NationBuilder

My name is Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels and I am thrilled to have an opportunity to introduce myself formally to the CLUE community, as a founder of CLUE, Rabbi Emeritus of Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica, after serving there for 29 years, and as a pulpit Rabbi for 41 years.

Now, I am helping CLUE as a Clergy-in-Residence, a new program at CLUE that will allow us to strengthen the power and effectiveness of our work together.

Early on in my journey, I was fortunate to have three people become mentors: Rev. Jim Lawson, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, and Rev. George Regas. These three friends and colleagues envisioned and co-founded CLUE. Rev. Lawson was part of Dr. Martin Luther King’s inner circle and was his theoretician and tactician regarding the Civil Rights Movement’s dedication to non-violent civil disobedience, having studied the Gandhian principles in India.

Rabbi Beerman invited me to participate at the founding meeting of CLUE in 1996, held at Rev. Lawson’s church, Holman United Methodist. Since then, I dedicated my work with CLUE to continuing the work and vision of Rev. Lawson, Rabbi Beerman, and Rev. Regas.

As we envision our future, it is essential to remember that we established CLUE through our interfaith communities, turning the long-flowing waters of our spiritual traditions into a raging river of righteous indignation. The mission of CLUE calls us to continue our commitment to justice through just means.

My journey into progressive spiritual values began at the Riverside Church in New York City, where I led some music at an interfaith gathering in resistance to the nuclear arms race. Only a few months later, I found myself in the basement of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, sitting at a table with priests, Catholic sisters, ministers, and Buddhist monks. We were preparing for the first meeting between Japanese survivors of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the US veterans exposed to the experimental nuclear blasts in Nevada. One thing became clear when those two groups finally met: Their nationalities and cultural differences disappeared. They couldn’t speak each other’s languages, so they spoke with their eyes. With each intense gaze, one person validated the other’s commonality – all born into and now living within the same image. It was an epiphany and a privilege. I witnessed the words of Genesis 1:27 describing humanity as “b’tzelem Elohim,” within the image of the Oneness-of-All, not just as a biblical pronouncement, but as a real exchange between people. That living reality has been with me ever since.

I saw “b’tzelem Elohim” when CLUE marched down Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills to make others aware that the workers’ right to unionize faced a profound challenge at one of their hotels. I saw it in the eyes that wouldn’t meet mine when I placed Passover matzah and bitter herbs at the locked door of that hotel. I saw it later in the surprised eyes of a hotel manager who had opened discussions with his workers, when we marched unannounced into his hotel, clergy vested, and handed him an “Easter basket” filled with milk and honey. I recalled it at the moment when I stood with workers at the Lowes Hotel in Santa Monica and, even though they were speaking Spanish, I heard them speaking Yiddish.

The irony of our name is that we couldn’t fit the word “justice” into the acronym CLUE. Justice is the core of who we are, and justice made actual depends upon us seeing the "b'tzelem Elohim,” the image of the Oneness-of-All, in those for whom we struggle and against whom we struggle. We are an organization that is motivated both by the resistance inherent in spirituality and the spirituality of resistance.

It is one of the most meaningful honors of my life to be asked to continue to walk with CLUE as a Clergy-in-Residence. I pledge to make this new role in our organization all that it can be and to continue the actualized spirituality modeled by Reverends Lawson and Regas, and Rabbi Beerman.

Upcoming Event: July 26th, 2020: In Defense of Democracy: Getting out the Vote in an Age of Heightened Voter Suppression

Immigration Program

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

Los Angeles

Long Beach and South Bay

Orange County

In Defense of Democracy: Getting out the Vote in an Age of Heightened Voter Suppression

Learn about voter suppression and its attack on our democracy. Be inspired to exercise your own vote and get involved in increasing voter registration and participation in battleground states, as well as counties and municipalities closer to home. In our divided political climate, join our virtual discussion and take part in building bridges and community. Learn how to champion greater democratic participation now.

Panelists: Keynote by Andrea Miller, Executive Director, People Demanding Action; Founding Board Member, Center for Common Ground; Executive Director of the Reclaim Our Vote campaign

Ricardo Ramirez, Voting Rights Advisor, Brennan Center for Justice; Founder, Forward Shift Strategies

Pablo Rodriguez, Founding Executive Director, Communities for a New California Education Fund

Sponsors: Calvary Presbyterian Church - Host Church Congregation Emanu-El Culture Creators Grace Tabernacle Community Church Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco Justice Revival Or Shalom Jewish Community Stanford Club of San Francisco Stanford Women’s Club of San Francisco Stanford Women's Impact Network Stanford Young Alumni Bay Area Tzedek Council - Congregation Emanu-El

Conditions at Adelanto Immigration Detention Center Worsen

Immigrants at the Adelanto immigration detention center continue to file complaints because of the horrible conditions they are suffering while in confinement in light of the COVID-19 and the terrible treatment by GEO officials.

After confirmation that some immigrants were infected by the virus, officials began using strong chemicals to disinfect cells which caused nose bleeds, nausea, vomiting, headaches, eye irritation and other serious health issues among many of those detained. Some detainees reported fainting.

In one case a volunteer received a call from Mohammed Alsayed Ali Abdelsalam from Egypt, a detainee who has been labeled high risk because of a pre-existing health condition. He said that guards sprayed gas in his cell which triggered his asthma and he was in the hospital for three days and put on oxygen.

After returning from the hospital he was placed in solitary confinement and not given access to a shower or phone.

GEO is also putting lives at risk because it is requiring that those who request urgent medical care and require a visit to a medical facility outside of the detention facility have to be placed in solitary confinement for two weeks upon their return. Because of this, many detainees are refusing to ask for medical help. To make things worse some of the detainees who were protesting the chemicals were attacked with pepper spray and rubber bullets.

In response to this inhumanity, CLUE reached out to our friend and civil rights attorney, Rachel Steinbeck, who along with other attorneys, filed a lawsuit about two years ago against GEO, the private, for-profit company that runs Adelanto, and ICE on behalf of the asylum seekers from Central America that was settled early this year.

The attorneys sent a letter to GEO about our intent to bring a lawsuit and warning them not to destroy any evidence. CLUE and IC4IJ are named as plaintiffs in the letter.

CLUE is helping to collect complaints from detainees and there has also been some outreach to congressional leaders about these horrific abuses happening at Adelanto. There are also some discussions with allies to amplify the advocacy efforts against GEO.

Shelter Program

CLUE, in collaboration with Al Otro Lado, continues to work to gain release for immigrants who are detained in the Adelanto Detention Center. Our partner organizations, congregations, and volunteers have offered shelter for those detained in Adelanto so that they can gain release. But there is still a lot more need. For more information or to volunteer a space, please contact our Immigration Program Director, Guillermo Torres, at [email protected].

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

CLUE continues to work to ensure that everyone is counted in Census 2020 throughout Southern California. In Los Angeles, we are distributing materials at Wesley United Methodist Church in South Central Los Angeles, where we are also able to answer questions about the census.

For outreach materials and to request a virtual presentation in Los Angeles, please reach out to Faith-Rooted Organizer, Rev. Juan Carlos Durruthy, at [email protected].

In Orange County, CLUE has been participating in Census 2020 outreach efforts, trying especially to spread the word among congregations in hard-to-count parts of the county. Federal and state funding levels are directly linked to the census data collected, so if folks in your area don’t fill it out, your area risks not receiving enough funds to support the reality on the ground.

Let CLUE help you get your congregants counted and your community services funded! Contact us and we can provide fact sheets, signs, and other materials in a variety of languages, texts, and graphics to include in your congregation’s weekly bulletin, as well as brief informational presentations. Please reach out to Adam Overton at [email protected].

Los Angeles

LA and Santa Monica Committees for Black Lives

Both our Los Angeles & Santa Monica committees have been taking action and following the lead of Black Lives Matter in calling for a better budget in regards to Police in both cities. Rabbi Neil Commes-Daniels organized a press conference with interfaith leaders in response to Trump's “Religious Stunt."

UNITE HERE Local 11

Workers at the Chateau Marmont need our help. Our Los Angeles and Santa Monica committees have been working alongside these workers for the past three months. These workers are resilient and have been the face behind getting the Right of Recall and Worker Retention passed in the City & County of Los Angeles. Alongside our partners at Unite Here Local 11, we have created a community letter to show our support for these workers and we hope to get over 600 signatures in support of their ask for healthcare during this time.

On July 3rd, CLUE participated in a press conference with Local 11 demanding that hotels not reopen until it is safe for both workers and guests. Thank you to Rev. Tomas Carey for speaking at the press conference and asking the Board of Supervisors to do the right thing and wait to reopen hotels until there are proper safety protocols to clean each room and keep workers and guests safe in Los Angeles.

Unite Here Local 11 held their last food bank (for now) and over the past several months we have, alongside many volunteers, fed over 12,000 families of the Unite Here membership and community members. Over 100 volunteers have helped us distribute the food to some of our most vulnerable during the pandemic. Thank you to those who volunteered alongside our LA Organizer, Ashley Gonzales.

Walking with Grocery Workers

Alongside Fair Work Week LA & UFCW Local 770 we called the assistant manager at Food for Less in the Westlake area where this store alone has seen 23 positive COVID-19 cases. This is unacceptable and we are demanding that Food for Less do better. These workers deserve hazard pay, onsite testing, and strong health and safety enforcement. Stay tuned for more information on how to support these grocery workers. We will be following up with updates and direct actions in the future to support Food 4 Less workers and advocate on behalf of grocery and retail workers who have been a lifeline to our communities during this pandemic.

Long Beach and South Bay

Long Beach Clergy Participate in George Floyd Memorial

On June 8th, our Long Beach clergy, Rev. Jane Gould, Rev. Steven Beckham, Rev. Melinda Dodge, Rev. Dan Lewis, Rev. Cedric Nelms, and Rev. Doug Dickson were present at a car procession to support the families of victims of police violence in Long Beach and joined the memorial service for George Floyd in Downtown Los Angeles. Here is the link to Rev. Cedric Nelms’ powerful prayer for our Long Beach community that day.

People’s Budget in Long Beach

Working in coalition with Black Lives Matter in Long Beach and other organizations, we have been advocating for the People’s Budget to divest money from the Long Beach police department to end their targeting low-income communities of color and criminalizing poverty. Instead, we call on Long Beach City Council and the Mayor to reinvest in black lives and other communities of color, such as community health councils, universal representation for immigrants, free job training, affordable housing, language access in all council meetings, senior and youth programming, and a right to counsel for all renters.

The People’s Budget is expected to be voted on in early fall in LB City Council. CLUE will hold teach-ins to educate and organize faith communities and faith leaders to advocate for a more equitable budget in Long Beach. We partnered with Black Lives Matter to engage the community and faith leaders in conversations about reimagining community safety in Long Beach. This month, we are privileged to have a fellow, Nathan Carbajal, who is focusing on racial justice work and organizing clergy for conversations about the intersectionality of race, faith, and labor in Long Beach.

We also participated in a press conference to hold the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) accountable for their lack of investigation on the murder of a Long Beach resident, Mr. Fredrick Taft, and called LBPD out for their violence against black bodies. Pastor Cue JnMarie, and other Clergy for Black Lives prayed and spoke a compelling word to call Long Beach clergy to stand up against the oppressive system and lead God’s children to liberation. Here is the link to the press conference.

Ports Campaign

Port truck drivers are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 because their trucking companies abandon them with no basic safety net. Most drivers know someone who is infected by the coronavirus. One of our port truck drivers was infected by COVID-19 because his trucking company, Containers Connection of Southern California, has not given him and his co-workers PPE and paid sick leave. He spent weeks on a ventilator and his family was not sure if he would survive. He is the breadwinner of his family and a father of four children. Though he is in recovery at home now, his family is facing financial hardships ahead of them. If you can donate to support his family, please do so by clicking on this link. We are calling on the Los Angeles Council and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to ensure that trucking companies stop forcing truck costs on drivers and provide them with basic safety protections like PPE, health insurance, and paid sick leave.

On June 25th, we supported about 40 drivers as they received free COVID-19 testing at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Our Long Beach clergy, Rev. Douglas Dickson from California Heights United Methodist Church, offered a blessing and words of encouragement for the drivers in their struggle. We are planning to provide more free testing for drivers in a few weeks to care and advocate for their safety during the pandemic.

XPO trucking company in San Diego has reduced drivers’ pay for each load, which means workers are earning up to $2,000 less each month. The drivers are circulating a petition to advocate for their fair wages and protection. We are reaching out to clergy in San Diego to support their struggle at this trucking company. If you know any faith leaders in San Diego, please contact Mary Duong via email at marytaduong@gmailcom.

Immigration

We are also engaging in a campaign to advocate for a Cambodian detainee, Rot, to be released from the Adelanto Detention Center. The Cambodian population in Long Beach is the largest outside of Cambodia. Many Cambodian neighbors have been detained and deported by ICE, so we are reaching out to Asian Pacific Islander faith leaders and faith communities to engage in this fight with us. This month, we are privileged to have a fellow, Linh Nguyen, who is focusing on our immigration advocacy work in Long Beach, specifically with the Southeast Asian community. This will help us deepen our connections with the diverse population in Long Beach and expand our reach in the city.

Orange County

Santa Ana: Wellness in the Latinx Community: COVID-19

Santa Ana Residents joined virtually on July 2nd for a workshop on wellness, facilitated by Dr. Susana O. Salgado, a psychologist, and Angelica Diaz of Aliento of The Center for Latina/o Communities.

On Thursday, July 2nd, Santa Ana residents gathered virtually for a workshop on wellness organized by CLUE, Aliento, and Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities (SABHC). Residents had the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue on the issue of how to maintain wellbeing in the Latinx community, especially during these unrepresented times. During the workshop, residents were provided with information and resources specific to maintaining their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We were honored to listen to personal accounts and challenges of Santa Ana residents during this pandemic. CLUE is excited to continue its partnership with Aliento and SABHC to provide healing, listening circles, as well as workshops on wellness, emotional, and spiritual health to the community in Santa Ana.

For more information, please contact Faith-Rooted Organizer, Lucero Garcia at [email protected].

DACA Decision Day Car Rally

Lucero Garcia and David Jaimes, CLUE Faith-Rooted Organizers from Orange County, participated in a car rally in support of the Supreme Court’s DACA decision, on June 18th, 2020

On June 18th, 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled against the Trump Administration's attempt to eliminate Obama-era protections for young immigrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The court ruled that it was “arbitrary” and “capricious” because the administration did not provide reasonable arguments for ending the program and did not follow the proper procedure. CLUE worked in coalition to advocate for DACA since the program’s inception, and we responded quickly when the decision came down. David Jaimes helped lead the car rally and represented the CLUE community in the 40-car procession in Santa Ana that afternoon.

CLUE will continue to walk alongside undocumented, DACAmented, and mixed-status families of Orange County and beyond in both celebration and struggle for justice and protections to this vulnerable community. For now, the decision allows DACA recipients the ability to breathe a little, as we continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform.

OC Rapid Response: First Responder Training

In June, CLUE, in partnership with the Orange County Rapid Response Network (OCRRN) and other local grassroots organizations, prepared and launched a summer training session for our network of first responders to ICE raids and our allies. These training sessions are the second installment in South Orange County. Because of the global pandemic, these trainings are now being conducted online.

Over 100 people signed up for the training and we are already seeing a strong presence in Orange County and South Orange County. There are also many that have joined from LA and beyond. This will continue to allow CLUE to expand our support to underrepresented areas that are unprotected and vulnerable to ICE misconduct and abuse.

If you would like to join these training sessions, please contact David Jaimes via email at [email protected] or follow OCRRN on Instagram and Facebook for more information.

#BlackLivesMatter: A Memorial and Funeral Procession in Santa Ana for George Floyd and all victims of police violence

On June 8th, CLUE and Newsong Church joined together outside the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Santa Ana to declare Black Lives Matter, by hosting a memorial service for George Floyd and other victims of police violence in the United States. Speakers included Guerline Josef, Rev. Rodrick Echols, Kara Howard, Rev. Maribel Toan, Rev. William Broxton, Isuri Ramos, and others. The program was followed by a funeral procession of over 20 cars to Downtown Los Angeles where we joined a memorial led by Black Live Matter LA and CLUE.

We greatly appreciate all of our friends who helped organize and co-sponsor this event: Asian Americans Rising, CAIR-LA, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Life, Justice & Peace, Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Neighborhood Congregational Church Laguna Beach, Orange Community of Christ, Orange County Equality Coalition, Orange County Poor People’s Campaign, Orange County Poverty Alleviation Coalition, Tapestry Unitarian Universalist Church, Transforming Justice OC, Unite Here Local 11, Yalla Indivisible, and White People Against White Supremacy of OC.

CLUE Clergy and Labor Partners attacked by Covid Anti-Maskers outside OC Board of Supervisors

CLUE Board Member, Rev. Sarah Halverson-Cano, accosted by anti-maskers during their press conference.

On June 16th, a routine press conference from the labor community was interrupted when violent anti-maskers barged in. The labor community, with several CLUE leaders in attendance, were outside the OC Board of Supervisors to demand that mask wearing be required of all residents in public to protect our communities from the pandemic. While they were speaking, anti-maskers burst into their personal space, violated social distancing, breathing on them, and shouting insults and conspiracy theories.

Disney union members protest re-opening with massive car action

Gov. Newsom's recent order to postpone Disney's reopening was helpful, but we still need to make it crystal clear that the decision to reopen Disney shouldn't be left to the governor or executives - it has to be up to the frontline cast members and workers whose lives and families will be most at risk.

Fountain Valley Hospital workers demand their hospital protect them and their patients amidst inadequate Covid-19 safety protocols

Rabbi Stephen Einstein speaking in support of Fountain Valley Hospital workers.

On July 2nd, NUHW hospital workers held a press conference outside Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, to speak out against months of inaction by hospital management to adequately protect them and their patients. We were shocked to learn recently that Fountain Valley Hospital currently has over 123 COVID positive or suspected patients under investigation awaiting test results due to symptoms. So far, a Registered Nurse at Fountain Valley has passed away due to COVID, and at least 21 NUHW members have been hospitalized, ill or quarantined due to COVID. NUHW Members have been risking their health to care for COVID positive patients without adequate PPE.

Rabbi Stephen Einstein –⁠ a former chairman of the hospital’s community board, and current CLUE Board Member –⁠ remarked:

Can you send a letter to the hospital CEO on behalf of these brave workers demanding increased safety precautions? If so, please email [email protected] and [email protected] to get a sample letter and details on where to send it.

Table of Contents

Upcoming Event: July 26th, 2020: In Defense of Democracy: Getting out the Vote in an Age of Heightened Voter Suppression

Immigration Program

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

Los Angeles

Long Beach and South Bay

Orange County

In Defense of Democracy: Getting out the Vote in an Age of Heightened Voter Suppression

Conditions at Adelanto Immigration Detention Center Worsen

Shelter Program

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

Los Angeles

LA and Santa Monica Committees for Black Lives

UNITE HERE Local 11

Walking with Grocery Workers

Long Beach and South Bay

Long Beach Clergy Participate in George Floyd Memorial

People’s Budget in Long Beach

Ports Campaign

Immigration

Orange County

Santa Ana: Wellness in the Latinx Community: COVID-19

DACA Decision Day Car Rally

OC Rapid Response: First Responder Training

#BlackLivesMatter: A Memorial and Funeral Procession in Santa Ana for George Floyd and all victims of police violence

CLUE Clergy and Labor Partners attacked by Covid Anti-Maskers outside OC Board of Supervisors

Disney union members protest re-opening with massive car action

Fountain Valley Hospital workers demand their hospital protect them and their patients amidst inadequate Covid-19 safety protocols