1) NJ Redistricting: As noted last week, the redistricting of Congressional districts in New Jersey is underway. The Commission is holding hearings now for the public to voice their concerns and suggestions. Please sign up so that there is robust representation for NJ7! Information is here: https://www.njredistrictingcommission.org. The next meeting is virtual on Wednesday, December 1. Note that we want to ensure that NJ7 remains fair and is not skewed toward “giving” the district to Tom Kean Jr. Please also pay attention to discussions on social media, pushing back on any suggestions that NJ7 should be sacrificed by the Democrats to ensure that other Democratic incumbents have a clearer path to re-election.

2) IGSV December Group Meeting: Our next IGSV group meeting is coming up! With the current session of the New Jersey State Legislature drawing to a close in January, the fate of several pending bills relevant to police reform in our state is not yet clear. On December 18 from 3-4:30 pm via Zoom, the IGSV Committee on Policing in America will provide an update on the status of each of these bills, their prospects for passage in this session, and an assessment of their potential impact on policing in our Garden State communities. We look forward to your questions and discussion, as we continue our efforts to learn together what measures might be undertaken to advance a model of policing that more effectively and genuinely protects and serves all members of our communities, while enhancing the safety and well-being of the officers who undertake this challenging responsibility.

Please RSVP by email to indivisiblegsv@gmail.com to get the Zoom link

3) NJ Republican Assembly Members: There are media reports that this week, Republican members of the NJ Assembly are going to intentionally violate the Assembly’s vaccination/testing rules and the whole Republican contingent will refuse to attend if any unvaccinated/untested members are denied entry. You can read more here: https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/assembly-republicans-wont-follow-vaccine-or-covid-test-mandate/. Call your Assembly members to let them know how you feel about this stunt. For LD23 residents, you can reach John DiMaio, now Minority Leader, at (908) 684-9550, and Erik Peterson at (908) 238-0251. If you need to search for your members, you can look here: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp.

4) Be Safe: The detection and naming of a new coronavirus variant, omicron, is a reminder that the pandemic is not over. Be sure to do your part by taking precautions like wearing a mask when indoors with people outside of your “bubble” and getting vaccinated (including your booster if you are eligible). Hunterdon Healthcare has upcoming vaccination clinics for the next few Wednesdays. You can sign up here: https://www.hunterdonhealthcare.org/covid-19-vaccine-appointment-scheduler/. You can read more about the omicron variant here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/11/28/world/covid-omicron-variant-news.

Quote of the week: “There is a moment where you have to choose whether to be silent or stand up.” – Malala Yousafzai