The Freedom Writers Speak Out for Immigrants
Contact your elected officials about these 3 bills …
Hello, Freedom Writers!
In today’s post:
ACTION 020 - DEFEAT the Sanctuary Cities Bill >> Contact your 3 US Elected Officials
ACTION 021 - SUPPORT 2 Massachusetts bills: ‘The Location Shield Act’ (HD2965/SD501) and ‘Dignity Not Deportations Act’ (HD3596, SD1107) >> Contact your 2 MA Elected Officials
Ask EB - Today’s question: Where can I go to get trustworthy news?
ACTION 020 - DEFEAT the Sanctuary Cities Bill >> Contact your 3 US Elected Officials
For a printable version of this action, click here.
Action Name:
Urge your US Representative and US Senators to DEFEAT the "No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act" (HR 5717).
Background Information:
A vote on this bill is expected to come up in the US House of Representatives sometime in February. If the House passes it, it will go to the Senate.
Expiration Date:
When/if both houses have voted on it.
Who are you contacting?:
3 of your Elected Officials: Your 1 US Representative, and your 2 US Senators.
You can do EITHER: 3 visits, 3 calls, 3 postcards, 3 letters, or 3 emails, or any combination thereof.
Action Steps:
For general information on how to best contact your Elected Officials and why, read our INFO SHEET, How to Contact Your Elected Officials.
If you prefer writing postcards to your elected officials, you can order postcards HERE and postcard stamps HERE.
After you’ve chosen your preferred channel (i.e., visits, calls, postcards, letters or emails), gather the contact information you need for all 3 of your Elected Officials (1 US Rep, 2 US Senators) HERE. NOTE: We recommend adding this information to the “Contacts” on your phone or to your address book so you don’t have to look it up each time.
Use the scripts below as GUIDELINES for your communication with your elected officials. As always, we encourage you to rephrase these scripts into your own words (especially the italicized areas) and add examples of how this bill will affect you personally, if appropriate.
Short Script - For postcards and phone calls
Dear [Senator’s/Representative's Name],
I respectfully urge you to vote NO on the "No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act" (HR 5717) which is due to come up for a vote in the US House in February.
I am opposed to it because it would:
Infringe on the autonomy of state and local governments,
Redirect law enforcement resources away from catching violent criminals and toward hassling law abiding immigrants.
Deter immigrants from reporting crimes to police, thereby making us all less safe.
Please let me know how you intend to vote on this important bill.
Your Constituent,
[Your name, address]
Long Script - For letters and emails
Dear [Senator’s/Representative's Name],
I respectfully urge you to vote NO on the "No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act" (HR 5717) which is due to come up for a vote in the US House in February.
I’m opposed to this bill for several reasons.
1. It infringes on the autonomy of state and local governments. Local jurisdictions need control over how they allocate resources in order to keep the peace. This bill would undermine the ability of cities and states to make decisions based on their own voters’ priorities, public safety issues and community trust.
2. It would deteriorate our over all public safety by:
Straining Community-Police relations. Sanctuary policies are designed to foster cooperation between police and immigrant communities. Without them, immigrants would be reluctant to report crimes for fear of being detained or deported.
Diverting critical law enforcement resources and tax dollars away from actual criminals to individuals who may simply lack immigration documentation. Studies have shown that immigrant communities often have lower crime rates than others, and sanctuary policies allow the police to focus more effectively on individuals who pose genuine threats to safety.
Please let me know how you intend to vote on this important bill.
Thank you for all you do,
Sincerely,
Your Constituent,
[Your name, address]
ACTION 021 - SUPPORT 2 Massachusetts bills: ‘The Location Shield Act’ (HD2965/SD501) and ‘Dignity Not Deportations Act’ (HD3596, SD1107) >> Contact your 2 MA Elected Officials
For a printable version of this action, click here.
Action Name:
Urge your Massachusetts State House Representative and State Senator to SPONSOR the ‘The Location Shield Act’ (HD2965/SD501) and ‘Dignity Not Deportations Act’ (HD3596, SD1107) bills.
Background Information:
A vote on this bill is expected to occur sometime in the current 2-year session, hopefully sooner rather than later.
For more information, check out
Expiration Date:
When/if both houses have voted on it.
Who are you contacting?:
2 of your Elected Officials: Your 1 MA Representative, and your 1 MA Senator.
You can do EITHER: 2 visits, 2 calls, 2 postcards, 2 letters, or 2 emails, or any combination thereof.
Action Steps:
For general information on how to best contact your Elected Officials and why, read our INFO SHEET, How to Contact Your Elected Officials.
If you prefer writing postcards to your elected officials, you can order postcards HERE and postcard stamps HERE.
After you’ve chosen your preferred channel (i.e., visits, calls, postcards, letters or emails), gather the contact information you need for both of your Elected Officials (1 MA Rep, 1 MA Senators) HERE. NOTE: We recommend adding this information to the “Contacts” on your phone or to your address book so you don’t have to look it up each time.
Use the scripts below as GUIDELINES for your communication with your elected officials. As always, we encourage you to rephrase these scripts into your own words (especially the italicized areas) and add examples of how this bill will affect you personally, if appropriate.
Short Script - For postcards and phone calls
Dear [Senator’s/Representative's Name],
Communities are scared, and you can help.
I respectfully urge you to sponsor 2 important MA bills:
The Location Shield Act (HD2965/SD501) would end the selling/trading of cellphone location data to bad actors.
The Dignity Not Deportations Act (HD3596/SD1107) would end ICE detention contracts and 287(g) agreements.
Please let me know if you decide to sponsor the Location Shield Act and the Dignity Not Deportations Act or not.
Thank you!
Your Constituent,
[Your name, address]
Long Script - For letters and emails
Dear [Senator’s/Representative's Name],
I respectfully urge you to sponsor two essential bills to protect the most vulnerable communities in Massachusetts from harassment, surveillance, and mass deportation. Those bills are the Location Shield Act (HD2965/SD501) and the Dignity Not Deportations Act (HD3596/SD1107).
Communities are scared, and you can help.
In this time of rising extremism, I'm concerned about the safety and dignity of our vulnerable communities here in Massachusetts, especially domestic violence victims, LGBTQ people, abortion patients and providers, and immigrants. These two bills would allow our state to assert both its values and its legitimate authority to protect our residents from hostile private actors and federal overreach.
The Location Shield Act (HD2965/SD501), filed by Rep. Lipper-Garabedian, Rep. Vieira, and Sen. Creem) would end the practice of selling and trading cellphone location data on the open market, exposing sensitive personal data to bad actors like stalkers and politically motivated domestic terrorists. This shadow industry puts all of us at risk, and Massachusetts should put a stop to it.
The Dignity Not Deportations Act (HD3596/SD1107), filed by Rep. Barber, Rep. Dave Rogers, and Sen. Gomez) would end ICE detention contracts and 287(g) agreements, ensuring that state and local resources are not co-opted to tear law-abiding families apart and devastate our economy. Although we can't change federal immigration policy, we don't have to contribute to its needless cruelty.
Please let me know whether you decide to sponsor the Location Shield Act and the Dignity Not Deportations Act or not.
Thank you for all you are doing during such a challenging time for our country.
Sincerely,
Your Constituent,
[Your name, address]
Ask EB! - Today’s question: Where can I go to get trustworthy news?
EB: Several Freedom Writers have reached out to us saying,
“I'm overwhelmed! I want to get back into listening to the news, but it's so depressing! Where can I go to get trustworthy news?”
I hear you. You’re not alone. The Trump Regime wants us to be traumatized, and he’s succeeding. His actions are realistically traumatizing … for immigrants, for people who are LGBTQ, for federal workers, for people of color and for all of us who care for them.
But, here’s the thing: when they succeed in scaring us away from the news, it makes them more powerful.
It’s not going to be easy, but please, when you're ready, find your way back into listening to the news. We need every single one of you to help us with this fight.
Here are the ***FREE*** trusted news and information sources Billy J and I use:
RADIO -
NPR (National Public Radio) - In business since 1970. This source is funded in part by donors (if you’re not one yet, please become one HERE) and our tax dollars, which Trump will try to stop. When he tries to do that, we’ll post Action Sheets on it. You can download its free app, ”NPR One,” to your phone, tablet or laptop. They have some great morning news shows that can help us fill the hours that Morning Joe used to occupy.
TUNE IN - This is a free app you can download to your phone. It gives you access to MSNBC (sound only) and lots of other news stations, radio stations and podcasts.
TELEVISION -
MSNBC - It still has many great shows. We get ours from Hulu in a package that costs us half of what we were paying before for cable television. You can also access it for free (sound only) from TUNE IN (see the RADIO section above).
Weekdays at 12 noon ET - Andrea Mitchell - She’s 78 years old, the wife of Alan Greenspan, and one of the most knowledgeable people in broadcasting on International Relations and specifically the Middle East. She’s a breath of calm, measured fresh air in these days of constant drama.
Weekdays at 6pm ET - Ari Melber - He’s a former lawyer who goes out of his way to stick to the facts and include differing opinions.
Weekdays at 9pm ET - Rachael Maddow - She had gone to only coming on air for Mondays at 9pm ET, but for the first 100 days of the Trump Regime, they have put her back on every weekday. She is another careful, fact checking journalist. She is exceptionally good at telling the story behind the story with concise, lethal accuracy.
C-SPAN - This is where I’ve been watching the cabinet appointment hearings. C-Span is a government sponsored free app you can download to any phone, tablet or laptop. There are no commercials, no ‘interpretations’ or spin rooms. Just our government proceedings in action, free of commentary, and it’s fascinating. There is a possibility that the Trump Regime may try to cut its funding too, so watch it while you can.
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - Like NPR, this live TV station is funded in part by donors and in part by our government. It is free to everyone via its website. If you want it on demand you have to either sign up for their “Passport” package or watch the videos they’ve posted on YouTube. This is another organization that those among us with the means should be supporting. You can become a donor HERE if you’re not one already.
NEWSPAPERS -
AP & API (Associated Press & Associated Press International) - In business since 1846. You can download their free app to your phone. This news source is often cited by many of the other new outlets as just “AP,” but, to my knowledge, they have never actually had their own TV station or newspaper. Just the app. I check practically everything I read elsewhere with the AP to verify that it really happened. They are in many ways an international gold source for real news.
The Guardian - In business since 1821. Wow! That’s a long time. They are great. Their news is available for free to everyone via their app and their website. If you can support them, please do. They are another great source of news with journalistic integrity.
SUBSTACK -
Substack was founded to allow writers to control their writing and get paid for it directly from their readers. Many of the best, most trustworthy writers in the world are now flocking to Substack, primarily because they don’t have to battle with any algorithms there like they do on FB, Instagram and X. Here are some examples:
Letters from an American - Heather Cox Richardson
Civil Discourse - Joyce Vance
The Contrarian - Jen Rubin (formerly of the Washington Post), Paul Krugman (formerly of the NYT) and LOTS of other top tier journalists have found a new home on Substack at The Contrarian. Check it out.
Many, many more … including The Freedom Writers!
OTHER -
Wikipedia - In business since 2001. This is not a “news” source per se, but it is another information source that may come under siege by the Trump Regime. I reference it frequently to do deep dives into topics, and I have found it to be very reliable. It, like some of the others on this list, is dependent on our generous donations.
We will be making this list available as a resource document in future posts, so if you know of reliable **FREE** news sources that should be included, let us know!
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR EB, LET HER KNOW HERE:
Thank you so much for helping us save our Democracy,
EB Freed and Billy J