CALL FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
Jump to today’s actions:
Background
As of this writing the House is preparing to vote on The For The People Act and The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Both acts are vital to the preservation of our democracy and we expect both to pass. But the challenge in the Senate is greater.
After losing national power in the 2020 elections, Republicans began pushing hundreds of voter suppression measures designed to disenfranchise poor and BIPOC voters through state legislatures. Along with its companion bill, the John Lewis Voter Empowerment Act, HR1 would protect access to the ballot which Republicans are seeking to selectively eliminate in communities of color.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a federal mandate to end deadly police tactics, such as choke holds, which are used overwhelmingly against Black men and which brutalize Black communities. It will make it easier to prosecute and curtail police misconduct. It includes measures like ensuring the use of body cameras and removing qualified immunity protection for bad cops who face repercussions in civil courts. It invests in community-based programs.
These bills are an answer to Jim Crow era voter suppression and deadly, racist police tactics. Enacting them is a vital step toward racial justice.
1. Call the Senate.
Script Oregon Senators
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Senator for his support of them. I am asking him to do what is needed to ensure the passage of the Senate versions of these bills, including ending the filibuster.
SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Senator for his support of them. I am asking him to do what is needed to ensure the passage of the Senate versions of these bills, including ending the filibuster.
Script for Republican Senators
D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I am asking my Senator to do what is needed to ensure the passage of the Senate versions of these bills, including ending the filibuster.
2. Call the House.
Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Representative for his/her vote for HR 1 and HR 7120.
Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)
Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support both of these acts and I am deeply disappointed that my Representative would choose party over country by voting against them. With those votes he is complicit in the attempts to disenfranchise millions of American voters. I want him to know that I expect him to support racial justice.
Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Representative for his/her vote for HR 1 and HR 7120.
Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Representative for his/her vote for HR 1 and HR 7120.
Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Passing both the For The People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a vital step toward racial justice in our country. Both are vital to the preservation of our democracy. I support these acts and I want to thank the Representative for his/her vote for HR 1 and HR 7120.
Action 3 - Write Postcards with Us to Help Pass HR1/S1
Help us write postcards mobilizing West Virginia activists to contact Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), urge him to support the For the People Act. Manchin’s support may be the key to passing the Act in Congress. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect and enhance democracy in our country. RSVP HERE
SOURCES:
House sets vote for George Floyd police reform bill
Civil Rights Leaders Call on Congress to Pass George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
Thirty years later, Rodney King beating reminds us our fight isn't over
The For the People Act Is America’s Next Great Civil Rights Bill
Why the Georgia GOP's Voting Rollbacks Would Hit Black People Hard
Stacey Abrams On Why Securing Voting Rights Is As Necessary Now As In The Past
