ACLU Attorney to Speak at Methodist Church on July 20

 

ICUJP July 4th - “A New Declaration of Inter-Dependence” in a time of chaos

 

ICUJP July 4th - “A New Declaration of Inter-Dependence” in a time of chaos

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." -- Howard Zinn

ICUJP has held over 1,000 forums over our 24 years of existence, from our home at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, to now meeting virtually on Zoom.

This week, instead of an online forum, we are asking all of ICUJP's members on this July 4th holiday to focus on the activism and perseverance that each of us is being called to display at this time in history.

ICUJP's Chairperson, Steve Rohde, has had a piece reprinted in the LA Progressive titled “A New Declaration of Inter-Dependence”. This piece written in 2005 is reprinted today with a new preface by Mr. Rohde:

I wrote the following Declaration of Inter-Dependence 20 years ago, on July 4, 2005, as a member of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace. My purpose then was to condemn the lawlessness of President George W. Bush. Today I was inclined to update it by removing the references to Bush and replacing them with a description of the lawlessness of President Donald J. Trump. Instead, I have decided to publish it as it was, without changing a single word. I want it to stand as a testament to the reality that Trump and his ilk are not some aberration in American history. I also want to remind us that when we fail to hold presidents like Bush accountable, we set a dangerous precedent and invite further abuses of power.

...The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence declares that Governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” No power that a Government purports to exercise is just unless and until the people have consented to grant that power to the Government. Consequently, Governments are not sovereign; they are not free to exercise any and all powers they choose, contrary to the will of the people. This fundamental principle would be reaffirmed thirteen years later in the Constitution and then in the Bill of Rights. It must be reaffirmed today as the Trump Administration attempts to exercise powers, domestically and internationally, to which neither the people nor their elected representatives have consented.

Today, as has been true throughout our history, the defense of democracy must be driven by the power of the people. Yet again We the People cry out “No Kings!”

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On July 5th, 1852, Frederick Douglass addressed the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, New York. His speech was entitled "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?", and its critique of American Imperialism and the Slave Trade is as contemporary now as it was 173 years ago:

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.

At a time of American Imperialism and Predatory Capitalism fueled by sociopathic oligarchs, a reread of  Frederick Douglass' heartfelt words on the failures of this land and what this country can achieve is very much in order.

You can read the entire text of the speech here, on PBS

You can also view a reading of the speech here delivered by five of Frederick Douglass' descendants:

This month is also a period of local activism and awareness so we invite you all to join a local July 4th "Free America" action near you , as well as join us in our "Democracy Not Fascism" action in Santa Monica on July 12th, and Indivisible's "Good Trouble Lives On" actions on July 17th, in remembrance of the great John Lewis.

We will be back on July 11th with a great Zoom program featuring Natasha Minsker speaking on the campaign for Universal Clemency for California death sentences.

In the words of John Lewis, make Good Trouble.

DONATE HERE TO SUPPORT ICUJP'S ONGOING WORK!!

Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace recognizes the Gabrieliño Tongva as the past, present, and future caretakers of the land, water, and cultural resources in the unceded territory of Los Angeles.

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What You Can Do to Support Immigrants And Take Action on Other Issues

• Show up for rallies and vigils,
• Frequent Latino-owned businesses and restaurants that are hurting because of ICE raids.
• Buy groceries for families afraid to leave their homes (as the pastor of First United Methodist Church has done).
• Give out "Know Your Rights" cards.
• Write to your state elected officials and tell them to support “No Vigilante Act,”  also known as Senate Bill 805
• Let your City Council members know you support the 8-point program for helping immigrants in our city proposed by the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network (NDLON).
• Let your Congress members know that you don't support increased federal funding for mass deportation.
• Support ACLU which is fighting unjust laws in the courts (such as the Executive Order ending birthright citizenship)

 “No Vigilante Act,”  also known as Senate Bill 805, is a proposed California law aimed at strengthening identification requirements for law enforcement officers, particularly during immigration raids, and preventing impersonation of law enforcement. It would require law enforcement officers to display identification (name or badge number) and would authorize law enforcement to request identification from anyone claiming to be law enforcement if there is reasonable suspicion of impersonation or a safety concern. Additionally, it would prohibit bounty hunters from engaging in any form of law enforcement activity. Contact Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) to express your support.

 

senator.perez@senate.ca.gov

GLENDALE OFFICE PHONE

818-409-0402

GLENDALE OFFICE ADDRESS

601 E. Glenoaks Blvd. Suite 210 Glendale, CA 91207

 

To contact elected officials in Washington calling on them not to fund mass deportation, you can use the websites below which enable you to email your elected officials on a wide range of issues from immigration to humanitarian aid to Gaza, protecting foreign assistance, opposing the “big, beautiful bill” (that will gut social programs to provide massive tax cuts to the rich), reducing military spending,  etc.

https://www.umcjustice.org/what-you-can-do/take-action-2025   

https://fcnl.quorum.us/

More things you can do:

1.    Visit Adelanto Detention Center. Join faith-based groups that are visiting. To find out more, contact Anthony at  interfaithquaker@aol.com

2.    Support NDLON’s Immigrant Defense Fund. Through the Immigrant Defense Fund, NDLON is summoning individuals, lawyers, advocates and artists to the job of shielding immigrants from unjust arrest and deportation, from labor abuses and discrimination and other forms of oppression. We are helping local communities and neighborhoods build webs of mutual support. We are supporting litigation and legal defense, raising immigrants' profiles and pressing the urgency of rescuing America's professed ideals — inclusion, tolerance, democracy — from this path of self-destruction. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/idf2024