National purpose with local action
Next meeting: August 25 (focus on the Labor Day protest)
Christ Lutheran Church
1701 Arroyo Chamiso Road, Santa Fe
Stay focused 👓 As usual, there is so much going on, it's hard to know where to pay attention. Between the military occupation of the nation's capital, the war on democracy waged through redistricting, and the attempt to subvert constitutional separation of powers in the form of control over voting... there's a lot of moving pieces. But there's only one game, and that's fighting to preserve democracy. We want to return to the days when government worked for us and not against us. The days when the president felt accountable to the people. Now, the president is talking about suspending 2028 elections so he can stay in power and out of jail. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. The fight for democracy is won in many small battles, so keep it up warriors 🚀
Upcoming Events
Labor Day Rally
Labor Day is sooner than it seems, and details are coming together for the Rally for Collective Action that Indivisible Santa Fe is leading at the Roundhouse. Scott was distributing posters and flyers at Monday's meeting, and we're expecting good turnout. And we are still looking for people to help as Ambassadors – contact communications@indivisiblesantafe.org to volunteer or for more information.
Scott Romans
Local Action
We have another candidate participating in our Mayoral candidate forum on September 15, now up to four participants:
Scott Romans
And don't forget about the NM interim committees that are meeting these days. Less formal than regular legislative committee meetings, it's a great way to see how our state government operates:
This week: Finance, Health & Human Services, and Water & Natural Resources.
ISF Leadership
And speaking of state and local politics, Arizona has a grassroots nonpartisan organization (Civic Engagement Beyond Voting) that has been organizing Arizona residents to make their voices heard at the state and local levels. They have talks on how government works, and have a focus on engaging younger citizens. Might have some good ideas to borrow! And their talks are available remotely and, while AZ-focused, provide good general information as well.
Regular Protests
Donovan Kolbly
Donovan Kolbly
In the News
What folks are saying, of interest around here and elsewhere
The Trump regime's plan to shift more costs to state and local governments means that states like New Mexico will be forced to find more money, or plan for what could be significant reductions in services. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state’s congressional delegation, all Democrats, warn that their state, one of the country’s poorest, will be hard-pressed to make up the shortfall.
Redistricting War
Heather Cox Richardson talked with California governor Gavin Newsom on the subject of how California is fighting back against the redistricting effort in Texas and other red states.
Author: Bruce Berlin
Check out the web calendar of grass-roots events from around New Mexico. Filter by Santa Fe or your area of interest!
And, from the coping via humor desk:
Nick Anderson
Stay in touch with us
Check out our resources page with lots of links to useful information, constantly being updated as we find new web resources to help fight for democracy and the rule of law.
You can help our effort to expand our digital presence, including social media on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram by following us and liking and re-posting our messages, or sharing our website with people who might be interested – they, too, can sign up and get this newsletter! 🎉 Help us get the word out!
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Indivisible National
(published August 18th, 2025)
This week, Ezra addresses a sneaky-important question that keeps popping up lately. After that, we have ways to fight the map-rigging coup, stand up to ICE, and show solidarity with immigrant communities in this week’s to-dos. |
What’s a distraction? I’ve often heard some version of “Trump is just doing X to distract from Y.” This is a smart political take in certain political circles. The strategic gist of it is: “Don’t fall for Trump’s trap! Keep your eye on the prize.”
But taken too far, this anti-distraction impulse… distracts us from the real, live fight for our democracy.
Is everything distracting from Epstein? In recent weeks, the argument has been that, whatever Trump is doing, he is doing it to distract from the Epstein Files. I think there’s some truth to this.
Trump has an insatiable appetite for attention, but he wants that attention focused on his strength and power. He’s OK being portrayed as cruel or unreasonable, but he’s not OK being portrayed as weak, ridiculous, or weird.
So, yes, the Epstein Files are damaging to Trump, and Democrats should not let them go. But unfortunately, scheming to hide the Epstein Files isn’t the only, or even the worst, thing Trump and his MAGA footsoldiers are doing.
Epstein is bad. So is our descent into authoritarianism. In just the last week, we’ve seen Trump occupy DC, terrorizing local residents as MAGA governors pledge to send even more troops and James Comer, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, promises they’ll do the same thing to other cities.
Meanwhile, as backlash to Trump's agenda grows and we near the midterm campaign season, Republicans across the country are rigging the maps to steal seats in 2026. And unsatisfied by gerrymandering alone, Trump just let loose a tirade against our voting system and issued a meaningless, but threatening, executive order.
Fighting for our democracy is not a distraction. The occupation of our capital city is not “a distraction.” It’s part of the dictator’s playbook. The attempt to rig the rules of the next election is not “a distraction.” It’s a direct threat to the will of the voters.
Some will argue that we should only focus on the issues where we have an advantage, but that ignores the role of conflict in shaping how the public understands an issue. There were people arguing that we should ignore Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles for exactly the same reasons. Does that logic look better now?
Can you imagine if we said:
- “Residents of DC, don’t organize to fight back against your city’s occupation -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.”
- “Texas Dems, don’t break quorum to fight back against the gerrymander -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.”
- “Pro-democracy advocates, don’t indulge Trump’s bombast about mail voting and voting machines -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.”
We must learn to walk, chew gum, fight for democracy, and talk about the Epstein Files all at the same time. Our descent into authoritarianism demands a response.
So I celebrate Indivisible Danville, in Kentucky, rallying outside of James Comer’s office demanding this proponent of DC occupation face his own constituents. I celebrate the more than 300 rapid response events this weekend in support of the Texas Dems who broke quorum to resist the GOP gerrymander. I celebrate every Indivisible who’s called into their federal representatives’ offices to demand that they support DC. And I celebrate every Indivisible group leader who’s preparing for the next big mobilization (stay tuned)!
Trump is weak on Epstein. But he’s also weak on militarizing American cities, corrupting our voting systems, Ukraine, his blind support for Netanyahu, the economy, jobs, inflation, Medicaid, and healthcare.
By all means, we should keep our eyes on the prize, but that prize is a democracy where we’re all safe and we all have a voice. When we fight back against federal encroachment of our rights, that’s not a distraction -- it’s necessary, strategic, patriotic action.
And if you’re looking for those kinds of actions, read on to this week’s to-dos.
In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
Your weekly to-dos
- Fight the Trump-MAGA Redistricting Coup from any state with our new toolkit. Trump’s trying to steal the midterms by making his red-state minions rig the House maps. We all have a role to play in the fight for fair 2026 elections; visit our toolkit or scroll down for more info.
- Join a mass call with AG Keith Ellison about ways states and cities can defend the rule of law. We're joining AG Ellison, a coalition of partner organizations, and brave officials from across the US to lay out how state/local leaders can fight Trump’s takeover -- touching on redistricting, unmasking ICE, and more.
- Watch tonight’s Solidarity in Action session (7pm ET / 4pm PT) for an expert’s guide to building coalitions. Cristina Jimenez co-founded United We Dream and wrote a bestselling memoir on her experiences as an immigrant and organizer. She’ll share what she’s learned along the way -- and how you can build powerful coalitions.
- Join our campaign to make Avelo Airlines’ deportation flights too costly to continue. Avelo Airlines profits off Trump’s terror tactics by running secretive (often illegal) deportation flights. We’re organizing to ground “ICE Air” by undermining the pillars that prop up Avelo’s business.
- Sign up for Thursday’s What’s the Plan? call to ask Leah and Ezra your questions on the news and upcoming work. Every Thursday at 3pm ET, our co-founders go live to break down our key initiatives and answer your questions directly! Be part of an interactive chat about what’s next in our fight for democracy.
P.S. As too many institutions kiss the ring, Indivisible’s leading the fight to ensure Trump’s enablers pay a price. We’re training one million people in strategic non-cooperation and rolling out campaigns to weaken Trump’s power at its foundations. Please consider donating to fund Indivisibles' nationwide disruption and defiance of the Trump regime.
Slow down ICE with Signs of Solidarity
On our last One Million Rising training, we introduced Signs of Solidarity -- a new campaign that anyone can join to oppose authoritarian ICE raids and stand in solidarity with immigrant workers and communities.
We’re asking Indivisibles to engage in visible non-cooperation with ICE’s raids on businesses and workplaces. Participants will disrupt Trump’s terror raids by visiting local businesses, speaking to the owners/managers, and distributing signs that achieve two key things:
- Clearly mark "Staff Only" areas to create safe zones ICE can’t legally enter without a signed judicial warrant
- Unequivocally show they stand WITH immigrant workers and clientele and AGAINST Trump’s secret police tactics
Once you’ve signed on below, we’ll give you everything you need to succeed, like guidelines for speaking to businesses, tools to track progress/success, and the signs you’ll help businesses post.
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Fight against Trump’s map-rigging coup
Trump’s seat-stealing scheme isn’t stopping in Texas. Republican legislators in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, and beyond are already lining up to rig their maps and cement House Republicans into permanent power.
So we’re rolling out plans to fight back with everything we’ve got -- not just in Texas, but all across America. Whether your state is bright blue, deep red, or in between, you can do something today to combat the coup and keep the midterm playing field fair:
 | Redistrictable* Blue States: Call on your Democratic governor and legislators to redraw your state’s maps to counter Trump. If you live in a large blue state with a Democratic trifecta, contact your governor today to demand they fight fire with fire by readying new congressional maps. |
 | Red States: RAISE HELL on the local level by connecting with a local Indivisible group. Indivisible groups in red states are on the front lines of this fight: mobilizing neighbors against this power-grab, defending Dem legislators targeted for fighting back, and holding craven GOP officials accountable. |
 | Solidarity States: Urge your governor to take the COME & TAKE IT pledge and lead in this fight. Some Dem governors can’t redraw maps because they’re blocked by GOP legislatures or their state's share of blue seats is “maxed out.” But they still have power. Send them our pledge to defend red-state Dems and take action against Trump's election overreach. |
*Not every state with a Democratic trifecta can or should redraw its maps -- often because their US House delegation is already fully Democratic. If you live in one of those states (CT, DE, HI, ME, MA, NM, RI), please see the “Solidarity States” section to send your governor the Come & Take It Pledge! |
IndivisiWIN of the week
As Donald Trump rolled out a literal red carpet for his murderous dictator buddy, Indivisibles across Alaska mobilized to show Trump and Putin: Alaskans stand with Ukraine and against tyrannical regimes.
Dozens of protests and non-cooperation actions across Alaska culminated in a powerful light show by Stand UP Alaska in downtown Anchorage, minutes from where the summit was held.
Follow Indivisible national on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program, where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.
