 January 2026 Newsletter | |||
“We all do better when we all do better.” ~Paul Wellstone| We are running out of adjectives and expletives to express the shock and horror that we feel after another fatal shooting of a peaceful protestor by ICE agents. Our outrage is magnified by the Trump administration again attempting to rewrite the narrative contrary to the facts that we can so clearly observe. And now Senator Gallego is warning that increased ICE enforcement may be coming to our town. Many of us feel at a loss for anything productive that we can do, but we hope that we will be inspired by our speaker from the ACLU at our first meeting of 2026 on Tuesday, January 27, at Shadow Rock Church, located at 12861 N. 8th Avenue in Phoenix. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. More details below. |
January Monthly Meeting |
| Our January speaker is Aryhannah Meza, a bilingual community organizer with the ACLU. Please join us and hear about her inspiring work on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at Shadow Rock Church, located at 12861 N. 8th Avenue, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Pizza will be served at 6:30, and program starts at 7:00. Bring your own beverage or water container. Please bring human and pet food for donation to local food banks. We will also be collecting new and gently used shoes for Soles for Souls. See you then!RSVP |
| Arizona Legislature/RTS |
 When County Supervisor Steve Gallardo spoke to us in October, he said that many members of the legislature are counting on you not paying attention. That is how we got into the current mess of universal vouchers, inadequate school funding, poor gun regulation, bad groundwater management, and you name it. Read the most recent CEBV newsletter to learn what you can do to counteract what is going on at the legislature. January 26, 2026 |
| CD1 Protest at Schweikert’s Office |
 Monday, Feb 9th will be the 52nd consecutive week of peacefully holding CD1 Rep. David Schweikert accountable for his dreadful voting record, his overall lackluster performance, and his refusal to meet with us, his constituents. Join us every Monday, 8-9am as we peacefully continue our demand for Schweikert to d |
| Education News |
 Subscribe to the Save our Schools newsletter at sosarizona.org to get all the latest information about education in our state. |
Indivisible News |
| The chaos out of the White House is meant to overwhelm us. Our antidote is community. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Arizona time to break down the week’s biggest political stories, answer your questions, and map out strategies for taking action. Register below for “What’s the Plan” Register Here |
| DPI Book Club |
| DPI members have started a book Club! The January meeting was a success, and members are looking forward to the next meeting on Saturday, February 21, at 2:00 p.m. We will be discussing “From Dictatorship to Democracy” by Gene Sharp. Contact Cricket Peterson at cricket7arizona@gmail.com for more information and directions. |
 Stand Up For Migrants! |
 URGENT: Abe Hamadeh’s Parents Got a Second Chance. Will He Give One to Kelly Yu?ICE Detained a Peoria Mother. Hamadeh Can Help Stop Her Deportation—But Only If We Call Now. Friends,Kelly Yu fled China’s “one child policy” 21 years ago while pregnant with her daughter. She built a life here in Arizona—raising her daughter, running a business, and attempting to gain the required status to stay in the country legally.A few weeks ago, ICE detained her during a routine check-in. Now she faces deportation.Her husband and daughter—both citizens—live right here in CD-8. Congressman Abe Hamadeh represents them—and he has the power to help.Here’s the part that matters:Hamadeh’s own parents overstayed visas and faced deportation over 30 years ago. They were given time and compassion. That’s why he’s even here to serve in Congress today.Kelly Yu deserves the same chance. We don’t know how much time we have—but we do know what pressure can do. CALL HAMADEH’S OFFICE RIGHT NOW  Surprise Office: (623) 776-7911 Suggested Script:“Hi, my name is —, and I’m a resident in CD-8. My address is —.I’m calling to urge Rep. Hamadeh to help stop the deportation of Kelly Yu, a longtime Peoria resident detained by ICE. Her family lives in this district. She has contributed to her community for over 20 years.Rep. Hamadeh’s own parents were given compassion when they overstayed their visas. I’m asking him to show that same compassion now and fight for her humanitarian release.Please file a constituent assistance request and publicly support Kelly Yu’s release. Time is critical. Thank you.” Then, check out Borderlands Initiative Rapid Response training: Rapid Response Training |
Building Bridges |
| Long-time Desert Progressives member Alyce-Anne Meadows is leading an effort to create balanced dialogue between reasonable people representing right and left political persuasions. Vision: 1. To understand that we are all Americans – in this together.2. To realize we are all human with human needs, wants & goals3. To know that we hold many common beliefs, values and needsGoals: 1. To bring people together from each side of the American political aisle for peaceful dialogue of values (and beliefs).2. To foster understanding between people of opposing political views.3. To open avenues of understanding of how people arrive at perspectives so different from our own. 4. To reduce negativity and division among people of opposite political viewpoints5. To learn non-combative ways to communicate with those of opposing opinions.6. To provide factual and credible resources for American politics. The structure evolves from Search for Common Ground including a signed commitment form from each participant to protocol and rules that keep the peace and safety.If you are a person open to engagement in a peaceful encounter with others who do not think politically as you do, contact Alyce-Anne Meadows at a-ameadows@cox.net ASAP |
| Calendar of Events |
| Desert Progressives Steering Committee members have been working hard to streamline access to a comprehensive list of actions and events. Check out this link to the calendar on our website. Even t Dates |
| Contact Us |
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| CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES |
| FEDERAL Senator Mark KellyB40B Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 202-224-2235 Email contact through website, markkelly.com or kelly.senate.gov Senator Ruben GallegoSR-188 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 202-224-4521 Email contact through website: gallego.senate.gov Phoenix Office3333 E. Camelback Rd, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018 coming soon Representative David Schweikert 460 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 202-225-2190 Scottsdale Office14500 N. Northsight Blvd. Suite 221, Scottsdale AZ 85260 480-946-2411 STATE Governor Katie Hobbs State Capitol, 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007 602-542-4331 https://azgovernor.gov/ Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman: (602) 277-7292 |
