Democracy and Dreams: May 14th-June 12th

Hey Teen Resisters!
First off, happy Pride month!!! This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots against anti-LGBTQ police violence in June 1969, one of the most important events in the queer liberation movement. 
Before we dive in, we want to highlight a few smaller happenings/resources that you should note:

• Rep. Kildee's Sudan Resolution: After months of antidemocratic military rule, political instability, and chaos, multiple peaceful protestors were killed on June 3rd in Sudan. In response, Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee just introduced a bipartisan Congressional resolution calling on the Sudanese government to transition to a civilian-led government and end violence against its citizens. Read more about the resolution, which has rapidly gained attention and popularity, here.

• NYC Queens District Attorney Special Election: If you live in NYC and are looking for an election to get yourself involved in, this is the one!  When conservative, establishment-minded Queens District Attorney Richard Brown died May 3rd after almost three decades in office, Democrats (7, to be exact) jumped at the chance to replace him. All are pushing, to varying degrees, more progressive policies than he implemented, with some hoping to transform the office into a tool of social justice and reform. Here's a summary of where candidates stand on the issues and here's a roadmap of who they've been endorsed by, in case you want help creating an opinion so that you can pick one to call/canvass/volunteer for! :)
• protecttranshealth.org: A fantastic resource! Check it out!

xx
TR

what went down

House Passes Dream and Promise Act
We have some really good news: on June 4th, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. Thanks to tireless advocacy from activists and organizations like United We Dream, all 230 House Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and 7 Republicans joined them.

The act cancels and prevents future deportation proceedings against any recipient of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) or DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program). Beneficiaries of both plans are also granted legal, conditional permanent resident status in the US for 10 years. It also protects most people who entered the US as minors from deportation and allows them to legally remain in the US for the same amount of time.

This act has been the centerpiece of immigrant-youth led advocacy on policy for a long time, and its passage is an incredible milestone in the fight to make the US a place of welcome for all immigrants.

However, the act hasn’t passed the Senate yet, where it faces opposition from G.O.P. lawmakers. The Trump administration continues to facilitate the deportation and detention of thousands of immigrants. The next and equally as important fight is to push back against further funding for the institutions responsible for this damage to immigrant communities and families. Congress is currently working to pass an appropriations (budget) bill for the next part of the year. We need to make sure the budget doesn’t support, among other things, ICE and CBP.

What you can do:

• Sign this petition from MoveOn demanding that Congress stop funding ICE and CBP: https://petitions.moveon.org/p/l_7hC_CYAyj
• Call your representatives using scripts from this Indivisible page:
  • Make sure you’re using the right script depending on whether your Representative is in the appropriations (budget) committee or not.
• Call your Senators to ask them to push for a vote on the Dream Act. While chances of its passage there are slim, it’s important to set the precedent for future action by bringing the issue to vote. This is also a way to get Senators on the record for their positions on the act.
  • My name is ____, and I’m calling from ____. I'm calling to ask you to support, push, and vote for H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. The hundreds of thousands of individuals who have lived here for their whole lives--recipients of the DACA or TPS program--deserve to stay here, to be supported by the United States government, and to be given the right to continue their lives without the all-consuming threat of deportation. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decision on this topic. Thank you.​

Mexico Tariffs/Potential National Emergency Declaration
On May 30th, as tensions continued to rise between the United States and Mexico, President Trump announced that he would impose tariffs on all Mexican imports in an attempt to decrease migration rates between Mexico and the United States. It’s almost certain that the plan would damage both America’s and Mexico’s economies—the price of Mexican goods in the U.S. would increase exponentially, and in response Mexico would likely increase their own taxes on US. goods, decreasing demand for them in the country. Trump would be able to implement the plan without consulting Congress by utilizing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which allows the president to declare a state of national emergency in the case of an eminently imposing threat. In theory, by allowing a president to bypass Congress in such a state of emergency, the act gives the president the power to most effectively protect America—and, perhaps more importantly, trust that they will not abuse that power.

President Trump, unsurprisingly, has taken gross advantage of this ability to declare a national emergency in the past, unlike other U.S. presidents (Remember this?). The clear abuse of power that would take place if Trump were to declare the emergency (he hasn’t yet), as well as the economically destructive nature of this tariff, has decreased Republican support for the policy—even Ted Cruz expressed his skepticism. If Trump were to actually declare the national emergency, Congress could override it by enacting a resolution under the National Emergencies Act of 1976. Since Trump announced the plan, Mexico has negotiated with the United States to avoid the tariff, agreeing to actively work to decrease illegal immigration between Mexico and the United States. Mexico has stated that they will increase the amount of military personnel on the border, increase arrests of migrants, and turn away a majority of people seeking asylum from various countries in the region. 

So why is this important? These new policies on immigration make an already violent and difficult system even more dangerous, as many prospective migrants will either be arrested or turned away. Additionally, turning away asylum seekers, people who are seeking protection in the United States, leaves many in inhumane and dangerous situations. 

What you can do:

• Here are some articles for a more in-depth look at the topic:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/us/mexico-tariffs.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/trump-mexico-immigration-deal-has-additional-measures-not-yet-made-public/2019/06/10/967e4e56-8b8e-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ff810acca0a9

• Call your representatives and demand that they make current immigration policies a priority.
• Also ask that they support a resolution to overturn a national emergency, if Trump decides to declare one!
• Check out or donate to Refugees International, an organization that works on policy to aid refugees worldwide and travels across the world to meet people in crisis and determine what kind of government support they require.​

LGBTQI+ Rights: Equality Act (H.R. 5)
The Equality Act, or H.R. 5, is an act that would prohibit discrimination based on “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity” in public housing, education, federal funding, juries, banking, and jobs. State restrictions aside, it is currently federally legal to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people for their sexuality or gender identity in all of those areas—yes, that means it’s legal to fire someone for being LGBTQI+. The bill also expands the places where this discrimination would be outlawed to include recreational environments, transportation, and more. It also “prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.” It would be a landmark bill for LGBTQI+ rights, and here’s the best part: it has already passed the House! That means that for it to become a law, all it needs to do is pass the Senate.

So: call your representatives!! This act is vital and fundamental; it’s 2019, and it should already exist, but it doesn’t.  So here’s a perfect opportunity to use our basic script template to practice creating your own :)))

• Hi, my name is ______, I’m from _____, and I'm calling to ask you to [ vote; speak out; protect; support; continue to _] on/about/for [ your topic/law] . I believe that this is [important; vital; the only way to _] because [your reason!]. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decisions on this topic. Thank you. ​

puppy vid :))