"History tells us, when we stand together, when we unite in common cause, when we see ourselves not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, then there’s simply no limit what we can achieve, none."
- President Joe Biden, July 4, 2021
Wednesday, July 7 - 7 PM - Beaches Police Panel
What are the priority issues for the Police Departments of Atlantic, Neptune & Jax Beach? What impact is the national & state debate around policing having on our local forces? How can we best support them? The heads of all three police departments will discuss these and other issues at the July Beaches Watch meeting tomorrow night via Zoom. Click here to get your zoom link.
Thursday, July 8 - BAM Reunion -- Be There at 7 PM!
Together again, finally! Join us this Thursday night at Adele Grage for our first gathering since the onset of Covid last year. We'll be celebrating last year's achievements, honoring founder & outgoing President Althea Lachicotte & hearing about her new venture, previewing 2021 action plans, and collecting donations for BEAM's back to school campaign.
In light of last week's Supreme Court decision further eroding the already gutted Voting Rights Act, we'll also be doing some postcarding to support Indivisible's nationwide effort to persuade Republican lawmakers that election reform (supported by 80% of the public) is an issue they can't afford to keep ignoring. Click here to RSVP. And plan to bring friends!
Rutherford Vaccine Passport Survey - Again
Last week's Action Alert carried a link to Rep. John Rutherford's one-question survey - asking whether you support a vaccine passport for travel in the U.S. Thanks to the more than 50 of you who responded to that survey. For any who missed it last week, please let our Representative know how you feel on this important issue.
Federal Judges Block Two New Florida Laws
Among the many anti-democratic bills passed in the last Florida legislative session, Senate Bill 1890 was easy to miss. But it placed limits on early donations to citizen initiative campaigns that could have insured most would never get off the ground. Fortunately, on July 1, the day the bill was scheduled to take effect, a federal judge blocked it.
The evening before, US District Court Judge Robert Hinkle granted a temporary injunction halting implementation of the DeSantis-inspired SB 7072 - designed to punish social media for what he and Republicans in the legislature regard as disproportionately censoring conservative voices. The debate over whether this law supports or limits first amendment rights will continue. For anyone finding it a relief to be without Trump's Twitter feed, this counts as a win.
Help Get These Environmental Petitions on the Ballot
The Duval Environmental Caucus is seeking help getting five different clean water & environmental initiatives on the 2022 ballot. To do that, they need to collect 900,000 signed and dated petitions by November 30, 2021. Click here to learn more about all five and to add your signature to those that move you.