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On April 5th, We Rise Up!

They’re dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch. On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off!  (Click on image for Mobilize information on Jacksonville location.)

This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way.

They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam. They’re handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich.

If we don’t fight now, there won’t be anything left to save. (https://handsoff2025.com/about)

This action is grounded in a commitment to non-violent action.  De-escalate any potential confrontations and act lawfully.  Now is the time to stand up for our country.  As Cory Booker said in his 25 hour filibuster on the senate floor this week, “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”  See you on Saturday, either in Jacksonville, or one of the nearly dozen events happening in Florida. (~n.muse)

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Messaging in an Era of Dog Whistles

How do we make ourselves heard in an era of dog whistles?  How do we get our message out when the GOP have turned truth and facts upside down?

We trumpet our values and we put them first in every conversation.  We believe in freedom, fairness, safety, working together, helping one another.  So do many voters but they don’t know we do. We must repeat what we value over and over.

We call out the bullies, but we bury their business in the middle of our messages, so their nonsense loses its power. We are explicit about who the bullies are–greedy corporations, radical right politicians.  We name them– DeSantis, Cord Byrd and more. We describe what they are doing and why they are doing it as briefly as we can.

Most importantly we save the best for the last.  We end our message by celebrating what we have already accomplished together. We explain who is included in our “together”, “everyone” and “all”. Then we shout, shout, shout what our future will be when we work together and vote together. Hope motivates.

We avoid responding to the Republican message. We avoid saying “You are wrong.”  We never, never repeat their words or argue with their ideas.  That just makes their message stronger.

Republicans are talking values and devaluing facts. But many of their values are not values we share. We must stress what we value and repeat ad nauseum.

Values and vision are remembered in the voting booth.  Facts and policies are not.

 

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Jacksonville Protests for Police Accountability and Racial Justice

“No one is free until we are all free.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
Thousands of neighbors and friends filled the little neighborhood park in the San Marco area of Jax to demand systemic change and to call for justice for George Floyd and all victims of police violence. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-3-2020.
Thousands marched through the San Marco area just south of downtown to call for police accountability and racial justice. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-3-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Latinos for Black Lives.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Silence is violence.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Black lives matter.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Black lives matter.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
March organizers were well prepared and were joined by a large team of peacekeepers, medics, and legal observers. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“No justice, no peace.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
”Release all JSO body cam footage.” Currently, footage is held by JSO for years before release. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
We have a lot of work to do in the months and years ahead. This will be one of the key actions that each of us can and must take. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
This is what democracy and diversity looks like. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Jail. Jacksonville, Florida, 5-30-2020.
“Stop killing black people. Enough is enough.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Stop killing us!” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Jail. Jacksonville, Florida, 5-30-2020.

Thousands of our neighbors and friends have been turning out daily to peacefully call for police accountability and racial justice after the killing of George Floyd. These have been the largest, most diverse civil rights marches in Jax history. In the most recent of the daily protests on June 6, over 8000 came out, with crowds stretching for over a mile in the streets surrounding the Duval County Courthouse.