Wear Orange Weekend – Demonstrations in Michigan
By MUUSJN on Saturday, June 8th, 2019
A national coalition of organizations is inviting the public to demonstrate for gun violence reform throughout the nation. In Michigan, there are at least eight wear orange demonstrations in: Lansing, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, Detroit and Saginaw. For more details on each of event search by city or a zip code on this site: www.wearorange.org Here’s the time, date and places for these Michigan demonstrations: UU’s are invited to request Linda Brundage, a member of the UU Church of Greater Lansing and Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence Prevention, to be a speaker on the problems of gun violence and what we can do about it: 517-337-3024 WHY DOES THE WEAR ORANGE CAMPAIGN USE THE COLOR ORANGE? This is how the Wear Orange campaign explains […]
Help Shut Down Detention Center for Immigrant Kids Separated from Families
By MUUSJN on Sunday, May 26th, 2019
BACKGROUND The American Friends Service Committee, along with social justice and faith partner organizations (including the National Immigrant Justice Center, United We Dream, the Franciscan Action Network, Sojourners, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the UU Service Committee) has been collaborating to demand that the Homestead Detention Center near Miami, Florida be shut down. They have declared that the week of June 9 – 16 be a time of focused action to demand that Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shut down the Center and expedite efforts to reunite youth with their families or sponsors. This email will provide background information and let you know what you can do. The U.S. Government is currently holding at Homestead Detention Center over 3,000 […]
House Adopts the Equality Act 236 – 173; Next Action Is In the Senate
By MUUSJN on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
Urge Our U.S. Senators to Be Champions To Promote YES Votes on the Equality Act (Both are Equality Act Co-sponsors) Senator Debbie Stabenow: 1-202-224-4822 & Senator Gary Peters: 1-202-224-6221 BACKGROUND On May 17th the U.S. House voted 236 – 173 to adopt the Equality Act. Eight Republicans joined all House Democrats in support HR 5, a comprehensive bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education. ADOPTION OF THIS BILL IS A HISTORIC MILESTONE! This was the first time this bill was reported out of committee after it was first introduced in 2015. Thanks to all who called their U.S. Representatives to support this legislation. […]
#StoptheBans: Tuesday May 21st — A National Day of Action
By MUUSJN on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
Across the country, we are seeing a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access. This is Trump’s anti-choice movement… and it’s terrifying, particularly for women of color and low-income women who are most affected by these bans. We will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women. Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions best left to women, their families, and their doctors. Together we say: Stop the bans#StopTheBans Actions This Tuesday, May 21st at noon local time at statehouses, town squares, and courthouses across the nation–with other events throughout the week–we will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt […]
Urge Your U.S. Representative to Vote YES on Equality Act – HR 5
By MUUSJN on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
Call Your U.S. Representative Urge To Vote YES on the Equality Act Vote Expected this Friday Click HERE for List of Michigan U.S. Representatives (includes phone numbers & mailing addresses) Click HERE to find YOUR U.S. Representative BACKGROUND This year Rep. David Cecilline (D-Rhode Island) re-introduced The Equality Act (HR 5), a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people based on housing, employment, public accommodations, jury service, federal funding and education. This bill was recently adopted by the House Judiciary Committee on a 22-10 vote to advance it to the full House. All democrats voted for the bill; all republicans voted against it. This bill has 240 co-sponsors, enough to get adopted in the House. Senator Jeff Merkley has also introduced […]
Call Your State Senator and Representative to Oppose Bills that Criminalize Abortion
By MUUSJN on Monday, May 6th, 2019
BACKGROUND House Bills 4320 and HB 4321 are on the agenda of the House Judiciary Committee that is scheduled to meet on May 7th. These bills are likely be adopted in this committee and sent to the full House for a vote. These bills ban a safe, standard abortion procedure. They include criminal penalties for doctors of two years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Senate Bills 165 and 166 ban and criminalize abortion at or after 20 weeks with the only exception being to save the life of the mother. The bills would impose sanctions of up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine for doctors performing the procedure. Click HERE for List of State Representatives (includes phone numbers & emails) […]
Court Ruling is “Great Victory for Michigan Voters”
By MUUSJN on Monday, April 29th, 2019
Federal Judges Rule 34 Michigan Districts Are UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Must Redraw Gerrymandered Maps by August 1st On Thursday, April 25th, a panel of three federal judges ruled 3-0 that Michigan must redraw dozens of Congressional and state legislative districts for the 2020 election because they unconstitutionally “advantaged Republicans and disadvantaged Democrats”. Judy Karandjeff, President of the Michigan League of Women Voters, which filed this lawsuit, declared that this ruling was a “great victory for the voters of Michigan and for our democracy”. The three federal judges reportedly based their decisions on emails and other records produced during the closed door redistricting process that was managed by Republicans and their consultants. One consultant said, “We’ve spent a lot of time providing options to ensure that we have […]
Urge Your State Senator and Representative to Adopt Raise the Wage Bills
By MUUSJN on Sunday, April 21st, 2019
Urge Your State Senator & Representative to Adopt Raise the Age Bills to Assure That 17 Year-Olds Are Not Tried as Adults BACKGROUND This week the House and Senate Judiciary Committees voted, on a bi-partisan basis, to adopt versions of raise the age bill packages that would ensure that 17 year-olds are not automatically tried as adults. Instead, youth can be tried in juvenile justice courts and are less likely to be sent to prisons for adults. Michigan is one of only four states that prosecutes 17 year-olds as adults. Statistics show that states that have enacted similar raise-the-age laws have experienced a significant decrease in juvenile court referrals and recidivism. Alicia Guevara Warren, Kids Count in Michigan Project Director at the Michigan League for Public Policy, said “Michigan is one step closer […]
Congress Adopts War Powers Act to Challenge Mass Starvation in Yemen
By MUUSJN on Sunday, April 7th, 2019
Congress Urges End to U.S. Support for Saudi war on Yemen UN: It’s World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis Urge President Trump to Be Bold and Sign the Bi-Partisan War Powers Resolution 1-202-456-1111 White House Comment Line, open M-Fri, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.or email him at: www.whitehouse.gov/contact BACKGROUND On Thursday, April 4th, the House voted 247-175 to demand an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s brutal war in Yemen. According to the UN, this war has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 22 million people on the brink of starvation. This bi-partisan vote followed a vote in the Senate to also adopt this Resolution. Thanks to all who called their Senators when MUUSJN issued its last alert. For more information, click HERE. The U.S. has a vast leverage to stop the […]
Call Representatives to Oppose Bills That Harm Immigrants & Hurt Local Governments
By MUUSJN on Friday, April 5th, 2019
Two anti-immigrant bills have reared their ugly heads in the Michigan legislature and will be up for a hearing before the House Military, Veterans and Homeland Security Committee at noon on Tuesday, April 9th in Lansing in room 307 of the House Office Building. That happens to be the same day that Michigan United is holding their Capitol Day for immigration and other justice issues (see notice below). MUUSJN invites you to call members of this committee before April 9th or attend this hearing while at Michigan United’s Capitol Day on April 9th. Information you need to challenge these bills:TWO BILLS (HB 4083 and HB 4090) would prohibit a county or a local unit of government from adopting or enforcing policies that limit local law enforcement communication or cooperation with federal officers (e. g., […]