JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Call to Action from King County Equity Now-Reinvest SPD Funds into Community

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Last week, Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now presented a plan to reinvest 50% of SPD’s remaining 2020 budget into pro-community, pro-safety measures. Specifically, we proposed reinvestments in four categories (described in more detail below.)

  1. Replace current 911 operations with a civilian-controlled system
  2. Scale-up community-led solutions
  3. Fund a community-created roadmap to life without policing
  4. Invest in housing for all

HOW TO SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL

  • Call/email/tag city council members asking them to support the 4-point proposal for defunding SPD by 50% and reinvesting in community. If you already did this, DO IT AGAIN! Make sure to contact your own council member, as well as Gonzalez and Mosqueda, the two members-at-large.

  • Repost our call to action on your social media.

  • Organize others to bring the pressure! Share our call to action with any listservs you manage, and with friends, family and community members.

  • Write an organizational letter of support addressed to all city council members in support of the proposal.

More details on the 4-point proposal as well as a script and contact info for council members are below. Please find an extended version here. Thank you for being part of making these historic and long-overdue changes.

Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now Team

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Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites Asks for Your Voice at City Council Defund-the-Police Budget Hearing, June 8, 2020

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The Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites is MOBILIZING to DEFUND the SPD by 50% and REINVEST IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. We have until July 17th to influence the city budget. As a people who have historically benefited from the institution of police, we have a responsibility to advocate for its abolition.

We are MOBILIZING TOGETHER to DEFUND the SPD by 50%  and REINVEST IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES

This work is not done!  If you have been following the news lately, you likely know that Mayor Durkan is on the offensive.  She has proposed a 20% budget cut, even though if we can maintain a veto-proof majority in city council, she has very little power to implement that proposal.

SO, it is imperative that we keep pressure on our Council Members to hold to their commitment.  The pro-police folks are organizing as well. They’re planning on using our tactics to try to flip Council Members votes.  

Our action is to keep up the calls and emails! They matter- don’t let up and give the pro-police folks the phone lines!  Only a quarter of our Phone Zap spots are filled for today – so sign up. And make the calls even if you don’t sign up!  Below you will find all of the city council members contact information!  

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Support House Bill 7301 to Pass Crucial Housing and Homelessness Resources

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From the Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH):

We need a strong HOUSING focus in federal COVID-19 relief:
Pass the Emergency Housing Protections & Relief Act of 2020

The House of Representatives just passed crucial housing and homelessness resources in the “Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020” aka H.R. 7301. This bill is a TOP priority for every advocacy group concerned about the need to get more people housed, keep people in their homes, and prevent dramatic increases in homelessness.

Our partners at the National Low Income Housing Coalition have made it easy to send your Senators a note to VOTE YES on HR. 7301. Ask people you know in other states to join you. We need a strong push across all 50 states to make sure the federal response to COVID-19 prioritizes homes and prevent homelessness.

Volunteers Needed to Verify Accessibility of Town Hall Meetings

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Virtual town halls are the new norm when it comes to communicating with our elected officials. With there being so many different ways to host a virtual town hall, we at Town Hall Project want to make sure our members of Congress are truly listening to their constituents.

To do this, we need YOUR help. We need volunteers to (virtually) attend these town halls and report back on how accessible they truly are.

This is volunteering you can do from the comfort and safety of your own home, in as little as 1-2 hours per week. And it will be critical in holding our lawmakers accountable.

Please sign up here to join our team of Town Hall Monitors. Together we can hold our members of Congress accountable.

With Kind Regards,

Zoë Tapert

Organizing Director, Town Hall Project

ICE says international students must take in-person classes to remain in the US

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New students matriculating at schools offering fully online programs will not receive visas, per ICE. Students who are already enrolled at such schools will be required to transfer or leave the country. Eight percent of US colleges are planning for an online-only semester, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, including Harvard and Bowdoin, though some of those schools plan to invite a reduced number of students back to campus.