📢 Standing Together: How We Protect Each Other
🗽 Our resolve is stronger than ever, our movement can not be silenced.
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Our Circle of Protection: This is how we protect each other
I promised a recap and reflections on the recent election, and I assure you it is coming soon. But today, I want to share something powerful: one way we can stand up for each other and drive change.
Living in South Florida when Trump took office for the first time, I want to share lessons learned that can guide us in turbulent times.
I saw a friend’s post on Facebook asking for help handing out food and water to asylum seekers at ICE Miramar. The facility was only half a mile from my office, so I showed up. That first day opened my eyes.
Imagine a place where people, many fleeing unimaginable hardships, come to check in with immigration officials. And yet, ICE wouldn’t allow them to park on their vast property. Asylum seekers were forced to park on the adjacent street, where a tow truck waited, extorting these vulnerable people. It felt like a robbery happening in plain sight.
That day, I committed to coming back weekly. A group of us showed up each Wednesday (and we’re still there), offering food, water, hugs, and vital information. Over time, we became known as the Circle of Protection, and the experience taught me invaluable lessons I want to share with you.
Choose love. Despite the pain, the cruelty, and the fear of what we saw each week—family separations, a rising authoritarianism—our community chose love. Powered by compassion, we organized food drives, clothing donations, a holiday toy giveaway, and more. We chose hope over fear.
Document everything. We filmed week after week. It was essential for our outreach and invaluable for the legal teams working for those facing these injustices.
Have each other’s backs. Every week, someone brought coffee, another snacks, someone else water. It was a true community effort, a reminder of how people come together for those in need.
Never stop recruiting. This was perhaps the greatest lesson. Our community power and those we helped grew as more people learned about our story. We can’t stop sharing the truth, inviting others to join us, and growing our circle of protection.
Believe in our power to make a difference. We made tangible progress. Through our persistence, ICE Miramar now has restrooms, parking, water fountains, and scheduled appointments. Our voices helped bring about these changes.
You never know who you impact. After months of showing up, a family reached out to me—they had been following our story on social media. Through our support, they navigated a challenging time without separation. Today, they’re together, building a life here.
I know these are challenging times. But I also know from being on the front lines of fascism in Florida this is how we protect each other: by showing up, choosing love, speaking out, and never giving up. We can make a difference. We already have.
Donald Trump was elected President, but he is not a leader
Allowing leaders to escape the consequences of their actions sends a dangerous message that power, not justice, prevails—ultimately destabilizing society and giving rise to authoritarianism.
History warns us that unchecked power leads to corruption, oppression, and the silencing of our voices, threatening the freedoms we cherish.
Now, more than ever, we need everyone to step up and stand together. Join us and be part of a movement that demands accountability and justice for all. More resources are coming, but today, please join our Not Above the Law Rapid Response Team and sign on to our Freedom Over Fascism pledge.
Together we can champion Progress and Power to the People
People Power United members are committed to championing progress and power to the people. We don't just complain; we do the work to make change happen.
Friends, this is a plea for help with our People Power United efforts. With our membership growing, we're building momentum, but we need your help to reach even more people—every bit of assistance counts. Together, we can make a difference!
People Power United is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Click here to Block Matt Gaetz's Attorney General Nomination
Click here to Tell Trump's EPA Staff: Stop Lying About Your Record
Click here to Tell the Fed to Fight Climate Change
Click here to join the Not Above the Law Rapid Response Team
Call your member of Congress today (202) 224-3121 and tell them to protect our communities by ensuring NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW
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📢 We are United not Divided against Project 2025
Project 2025 is a clear and present danger to our rights, freedoms, democracy, and rule of law. Join us to stand strong against those who seek to impose Project 2025, threaten our democracy, and strip away our rights and freedoms. Together, we can protect our rule of law and defend the principles that make America truly free.
Stand with us and take action today:
Click here for more information on our one-hour STOP Project 2025 training
Click here to subscribe to our Resist Project 2025 newsletter
People Power United Updates
Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. We are having fun making impactful changes in our community! In case you missed it, this past week was busy:
People Power United joined coalition efforts to encourage the Senate to move forward with confirming Head of Office of Government Ethics
We sent out updates and news briefs on Protect our Planet, Reproductive Freedom for All, and Resist Project 2025
Stay connected, get People Power United on the Substack app
Additional updates can be found here.
Laurie’s Post-Election Message
After living in Florida for over 30 years, I've witnessed firsthand how easily rights, freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law can erode in a red state.
I share with many of you the feelings of deep disappointment in seeing the election of former President Trump and convicted felon to the highest office of President, the loss of the U.S. Senate, and the precarious hold on the U.S. House. This is not just a matter of politics—it's personal.
The day we stop advocating fiercely for our families, friends, co-workers, and communities is the day we surrender to authoritarianism—and that day is not today.
There will be endless analyses, explanations, and debates about what happened and why. I'll share my thoughts when the time is right, but remember this: our voice remains strong.
No one can silence us from speaking out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!
No one can take away our resolve to demand accountability from our leaders to uphold the people's will.
And no one can extinguish our movement for progress and empowerment for every American to thrive.
This experience, like many others, is an opportunity to rethink how we protect and expand the principles we believe in.
We must come together, address this setback, and build a stronger, more resilient movement for the future.
Together with you, I am looking forward to turning this disappointment into a driving force for accountability, justice, and unwavering commitment to the ideals that brought us here.
- Laurie Woodward Garcia
Friends, please take a moment to look at the photo of the United States flag below and reflect on the values it represents.
America is a work in progress and a promise of a better tomorrow for all of us.
We showed up on the beaches of Normandy to fight off Nazis, we sent people to the moon, and we developed a vaccine against and helped the world to overcome a worldwide pandemic.
We cherish our families, friends, faith, and communities; we pour love and hard work into everything we do.
That flag and America is our shared promise — a commitment to keep moving forward, to face challenges head-on, and to uphold the values of unity, courage, and compassion.
We are better than our worst days and can and will right the wrongs of our past.
We will not cower to bullies or fools, and we will do the work to fiercely advocate for our rights, freedoms, and democracy and push for freedom over fascism.
The strength of a nation lies in its people coming together, contributing their unique perspectives, talents, and experiences to build something greater than themselves.
A nation that allows hate to guide its policies and societal attitudes risks becoming isolated and losing respect and alliances on the global stage. All we have to do is look back in history and toward modern-day examples of North Korea and Russia to see what is to come if we allow hatred in the hearts of our leaders and our nation. All that we value, our families, faith, and our country, will experience internal conflict as spies and sycophants seek to spread hate.
🗽You are the hero of this American Story
People Power United members do what must be done and seek no other validation. Like heroes, they don't complain; they do something! They are selfless, seeking no glory or limelight. They see a problem and jump in to fix it. They make our lives better just by doing.
That is you. You are the hero of our American story.
In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!
Together, we can protect and empower those we love, champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!
People Power United is a group of community members that champions progressive values and power for the people.