Quote of the Week: “It’s OK to get out there with your friends and have fun while you’re pulling down this fascist empire.”--Stacey Carkonen, the Backbone Campaign Federal Actions: Thank Judge Dugan for her Courage Submitted by the OI Rapid Response Federal Watchdog team Background: This Is What Resistance Looks Like When ICE agents stormed her Milwaukee courtroom without a valid warrant to arrest an immigrant facing a misdemeanor, Judge Hannah Dugan refused to hand him over. For that, ICE twisted her arms behind her back, handcuffed her, charged her with one felony and one misdemeanor, and hauled her--a sitting judge--out to their car. This wasn’t law—it was a demonstration of power, a warning from Trump: challenge us, and you’ll pay. For her courage, she was suspended and faces an outrageous six years in prison and a $350,000 fine. By resisting the aggressive actions of ICE, Judge Dugan echoed Dr. King’s call to put moral principle before unjust laws, showing us what resistance looks like in the Age of Trump. Judge Dugan stood alone in that moment—but this isn’t just about one judge—it’s about whether we support those who dare to stand for justice. Action 1: Share her story on social media so others understand what’s at stake. Action 2: Send her some love by writing a letter or postcard of thanks, letting her know you appreciate her boldness in saying “no” to power. . Address: Judge Hannah C. Dugan, Milwaukee Courthouse, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233 Script: Dear Judge Dugan, Thank you for your courage in protecting an immigrant by resisting the demands of ICE when their legality was less than certain but immorality was quite certain. By choosing principle over convenience and even your own safety, you provided a model of behavior for all of us. Call North Carolina Voters with Indivisible—Stop the Trump Tax Scam From Indivisible National On Thursday, May 15 at 11 AM ET, join Indivisible for a phone bank where we’ll be calling voters across North Carolina and connecting them directly to Senator Thom Tillis' office. Together, we’ll urge him to oppose the Trump Tax Scam—a reckless GOP tax plan that prioritizes billionaires like Elon Musk while selling out working families. Republicans in Congress are trying to ram this through using budget reconciliation, bypassing bipartisan support to give trillions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Their plan? Slash Medicaid, SNAP, and early education programs—all so billionaires can hoard more wealth while everyday Americans pay more. Action: Join phone bank. We’ll be using Indivisible National’s easy-to-use calling tool Scale to Win, to make sure North Carolinians can speak out and be heard. There will be a training at the beginning of the call so you understand how to use the phone banking software, and you'll be coached on how to have conversations with NC constituents. You will only ask constituents one question: Will you call Senator Thom Tillis and tell him to vote “no” on Trump’s Tax Scam? Help us reach out to 38,000 voters to apply pressure and hold Senator Tillis accountable. Let’s stand up for economic justice. Let’s stop this scam in its tracks. RSVP on Mobilize now and make your voice heard! Fight Republican Cuts to Medicaid Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash Background: Constituent pushback works! To generate funds for Trump’s tax cuts for the rich, Republicans have planned draconian cuts in the reconciliation budget bill, including up to $880 billion from Medicaid. This would throw millions of Americans out of healthcare. The fight is on. Last week, House Democrats announced town hall meetings in four Republican districts to rally voters against cuts. This week, House Democrats filed legislation to prevent the Medicaid and SNAP cuts and initiated a discharge petition to force an immediate vote. They only need four Republicans to sign it. Constituent pressure is making a big difference. After a meeting with relatively moderate Republicans this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he has backed off the idea of deep Medicaid cuts. Johnson acknowledged that moderate House Republicans view the idea as politically toxic and Americans are upset with the effort to take away their health care. Several moderate Republicans say they are opposed to ending their constituents’ Medicaid and that they will not vote for the Reconciliation bill if it includes harmful Medicaid cuts. Action: Thank our MoC’s for their strong leadership in supporting current Democratic efforts against Medicaid cuts. Members of Congress (MoCs)
Urge Our Senators to Force the Administration to Answer for its Illegal Deportation Schemes  Photo from Peoples Dispatch (peoplesdispatch.org) under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license. This allows reuse with credit and link to license terms. From the National Campaign for Justice via OI member Paula Allison Without due process, the US has sent 238 immigrants, most without criminal records, to a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador. El Salvador's justice minister has said the only way out is “in a coffin.” Senators Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen, Alex Padilla, and Chuck Schumer are leading the charge to hold Presidents Trump and Bukele to account for this horrific scheme with Senate Resolution 195. SR 195 is a privileged resolution, immune to filibuster or a presidential veto. It would force the administration to answer for its human rights abuses, illegal deportations, and defiance of judicial orders, and could trigger an automatic cutoff of US security assistance to El Salvador. Action: Contact your US Senators and urge them to co-sponsor SR 195.
Script: I’m a constituent in Olympia. Please support SR 195 to hold President Trump accountable for illegally sending people to prison overseas without due process, violating the constitution he swore to defend. Local Actions:Help Celebrate Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American Culture!  Background: AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of South Puget Sound, in partnership with the City of Olympia and the Evergreen State College and local community organizations, invite all to join us in celebration of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American heritage and cultures. The mission of this event is to highlight Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American communities, cultures, traditions, and experiences. This event is free and open to all. When: May 24 from 11am to 4pm Where: s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ: House of Welcome (The Evergreen State College Longhouse), 2800 Dogtooth Ln NW, Olympia, WA 98505 They still need more volunteers and have a variety of roles to fill. This event will educate the larger community about these cultures who have experienced an increase in prejudice especially since Covid. There is a volunteer orientation Zoom May 14 at 6:30pm (not mandatory but recommended) and you can volunteer for one hour or more starting at 8am until 5pm on May 24. Action: To register to volunteer use this link. Please sign up before May 12. A link to the Event itself if you just want to attend or learn more about the organization: AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration | Asian Pacific Island Tools for Activism:Backbone Campaign Does Groundbreaking Signmaking Photo from Backbone Campaign, permission requested 5/4/2025, granted 5/5 via email from Stacy Carkonen. You’ve seen those big signs at recent demonstrations – made of almost-invisible netting with big orange letters you can read a block away. The design comes from the Backbone Campaign, a creative group based on Vashon Island; it’s cheap, easy to make, and portable – a 9-foot sign knocks down to a bundle you can take on the bus. The Backbone Campaign does more than signs – it projects stuff on buildings, builds papier-maché puppets, maintains an imagery library, and shares information and inspiration on its page and in its Creative Action Call the first Tuesday of each month. There is a Backbone Campaign group in Olympia, the Olympia Visibility Brigade, bannering on Monday afternoons and Saturdays. The best way to make contact is to show up at a bannering action, which you can find on the website. Action:
Have You Scheduled These Events? Evergreen Resistance 50501 Event to protest against Project 2025’s cruel policies Date/Time: Monday, May 12, 2025, from 4-6pm Location: Tivoli Fountain, Capitol Campus Details: Bring your own sign or make one on-site; materials provided. This is a permitted event. Organizer: Evergreen Resistance ------- Save the date - No Kings Day - Saturday June 14, 2025 from 11 am to 2 pm Location: Capitol campus Details: Alongside hundreds of Indivisible groups across the country, OI is organizing a permitted rally as part of a nationwide day of defiance to declare: “In America, We Don’t Do Kings.” More details to follow. You Might Also Like to Attend: The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as they carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening, and – more importantly – what’s the plan, and answer questions in real time. Join the weekly discussion Zoom with Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg (Thursday, 12pm PT). Your Work Pays Off:
2025 Hunger Walk Fundraiser Thank you to OI members for raising $3,582 for the 2025 Hunger Walk, well exceeding our goal of $2,000. Bravo! Bravo! Hunger Walk benefits the Thurston County Food Bank and the Community Kitchen. Although Olympia Indivisible members were very generous, the Hunger Walk fell short of their goal of $40,000. Please know that you can donate at any time to these organizations. Olympia Indivisible will be collecting for the Food Bank throughout the year at rallies or marches we sponsor. If you are able, bring non-perishable non-expired food, such as canned goods, cereal, rice, beans, pasta, and peanut butter for donation to the Thurston County Food Bank. Comments are closed.
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