When Are We Going To Do Something?
~ Steve Kerr, Coach of the Golden State Warriors
Welcome to Wednesday, Dear Activists ~
Another sad week. Another mass murder. This time of 19 children - babies really - and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas. What to say? I don't know. It seems useless to answer with the usual sorrowful platitudes at this point. We grieve with them. How bad is it in our country? Just but a few examples:
The #1 cause of death of children in this country is by gun.
Every day 12 children die from gun violence in America and another 32 are shot and injured.
So far this year we've had about 200 mass shootings. That's about 10 per week.
We know who is to blame. First and foremost, Republicans who refuse to vote for gun safety laws. They are bought by the gun lobby and it shows. But what about some Democrats who seem to have accepted this as a permanent reality of American life? We need to push them more to enact strong gun safety laws. To see what we're up against, check out how much money senators receive from the gun lobby. But gun violence is not inevitable. Don’t allow the Republican party, bought and paid for by the NRA, to talk about this as though mass shootings just happen. It is a choice. So what can we do? 1. For starters, see our Call To Action below and call our senators today. 2. Next, we must do everything we can to make sure Josh Shapiro is elected governor and John Fetterman is elected to the Senate. In case you haven't seen it, Doug Mastriano has vowed to make Pennsylvania a "Second Amendment Sanctuary State" to avoid complying with federal gun safety laws. Who knows if that would be legal, but it tells us where he stands on gun safety. And Mehmet Oz and David McCormick are each vying for Second Amendment credibility. You can read our excellent social media take here. So again, as if we needed any more reason, we know we have the chance to flip a Senate seat and win the Governor's seat to give us the chance of reasonable gun safety laws. We must get into action now to talk to voters and get them out this November. We all need to be in this together. Sign up below.
REACH VOTERS WITH US This is how we win! Canvass The gold standard for getting voters to the polls is talking to them in person. So if you're worried about our future, you should try it out. We'll give you an experienced buddy to go with you. These are nice neighborhoods and friendly voters. They are non-Republican voters who just need to vote more often. Simple as that. Reply this email if you just want to chat about it! We train you. We give you all the materials you need. We pair you with a canvassing buddy. We give you a snack! 53rd Ward - Oxford Circle Date: This Saturday, May 28 Time: 11:00 am start Location: We’ll meet at Country Club Diner on Cottman Avenue to get started. Sign up here. 2nd Ward - Queen Village Date: Sunday, June 5 Time: 11:00 am Location: Cianfrani Park, 8th and Fitzwater St. Sign up here. 34th Ward - Overbrook Date: Saturday, June 11 Time: 11:00 am Location: Tustin Playground, 59th Street and Columbia Ave. Sign up here. Register Voters Philly AIDS Thrift Date: Saturday, June 4 - Sold out - thank you! More coming soon. Giovanni's Room Bookstore Date: Saturday, June 4 Time: Noon - 2:00 (one shift) Sign up here. Rodin Museum Come register voters at the Rodin Garden Bar pop-up! Get people motivated about this year’s elections in one of Philly's most beautiful spots. The Garden Bar is open until 8:30, so you can stick around for a drink after your shift. The Garden Bar is only open weather permitting, so if there is rain in the forecast, we’ll let you know by 2:00 pm that day whether it’s on. We'll have more dates soon too! When: Friday, June 17, 5:00–7:00 pm Where: 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sign up here. When: Friday, July 8, 5:00–7:00 pm Where: 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sign up here. Postcards You have two options for cards - our "Bans Off Our Bodies" cards and our "Bicycle" cards. Check out our postcard options in Monday's newsletter and sign up. 35 Doors Project Talk to voters in your neighborhood to get out the vote. This is some of the most important work you can do. Check out our 35 Doors Project!
CALL TO ACTION Senator Schumer started the process last night to force a vote in the Senate on Enhanced Background Checks, a bill that has already passed the House. That's a start. But while Senator Manchin has said he will do "all he can" to address this plague of violence, he is unwilling to change the filibuster to do it. That means this bill would need 60 votes to pass -- and that means 10 Republican votes. Call both our senators and tell them how upset you are about our literal gun murder epidemic. Tell them to vote YES on the bill Senator Schumer is bringing to the floor. Then tell them to continue to enact more gun safety laws that will actually work to reduce our gun deaths. - assault weapons ban, red flag laws, the gun show loophole and protect the American public. And tell them to end the filibuster for this vote. Call or email our senators and tell them to vote yes on the Enhanced Background Checks bill coming to the floor. Senator Casey: Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. 202-224-6324; email link. Sen. Toomey: Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. 202-224-4254; email link For outside PA: Find your Senators’ phone numbers and emails at this link.
OUR NEW MEETING - WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM Join us to hear from an expert on the Supreme Court and on laws governing women’s reproductive freedom. Our speaker will be Kathryn Kolbert, co-author of the recently published book: “Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” This meeting is scheduled for when we expect the Dobbs ruling to be final and published. Kathryn will also talk about the freedoms that are based on the same right to privacy in Roe and that the Court may strip away in the future. We’ll learn how to plan our strategy to combat and prevent these regressive and dystopian laws. What: Reproductive Freedom Meeting with Kathryn Kolbert When: Thursday, July 14, 5:30 pm Where: Zoom Sign up here.
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