1) IGSV December Group Meeting: Our next IGSV group meeting is coming up in less than two weeks! 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.

Note: in order to be a “voting member” of IGSV for our annual elections for the Leadership Council, you must live in or own a business in NJ-7 and you must have attended at least two group meetings within the last year. There are only two more meetings before the elections at the end of January: this meeting and one in January. You can see our Bylaws here: http://www.indivisiblegsv.org/bylaws/.

2) Women’s Health Protection Act: Last week, the Supreme Court signaled that it was ready to overturn the Constitutional right to abortion. This week, call our two Senators and tell them to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (https://indivisible.org/tell-senate-protect-roe-v-wade-now). Both Senator Booker and Senator Menendez have co-sponsored the bill, but let them know that you support all efforts to pass the bill, including fixing the filibuster to do it. Democrats have the votes to pass this bill, if they muster the will. We can’t let them off the hook.

You can read about the history of the “pro-life” movement here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/05/abortion-opposition-focus-white-evangelical-anger

3) The Indivisible Truth Brigade: Indivisible has an ongoing program to fight for truth, right up our alley! The next meeting of the “Truth Brigade” is this Wednesday, December 8, at 4:30 pm. You can register here: https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArdu-vrz8rH93lduLYHXOvC0ISDDLRfy5L Their pitch: “It’s December — time to deck the halls with the gifts of truth and trust. In this month’s Big Truth’s call, we’ll provide tips for keeping your holidays both peaceful — and persuasive! Join us to learn some best practices for family communication, to remember together why we do what we do (and learn some inspiring truths about our effectiveness!) and to give and receive a few truth-inspiring gift.” If you attend, please report back to the group!

4) Democracy Protection: Sen. Schumer and other Democratic senators have agreed to move forward with democracy reform, even without Republican support for the bill. Call our Senators and let them know you stand with Sen. Schumer, and you want them to adjust the filibuster now to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act before they leave town for the holidays. You can read more here: https://indivisible.org/demand-your-senator-fix-filibuster-pass-democracy-reform.

Quote of the week: “The court will not save our rights. But maybe we can save them ourselves.” – Melissa Murray, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/abortion-sotomayor-dobbs-oral-arguments/2021/12/03/ba6fc4b8-53d5-11ec-8927-c396fa861a71_story.html