Fall Hiatus
Act for Democracy will be on hiatus until December. During this period, the steering committee will be strategizing and preparing for 2024. Look out for future newsletters and announcements.
Next year is shaping up to be deliciously packed with many opportunities to exercise our personal and collective agency in shaping a future for our communities and our planet.
Portland Transition Based on a draft letter obtained by Willamette Week, the road to Portland’s new form of government will be a rocky one. This makes it even more important for Portlanders to influence the process by providing input. Go here to see the various ways you can learn more, ask questions, or contribute your ideas. The Transition Team wants to hear from you!
Portland Street Response (PSR) Shut Down According to this Willamette Week article, “PSR competes with other more traditional programs within the fire bureau budget, while its staff are not an easy fit in the bureau’s culture.” However, according to this more recent Willamette Week article. Fire Commissioner Rene Gonzalez waited until the last minute before suggesting that the Joint Office of Homeless Services divert some of the surplus in its vastly underspent budget to support PSR. Please call or email Commissioner Gonzalez and let him know that he has let down all Portlanders by failing to protect such a vital service and that we will fight to bring it back. E-mail: gonzalezoffice@portlandoregon.gov Phone: (503) 823-4151
Multnomah Homelessness Crisis Many homeless service providers report having trouble making ends meet, contributing to burnout in the industry, asserts a new study by the Joint Office of Homeless Services. (details here.) The study found that only 31% of homeless service providers could pay for basic needs with their salaries. We know that a robust social services workforce is essential to addressing our region’s crisis. Until we adjust wages to reflect the job’s skills and challenges, agencies will face difficulties in retaining and attracting the people needed to sustain their work. HereTogether Oregon’s newsletter has all the facts you need to combat the short-sightedness. Read it here.
Chavez-DeRemer Empty Chair Town Halls As you most likely already know, the path to winning back the House from a MAGA majority runs through Oregon District Five. There won’t be a town hall with CD-5 Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer because she has repelled all requests for a live, in-person meeting with her constituents. To educate voters about Rep DeRemer’s votes and positions on issues, the DeRemer Accountability Team is working with local Indivisible groups to host three events. You can help to publicize her disregard for the views of her constituents by attending one of them and inviting a friend to accompany you. One is Zoom-only; the other two are in-person. We hope you will be able to attend at least one of them:
Oregon City Empty Chair Town Hall – Tuesday, October 10, 6:30pm at the Pioneer Community Center, 615 Fifth Street, Oregon City. Co-hosted by Clackamas Indivisible. Click here to register.
Bend Empty Chair Town Hall – Wednesday, October 11, 1:00pm at the Deschutes Public Library, 601 NW Wall Street, Bend. Co-hosted by Vocal Seniority and Indivisible Sisters. No registration needed.
Zoom Empty Chair Town Hall – Friday, October 13, 6:30pm. Go here to register.
You may submit questions when you register, and you don't have to live in Albany or even in District 5 to attend the virtual event. Representative DeRemer's bad votes impact all Oregonians so everyone is welcomed.
Tired of Shutdown Madness? MAGA Republicans’ refusal to accept the Biden-McCarthy budget agreementthat ended their May artificial debt-ceiling crisis, which was intended to prevent another one, is threatening to create yet a third crisis in November! Call or email your representatives to thank them for their success in avoiding a government shutdown. Indivisible Oregon provides easy scripts and contact information here for calling your representatives. Remember, it’s important to call even when your representatives agree with you! Every day, they hear from constituents who hold opposing views. Hearing a counter-narrative to misguided voices gives them confidence to proceed, knowing others have their back.
Online Life Is Real Life For most Americans there is no longer a functional divide between their real lives and their online ones From interacting with the government, applying for jobs, or acquiring the necessities of life, it is becoming increasingly difficult to move through life without internet access. It is crucial that we create the legal framework and oversight to protect the public from the inevitable mistakes and accidents that any new technology brings. This article by well-known cyber security expert Bruce Schneier cites historical examples to demonstrate that only once laws and institutions were created was the public protected against the worst excesses of new technologies. The greatest example, perhaps, is the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Parting Quote As A4D enters our fall hiatus, we will leave you with these words from Jessica Craven: Make no mistake… we’re fighting for the survival of democracy, the Constitution, our judiciary, and our freedoms. There’s no one who can save the day but us.