That's exactly what they want.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, the lead investigator into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, recently sat down for a rare interview. It’s fascinating, terrifying — and deeply inspiring. (Credit to Robert Hubbell for highlighting this.)

In the interview, Smith said any effort to scare him with threats of indictment was a “grave miscalculation.”

There is no way I'm going to be intimidated. -- Jack Smith, Special Counsel

Because that’s exactly what they want. It’s what they’ve always wanted. As Hubbell points out, from the suffragettes to the Civil War activists, people choosing not to be intimidated is the only way our country has ever made real change.

We see this courage every day. When people show up to our community hubs to plan pro-democracy actions. When they gather in Olathe on a holiday weekend to canvass over 1,000 apartments to protect our immigrant neighbors. When they stand at 75th and Metcalf every Saturday at 9 a.m. When they respond to ICE abductions and record agents. When they share voting information at the Overland Park Farmers Market or on the streetcar in KCMO.

That’s what it looks like to NOT be intimidated.

If you’ve been standing on the sidelines of the activist world, we get it. That first step is hard. But if you ever wanted to act, now is the time. We need everyone — truly, everyone — to help us change course.

Remember, dissent can be the most patriotic act of all.

Read on to learn:

🗳️Make your plan to vote

📮Got $15 to spare? We’re sending postcards!

🚨ICE is surging in KC. Get activated.

🍩 Donuts for democracy. Heck yes!

🎒 JoCo Mutual Aid is filling backpacks!

The clock is ticking down to August 4th. Our surest way to save democracy is to show up. That’s our job as Americans. But it’s not our only job. We have to commit to getting our friends and family to show up, too.

So, accept our challenge. Find five people this week and talk to them about creating a voting plan! Deadlines for registering and requesting mail-in ballots are fast approaching.

✅ Key voting dates: Kansas

• Register to vote by July 14, 2026 ⚠️

• Early/advance voting begins July 18, 2026

• Request mail ballot now - through July 28⚠️⚠️

• Primary Election Day August 4, 2026

✅ Key voting dates: Missouri

• Register to vote by July 8, 2026 ⚠️

• Early/absentee voting begins June 23, 2026 (6 weeks before election)

• “No excuse” in-person absentee July 21 – Aug. 3, 2026

• Primary Election Day: August 4, 2026

We’re cutting through the noise with handwritten postcards encouraging people to vote against the harmful amendments on the ballot in both Kansas and Missouri this August.

We bought the postcards. We’ve secured the volunteers. (Thank you!) But now we need stamps! We are a 100% volunteer-run group that puts 100% of all donations into our efforts. (Yes, we agitate for free.)

Your $15(ish) donation will pay for 25 stamps targeting unaffiliated voters who may be unaware of what’s on the ballot August 4th. (Not everyone doom scrolls like us.)

Thanks in advance for your support!

Donate to help purchase postage!

The boys had been at a soccer party, celebrating a successful season for the oldest brother, a middle-schooler. Their parents had to work, so family friends took them to the party, then dropped them back home. When they arrived, the house was empty.

Later, they learned both parents had been abducted by ICE while on their way to work. As is often the case, the parents were pulled over by ICE for “driving while brown.” (It’s a roll of the dice for the agents.) The mom, who is not a citizen but has all her legal paperwork, including a driver’s license, was eventually released with an ankle monitor. (More on that trend in a future newsletter.) No one can locate the father, who was in the process of securing citizenship. Calls to detention facilities show no record of him. Relatives in their home country haven’t heard from him.

That story is not an aberration. Abductions like that are happening multiple times a day in the Kansas City metro area. It’s critical we all educate ourselves on what’s happening. If you haven’t been to a free Community Defense Training, we strongly encourage you to do so. You’ll learn:

• How ICE operates in our community.

• The truth about being in the country undocumented.

• What you can do to protect your neighbors.

✅ Wed. July 15 | 6 p.m. | North Overland Park | Must RSVP for address

✅ If you have been to a training, but haven’t yet engaged — or, if you want to host a free community training — reach out. info@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org.

✅ Call your elected officials and let them know you oppose ICE terrorizing our community. It’s imperative they understand our outrage.

➡️➡️ Common Cause will give you contact info for all of your state and federal elected officials here. Just input your address.

JoCo Mutual Aid is joining forces with the amazing folks at Center of Grace in Olathe to fill backpacks for students heading back to school next month. Center of Grace offers no-barrier support to Olathe neighbors in need.

Drop off supplies and/or backpacks!

✅ Wed. July 8 | 5 - 7 p.m. | Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church | 9400 Pflumm | Lenexa

✅ Sun. July 19 | 10 - noon | First Lutheran Church | 6400 State Line | Mission Hills

➡️➡️ The Olathe student school supply list is here.

➡️➡️ Donate directly to the COG back-to-school fund here.

Join Boots on the Ground THIS Saturday to canvass for the Vote No initiative with Kansans United for Impartial Courts. We’ll meet for donuts and coffee, get trained and buddied up — then head out! Perfect action item for new or experienced canvassers.

✅ Sat. July 11 | 9:30 a.m. - noon | Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church | 9400 Pflumm | Lenexa

✅ OR, phone bank with KUIC to get the word out about why working Kansans need to VOTE NO. Training provided. Sign up here. Lots of scheduling options.

We’re getting out and meeting voters where they’re at: Buying rhubarb. Riding ferris wheels. Running errands. Volunteers receive training and information to hand out to voters about why and how to show up at the polls this August.

• Overland Park Farmer’s Market - Sign up here.

• Johnson County Fair - Sign up here.

• Questions? Email: meredith@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org

For Missouri Opportunities email: erin@bootsonthegroundmidwest.org

Join our friends at MailStorm KC for a postcard writing party complete with mimosas and pastries! You’ll meet a great group of people and make a difference as you write postcards to educate votes on the upcoming elections. 🥂🥂

REGISTER HERE

✅ Saturday, July 18 | 9:00 - 11:00 am | Hue Creative Studio | 7327 W. 79th St, Overland Park

Each month we host five Community Hubs in the KC area. Every meeting includes time to chat with like-minded friends, plus info about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. This month at the Kansas hubs, we’ll also be writing postcards to voters. Waldo: Stay tuned for info about our guest speaker. Attend whichever location works for you. Plus, coming soon: A midtown hub starting in August at the KC Oasis facility!

✅ Leawood | Monday, July 6 | 1:30 - 3:00 pm | REGISTER HERE

✅ NE JoCo | Wednesday, July 8 | 6:00 - 7:30 pm | REGISTER HERE

✅ Shawnee | Thursday, July 9 | 6:00 - 7:30 pm | REGISTER HERE

✅ Lenexa/Overland Park/Olathe | Thursday, July 9 | 6:00 - 7:30 pm | REGISTER HERE

✅ Waldo | Saturday, July 11 | 10:30 - 11:30 am | REGISTER HERE

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 here. Thank you so much!