Boots on the Ground 4.7

DJT posted on social media that “A whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again.” This is unequivocally a war crime. Where are our Congressional representatives?

• Roger Marshall – Posting about Easter and talking about credit card fees.

• Josh Hawley – Pressing HHS to Reinstate Abortion Funding Ban.

• Jerry Moran – Cutting ribbons in Hutchison.

• Eric Schmitt – Easter again. Ironic much?

There is no other choice but to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and/or Article II, Section 4. Anything less is complicity with war crimes and dereliction of their duties to protect the American people.

✅ Call your Senators. Call your Representatives. One call from you is multiplied by congressional staffers to represent 50 to 100 people. If everyone on our email list called today, that would calculate to more than a million people.

✅ Use the 5 Calls App. The app provides a script and will directly connect you to your representative’s office. They will track your phone calls and build statistics on each congressperson.

✅ Proest the war tomorrow tomorrow! We’re joining forces with other groups to protest tomorrow! JOIN US at 6 p.m. | Mill Creek Park on the Plaza

This May Day, people across the country are uniting for a General Strike.

🚫 No shopping. 🚫 No working. 💪🏽 💪🏻 Mass rally and march.

To be fair, this is the first of many strikes. Organizers know we’ll need to warm up to a massive, all-in nationwide strike. (Remember, the first No Kings rally had only a few million people while this month’s event had 8 million people in the streets.)

Organizers also know that a nationwide strike is THE action that will have the most impact. Why? Economic and systemic pressure. Real change will happen when the powers-that-be feel it in their pocketbooks.

BUT, YOU CANNOT SIT THIS OUT and wait for the next, bigger strike. The stakes have never been higher.

Demands:

• ✊ Tax the rich so our families come first – not their fortunes.

• ✊ No ICE. No war. No army serving authoritarian power.

• ✊ Expand democracy. Hands off our vote.

Why strike?

General strikes are critical to overpowering an authoritarian regime. By chipping away at pillars that support the regime – businesses, government, military – the people are reclaiming their power. In addition, a strike gets the attention of people who aren’t engaged by disrupting their everyday lives.

How do I even participate?

It doesn’t matter if you work or don’t work, have kids in school or not. You can participate.

Friday, May 1st | 5:30 p.m. | Washington Square Park | 100 E. Pershing Rd. KCMO

Don’t: 🚫 First, don’t shop…anywhere. If you’re worried about small businesses, shop in advance. Don’t buy gas, don’t buy food and definitely don’t patronize businesses that support the regime.

Do: ✅ Check in with people who are on strike, hear their stories and see how you can help. Tell three friends about the strike and ask them to participate with you. Spend the day helping a critical non-profit organization in your area. JoCo Mutual Aid is planning ways to help, so stay tuned!

Spend three minutes to urge Gov. Kelly to veto horrible bills

It’s the final week of the legislative session which means we need to urge Gov. Kelly to veto bills that would gut public education, restrict Medicaid, limit access to the polls and further erode the rights of our immigrant neighbors.

⏰You have three minutes. Let’s do this! Our friends at Six Degrees of Activism set it up so you’re one click away from voicing your opinion. Visit the post here.

Oppose:

• A bill that would divert public dollars to private schools while our special education is severely underfunded. (JoCo families who make up to $315K would receive TAX BREAKS TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!)

• A bill that would penalize students for exercising their first amendment rights.

• A bill that would add unnecessary paperwork and hurdles for people who receive Medicaid and SNAP because cruelty is the point.

• A bill that would purge voters from the rolls based on flawed data.

• A bill that would restrict mail-in voting.

• A bill that would allow County sheriffs to hold undocumented people in jails without a judicial warrant.

• A bill that would ban students who are graduates of Kansas high schools but are undocumented to receive in-state tuition.

Of all the holidays we wish we didn’t have to celebrate, this one is up there. Join people across the country as we say NO TO ICE. Bring your voices, your signs and your commitment to a peaceful protest.

Sat. April 11 | 3 - 4:30 p.m. | Core Civic ICE facility | 100 Highway Terrace, Leavenworth, KS 66048

Note: The facility is formally called the Midwest Regional Reception Center (MRRC). (You can’t make this stuff up.)

ICE is in our metro area every day taking people off the streets. Johnson County is hit particularly hard. We strongly encourage everyone to attend a Community Defense training to learn:

• How ICE is showing up in our community.

• How to legally and safely observe an ICE raid/kidnapping

• How to show up for our immigrant community, including getting involved in mutual aid.

• Ways to join a rapid response network

We have four trainings coming up:

• Tuesday, April 14 | 6:30 - 8 p.m. | Lenexa

• Saturday, April 11 | 1 - 2:30 p.m. | Westport

• Saturday, April 11 | 9:30 - 11 a.m. | Northland (Near Zona Rosa)

• Sunday, April 12 | 3 - 4:30 | Prairie Village

Sign up here! RSVP is mandatory.

➡️ Read this article (and every article in the Kansas City Defender) about Decarcerate KC’s efforts to pull together a coalition of 23 groups (including us) to protest the “World Cup Jail.”

The 100-bed jail on Front Street — across from a school — is set to open June 1, just over two weeks before Kansas City hosts its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

City officials say it’s a stopgap until a bigger jail is built but no plans are underway for that. In truth, the jail will provide a place for the City to sweep the streets clean of unhoused community members — and immigrants.

➡️ The Courier is one of the fastest growing independent news networks in the country and they have compiled everything you wish you didn’t need to read about the Epstein file cover up in a searchable database.

➡️ The Progressive Magazine has been publishing about peace and social justice since 1909. Check out their articles on the unique pressures immigrant women face in the food industry, and how black women continue to shape American democracy.

The Boots on the Ground calendar offers a curated list of action items in Kansas and the KCMO metro.

Please submit items for the calendar to: calendar@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org

First, thanks for being part of the resistance. We need every one of you!

We keep our work free because we want everyone to have access to information and resources aimed at preserving democracy and fighting authoritarianism.

You can support through Substack by opting for a paid subscription. Or, you can donate through ActBlue. Thank you so much!