August 11: Indivisible Santa Fe Newsletter

National purpose with local action

Next meeting: August 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Christ Lutheran Church
1701 Arroyo Chamiso Road, Santa Fe

🗳️ Voting is going to be a hot topic for a few months... so get used to it! Because we are going to overwhelm the nay-sayers with People Power ✊ expressed through the ballot box.

Besides you voting, there are many ways to help out. If you are interested in:

• 🏠 canvassing
• ☎️ phone banking
• 📫 sending postcards
• 🚗 driving people on election day

(or helping in some other way), Noah Gollin from the NM Democratic Coordinated Campaign is happy to connect you with the best way to help. Reach him at noahgollin@nmdemocrats.org ✉️ and let's all help the vote in November be amazing 🚀

Voter Protection

Vicki Maenchen, Deputy Voter Protection Director of the NM Democratic Party gave a presentation at Monday's meeting, emphasizing the goals of making sure:

• 🧘everyone can vote,
• ✅ every vote is certified, and
• 1️⃣ every vote counts

Here's her Voter Protection 101 slide deck –

– and to join the effort, there's a QR code in the deck or just click here to fill out the form:

and here's the recording of her talk:

Speaker Series: Ivan Cornejo

ISF's Speaker Series continues at the Indivisible Santa Fe meeting on Monday, August 24, with Ivan Cornejo, the Chair of the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee. He will speak about the Committee's work.

If you want to learn more about ways to help immigrants in Santa Fe, you won't want to miss this one!

August 24: Ivan Cornejo

Ivan Cornejo will visit Indivisible Santa Fe on August 24, to talk about the work of the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee.

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Town Hall with Rep. Leger Fernandez

⏰ Tonight! at 6:30 PM – Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez is hosting a town hall in Santa Fe. RSVP to learn the exact location.

Regular protests & events

• Speakers' Corner - August 15, 10:00-11:00 AM – last Saturday we were out in front of Nuckoll's – this coming Saturday we'll try being closer to Sky Coffee. (Note that SOF is going to be at the Railyard at the same time; I'm planning to deliver remarks about that protest)
• Signs of Fascism - August 15, 10:00 AM – meet in the REI parking garage lower level at 9:45. RSVP to Ellen
• Banner Drop - August 29, 9-10 AM at Cuyamungue. RSVP to Linda F

If you haven't seen our updated calendar, BTW, check it out ⤵️

Calendar of Events

Here are some of the events in and around Santa Fe that we are aware of as part of the mission to resist the Trump agenda.

Indivisible Santa FeDonovan Kolbly

Fridays: Southside HONK and WAVE Protest

Fridays 8:00-9:00 AM on the corner of Zafarano Dr and Cerrillos Rd, on the sidewalk in front of the Target. Bring your signs! Support your neighbors! A Tale of February 6 We were protesting on February 6th, with a small group on the corner of Zafarano and

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Walk the Talk Wednesdays

Come wave signs, Wednesdays 11 AM to noon at St. Francis & Cerrillos

Indivisible Santa FeDonovan Kolbly

Thursdays: Whole Foods Leafletting

Join SFBT each Thursday, 5:30-6:30 PM, to distribute leaflets at Whole Foods, Cerrillos Rd.

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Bulldozers in Big Bend 🚧

In its continuing assault on nature, the regime's DHS waived 28 federal environmental and preservation laws to rip up Big Bend National Park – including the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act – to fast-track construction of the useless border "wall". Spending $4B+ in no-bid contracts to deter 0.045% of crossings is a really inefficient use of resources, and is inflicting irreparable harm on a national treasure.

‘It’s massive destruction’: outcry in Texas over waivers to allow border wall in Big Bend national park

Despite plunging border crossings, Trump administration is circumventing laws to expedite building in a vast, pristine wilderness

The GuardianRoque Planas

More than 140 businesses ask Texas Republicans to halt Big Bend border wall construction

While unauthorized border crossings have dropped dramatically in the past two years, the Trump administration is moving forward with the border wall

San Antonio CurrentStephanie Koithan

Election, election, election

The primary way I’ve approached all this possible Trumpian f*ckery here at Hopium is by staying focused on winning the traditional election by as big a margin as possible [emphasis added] so whatever he attempts will be far harder to pull off.
-- Simon Rosenberg

With Blanche In Place We Have To Get Ready For The Incredible F*ckery That Is To Come

Blanche’s confirmation, at 430am this morning, is one of the greatest betrayals of our country in all our history

Hopium Chronicles By Simon RosenbergSimon Rosenberg

From the Desk of Indivisible Santa Fe

Debra reflects on the social dynamics of political disagreement and protest:

Protests, Anger, and Common Ground

Are any of you big fans of protesting? We can argue about how effective it is, but at minimum it reminds people that YES there is opposition to the current regime, and it provides an excellent opportunity to make friends and solidify networks, both of which we need to remain

Indivisible Santa FeDebra Efroymson

Gary takes a different angle on the legacy of the Obelisk in the plaza:

An Unfinished Monument

In October of 2020 protesters toppled and smashed the Soldiers’ Monument in Santa Fe, a thirty-three foot stone obelisk in the downtown Plaza originally erected in 1868 to commemorate Union soldiers who defeated a Confederate foray in the battle of Glorieta Pass. The skirmish is sometimes called the “Gettysburg

Indivisible Santa FeGary Kowalski

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!

I know I’m biased, but I am such a fan of the Indivisible movement, y’all. Last Tuesday, we saw an historic, blockbuster set of primary elections in Michigan, where all three Indivisible-endorsed candidates won. Then on Thursday, the single most asked question on What’s The Plan was some version of: “Ok, great, now how do we unify to win in the general?”

Does this help us defeat the fascists? I believe Trump is a fascist leader who aims to subvert our democratic institutions to consolidate minority rule and enrich himself. That’s why at Indivisible, our primary means of making political and organizing decisions is a simple question: does this help us defeat the fascists? 

That question has driven every major Indivisible tactic of the last 18 months, from DOGE town hall protests to No Kings to our primary endorsements. So I respect the hell out of the Indivisible movement members who win a contentious primary and immediately say, “Ok team, let’s unify to beat the fascists in November!” These are my kind of people. Strategic, practical, and committed to actually getting results, not just winning intraparty debates while the wolves encircle us. But how do we do it?

Be like the chickens. I watched Chicken Run with my 5-year-old this weekend. For a 27-year-old animated kids movie, it sure offers some good lessons for all of us. The chickens are in danger -- the farm operators plan to turn them into pies. By working together, they (spoiler alert) do the impossible -- they pull off a daring escape from the barbed wire-lined camp. In the climactic scene, it’s only by each chicken bravely doing their part that the entire coop flies off together. 

Unfortunately, the anthropomorphic claymation chicken movie is a little unrealistic. There was no chicken contingent actively seeking to divide the flock. Everyone understood who the main enemy was, and that survival required unity.

In our real world last week, after losing a set of primaries, the corporate Dem Third Way group announced with great fanfare a $15 million campaign to attack one faction of the Democratic coalition. And cable TV and political TikTok were full of talkers yelling at each other about why the Democratic Party should rein in one faction or another.

It’s on us all to unify. Don’t get me wrong -- these are important conversations. It’s just the wrong time for them. We’re exiting the primary season less than 3 months from a general election that could determine whether fascists consolidate power. For this brief window, we have a common enemy, and it’s every coalition member’s responsibility to help us unify. That’s how we fly this coop -- together.

For those of us aligned on this, I’d recommend a simple rule: don’t feed the division. Fight like hell in the primary, and then move on. If you won your primary, be gracious and gratuitously thank your opponents. Like this: thank you Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow for immediately rallying around Abdul El-Sayed! If you lost your primary, rally around the winner to defeat the fascists. Like this: John Hickenlooper, we opposed you in a bruising multi-month primary and are truly saddened by Julie Gonzalez’s loss, but now you’ve won, we’re 100% behind your reelection to defeat the fascists! That’s the united and aligned flock energy we need.

If you’re interested in depriving the divisive debate of oxygen and building a Democratic Party that fights and wins, we’ve got some ideas for you this week!

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Join our Hands Off Our Vote: Election Protection 101 virtual training next Wednesday, August 19 to learn how to mobilize to defend voting rights and ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot (8pm ET/5pm PT). No matter where you live or how much experience you have, you can have a national impact on election protection. In this working training, we’ll cover FAQs and help you think through your current actions as well as how to prepare for further activations this fall. More than 30,000 Indivisibles have already joined Hands Off Our Vote, and we hope you’ll be next! (If you’re ready to dive into election protection work right now, check out our toolkit for actions you and your community can take today.)
2. Join our Immigrant Justice Summer call next Thursday, August 20 to learn how to get your community trained up and ready to demand accountability and ensure protection before an ICE surge hits (8pm ET/5pm PT). When ICE shows up in our neighborhoods, it’s crucial that we have a grounded system to channel people, training, and resources in the right direction. Without a plan in place, energy scatters and well-intentioned neighbors sometimes create structures parallel to the immigrant-led response already in progress. This call guides you on the training necessary to build a link tree, an online tool that acts as your community's front door so neighbors can easily find the information they need to show up in an immigrant-aligned, hyper-local, and safe response.
3. Now that the House and Senate are both on August recess, schedule an in-district office visit or plan an event in your community using our Indivisible recess resources. While the August recess should be a time for our Members of Congress to host town halls and meet with constituents, they too often use that time to avoid scrutiny. If you have Republican MoCs, take some time this month to voice your opposition to the SAVE America Act (Trump’s repulsive voter suppression bill), more funding for ICE and CBP, and Trump’s demand for billions to fuel his illegal war with Iran. If you have Democratic MoCs, continue to raise the alarm about Trump’s authoritarianism and demand they not give an inch to the GOP when Congress returns in full after Labor Day.
4. Peggy Flanagan’s Minnesota Senate primary is TOMORROW! Join our phone bank TONIGHT at 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT/3:30pm PT to make calls to Minnesotans before they head to the polls. We’ll be joined by Indivisible’s co-executive director Ezra Levin! Flanagan is in a tight race against Angie Craig -- yet another establishment Dem who shamefully voted to thank ICE for their service. Craig has a huge cash advantage from corporate PACs and crypto, but we have people power. Right now, every single call counts to help get Flanagan across the finish line so Minnesotans can be represented by a true progressive fighter. Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

P.S. We’re ecstatic about last week’s primary wins for Indivisible-endorsed candidates: Abdul El-Sayed (MI-Sen), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), William Lawrence (MI-07), and Justin J. Pearson (TN-09). Before we turn all eyes toward November 3, we’re organizing hard to win two final primaries with Indivisible-endorsed candidates who will stand up to fascism and build a bolder Democratic Party. If you can, please chip in today to help us bring Peggy Flanagan (MN-Sen) and Patrick Roath (MA-08) across the finish line and launch our general election program in a strong position!

Yale, Don't Cave!

This morning, Indivisible Civics launched two billboards near Yale urging university president Maurie McInnis and other leaders not to cave to political pressure from the Trump regime.

In June, news broke that Yale was negotiating with the regime over the Department of Justice’s politically-motivated investigation into the university’s admissions practices. Instead of standing up for students, McInnis is complying in advance and giving in to the classic authoritarian playbook that targets academic institutions and silences dissent. McInnis must defend students and reject Trump’s weaponization of the DOJ to push his fascist agenda at Yale. If Trump gets his way, we know he won’t stop with Yale -- academic freedom for students on every college campus in the US will be in jeopardy.

Local Indivisibles are actively involved in this fight, and Indivisible National is joining in to support students, alumni, and faculty. Education is a key part of our Courage Collectives program and we are committed to continuing to organize within these foundational societal pillars to resist authoritarianism. If you have any Yale affiliation, you can sign the petition to tell Yale and President McInnis to refuse to cave to Trump.

Good News for a Change: Capitol Hill Edition

Good news from DC? Shockingly, yes! The Senate failed to pass the faux crypto regulation CLARITY Act before leaving for August recess. (As a reminder, this is the crypto industry-backed bill that would do nothing to rein in Trump’s crypto corruption. Trump amassed $1.4 billion from crypto last year alone.)

Why is this so significant? Last year, the CLARITY Act sailed through the House with support from 78 Democrats. The crypto industry has spent ludicrous amounts of money to intimidate the Senate into passing it next, but grassroots pressure has made supporting it politically toxic.

While a vote is still likely when the Senate returns in September, we should use the August recess to our advantage. Consider scheduling an in-district office visit to share your thoughts about the CLARITY Act and the importance of a real crypto regulation bill that actually prevents Trump and his family from receiving crypto bribes. You can also send a quick email to your senators to urge them to hold the line and reject this bad bill.

This kind of progress is only possible because of Indivisibles like you calling, emailing, and meeting with your Members of Congress. Thank you!

 Upcoming events + Election shifts

These nationwide events, calls, training sessions, and electoral volunteer opportunities are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!

Follow Indivisible National on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to their text messaging program, where they send rapid response actions a few times a month.