Plan now to join the 24-hour economic blackout

 

If you’ve been able to engage with national news (it’s horrifying), you know we are engaged in a marathon, not a sprint. The Persisters are committed to find common ground with others in our community/state/nation/world and to join efforts to scrutinize and apply pressure on those who inflict harm. It is easy for them to break things; it is harder for us to fix what is broken and to take care of one another, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t, just that it will take time, creativity, and countless small and large actions. Fast moves and loud voices may grab headlines, but slow and steady must win in the end.

1. On Friday, February 28, everyone is invited to participate in a 24-hour nationwide economic blackout as a way to make our outrage known, especially given the way money has corrupted our democracy, most notably with unelected billionaires calling the shots at the federal level and corporations complying in advance with would-be despots. 

Here are the guidelines:

• Do not make any purchases, especially from Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy

• Do not shop online or in major retailers

• Do not spend money on fast food or gas

• Do not use credit or debit cards for non-essential purchases

• If absolutely necessary, only buy essentials such as food, medicine, emergency supplies, ideally from small, local businesses that DON’T belong to major chains 

• Spread the message, talk about it, post about it, and document it.

Start planning now–by Thursday, make sure you have gas in your car, groceries for the next few days, any packed lunches you might need on Friday, and some cash to avoid using credit/debit cards. So much of our daily life includes almost unconscious spending, so this may take some planning, and it may not be perfect. But if you can join the effort, this is a powerful way to make our outrage visible. 

2. Keep making calls if you can (or emails if you can’t) to legislators. The calls or visits usually don’t change anyone’s mind, but they increase the pressure–and they take up the staff members’ time, which if nothing else, slows their ability to destroy things and hurt people. If you haven’t signed up for Indivisible alerts, you might check those out at https://indivisible.org/ . They provide frequent ideas for action. Also, don’t forget that 5calls.org offers a menu of action items and phone numbers, so you can choose which call you wish to make.

Please also make time to take care of yourself. This is a long haul, and we need every one of you.