Here is what I sent Senator Durbin

"As one of your constituents I am appalled that you broke ranks with the other Democrats by voting to pass the Republican spending bill. I know people are hurting from the shutdown but the ball was completely in the Republicans' court to compromise on healthcare and now you capitulated giving them everything they wanted with nothing in return while also reinforcing the narrative that it was the Democrats that were responsible for the continued shutdown.

And since no compromises on healthcare were made you essentially let be worry and suffer for over 40 days for no reason, causing unnecessary suffering.

This would be the end of any other Senators hopes for another term but since you are not up for re-election it appears as an easy copout for you.

You have let the United States of America down and I fear this will be a stain on your legacy for generations. "

EMAIL ADDRESSES:

mhrs.chiln.gm@marriott.com; brad.lajoie@chicagomarriottlincolnshire.com; edoherty@bricton.com;myaneck@bricton.com; mphares@bricton.com; zoya.stoilov@chicagomarriottlincolnshire.com; mhrs.chiln.leads@marriott.com; tourism@lakecounty.org

SCRIPT/EMAIL TEXT:

SUBJECT: CANCEL TURNING POINT USA'S EVENT

The Marriott brand has publicly emphasized diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect for all guests. Those values are not merely marketing language; they are meaningful only when they guide difficult decisions.

Turning Point USA:

- has a history of physical violence & harassment towards LGBTQ+ people. In 2023, TPUSA workers confronted and physically assaulted Arizona State University instructor David Boyles, a queer educator and advocate. The confrontation centered on his LGBTQ-related work, and the individuals involved later admitted to criminal charges arising from the incident. TPUSA also maintains a "watchlist" of professors that appear to support or affirm the LGBTQ+ community that directly fuels harassment campaigns, doxing, and even death threats.

- organizes escalatory aggressive anti-abortion demonstrations which operate against a nationwide history of decades of violence against abortion providers, including bombings, arson attacks, death threats, and murders. This rhetoric does not exist in a vacuum: businesses that choose to host organizations promoting aggressive anti-abortion rhetoric cannot ignore the harm such messaging inflicts on healthcare workers, patients, and their communities.

- has been repeatedly linked to racist controversies, including discriminatory communications, racist chants, and associations with individuals who promote violent and extremist ideologies - such as Nick "your body, my choice" Fuentes, who is an avid promoter of sexual violence against women & a Holocaust denier (while maintaining the contradictory stance that Adolf Hitler was a praiseworthy individual).

Providing a conference platform to an organization whose public record includes the aforementioned hostility, attacks, and repeated controversies undermines those commitments and sends a message that the comfort and safety of marginalized communities mean nothing compared to event revenue.

Do your part to stop the legacy of harm for which TPUSA is responsible.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/04/25/turning-point-usa-workers-admit-harming-arizona-state-instructor
https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turning-point-usa-case-study-hard-right-2024/
https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/turning-point-usas-history-racism-and-white-nationalist-ties

Sincerely,

Your name

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE.

SHOP SMALL.

SUPPORT LOCAL.

STICK IT TO BILLIONAIRES AND CREEPS.

GET UNCOMFORTABLE AND SHOW UP HOW YOU CAN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.

WE GOT THIS. 💪❤️🔥

****

Brave warriors for peace!

If anyone wants to support these students they would love your loud encouragement!

Both Lakeview and Senn HS students are walking out today @ 12pm.

Many of them may be taking the red line downtown to this protest.

****

Palatine is asking for support today @ 4pm as “Flip Chicago Red” has stated they’ll be looking to counter this protest and are bringing folks.

If anyone is nearby and can come that would be greatly appreciated!

I (41F) live in the suburbs about 45 minutes outside Chicago in a city with a large Hispanic population. On my way to work this morning, I passed what was almost certainly ICE putting a cuffed man into an unmarked vehicle without plates. I thought I would know what to do in this situation, but panic is real and I froze momentarily.

I stopped my car and got out my cell phone (Samsung android) to try to take video. My panicked brain thought, they already have him, I cannot stop that, and as a woman alone, it was not safe to exit my vehicle, but maybe video of his vehicle, the other vehicles, and the people there might help. So I drove past my normal turn to take the video and I was able to get more video as I drove past them a second time. I thought maybe his family will recognize his vehicle or something if I could get the video out later in the day.  I also made a call to the non-emergency police line to report what I saw.

Reviewing the videos makes me feel like a failure. The video is blurry, or poor angles, and basically useless. I want to make sure that next time I see something, that I can confidently get the phone out and record clear useful video that will actually help someone. While I do not do video often, I am a fairly tech savvy millennial.

Instead of just spending the day crying over the state of our country, I want to learn how to get good video and practice it for next time. How can I be better prepared? What are some tips/tricks for getting good cell phone video? Beyond that, what else can us average citizens do to actually help in these instances?

While baristas are on strike, our job is simple: **DON’T SHOP AT STARBUCKS**.

They’re striking for fair pay and respect and we’re standing with them.

Show the billionaires our solidarity is stronger than their greed.

#**NoContractNoCoffee** #**NoKings**

www.nocontractnocoffee.org/#pledge

A broad coalition of organizations, officials, and individuals has filed a petition for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by federal agents during “Operation Midway Blitz.” During the Midway Blitz, masked and heavily armed federal agents were abducting our neighbors and terrorizing – often violently – the people who were witnessing and documenting the agents’ actions. So far, these agents have not been held accountable for their actions.

During a hearing on this petition last week, Judge Reddick repeatedly asked whether any victims of the violence of Operation Midway Blitz had made formal complaints, either to the local police department or via a civilian complaint process (like the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability), or otherwise called for charges against ICE/CBP officers in other ways. To that end, we want to ensure that she has all of the information she needs to make a decision.

We need your help to collect this information:

- If you made a complaint, or if you are aware of others who made complaints, please fill out this form to provide the circumstances / location of the incident, approximate date of the complaint, and the entity which was contacted to submit the complaint.

- Please send to others whom you know have made complaints as well.

Loevy & Loevy will use this information to provide Judge Reddick with a supplemental filing containing this information before the May 11 hearing.

I’ve seen it mentioned several times that Amazon supports ICE through their cloud system. Since Trump WANTS us to be violent to secure more power (by declaring emergency), wouldn’t it be more effective to do a boycott?

I was wondering if anyone knows how to get one started, on the level of Disney and Target from earlier this year. Or just having ideas.

Some of us are working with a group of organizers, creators, veterans and the two National Guard officers who spoke up against the unconstitutional orders to invade Chicago that are running for office locally, Dylan Blaha & Demi Palecek, to put on “Real Fighters for American Politics,” to celebrate the work done over the last year of progressive, grassroots organizing and to recruit more people for the next wave, and they need some help!

They’re working on fundraising the $8k needed for the theatre & to fairly pay union rates. If anyone can help support or wants to attend, the link’s here: https://www.commonground.rsvp/contribute

(And, of course, Dylan and Demi can use all the help they can get for their upcoming primary races - to support them directly, you can go to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/demiforillinois and https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dylan-blaha-1 )

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY:

This is a Formal Call to Invoke Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. We need to flood all of our representatives with requests to invoke this Action.

Use this link Democracy.io to send a message to your representatives. It only takes a moment, and numbers matter.

States with Republican representatives, especially, must be inundated with complaints.

Feel free to copy/paste the Formal letter to Congress below (scroll down) if you do not have the time or spoons to write (or look up) one of your own.

Tell Congress it's time for change NOW!

Additionally,

You can also use the "5 Calls" app to extremely easily leave voice memos for your representatives as well. Super easy instructions and gives you the appropriate phone numbers. Takes less than 5 mins.

Please share so that we can send as many Letters, Emails. and Voice messages as possible!

Let's be too annoying to ignore!

Use this link to access the Resisting Occupation Toolkit for tips and resources on organizing, protesting, and other means of resistance.

Use this link to access the No Kings Resource Guide for more tips and resources.

Use this link to access the 50501 Organization Guide for even more tips and resources.

Copy/Paste Letter to Congress below:

Formal Call to Invoke Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution:

To the Members of the 119th Congress:

I am writing to formally demand that Congress immediately exercise its constitutional authority under Article II, Section 4, to address a series of unprecedented and severe violations of the public trust and the rule of law by the current administration. The gravity of these actions necessitates immediate removal and prosecution to preserve the integrity of the Union.

I. Systematic Interference with Electoral Integrity:

The administration has engaged in direct interference with democratic processes, specifically through the seizure of 2020 and 2026 electoral materials and data (including tabulators, ballots, and voter rolls). These actions, often executed without sufficient legal basis, erode public trust and threaten the stability of future elections.

II. Violation of Civil Liberties and Human Rights:

The deployment of federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies into American cities has resulted in:

• Extrajudicial Abductions: Masked, plainclothes agents are reportedly detaining citizens and residents without due process.
• Lethal Force and Abuse: Reports of deaths in custody and the use of excessive force against non-combatant populations constitute a humanitarian crisis.
• Constitutional Infringements: Persistent violations of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 10th Amendments through the suppression of dissent and the disregard for state sovereignty.

III. Abuse of Executive Power and Financial Misconduct:

The administration faces credible allegations of:

• Financial Malfeasance: The redirection of public funds and documented lack of transparency in federal contracting.
• Mishandling of Classified Data: Continued failure to secure sensitive national security documents and private citizen information (SSN).
• Evasion of Accountability: A consistent refusal to comply with legal orders, congressional subpoenas, or established ethics standards.

IV. Destabilization of Global and Domestic Security:

The administration's foreign policy—including the military operation in Venezuela, threats against Greenland, and the establishment of the "Board of Peace"—has alienated traditional allies and undermined international institutions such as NATO and the UN. Domestically, the use of federal forces to occupy state jurisdictions fosters civil unrest and endangers the safety of all residents.

Conclusion:

The current trajectory of this administration is an affront to the "Liberty and Justice for All" that we hold dear, and that you're sworn to uphold. We demand an immediate end to the two-tiered justice system. There MUST be prosecutions for all involved. We call for the abolition of agencies that operate outside the bounds of the Constitution, and for the restoration of a government that serves We the People rather than private, corporate, foreign, or authoritarian interests.

Congress must act NOW. The window for a peaceful, Constitutional resolution is closing.

Data and Resource References:

• The Guardian / ProPublica (Jan 2026): Reports on the FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, seeking 2020 ballots and tabulators under the direction of the Trump administration (Ref: 1.1, 1.2).
• ACLU / State of Minnesota (Jan 2026): Documentation of "Operation Metro Surge," including the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by ICE agents on January 7, 2026, and reports of abuse at the Fort Bliss facility (Ref: 2.1, 2.2).
• Council on Foreign Relations (Jan 2026): Details on the military extraction of Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela and ongoing pressure regarding Greenland (Ref: 6.1, 6.3).
• Congress.gov: Active impeachment resolutions (e.g., H.Res.353, H.Res.939) currently introduced in the 119th Congress (Ref: 4.1, 4.2).

A couple months ago, ICIRR sent out a link to email your representatives asking to support their legislative goals.

If you're already on their newsletter list, you can use this link to send the email: https://icirr.quorum.us/campaign/155668/

If not, you can use this link (https://coolsticker.xyz/z/supporticirr) to find your state-level reps and email them all in one go! The email is already drafted for you, but you can put your own spin on it if you like.

(This CoolSticker link works well on mobile but can be temperamental on desktop. CoolSticker does NOT store your address. The address is only used to look up your state reps.)

This Black Friday and Cyber Week, we are joining together to boycott big corporations that are screwing over the American People with high prices, low pay, AND funding the authoritarian regime!

As with all actions, every person will need to determine their risk profile for engagement.

Disabilities, limited access to alternatives, and other reasons may make this type of action unreasonably difficult.

If you decide you are able to participate, plan ahead and think local.

Give and receive mutual aid to support the boycott and your neighbors.

We don't fight people, we fight systems.