How Baltimore organizers are preparing to fight back against ICE

Grassroots movements made up of ordinary citizens can go a long way in creating change. This article details several initiatives across Ohio that were led by citizens using a combination of lobbying, education, persistence, knowledge of government practices, and organization. Some things that were achieved using these methods are wage reimbursements and increased bus access.

One way that any ordinary citizen can lend a hand to the plight of those caught in the American immigration system is by being a court observer: someone who sits in immigration court and takes notes by hand. Several organizations are working to develop a standardized way of evaluating judges' treatment of migrants to put it in a central database so that the data can be used to evaluate the human impact by the system as a whole. People who participate testify to the job alleviating despair over the situation as they can mitigate any unfair practices going unnoticed.

In one Baltimore neighborhood, residents have organized a grassroots network geared toward protecting the community from ICE raids. Through a Signal group, they communicate about ICE sightings, organize check-ins with neighbors, and help get each other connected with trainings from local organizations focused on protecting immigrant communities.

To prevent politicians from drawing districts to further their best interests, some areas in the state have independent and bipartisan citizen commissions that draw the boundaries for congressional, legislative and local government seats, as well as school districts. Areas with independent redistricting see districts that are more representative of the communities they serve, as well as higher levels of public participation and less gerrymandering.

Recognizing a pervasive sense of powerlessness in the US, Eric Liu authored "You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen.” By connecting stories of various groups across the political spectrum exercising their civic muscles, he lays out concrete ways that power can be reclaimed by the seemingly powerless citizen.

Formed in 2022, Lift Every Voice Philly is a grassroots group of parent volunteers who advocate for changes in their children’s schools through testifying at public meetings, emailing and calling representatives, and providing education about district issues. The group was able to get school district policy changed to ensure that all students get daily recess and movement breaks and prevent schools from restricting access to bathrooms or water as punishment.

Kaua'i County Housing Agency uses a community engagement model for its master-planned affordable housing developments, involving community advisory committees, multiple public meetings, surveys, and online tools that allow residents to shape key housing and community decisions. The agency has applied this model for over a decade, with great results, including Lima Ola, a 550-unit workforce housing community.

Moms for Housing reclaim vacant homes owned by investors to provide a place for single mothers to live. Advocating for housing as a human right, 13 organizers are currently living in these unoccupied houses and through civil disobedience, managed to negotiate temporary housing as they continue fighting for permanent solutions to the area’s housing crisis.

Residents who participated in Michigan’s first year of early in-person voting say they appreciated the shorter lines, the convenience to vote on their own schedules, and the ability to feed their ballots into polling place tabulators themselves. Nearly 4,600 voters cast their ballots early in-person across the state.

Together Baton Rouge connects different organizations and individuals to collaborate on important community issues, such as advocating for needed infrastructure work. The group helped bring about the restructuring of a corporate tax break program that brought in $282 million in revenue in 2021.