What can we do? Oh my goodness… there is always so much going on! The illegal war, the economy, more detention centers, a shooting, healthcare, and on and on and on. Once again, Action is the Antidote!
And so, here we go!
Friday, May 1, 2026
3 days away
We the People are many! We are May Day Strong!
Find a place to plug into that works for you!
Here are some options in addition to
No Work. No School. No Shopping.
Grand Rapids Three Bridges protest 4:30 - 6:00 pm
(Hall Street at US131, Fuller Avenue at I-196 or Veterans Memorial Bridge)
Meet up with a friend for coffee, start that lending library, walk with a friend in a local park and pick up the spring trash, call someone by name, encourage someone, and the list goes on and on and on.
Call - Call your representatives in government to stop ICE from building more detention centers in Michigan. Call your representative (Huizenga (202) 225-4401 or Scholten (202)225-3831), Senators (Peters (202) 224-6221, Slotkin (202) 224-4822), Governor Whitmer(517-373-3400) or use 5calls.org(This app will also show you your local Michigan state reps and phone numbers to call.)
Attend - Defend Democracy Book Club - Wed, April 29, 6:30-8:00 at Grandville library. We will be discussing the Book - On Tyranny. Register here
Sign - Go to mopupmichigan.org and join the movement to get money out of politics. We only have until May 20 to sign a petition and collect signatures! YOUR help is needed! This site has all the options for you. There are still thousands of names needed. Let’s do this!
Listen - In August we will need to decide which candidate will be on the ballot for one of our senators in DC. If you decide which candidate best matches your priorities you can start helping their campaign now. Listen here:Michigan Democratic Primary Senate Debate | Abdul El-Sayed, McMorrow, Stevens | Full Debate 04/24/26
Donate - Help Billboards Against Bill Huizenga be posted along the expressways in Congressional District 4. Help flip this seat in the midterms by letting the voters know about Huizenga’s unpopular and nonrepresentative votes for the people of Michigan. Find link here
Bridge Rally- Friday, April 24, 4:00-5:30, at Fuller over I-196. Bring your signs (or we always have extras)!
Protest against ICE action in Grand Rapids and around the state. Join us on Saturday, May 2, 3 - 4:00. Gerald R. Ford Airport and park at Wendy’s. This protest is every other Saturday.
Postcard and Popcorn Party - Wednesday, May 13, 1-3:00, Grandville library Register here We supply all materials, etc. However, donations are more than welcome!
West MI May Meeting - Tuesday, May 19, 4:30-6:00 pm Be there! Grandville library. Followed by Taco Tuesday at Lalo’s. Register here
West MI Virtual May Meeting - Thursday, May 21, 8:00 pm
Thank you John for spearheading this! Please let your friends who can’t attend our in person meeting know about this virtual recap. Register here
Follow - Check West MI Indivisible out on Instagram. Follow our new Instagram account at westmi_indivisible. We are all the way up to 14 followers. LOL We will be listing dates of our events and growing other topics also. Let’s grow! Join us HERE
Resistance Protest - Every Monday 12:00 noon - 1:00. At SW corner of 28th and East Beltline. Come and join in to help make change. Bring a sign, or if you don’t have one, there are always extras!
Coalition Corner - For Our Future MI is an organization committed to seeing real progressive change in Michigan. Ask Megan S. about current volunteer and educational opportunities or sign up for information here.
Neighbor 2 Neighbor - Hard to know which neighbors are like-minded near where you live? No problem! Sign in to Neighbor to Neighbor and you will be provided with a list of ten neighbors near your home who have voted blue in the recent elections. Introduce yourself or put a flyer in their newspaper box (not mailbox) about our events so they can join us! Great way to get to know more like-minded people in your neighborhood or near where you live. Registration for Neighbor to Neighbor and more information here. See some photos below of our own West MI member, Roger and friends, helping our neighbors in West MI!
NEWS UPDATE:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, [April 23], Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) introduced the Ban Warehouse Detention Act, which would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from establishing, operating, expanding, converting, or renovating any warehouse or similar building or structure for the purposes of detaining people. The bill would also prevent the administration from establishing any new immigrant detention models.
(Full story here. The bill is endorsed and supported by far too many organizations to list!)
You can get updates on the progress of this bill here and also know when to contact your people in Congress. Updates will also be provided in Substack.
As you may recall, Congresswoman Tlaib visited the detention center in Baldwin recently and found the conditions inhumane. A recent hunger strike at North Lake continues according to detainees, despite ICE officials denying that claim. If you are interested in reading more about the conditions and an update on the hunger strike, the center and reports from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, click here for an article on Axios. There are currently 1,410 detainees housed at North Lake. Many speak of being cold, an inability to get basic medical care or medication (Tylenol), unclean water, inadequate food, and food infested with bugs.
We completed our second successful West MI Response to ICE Training last week and now have 60 trained volunteers ready to go! Our plan is to officially launch with an area-wide phone number available in early May with volunteers ready to respond to calls for families affected by ICE. We also are working through our faith, business, and education communities. There will be additional trainings scheduled in the future, so keep your eye out on Mobilize and Substack for information.
Several of our families have become quite self-sufficient which is wonderful news and a tribute to their determination abilities. We are continuing to provide support to other families in the form of food, spring/summer clothing, and are helping one family move this week.
There are many good resources available to you if you would like to learn more:
Michigan Immigrant Rights Council MIRC
Immigrant Legal Resource Center ILRC
Witness At the Border Witness
ACLU ACLU
National Immigrant Justice Center NIJC
No Detention Centers in Michigan NDCinM
Southern Poverty Law Center SPLC
American Immigration Council AIC
Detained (2025) Esperanza
Separated, Inside an American Tragedy ( 2021) Soboroff
One Mighty and Irresistible Tide (2020) Yang
Dear America: Notes Of An Undocumented Citizen (2018) Vargas
One Long Night: A Global History on Concentration Camps (2017)
Pitzer
Some of these books are available in our new West MI lending library run by Deb (thank you!) while others can be found at the library or at Thrift Books.
If you are able to make a monetary donation, please see the Venmo information below. Ann is our designated person who has experience in this area, and along with Chris, ensures that all funds are used appropriately to support our families.
While we do utilize area food pantries and food banks, we need to shop weekly for fresh food and produce in order to provide healthy fruits, vegetables, and protein for our families. Your donations help us accomplish that. Thank you to all who have contributed!
The Michigan Democratic Party Convention - A progressive slate of candidates was elected at the largest MI Democratic party convention. Over 7,200 people attended. Here are the newly endorsed candidates:
Garlin Gilchrist for Secretary of State
Eli Savit for Attorney General
Megan Cavanagh and Noah Hood for Supreme Court
Judith Pritchett and Tiffany Tilley for State Board of Education
Kelly Tebay Zemke and Brianna Scott for Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Shereef Akeel and Richard Mack for Wayne State University Board of Governors
Paul Brown and Amir Makled for University of Michigan Board of Regents
Michigan Voter Information Center - Check here for any questions you have about voting in Michigan. Am I registered? How do I register? How do I absentee vote? Where do I vote? And any other question you might have!
Protect 2026 Elections - Sign up to help protect the right to vote before, during and after the 2026 election. You will receive strategic updates via email and text, training opportunities, and critical calls to action during key election protection moments in Michigan. Sign up here Protect Election
Local school boards - We are currently starting text groups for our area school boards. Please let us know if you are willing to gather the information and organize it according to school districts.
Area school board meeting dates: Grandville Schools, Byron Center Schools, Jenison Schools, Hudsonville Schools Please send any notes of interest to westmiindivisible@gmail.com
We are hoping to start a Whine and Dine monthly event. Our Coffee and Whine is very popular and people in our group have expressed interest in starting an event that is similar in format but in the evening. The book club is becoming a separate event that is more conducive to discussing the book of the month and will be held at the library. Please contact Jennie, Ann or westmiindivisible@gmail.com if you are interested in helping plan the group.
We are also looking for someone to represent West MI Indivisible at our monthly book club. This person would commit to attending monthly and informing the people who attend about our upcoming events. You will be given the information to share. Contact Jennie, Ann or westmiindivisible@gmail.com if you can help.
Can you help us gather information from our members and organize it according to school districts? We want to be organized for the midterm elections! Contact us at westmiindivisible@gmail.com
West MI Indivisible always welcomes volunteers! Big or small, your efforts make a difference. E-mail us at westmiindivisible@gmail.com to get involved or ask any questions.
Our Democracy needs us!
“By actively engaging in peaceful protests, raising awareness, and exercising our democratic rights, we can create meaningful change and ensure that oppressive forces do not thrive.”
- from BookKey, 30 Best On Tyranny quotes.
No AI is used in the writing or the design of this newsletter.
Thanks for reading West MI INDIVISIBLE!
Thanks for doing your part to save our democracy!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.