demobrats

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. In the words of Cher Horowitz, "And may I remind you, it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty!" This week on the pod, Francisco Lopez from Citizenship in Oregon joins us to talk all about his work helping the next generation of Americans receive citizenship and register to vote! We also discuss the city council meetings as of late, the incredible work of LUS to advocate for the Hispanic and Latino communities, and the political capital that will be necessary to do the right thing. If the motion in front of the council does not do enough...do more. We know you will love Francisco as much as we do!

Learn more about Citizenship in Oregon

Happy Holidays y'all!

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Legislative Troubadour and Healthcare Policy Expert, Representative Rob Nosse, joins us this week to explain all things healthcare in Oregon and beyond. We discuss the impacts of Trumps Big Ugly Bill, the possibility of Oregon developing a Healthcare For All system, and so much more.

Learn more about Healthcare For All Oregon here.

Subscribe to Rob Nosse's very interesting weekly newsletter here.

For reference to Thin Blue Line Flags being removed from police spaces.

Happy Holidays y'all!

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*sorry the sound is so quiet at the beginning. It gets better*

Live from yet another weekend protest, we are calling on our community to give public comment at Salem City Council Monday Night at 6 PM. The Council will be entertaining a motion to reaffirm our status as a sanctuary city, but honestly, WE NEED MORE. Our community needs more. Here are our ideas:

1. Suspend FLOCK camera surveillance programs. Many cities in and around Salem have done this already.

2. Declare a State of Emergency. Follow Woodburn's lead and open up funding to support Latino owned small businesses impacted by the ICE raids and loss of revenue. Open up funding to support local nonprofits providing emergency aid to families who cannot leave their homes to get groceries, take their children to school, etc.

3. Suspend all impound fees on vehicles impounded due to an ICE raid.

4. Provide a list of resources for the community prominently displayed on the City of Salem website.

5. Reaffirming our status as a sanctuary city is the bare minimum.

Email your city councilors here

Support our work and let's get Virginia elected!

Note: Stories in this pod are true as remembered by the hosts and guests.

Our pod this week continues our series on Measure 11 and Restorative Justice. Our guest is Victor Gonzales. Victor entered the criminal justice system when he was a young teenager, serving time in many institutions across the Valley. At the age of 22, Victor was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of a childhood friend. Victor shares with us the choices he made that led to an early life of crime and the personal transformation he experienced while incarcerated for nearly two decades total. Victor's story is one of those that sticks with you-it has us asking how we can do Criminal Justice better in Oregon and beyond.

Learn more about the Oregon Justice Network

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This week on the pod we have Salem's own Carlee Wright, creator of Press Play Salem (the magazine), the city’s go-to guide for arts, entertainment, and culture, where storytelling meets community and curiosity fuels discovery.
We discuss all things Salem culture, arts, politics, roller derby, and the hopes we have for the Salem ahead of us.

McKay Holiday Market Vendor Info

Info on donating to Coral House:

2550 Coral Ave NE (it runs parallel with Lancaster).

People can drop off foods between 8 AM and 5 PM.

Text Five Zero Two-307-1872 prior to drop off to let them know you are dropping off items.

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Representative Willy Chotzen (Portland), joins us in the studio to talk all about his work as a public defender, legislator, and generally awesome human. The Oregon prison system is imperfect and we know there is room for improvement. We talk more about how Measure 11 has disproportionally impacted people of color and how we might use practices of restorative justice to improve our society and prison system as a whole.

Learn more about Measure 11

Learn more about the Oregon State Penitentiary

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email us: [email protected]

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Kyle Hedquist received clemency in 2022 for a life sentence he was given for a crime he committed when he was 18. In this episode Kyle tells us all about the work he did while serving his time in the Oregon Department of Corrections, the horrible conditions many prisoners find themselves living under, and the important work of restorative justice he has done as a policy advocate since his release. 

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Kyle Hedquist served 28 years of a life in prison, without parole, sentence for a murder he committed when he was 18 years old. So how is he in our podcast studio talking about the very problematic ballot Measure 11 (a bill crafted by Representative Kevin Mannix in the 90s) and our broken prison system? You'll just have to stay tuned for part 2 to find out. In this first part, Kyle shares with us what his time in prison was like, some of the work he did while inside, and helps us understand the legislation that got us here in the first place. This is what we know; Locking people up with no resources is not working. It's also terribly expensive. Something about this system needs to change.

Learn more about Measure 11

Learn more about Measure 15

Learn more about Kyle's story here

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Hopefully this is the last time we have to talk about this (fingers crossed). In this episode, Brian Hines, an avid writer and community member who filed the official ethics complaint against Mayor Julie Hoy with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, joins us to discuss his take aways from this six month process. Brian truly exhibited some hero behavior in his efforts to hold the mayor accountable.

We also touch on this last Monday's City Council meeting, where Salem Soup Squad turned out in numbers to raise their deep concerns about the mayor's new ballot petition and a gift the council voted to accept from the business community to fund two new police officers.

⁠Read the petition here. ⁠

Read Brian's Blog Here

Statesman Journal Article

OPB Article on new ballot petition

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In case you missed it!

Heads up--transcript might be auto detect her language perfectly.

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Bluesky: Demobrats

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email us: [email protected]

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