PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good - Blog

Anything for the Cause - PACG Event

4/17/2025

Anything for the Cause
Friday, May 16th at 6:00 pm

Martin Luther King Center
630 9th ST
Rock Island, IL (map)

Multi-Generational Community Building (MGCB) Speaker Series

The MGCB Speaker Series announces a community gathering at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island. Guest speakers include former Freedom Rider and civil rights worker, MacArthur Cotton and the Executive Director of the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, Dr. Frank Smith. We will also view the movie Rock Island Prison 1864 about runaway slaves who had to guard Confederate prisoners of war.

We offer these gatherings as platforms in which community members can interact with two influential figures to discuss past and present struggles for equality. This event is free and open to the public. Contact me (below) or Dorothy Cotton (309-721-5177) with questions.

Glenda Guster

Earth Day at the Farmers Market - PACG Event

4/14/2025

Earth Day Every Day Celebration
Saturday, May 17th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Freight House Farmers Market
421 W River Drive
Davenport, IA (map)

Environmental Forum

Join us to celebrate Earth Day Every Day. Find out what local environmental groups are doing. Meet with like-minded folks and make new friends.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

World Cultures Festival artwork - After Action Report

4/8/2025

World Cultures Festival and Fines Arts Showcase - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

The Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities hosted a Fine Arts Showcase for Immigrant and Refugee students at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University. Local art submissions were showcased as part of the QC World Cultures Festival. There were 12 submissions, including artwork, poetry and essays that were created by students from age 5 to 14. The winning submission was a poem, written by an 11-year-old, titled They Become which describes the journey of immigrating to the United States. More the 400 people attended the festival, with some expressing interest in joining the coalition. A QC Times reporter interviewed us about the Immigration Coalition and the article is available in the Saturday, April 5th edition. It's titled New Quad Cities immigrant coalition launches 'anit-dehumanization' campaign. This is a good way to spread the word that we are all neighbors!

Allison Ambrose

Celebrate Earth Month in April - What You Can Do Now

4/7/2025

Celebrate Earth Month every April - Take action to save the planet

Environmental Forum

It's up to us to protect our planet. We all need to do our part. It's not too late to start. Take action today and every day.

We will be celebrating Earth Day at the Farmers Market in Davenport, IA on Saturday, May 17th from 9 am to 1 pm so mark your calendars and join us then.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Hands Off rally has huge turnout - After Action Report

4/5/2025

Hands Off! An estimated 2000 Quad Cities activists fight back

Mass Mobilization on Saturday, April 5th

PACG joined thousands of protesters at the "Hands Off!" Rally at Friends of MLK Park and Interpretive Center in Davenport, IA, on Saturday April 5th from 11 am to 1:00 pm. This is one of many such events held across the country opposing the actions taken by the president and his staff on human rights, employment, civil rights, immigration, education, the environment, and many other issues that affect the daily lives of all Americans. On this chilly morning, concerned citizens with signs and voices filled the park to listen to speakers and to rally the traffic on both sides of Brady Street from the bottom of the hill to the top. Cars driving by honked their support of the event. We are making an impact!

Twelve hundred rallies were organized by Indivisible and other groups, and every state in the union had at least one rally. We published this post about the plans for the Davenport rally earlier this week.

Here's the first bit of press about our rally: Hands Off rally draws big crowd in Davenport by Ed Tibbetts.

We are also using two videos by Stella Roeser. Here is the crowd driving up Brady. Here is a walking view of some of the crowd.

The images below were from Stella and Kyle Roeser and Ann McCluskey. Thank you!

Introducing QC Civic Conversations - PACG Event

4/5/2025

Introducing QC Civic Conversations
Friday, May 9th at 8:00 am

Scott County Community College
Urban Campus
101 W 3rd ST Davenport, IA (map)

QC Civic Conversations (OHF-QCA, PACG, ICAN and QCI)

Four progressive organizations are working in coalition to bring you QC Civic Conversations. One Human Family-QCA , Iowa Citizen Action Network, Quad Cities Interfaith and PACG are interested in offering one-hour civic discussions with various topics.

The first one is The State of Journalism Today: Exploring the deteriorating state of traditional journalism in a fragmented society offered on Friday, May 9th at 8 am at Scott County Community College in Davenport. A panel of journalists will make a presentation followed by a discussion with audience participation. This is a free event, including a continental breakfast, but registration is required and a small donation is always appreciated. Learn more and register here.

Hands Off Mobilization - Action Alert

4/1/2025

Hands Off! Quad Cities Fights Back Action Alert!
Saturday, April 5th at 11:00 am

MLK Interpretive Center
501 Brady St
Davenport, IA (map)

Indivisible QC POP People Over Politics (East Moline)

PACG encourages everyone to participate in this nation-wide April 5th Hands Off! protest. The East Moline Indivisible chapter, QC POP People Over Politics, is organizing the Quad Cities peaceful protest rally. You can find them at the Indivisible home page by scrolling down to Find A Group and searching for Indivisible QC POP People over Politics.

Make a Hands Off sign and come to the rally!

Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Quad Cities is fighting back!

They're taking everything they can get their hands on - our health care, our data, our jobs, our services - and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

🚨 On Saturday, April 5th, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! 🚨

Where: Friends of MLK Park and Interpretive Center, 501 Brady St, Davenport, IA

When: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. April 5, 2025

This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.

A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.

This is the link for downloadable signs: handsoff2025.com There are signs in both English and Spanish. We encourage you to bring a sign but you do not have to.

This rally is for both Congressional District #17 for Illinois and District #1 for Iowa.

Alta Price (she/her)

Annual Picnic and Pie Auction in JUNE - Save the Date

4/1/2025

PACG's Annual Picnic and Pie Auction - Save the Date
Sunday, June 29th at noon

A Message from the Board

Because we are gearing up for our big 20th Anniversary Gala in October, we have decided to move our Annual Picnic and Pie Auction to Sunday, June 29th in Davenport. We could use some help planning this fun event. Please stand by for more details!

Save the Milan Bottoms - Action Alert!

3/31/2025

Save the Milan Bottoms! Action Alert!
Monday, April 14th at 5:30 pm

Rock Island City Hall
1528 3rd Ave
Rock Island, IL (map)

Save Milan Bottoms and PACG Environmental Forum

Despite large public outcry, Rock Island City Council is moving forward with plans to develop a truck stop and marijuana dispensary near the Milan Bottoms. The wetlands at Milan Bottoms is the largest bald eagle roost in the lower 48 states and is also home to other various endangered species. Building close to this natural environment will be ecologically devastating.

Please come to the Rock Island City Council meeting on April 14th to show opposition to the proposed development. Bringing signs and making a public comment to the council are encouraged!

If you have not already signed the Protect Milan Bottoms - The Quad Cities' Largest Intact Natural Area petition, please do so now. We have over 3000 signatures but would like the City Council to know that Quad Citians care about this issue! We cannot take our eagles for granted!

The group Save Milan Bottoms on Facebook is a good place to go for more information about this ongoing situation. Thank you for caring about wildlife.

Tabitha

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - After Action Report

3/30/2025

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - After Action Report

About 70 people attended the Civil Rights Legislative Forum at the TMBC Lincoln Resource Center on Saturday morning, March 29th. The event was sponsored by the Davenport NAACP, One Human Family, the Civil Rights forum of PACG and the Quad Cities Ministers Association.

In attendance to discuss the impact of civil rights legislation in the Iowa legislature were Representatives Cindy Winckler, Ken Croken and Dan Gosa of Davenport and Senator Mike Zimmer of DeWitt. Representative Ross Wilburn of Ames, a Democrat and member of the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus, joined us and shared his insights. The local Republican members of the Iowa legislature were invited as well but did not attend.

Rep. Wilburn said that the Republicans, having "opened" the civil rights code to remove gender identity, intend to remove sexual orientation in the upcoming session. Rabbi Karp of One Human Family QCA urged us to all come together to protect vulnerable groups, even if we are not a member of that group. We need to stand together if we want to protect LGBT+ civil rights in Iowa!

If you subscribe to the Quad City Times, read their coverage here.

Alta Price