Rural Oregon Solidarity with Palestine
We know that many of you are closely following the news beyond Oregon, including the terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene and the ongoing violence in the Middle East.
On September 26, FEMA announced a $9 billion shortfall for Hurricane Helene recovery, meaning they are out of funds to reimburse communities for projects responding to the suffering caused by the hurricane. The same day, the US gave a $8.7 billion weapons package to Israel, paid for by American taxpayers. Rural Oregonians have always connected the dots between issues beyond our communities and how they relate to our lives. Many of us are tired of seeing our tax dollars fund death and destruction overseas while Americans face increasing natural disasters and suffer from a lack of investment in the real needs of their communities. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be amplifying Palestine solidarity organizing going on around the state to commemorate the beginning of violence in the region one year ago.
Stay tuned on ROP’s Instagram and Facebook for that content. Are you organizing solidarity actions and want support, or for ROP to share them on social media? Tag us, or reach out to your county organizer or sidra@rop.org!
Why This Activity?
The vast majority of people believe that political violence is never okay. As threats, intimidation, and harassment increase, it’s important to remember that political violence is not new. From the people who marched in Selma for dignity and civil rights, to small-town neighbors declaring “Love Lives Here!” to stop hate groups from setting up shop, we have and we will continue to join together to take courageous, creative, nonviolent action that makes political violence backfire on those who incite, threaten, and enact it.
Political violence tries to divide us, silence us, and stop our organizing so that a few people can hoard political and economic power. We’ve partnered with organizations throughout the country working to block the rise of authoritarianism, bridge across movements, and build inclusive multi-racial democracy to make political violence backfire. Now we’re bringing these time-tested lessons together through a project called Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE) so you can prepare to stay safe and powerful. Read on to learn how you can join the many of us who are committing to take courageous nonviolent action!
What is the Activity?
This month’s KTA will prepare your group to respond to political violence in your town this election season and beyond. Having a phone tree or text thread is the best way to connect quickly in a crisis and take action based on the circumstances you find yourselves in. Make sure ROP is on your phone tree!
Are you looking for support in forming a proactive election organizing plan? Did you miss the August KTA? It’s not too late to order STAND election guides or make a broader election plan! Reach out to us for support at sidra@rop.org.
How to Complete the Activity:
- Get your group together and make sure you have each other’s phone numbers and know the best way to get in touch with one another in an emergency.
- Save your county organizer’s cell number in your phone and make sure your whole leadership team does the same. If your community experiences political violence, we want to hear from you and support you!
- Not an ROP human dignity group yet? Reach out to us at sidra@rop.org. We would love to get connected!
- Make a plan to debrief the election and respond to any potential threats or political violence.
- Register as a group for ROP’s Election Debrief Zoom on Thursday, November 7th 6:00 – 7:30 pm PST. We’ll be holding space to process the results of the election, ground ourselves in movement history with Suzanne Pharr and other special guest speakers, and make a plan for the weeks and months to come.
- While you’re scheduling, also plan a separate meeting to debrief the election with your local group. We’ve heard over and over that what folks anticipate needing after the election is time to be in community, so let’s make it happen! Host a potluck, gather in a park or someone’s living room, the November KTA will include an agenda you can use.
- Distribute the National Election Protection Hotline information in your community. 866-OUR-VOTE is a nonpartisan National Election Protection Hotline that ROP is working with to support rural communities in responding to political violence in Oregon. The Election Protection Hotline is available 24/7 in 14 languages. It is staffed by multi-lingual teams of election experts and volunteer lawyers ready to assist voters, track problems, and challenge attempts at election interference. In cases of political violence, ROP and our partners in Oregon will be the ones following up on calls.
- Put up a sign on your lawn, door, or window, or on public bulletin boards in your community. Make your own, or order signs from our partners at Common Cause letting voters know how to contact the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline.
- Send postcards to your mailing list or a list of voters from our partners at Common Cause. Order postcards (and voter lists) from Common Cause here. You can leave a comment asking for a list of addresses near you!
- Post to social media! Make your own post, or use the hotline’s graphics and statements here.
Extra Credit
- Want to go deeper? Sign up for training and/or coaching with our partners at Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE). Their resources are informed by ROP and many other movement leaders across the country!
- Did you miss the August KTA? It’s not too late to make a broader election plan or order STAND Election Guides to hand out to your neighbors! Email sidra@rop.org to get the tools you need.
Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly activity by the Rural Organizing Project. The theory is that small actions can lead to powerful collective results as groups of people gather to complete the same action throughout the state of Oregon. ROP works to keep each KTA easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.
