Quote of the Week: Federal Actions:Boycott Products from El Salvador and Let Companies Know Why From our friends at the Alt National Park Service Background: The Trump administration has paid $6 million to El Salvador to house hundreds of people sent from the U.S. to that country’s high-security mega-prison. On April 14, sitting in the Oval Office, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele told reporters he would not return Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the El Salvadoran prison where the U.S. Justice Department mistakenly sent him; he called the idea “preposterous.” It is preposterous that American companies manufacture in countries that do not respect due process or clear orders by the U.S. Supreme Court. Action 1: Boycott all products made in El Salvador. Such products include clothing, mattresses, food and more, so check tags and packages and avoid buying those marked “Made in El Salvador.” Companies that manufacture in El Salvador include Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Diana, Capri, Indufoam, Bon Appetit, and many more. Action 2: Contact the heads of companies manufacturing in El Salvador, such as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, to voice your dismay at their silence.
Script: Dear {company head}, Your company should be speaking out loudly and publicly against the stance of El Salvador’s president. He has disrespected U.S. due process for prisoners, along with the Supreme Court order to return wrongfully imprisoned deportees from the U.S., such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia. As a manufacturer in El Salvador, your company has influence to reinforce U.S. constitutional rights and democratic values. Until you have done all you can to bring about the return of those wrongfully imprisoned, I and many others will boycott your brands. Ask Target Corporation how boycotts are working out for them. Please do the right thing. Your Name WA State Actions: Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash Background: The Trump Administration often attacks higher education, threatening to pull billions in research funding from universities, conducting DEI investigations, and even trying to dictate curriculum. While some universities such as Columbia have capitulated, Harvard has refused to cave and is suing the Government for freezing $2.2 billion in grant funds and violating the First Amendment. The Administration has encroached on UW and other Washington universities, cancelling some federal funding at UW, investigating alleged antisemitism, and rescinding and then reinstating student visas without notice or explanation. Higher education is taking steps to fight back. This week, many Washington public colleges and universities joined 500 institutions establishing an American Association of Colleges and Universities compact to respond to Administration threats. If Washington public universities are further attacked by Trump, they can turn to this compact and other academic partnerships to help mitigate the negative effects on higher education. Action: Please send a message to
Script: If the Trump administration further targets one of Washington’s public colleges or universities, please consider responding in concert with other states by using class action lawsuits, coalitions of attorneys general, or other partnerships. Urge Governor Bob Ferguson to Sign House Bill 1217  Photo by Anders Holm-Jensen on Unsplash From OI’s State Executive Team Background: As of Sunday, April 27, the State Senate and House have reached a compromise on House Bill 1217, which limits rent increases to 7% plus inflation or 10% in a year. Governor Ferguson now has the power to sign this bill into law and has 20 days (not including Sundays) to do so from the date it arrived on his desk, and once signed the policy will immediately be in effect. It was a close vote in the House and in the Senate. Republicans have argued the bill will chill development and price landlords out of business, while most Democrats say it’ll give renters a modicum of predictability as they deal with the high cost of living. Action: Contact Governor Bob Ferguson’s office and ask that he please sign House Bill 1217. Washingtonians need the stability of the rent increase cap in this bill, as it will provide them with more predictable rent increases and less surprises that could lead to homelessness, financial distress, or inability to afford current housing.
Script: My name is __________. My zip code is ________. I am asking you to please support sustainable rental costs for Washingtonians by signing House Bill 1217 into law. This bill will provide Washingtonian renters with predictable rent increases and fewer surprises that could lead to houselessness, financial distress, or inability to afford current housing. Bonus action: Thank Senator Alvarado for sponsoring HB 2017.
Script: My name is _____ and my zip code is ____________. Thank you for sponsoring HB 2017, the rent increase cap proposal. This bill will provide Washingtonian renters with predictable rent increases and fewer surprises that could lead to houselessness, financial distress, or inability to afford current housing. Thank Superintendent Chris Reykdal: He Fights for Our Schools!  Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash Background:
Refusing to bow to federal overreach, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal rejected U.S. Department of Education demands that undermine state authority to uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools. Declaring that “recognition of our diversity is a cornerstone of public education,” Reykdal affirmed DEI as core values that strengthen communities and foster civility. Despite federal threats to cut funds for low-income students, he vowed to take the fight to court, defending local control. In a bold stand too rare in Washington, D.C., Reykdal made it clear: Washington State will not suppress its values or surrender them to the federal government. Action: Write Superintendent Reykdal a letter of thanks for standing up to President Trump’s war on DEI and defending all that is best in Washington state’s education program.
Script: My name is ___ _____________. My address is __________. Thank you for speaking truth to power by rejecting the illegal efforts of the Department of Education to interfere with the curriculum of our schools in Washington. Saying “no” to President Trump and his efforts to control education in our country is crucial to preventing an authoritarian overreach that would affect how and what students learn in their classrooms. Tell Attorney General Brown and Governor Ferguson: Crack Down on ICE’s Tacoma Lockup Photo by Live Richer on Unsplash Background: The Urbanist, 4/19 Op-Ed You’d think the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Northwest Processing Center in Tacoma was a government facility, but it’s the property of Florida-based GEO Group, Inc. – one of GEO’s fifty lockups in the United States (GEO has more overseas). At the Tacoma facility alone, GEO is holding almost 1600 people without due process or respect for writs of habeas corpus. Washington has two avenues of legal recourse: the state constitution, since GEO’s arbitrary detentions are direct violations of Washington’s state constitution, Article 1, Sections 3 and 13; and a law passed by the legislature in its last session, HB 1232, which authorizes the Department of Health to inspect private detention facilities and enforce Washington health codes in them. Acton 1: Contact Attorney General Nick Brown online or by phone, (800) 551-4636. Script: This is [your name], a Washington resident at [your address]. I urge you to address GEO Group’s repeated violations of rights protected by our state constitution, Articles 3 and 13, at its detention facility in Tacoma, the ICE Northwest Processing Center. Action 2: Contact Governor Bob Ferguson online or by phone, (360) 902-4111 Script: This is [your name], a Washington resident at [your address]. I urge you to sign House Bill 1232 quickly and enable our Department of Health to inspect private detention facilities and enforce Washington’s health codes. Local Actions:Demonstrate Love and Support for Trans Youth on May 8  From OI’s School Board Sub-committee of our County, Local Jurisdiction and School Board Team Many of our Tumwater transgender youth are angry, frightened, frustrated, and in desperate need of support. Their distress stems from a resolution which the Tumwater School Board endorsed in February that would have tried to change current policy so that transgender girls couldn’t compete as girls in youth sports (the resolution failed at the state level). Tumwater’s trans students and LGBTQ+ youth throughout our nation are facing an increasingly dangerous and hostile future. The uptick in anti-transgender resolutions and legislation has had a significant and causal impact on suicide risk: in 2024, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide — including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people. Our Tumwater trans students need reasons for optimism going into the summer. That is why OI’s school board sub-committee of our County, Local Jurisdiction and School Board team is organizing a positive-only, quiet Demonstration of Love and Support for them. The goal is to show community solidarity and encouragement, and to let them know they are loved and not alone. Action: Attend a quiet 30-minute sign hold (some signs provided, or bring your own–see below for instructions) outside the next Tumwater School Board Meeting. Let’s show our trans youth they are loved and supported! When: Thursday, May 8, 5:30 – 6 PM Where: TBD, but probably at Little Rock Elementary School, 12710 Littlerock Road SW, Olympia, WA. Exact location will be available by the day of the meeting at School Board Meetings. (or search the web for “Tumwater School Board Meeting Schedule”) What to Bring: Bring signs that express love and support for transgender youth, such as “We love our trans kids!” (replacing “love” with “support”, “welcome”, “cherish”, etc. is okay too). Please do not include any language which is adversarial or negative. We want to present a single, unified message: that trans youth are loved and supported by this community. Instructions: Gather, quietly hold your sign, and disperse quietly at 6pm. We want to make sure that our presence does not disrupt the School Board. We are here simply to express our love and support for Tumwater trans students. Sign-Wave to Save Social Security  Background:
Trump and Musk are trying to undermine Social Security with false claims of fraud and waste. Staff has been cut by at least 12%, and many offices have closed, leaving workers burned out and overwhelmed. Phone lines remain open, but in-person visits are now required for enrolling or making changes like banking, moving, or updating your name. Appointments are mandatory, and open offices may be hard to find. They hope confusion will tear Social Security apart, so it can be privatized. But standing firm — and standing together — is powerful. We won’t let them steal our hard-earned benefits and blame it on the hard-working staff. Let's make it clear: we’re not backing down. Action: Join Olympia Indivisible’s sign-waving event to show Social Security workers our support and to tell Trump and DOGE “Hands Off our Social Security.” When: Friday May 9, 2025, from 11 am to 1 pm Where: Entrance to the social security parking lot: 1009 College SE, Lacey 98503. Please do NOT park in the Social Security parking lot. What to bring:
Have You Scheduled This Event? Event: Healthcare as a Human Right educational event, sponsored by Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council When: Tuesday, May 6 from 10 am to 1 pm Where: Davis-Williams Bldg, 906 Columbia St SW, Olympia Registration required: Registration Link Department of Good News:Historic Union Contract
After nearly a year of bargaining, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) just ratified a historic contract that is a massive win for teachers and staff, students and parents, and the Chicago community as a whole. Not only that–but the contract passed with 85% turnout from union members, and an unprecedented 97% approval rating–no strike needed. Thurston Regional Planning Council Shows Some Spine On Friday, Thurston Regional Planning Council provided direction to staff to leave the draft Regional Transportation Plan intact without revising language concerning equity and climate change. Under consideration was a proposal to scrub from its Regional Transportation Plan, equity and related language, in response to recent Executive Orders from the Trump Administration. Olympia Indivisible joined the League of Women Voters Thurston County and Thurston Climate Action team in sending letters to the Council stating our opposition to the proposal. Comments are closed.
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