Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

The Election We’ve Been Waiting for Starts in 22 Days!

In Michigan, ballots are mailed on September 24th to voters who have requested them. Approximately 1/3 of voters in the US vote by mail. If you are one of them, you can fill out your ballot the day you receive it and take it directly to a ballot drop box or your County or Township Clerk. (Find out all you need to know about whether you’re registered to vote, and where you can deliver your ballot HERE.

Over half of Marquette County voters vote early in some fashion (by mail, drop box or in person). The best way to defeat the Trump and GOP attempts to steal the election is to vote as early as you can and then focus on spreading the word about voting early to everyone you know.

We will know what is on our ballots in Michigan by Friday of this week, or very shortly after. The Michigan Supreme court will make final decisions on Friday of this week regarding the ballot initiatives that may (or may not) appear on our ballot. Again, the most reliable, up-to-date and accurate information about our ballots in Michigan will be at the Michigan Secretary of State website.

About the GOP & Trump Administration’s Craven Attempts to Steal and Subvert the Election:

This from Robert Hubbell’s Sept. 2nd article in his Substack newsletter, Today’s Edition: “The volume, complexity, and speed of developments make it very difficult to keep track of the latest news. But do you know who is keeping track? Marc Elias, through Democracy Docket. A quick scan of the Democracy Docket’s home page provides a good overview of the latest news. If you are anxious, worried, or curious about the details of the latest developments, there is no better resource than Democracy Docket.”

(Here is Bryan Tyler Cohen interviewing Marc Elias yesterday.)

Keep in mind three important things:

— Voter suppression and the attempts by Trump and the spineless GOP to steal the election are signs of how terrified they are about the mid-terms. They are fully aware of how deeply unpopular their policies and actions are, how highly motivated Democrats and Independents are, and that many former Republican adherents are deserting the MAGA ship in droves.

— MAGA voter suppression strategies are blunt instruments that often backfire against them. Although their assorted plans are designed to disproportionately hurt Democrats, they suppress the vote of Republicans and Independents, too.

— THIS IS OUR TIME! The surest way to nullify and defeat the unethical and illegal actions by Trump and his GOP sycophants is to turn out the vote in record numbers. We do this, as Robert Hubbell says, by each person making a plan, voting early, running through the tape, and helping others do the same.

Keep reading to find out how to do exactly that.

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd, 6 - 8 pm
Peter White Public Library’s Studio One (in the basement)

On the Agenda: GET OUT THE VOTE!

• A Pizza Party!

• Review, practice and role play GOTV actions (Neighbor2Neighbor and Deep Canvassing)

• Take to the streets and do some actual canvassing in Marquette!

Register here for the All-Member Meeting

Want to prepare for the All-Member meeting? Here are two optional but recommended actions you can take in advance:

1. Sign up for Indivisible’s Neighbor 2 Neighbor canvassing program:

A short video explaining N2N

You’ll receive a list of 10 neighbors near you, a short conversation guide, best practices for door knocking, and an optional printout to leave behind if no one's home. Then you simply knock on doors whenever it's convenient for you—no rigid schedules or complicated training required.

Click here to sign up for N2N

Please note: The N2N script needs to be updated. It currently focuses on voting for El-Sayed in the primary election. It should be updated soon to reflect the mid-term election. Feel free to try N2N at any time, and if you can, try also to attend the deep canvassing training, so you have more tools when talking to voters. You’ll be talking to your neighbors… speaking from your heart is best.

2. Register for LSRI’s Deep Canvassing Training!

Monday Sep. 21, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm EDT

This a local Indivisible virtual training event sponsored by
Lake Superior Region Indivisible. Join from anywhere!

WHAT IS DEEP CANVASSING? Maybe you’ve heard of “deep canvassing” before or perhaps it’s completely new to you. It’s a voter contact method that shifts people’s hearts and minds on an issue and/or candidate. It involves compassionate listening, personal story exchanges and crafting curious questions.

WHY DOES IT WORK? Research shows deep canvassing is 100 times more effective than traditional canvassing. (Yes, you read that right.) It has a measurable impact on long-term persuasion, reducing polarization and increasing empathy — because it meets people where they are, not where we wish they were. It’s a bridge to process people’s cognitive dissonance and connect new meaning to issues and/or candidates.

Click HERE to watch a short video that explains the value of Deep Canvassing. (Please note: At 5 minutes in, the SAVE act becomes the topic in the video. Our canvassing script will not focus on the SAVE act. It will focus on the mid-term elections and start with the voter’s thoughts about voting for Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate and downballot candidates).

Here is some more about Deep Canvassing from AOC a few years ago.

ABOUT OUR TRAINER: Jill Murphy is the M1-10 Regional Organizing Director with Michigan Families for Fair Care, where she works to hold Reps. John James and Tom Barrett accountable around the Republican Tax law. She has extensive experience training people throughout Michigan in deep canvassing and in a variety of rural advocacy efforts. Jill trained with the Deep Canvass Institute with The People’s Action and with the New Conversation Initiative. She leads these deep canvassing trainings in her personal time, and this training is hosted independently of her employer. She will help us create our canvassing script.

Click below to register for this event through Mobilize. You’ll receive Zoom sign-on information by email a week before the event.

Sign me up for Deep Canvassing Training!

Questions? Contact us at lsr-indivisible.org.

Click here for information about ongoing actions you can take from home to fight for our democracy!

It’s Official: Oct. 17th. Save the date for “No Kings: Vote Early.”

On October 17, it’s time to take the next step.

Put October 17th on your calendar and stay tuned to this newsletter for more details about what form this action will take in our area.

NMU Lecture Series: Getting Back to Basics and Beyond the Noise… Making Sense of Today’s Politics

Lecture #1: Thursday, Sept 10, 5:30-7 pm
Location: Jamrich Hall, NMU Campus, Rm#1320
Cost: $10* (See NMU’s Center For Lifelong Learning web page for more info, and a complete list of lectures in this series).

Lecture 1: Critical Race Theory Explained: Separating Fact from Fiction

Presenter: Dr. Carter Wilson, Head of NMU’s Political Science Department

Move past the headlines and join us for a clear, balanced look at Critical Race Theory. In this single lecture, Dr. Wilson will unpack the history, define the actual core concepts, and separate myth from fact. Whether you are completely new to the topic or looking for an objective, academic perspective made simple, this session is for you. No prior knowledge required - just bring your curiosity.

This is the first of four lectures sponsored by NCLL in conjunction with the Political Science Department of NMU. Other upcoming lectures are: “Reflections on the 250th Celebrations” “Democracy and Democratic Backsliding,” and “Economic Systems and Authoritarianism.”

More info and complete lecture series

Do You Love the Eben Ice Caves?

The caves, and the well-being of Rock River Township writ large, are currently being threatened.

On September 14, the Rock River Township Planning Commission is meeting to remove all zoning from the community. The underlying goal of those advocating for this is to build a property adjacent to the popular Eben ice caves. Located between Marquette and Munising, the Eben Ice Caves are one of Michigan’s prime winter attractions. Each winter, once the ice caves start to freeze up (usually sometime in December), visitors flock to Rock River Township to see the ice caves and, while they're out there, support local businesses in Chatham, Eben Junction and Rumely.

The caves are a big tourist draw, but are also adjacent to the Rock River Canyon Wilderness Area, a nationally designated wilderness area managed by the US Forest Service. (The Forest Service has a sustainable recreation strategy you can read at the above link.)

Some Context: A local family recently bought land adjacent to the Ice Caves and built a parking lot without permission, then got zoning permission applied retroactively. They then, on two occasions, tried to get zoning for a store at that location. The Rock River Township Board rejected it because it did not meet the zoning requirements. Then the family sued the Board, thinking the township wouldn’t go forward because of cost. However, the Board was able to secure funding to fight the lawsuit. At that point, the family circulated a petition to remove all zoning in Rock River Township and began building the store. That construction is apparently halted, for now. The family is on both the Township Commission and the Planning Commission. At the very least, this smells of self-dealing, corruption and blatant disregard for the public interest. Added to it are the risks to the environment and property rights of every resident in Rock River Township; should zoning be eliminated, the entire township would be wide-open and defenseless in the face of unregulated development.

Please attend the meeting Monday, 7 PM, Sept. 14th at the Rock River Township Hall, in Chatham.

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Join LSRI for a beverage and conversation!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
Thursday, 6 PM, September 10
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, 10 AM, September 3
(These are held on the first Thursday of each month)
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, August 30th (the last Sunday of EVERY month).
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Recommended Resources:

Click here for the latest episode

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse)
Marc Elias (Democracy Docket)
Norm Eisen (The Contrarian)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Let’s briefly go back in time…

Remember how you felt at the end of the day, November 5th, 2024, when the results of the presidential election became indisputably clear? (You’re probably thinking: “Yes, we all remember how we felt when we got THAT news. Thanks for the depressing reminder, LSRI…”)

There IS a point to recalling that memory, and it’s this:

NOW is the time we’ve been waiting for!

74 days remain until the mid-term elections. The primaries are behind us, and progressives are unifying behind a roster of candidates who will be instrumental in helping to rein in the fascism-friendly authoritarian regime we’ve been living with for nearly two years.

As important as it is to win majorities EVERYWHERE in the upcoming election, we can’t count on politicians to save our democracy by themselves. We’re all in this together. Grassroots efforts across the U.S. must, and will continue. Protests, phone calls, post cards, letters to the editor, overpass and highway messaging and dozens of other visible signs of resistance are all essential.

Clear your calendars. For the next 70+ days, Getting Out the Vote is Job Number One. LSRI has some ideas. Read on, stay tuned, and get involved.

Wednesday, August 26th, 6 - 8 pm
Peter White Public Library’s Shiras Room (second floor, upstairs)

On the Agenda:

• A brief introduction to Indivisible’s Neighbor2Neighbor program. Neighbor2Neighbor is Indivisible's innovative, relational door knocking program. It is the most impactful and easiest way to make a difference this election – by talking to your own neighbors. (See article below about how N2N’s strategy worked for an LSRI member in Marquette).

• Opportunities to sign up for N2N and other election-related actions.

• Screening of filmmaker Bobby Roth’s “Lightworkers.” (click here to watch the trailer). Lightworkers explores the power of individual action and collective responsibility through a mosaic of voices from across civic, cultural, and creative life. The film avoids partisan framing, instead focusing on shared human values and the role each person plays in sustaining democratic ideals.
  Mr. Roth has generously allowed us to screen the film at no charge for our LSRI meeting. The film has received widespread and enthusiastic praise nationwide, and we’re excited to bring it to you.

A Marquette LSRI Member’s Experience with the Neighbor 2 Neighbor Program:

“I attended the LSRI meeting on Wednesday, July 29th in which information was presented on the Neighbor2Neighbor program. I am not a salesman and do not like going door to door for any reason. However, I was inspired by Jenn and Ruby's role play demonstration.

Knowing how important this election cycle is, I decided to give it a shot and speak with people on my street about the upcoming primary election. I didn't use the N2N neighbor list or script. I did have printed copies of the ballot with me to distribute if people wanted them. Guess what? They did, so that was another helpful suggestion from LSRI.

I ended up having some great conversations with people, some I knew fairly well and others who had just moved to the neighborhood or that I don't usually encounter. One neighbor that I assumed was a Trump fan turned out to be very receptive and interested. Most of the people
I spoke with were very appreciative of the information. Only one of the people had already voted (in the primary election).

It didn't take much time, only 15 or 20 minutes on two evenings.

Thanks again for presenting useful tools and information we can use to strengthen democracy in our community.”

Important note: please come to the Wednesday LSRI All-Member Meeting at PWPL on August 26th. We’ll have more information on how we’re specifically tailoring N2N for our area.

The Cuts are Coming!

Click here for more information and what YOU can do about the second wave of disastrous budget cuts coming from the GOP’s One Big Ugly Bill. The second phase of the cuts are coming AFTER the mid-term elections. Of course. Trump and his GOP care-givers are complete cowards; they are fully aware how disastrous and unpopular these cuts will be. Help spread the news in advance of the elections so that MAGA pays heavily for their cruelty.

It’s Official: Oct. 17th. Save the date for “No Kings: Vote Early.”

On October 17, it’s time to take the next step.

Previous No Kings mobilizations showed our incredible collective strength, as millions of us protested in the streets against the Trump administration’s many abuses of power. They aren’t stopping, and neither are we. On October 17, we’re doing something different — a day of mass participation, focused on ensuring every eligible voter has a plan to vote early, knows their options, and is ready to make their voice count at the ballot box.

Tune in Thursday, Sept. 10, 8 - 9 PM, for the “No Kings: Vote Early” Kickoff Nationwide Call to learn more about the vision, urgency, and strategy behind the No Kings coalition’s early vote activation. Click Here to register for that Sept. 10 National Call.

Mail-in Voting begins in September, and In-Person Voting begins in October!

Keep the following dates in mind as you make a plan to vote:

Click here for more information on early voting in person and voting by absentee ballot. And be sure to check out Voter and Election information on the LSRI website.

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Sign up to be a Volunteer Poll Challenger!

Michigan needs certified Poll Challengers. We can help you get you started. What’s the difference between a Poll Watcher and a Poll Challenger? Good question! Click Here to find out. To become a Poll Challenger, send us an email at lsrindivisible@gmail.com.

…And then there are Election Inspectors (Poll Workers)! These are hired, paid, and trained local government workers who assist with running local elections in compliance with Michigan Election Law. Each county, city, and township in Michigan hires and pays election inspectors for the early voting period and on Election Day. Click here for more info.

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for a beverage and conversation!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 - 7 PM (September dates to be announced)
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, Sept. 3, 10 - 11 AM.
(These are held on the first Thursday of each month)
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, August 30th (the last Sunday of EVERY month).
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Recommended Resources:

Click here for the latest episode

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse)
Marc Elias (Democracy Docket)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

The primary is behind us. The work of the general election begins now. It’s time for all of us to come together!

Michigan’s August primary was hard fought by thousands of people who poured their hearts into supporting a strong slate of candidates. Did all of your favorites win? Neither did ours. That’s how it generally plays out.

This is all very normal. It’s democracy in action, part and parcel of what primaries are for and about. What’s also normal — sadly so — is the legacy media’s shop-worn pronouncements that progressives, liberals and the Democratic party are somehow in disarray. Really? On what planet? That couldn’t be further from the truth. A record number of Michigan voters showed up for a mid-term primary election.

Voter turnout for the August primary shattered all-time records. According to an unofficial count from the Secretary of State’s Office, 2,571,933 Michiganders voted in the 2026 primary. With less than 24 hours before the polls opened on Election Day, 1,214,251 Michigan voters had already cast their ballot for the August 2026 Primary Election – a turnout rate of 16.5% of the state’s active registered voters. At the close of the nine-day statewide early voting period Sunday, Aug. 2, a total of 138,680 voters had cast a ballot at an early voting site – an increase of 88.6% over 2024. The highest turnout day was Sunday, Aug. 2, with 24,218 ballots cast. (Click here to see the Marquette County election results.)

We are united and motivated in a way not seen in generations. Don’t be swayed or disillusioned by pundits who are paid to turn the upcoming election into a contest in which liberals, progressives and centrists are supposedly tearing their big tent apart, fighting for survival and dominance. Don’t buy into it.

Here is some wise advice from Ezra Levin, Indivisible national’s co-executive director:

“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.”

But here is something equally true: A Blue Wave is not a given. As historically unpopular as Trump and his MAGA Republicans are, we can’t count on them to defeat themselves. Mike Rogers, with millions of dollars funding him, is ready to go on offense as Michigan’s Republican candidate for the US Senate. So, too, is Jack Bergman, and others in Michigan — you know who they are). They will enthusiastically dismantle everything we have fought to protect, and side with Donald Trump’s MAGA regime at every turn.

Yes, progressives won in an impressive string of victories, and are doing so across the country. Let’s take a moment to savor them. We’re on the way to a big win in November, but only if we all continue to work hard. This newsletter (and those to come) will offer you plenty of ways to get involved.

Hard to believe: In a little over 6 weeks, mail-in voting begins for the November election!

Mark your calendar, and keep the following dates in mind as you make a plan to vote:

Click here for more information on early voting in person and voting by absentee ballot. And be sure to check out Voter and Election information on the LSRI website.

Sign up to be a Volunteer Poll Challenger!

Michigan needs certified Poll Challengers. We can help you get you started. What’s the difference between a Poll Watcher and a Poll Challenger? Good question! Click Here to find out. To become a Poll Challenger, send us an email at lsrindivisible@gmail.com.

…And then there are Election Inspectors (Poll Workers)! These are hired, paid, and trained local government workers who assist with running local elections in compliance with Michigan Election Law. Each county, city, and township in Michigan hires and pays election inspectors for the early voting period and on Election Day. Click here for more info.

Is texting is your thing? Get active with the Michigan Freedom Coalition and their partner organizations!

The Michigan Freedom Coalition sponsors virtual text banks every Tuesday from 6-8 PM (and training, if needed) using Impactive/ActBlue Field Tools. It’s a texting app that lets you seamlessly and efficiently reach out to everyone in your phone… friends, family, coworkers, and help you have honest conversations about why YOU care about the next election, why THEY should too, and what we can all do to protect our democracy.

Sign up here for more information.

Join Indivisible National’s Midterm Election Protection Program

In 2026, Indivisible national is building our strongest election protection program ever, in all 50 states. We’re going to bring Indivisible’s grassroots organizing force out to ensure that whatever tricks Republicans use to hold onto power, we’ll be ready.

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 (8 pm Eastern Time). 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. (If you’re ready to dive into election protection work right now, check out our toolkit for actns you and your community can take today.

6 PM, Wednesday, Aug. 26 - Studio One Room in the Peter White Public Library Basement

Join us for some fun social time, along with updates on election protection and GOTV (Get Out the Vote) activities.

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
Thursday, August 13, 6 - 7 PM
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, Sept. 3, 10 - 11 AM.
(These are held on the first Thursday of each month)
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, August 30th (the last Sunday of EVERY month).
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Recommended Resources:

Click here for the latest episode: How to Build a Pro-Democracy Media Diet (plus Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan!)

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse)
Marc Elias (Democracy Docket)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Lately, there has been a lot of panicky chatter and doom-soaked media attention focused on Trump’s obsession with the mid-term elections, and his non-stop efforts to interfere with them before, during, and after election day in November. Trump’s incessant appeals to pass the SAVE act, his fear-mongering about immigrants voting illegally and his branding of anyone to the left of MAGA as a communist would be hilarious if we lived in saner times.

Indeed, we must be concerned with and fight back against these threats. Yes, the MAGA regime is doing all it can to sow disinformation and propaganda and to actively interfere with the elections in November… But that’s no excuse for us to surrender in advance. Don’t believe everything you read — and that even applies to people and media you’ve come to trust. Double-check your sources, especially if they are leaning heavily on the panic button. (A few of our recommended sources are listed at the end of every newsletter).

The antidote to anxiety is action. Organized resistance to the MAGA election threats is rising to meet the challenge locally, state-wide and nationally. Tonight, at the Lake Superior Region Indivisible meeting at Peter White Library, we’ll be presenting actions you can take right here, where we live, to insure free and fair primary elections and elections in November. (Scroll down for more info about tonight’s meeting).

What you can do: Help amplify accurate information when talking with friends and neighbors and on social media.

Michigan voters can cast their ballots in person before the August 4 Primary Election! Statewide in-person early voting began on Saturday, July 25 and runs through Sunday, August 2. Michigan voters can find early voting location and hours at mi.gov/vote.

Here are a few suggestions to guide your conversations, letters to the editor and social media posts:

• Do NOT amplify whatever lies Trump or MAGA supporters spout, even to dispute them — that only helps MAGA further sow doubt and distrust about our elections.

• DO broadcast accurate information about early voting.

• DO share content about trust in our election workers and election systems.

Additional Talking Points and Messaging:

• Michigan has taken huge steps forward to modernize our elections and improve access to the ballot box for all eligible voters across the state, which includes early voting.

• We are sick and tired of watching President Trump and his administration use long-debunked conspiracy theories or make up new ones to undermine voter confidence in our elections.

• Michigan’s election officials work hard to execute each step of the checks and balances in our election system to ensure that every voter can cast their ballot and every vote is counted.

• Lies about our elections coming from the Trump administration have become the norm, but Michigan voters know our hard-working, local election officials run secure, accessible elections.

• Local election workers and election officials run our elections. Not the federal government.

In closing, this from Robert Hubbell (from a recent “Today’s Edition” Substack newsletter):

“It’s going to be a long haul between now and November. We will be buffeted by disinformation, misinformation, incompetence, ignorance, and alarmist self-promotion. We need to steel ourselves and refuse to accept every invitation to panic and surrender.

We are not potted plants. We are not helpless. We have agency. And we can refuse to follow anyone who tries to scare us by failing to tell us the whole story about the risks we face. Those risks are real, but that is not an excuse to distort, misrepresent, or exaggerate them. In addition, we should ignore anyone who writes about risks without addressing how we can mitigate them. We have all the “issue spotters” we need. We need leaders, organizers, and problem-solvers—like you!”

Armchair Action for this week: Yoopers for Affordable Housing!

WHAT:

Complete the Michigan Statewide Housing Survey (takes about 10 minutes)

WHY:

Home prices, rental concerns, homelessness, and construction snafus have skyrocketed for the past few years nationally, and now are encroaching on the UP, especially Marquette and the surrounding area. This survey asks about housing experiences, challenges, and priorities. The results will be used to develop the next Statewide Housing Plan (SHP 2.0) which will guide statewide housing strategy and policy development. The more UP voices shared, the more likely SHP 2.0 will represent the wants and needs of everyone that lives, works, or does business in the UP.

How:

Click here to take the Michigan Statewide Housing Survey.

To learn more about the Michigan Statewide Housing Plans:

Statewide Housing Plan 1.0: Michigan took a historic step forward in June 2022 when it released its first-ever Statewide Housing Plan, a bold response to the state’s affordable housing crisis. The Plan laid out eight priorities and 37 goals, serving as a clear call-to-action for MSHDA and housing partners across the state. To help put the Plan into action, MSHDA established 15 Regional Housing Partnerships to develop regional action plans and advance strategies tailored to local needs and priorities.

Proposed Statewide Housing Plan 2.0: MSHDA is developing the next iteration of Michigan’s Statewide Housing Plan, known as SHP 2.0. Building on a strong housing ecosystem that includes 15 Regional Housing Partnerships and a successful inaugural plan, SHP 2.0 will guide statewide housing strategy and policy development.

6 PM, Wednesday, July 29 - Peter White Library Community Room

On the agenda:

1. We will present information on LSRI’s “Eyes and Ears on the Election,” and how you can help defend the right to vote right here in the UP. If you haven’t already done so, check out the invaluable elections information and tools available on the LSRI website:
   - Election Protection
   - Primary Candidate Information
   - Voting Information (Make your voting plan!)

2. Joining us will be Ashley Perry, Indivisible National’s Battleground Associate for Michigan. Ashley, who will be joining us on Zoom, will present information on Indivisible’s Neighbor2Neighbor canvassing program. Click here to watch a 1-minute video explaining N2N. If you’re interested in joining, sign up for Neighbor2Neighbor here. Or you can wait to find out more at the meeting.

3. Sign up to be a Poll Challenger! Michigan needs certified Poll Challengers. We can help you get you started at this meeting.

Please RSVP below via Mobilize to attend this meeting. (Registration isn’t required, but it helps the organizers better plan the event). Please consider asking your friends, colleagues, and family members to come with you.

Yes, I'll be there on July 29th!

Can’t make it to the LSRI meeting tonight? Stay tuned to this newsletter for updates, and sign up to watch this livestream event tomorrow evening (Thursday, July 30th) to find out what Indivisible National is doing to protect our right to vote:

Join Indivisible National’s Hands Off Our Vote kickoff call THIS Thursday, July 30 for the national launch of our campaign to protect every single vote from Trump’s election subversion (8pm ET/5pm PT). Don’t wait until October to get into election protection formation! Our work starts NOW to build the foundation for an unshakeable movement equipped to defend voting rights and mobilize in rapid response moments if and when Republicans try to undermine free and fair elections. No matter where you live, you can help ensure every vote is counted this November.

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
Thursday, August 13, 6 - 7 PM
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, August 6th, 10 - 11 AM
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month.
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse)
Marc Elias (Democracy Docket)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Armchair Action, Week of July 19th:

This week Congress will hold two separate votes to enact parts of Trump’s voter suppression bill, the SAVE Act.

WHAT:

Call or email Senators Slotkin & Peters and Representative Bergman. We’re asking you to make six contacts: two separate calls or two separate emails to each senator or representative. Yes, it’s that important. Each communication needs to be separate in order to be correctly tallied.

WHY:

Trump and the Republicans are attempting to sneak in components of the SAVE Act wherever they can.

• Action #1: Once again Republicans are using budget reconciliation to sneak through parts of their democracy-destroying agenda. The proposed budget package funds parts of the SAVE Act and allocates more funds to the unauthorized, chaotic war in Iran. It does this without opening the floor to a debate on either. A floor vote is expected this week. Call your representatives and tell them to oppose Budget Reconciliation 3.0

• Action #2: House Republicans have amended H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, to include H.R. 9368, the Voter ID Act, a bill that mirrors the restrictive voter ID provisions from the SAVE Act. This partisan legislation uses the guise of much-needed ethics reform to sneak through an unpopular and unrelated attack on voting rights. Tell your representative to oppose H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, and demand a stronger ban on congressional stock trading.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your representatives NOW. Below are two suggested scripts from the Five Calls app:

• Slotkin 202-224-4822 https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/contact/contact-senator-slotkin

• Peters 202-224-6221 https://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary/

• Bergman 202-225-4735 https://bergman.house.gov/contact/

IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

Here are sample scripts for each action:

Script For Action #1

Hi, my name is [_________] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to oppose the Budget Reconciliation 3.0 legislation. This partisan spending package funds an illegal war and voter suppression while doing nothing to improve the lives of Americans.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Script For Action #2:

Hi, my name is [___________] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to oppose H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act.

This bill is a weak attempt at banning congressional stock trading and includes restrictive voter ID language aimed at suppressing our voting rights.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Make plans to join us at 6 PM, Wednesday, July 29, at Peter White Library for the next All-Member Meeting in the Community Room. On the agenda:

1. We will present information on LSRI’s “Eyes and Ears on the Election,” and how you can help defend the right to vote right here in the UP. If you haven’t already done so, check out the invaluable elections information and tools available on the LSRI website:
   - Election Protection
   - Primary Candidate Information
   - Voting Information (Make your voting plan!)

2. Joining us will be Ashley Perry, Indivisible National’s Battleground Associate for Michigan. Ashley, who will be joining us on Zoom, will present information on Indivisible’s Neighbor2Neighbor canvassing program. Click here to watch a 1-minute video explaining N2N. If you’re interested in joining, sign up for Neighbor2Neighbor here. Or you can wait to find out more at the meeting.

3. Sign up to be a Poll Challenger! Michigan needs certified Poll Challengers. We can help you get you started at this meeting.

Please RSVP below via Mobilize to attend this meeting. (Registration isn’t required, but it helps the organizers better plan the event). Please consider asking your friends, colleagues, and family members to come with you.

Yes, I'll be there on July 29th!

It’s no secret: People power is what wins elections… People working together strategically. In person. Locally. Working with and talking to friends, neighbors and fellow community members. If you’re interested in ensuring your local elections are supported and secure, there are a variety of ways to get involved:

• Become an Election Inspector (i.e.: a Poll Worker). This is a paid, not a volunteer position. Michigan needs more election inspectors for the early voting period and Election Day. Click here for more info.

• Volunteer as a Poll Watcher, an uncertified observer at polling places (must remain in designated public-only spaces).

• Even better, become certified to become a volunteer Election Challenger. Click here to read the manual explaining the rights and duties of poll watchers and election challengers and how they differ.

Join us at the July 29th All-Member Meeting, or Email Lake Superior Region Indivisible at lsrindivisible@gmail.com. We’ll answer your questions and help you begin the process of becoming a certified Poll Challenger. When writing us, please put “Poll Challenger” in your email’s subject line.

Environmental Guidelines for Public Event Cancellations

Recent wildfire smoke and shockingly high temperatures/heat indexes in the UP caught us all by surprise. Mercifully, the smoke has cleared, and the temps have dropped, but let’s be real about our new “normal”: The wildfires are still burning in Canada, and all it will take is a shift in our dominant wind patterns to bring the smoke back to Michigan. Experts in Canada predict that the fires will only be fully extinguished by the upcoming winter snowfall. And as for the wildly escalating temperatures we’ve experienced, climate scientists have been warning about them for decades.

In response, we bring you the following from Safety Team Leader Barb Coleman. Please read what she has to say. LSRI concurs with her, fully supports the health safety guidelines she proposes, and we are implementing them immediately.

“As a Health Educator and Safety Team Leader and human being, I need to address the following issue: Recent environmental conditions have occasionally made it unsafe for our protestors. Actually, a BIGGER issue is the safety of ALL humans and the reasons for these serious health hazards. Let’s be upfront about the cause.

Climate change is real. We need to keep fighting for acceptance of that fact and adoption of mitigation measures immediately. Those measures were being pursued until the current administration went down the rabbit hole. They are still being pursued by many organizations and individuals and we need to support them and sane policies that recognize the urgent need. We can do that with our voices, our pens, our money and our votes.

Regarding the actions we take regarding our in-person protests, I STRONGLY urge that we follow the science that defines risk to human health and take appropriate actions. In doing so we not only protect people but we publicly demonstrate our commitment to the the health and safety of our fellow humans. It is a point of public education and a wise means of protest to show that we know that.

Recently, locally, we have seen how ambiguity causes uncertainty, frustration, health consequences and anger when standards aren’t set to make decisions in a timely manner when decisions need to be made.

In light of all of that, I recommend the following as the cancellation standards for outside protest events:
- An AQI (Air Quality Index) standard over 100.
- A Heat Index over 90. The Heat Index is how hot it feels when relative humidity is factored into the air temperature. It is not just ambient air temperature.

What Heat Index Is Dangerous: Key Thresholds to Know (from scienceinsights.org)

Humidity’s Role: High humidity reduces sweat evaporation, impairing the body’s cooling system. For example, 95°F with 80% humidity can feel like 127°F, far more dangerous than 105°F with 20% humidity (~97°F)

Direct Sun Exposure: In full sunshine, the actual “feels-like” temperature can be up to 15°F higher than the heat index for shady, light-wind conditions. This can push “Extreme Caution” into “Danger” without the forecast number changing. (See scienceinsights.org for the full article excerpted here.)

About N95 masks: Yes, they CAN provide protection but ONLY if worn correctly sealed around the face, something that is OFTEN neglected by users. Another frequently violated recommendation is that they are meant to be single use, that is, only used once. Their effectiveness diminishes with additional uses and can actually become hazardous if contaminated by moisture and handling. It is not OK to just “wear a mask” and ignore AQI index.

I also note that of the MANY seniors in our groups, some have health issues that put them at higher risk when exposed to environmental threats. A sizeable number of these folks have been illustrating very wise decisions to NOT attend protests when conditions put them at elevated risk of health damage. I know we all want to be “OUT THERE”, and we should always take necessary precautions even when it is environmentally “OK” to do so. We need, however, to look out for our people, and ALL people.

I sincerely believe that there are times to step back, use other means of protest when necessary and wise to do so, be creative about it and keep up the good fight! I encourage the leadership of all of our groups to establish clear standards for cancellation of events.”

As noted above, LSRI is in full agreement, and is implementing Barb’s suggested guidelines.

LSRI Film Series in the Works:

LSRI is planning a film series, most likely starting in early fall. Here’s another film we’re planning on showing:

“Democracy Under Siege”

“Democracy Under Siege” is a documentary by Laura Nix. In the film, acclaimed editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes offers a razor sharp critique of American political hypocrisy. Can the nation preserve its democratic ideals, or will it fall prey to an authoritarian takeover?
Featuring: Heather Cox Richardson, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and many others.

Ann Telnaes has won the Pulitzer Prize twice for her editorial cartoons in 2001 and 2025. She was awarded the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2016 and the international EWK Award, named after the legendary Swedish cartoonist Ewert Karlsson, in 2021. Ann was also awarded the Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning in 2023. After working for The Washington Post for over sixteen years, Telnaes resigned after a cartoon she submitted was rejected because it criticized billionaire tech and media executives, including Jeff Bezos, for trying to curry favor with President Trump.

You can rent “Democracy Under Siege” and watch it now on Kinema (a worldwide screening service) at your convenience (click here for info), or watch the film at a special free virtual screening at 7pm on Thursday, July 30 (details here). Or better yet, wait to watch it with friends later this fall at our special screening (date and time to be determined).

We want to know what films you’ve seen that you recommend for the LSRI film series we’re planning. Send your suggestions to us at lsrindivisible@gmail.com, and put “Film Series” in the subject line. Thanks!

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
Thursday, August 13, 6 - 7 PM
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, August 6th, 10 - 11 AM
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month.
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

We hope you’re staying safe as the air quality plunges today and tomorrow in the U.P. (and in most of lower Michigan).

The air is dangerous to breathe for children, the elderly and other vulnerable people, and ash from the Canadian and Minnesota wildfires has been falling in our area. The smoke from these wildfires, almost certainly fueled by our rapidly heating planet, perfectly symbolizes what a perilous time this in America, and the world at large.

Trump has given up on any attempt to end the war in Iran peacefully, honorably or with any acknowledgement of reality, and appears instead to be turning his full attention to:

• Turning the clock back to the Jim and Juan Crow era and making Stephen Miller’s dream of a white-only MAGA America a reality. Two new outrageous killings by ICE, along with the continued round-up of US residents of color and detaining them, without due process, in American concentration camps, remind us of this on a daily basis. (Click here to register for the “Justice for Lorenzo & Johan: Day of Action & Accountability Movement Call” tonight at 8pm ET).

• Discrediting the 2020 elections and laying the groundwork for an all-out assault on the 2026 elections. In a prime-time speech from the White House scheduled for Thursday evening, we are told by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Julian E. Barnes that, in his speech, Trump will focus on eroding trust in US elections. From the New York Times, July 14:

President Trump said on Tuesday that he would discuss election security and voting machines during an address to the country Thursday night, a potential escalation in his efforts to suggest that U.S. election results cannot be trusted.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly described U.S. voting systems as corrupt and vulnerable, despite the fact that he won two presidential elections. On Tuesday, he claimed without specifics that he would share “really, really big news.”

“Our country has to shape up,” Mr. Trump said, calling it a “big announcement.”

“It doesn’t get bigger,” he added, “because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.”

This is a frightening, if not unexpected, development, but now is not a time to panic, nor to surrender in advance. These are the actions of an increasingly desperate, corrupt and chaotic criminal regime realizing that the only chance it has to stay in power is by discrediting the upcoming election. We should not be surprised, nor should we underestimate the dangers ahead.

The good news: there is a lot we can all do, here, right here, where we live, to safeguard our democracy!

Help Protect Voting in Michigan: Become a Poll Challenger!

If you’re interested in ensuring your local elections are supported and secure, there are a variety of ways to get involved:

• Become an Election Inspector (i.e.: a Poll Worker). This is a paid, not a volunteer position. Michigan needs more election inspectors for the early voting period and Election Day. Click here for more info.

• Volunteer as a Poll Watcher, an uncertified observer at polling places (must remain in designated public-only spaces).

• Even better, become certified to become a volunteer Election Challenger. Click here to read the manual explaining the rights and duties of poll watchers and election challengers and how they differ.

Here’s how: Email Lake Superior Region Indivisible at lsrindivisible@gmail.com.

We’ll answer your questions and help you begin the process of becoming a certified Poll Challenger. When writing us, please put “Poll Challenger” in your email’s subject line.

Click on the following for: Election Protection Information, Candidate Information, and General Voting Information for Michigan and our area.

Have you already cast your absentee ballot, but need to change how you voted? Yes, you can do that! (You need to “spoil” your ballot… Yes, it’s a weird term for it, but it’s what you need to do. Go to this page on the LSRI website for more information.)

Public Voting Machine Testing: Voting Security and Transparency in Action! Click HERE for a list of all the scheduled public voting machine testing in Marquette County.

Make plans to join us at 6 PM, Wednesday, July 29, at Peter White Library for the next All-Member gathering in the Community Room.

On the agenda: “Eyes and Ears” on the Elections!

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MEETING. Please consider asking trusted friends, colleagues, and family members to come with you. We will briefly review the new election resources on the LSRI website, talk about voting in Michigan, provide info about how to sign up to work at the polls, and start recruiting area people to be “Eyes and Ears” on the elections! RSVP below via Mobilize to attend (registration isn’t required, but it helps the organizers better plan the event).

Yes, I'll be there on July 29th!

Crypto Could Unleash Economic Chaos

What:

National Indivisible’s Urgent Directive: Contact Senators Slotkin and Peters and demand that they vote NO on the CLARITY Act!

Why:

Remember the 2008 financial crash caused by loosely regulated lending practices? Unregulated cryptocurrency can unleash the same kind of widespread financial destruction and chaos. In July 2025, US Senator Elissa Slotkin voted for the GENIUS Act which officially brought cryptocurrency into the traditional financial system. The CLARITY Act is the next dangerous step as Congress gambles away our financial stability just to appease crypto-billionaires. The House has already passed it, and the Senate will vote within the next two weeks. They only need 7 Democratic votes in support of it.

For more information on cryptocurrency and the GENIUS Act, read Paul Krugman’s excellent Substack essay from May, 2025, “Time to Call Crypto What it is: A Criminal Enterprise” and “Getting Ready to Party Like it’s 2008” from November 2025. Krugman is a Nobel Prize-winning economist very much worth following. He clearly explains, in layperson’s terms, the convoluted and complicated world of finance, banking and the perils we are all facing as Republicans continue to dismantle one economic safeguard after another.

How: Here’s Your Script:

“Hi, my name is _________, and I’m a constituent from [Your City/Town, State].

I’m alarmed that Trump is using cryptocurrency to let billionaires, big tech, and foreign governments bribe him personally. Democrats should not be considering or supporting any crypto bills that wouldn’t do anything to stop Trump’s crypto corruption.

I’m asking you to oppose the CLARITY Act when it comes up for a vote. I expect you to oppose this legislation and the dangerous corruption it represents.

Thank you.”

Six years after the passing of Congressman John Lewis, the fight for voting rights continues with “Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action (GTLO).”

Why Now?

We’re witnessing a Jim-Crow era effort from politicians and their billionaire friends to restrict our freedoms and silence Black and Brown communities to consolidate their power.

This past year, politicians in Congress and in state legislatures have pushed anti-voter bills, and following the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, state legislatures across the South are forcing through racist maps designed to stifle Black and Brown voting power, because they know, our country is strongest when voters show up, speak out, and exercise our power.

In the spirit of Congressman John Lewis, we must teach the public about what is happening, then reach out to our community members and preach about our movement across religions.

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Saturday, July 18:

This Saturday, let’s pay a special tribute to the legacy of John Lewis and help carry the torch of the civil rights movement. Join your fellow activists, friends and community members at the Marquette Post Office during the weekly Citizens for Peace and Justice Vigil.

John Lewis Quotes:

• “Your vote is precious… It is the most powerful, non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”

• “Get in Trouble. Good Trouble. Necessary Trouble.”

• “Be bold, brave, and courageous and find a way… to get in the way.””

• A democracy can’t thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few.”

• “Peace cannot exist where justice is not served.”

Make a “Good Trouble” sign or poster of your own and bring it to the Marquette Post Office Saturday, July 18th!

We’re looking for a few good movie buffs!

LSRI is planning to start a film series, most likely starting in early fall. One of the first films we’ll be screening will be “Lightworkers,” a documentary by filmmaker Bobby Roth (venue and showing time to be announced as they develop!). In the film, Roth interviews thirty-seven diverse men and women who discuss the problem of saving their democracy from fascism.

We want to know what films you’ve seen that you recommend for the LSRI family of activists, friends and concerned community members.

Send your suggestions to us at lsrindivisible@gmail.com, and put “Film Series” in the subject line. Thanks!

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
1 PM, Wednesday, July 15
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Next dates coming soon!
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month.
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• Michigan Secretary of State

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Pop quiz: What industry has poured the most corporate money into 2026 elections thus far?

1. Oil

2. Defense

3. Pool contractors

4. Cryptocurrency

The answer is cryptocurrency. And it’s not even all that close.

After emerging as a major political spender in 2024, the industry accounts for about ⅓ of all corporate spending this election cycle. Trump and his allies have been major beneficiaries of this industry’s largesse, and Trump has personally profited from his own corrupt crypto schemes to the tune of $1.4 billion since returning to office.

All that money is distorting our politics and the truth is, most Americans don’t know very much about the crypto industry, or its influence on our elections. We’re hoping to change that.

On this week’s What’s the Plan, Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg will be joined by actor and activist Ben McKenzie for an in-depth conversation on crypto corruption and how progressives should address it. McKenzie is the director of the anti-crypto documentary “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money.”

Watch Interview Live at 3 PM Thursday

Watch later on YouTube

Or listen to the Podcast!

Early Voting in Michigan is Underway!

Click on the following for: Election Protection Information, Candidate Information, and General Voting Information for Michigan and our area.

If you’re interested in ensuring your local elections are supported and secure, there are a variety of ways to get involved. You can become a poll worker, a poll watcher, or an election challenger. (Click here to find out what poll watchers and election challengers do, and how they are different). To become involved, visit Promote the Vote and find out how you can help monitor the election process at an early voting site, polling place, absentee voter counting board, or county canvass. Your involvement will help ensure that all eligible voters can cast a ballot and the post-election canvass proceeds smoothly.

Make plans to join us at 6 PM, Wednesday, July 29, at Peter White Library for the next All-Member meeting in the Community Room.

On the agenda: “Eyes and Ears” on the Elections!

We will briefly review the new election resources on the LSRI website, talk about voting in Michigan, provide info about how to sign up to work at the polls, and start recruiting people to be “Eyes and Ears” on the elections!

The Armchair Action crew is taking a July 4th break, but there are plenty of actions you can take this week! Visit the LSRI Armchair Actions page by clicking here to find one that’s right for you.

July 4th Parade

An energized crew of LSRI and Yoopers Unite members accompanied our float, sang, chanted, and handed out 2,000 pocket-sized US Constitutions and LSRI business cards to the people lining Washington Street in Marquette this past Saturday. The weather was beautiful, and the crowd (estimated at 6,000 people) responded with warmth to our messages promoting democracy, justice, equality, the rule of law, and in the true spirit of the holiday, No Kings!

Kudos to Chrys Hendrick, our event organizer, musician Dan Truckey, MC and chant leader Gretchen Preston and ALL the volunteers and marchers who helped make this visibility event a huge success!

Some short videos from the parade:

Have you been thinking about making a donation to LSRI, and wondering when the best time for that would be?

The answer: THIS AUGUST!

From August 1 through August 31, all of the funds LSRI raises through Indivisible’s distributed fundraising program (donations made through ActBlue) will be matched, dollar for dollar by Indivisible national, up to a maximum of $300 for our group!

Additionally, because we are located in Michigan, a battleground state, LSRI can unlock a “battlegrounds match” of an additional $300 if we raise the initial $300 during the match period.

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, July 9
1 PM, Wednesday, July 15
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Next date coming soon!
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month.
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• MyBallotMyPower.org - Use this website to view your ballot and pick your candidates of choice so you’re prepared in the ballot box.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Or visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org
PO 191 Marquette MI 49855

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Democracy only works when everyday people organize, show up, stand up for their values and hold those in power accountable.

Marching in a 4th of July parade is one way we fight for our democracy. Indivisible members show up and do stuff together. We speak with our neighbors. We advocate for the issues that unite us. We work to elect new leaders. We try out new tactics. We draw attention to the progressive movement that is growing in numbers every day, and by doing so, force the political and economic systems that influence our lives to listen and change. We call this organizing, and it’s how we build and wield power together. Help us demonstrate our values and people-power to the roughly 6,000 attendees who show up for the annual Marquette July 4th parade.

Yes, I'll March on July 4th!

The official parade theme for this year is “One Nation, Indivisible - Celebrating 250 Years.”

We could use YOUR help preparing for and participating in the parade, specifically:

• Decorating the float on Friday afternoon, July 3.

• Marching with the LSRI/YU float at 2 PM Saturday. We will be carrying flags, banners, singing, chanting, and handing out complimentary copies of the US Constitution. (We have 2,000 pocket-sized commemorative US Constitutions to hand out to parade attendees along the route, and we could use your help with that!)

On the float will be local musician Dan Truckey. Gretchen Preston will lead chants, and act as our MC. Want to help with decorations and float prep? Contact us at lsrindivisible@gmail.com for more info.

Please join us on Saturday! And as we prepare for the Fourth of July parade, here are some safety issues to consider:

Being an election year, this will be a very political July 4th holiday. Several candidates running for office will be in attendance. Partisan passions may be running high. In light of that, please do your best to respect our shared values of de-escalation, peaceful behavior and not engaging in conflict. Non-violence is foundational to our movement. Please DO NOT RESPOND to people who disagree with our values!

Unlike other LSRI and Yoopers Unite events, our Safety Team members will not be present in orange vests at the parade — many of them will actually be marching with the float or cheering from the sidewalks. The City of Marquette and the parade sponsors always provide ample and excellent security.

Here’s our suggestion: LSRI and Yoopers Unite members can all be additional eyes and ears for the Parade safety teams, keeping a lookout for situations that might endanger others. Things to watch for: someone falling off a float (it’s happened before!), children running too near vehicles getting candy, or an argument between parade attendees escalating or becoming physical. Also, the parade route is long and people sometimes underestimate the effects of heat and/or a lengthy walk, so be on the lookout for anyone who appears to be faltering. Make sure you wear sunscreen, carry or have available water and be realistic about the walk. No one is required to walk the whole route!

There may be opportunities to de-escalate situations by reminding people not to engage in heated arguments (this includes reminding fellow LSRI members and our friends to do the same). The people marching behind and riding on the float last year did an excellent job of responding to a few negative shouts from the audience by simply chanting “USA!” or singing pro-democracy songs…Not engaging, just celebrating the INDIVISIBLE theme of the parade!

Early Voting in Michigan is Underway!

The LSRI Elections team has done an extraordinary job assembling valuable and actionable voting and election information on the LSRI website (www.lsr-indivisible.org). Please check it out. Use it as a tool to educate, encourage and assist your friends, neighbors and family members to vote in the primary election and in the general election in November. Click on the following for: Election Protection Information, Candidate Information, and General Voting Information for Michigan and our area.

Tell Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to say “NO!” to Trump’s School Voucher Scheme!

Why: One of the goals of Project 2025 is to dismantle public education. Part of that plan includes funneling tax dollars into private, online and religious schools through the use of vouchers.

Voters in Michigan and across the United States, have repeatedly rejected plans to use public money for private schools. To get around the will of the voters, Trump’s new ploy is an “Opt-In” strategy that muscles governors into accepting his voucher scheme or risk losing “scholarship” dollars for students in their state. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, this voucher plan, now relabeled as a “scholarship” plan, decreases the revenue stream for the general fund by creating a 100% tax rebate for donations to a private voucher distribution company. This program, known as the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is currently on Governor Whitmer’s desk. She has called it a “high level talking point” but has NOT rejected it. Let’s inform the conversation!

How: Add your name to a message from the Michigan Education Justice Coalition to Governor Whitmer.

NO! to School Vouchers in MI

LSRI lost a good friend last week:

Kim Amthor, of Marquette, was very active in LSRI, Yoopers Unite and the Citizens for Peace and Justice, especially in the last year and a half. She died early Monday morning, June 22nd, following a very short illness. If you were lucky to have known her, you’re aware of what a vibrant, funny, talented and deeply sincere person she was. Kim was a wonderful artist — the above picture from May Day 2025 in Marquette, is a favorite of ours that’s appeared in this newsletter before — and it captures her essence beautifully. Kim was deeply committed to the work we are all engaged in, and was a regular at LSRI events, protests, meetings and social gatherings. LSRI extends our deepest condolences to her family and close friends. As announcements concerning memorial services for Kim become available, we will share them with you.

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, July 9
1 PM, Wednesday, July 15
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Thursday, July 2
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month.
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Or visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support and love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

More Voting Education Resources:

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• MyBallotMyPower.org - Use this website to view your ballot and pick your candidates of choice so you’re prepared in the ballot box.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Some images to close with…

Tom Lakenen, our excellent friend and ‘junk-yard sculptor’ (his own description) has done it again! Check out this preview photo of his latest sculpture that he sent us a week or so ago. It’s worth zooming in on the image, as there’s a lot being said here. Better yet, go see it in person at Lakenenland Sculpture Park, just 9 miles east of Marquette on M-28. Never been? Make plans today for a visit soon, and prepare to be amazed, awed and totally entertained by Tom’s wonderful gift to the UP.

Below: Visibility Brigade photos from all three locations (Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee). Join us! Click here for more info.

Thanks, as always, to Gail Rasanen for many of the above pictures! Enjoy your vacation, Gail! We’ll see you when you get back home!

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

As we approach the August Michigan primary elections, it’s time for all of us to help assure that every Michigan voter has accurate voting information and the ability to freely cast their ballot.

Recent polling data is encouraging, but, as we all know, “polls are not elections.” The threats to our voting rights emanating from the MAGA regime continue to ramp up on a daily basis. Join us tonight at the LSRI All-Member meeting to learn more about what we can do locally to educate and encourage our community members to get out and vote in the upcoming primary elections in August, and the all-important November elections.

On tonight’s agenda: rolling out the brand-new Elections Information section of the LSRI website.

The new website content provides a wealth of information and tools we’ll be able to use in the upcoming primary and general elections.

You don’t have to be a full-fledged, active member of LSRI to attend tonight’s meeting! If you’re simply curious about the upcoming elections, the pro-democracy movement, and how to get involved at a level that works for you, this is a great way to start. You have friends everywhere. Meet some of them tonight!

RSVP with Mobilize below. It’s not required but it does help us prepare for the meeting and stay in touch with you. But most importantly, show up! (And bring a friend).

RSVP and More Info Here!

This week’s message: “ELECTIONS AT RISK!”

Michigan’s election system is among the safest and most secure in the country, but it nonetheless remains vulnerable to MAGA threats to disenfranchise, misinform, confuse and discourage millions of voters from casting their ballots. And the most serious challenges to our democracy may actually come AFTER our votes are cast. (See “The Top 10 Election Threats” at All Voting Is Local. The Brennan Center for Justice is another excellent resource for information on the challenges we face, and the ways in which we are fighting back).

But take heart! Although the threats to our elections are very real, they pale in comparison to our collective power as mobilized, organized and informed citizens! Demonstrations like the weekly Visibility Brigade are a vitally important tactic in our collective push-back against authoritarianism.

Please join Visibility Brigade every Tuesday as we work to show solidarity with our like-minded friends and alert our fellow community members! Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend and stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - The Altamont Street overpass. Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially when it’s breezy. Please park only on the West side of Altamont!

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

Don’t Let Big Tech Dictate Your Media Content!

What: Protect your access to independent media on YouTube.

Why: Mainstream broadcast media is no longer providing the information we need.

Fortunately, we have independent media! YouTube is a platform used by independent content creators such as Heather Cox Richardson, Bryan Taylor Cohen, Romano Report, and Meidas Touch Network. And while their voices (and those of others) are available on YouTube, it appears Big Tech is filtering out content to suppress political dissent. Here are some ways to fight the algorithms that work invisibly behind the scenes to limit our access to important progressive voices and information:

How: Take these steps to ensure your YouTube viewing features the independent media content you want to see:

• Use YouTube’s search engine to proactively seek new content from your favorites. Don’t depend on the YouTube algorithms to build your video feed!

  

• “Like” and subscribe to progressive content creators to ensure continued exposure to their channels.

• Follow your favorite content creators on other platforms (i.e. Substack, Patreon, Facebook).

• As a YouTube subscriber, hit the bell icon on the channel’s home page to change your notifications status to “All”. You will then receive a notification when new content is uploaded and ready for you to watch.

• Forward this article and these actions to friends and family, and post it on your social media.

To learn even more, watch this video from progressive YouTuber David Pakman.

Join LSRI for Coffee or a Cool One!

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
July Dates soon to be announced!
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Watch for dates in July to be announced…
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month, starting June 28th!
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

July 4th is coming, and LSRI & Yoopers Unite will have a float in the Marquette Parade! Have You Ordered Your T-Shirt yet?

The 2026 Official Marquette July 4th Parade Theme is “One Nation, Indivisible.”

LSRI and Yoopers Unite is partnering up again for July 4th in Marquette! We had a ball last year, carrying our message to over 6,000 parade attendees, and we could use your help with:

• Event planning

• Decorating the float

• Marching with the LSRI/YU float on Saturday, July 4th in Marquette wearing your Yoopers Unite/LSRI tee shirt! (Don’t forget sunscreen, a floppy hat and appropriate sun-protective clothing!)

We need you! The next planning meeting is at the Yoopers Unite meeting, 7 PM Tuesday, June 23 at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette

Yes, I'll march in the parade!

There are significant expenses surrounding this event, and your donations help make it possible!

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Order Tees Here!

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Or visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support and love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

Voting Education Resources:

• MichiganVoting.org - A one-stop shop for all voting-related information

• This Week in Voting - Sign up for the MichiganVoting.org email series that provides
  key election dates, sample social media graphics, handy one-page “explainers,” and posts to share with your community.

• MyBallotMyPower.org - Use this website to view your ballot and pick your candidates of choice so you’re prepared in the ballot box.

• Vote411.org - Use this site to learn more about the candidates on your ballot.

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Recommissioning KI Sawyer AFB:
TONIGHT, 6 PM June 16th! Marquette County Commission Meeting

When: 6:00 PM, Tuesday. June 16
Where: Henry A Skewis Courthouse Annex, Room 231
Attend by Zoom: (Click on Link Here)

Please show up at the meeting tonight to find out what is going on, ask questions and give public comment! There has been only minimally-required advance public notice of this issue.

Questions to ask at this and all local government meetings:

• Have any officials signed Non-Disclosure Agreements?

• Where are we in the process?

• When will there be public input?

• What is the next step, and how will we hear about it?

  

A Data Center in Negaunee:

TONIGHT, 6 PM June 16th: Negaunee City Planning & Zoning Commission

The best time to plan on new development is before it arrives. At tonight's City of Negaunee Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, please show up, ask questions, make your voice heard!
Where: Senior Center, 410 Jackson St, Negaunee
Email: cmsecretary@cityofnegaunee.com

A Data Center at KI Sawyer:

At a recent meeting with community members, Rep. Karl Bohnak mentioned that a data center is coming to K.I. Sawyer. The Forsyth Township Supervisor posted on Facebook that one is being planned in West Branch Township. Add your thoughts about this proposed data center at these meetings:

Tonight, 7 PM June 16th: West Branch Township meeting

Where: West Branch Township Hall, 1016 County Road 545 N, Skandia (Click here for map)
This meeting is open to the public. It is especially important that residents of West Branch Township attend and make public comments! Please attend this meeting if you are a resident of the township; if you know someone who lives there, encourage them to attend!

Wednesday, 7 PM June 17th: Next Forsyth Township meeting

Special Meeting Re: Collective Bargaining. It appears that the data center issue is not on the official agenda for this meeting, but your presence will be important (especially if you live in Forsyth Twp.)
Where: 165 N. Maple St, Gwinn
Contact & Location information (click here)
Call: 906-346-9217

Join us EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM!
This week’s message: “Tax the Billionaires!”

Please join Visibility Brigade every Tuesday as we work to show solidarity with our like-minded friends and wake up our fellow UP community members! Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend. Stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - The Altamont Street overpass. Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially when it’s breezy. Please park only on the West side of Altamont!

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

Prepare to vote in the August Primary like it’s November!

Why? If only a few people vote, they get the power to decide who will be on the ballot in November. As a result, the November candidates tend to cater to a small portion of the general population, leaving voters feeling as though none of the candidates stand for what they want or need. This often results in people not voting at all. If voter turnout is high, candidates that don’t win can help influence the final candidate to broaden their platform and appeal to more voters.

How:

1. Ensure that you are registered to vote and you know your polling location, or have requested an absentee ballot.

2. Become familiar with the candidates and their policy positions.

3. Contribute financially to your chosen candidate’s campaign.

4. Be vocal in your support, share your candidates’ message on your social media and educate your family and friends about them.

5. Build the “Contagious Voting Effect” by asking friends and family to vote with you too!

LSRI is here to help you with all the above!

Be sure to attend the next LSRI All-Member Meeting! On the agenda: rolling out our Elections Information toolkit in the LSRI website. This will provide a wealth of information and tools you can use in the upcoming primary and general elections.

For LSRI members and anyone interested in becoming more active: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
1 PM, Wednesday, June 17
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Watch for dates in late June & July to be announced…
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month, starting June 28th!
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

July 4th is coming, and LSRI & Yoopers Unite will have a float in the Marquette Parade! Have You Ordered Your T-Shirt yet?

The 2026 Official Marquette July 4th Parade Theme is “One Nation, Indivisible.”

LSRI and Yoopers Unite is partnering up again for July 4th in Marquette! We had a ball last year, carrying our message to over 6,000 parade attendees, and we could use your help with:

• Event planning

• Decorating the float

• Marching with the LSRI/YU float on Saturday, July 4th in Marquette wearing your Yoopers Unite/LSRI tee shirt!

We need you! The next planning meeting is at the Yoopers Unite meeting, 7 PM Tuesday, June 16 at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette

There are significant expenses surrounding this event, and your donations help make it possible!

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Order Tees Here!

LSRI had a lovely “Rise Up, Sing Out” picnic at Lakenenland Sculpture Park this past weekend.

Despite the breezy, quite cool weather, it was a wonderful gathering of food, fellowship, games, fishing, music and hey, NO MOSQUITOS!

Thank you to the LSRI members who organized, performed and worked at this event, and especially to Tom Lakenen for being a world-class host and good friend.

The day ended with a nationally broadcast “Rise Up, Sing Out” concert from New York City’s Town Hall. Click here to view recommended follow-up actions you can take to support our democracy. Of course, the BEST way for you to fight authoritarianism is to act locally… Join us and get active in LSRI today!

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Or visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support and love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

TONIGHT, 6 PM June 8th: The LSRI Election Rapid Response Team organizational meeting!
Where: the Peter White Public Library Heritage Room (second floor)

On the agenda: We will discuss how we can each plug in to a state-wide effort to ensure election success. Please RSVP with Mobilize (it’s not required, but it helps us with event planning and staying in touch with you.) Click HERE for more information about this meeting.

Yes, I'll be there on June 8th!

Join us EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM!
This week’s message: “Blame the Billionaires!”

The economic system is rigged against us! Billionaires have more money than they could ethically make or could spend in thousands of lifetimes. Their wealth is not due to their effort, brilliance, or risk-taking, although this is the fantasy that the wealthy have been feeding us since the 1980s. Their wealth is due primarily to a tax system that benefits only the wealthy, government subsidies, grants and policies, and lucrative government contracts. For example, Walmart pays its workers below a living wage, so one in four employees are on government assistance to the tune of $6 billion a year. Basically, we the tax payers are subsidizing the Walton family, who are now worth over $430 billion!

Millionaires are closer economically to minimum wage workers than they are to billionaires. If you earned $1 every second, you would reach a million after 11½ days. But to reach $1 billion at the same rate, plan on 31.7 years. Put in more realistic terms, if you earn $100,000 per year, it will take you 10 years to get to a million, but 10,000 years to earn a billion! If we spent $1000 per day, it would take 2.7 years to spend a million dollars, but it would take us 2,740 years to spend one billion dollars!

Eight billionaires own more than half of the population of the planet. In the United States, the top 1% have more money than the bottom 90%. The combined wealth of Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg is more than the bottom half of all U.S. citizens. U.S. workers’ productivity has more than doubled since the 1970’s, but pay has not kept pace. Since 2019, CEO compensation increased by 50%, while worker pay rose less than 1%. Since 1970 there has been a massive transfer of wealth, estimated to be between $50 and $79 trillion, from the working and middle classes, up to the top 1%. Musk alone makes more in a single day than a teacher would earn in thousands of lifetimes!

With equitable policies and tax codes, we could have equitably distributed wealth in our country. We would no longer have the highest child poverty rate of any developed country. 60% of our citizens would not be living paycheck to paycheck. 25% of our seniors would not be living on less than $15 thousand per year. 85 million of us would not be uninsured or under-insured. And we would live as long as the rich do.

(And don’t forget: billionaires buy elections.)

Please join Visibility Brigade every Tuesday as we work to show solidarity with our like-minded friends and wake up our fellow UP community members! Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend. Stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - The Altamont Street overpass. Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially when it’s breezy. Please park only on the West side of Altamont!

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

LSRI Membership Dialogues (See below for a NEW event):

For members interested in volunteering: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, June 11
1 PM, Wednesday, June 17
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
Watch for dates in late June & July to be announced…
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette
_______________________

NEW! West Side Membership Gathering:
12:30 PM, the last Sunday of every month, starting June 28th!
Velodrome Coffee Company, 105 S. Main St., Ishpeming

This weekend coming up is a big one!

Saturday, June 13th is Pride Fest 2026…

Don’t miss Pride Fest in Marquette on Saturday, June 13th, at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in downtown Marquette. Food, merchandise, activities, resources, drag shows, and MORE!

Be sure to get a good night’s sleep and make plans to join us the next day:

Sunday, June 14th is the LSRI Potluck Picnic!

Join LSRI at Lakenenland for a potluck picnic, fun, community and music.

In addition to the legendary Sculpture Trail, Lakenenland features a bog walk, a beautiful timber-framed pavilion, picnic grounds, an entertainment stage, a playground for kids and two fishing ponds, and ground-level accessible porta-potties.
Please register below if you are planning to attend. RSVP is not required, but it helps us plan for the event.

RSVP for LSRI Potluck June 14

Allow us to clear up some confusion about Flag Day events this year:

Q: “Is Flag Day 2026 actually a No Kings 4 Protest Event?”
A: NO. Flag Day 2026 is not a mass protest/mobilization event, although the confusion is understandable. The first No Kings Day event was on June 14th last year, and we all remember what an inspiring, nation-wide event that was. This year’s Flag Day celebration is instead dedicated to building community, trust and solidarity on a smaller scale. And having a lot of fun in the process. (Hey, we all need this). More info about this year’s national Flag Day celebration can be found HERE. In addition, be sure to read this week’s “Armchair Actions” in this newsletter (below).

Q: “WILL there be a No Kings 4 national mobilization this summer?”
A: YES! There WILL be a No Kings 4! The leaders of Indivisible national, No Kings and the many other partner organizations have confirmed this. The dates and times are still being worked out. A mobilization of this size requires a huge amount of time and energy. It’s important that NK4 adds to, and does not detract from, crucial election-related planning and work being done in advance of the midterms. Very careful consideration is being given to choosing the right date.

Sing Out for Democracy!

WHAT:
Celebrate our First Amendment Rights by watching a concert!

WHY:
Ratings and attendance numbers matter.

HOW:
Sit in your comfy armchair, invite others to your watch party, and stream the “Rise Up Sing Out” concert! (How easy is that?)

As most of you know, Trump and the Freedom 250 group are hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House lawn on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14 (Trump’s 80th birthday). Plumbing new depths, right? How are we even surprised anymore?

But here’s the thing: our country’s 250th anniversary should celebrate the rights and principles our flag symbolizes, not Donald Trump’s tawdry and disgusting birthday celebration. Let’s have the BIGGEST CROWD EVER and show MAGA how alternative programming really works.

At 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, June 14, The Committee for the First Amendment is hosting a live concert to celebrate the First Amendment—and we encourage you to gather together in person, sing along, and celebrate with us as we all commit to taking action to protect our rights and freedoms. (The Committee for the First Amendment has a fascinating history dating back to the McCarthy era in the late 1940s and is worth reading about).

This Sunday, at 7:30 ET, let’s set attendance records no one can dispute! A few of the concert headliners:

RSVP to stream concert (it's free!)

Or watch it on YouTube here!

July 4th Is Coming! Have You Ordered Your T-Shirt yet?

The 2026 Official Marquette July 4th Parade Theme is “One Nation, Indivisible.”

LSRI and Yoopers Unite is partnering up again for July 4th in Marquette! We had a ball last year, carrying our message to over 6,000 parade attendees, and we could use your help with:

• Event planning

• Decorating the float

• Marching with the LSRI/YU float on Saturday, July 4th in Marquette wearing your Yoopers Unite/LSRI tee shirt!

Our next planning meeting is at the Yoopers Unite meeting, 7 PM Tuesday, June 9 at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette

Order Tees Here!

Signs of Fascism Walks Again!

The Marquette Signs of Fascism group marched last Saturday, June 6th, to honor the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of all the service members who joined in the allied landing in Normandy, France, 82 years ago. We are dedicated to reminding our community that the struggle against fascism is still very much alive. (Photo credits: Gail Rasanen)

Contact us at lsrindivisible@gmail.org if you want to join upcoming Signs of Fascism events.

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

Contact LSRI:

Email: lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Or visit the LSRI website: www.lsr-indivisible.org

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support & love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

The LSRI Election Rapid Response Team:
6 pm Monday, June 8th at Peter White Public Library

The first Rapid Response Team meeting is on Monday, June 8th, at 6:00 pm, in the Heritage Room at Peter White Public Library in Marquette. We will discuss how we can each plug in to a state-wide effort to ensure election success. Please RSVP with Mobilize (it’s not required, but it helps us with event planning and staying in touch with you.)

Yes, I'll be there on June 8th!

The Lake Superior Region Indivisible Election Rapid Response team is a way for area citizens to help insure that all legal voters can successfully cast their ballots, and for them to be properly counted. The Rapid Response Team will be active during the election cycle, which includes the primary and general elections. The primary election is held on August 4th, with early election beginning June 25th when mail-in ballots arrive. The general election will be on November 3, 2026. Early voting will begin before that.

LSRI supports ALL of our hard-working clerks and other election officials in the U.P. We consider ourselves their staunch allies in making sure our voting system operates smoothly, is accessible, and operates in a trouble-free manner.

If you are unable to attend on June 8th, but want to participate, please email Lake Superior Region Indivisible at lsrindivisible@gmail.com (please put “Rapid Response Team” in the subject line).

Join us EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM!

The LSRI Visibility Brigade provides physical messaging in the real world to connect with and activate voters to demonstrate that resistance is possible, energizing and effective.

This week’s message:
“Drop Prices, Not Bombs!”

The Trump regime is spending millions of dollars dropping bombs on Iran. The direct military costs, increased fuel burden due to the disruption of oil shipments, and the long-term financial implications of caring for wounded veterans, replenishing depleted stockpiles of interceptors, and the interest of borrowed war funds are estimated to be in excess of $1 trillion! And the human and infrastructure costs to Iranians are incalculable.

We need that money here at home! The regime threatens Medicaid, Medicare and food assistance programs. Social Security is endangered. Resources are being drained from our education system. Our citizens can’t afford housing or daycare. People have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

The billionaires get richer, we get poorer, and the bombs continue to fall. The regime continues to blow up boats in the Mediterranean too, and are continually hinting about military involvement in Cuba and other countries.

These acts are being done in our name with our tax dollars! We have to call this out! We have to educate the public! We cannot allow this to become normalized!

Please join Visibility Brigade every Tuesday as we work to do just that! Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend. Stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - We’ve moved back to the Altamont Street overpass! Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially if it’s breezy.

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

LSRI Membership Dialogues:

For members interested in volunteering: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, June 11
1 PM, Wednesday, June 17
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
10 AM, Thursday, June 4
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette

Save the Date! Sunday, June 14th is Flag Day!

Join us at Lakenenland for a potluck picnic, fun, community and music.

LSRI will host an afternoon “Rise Up, Sing Out!” event at Lakenenland on Sun., June 14 The exact starting time will be decided today - stay tuned to LSRI for details.

America has a long history, rooted in white supremacy, of suppressing the rights of people of color, women and other vulnerable minority groups. But our history also clearly shows that people-powered movements are how we end authoritarianism.

Authoritarians want fear, silence, and isolation. We choose joy. We choose community. We choose people power. Rise Up, Sing Out is about reclaiming patriotism as something inclusive, participatory, and rooted in care for one another — not power, pageantry, or one person’s spotlight.

Following our gathering at Lakenenland, watch the livestream “Rise Up, Sing Out” evening concert from New York’s Town Hall:

On Sunday, June 14, The Committee for the First Amendment is hosting a live concert to celebrate the First Amendment—and we encourage you to gather together in person, sing along, and celebrate with us as we all commit to taking action to protect our rights and freedoms.

The show starts at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Here are some of the headline performers:

RSVP to stream concert (it's free!)

Allow us to clear up some confusion surrounding Flag Day events.
People have been asking:

Q: “Is Rise Up, Sing Out” actually No Kings 4?”
A: NO. “Rise Up, Sing Out” is not a mass protest/mobilization event. It is not NK4, although the confusion is understandable. The first No Kings Day event was on June 14th last year, and we all remember what an inspiring event that was. This year’s Flag Day celebration is instead dedicated to building community, trust and solidarity on a smaller scale. And having a lot of fun in the process. We all need this. More info about this national event can be found HERE.

Q: “WILL there be a No Kings 4 national mobilization this summer?”
A: YES! There WILL be a No Kings 4! The leaders of Indivisible national, No Kings and the many other partner organizations have confirmed this. The dates and times are still being worked out. A mobilization of this size requires a huge amount of time and energy. It’s important that NK4 adds to, and does not detract from, crucial election-related planning and work being done in advance of the midterms. Very careful consideration is being given to choosing the right date.

July 4th Is Coming! Have You Ordered Your T-Shirt yet?

The 2026 Official Marquette July 4th Parade Theme is “One Nation, Indivisible.”

LSRI and Yoopers Unite is partnering up again for July 4th in Marquette! We had a ball last year, carrying our message to over 6,000 parade attendees, and we’re starting to recruit people to:

• Help with event planning

• Decorate the float

• March on Saturday, July 4th in Marquette wearing your Yoopers Unite/LSRI tee shirt!

Help make signs for our float at the Yoopers Unite meeting at 7 PM Tuesday, June 2 at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette

Order Tees Here!

Signs of Fascism Walks Again!

Contact us at lsrindivisible@gmail.org if you have any questions about this and upcoming Signs of Fascism events.

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support & love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)
ResistanceKitty.com: An independent activism platform featuring political satire, resistance survival guides, investigative resources, and daily commentary on corruption, authoritarianism, and threats to democracy.

No snowbanks! Imagine that. Join us every Saturday (11:30 AM, Marquette Post Office) and every Tuesday afternoon (see Visibility Brigade article above). We need you!

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

The LSRI Election Rapid Response Team:
6 pm Monday, June 8th at Peter White Public Library

The first Rapid Response Team meeting is on Monday, June 8th, at 6:00 pm, in the Heritage Room at Peter White Public Library in Marquette. We will discuss how we can each plug in to a state-wide effort to ensure election success. Please RSVP with Mobilize (it’s not required, but it helps us with event planning and staying in touch with you.)

Yes, I'll be there on June 8th!

The Lake Superior Region Indivisible Election Rapid Response team is a way for area citizens to help insure that all legal voters can successfully cast their ballots, and for them to be properly counted. The Rapid Response Team will be active during the election cycle, which includes the primary and general elections. The primary election is held on August 4th, with early election beginning June 25th when mail-in ballots arrive. The general election will be on November 3, 2026. Early voting will begin before that.

LSRI supports ALL of our hard-working clerks and other election officials in the U.P. We consider ourselves their staunch allies in making sure our voting system operates smoothly, is accessible, and operates in a trouble-free manner.

If you are unable to attend on June 8th, but want to participate, please email Lake Superior Region Indivisible at lsrindivisible@gmail.com (please put “Rapid Response Team” in the subject line).

LSRI’s “Promote the Vote” All-Member Meeting in Skandia

“Promote the Vote-MI” Election Protection Director Mackenzie Walz was our featured speaker at last week’s All-Member LSRI meeting at the Skandia Township Hall. About 50 attendees heard her information-packed presentation on the upcoming elections. The three main topics were focused on:

• Who Runs Our Elections?

• How Do We Keep Our Elections Secure?

• What Are the Threats to Our Elections?

  

Now it’s up to us as a group to decide what actions we should take in the months leading up to the primaries in August and the elections in November. One of the ideas that’s emerged, of course, is forming an Election Rapid Response Team (see article above).

The next LSRI All-Member meeting (Monday, June 22) will be focused on the upcoming primaries, the November mid-term election, how best to use it to educate the public and focus our efforts. Look for more information about this in upcoming newsletters and LSRI announcements.

Sleeves up! Together, we are unstoppable.

We’re back at 3 locations, EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM!

The LSRI Visibility Brigade provides physical messaging in the real world to connect with and activate voters to demonstrate that resistance is possible, energizing and effective.

This week’s message:
“He Sued Himself and Won… You Pay $1.8 Billion!”

The Trump regime’s astonishing corruption continues in broad daylight. Likely calculating that they will rig the elections in their favor and never be out of office, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore. The corruption from last week alone surpasses anything that we have ever seen in our country:

• Trump let himself out of a potential $100,000,000 IRS fine.

• He gave himself, his family, and friends immunity from all future IRS investigations.

• It was revealed that he bought or sold $735,000,000 worth of stocks in the first quarter of this year, while many of the associated companies had business before the government.

• Someone with advance knowledge of Trump’s March 23^rd post delaying strikes on Iran did insider trading worth about $800,000,000.

• Trump accepted a $500,000,000 donation from big tobacco a few days before he deregulated certain products.

• Don Jr’s venture capital firm went from about $200,000,000 in assets under management to $ 3.5 billion.

• Trump “settled” a $1.8 billion dollar lawsuit against the IRS and proposes using this money in an unregulated and nontransparent way to compensate individuals who were supposedly the victims of the government under President Joe Biden, including those prosecuted and convicted for the January 6^th insurrection! This amount of money can bribe many individuals to do his bidding. It clearly communicates to his followers that they can break the law and not only be taken care of, but compensated for future illegal actions taken in his name.

These are just a few of the corrupt actions in which he has recently engaged. We have to call this out! We have to educate the public! We cannot allow this to become normalized!

Please join Visibility Brigade every Tuesday as we work to do just that! Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend. Stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - We’ve moved back to the Altamont Street overpass! Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially if it’s breezy.

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

WHAT: The people of Michigan can not ignore attacks on free and democratic elections. Although we have some of the strongest voter protections in the nation, we are not immune to right-wing efforts to restrict access to the ballot box. We are asking you to contact your state representative and senator to demand that they stand up and declare publicly and loudly that they will they do everything they can to protect our fundamental right to vote.

WHY: Michigan voters have fought hard for accessibility, security and fair representation. The citizens of Michigan stood up for voting rights in 2018 when we overwhelmingly approved ballot proposals which made voting easier and ended gerrymandering. Then in 2022, after threats to our elections system, Michiganders passed a constitutional amendment to further protect the rights of voters and enhance election security. (Click here for an excellent article on these amendments.)

Michigan has strong protections today because we, the voters, demanded it. But we cannot assume those protections will always be safe. The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais has effectively gutted the remainder of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The brazen anti-voter acts by politicians which followed Callais are precisely why we must pressure our electeds, both Republican and Democrat, to publicly announce their position and commit to actions that support our access to the ballot box.

In his investigation into the 2020 election, Republican Senator Ed McBroom concluded that Michigan has a sound election system and that cries of voter fraud and rigged elections were bunk. Now our own UP representatives—Karl Bohnak, Dave Prestin and Greg Markkanen have voted in favor of House Bill 4765, which mirrors the SAVE Act. Voter fraud is incredibly rare in this state. Of the 5.7 million votes cast in 2024, 15 people improperly voted. This bill requiring new documentary proof of citizenship of every Michigan voter, could prevent tens of thousands of eligible voters from participating in the next election. Like the SAVE Act, House Bill 4765 is essentially a Voter Elimination Bill; its true purpose is to ensure that fewer Michiganders vote.

The bill is currently pending in the Democratically controlled senate and it will undoubtedly fail, however, our local representatives have shown that their fealty to party outweighs their duty to protect our fundamental voting rights. Do not let this slide by carelessly. Show them we are watching. Call them out! HANDS OFF OUR VOTE!

HOW: Use the information below to contact Representative Bohnak and Senator McBroom. An exampe of a letter is provided which you can use or adapt as you see fit.

Karl Bohnak
Contact by Phone: (517) 373-0498 Via Email: KarlBohnak@house.mi.gov
Mailing Address: S-1488 House Office Building, P.O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48909

Senator McBroom
By Phone: (517) 373-7840 Via Email: SenEMcBroom@senate.michigan.gov
Mailing Address: Senator Ed McBroom, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909-7536

Sample letters will be posted soon on the LSRI website. Click here to find them, and feel free to copy and paste them into your letter or email.

LSRI Membership Dialogues:

For members interested in volunteering: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, June 11
1 PM, Wednesday, June 17
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
10 AM, Thursday, June 4
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette

Sunday, June 14th is Flag Day! Join us at Lakenenland for a potluck picnic, fun, community and music.

We will be hosting an afternoon event at Lakenenland on Sunday, June 14 (exact times are still being worked out - stay tuned to LSRI for details.)

One year ago, we partnered with hundreds of other organizations for our very first No Kings nationwide protest that developed into a movement that spread across the country and the globe! You were with us then, and we’d love to have you join us to reflect on the power behind the movement and the moment.

While Trump tries to use the United States’s 250th anniversary to narrow patriotism into a performance centered on self-promotion and power, we’re choosing community, participation, and collective action. It’s the perfect way to bring neighbors together, welcome new members to the movement, and re-energize friends who haven’t been active since our last mobilization.

Follow-up our gathering at Lakenenland with a livestream “Rise Up, Sing Out” evening concert from New York’s Town Hall

On Sunday, June 14, the Committee for the First Amendment is hosting a live concert to celebrate the First Amendment—and we encourage you to gather together in person, sing along, and celebrate with us as we all commit to taking action to protect our rights and freedoms. The show starts at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Here are some of the headline performers:

RSVP to stream concert (it's free!)

Weekly Local Events:

• Visibility Brigade in Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee, 4 pm - 5:30 pm every Tuesday afternoon. Hey, we could REALLY use some extra hands (and enthusiastic bodies)!!! Click HERE for details.

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support & love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is an inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)
ResistanceKitty.com: An independent activism platform featuring political satire, resistance survival guides, investigative resources, and daily commentary on corruption, authoritarianism, and threats to democracy.

Ending on a Grace Note:

If you made it this far in the newsletter, you deserve a hearty “Congratulations!”… Actually, no, you deserve a gift, and here it is: A lovely essay by Cynthia Carbone that was shared on Robert Hubbell’s Substack newsletter this morning. It’s a heartfelt, terrific way to end this issue. (By the way, if you haven’t discovered Mr. Hubbell’s superb “Today’s Edition” newsletter, do check it out here.)

Cynthia Carbone's "Who I Used to Be"

In the essay, Ms. Carbone recommends a film we’re excited to see: “Lightworkers,” by Bobby Roth. Click here for more information.

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

URGENT: Just 4 days remain to sign the “Money Out of Michigan Politics” ballot petition!

It’s close, so very close, and the deadline is this week! This is a situation where YOUR signature could put us over the top, and start the ball rolling to get money out of politics in Michigan! Thursday, May 14th is the very last day to sign a petition in Marquette!

Read here to find out why this ballot proposal is so important.

Here’s where you can find petitions to sign:

Monday, May 11: 4 PM to closing, outside Peter White Library (west parking lot area)
Tuesday, May 12: 6 to 7 PM, Peter White Library west parking lot
Tuesday, May 12: Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesday, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette.
Wed., May 13: 5 to 6:15 PM, outside the Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W. Spring Street, Marquette.

If you are unable to travel to any of these locations, contact us, and we will get a petition to you!

Email us at: lsrindivisible@gmail.com

Armchair Action, Week of May 11th:
Stop Sneaky New Budget Cuts

WHAT: Pressure Democrats to stop huge budget changes, including additional billions for the war in Iran and to fund ICE.

WHY: Right now the 2026 federal budget, which was passed on April 30th, is going through a process called Reconciliation, which allows monetary changes to a budget that has already been passed. The proposed Reconciliation bill will divert funds from, or make additional cuts to, healthcare coverage, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs to finance these new GOP priorities.

Another April 15th has come and gone with the federal government once again tightening its grasp on your hard-earned tax dollars. Have you thought about where that money will go? Will Congress use it to provide for your health care, retirement, safe infrastructure, or your children’s care and education?

Not so much.

Here’s where our money is going, at least so far, according to the FY 2026 federal budget which the GOP shoved through Congress:

Click here to read more and to take action:

Yes, I want to take action!

Spring is here, and we are at 3 locations, EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM!

The LSRI Visibility Brigade provides physical messaging in the real world to connect with and activate voters to demonstrate that resistance is possible, energizing and effective.

This week’s theme: “CORRUPTION!”

Yes, you’re right: it’s the same theme as last week. The reason is because the flagrant, widespread and immense corruption of the MAGA regime (centering on, but not exclusive to enriching the Trump family) is finally breaking through into the national consciousness. People are waking up, and realizing the extent to which the US is being governed by a criminal organization.

This is what finally happened in Hungary, after 16 years of Viktor Orban’s tyrannical Christian Nationalism disguised as “illiberal democracy.” The people of Hungary woke up, discovered their own power, organized, mobilized and said “ENOUGH!” They resoundingly voted Orban and his cronies out of office this past April. Here in the US, we have the opportunity to do the same in November. And a BIG part of that effort involves public demonstrations of our outrage and desire for change.

Bring a sign or a flag, your voice and a friend. Stand with us every Tuesday afternoon!

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Marquette, Ishpeming & Negaunee locations:

• Marquette - We’ve moved back to the Altamont Street overpass! Many hands are needed to hold up our banners, especially if it’s breezy.

• West Ishpeming - US 41/Lakeshore Blvd. roundabout

• Negaunee - Miner’s Park sidewalk on US 41

Google Map directions

Now is the time to register for this LSRI event:

6 pm, Wednesday, May 20th at the Skandia Township Hall:
A presentation & conversation with Mackenzie Walz, Election Protection Director of Promote the Vote-MI!

Also on the agenda: discussing the formation of an LSRI Election Rapid Response Team. If this is something that interests you, definitely make plans to attend!

Yes, I'll be there!

Promote the Vote MI is a non-partisan organization with the sole aim of protecting voting rights for the people of Michigan. From formulating and passing pro-voter ballot initiatives, to ensuring Michigan voters know their rights, to co-leading Michigan’s statewide nonpartisan Election Protection Program, Promote the Vote works hard to insure that Michigan’s elections are secure and accessible.

Can’t make it to the meeting in Skandia on May 20th? Try these other UP Indivisible-sponsored events:

Escanaba, May 19: Delta County Unified is hosting Mackenzie Walz in Escanaba on May 19, at 6 pm. For more info: Admin@Deltacountyunified.org

Munising, May 21: Alger Indivisible is sponsoring an evening with Mackenzie on Thursday, May 21, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Munising Township Hall. For more info: algercountyindivisible@gmail.com

Newberry, May 21: Stand UP 906 Indivisible: May 21, at 2 PM in Newberry. For more information, email standu.p.indivisible906@gmail.com

LSRI Membership Dialogues:

For members interested in volunteering: Meet good people and have some fun, collaborate on ideas and activities, discuss areas of interest and establish trust.

Drafting Democracy Membership Dialogue:
6 PM, Thursday, May 14
1 PM, Wednesday, May 20
Kognisjon Bryggeri, 1034 N. Third Street, Marquette
________________________

Common Grounds Membership Connections:
10 AM, Thursday, June 4
The Crib Coffee Shop, 401 N. Third Street, Marquette

Weekly Local Events:

• Yoopers Unite Meeting 7 pm Tuesdays, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette. LSRI has a regular presence every Tuesday evening at this gathering of area pro-democracy and civic-oriented groups.

• Saturdays: Citizens for Peace & Justice Vigil (in front of the Marquette Post Office), 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time

LSRI Volunteer Interest Form

Keep up the calls to our elected representatives!

Need phone numbers? A list of issues and a script to read from? Download the 5 Calls app to your phone, or visit www.5Calls.org. It makes calling our national elected representatives easy and fast.

Use 5 Calls to Call National Representatives:

Go to "5 Calls"

And for our State Representatives:

Call MI Representatives!

This newsletter will always be free, but we do have expenses. Send your support & love here:

Donate to LSRI through Act Blue

Recommended Resources:

Leah and Ezra’s What’s the Plan?

“What’s the Plan?” is a fun, inspiring and informative weekly video call from Indivisible’s founders and executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

• To join the call live, every Thursday at 3pm ET, click here.

• Watch it any time on YouTube by clicking here.

• It’s also now available as a podcast - click here.

Indivisible National Website
SWIM - Statewide Indivisible Michigan
“Citizens Rally for Accountable Government” (CRAG): An invaluable newsletter from the Keweenaw.
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)
The Guardian
The Grassroots Connector
Timothy Snyder (Thinking About)
Robert Hubbell (Today’s Edition)
How to Resist
Chop Wood, Carry Water (Jessica Craven’s excellent and often very uplifting newsletter)
Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Your Local Epidemiologist (Outstanding public health information)
ICE Warehouse Tracker (Project Saltbox’s comprehensive and up-to-date website monitoring ICE warehouse locations and purchases in the US)

Lake Superior Region Indivisible: “We are a 100% volunteer grassroots organization located in Michigan’s Congressional District 1. Through civic engagement, collective action, and community partnerships, LSRI works locally to build a movement that pushes back against authoritarianism, upholds democracy, and centers power where it should be — with the people.”

Let’s start with an heartening story:

As you’ve no doubt heard, the MAGA coalition is showing signs of fracturing. Whether it’s the Epstein Files, the Iran War, rising gas (and everything else) prices, or the blatant corruption that’s seeping out of every crack in the White House, formerly solid supporters are leaving the MAGA cult in significant numbers. (Politico, hardly a progressive bastion of reporting, had this to say about it as early as March 19th.)

A local indicator: Last Saturday, at the weekly Citizens for Peace and Justice vigil in Marquette*, we observed a driver slowing down and lowering his passenger window right in front of a participant holding an Epstein/Iran War-related sign. An LSRI Safety Team member on the scene recalls thinking “Uh-oh. This is not going to be good.”

Sure enough, the driver started yelling. Here’s what he said: “I voted for him both times. I hope God forgives me!”

We aren’t going to weigh in on the matter of God or the important subject of forgiveness right now. But we DID want to let you know that people notice us, they ARE thinking, and many are changing their minds. If you’ve been out there week after week with your signs (through a brutal winter), DON’T GIVE UP! Your messages, enthusiasm and solidarity are vitally important… And they are working.

And for those of you who are still on the fence about joining us on the streets, please consider taking that important next step. You may be the welcoming face of patriotic resistance your neighbor, co-worker or new friend very much needs to see.

*(The Citizens for Peace and Justice Vigil: Every Saturday at 11:30 AM in front of the Marquette Post Office). We look forward to seeing you there!

Budget Reconciliation: The Shortcut to Bad Ideas

BUDGET RECONCILIATION is a wonky legislative process that allows Congress to make changes to the federal budget with expedited procedures that can’t be filibustered in the Senate. So, bottom line, Republicans don’t need any Democratic votes to pass it. Last year’s Big Ugly Bill was passed through reconciliation and now Republicans are using it again to try to jam through even more funding for ICE, Border Patrol and other massively unpopular MAGA spending priorities, with zero guardrails or accountability.

WHAT: Contact your Representatives in DC about Budget Reconciliation 2.0.

WHY: Now that identical budget resolutions passed both chambers in late April, our legislators will begin drafting a bill for additional funding for ICE, and possibly the Iran War. This bill will likely further cut our health care, education, affordable housing, food assistance, child care, and measures that protect our environment.

HOW: Contact your US Senators and US House Rep and let them know that you, the voter and their constituent, are directing them to hold the line against Reconciliation 2.0.

Sen. Gary Peters: (906) 225-4554 (Marquette office). Find other office numbers at his website. Click here to send an email.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin: (202) 224-4822 (Washington DC office). To send an email, click here.

Rep. Jack Bergman: Washington DC office: (202) 225-4735. Or send an email.

Sample letter or email:

Dear (Senator Name),

As your constituent from [City, State}, I am writing to strongly urge you to vote NO on the upcoming budget reconciliation.

I am deeply concerned that this legislation will prioritize increased military spending at the expense of vital services that my community relies on. Specifically, Medicaid, ACA, SNAP, housing, education and child care services. I ask that you uphold the commitment to our community by protecting funding of these essential programs rather than diverting funding to support military intervention.

Thank you for your time and for your service to our district. I look forward to your response regarding your position on this critical issues.

Sincerely,

[Your name, address and phone number]

Spring is here, and we are back in all 3 locations, EVERY TUESDAY at 4 PM! And we could use your help!