12Jun, 2025
    To Everyone Attending the NO KINGS Protests This Weekend — Please Read This

    Hey friends,

    I need to say this, not because I want to scare anyone — but because I care too much not to.

    This weekend’s protest on June 14 — yes, his birthday — lines up with something deeply disturbing. It also happens to be the Army’s birthday. That’s not a coincidence. That’s an opportunity, and I’m afraid the administration sees it that way too.

    I believe they are preparing to use this weekend’s NO KINGS protests as a trigger point. I’m talking about activated MAGA crowds showing up to bait, escalate, provoke. I’m talking about potential embedded agitators — or even federal forces in disguise — trying to turn peaceful protest into chaos on camera. Why? Because it would give them cover. Cover to escalate. To clamp down. Even to declare martial law.

    It sounds dramatic. But when nothing else has been done through proper, lawful channels — we need to be clear-eyed about what’s possible. This NO KINGS weekend may be staged – not negatively by us, but for MAGA to appear and disrupt.

    And that’s why I’m begging you: be safe. Be alert. Be unshakeably peaceful. Your safety is the most important thing. We need you here for the long haul. And they know that, too.

    I’ve put together a Protest Safety & De-Escalation Guide with everything you should know and bring with you — from what to pack, to what to do if tear gas is used, to how to keep your phone from turning into a tracking device.

    ✊ Quick Protest Safety & De-Escalation GuideDownload

    If you’re attending a protest this weekend:

    • Don’t go alone.
    • Have an exit plan.
    • Be cautious around anyone trying to rile up a crowd — they may not be on our side.
    • And if you see something breaking bad? Sit down. Let them reveal themselves. You stay safe and visible and calm.

    We are not pawns. We are the people.

    This weekend at the NO KINGS protests and other actions, please take care of yourselves — and each other. And please don’t let anyone bait you into becoming the story they want to tell.

    With deep care and worry,
    Judy T.
    Rescue Our Democracy

    3Jun, 2025
    🗽 A Birthday Gift for #47 — From the People.

    On June 14th, Donald Trump will celebrate another year — and we want to mark the occasion with a present he won’t be able to ignore.

    We’ve rewritten the Declaration of Independence for modern times. In it, we name the former president not as a leader, but as the would-be tyrant he continues to prove himself to be. With truth as our guide and democracy as our cause, we are calling out the long train of abuses — and standing together to say never again.

    This modern declaration will be published on our website as an open and permanent record of resistance. But we don’t want to sign it alone.

    We’re inviting individuals and groups across the country to co-sign this document in solidarity. If you’d like to add your name to the Declaration:

    👉 Send a high-resolution image of your signature ( Try to use a free font with free use — in black “ink”, on a transparent background if possible) to [info@rescueourdemocracy.com].
    👉 Please include your chosen public name or organization (if applicable)
    👉 Deadline: June 10th, 2025.

    Our finished signature example

    We will compile all signatures and release the full document publicly on June 14th — a birthday reminder that we the people are still watching, still organizing, and still ready to defend democracy. (This is not the “document” below. This is what the document will say.)

    If you’ve ever said, “I wish I could’ve signed the original,” — this is your chance.

    #WeDeclare #NotMyPresident #DemocracyFirst #June14 #RescueOurDemocracy #Declaration2025

    A Declaration of the People of the United StatesDownload

    🔥 Potential Risks of Signing the Modern Declaration

    1. Public Backlash or Harassment
      • Signers may be targeted online by Trump supporters or extremist groups.
      • Expect possible trolling, threats, or doxxing (sharing of private information).
      • Those in conservative communities or with public-facing roles may experience more intense pushback.
    2. Employment Risks
      • If you work for a politically sensitive employer — especially in government, military, law enforcement, or corporate environments — public political expression may put your job at risk.
      • While protected speech is a right, employment in at-will states can still be precarious.
    3. Safety Concerns
      • Publicly signing may result in intimidation or physical threats at your home, workplace, or events, particularly if your signature or name is widely shared.
      • Consider your personal or family safety, especially if you live in an area with a strong MAGA presence.
    4. Surveillance or Political Retaliation
      • Though unlikely for most individuals, increased authoritarian tendencies have created concern about government monitoring of dissent.
      • Activists and organizers are often under more scrutiny, especially from Trump’s tyrannical power.
    5. Legal Misinterpretation
      • While signing such a document is legal and protected speech under the First Amendment, bad-faith actors might attempt to paint it as sedition or “un-American,” especially in politically weaponized environments.
    6. Digital Permanence
      • Once posted, this document may be archived, screenshot, or distributed indefinitely. It can be traced back to you even if you later regret signing it.

    💡 How to Sign Smart

    • Use a version of your name you’re comfortable with being public.
    • Sign as a group or under a collective name (e.g., “Concerned Iowans for Democracy”) if anonymity is important.
    • Use a throwaway email address if submitting digitally and privacy is a concern.
    • We’re keeping the signature images secure and their use will only be for this document and we will delete them upon completion of this document.

    ⚠️ Please note: Signing this document is a public act of protest. While it is fully legal under the First Amendment, participants should be aware of potential social, professional, or personal consequences, especially in politically hostile environments. Sign with both pride and caution.

    3Jun, 2025
    Oh yes, we’re going there…You did

    You did.

    Dear Joni Ernst,

    I didn’t feel like using your title, because I suspect you won’t have it very long. Not if we have anything to do about it.

    (VOTE NATHAN SAGE)

    (VOTE ANYONE NOT HER)

    After all, all Senate seats must end, right?

    You prided yourself on slaughtering pigs and have now shown Iowans you aren’t above slaughtering them.

    You worked the military by claiming assault – and we can’t prove you lied – but your actions have spoken very loudly under the Trump administration. You stood by him and his cabinet while ignoring their records of sexual abuse and unfitness. You waved them through, even when women begged for accountability.

    You constantly side against what would be for the greater good of your gender. When it comes to reproductive rights, when it comes to health care, when it comes to access to birth control, when it comes to standing up to men who harm women – you fail. And you fail loudly, with your vote and rude, hateful, condescending ways you speak to your constituents.

    You have solidified in many minds, the countdown to your own demise/death. We’ll settle for you not popping up your too-ugly body shape to be a Trump pick face up again for any political leadership role.

    You are a vulture.
    (Notice her big beak – the better to tear innocent victims up with.)

    One day you will realize you are not up to par with Trumps’ beauty requirements. You are pushing through an alpha male/trad wives agenda, one that will bite you in your flat ass and take you down after all of your support to make it happen.

    Sources:

    https://www.glamour.com/story/senate-planned-parenthood
    https://www.axios.com/2022/07/27/birth-control-bill-senate
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Ernst
    https://apnews.com/article/138c79c9199c8525d43b77417674d81e

    20May, 2025
    Open Letter to Senators Grassley and Ernst: Medicaid

    Dear Senators Grassley and Ernst,

    I am writing to you not only as a constituent of Iowa but as a survivor of decades of struggle—struggles that many in our state quietly endure every day. I am also sharing this letter publicly because too many voices like mine go unheard in the legislative halls where our lives are debated and often dismissed.

    I moved to Iowa when I was 19. At the time, access to health insurance without employment was nearly impossible unless you were a parent or pregnant. I had none of those qualifications—just a mounting storm of mental health conditions, including PTSD, PMDD, manic depression, and EID. Diagnoses I would only come to understand much later, because there was no path to care.

    For years, I was adrift. I lived in shelters, cars, warehouses, and on couches. Not by choice, but because I couldn’t hold a job long enough to qualify for stability. I spent 20 years without a place to call home, punished over and over by a system that made no room for people like me.

    It wasn’t until the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) passed that I was finally able to access the healthcare I desperately needed. With Medicaid coverage, I was properly diagnosed, treated, and able to apply for SSI—support I should have had since I was 19, but wasn’t able to reach until I was 40. I am 50 now. That means I spent over half my life suffering without help.

    Today, I live in a tiny tiny home on a patch of land, still battling stigma, housing insecurity, and a system that too often devalues women and the mentally ill. And now I live in fear again—because this administration’s policies threaten to take away my Medicaid.

    If I lose Medicaid, I lose my SSI. I lose access to my medication. And I lose the safety net that keeps me alive.

    And I am not alone.

    According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 149,000 Iowans have already been disenrolled from Medicaid as of May 2024 due to the unwinding of pandemic-era protections. Many are being kicked off for paperwork issues—not because they’re ineligible. These are people—children, the elderly, the disabled, the working poor—who now face a terrifying choice between suffering or survival.

    This is not an abstract policy issue. Research shows that Medicaid expansion under the ACA prevented approximately 1,818 suicides from 2014 to 2017. Suicide rates dropped significantly in states that expanded access to care. The data is clear: people die when they lose health coverage. Suicide, mental health crises, untreated trauma, and violence are not theoretical—they are the predictable outcomes of denying people care.

    You may not see the direct consequences today. But they are coming. Suicides will rise. People with mental illness who lose care will be pushed into crisis. They will break down in public. And when someone in the crowd doesn’t understand what’s happening, they might react with violence. Innocent people will be harmed. Blood will be on someone’s hands. Please don’t let it be yours.

    This is not partisan. This is about life and death. Healthcare access is not a handout—it is a human right. You have the power to help ensure that people like me do not fall through the cracks again.

    Please do not support cuts to Medicaid. Please stand up for the Iowans whose lives depend on it.

    Show us we are not invisible to you. We exist. We matter. We vote.

    Sincerely,
    Judy T.
    Head Guerilla
    judy@rescueourdemocracy.com

    Sources and Supporting Research:

    1. Medicaid Expansion Associated with Reduced Suicide Rates (Health Affairs, 2020)
      https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00413
    2. Global Economic Crisis and Suicide Trends (The Lancet Psychiatry, 2015)
      https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00118-7/fulltext
    3. Mental Health Care Matters (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
      https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatment/Mental-Health-Care-Matters
    4. Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker – Iowa (Kaiser Family Foundation)
      https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/

    20May, 2025
    Trump’s Administration and Project 2025

    Understanding the Urgency

    Understand Project2025 before reading please

    Progress tracker for Trump’s Project2025 agenda implementation

    Donald Trump’s current administration isn’t just pushing policy; it’s advancing Project 2025—a plan to radically reshape government institutions with authoritarian overreach. According to The Washington Post, “Project 2025 seeks to consolidate power in the executive branch and reduce federal oversight” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/01/project-2025-trump-heritage-foundation/). This is a threat not only from Trump himself but also from the entire line of succession aligned with this agenda.

    Breaking Down the Impeachable Offenses

    1. Obstruction of Justice: Trump’s interference in investigations and attempts to influence judicial processes have been widely reported. The New York Times reported, “Multiple investigations reveal attempts to obstruct justice, a clear impeachable offense” (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/us/politics/trump-obstruction-justice.html).
    2. Abuse of Power: The use of government resources for personal profit, including taxpayer-funded trips to Trump-owned properties, exemplifies abuse. CNN reported, “Taxpayers have footed millions for Trump’s personal benefits, violating the emoluments clause” (https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/10/politics/trump-emoluments-violation/index.html).
    3. Incitement of Insurrection: Following the January 6 attack, numerous reports and court filings indicate Trump’s role in encouraging violence against democratic institutions. The Guardian states, “Evidence shows Trump’s rhetoric fueled the Capitol attack, fitting impeachment criteria” (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/06/jan-6-insurrection-trump-role).
    4. Violation of the Constitution: By undermining court independence and threatening non-compliant officials, Trump is attacking constitutional checks and balances. Politico writes, “The weaponization of courts and intimidation tactics undermine the rule of law” (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/20/trump-weaponizing-courts-constitution-000800).

    How Impeachment Works — In Simple Terms

    First, the House of Representatives investigates and votes on articles of impeachment. This requires a simple majority. If approved, the Senate holds a trial requiring a two-thirds majority to convict and remove. This process is designed to protect democracy by holding leaders accountable.

    ROD – Understanding ImpeachmentDownload

    Find this and more PDFs about Voter Education here! (Coming Soon!)

    The Line of Succession That Must Be Addressed

    Removing Trump alone won’t stop this. The first 18 people in line to the presidency include Vice President J.D. Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson, and key cabinet members like Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—all vocal supporters or appointees tied to Project 2025. The Associated Press notes, “These figures form a network poised to continue Trump’s policies if they assume power” (https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-line-of-succession-2025-0b7c7ef9dcd5cfd).

    Ignoring this means the agenda persists unchecked.

    Why Removing the Entire Succession Line Is Critical

    The entire succession line—Vice President, Speaker, Senate Pro Tempore, and 15 cabinet members—are handpicked or aligned with Trump’s agenda. The Atlantic warns, “Without addressing the succession, removing Trump alone won’t stop Project 2025 from taking hold” (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/04/trump-succession-project-2025/).

    Removing them prevents the agenda’s continuation and protects democratic institutions.

    America the Avoided: How the World Now Sees Us

    The damage from this administration isn’t limited to our borders. Other countries have begun warning their citizens not to travel to the United States at all. According to Reuters, “Several nations have issued travel advisories for the U.S., citing gun violence, civil unrest, and political instability” (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/several-countries-issue-travel-warnings-us-amid-political-violence-2024-07-15/). This isn’t fear-mongering—it’s being echoed even in mainstream international press. The Guardian reported, “The image of America as a stable democracy has crumbled. Allies are distancing themselves economically and politically” (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/12/america-global-standing-trump-election). As this administration continues to spiral, not only are tourists being told to stay away, but products labeled “Made in the USA” are facing rejection abroad. Al Jazeera recently quoted a European trade minister saying, “American instability makes their exports a risk to rely on” (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/03/08/europe-warns-against-us-products-over-political-instability).

    So we have to ask—will they ignore us when we start dying too?

    Conclusion: What Must Be Done Now

    Failing to act allows authoritarian control to grow, costing taxpayers, eroding democracy, and threatening civil liberties. It’s time for all citizens to demand accountability. Contact your representatives. Support independent media. Vote for leaders committed to safeguarding our Constitution.

    As The New Yorker urges, “Only through comprehensive removal can we halt the corrosive effects of Project 2025” (https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/why-removal-is-essential-trump-project-2025).

    17May, 2025
    Trump Is the Threat He Warns You About

    Trump Isn’t Draining the Swamp—He Became the Swamp

    Donald Trump claims to fight corruption, weaponization, and elitism—but he embodies all of it. He is not a victim of the system. He is the system’s most abusive participant. Everything he warns his followers about, he does with a vengeance.

    From threatening prosecutors to undermining court rulings, Trump is actively weaponizing the justice system against political opponents and critics. He’s not “rooting out” a deep state—he’s installing one of his own.

    A Taxpayer Burden, Not a Public Servant

    Trump didn’t “sacrifice” a lavish life to serve the people. He shifted the cost of that lavish life onto the public.

    During his presidency, he visited his own properties over 500 times, funneling public funds directly into his own businesses. The Secret Service alone spent over $1.6 million at Trump properties (https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/taxpayer-cost-trump-travel-mar-a-lago/). Taxpayers paid millions for trips to Mar-a-Lago, which he owns, profiting every time.

    He golfed more in four years than Obama did in eight—at his own clubs—while claiming to work for free.

    Two Americas: One of Excess, One of Struggle

    Trump parades wealth like a badge of honor. Remember the “30 dolls” remark? That was a glimpse into a mindset totally detached from the real world. Many children don’t even have three dolls, let alone thirty. But in Trump’s America, opulence is the norm—for the few.

    He and his allies live in a bubble built on narcissism and greed. They’ve never struggled to pay rent, missed a meal, or worked three jobs just to survive. They don’t know our pain, and they don’t care.

    They rule from gated communities while calling themselves victims. They are not victims. They are rulers crying foul while manipulating every lever of government.

    The Real Snowflakes Are in Power

    Trump has made a career of bullying, threatening, and fear-mongering. His reality show tagline—”You’re fired!”—was never entertainment. It was a warning. Threats are his love language. He governs like a cult leader, chasing down nonprofit organizations, pressuring lawyers to bend, and labeling truth-tellers as enemies of the state.

    This is not patriotism. This is authoritarianism.

    And the people he targets—activists, journalists, nonprofit leaders—are not dissidents. They are defenders of democracy.

    Wake Up. Resist.

    The courts aren’t safe. The Constitution is under siege. Our democracy is being sold off to the highest bidder while a corrupt billionaire shouts about injustice.

    Trump is the threat he warns you about.

    Head Guerilla

    #TrumpIsTheThreat #TrumpCrimes #TaxpayerFraud #StopTheGrift #AccountabilityNow #RuleOfLaw #WeaponizingTheCourts #ProtectDemocracy #DefendTheConstitution #JusticeMatters #WeThePeople #EconomicJustice #ClassDivide #NotForThePeople #TruePatriotsResist #RiseAgainstHate #StopTheAuthoritarian #PowerToThePeople #WakeUpAmerica #TruthToPower #HeIsTheSwamp #NoMoreLies #RealNews

    17May, 2025
    Genocide Is Genocide—Palestine Deserves Our Outrage
    Starved prisoners, nearly dead from hunger, pose in Nazi concentration camp in Ebensee, Austria. In the Austrian Alps the Nazis had one of their largest camps. Large numbers of inmates were starving to death and dying at the rate of 2000 per week. The camp was reputedly used for “scientific” experiments. It was liberated by the 80th Division, 3rd U.S. Army. From: album entitled “Nazi War Atrocities.”

    The Holocaust Was a Human Tragedy—And So Is Gaza

    The world still mourns the unspeakable horrors inflicted upon Jewish people during Hitler’s genocida reign. Millions were slaughtered in the Holocaust, and that collective trauma must never be dismissed, denied, or forgotten. My heart breaks for those who lived through that nightmare and for their descendants who carry that legacy.

    But history’s deepest wounds do not justify inflicting fresh ones.

    It must be said—clearly, urgently, and with no hesitation: condemning genocide is not anti-Semitic. Being anti-war crimes is not anti-Jew. Criticizing a government’s actions, especially when those actions result in the deaths of thousands of civilians, is not the same as harboring hate for a people.

    What Israel Is Doing in Palestine Is a Genocide

    Let’s call it what it is. What’s happening to Palestinians—especially in Gaza—is genocide. Over 30,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, have been killed since October 2023. Basic necessities like food, water, medicine, and shelter are being denied. Entire communities are being wiped out. This is systematic and intentional.

    And the man behind it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing charges of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. He is not the victim. He is the perpetrator.

    Jewish Voices Say: Not in Our Name

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/15/ben-jerrys-co-founder-arrested-protesting-gaza-blockade-senate-hearing

    We must stop silencing Jewish activists who are bravely speaking out. Groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org) and IfNotNow (https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org) are at the forefront of demanding a ceasefire and an end to apartheid policies. These activists understand that silence in the face of oppression is complicity.

    It is possible—and deeply moral—to honor the memory of the Holocaust and stand against Israel’s current actions.

    We’ve Failed Before. We Can’t Again.

    Armenian Genocide
    Bosnian Genocide
    Rwandan Genocide

    History has shown us what happens when the world looks away. The Armenian Genocide (https://armenianmuseum.org/the-armenian-genocide), the the Bosnian Genocide (https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/bosnia-herzegovina/1992-1995), and Rwandan Genocide (https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda) were all human rights catastrophes enabled by international indifference.

    We can’t keep failing to act. We cannot allow “never again” to become “again and again.”

    Stand Up. Speak Out.

    This is a call to action—for protests, for petitions, for voting, for educating, for breaking the silence. Stop calling genocide-opponents anti-Semitic. Many of us are fighting for every single person’s right to live. That includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, and everyone else.

    Silence is not neutrality. Silence is betrayal.

    Think before you judge.

    The Head Guerilla

    14May, 2025
    From Fracture to Foundation: Why We Keep Building Anyway

    There’s a moment I keep returning to, one I can’t shake. It’s not because I’m stuck in the past, but because the wound is still healing. Honestly, truth deserves to be heard, and I refuse to let silence speak louder than what happened.

    The Unexpected Sabotage

    At first, when I launched Rescue Our Democracy, I knew challenges would come. But I never expected sabotage from those who claimed to be allies.

    In early spring, a group called “Bitches That Get Stuff Done” defamed me. Unabashedly, they publicly accused me of lying, but the allegations were proven false. So what was their issue? Interestingly enough, they didn’t know how to check their voicemail on the Google Voice number they’d been advertising. Instead of owning their mistake, they attacked my credibility. Sharing screenshots of “putting me in my place” to sow discord for me to work with other groups. It was slander. Posting it on our site, made it libel.

    With truth on my site, I continued building.

    The Iowa 50501 Coalition

    Unexpectedly, the fallout was swift, rippling through our local circles. That’s when the Iowa 50501 Coalition reached out. They said they wanted to “vet” me and explore working together. At the time, I thought they were offering support.

    Looking back, I see it clearly: they weren’t vetting me. Instead, they were covering themselves. They were aware of the smear campaign and the potential legal or reputational implications of staying silent. So, they approached me—not as allies, but as self-preservers.

    The Request for a Campaign

    Next came the request for a website. Unbelievably, they had none – some internal kerfuffle, and I agreed to help because I believed in the power of coalition work. Just as I began working on preparing for their web presence, they added a new, urgent request—a full campaign for a cause that affects our elderly, our disabled, and low-income families.

    But, it wasn’t just a campaign document. They wanted a full campaign. They asked for postcards, call scripts with rebuttals, documents, and presentations. I created and revised everything multiple times, ten versions in total. They kept shifting their direction. And all of this work? It was for a “random lady on FB” I never had the chance to speak with directly. Subsequently, I had found out that this woman isn’t even a part of Iowa 50501. Somehow, they managed to pimp out my work.

    I thought I was building a partnership. But, I was used instead.

    The Truth Unveiled

    Eventually, the truth surfaced. The person requesting the campaign wasn’t even part of their group. She was just a random woman from Facebook. They’d misled me. They’d strung me along and wasted three crucial days I needed to prepare for our first protest.

    Sadly, they knew about the protest. They knew what I was working on. And yet, they pulled me away from it.

    The Rejection

    Finally, on April 30, I paused the campaign to focus on Rescue Our Democracy. That same day within minutes, they rejected me. Rejection over my following laws regarding privacy, that they do not follow themselves, locally or nationally. On that same day, their website went live, echoing an important element from my own site, including our event calendar.

    So actually, this wasn’t a coincidence. It was sabotage.

    Why We Keep Building

    But here’s the thing they didn’t expect: we’re still standing.

    Rescue Our Democracy is about people, not performance. It’s about connection, not control. It’s about the long road to change—not the quick hit of media attention or mimicking others.

    Building The Support We Need

    The only consistent support we’ve received has come from Indivisible chapters. They didn’t posture. They showed up. They offered real resources. They helped.

    Yes, I’ve written about this before. I might write about it again—not because I’m bitter, but because this pattern of abuse and erasure has to stop.

    The Path Forward

    Specifically, if you’ve ever been sidelined, talked down to, or used, this movement is for you.

    Frankly, we’re not here for permission. We’re not here to play politics. We’re here to make change.

    And next time, no one will hijack our time, our voice, or our mission.

    Lastly, we are not stepping aside.
    We are building something stronger than we ever imagined.

    Judy T.

    Head Guerilla

    10May, 2025
    Honorary Guerilla…

    🛡️ Introducing Our Honorary Guardian Guerilla: Mayor Ras Baraka 🛡️

    When courage meets conviction, it deserves recognition. We’re proud to honor Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, U.S. Representatives Rob Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver with the title of Honorary Guardian Guerilla for their unwavering stand against injustice.

    On May 9, 2025, Mayor Baraka was arrested outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark. He was accompanying U.S. Representatives Rob Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver during an unannounced oversight visit. Despite remaining on public property and complying with orders to leave, Baraka was detained by federal agents—a move many view as politically motivated. The Daily Beast

    Baraka‘s commitment to transparency and justice didn’t stop there. Earlier attempts to inspect the facility were met with resistance, as GEO Group employees denied access, citing the need for ICE approval—a claim Baraka contested and is supported by law. He emphasized the city’s right to ensure safety and code compliance, stating, “We are trying to get in, and we are going to get in today.” New Jersey Globe

    In a bold move, Baraka, Menendez, Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver followed a vehicle into the facility, seeking dialogue with GEO Group staff. Despite their efforts, access was denied, highlighting the opaque operations of such detention centers. New Jersey Globe

    Mayor Baraka, U.S. Representatives Rob Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver actions exemplify the spirit of a true Guardian Guerilla—fearless, principled, and relentless in the pursuit of justice. Their dedication has not only inspired us but has also garnered admiration from advocates nationwide.

    We salute Mayor Baraka, Rob Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver for their bravery and stand in solidarity with their missions to uphold the rights and dignity of all individuals.

    He has since been released.

    We are honored by all of you.

    Thank you.

    Rescue Our Democracy

    23Apr, 2025
    Meet Shade Burgs – Author, Veteran, and Lifelong Advocate

    Follow his Bluesky

    It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce a man who has my unwavering respect—not just as a decorated combat veteran, small business owner, and gifted writer, but as my real-life best friend. Shade Burgs is now an official contributor to Rescue Our Democracy (ROD), and I couldn’t be more proud to have his voice join ours.

    Born and raised in Iowa, Shade has lived through and stood firm in some of life’s most unrelenting battles—both on the frontlines in service to this country, and right here at home, in the fight for truth, justice, and common sense. His perspective is grounded, unflinching, and always from the heart. He doesn’t write to impress—he writes to challenge, to connect, and to call things exactly as they are.

    As a decorated combat veteran, Shade brings a level of lived experience and integrity that cuts through the noise. As a small business owner, he knows the grit it takes to build something real in a system that often seems designed to keep everyday people down. And as a writer, he weaves insight and honesty into every sentence.

    Shade’s contributions will be raw, informed, and rooted in a deep love for community and country—not the kind sold on bumper stickers, but the kind that shows up, speaks out, and fights for a better future.

    Please join me in welcoming him to the ROD author team. I’m honored to stand beside him.

    You can read his first article and all contributions for the world here:

    Login