INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Author: Indivisible Lambertville / New Hope

  • Voting Rights Restored to 80,000 in New Jersey

    Voting Rights Restored to 80,000 in New Jersey

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    Here’s some welcome news for our democracy…

    December marked a victory for former felons who have served their time: they received the right to vote again in New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that restores voting rights to 82,000 residents who are on probation or parole in the state. That still leaves disenfranchised about 20,000 felons who are still serving time.

    The law will take effect in March in plenty of time for those affected to register to vote before the primary election. Why this is particularly good news is that a large percentage of our prison population is African American or Hispanic. Likely this is not only a victory for our democratic ideals but will also give the vote back to a number of people of color who had lost the vote when they were convicted.

    “For centuries, the black community has been disproportionately affected by this voting prohibition and onerous expungement process. I am relieved that these discriminatory barriers are finally being eliminated in New Jersey,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (D), who oversees the Department of Community Affairs, in an article in The Hill last month.

    Since New Jersey is a blue state, adding 80,000 voters of color probably won’t make much difference in the outcome of the national elections, though it could change the outcome of local elections in more right-leaning areas. This initiative is the latest in a national push to restore voting rights to former felons. Last year, Florida voters amended their state constitution to allow former felons to vote. Nevada and Louisiana legislatures passed similar bills this year.

    Also in December, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear gave voting rights back to those who had been released from prison by executive order. Iowa governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, may follow suit.

    There is no indication that restricting voting rights to convicted felons deters further crime. Quite the opposite seems to be true, that the more former criminals feel connected to the community, the lower the recidivism rate.

    “In a democracy, everyone should have a voice,” the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Henal Patel, a lawyer at the Newark-based New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, a nonprofit that led the voting-rights restoration campaign. “Tying the criminal justice system to the electorate makes no sense, and, if anything, undermines the purpose of why we have a criminal justice system.”

    Gov. Murphy signed a second related bill in December that would allow former felons to have their record expunged if they haven’t committed another crime in 10 years. That law doesn’t include more egregious felonies, but it automatically seals records of low-level marijuana convictions after sentences have been served.

    While this was a victory for both democratic principles and minority rights, the ACLU remains committed to restoring voting rights to those still in prison, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

    Sources:

    https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/475101-new-jersey-governor-signs-voting-rights-restoration-bill

    https://www.inquirer.com/politics/new-jersey/nj-felon-voting-rights-restoration-probation-parole-20191212.html

  • ILNH FYI

    ILNH FYI

    ILNH Gains 501(c)(4) Status. So What Does That Mean? – John Woods

    Recently ILNH was granted a Federal 501(c)(4) designation as a social welfare organization.
    The Internal Revenue Service Code section 501(c)(4) describes a social welfare organization as one not organized for profit, but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare.

    These 501(c)(4) organizations are tax exempt as long as no more than 50% of their expenses are directly related to partisan politics. Donations to 501(c)(4)s are not tax deductible. The designation gives us at ILNH substantially more flexibility to pursue our mission than being a 501(c)(3) which allows no direct political activity. As we move forward, we will need to develop a way of documenting any political direct activity from our community service activity.

    Important Dates!

  • How Shall We Impeach Thee? Let Us Count the Ways Part IV

    How Shall We Impeach Thee? Let Us Count the Ways Part IV

    Contributed by Paige Barnett.

    As we shook off the tryptophan induced coma, the House Intelligence Committee voted 13-9 to issue its 300-page report of the impeachment investigation findings. Released on December 3, all findings were garnered via testimony of government employees who had knowledge of the call between Trump and President Zelensky of the Ukraine. In this “perfect” call, Trump suggested withholding military aid to the Ukraine unless Zelensky agreed to launch an investigation into the Bidens, Trump’s potential 2020 campaign opponent.  

    The Harvard-educated committee chairman, Adam Schiff, proved worthy of his juris doctorate by rounding out an excellent line of questioning with astute commentary and summarizations of the day.  Devin Nunes however, had nothing but Russian talking points that he excessively repeated and did nothing except further prove that Trump’s actions are indefensible. Gym Jordan demonstrated exactly why he never passed the bar.  His fist pounding and yelling was more empty bravado or rather, much ado about nothing. Lt. Col. Vindman and Fiona Hill shall go down in the history books as true patriots. Sondland, on the other hand, may be noted for saving his own hide by throwing everyone under the bus.  

    The truth of the matter is, Trump’s actions re the Ukraine “perfect” call are indefensible. The Constitution and the law safeguard the American republic from such illegality and point squarely to impeachment of the <cough> president for the actions he took. As Schiff duly noted in the draft report, “In his farewell address, President George Washington warned of a moment when “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”  The report makes clear from its findings that Trump has abused his presidential powers. You can read it here: HIC Draft Report

    The next round of hearings began December 4 to lay bare the information in the report. Four constitutional law experts, Noah Feldman, Pamela Karlan, Michael Gerhardt and Jonathan Turley, testified as to the merits of the report and why this is a case for impeachment. Dec. 4 Hearing Highlights   On Wednesday, December 5, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave the House the go-ahead to proceed with impeachment. What comes next is drafting the articles of impeachment upon which the House will vote and is likely to pass. Once the articles of impeachment pass the House, it goes to trial in the Senate. Chief Justice Roberts will preside over the Senate trial. 

    Of note, are the numerous people who spent countless hours behind the scenes transcribing, drafting and editing this document for American public to read. They too, are heroic. They are the unsung heroes and deserve as much recognition as Schiff and Pelosi for their hard work and dedication. 

    Again, here is WHAT YOU CAN DO.  Be ready for the RAPID RESPONSE action. On the eve of the House vote, join us in front of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s Langhorne office. Drop everything and take to the streets when the eve of the House vote is nigh. It’s imperative that we are LOUD & VISIBLE to make known that we want Trump IMPEACHED & REMOVED. More info to come!

  • Impeach and Remove! Rapid Response Readiness Reminder – PLEASE READ

    The night before the House of Representatives takes a historic vote to impeach Trump, we’ll head to every congressional office and public square to declare that Nobody Is Above the Law as representatives finalize their positions and senators look on. 

    Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope is planning to turn out in force at Representative Brian Fitzpatrick’s Langhorne, PA office. The protest is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.

    If there has ever been an event where we need to have a huge turnout in front of Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office, it is this one. He is one of only three or four vulnerable Republican MoCs in the whole country who can conceivably be convinced to vote against his party.  He needs to see where the people of this area stand. And that will only happen if there is a tremendous crowd in front of his office building, chanting, bearing posters, and making it abundantly clear that they support impeachment. Come out. Bring friends. Please prioritize this rapid response event. 

    We don’t know the exact date when this will occur, but could be nearly anytime in the next month.  So be ready! This means making your signs, coordinating transportation with others. If you haven’t already registered for the event – which is one of 345 planned events around the country – do so at the link below. You can also find other registered events in NJ and PA if getting to Langhorne is too much of a challenge. Sign up for an event here: https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/

  • Just the Facts – Refugees

    • There are 25.9 million refugees worldwide, half of them children.  Refugees are people forced to flee their country because of violence or persecution.
    • An additional 41.3 million people are internally displaced, meaning they were forced to flee their home but did not cross an international border.
    • And … every day, 37,000 additional people are forced to flee their homes.
    • Every year, refugees walk over 1.2 billion miles in search of safety.
    • Over half of all refugees are hosted by only 10 countries, including some of the poorest countries in the world, such as Sudan, Uganda and Pakistan.
    • In fiscal year 2018, the U.S. admitted only 22,491 refugees.  In October 2019, the U.S. admitted zero refugees for the first time in the 30 years in which monthly records have been kept.

    To help refugees this holiday season:

    Sources:  https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/global-refugee-crisis-statistics-and-facts/ and https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html and The Nation.