Indivisibles, 

Last week, we joined the global community in expressing our horror and grief at the loss of over 1,400 Israelis, Americans, and foreign citizens in Hamas’ horrific attacks on October 7.

Now, over the last week, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated catastrophically with Israel’s ongoing bombardment and blockade of life-sustaining supplies like water, food, medicine, and power. The Gaza Health Ministry says that 2,670 Palestinians have been killed (including every living member of 47 families, ending those family lines forever) and 9,600 wounded since the bombing began.

Collectively, over 4,000 people have been confirmed dead in the last week. That is over 4,000 mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, teachers and students -- and the number is still climbing. 

And in an added tragedy, at least one hate crime has already happened on American soil in response to the conflict in Israel and Palestine and the media response around it. A six-year-old child was killed in Plainfield Township, Illinois because he was Palestinian. 

This is an international crisis with a mounting death toll on the road to further escalation. We are horrified by the situation and heartbroken at the human cost. 

In the days since, over 50 Members of Congress (MoC) have signed on to a letter to the Biden Administration (PDF) urging the US to ensure Israel’s response follows international humanitarian law and protects the lives of the innocent. Their asks are simple:

1. Communicate that Israel’s response in Gaza must be carried out according to international law and take all due measures to limit harm to innocent civilians;
2. Work to quickly restore the delivery of food, water, fuel, electricity, and other life-saving necessities to Gaza to ensure that innocent civilians have the basics needed for survival; 
3. Collaborate with regional partners to establish a humanitarian corridor to enable the delivery of such life-saving necessities and to allow Palestinian civilians and foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, to seek safe haven outside of Gaza; 
4. Publicly discourage any hate crimes and backlash against any American -- including Jews and Muslims -- including by communicating to the American people that Hamas is not the Palestinian people and the Palestinian people are not Hamas; and 
5. Ensure that supplemental funding requests to Congress include humanitarian assistance for both Palestinians in Gaza and Israelis.

We uplift those basic demands for human dignity, and we encourage you to thank your MoC if they have signed onto the letter. 

As members of the Indivisible movement, we are united by our common belief that all people deserve safety, dignity, and respect for their human rights. We don’t know what will unfold in the days ahead, but we do know that we believe that life is sacred, and in the face of a horrific humanitarian crisis, it is crucial that our leaders do everything in their power to protect innocent lives.

 Your weekly to-dos 

1. If you have a Democratic representative, call and tell them to hold the Supreme Court accountable by co-sponsoring the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act (SCERT). SCOTUS is facing a legitimacy crisis with MAGA justices like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito accepting lavish gifts from billionaires. These actions call into question their ability to be impartial and fair in their rulings. Check out our new unrigging the Supreme Court page to learn more and take action. When you’re done, call your representative again and demand they cosponsor the Judiciary Act of 2023. The court has been stacked with extreme MAGA justices and the only way to protect our rights is to expand the court. Call now to make it happen!
2. If you have a Democratic senator, call and tell them to hold the Supreme Court accountable by co-sponsoring the SCERT Act. We must pass SCERT through both chambers in order to restore legitimacy to the court. It is clear that the highest court in the land must be held to reasonable ethical standards, call now to make sure your senator agrees. When you’ve finished, call your senator again and demand they co-sponsor the Judiciary Act of 2023. In addition to the ethics crisis, we’ve seen just how far-right the court-packing MAGA Republicans have pushed the Supreme Court. Expansion is the only way we return to a balanced and fair judiciary before it is too late.  
3. If your representative is a Democrat, call them now and ask them to champion reproductive freedom and protect abortion access. We introduced our new Reproductive Freedom Agenda to not only codify Roe, but also extend protections for reproductive freedoms even further. We need all Democrats in the House to cosponsor the entire agenda. Each bill is important on its own, but together they combine to create comprehensive protections for abortion access and care. Once you’ve called, write a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local newspapers encouraging your representative to be a reproductive freedom champion.
4. If your Democratic representative has already signed on to cosponsor all three bills, submit an LTE thanking them for being a reproductive freedom champion. Our representatives, and their constituents, need to know when we’re proud of their work. Write an LTE to let them know. Make sure to encourage your representative to keep showing up for reproductive freedom by publicly showing your support.
5. If your representative is an Unrepresentative, join us for our Unrepresentatives Cohort Call next Thursday, October 26 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. We will be preparing, once again, for a potential MAGA shutdown of our government in November and discussing the actions and narratives that will be most successful in combating your MAGA Representatives. Lastly, we’ll have a new special resource for you that will give you a boost in your 2024 planning for when we take back the House and unseat your Unrepresentatives!

P.S. If you've completed your weekly to-do's and are looking for more ways to support this movement, consider making a donation today. Your contribution will help keep our call pages up and running, fund the tools we use to mobilize volunteers, and continue all the work we're doing this year.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, TX-30

The above video is a reminder that Rep. Jasmine Crockett means business and is not here for MAGA shenanigans. 

As we were on the precipice of a government shutdown, MAGA Republicans wasted Congress’ time with a baseless impeachment inquiry into President Biden instead of buckling down and agreeing to a clean budget increase. In pointing out the dangerous absurdity of the MAGA Republican impeachment inquiry she says, “as I prepared, I said ‘what is the crime?’...I can’t seem to find the crime, and honestly, no one has testified of what crime the President of the United States has committed.” For more context and reaction, check out this additional interview with Rep. Crockett.

Special thanks to Texas Indivisible Vickie for highlighting Rep. Crockett’s incredible advocacy for our country.

 Indivisible Project Updates 

Join us for the Ohio Fight for Reproductive Freedom Rights Phonebank on Thursday, November 2 at 6pm ET/3pm PT. Early voting is in full swing in Ohio and Indivisibles across the state have been busy talking to voters about the importance of voting YES on Issue 1 -- a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedoms in the state. At the same time, postcard parties are happening across the country, with 75,000 postcards being hand-written by Indivisible groups now in order to reach pro-choice Ohio voters in the weeks before election day.

Join Indivisible members nationwide as we talk to Ohio voters in a final GOTV push about voting YES on Issue 1, and the importance of ending Ohio’s six-week abortion ban once and for all!

Join us for a meeting of the Indivisible Rural Caucus on Wednesday, October 25 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Once a month, rural Indivisibles and organizers all over the country join together to troubleshoot problems and celebrate successes; receive rural-specific information and trainings to benefit rural advocacy; and learn how National Indivisible is supporting rural organizing across the country!

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisible Prickly PEARS got to meet Vice President Kamala Harris at the “Fight For Our Freedoms College Tour.”

 Indivisible Civics POC Caucus

Register for the Indivisible POC Monthly Call tomorrow Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT. Join Indivisible National POC staff as we talk and connect around issues that directly affect POC, the work that we do, and the world in which we try to create lasting change. Please note that this is a space specifically for people of color/indigenous group leaders and members.

Follow us on Facebook, Mastodon, Threads, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

Thank you for continuing on this journey with us!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team