Category: Rallies - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Racial Equality Now! Rally - What You Can Do Now

6/20/2020

Racial Equality Now! Rally
Saturdays at noon

The Slumberland/Party City Corner of
John Deere RD & 16th ST
Moline, IL (across from South Park Mall) (map)

Civil Rights Forum

Please join us from 12 to 12:30 pm every Saturday to stand up for the rights of Black People, specifically, and all People of Color in the United States of America! The purpose of this local Racial Equality Now! Rally is to support the current movement for racial equality and justice that has spread across this country and to ensure that it keeps going for as long as it takes to see real and meaningful progress toward racial equality in America.

Our first rally was Saturday, June 13th in 2020! We continue to get lots of positive feedback from people passing by. If you come on Saturday, please wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

Although I made a few extra signs, please bring some of your own if you can. Ideas for signs can include things like “Honk for Justice,” Honk for Equality,” “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe!,” “Let’s Talk!,” “No Hate in Our State,” or “No More Deaths,” and many others.

There is lots of parking in the adjoining Slumberland/Party City/Enterprise parking lot, so please bring a friend and join us to help promote racial justice and equality for all People of Color! If you can’t make it this Saturday, join us on Saturdays as often as you can. Together we can make a difference!

Caryn Unsicker

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

12/7/2018

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - After Action Report

We had a good turnout at the rally in support of asylum seekers on Friday, November 30th at 4 pm. We also had great press coverage! Check it out at the following links:

KWQC

WHBF-TV/KGCW-TV/KJLB-TV

WQAD

Read this story at the Dispatch-Argus.

Thanks to all who came to a cold winter rally in support of Central American asylum seekers who were tear-gassed by our government. We are a land of immigrants, and we demand that our government and ICE treat asylum seekers humanely. We further demand that our government and ICE follow our own laws and international laws that give asylum seekers the right to apply for asylum.

We plan to follow up this rally with meetings with our Illinois and Iowa Senators and Representatives and local ICE officials.

The rally was organized by Aaron Wagner of Quad Cities Interfaith.

Rally to Support Asylum Seekers

11/26/2018

Rally in Support of Asylum Seekers - Friday, November 30th at 4:00 pm

Civil Rights Forum and Quad Cities Interfaith
ICE Headquarters, Federal Courthouse
Rock Island, IL

We had a good turnout at the rally in support of asylum seekers on Friday, November 30th at 4 pm. We also had great press coverage! Check it out at the following links:

KWQC

WHBF-TV/KGCW-TV/KJLB-TV

WQAD

Read this story at the Dispatch-Argus.

Thanks to all who came to a cold winter rally in support of Central American asylum seekers who were tear-gassed by our government. We are a land of immigrants, and we demand that our government and ICE treat asylum seekers humanely. We further demand that our government and ICE follow our own laws and international laws that give asylum seekers the right to apply for asylum.

We plan to follow up this rally with meetings with our Illinois and Iowa Senators and Representatives and local ICE officials.

The rally was organized by Aaron Wagner of Quad Cities Interfaith.

Nobody is Above the Law - Rapid Response for Jeff Sessions Firing

11/8/2018

Attend the Nobody is Above the Law Rally TODAY at 5:00 pm
Davenport - LeClaire Park 400 West Beiderbecke DR (map)
Rock Island - US County Clerk 211 19th ST (map)

With the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday, Donald Trump is demonstrating his intention to put himself above the law. We won’t allow it.

Trump is compromising the Special Counsel investigation and will create a constitutional crisis if he fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller.

Our response is imperative now! We must show Members of Congress that they need to stand up to Trump or allow him to move our democracy toward authoritarianism.

From the MoveOn rally organizers: "Donald Trump has installed a crony to oversee the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation, crossing a red line set to protect the investigation. By replacing Rod Rosenstein with just-named Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as special counsel Robert Mueller's boss on the investigation, Trump has undercut the independence of the investigation. Whitaker has publicly outlined strategies to stifle the investigation and cannot be allowed to remain in charge of it. The Nobody Is Above the Law network demands that Whitaker immediately commit not to assume supervision of the investigation. Our hundreds of response events are being launched to demonstrate the public demand for action to correct this injustice. We will update this page as the situation develops."

MoveOn is holding emergency “Nobody is Above the Law” rallies around the country TODAY at 5:00 pm local time. There are over 900 of these demonstrations planned, in every state, with 350,000 RSVPs to date!

RSVP to attend the rallies today. Nobody is Above the Law – Mueller Firing Rapid Response rallies here:

For Davenport RSVP here.

For Rock Island RSVP here.

Alta Price

Support the Transgender Community - Wednesday, Nov 7 at 7:00 pm

11/6/2018

Support the Transgender Community - Wednesday, Nov 7 at 7:00 pm

Civil Rights Forum
Metropolitan Community Church, 2930 W Locust St, Davenport, IA (maplink)

The Board of PACG voted to sponsor this rally in support of the Transgender Community. We encourage you to come and show your own support.

The Trump Administration is trying to erase transgender persons out of existence and deny them civil rights protections. Read more about the proposed changes at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Alta Price

What You Can Do Now - Rally at Grassley's Davenport Office to Keep Families Together

5/13/2018

Rally at Senator Grassley's Davenport Office to Keep Families Together!

Join Quad Cities Interfaith (QCI) and allies at a peaceful demonstration at Grassley’s office to tell the Senator to take action to: “Keep Families Together!”

Monday, May 14th, 5:00 p.m., Senator Chuck Grassley’s Davenport office, 201 W 2nd St, Davenport, Iowa (we will rally out front of the building)

This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced policy that the U.S. government would separate families detained at the U.S./Mexico border.
On Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) collaborated with local police in a raid that led to the detention of 32 workers at a concrete factory in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Children of those detained are being cared for by neighbors; 32 families are without their primary bread winner. The raid has spread fear among our immigrant neighbors throughout the state, who fear their town could be next.

*This rally is held in solidarity with our friends at the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, at Grassley’s Cedar Rapids office, also May 14 at 5:00. Cedar Rapids is also the location of ICE’s local detention center. Please join us either in Cedar Rapids or Davenport.

Call QCI Organizer Aaron Wagner at 641-990-4594 with questions.

El tiempo por justicia es ahora (The time for justice is now)

What You Can Do Now - Sign Up for Mueller Firing Rapid Response Rallies

5/8/2018

Nobody is Above the Law – Mueller Firing Rapid Response

Donald Trump could be preparing to put himself above the law. We won’t allow it.

Trump will create a constitutional crisis if he fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller, or attempts to compromise the investigation by other means.

Our response in the hours following a potential power grab will dictate what happens next – whether Congress will stand up to Trump or allow him to move our democracy toward authoritarianism.

MoveOn is preparing to hold emergency “Nobody is Above the Law” rallies around the country, in the event they are needed- 900+ of them and counting, in every state, with 350,000 RSVPs to date!

To learn more, visit this MoveOn website.

You can sign up for local Nobody is Above the Law – Mueller Firing Rapid Response rallies here:

For Davenport sign up here.

For Rock Island sign up here.

Alta Price

February 21st Lobby Day in Des Moines

2/18/2018

Lobby Iowa State Legislators Against Bills Promoting Intolerance

Wednesday, February 21st, 10 am
State Capitol Building Cafeteria, Des Moines, IA (map)

The Iowa Legislature is considering three bills that would ban public school diversity programs, promote deportation of law-abiding immigrants, and encourage businesses to discriminate against LBGT people. Come to a Lobby Day organized by LULAC and supported by PACG, One Human Family, and other progressive groups to oppose these bills.
#HatefulState #NotIowaValues #NoHate

What You Can Do Now - Ask Senator Grassley to End His Silence

1/25/2018

What You Can Do Now - Ask Senator Grassley to End His Silence

PACG asks Senator Chuck Grassley to live up to our Iowa values and condemn Trump’s hateful comments about countries with mostly people of color. Here are three different ways you can ask Senator Grassley to end his silence:

1. Call Senator Grassley’s office: Davenport office: 563-322-4331 or Washington office: 202-224-3744

2. Submit a comment to Senator Grassley online.

3. Visit Senator Grassley’s Davenport office (131 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA) when it is convenient for you. Call first (563-322-4331) to make sure someone is at the office. Magnify your impact by by bringing friends with you.

Use your own words. A powerful example of a statement to Senator Grassley follows:

Trump’s comments are racist and do not reflect Iowa Values. What do you think of them? By not officially separating yourself from Trump's comments, you associate yourself with them. As Chair of the Judiciary Committee, you have greater responsibility to maintain decency and justice in all public affairs. Your passive approach to the Russia Investigation, itself, is increasingly becoming an obstruction of justice. As a US Senator from Iowa and Chair of the Committee, your statements should reflect Iowa Values of justice and decency. We need to hear from You!

We request that you disassociate yourself from Trump's "s____hole" comments, condemn them as racist, and announce your support for the reinstatement of DACA. Trump's comments clearly reveal his state of mind on this issue. It is time you stand up for Iowa Values and break your Silence on Trump's hatred and racism.

With a grateful heart,

Rev. Jay Wolin

Alta Price
altaprice@gmail.com

We Are All Dreamers - A Rally in Support of DACA Recipients

9/17/2017

Many Quad Citians came out in support of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients on Saturday, September 16 at the Esperanza Center in Moline for the We Are All Dreamers Rally.

Television coverage from KWQC can be viewed here.

Alta Price spoke on behalf of PACG. Her remarks are below:

My name is Alta Price. I am the President of the Board of Directors of Progressive Action for the Common Good. We are also known as PACG, but I am going to use our full name because it explains what we do.

Progressive Action for the Common Good. We work for the Common Good of our cities, states, country, and world. The Common Good includes many different things that we work for – access to health care, a clean environment, and civil rights are some of them.

Immigration promotes the Common Good. Our country has been enriched by earlier immigrants, just as it is enriched by the Dreamers and other immigrants today.

Members of Progressive Action for the Common Good are Dreamers. We dream of social justice and a welcoming community that cares about everyone. But, as in our name, Progressive Action, we know we must take action to make our dreams come true. Dreams are important, but if you don’t take action to make your dreams come true, then I guess you’re just sleeping.

You have taken an action by attending this rally. We challenge each one of you to commit to taking three additional actions to help the DACA recipients. Be creative and practical when you choose your actions. And give yourself a deadline – 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months to do all 3 actions. But act soon, as the situation for DACA recipients is dire.

Here are 3 suggestions:

Call your members of Congress, both Senators and your Representative. It is easy to find their phone numbers online. It doesn’t matter if you call their local office or D.C. office. It is very simple. Dial the number. Tell the staff person that answers that you want your member of Congress to vote for the 2017 Dream Act. That’s it. Simple, but extremely effective.
After you’ve made your calls, ask your friends and family to call their members of Congress. If millions call, Congress will pass the 2017 Dream Act.
Join with others to strategize more actions. It can be a group of your friends, or join one of the organizations here today and help them work on helping DACA recipients and other immigrants. I would invite any of you to join with the Civil Rights Forum of PACG to work on DACA and other civil rights issues. We will be meeting at the Spanish Mennonite Church in Moline (613 3rd St, Moline) on Thursday, Sept 21 at 5 pm to figure out our next steps.

We are all Dreamers. But we must all take action if we want our dreams to come true, and if we want to help the Dreamers.

September 16, 2017