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Congratulations to all the 2022 graduates! Good luck in the future and aspire to do good by your fellow Americans!

Office Hours

Our regular office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Our address is 2345 14^th Ave., Suite 7, Downtown Vero Beach.


Newsletter Highlights

* Find out how to help School board candidate Cindy Gibbs in the School Board Candidate section!
* DeSantis is the 2^nd worst governor, read more in the State section.
* The Democratic Club needs volunteers this weekend. Read more in the Democrats of Indian River section.

School Board Candidate


Cindy Gibbs needs our help on fundraising. It will take a lot to be competitive in the race against Jackie Rosario. We ask that you copy and paste the letter below and email it to your like-minded friends who share Democratic values. Especially those who are pro-public education. Let’s show Indian River that we support our candidates and believe Democrats are viable candidates too!


Dear Friends,
I am writing to ask you to join me in supporting candidate Cindy Gibbs who is running for Indian River County School Board, District 2.
Cindy believes:
* Public schools are the foundations of a strong community; helping families to thrive and where children learn the knowledge and skills needed to become valued members of our society and the economy.
* Public schools must be properly funded and staffed for a whole host of reasons–salaries, school infrastructure and safety, learning materials, support staff and more.
* Public schools serve ALL children, so ALL children must feel safe in our schools, regardless of socio-economic status. family organization, gender, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs.

As a wife, a mother of two Indian River County Schools students, and an experienced educator, Cindy has seen the classroom from inside and outside. This unique perspective makes her the best choice for the work.

I’m asking that you consider a donation to Cindy’s campaign. Donations can be made on her website via ActBlue at
[link removed] or by check for Cynthia Gibbs Campaign Account up to the amount of $1,000. Mail your check to Cindy Gibbs, 1734 Mistletoe St., Sebastian, FL 32958.

You can learn more about Cindy on her website at
gibbs4schools.com or call her at (772) 228-0252 to talk about her campaign and how you can support it.


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DEMOCRATS OF INDIAN RIVER


Democratic Women’s Club

Members of the DWC posed in front of the Equal Suffrage for Women plaque in Fellsmere following the May luncheon. The plaque commemorates the first vote by a woman in Florida and south of the Mason-Dixon line. Zena Dreier cast a ballot in the June 19, 1915, city elections, five years before the ratification of the 19^th Amendment granting all U.S. women the right to vote.



The DWC BOOK GROUP will resume in person meetings on May 27^th at 2:30 p.m. at the Indian River County Main Library. The book to be discussed is titled “Black Was the Ink” by Michelle Coles. If you are not a book group member and would like further information, please contact Rita Milelli at [email protected].


Democratic Club of Indian River

Please join us for a great day in Gifford at the Freedom Day event on Saturday. We need volunteers to help work our table so please contact Wendy at
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
if you can help.



Young Democrats of the Treasure Coast

The St. Lucie County Democrats will be hosting a grill and chill Memorial Day picnic at Museum Point Park in Fort Pierce on Saturday, May 28 at 3pm. For more information, please visit
** [link removed] ([link removed])



FEDERAL

Which Side Are You On?

Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted on a proposal to appropriate $28 million in emergency funds to address the baby formula shortage.
* 219 Democrats voted yes.
* 192 Republicans, opposed the bill.

It now goes on to the Senate.

The House also voted today on the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022, which steps up the sharing of information about domestic terrorism among government departments and creates an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies.
* 222 Democrats voted yes.
* 203 Republicans voted no.

It now goes on to the Senate.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Tuesday evening to pass a roughly $40 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine.
* 363 votes for came from all Democrats and some Republicans.
* All 57 votes in opposition were from Republicans.


It now is in the Senate where GOP Senator Rand Paul has been holding up the vote.

We stand for working families whose children need formula. We stand for gun safety and anti-domestic terrorism legislation. We stand with the people of Ukraine.




National Primary Results

Pennsylvania, Idaho, North Carolina, Nebraska, and Oregon all had important primaries this week that yielded some interesting results. With the majority of the House and Senate at stake, it’s important to watch these trends. You can read more here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])




Wear Orange – National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Every year on the first Friday in June, members of our movement, Wear Orange, come together to honor survivors of gun violence and demand a future free from this crisis. Moms, students, veterans, survivors, and others wear orange throughout the weekend to show their support—in every state across the country.

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya Pendleton's 18th birthday. Just one week after performing at President Obama's 2nd inaugural parade in 2013, she was shot and killed at the age of 15. In the aftermath, teenagers in Chicago who wanted to honor their friend wore orange to raise awareness around gun violence.

Today, Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the more than 110 people shot and killed every day in the United States, as well as the hundreds more who are wounded.

Learn more here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])




STATE

DeSantis 2^nd Worst LGTBQ Reputation of any Governor

In a not very shocking acknowledgement, researchers found that DeSantis’ constant civil rights attacks on Floridians places him as the second worst governor. Who was the first? Read here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])


Leadership Blue

The Florida Democratic Party is excited to share that our annual Leadership Blue Weekend has been scheduled for Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 17 at the JW Marriott on Water Street in Tampa!

To see the latest updates and information on this year's Leadership Blue weekend, visit leadershipblue.com. We hope you will save the date and join us for a weekend in support of the FDP and Florida's Democratic candidates!

We look forward to sharing more details soon. To ensure you receive more information as we release it, please sign up here: ** [link removed] ([link removed])




LOCAL

Land Visioning Workshops


Fellsmere Youth





Save the Date!



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Below is an editorial from our State Committeeman Michael Walther. Remember, if we stay quiet and don’t speak out, we become complacent. PLEASE write a letter to the editor and speak up. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, you can submit your letter here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])



Given Extremist Power in GOP Right Wing, Democrats Can Best Uphold Constitution

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “woke” is to be “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”

To be “woke” is to be empathetic and aware of how we treat others — a desirable trait to anyone who truly believes in the Golden Rule, a fundamental precept of most religions. To Christians this commonly means to “love your neighbor as yourself,” as commanded by Jesus or “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — per Matthew’s gospel (7:12).

Republicans commonly characterize “woke” as undesirable. Former President Donald Trump withdrew support for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, after Trump claimed Brooks made “a horrible mistake” and had gone “woke.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis aggressively promoted and signed into law the “Stop Woke Act,” despite pushback from businesses and chambers of commerce.

Republicans predominantly foster an ongoing and aggressive clash over what kind of civilization and government we seek for our society. Our differing and polarizing personal values are commonly characterized as “culture wars;” this too frequently leads to violence to resolve conflicts rather than empathy, understanding, debate, and acceptance — expected elements of a democracy.

What kind of government do we want? During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, our country’s founders actively debated over four months what kind of government would be formed. The preamble cites our government’s intent to ”promote the general Welfare;” Section 8 of the Constitution empowers Congress to collect taxes to “provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”

Our Constitution reflects the purpose of our government is to benefit all citizens — consistent with the Golden Rule — not particular or limited individuals or groups. As cited at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, our government has historically supported our “general Welfare” by providing public “transportation, promoting agriculture and industry, protecting health and the environment, and seeking ways to solve social and economic problems."

Republicans, with a few exceptions, offer no legislative measures to support our “general Welfare,” but are focused on political theater to feed and satisfy their far-right base. Republicans frequently disregard facts and avoid debate on important public issues.

Democrats consistently promote legislation and government action to provide positive solutions benefiting everyone based on facts and sound science. Democrats welcome proactive and rational debate of ideas. Democrats believe every person should be treated with dignity and respect.

As identified on their website "About Our Party | GOP," “the Republican Party has always stood for freedom, prosperity, and opportunity.” Unfortunately, the Republican Party is now dominated by extremists who seek to control our morality, maximize their “freedom” and influence, and suppress the freedom of others whose ideas Republicans dislike.

“Democrats believe that the economy should work for everyone, health care is a right, our diversity is our strength, and democracy is worth defending” — as identified on “Where we stand — Democrats” — a “woke” stance supporting our “general Welfare.”

The future of our democratic republic depends upon the ability of our elected government officials to honestly confront, address, and debate the issues surrounding our common interests to drive appropriate government action. For the foreseeable future, election of Democratic candidates is our best path forward to fulfill the intent of our Constitution to provide for our “general Welfare.”

CALENDAR


Thursday, May 19, 2022

6:00 p.m. - Democrats of Indian River, DEC Meeting
via Zoom. Contact Stacey at [email protected] for meeting link.


7:00 p.m. - Fellsmere City Council, 22 S. Orange Street, Fellsmere, FL 32948. For agenda and meeting information go to www.cityoffellsmere.org/citycouncil

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

6:00 p.m. - Sebastian City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to ** [link removed] ([link removed])





TIDBITS

Who doesn’t love babies? And the Olympics? Putting those two together makes for some fun video. You can watch it here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])





That's all Democrats!
Stay Safe out There!
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Democratic Executive Committee of Indian River County
2345 14th Ave.
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