The 2020 Surge Kickoff event is TODAY: Sunday, Feb 23 at 3:00PM at the Washington State Labor Council. We hope to see you there! Details here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattle-indivisible-2020-we-win-tickets-92411408009
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We recently asked you to contact your state legislators in support of SB6522/HB2567 Courts Open To All Act, which prohibits warrantless civil immigration arrests at courthouses, and thanks to folks like you, the bill has passed the House! Now, we need to make sure that it makes it out of committee and onto the floor in the Senate.
State courthouses are places where people go to seek justice, pay fines, and participate in civil society. Inevitably, we all need to set foot inside courthouses regardless of our immigration status. Despite this, over the past two years there have been more than 200 documented civil arrests at courthouses in counties all across the state (i.e. arrests for violations of civil law—as opposed to criminal law).
These civil arrests, particularly immigration arrests, in and around courthouses disrupt court proceedings, create an environment of fear, and deter people without citizenship from coming to court. People are forced to risk arrest and deportation when coming to court, simply because of where they were born.
We have a chance to stop this erosion of our civil society during the current state legislative cycle.
Today’s action: Tell state Senators to keep our courts safe for everyone
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Enter your home address to find your state Senator.
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Enter your contact information.
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Say you SUPPORT this legislation, and add a bill comment. We’ve provided a sample script that you can and should adapt to fit your words.
Sample script:
Hello, my name is {NAME}, and I live in {CITY, ZIP}. I urge you to support SB 6522 and tell your colleagues in the Senate Committee on Law and Justice to support this bill in its upcoming hearing.
This bill builds community trust in our judicial system, prohibits civil arrests from disrupting courts, and preserves access to our courts for everyone. Everyone deserves their day in court.
Background
February 16 daily action: http://www.seattleindivisible.com/daily-actions/2020/2/16/keep-ice-out-of-our-courts-amp-shut-down-the-northwest-detention-center
More info about this bill: http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6522&Initiative=false&Year=2019
