Mobilize for America’s 250th, Plus: Fight Pulte’s Noxious Nomination
Contrarian Calls to Action: Ways to stand up for democracy, ICE demonstrators, and voting rights
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Whether you want to exercise your right to vote, join a protest, call your elected officials, run for office, or keep tabs on the week’s hottest issues and protests, The Contrarian has you covered.
Here are our top suggestions for getting involved in the days ahead. These are heated times; we encourage non-violent and lawful activism.
Mobilize for ‘All of Us 250’
The next mass protest of the Trump regime is coming on June 27, organized by the All of Us 250 coalition. The group’s website describes America as standing at a “crossroads” on its 250th birthday. Organizers seek to push back against the MAGA “whitewash” of the nation’s past and push forward in a commitment of “finishing the work” to make America a country where “freedom and equality are truly for all.” This is not a No Kings event, but it includes familiar partners such as 50501 and the Women’s March. Plan to join the main mobilization in Washington, D.C., or find or host a local demonstration near you. You can also sign on to the group’s declaration or put your own words to paper for a companion project called Letters to America.
Block Trump’s Intel Stooge
Bill Pulte, Donald Trump’s choice to serve as acting director of national intelligence, is not only unqualified, he’s also a MAGA toady to the core. Contrarian publisher Norm Eisen laid out the case against the man whose “leading qualification appears to be his appetite to use power for political retribution.” Indivisible is leading a campaign calling for Pulte’s removal.
Participate in ‘Seven Days In June’
Leading unions and healthcare groups have launched a Seven Days in June campaign to elevate a national conversation about America’s healthcare crisis and the need for consistent non-partisan public health investment. The campaign has attracted celebrity support, including from Broadway giant Lin Manuel Miranda. (Watch his appeal to “make our voices heard.”) Read the group’s call to action, find a calendar of events, and plan to participate in a candlelight vigil on June 5.
D-Day Is for Democracy
Pro-democracy organizers of the Visibility Brigade are honoring the sacrifice of D-Day and the fierce fight against fascism that it symbolizes by mounting nationwide protests on June 6. The Visibility Brigade organizes demonstrations on freeway overpasses — holding large protest signs and banners to remind “everyday people that they are not alone in these unprecedented times.”
The D-Day event targets the unchecked billionaire power that’s fueling the fascist lurch the federal government. You can find a brigade chapter near you, check out the group’s activist toolkit for “rush hour resistance,” and sign up for the D-Day events here.
Rise Up, Sing Out: June 14
On June 14, the No Kings Coalition is hosting a nationwide organizing event as counterprogramming to the UFC spectacle at the Trump White House. These organizing parties will feature their own marquee entertainment — a Rise Up, Sing Out concert in defense of the First Amendment, with appearances by Bette Midler, Rufus Wainwright, Jane Fonda, Julia Roberts, and Singing Resistance. Sign up for an organizing event at NoKings.org or look for concert tickets here if you can make it to New York City. (Watch Ezra Levin of Indivisible describe the June 14 events and the need for a diversity of tactics to defend democracy here.)
Prep for ‘Freedom Summer’ 2.0
The Civil Rights organizers at Black Power War Room are launching a reprise of Freedom Summer, evoking the historic 1964 mobilization that registered Black voters in the Deep South. The calendar begins with a Juneteenth “week of action” and includes 10 events through a pre-election “last push” on Halloween. Sign up with an email to access the group’s toolkit for activists.
Protect ICE Detainees and Protestors
Don’t let ICE atrocities slip from the spotlight. Support the detainees and protestors at Delaney Hall, where hunger strikers inside are protesting wormy food and shoddy medical care, while demonstrators are being met with violence from the Department of Homeland Security and even New Jersey state police. For those in New Jersey, advocate for bill A4300, which would impose a tax on private detention facilities to fund immigrant legal defense programs. Outside of New Jersey, demand that your representatives and senators enact ICE reforms and conduct inspections of facilities that have earned comparisons to concentration camps. Indivisible has a campaign to connect you with your members of Congress to speak out against “inhumane conditions” at Delaney Hall and “detention centers across the country.”
End the Cuba Blockade
The Trump administration’s lawless blockade of Cuba is creating immense suffering as island residents go without gasoline, fuel oil, and electricity. Now the administration has unveiled a criminal indictment of Raúl Castro, perhaps setting the stage for regime change like the United States imposed on Venezuela after indicting Nicolás Maduro. Indivisible has a campaign for activists to contact Congress to demand an end to the blockade and to oppose potential military action on the sovereign island nation.
Vote Like Your Nation Depends on It
Tuesday, June 9, is a major event on the primary schedule with elections from coast to coast. Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina have primaries next Tuesday, so make sure you are registered to vote and have a voting plan.
The rest of the June primary calendar is stocked, with more contests upcoming:
June 16: Oklahoma, Washington, D.C.
June 23: Maryland, New York, Utah
June 30: Colorado
Check Vote411.org to verify your voting details and make a plan to cast your ballot.
Click here to find The Contrarian’s standing resources for empowering yourself in American civic life — from contacting your elected officials, to ensuring your right to vote, to supporting public-interest journalism.
I can't join any of the protest marches up here in Canada, but I do follow US news, comment, and pass it on. We have our own issues, but many are linked to the Great Orange One.
Another thing you can do is write to all of your federal elected officials and get them to start planning to move the DOJ out of the Executive Branch:
Merrick Garland was too hesitant because he didn’t want to appear to be political. Trump has destroyed the reputation of the DOJ.
In order to rescue the rule of law in America, the Department of Justice needs to be removed from the Executive Branch and become completely independent. The AG should be appointed from a list of qualified people selected by deans of law schools, then confirmed by Congress. The new agency should report only to Congress. The new AG should get a 6 to 10-year term and can't be fired by the president. All Inspectors General should report to the DOJ and not be subjected to the whims of a president. The FBI should be included in the independent DOJ. There should be NO political appointments to this department.
The lawyers in the new department should have the ability to pursue crimes wherever they occur, and not be influenced by any politician or major political donor. They should feel free to look at every branch of government, including the Supreme Court, to investigate corruption. They must be able to do unencumbered investigations of war crimes, and of sex, gun, and drug trafficking. They can break up price fixing, collusion, and other corporate crimes. They can fight all types of domestic terrorists when they have proof. The main feature is that the new DOJ would be walled off from all political influence. There would be no more charges of “weaponizing,” real or imagined.
We must do this to restore the trust that the American people have in their government. We need to know that there is equal justice before the law, and that no one is above the law, no matter how rich or well-connected, even if they hold a high office.