I hope you were able to make it to one of the protests on May 1st! It was a glorious sunny day and it was wonderful to see so many of our friends in downtown Bellingham in front of the Federal Building, on the Alabama St. I-5 overpass and in downtown Everson! While the weather was wonderful, the action was based on our belief that we are in the midst of a Constitutional Crisis. Many of us shared the same sentiment on our signs, “A Constitutional Crisis is when the President Disobeys the Courts.”
We can expect more calls for these rallies or protests. In April, LWVUS declared that we are in the midst of a Constitutional crisis. This declaration stemmed from the Trump Administration's actions in its first 87 days, including the flagrant disregard for congressional authority and governmental checks and balances, for example, defying Supreme Court orders to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back home.
And on May 1, LWVUS launched the Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative, which aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters using the power of voter engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy. Unite and Rise 8.5 will showcase the many ways voters can drive change, including through advocacy, mobilization, civic education and engagement.
Where do the 8.5 million come from? That is a lot of people, but a pretty small percentage of total voters. The 8.5 million comes from Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Ryan Center for Human Rights.
Their research shows that nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change. If you have ever wondered if showing up could have an impact, please take a look at the study.
One last word on protests: we have heard you and you may use the LWVBWC name and/or logo on your protest signs AS LONG AS THEY ARE NONPARTISAN. If you are in doubt, you can use recent LWVUS messaging. Recent slogans have been “Hands Off!” and “We are in a Constitutional Crisis.” Add your own spin or creativity but, please, keep it nonpartisan.
We are looking for help to organize rallies. This would require working with some other organizations and figuring out how we will want to participate.
We especially need a leader! If you are interested, please contact Eileen McCracken Eileen.mccracken@comcast.net
