is who is connecting our Puerto Rican families to the much needed support and resources?

Charito Morales with the support of community organizer Kate Goodman held a press conference 2/12/18 at the Thomas Paine Plaza to address their concerns for the neglect Puerto Ricans are facing through this crisis. A request for the city and state to become #HostCity and #HostState was issued. Charito would like for VOCES De Barrio to be one of  FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) so that they can help families in transition connect to the much needed resources. 

Under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, host cities are eligible for 100 percent reimbursement of eligible and documented costs associated with the emergency care, temporary sheltering, and interim housing.

On 2/16/18 Charito Morales had the opportunity to talk with Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello about her concerns for thousands of Puerto Ricans becoming homeless in the coming weeks. Gov. Ricardo stated that FEMA has extended the TSA voucher once already for Puerto Ricans and that he will ask for another extension. Charito expressed that she has made contact with our local officials and all they need is a phone call from Gov. Rossello. “My commitment is by today, in the next 24 hours I will verbally express my concern with these issues and I will have a letter drafted toward FEMA and the local government,” said Gov. Rossello.

www.facebook.com/groups/Occupyelbarriophilly

Grassroots advocacy is helping to address the needs and concerns for Puerto Rico!! During the #WomensMarch2018 there was talk about the neglect taking place in Puerto Rico and how more needs to done to help Puerto Ricans. The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign is also helping. 

#ViktreChallengePower  #PowerPuertoRico 

THE CAUSE

Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico, and destroyed most of the island’s power grid. Months after the storm, half the island is still without power. We’re raising funds to bring power back to the millions still living in the dark.

THE SOLUTION

Power for Puerto Rico is a competition to fund the installation of sustainable, storm-proof solar power on the island. All dollars raised will go to the Foundation for Puerto Rico, a not-for-profit dedicated to smart infrastructure change for Puerto Rico.

THE CHALLENGE

From Jan 22nd to Feb 28th, you’ll be able to join a team and support the cause by donating to an athlete’s team. You’ll also earn a chance to meet an athlete, win exclusive prizes, and help the people of Puerto Rico. https://viktrechallenge.com/donate

Viktre Challenge Service includes an online platform designed to help Athlete Teams and Campaign Donors, for the purpose of initiating, conducting, learning about, and participating in fundraising campaigns (“Campaigns”). A “Athlete Team” is an individual Athlete or multiple Athletes raising funds for a cause via a Crowd Funding Campaign. A “Campaign Donor” is an individual or organization contributing funds to one or more Campaigns

Recovery Help 

If you would like to help please donate to the #PowerPuertoRico and contact Pennsylvania Latino Affairs 215.560.2640 and express your concerns for support of Puerto Ricans in transition here in Pennsylavania. 

If you know of housing resources please leave the information in the comments. Thanks for reading and your support!!

Raising Awareness on Sexual Assult In The Military Helps #EndingRapeCulture In Our Military

The #MeToo movement is helping to bring light to the accepted #RapeCulture that plagues our society. I learned of the brutal conditions men and women deal with in our military during a conversation with Director Jillian Bullock who connected with men and women who were sexually assaulted while serving in the military. Jillian directed "A Sense of Purpose" a brutally honest recapturing of the #RapeCulture taking place when you sign up to serve and protect our country. The panel discussion that Jillian was part of was focused on telling the stories of women transitioning from military to civilian life. A transition that i learned has taken some 30 years to begin because no one would recognize the pain women endured. Too many women are leaving the military and not applying for the support services they are entitled to due to blocking the institution that raped them. There are services to help women and we should look to help veteran women connect to the services they are entitled to without judgment. 

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND!

Vet to Vet Assistance.ONLINE or Call 888-777-4443

#MeToo Stories of Military Sexual Trauma

October 18, 2017 By Mary Ann Mayer Leave a Comment

We here at the Women Veterans Outreach program hear stories from the women Vets we work with of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military every day.

38% of women military personnel and veterans report 
Military Sexual Trauma that includes both harassment and assault, 
and 24% report being sexually assaulted by a fellow service person.  
And those are only the cases that are reported.

In support of these women who have served their country, 
in support of all the women who have experienced sexual harassment and assault, 
and to raise awareness for the enormous problem of Military Sexual Trauma, 
the Women Veteran Outreach Team 
will be posting a series of #MeToo stories from the women Veterans they work with.

#MeToo is powerful hashtag women have been using to speak out on social media 
about experiences of sexual harassment and assault, 
and to de-stigmatize speaking out.

If you are a Veteran or an active duty service member 
and you have experienced sexual assault or harassment in the military, 
please join with us by tagging your #MeToo post 
with @helpforveterans on Twitter or @NationalVeteransFoundation.NVF on Facebook. 
If you’d like to share your story anonymously,
please email us at womanvet@nvf.org.

#MeToo – Britney shared with the 

@NationalVeteransFoundation

I was a Staff NCO and I had a junior Marine (Lcpl) send me lewd 
emails regarding dating and meet up. 
I reported to his chain of command and they told me “In my days, 
we settled it the old fashion way, a rumble in the yard”.
With that said, unless I was willing to physically fight him, 
nothing was going to change. And it didn’t… It got worse. 
The Lcpl spread rumors about me and I lost respect with my coworkers.

#MeToo – Aimie opened up to 

@NationalVeteransFoundation

During a drill weekend, our unit was in the field setting up our cots outside under the stars. 
I asked my Plt. Sgt where I needed to put my cot and change-over for the night. 
Since I was among the few women that serve in the unit, 
I assumed we would be together and have a segregated area to sleep and change. 
He told me I was a Marine and that I shouldn’t be treated any differently. 
So that night I changed my uniform inside my sleeping bag in front of my
Marine brothers and slept in my cammies.

#MeToo – Kacie shared with 

@NationalVeteransFoundation

I was groped and assaulted in bootcamp then at duty station in Spain, 
I was stalked and almost kidnapped.
MST wasn’t something back when i got out. 
I am sorry you had to go through what you have. Stay strong. Me too

 

About the Women Veterans Center:

From the founding of our nation, women have protected America's freedom and the population of Women Veterans is growing rapidly. According to the VA, the current projected percentage of U.S. Veterans who are women is 10 percent. Women make up nearly 11.6 percent of OEF/OIF/OND Veterans and we will continue to see an influx.  

Still, Women Veterans remain historically under-represented in using available benefits and may be more reluctant than their male counterparts enhance their status as a veteran. To address these growing and unique needs, in 2014, the Veterans Multi-Service Center created the Women Veterans Center.

Women Veterans Center Mission:

The mission of the Women Veterans Center is to provide a communal space for Women Veterans and their families to heal, grow, and thrive. We offer a wide range of activities, events, and programs allowing Women Veterans to connect to each other and the community.

If you would like to receive more information about upcoming events at the WVC, we invite you to join our monthly e-mail list, or to reach out directly to our Coordinator, Anna Stormer.

http://www.vmcenter.org/index.php/services/women-veterans-center

Anna Stormer, M.S.

Women Veterans Center Coordinator

Address: 259 N Lawrence Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Phone: (215)923-2600 x 171 | Email: WVC@VMCenter.org

Facebook.com/WomenVeteransCenter

Sign up to receive email updates!

https://asenseofpurposemovie.com/news/tag/jillian-bullock-enterprises/

http://www.bwjp.org/our-work/topics/military-sexual-assult.html

More and More Votes Don't Count Thanks Too GerryManderIng

Charlie Day Volunteers With #FairDistrictPa

#FairDistrictPa was a part of a recent hearing in the supreme court of Pennsylvania that has some Pennsylvania legislator in a quite uproar. The ruling based on our state constitution calls for our state legislators to fairly redistrict Pennsylvania by February 9th 2018. Our Governor Tom Wolf took time to listen to constituents about their concerns on #GerryMandering. You can submit your concerns to Gov. Wolf online at governor.pa.gov/fair-maps. But there is a deeply rooted mentality around safe seats for incumbents and these Republican incumbents have gone to the federal supreme court to try and have the Pennsylvania Supreme court ruling overturned. 

By assuring incumbents of re-election, gerrymandering relieves them of worrying about what their voters think. They need to worry only about primary opposition, usually from more extreme candidates. Letting politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around robs people of their voice.

“Whatever your No. 1 issue, it’s not going to be resolved until we fix this,” said Carol Kuniholm, a Pennsylvanian who is a co-founder and chairwoman of Fair Districts PA.

Congressional gerrymandering is most extreme in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, according to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. For state legislatures, add Wisconsin to the list. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/opinion/michigan-gerrymandering-fair-voting.html

Committee of Seventy Retweeted

Draw the Lines Pa.‏ @DrawTheLinesPA 8h8 hours ago

Let @GovernorTomWolf know what you think about PA's current redistricting process and how the state's congressional maps should look. https://buff.ly/2DRzSjx . Then tweet out what you told him and tag us!

Nina Ahmad can't circulate petitions until our legislators redraw party lines.  Unfortunately the democratic Congressman in this district sold his district to Republicans. He's not planning to seek another term in Congress. Who is creating the redistricting? How will redistricting affect Nina's candidacy push for Congress? 

Women Representation Affected By #GerryMandering

“Women in Congress are more than three times as likely to be Democrats,” Thomsen said.

Because of this gender gap, partisan gerrymandering could disproportionately affect women’s representation, as well as the manner in which women’s issues are addressed in U.S. politics.

Gerrymandering has been found to target female candidates, as in the case of Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis in 2011, according to the National Organization of Women. In this case, Republican leaders redrew Davis’ district, moving thousands of black and Latino constituents who voted for her in the previous election to predominantly conservative districts. Davis successfully sued the state under the Voting Rights Act before the election and was re-elected.

Political scientists Barbara Palmer and Dennis Simon also found that women in the Ohio House of Representatives were far more likely to have their districts redrawn than their male counterparts. They identified what they call “women-friendly districts,” in which women were more likely to be elected.

The use of gerrymandering to disadvantage female candidates was also noted in Virginia in the early 2000s, when five out of the eight women representatives had their districts redrawn to favor Republican candidates who were men.

The possibility of gender gerrymandering is especially salient in Syracuse. Democrat women are the largest constituency in the city and Onondaga County. And gerrymandering continues to be a central topic of debate in local politics.

Still, paying attention to the issues of gerrymandering also provides us with opportunities to scrutinize, and maybe even combat, gender inequality in politics. At the very least, questions surrounding partisan gerrymandering can inspire more meaningful investigations into the causes and effects of gendered partisanship.

“If you have a party that is going to be in the majority for long periods of time, and there are eight percent women, do I think that matters for the issues that get put on the agenda? Absolutely,” Thomsen said. “Do I think that if you would draw districts a different way, it would fix it? No.”

This distinction between gendered partisanship and the effects of gerrymandering on gender representation is important. Yet we cannot ignore how gerrymandering affects women in U.S. politics. The current Supreme Court case can prompt critical debate on how we can avoid voter suppression.

Considering gerrymandering as a gender issue may also promote intersectional advocacy against the suppression of historically disadvantaged voters. Without such efforts, our democratic ideal of fair representation is futile.

C.C. Hendricks is a doctoral student in composition and cultural rhetoric. Her column appears biweekly. You can reach her at crhen100@syr.edu. By C.C. HendricksWriting to resist

#FairDistrictPa is petitioning Pa. legislator to create a #CitizenCommission that would create fair district maps. This is a three year process that involves approval from our legislators two years in a row before the constitution can be amended to grant a #CitizenCommission.  #FairDistrictPa has proposed SB22 and HB722 to end #Gerrymandering. These bills are being blocked by Senator Joe Scarnati, Speaker Mike Turzai and Senator Mike Folmer whose twitter handle reads:

@SenatorFolmer

State Senator from Central PA dedicated to restoring government to We The People

 Fair Districts PA Retweeted

LWV Pennsylvania‏ @LWVPA 8h8 hours ago

Amazing to hear @senatorscarnati @drewcrompton @RepTurzai and now @SenatorFolmer accuse the League of delaying redistricting reform in PA. They've had decades. NOW would be a good time to schedule a hearing on SB 22 & HB 722. We're still waiting.

 Fair Districts PA Retweeted

Fair Districts PA‏ @FairDistrictsPA 9h9 hours ago

Important work by @danmcglone at @azavea. Turzai production data shows how/why/where counties/municipalities/precincts were split. We knew about packing and cracking - this makes it personal. https://www.azavea.com/blog/2018/01/23/exploring-pennsylvanias-gerrymandered-congressional-districts/ …

You can read more about Gov. Wolf tour at this link: https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-wolf-hosts-non-partisan-redistricting-listening-sessions-with-pennsylvania-residents-round-up/

Sign Our Petition Now!!

With your help, we can rally every Pennsylvanian around our cause, and make the call for change impossible to ignore. The first step is to sign our petition asking state legislators to support redistricting bills SB 22 and HB 722. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/enact-sb22-and-hb722?source=website&

Make Your Vote Count!!

Find Your Representatives Stand On GerryMandering?

Committee of Seventy Retweeted

Rep. Steve Samuelson‏ @RepSamuelson 2h2 hours ago

#HB722 now has 104 cosponsors! Thank you Rep. Michael Corr of Montgomery County for signing on. #Redistricting reform in PA is a bipartisan proposal with 69 Democrats and 35 Republicans in the #PAHouse cosponsoring so far. The time to end #Gerrymandering is now. @FairDistrictsPA

1.  Committee of Seventy Retweeted

   Rep. Steve Samuelson‏ @RepSamuelson 9h9 hours ago
   

   Rep. Steve Samuelson Retweeted NPR

   Party leaders may want 10 more years of #gerrymandering, but 103 cosponsors in #PAHouse, 17 in #PASenate, and thousands of citizens want an early spring. Bring sunshine to #redistricting. Prune the process to put people, not politicians, in charge of drawing maps @FairDistrictsPA

   Rep. Steve Samuelson added,

   
   

   NPRVerified account @NPR

   It's #GroundhogDay! We're in for six more weeks of winter, at least if you take your meteorological cues from a woodchuck. http://n.pr/2rWm1XC  Committee of Seventy Retweeted
2. 1. Azavea‏ @azavea Jan 31
      

      In a recent case, the PA Congressional District Map was ruled unconstitutional. In this thread on #gerrymandering: - details from our expert witness report for a similar case, Agre v Wolf - statewide map of partisan data - details for Pennsylvania's most gerrymandered districts

      

      2 replies12 retweets14 likes

      
      

      
      
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