Fire and Ice: Jan. 21st-Feb. 6th

Hey Teen Resisters!
It kinda seems like we say this every time, but it is always true: it has been a very busy two weeks. From record-breaking low temps in the Midwest to a humanitarian crisis at a Brooklyn prison to infinite tensions in Washington (and more!), we hope to make digesting everything a little easier for all of you. Before we start, we wanted to highlight a few key recent news items that we don't mention later on: ​

​1) The State of the Union (SOTU) and what it meant. Last night, President Trump gave the second SOTU address of his presidency. SOTUs have long been considered ripe opportunities for political theater--members of Congress from each party, for example, use their televised reactions to what is being said as a way to convey disgust, strong support, or anything in between. We've linked a few articles that go into detail in terms of what happened last night, in case you are interested!

5 key takeaways from Donald Trump's State of the Union speech
The Lessons of the Women in White at the State of the Union Address
As Pelosi Applauds Trump, the Internet Sees a Clapback
How Democrats Are Using Guests to Send Messages at the State of the Union

2) Updates on the Trump Investigation. In response to Trump's (threatening) declaration during his SOTU address that "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war" or "ridiculous partisan investigation," the House has continued to expand its Russia inquiry. Here are a few key happenings:

• The House Intelligence Committee opened a general inquiry today into whether Trump has been/is being influenced by Russia and other foreign powers.
• Tomorrow (Thursday), Democrats will start trying to get Trump's tax returns! Finally!
• The chairman of the Judiciary Committee is ready to subpoena Matthew Whitaker, acting attorney general.
• A House Appropriations subcommittee chairwoman is starting to investigate rule-bending within the administration during the shutdown. 

Read more here.

3) The Shutdown ended without any money for the wall! After 35 days, and over 800,000 government employees going home without pay
checks, President Trump signed a bill agreeing to reopen the government on Friday, January 25. Despite the government being open, more than half of the government employees still went home unpaid. Trump announced that he only intends for the government to remain open for three weeks unless border wall funding is secured

What Happens now?
- There will be lots of negotiations and debate over the security of the nation's border and the need for a wall.
- Democrats and Republicans will try to reach a consensus on a security plan. If a decision is not made, President Trump is threatening to shut down the government, or even declare a national emergency. It seems like Dems are not budging on the wall right now, but we'll see where things go. 

Happy activisting!
Peace&Power,
​TR

what went down

Heat and Electricity Crisis at Metropolitan Detention Center
As New York City temperatures dipped far below freezing, inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), a federal prison in Brooklyn, were without heat, hot water, medicine, or basic hygiene products throughout the last week. The more than 1,600 inmates incarcerated at the federal facility, some of whom are pretrial detainees who have not yet been convicted of any crime, had not been allowed to meet with legal representation for a full week. The temperature was expected to be 10-20º lower in the prison. The bone-chilling sound of incarcerated people banging consistently on the windows alerted the public to the necessity of the situation; shouts and banging became background noise outside the building.

After the public became informed and outraged, over a hundred supporters gathered on the steps of the jail to demand change. Some of the protesters stayed overnight, vowing to wait until power was restored. Hand warmers and hundreds of blankets were sent from the city and accepted by MDC, but were never given to inmates by the federal employees in the prison. Protesters communicated with inmates by asking questions on a speaker system and receiving replies through banging. Eventually, families of inmates began directly communicating with their loved ones through the speaker system as incarcerated men gripped window bars to see and speak to their girlfriends, wives, aunts, fathers, and mothers. After families stormed the prison demanding to see their loved ones, authorities used pepper spray and slapped phones out of protestors hands to try and keep people away. Additionally, social visits had been canceled and visitors have been unable to see their loved ones. After leadership from local and federal politicians as well as the fierce work of NYC Justice League and Federal Defenders, visitation rights were restored and so was heat and electricity, and multiple lawsuits and investigations are underway.

However, there are many unanswered questions about the situation, and it seems that some of the medical issues are worse than we had imagined. Since the heat has been turned back on, corrections officers have allegedly used high heat, hoses, and pepper spray against inmates. Here is an article detailing the intensity of the situation. In general, this situation highlights the intense injustice of our prison system. The refusal to address the situation is just one example of how much our prison system devalues the lives of poor Hispanic and Black people. Each small step towards justice brings us closer to running this antiquated system into the ground. Look out for a mass incarceration feature coming soon. 
Click here to view our coverage of the protests outside MDC from our co-director Sonia who was at MDC on Saturday and Sunday.

What you can do:

• Stay updated with NYC Justice League who are providing amazing resources to help the situation, including scripts. We’ll direct you to their social media where you can find action updates. Please follow them!
• Sign this petition to have the Warden of MDC fired.
• Speak out about this as much as you can!

Temperature Extremes and Climate Change
Signs of climate change are becoming more and more prominent every day. Most recently, scientists have cited climate change as one cause of the deep freeze across the Midwest, where temperatures have been colder than those in the North pole. In the midst of this so-called Polar Vortex, temperatures hit -50˚C (-58˚F) in Minnesota, and 21 people have been reported dead as a result of weather-related incidents. On top of that, scientists have recently reported the detrimental ecological consequences of Australia’s hottest month on record: new ruptures have been found in one of the Antarctic’s biggest glaciers, and temperatures are rising across the board. Generally, the destructive consequences of climate change predicted by scientists are far more immediate than we previously believed.

Here is what you can do to help deal with the current impacts of climate change, and prevent the further human destruction of the Earth:

• Personal actions (may sound trivial, but they have significant effects!!)
  • Limit your carbon emissions by using more sustainable transportation (trains, bicycle, walking, etc.)
    • Each liter of fuel that your car uses is equivalent to 2.5 kilos of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere
  • Pursue a low-carbon diet by reducing meat consumption (the livestock industry is one of the biggest environmental contaminators), eating local foods, and avoiding processed/packaged foods​

• Ask your representatives to support the Green New Deal, a Resolution that pursues climate change while empowering low-income/people of color communities in the workforce who are disproportionately affected by impacts of climate change.
  • SCRIPT (adapted from this link):
    Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m calling to ask that [REP'S NAME] support a plan to stop the climate crisis. According to the United Nations and the world’s top scientists, the crisis is more urgent than we previously predicted; we need to pursue an immediate solution. That starts with them supporting Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s special committee to develop a plan for a Green New Deal bill, that will get us off fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy over the next decade in a way that prioritizes the needs of low-income and people of color communities who have been on the frontlines of climate impacts. I really hope [REP'S NAME] will support this critical resolution? Thank you.

Jussie Smollett Attack
 On Tuesday, January 29,  in a homophobic racist hate crime, openly gay Empire actor Jussie Smollett was attacked by two men while on the street outside his Chicago apartment. The attackers  hurled derogatory slurs at him, hit him repeatedly, poured bleach on him, and tied a noose around his neck, leaving him with a fractured rib. This event is beyond sickening, and it’s important to remember and recognize that hate crimes like these are far from uncommon, especially within the  LGBTQI+ and LGBTQI+POC communities. Because of Smollett’s position in media, his story should stand as the spark in the worldwide conversation surrounding and resistance against this issue. As Donald Trump’s presidency continues, his supporters become more and more emboldened because crimes like this one are normalized and allowed. Especially in, ntering Black History Month, it’s important to realize that although we as a people have come a long way from the times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the fight is far from finished.

 What can you do?

• Check out the NOH8 Campaign: http://www.noh8campaign.com/article/about
• Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/mourning-fighting-for-black-lives-in-the-lgbt-movement
• Remember that it all starts with you! Share your thoughts, opinions, and other stories on social media to keep the conversation growing. (And call your local/federal reps to encourage them to move creating the most comprehensive hate crime legislation possible to the top of their list of priorities.)
• Support the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) in their mission to improve the mental health of queer and trans people of color, and spread it to help improve their national reach: https://www.nqttcn.com

State Assembly Spotlight: Red States Moving to Legalize Marijuana
General assemblies in several traditionally Republican states have introduced or are planning to introduce bills legalizing medical and/or recreational marijuana.

Wyoming House Majority Floor Leader Eric Barlow, D-Gillette, is sponsoring H.B. 278, which would establish an extensive list of guidelines and regulations for the distribution and use of medical marijuana. Suppliers of medical marijuana would have to apply for a license from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, provide the Department with monthly records of their sales, and submit to random checks of their marijuana to ensure the THC content is within state limits. Those who want access to medical marijuana would need to apply for a “medical cannabis registration card” from the Department of Health, and would have to pay a fee.

Kansas is also expected to introduce two bills to legalize medical marijuana. One will be sponsored by Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, and it is partially the result of efforts on the part of Bleeding Kansas, an advocacy group working to get Kansans better health care. 
Finney’s is expected to be more liberal than the other, sponsored by Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. Holland says that his bill is “simpler” and therefore more likely to pass through Kansas’s conservative legislature. 

Illinois is going even further: Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, plan to introduce a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. Illinois residents aged 21 or older would be able to purchase and possess up to 30 grams (or half that amount for nonresidents), and could grow up to five marijuana plants per household. Criminal records of low-level possession or dealing of cannabis would be erased, and tax money raised by a recreational-marijuana program would be used for development of lower-income neighborhoods. 

What You Can Do:

• Staying updated on your state assemblies: The websites of all state assemblies can be found here: https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites. The National Conference of State Legislatures is also a valuable resource. 
• Advocating for marijuana legalization: Donate to advocacy groups like Bleeding Kansas, Americans for Safe Access, Marijuana Policy Project, and National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws. If your state is considering a bill to legalize marijuana, you can request to testify while the bill is in committee and/or while it is being heard on the floor. (Testimonies vary by state, so you’ll need to go to the website of your state assembly for more information). You can also call your Senators and reps using this script:

Hi, my name is _____, I'm from _____, and I'm calling to ask you to [vote, support] [name and number of bill] in order to legalize medical/recreational marijuana in [your state]. There is no reason why marijuana should be illegal; the risk of getting addicted to it is extremely low, and it’s a much safer drug than some that are already legal. In addition, marijuana has been shown to help manage a variety of medical conditions, including insomnia and chronic pain. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decisions on this topic. Thank you.

Note: We covered marijuana legalization once before in Golden Fights, Moments, and Globes, and here is an article explaining marijuana legalization from a racial justice standpoint, in case you are interested or want to know more before deciding how/if to act on this topic. Reminder that we are not here to tell you what to do, but to give you the tools to impact the change you want to create!

Puppy vid.