Blog Archives - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

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!

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

Progressive calendars of events and actions in the QCA - What You Can Do Now

3/26/2025

Progressive calendars in the QCA

PACG Forums

Want to explore more ways you can get involved in progressive actions and events in the QCA? We are collecting calendars for our Community Events page! They are posted at the top of the website page, so if you are looking for information about a particular event, you will have to do some scrolling.

Here's the link for the PACG events calendar.

Our friends at One Human Family-QCA started the QC Activism calendar in 2024 and we have put it on our Community Events page. You may add events to this calendar here.

Activist Leslie DuPree, President of Quad Cities National Organization for Women (QC NOW), is single-handedly managing the QC Action Calendar as a Google Document. Her contact information is at the top of it.

Clock, Inc is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive community center, offering vital resources, mental health programs, empowerment, and advocacy for the LGBT+ community to thrive without fear of discrimination. The Clock, Inc Events calendar is here.

MainStream, formerly known as The Real Mainstream, is a progressive, intersectional, LGBTQ+ affirming publication serving Illinois and Iowa, and available online and in print. They have a number of calendars for eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, including a filter for adults-only and spiritual Sunday gatherings. The MainStream calendar for Quad Cities Events is here.

If you know of other groups in our area who are compiling calendar events and actions, please contact us at [email protected].

Watch "Talkin' Union" online - What You Can Do Now

3/26/2025

Women's History Month - Texas Labor Organizers
online

Gender Equity Forum

In honor of Women's History month in March, the Gender Equity forum brings you Talkin Union, a 4-part documentary about four women who organized labor unions in Texas in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This film is available for viewing online here. Each part is about 15 minutes long and features footage of the women. Fascinating!

There is also a book, Talkin' Union: Texas Women Workers, about these pioneering labor organizers that you can buy at this link.

Alta Price (she/her)

Civil Rights Legislative Forum - PACG Event

3/26/2025

Civil Rights Legislative Forum
Saturday, March 29th at 10:00 to 11:30 am

TMBC Lincoln Resource Center
318th E 7th ST
Davenport, IA (map)

Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights forum encourages you to come ask your state of Iowa legislators questions at this event focused on civil rights. The event is hosted by the Davenport NAACP and co-sponsored by other local progressive groups, including our Civil Rights Forum.

Alta Price (she/her)

DOGE Privacy Act request - What You Can Do Now

3/23/2025

DOGE Privacy Act requests

Civil Rights Forum
U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin has suggested that citizens file formal demands for access to the data that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk have obtained on us.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has issued an injunction commanding DOGE to comply with citizen requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This law encompasses the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, which entitles any citizen to access personal information held in any U.S. government records system.

This newly recognized federal agency, which has been systematically accessing government computer data systems, now has an obligation to respond to specific information demands from any of the 340 million U.S. citizens who exercise their legal right to defend their privacy and establish the security of their private information.

Citizens need only download, print and fill out the form, sign it and mail it to DOGE (the address on the pdf). (Note: a Wet Signature means using pen on paper.)

Alta Price (she/her)

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Resistance rally in Geneseo - After Action Report

3/17/2025

Resistance Rally in Geneseo - After Action Report

Resistance Blue Dot Quad Cities

Over 100 people participated in a rally in Geneseo, IL to express our concerns about the actions of the current administration.

Rael Slavensky (he/him)

Tour Green Current Solutions April Green Drinks - PACG Events

3/17/2025

April Green Drinks - tour of Green Current Solutions
Thursday, April 3rd at 5:00 pm

Green Current Solutions
401 12th Avenue
East Moline, IL (map)

Environmental Forum

Join us on Thursday, April 3rd at 5 pm for our April Green Drinks. We will tour Green Current Solutions in East Moline. This local business transforms plastic waste collected by Living Lands & Waters into reusable and recyclable industrial pallets. After the tour, we will reconvene at Jennie's Boxcar Restaurant at 545 12th Avenue, East Moline (map) for refreshments and networking.

Space is limited so please register in advance. Use the QR code or email [email protected].

For your safety, please do not wear open toe shoes. No picture taking is allowed inside the building.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Immigrant and refugee support in Rock Island - After Action Report

3/17/2025

Pro Immigrant and Refugee resolution presented - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

Members of the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities, which is an arm of the PACG Civil Rights Forum, were present at the Rock Island City Council meeting where our pro-immigrant and refugee resolution was read. Margie Mejia-Caraballo was able to say a few words about the work of the coalition and when the resolution was passed, coalition members stood up and clapped! All in all, this was a very positive experience.

Allison Ambrose

Congratulations Abdur Howard! - A Message from the Board

3/17/2025

Congratulations to Abdur Howard!

A Message from the Board

(Abdur Howard and his mother Daneca)

We are happy to announce that AbdurRahmaan "Abdur" Howard is one of 20 Davenport Community School District students who were awarded the John Deere Scholarship from the University of Iowa! From Davenport Community Schools: This $6.6 million partnership between John Deere, the University of Iowa, and the Davenport Community School District is a testament to our community's commitment to making higher education accessible for all. Each scholarship covers 90% of the total cost to attend the University of Iowa. The remaining 10% will be covered by additional funding sources, such as work study.

Abdur acted as the moderator for the PACG Black History Month 2022 project, I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past. He was only 13 when we first met him and he did an incredible job with the entire project. Not only did he moderate the event but he participated in the numerous presentations that we held throughout the Quad Cities. Now he is off to the U of I to study neurobiology! Congratulations, Abdur!