ICE ENCOUNTERS: Get Informed

Also visit our new Community Defense page!

It’s no longer a question of IF. It’s a matter of WHEN.

ICE is now actively terrorizing communities in King County and in our state. It’s only a matter of time until they come onto our island. This is a very frightening thought for all of us. They purport to only be going after people who have committed crimes and aren’t in the US legally. But we all know this isn’t the case, most prominently as evidenced by events in Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and most recently Minneapolis. People of every race, legal status, and walk of life have been beaten, detained, terrorized. Kept in reportedly monstrously inhumane conditions. And, in the case of Renee Good, shot three times and murdered for the “crime” of trying to move her car from the scene.

So how do we prepare, and how do we react? What can we do to keep Vashon families and our community safe? While we cannot prevent ICE from coming to Vashon, we CAN prepare ourselves to safely and legally make their visit as uncomfortable as possible.

ICE Response in Our Community: How YOU Can Help

SHOW UP for your community!

An island-wide Vashon Community Response collaboration is in the works. Sign up today and we’ll follow up with more information soon. 

EMAIL vashoncommunityresponse@gmail.com and include:

             – Your full name

             – Email address 

             – Phone number

Note: Team members will be required to attend a States at the Core online training (90 minutes, see below).

States at the Core is hosting ongoing Community Defense and ICE Watch webinars. These are a great intro to what’s worked in Chicago and Minnesota. 

When: February 25 Sign Up HERE 

We need help assembling more WHISTLE KITS.

Production is simple and can be done from your home. Click HERE to get involved.

Our island partner Backbone Campaign is offering De-escalation and Safety Preparedness Training via Zoom.

When:  Thursday, February 19, 5:00 pm Sign Up HERE 

More Info:

Guidelines for Bystanders and Observers: In the U.S., everyone has certain constitutional rights and protections regardless of their immigration status — or who is president. You have the legal right to film police and/or immigration officers if they are in a public place and if the filming does not impede the performance of their duties.

Documenting ICE activity:

• Stay at a safe distance: The general rule is about 10 feet. Assess your own risk tolerance and “safety zone” ahead of time, so that you can stay calm under stress. If you’re asked to step back, take a step back while repeating: “I am exercising my right to record and document.”
• If the officer gets too close: Say, “I am stepping back and have the right to record.” Speak in a calm, audible voice.
• Protect video content on your phone: Make sure your phone is passcode protected. Disable fingerprint or face recognition. You might also consider equipping yourself with a wearable camera, both to keep your hands free and eliminate the danger of your phone being snatched.
• Focus your recording of ICE officers: Record all the way through the incident. Narrate what you’re seeing. Say the date and time.
• DO NOT GO LIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Please protect the privacy and safety of the people being detained.
• ALWAYS do a self-risk assessment in advance about what your personal “safe distance” is. For some, 6-10 feet may suffice, others may feel comfortable with 20+ feet. Practice what your safe distance looks/feels like so you are comfortable under stress.

What to document:

• ICE officer identification: Name, badge, uniforms, vests
• Date, Time, Location: Location with specific address
• Language used by officers: Hate speech and identity speech (racist, sexist, homophobic), incorrect or unproven statements
• Enforcement Agency vehicles: If they are marked or the license plate states Police, Sheriff, Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration Enforcement (ICE), unmarked but possible government vehicles
• Violence or physical force: Pushing, shoving, grabbing, violence during arrests, damaging of property

Add this SALUTE webform to your phone’s home screen or contacts. It guides you through what information to capture about an action (in a draft text), which you can edit before copying and pasting into a text to the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) (‭1-844-724-3737‬) to activate Indivisible Vashon’s Rapid Response.

TO REPORT ICE ACTIVITY: Call WAISN at 1-844-724-3737 

TO RECEIVE ALERTS ABOUT ICE ACTIVITY IN THE AREA: Sign up for alerts with Stopicealert.ddns.net

SEND VIDEOS, NOTES, PICTURES: Please send to the WAISN hotline.

STATES AT THE CORE will be having ongoing “Community Defense and ICE Watch” webinars. They’re a great intro to what has worked in Chicago and Minnesota. If you take this training and want to connect with local organizations for next steps, email Jenna. There are trainings set for January 22 & 28, and the website will update with additional training dates. Sign Up

VASHON-SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

• Homeland Security (DHS) regularly visits Vashon to carry out ferry security. To date, they are not doing immigration sweeps and they do not wear masks. If you think you see ICE, please take photos, note the time/place, and then report to the WAISN hotline asap to help determine whether your sighting is a ferry check or something more.
• Our Immigrant/Refugee Rights Team has many things already in place on the island. They have been working closely with our immigrant community to set up teams to do Rapid Response, Accompaniment, Court Watch, Fundraising, etc. If you would like to get involved and get training, please contact Jenna.
• When ICE comes to Vashon, they likely WON’T be spending the night as we don’t have hotels on the island. This means we won’t have the opportunity to disrupt their sleep (aww shucks…) but we can still make noise and alert others to their presence.
• WHISTLE KITS: One of our amazing Leadership Team members, Evan, has whistle kits! Please fill out this form to request kits, learn how to use them, or volunteer to help out.
• Watch for our new Immigrant/Refugee Rights page on our website. There you’ll always be able to get up-to-date information and find ways you can support the effort and get involved.

March Member Meeting

Momentum is Shifting / Our Power is Building

The country is angry – about ICE – about the growing number of Americans detained and the growing number who are losing their lives, some in dramatic and violent ways. You can feel it. Join us to find out ways you can be part of that momentum and to be in community. These times are HARD and it helps to be together to support each other!

When: Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 to 8:30 pm (doors open at 6:30)

Where: Vashon Methodist Church, 17928 Vashon Highway

Upcoming Member Meetings: second Wednesdays of the month at 7:00 to 8:30 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)

• Wednesday, April 8
• Wednesday, May 13

Submit Questions: Please email your questions for the Indivisible Vashon Leadership in advance to info@indivisiblevashon.org. 

Help Needed: Please let us know if you can help with setup, cleanup, greeting/welcoming; or would be interested in joining the Meeting Planning committee to help coordinate future Indivisible events. (Founding members get to come up with a fun name for the committee!) Email kathy@indivisiblevashon.org

Watch Abbe Lake’s amazing presentation from the January meeting HERE

Take Action Network (TAN)

The Take Action Network is a fabulous way to keep up on the progress of bills moving through the WA State Senate and House concerning de-masking ICE, use of FLOCK surveillance cameras, and the WA Dept. of Licensing sharing of data. You get the opportunity to sign in PRO on the bills you support. Over 14,000 people signed in support of the de-masking bill while it was in committee!

You can easily find actions that you can take to help support your values. You can set up a search that will send you an email each time there are new actions that meet your criteria. Or, when you are ready to take some action, you can log on and see what is available. TAN is especially useful during the Washington State Legislative Session as bill trackers are posting actions just about daily.

Sound intimidating? We are here to help!

• Review a TAN demo video at: https://bit.ly/TAN-Indi-Invitation (go to page 2)
• Sign up for online TAN training sessions at https://bit.ly/TAN-Training-Dates-2026. 
• We have our very own in-house TAN expert that will give you a one-on-one training at your home! Email Evan at lockejaw1704@gmail.com for one-on-one TAN training.

Ice Out for Good: Rein In ICE NOW

Build a Progressive Majority

Phone Banking Training Sessions

Income Equality: Support the Millionaires’ Tax

Climate Action

Keep “Advanced Nuclear” Out of WA

Our state Representative Joe Fitzgibbon has sponsored the “advanced nuclear” energy bill (HB 2090), which several environment & climate organizations oppose.

The bill raises several concerns (see details HERE):

• Nuclear lost money then and is still losing money now – and you pay for it.
• The Trump Department of Energy is eliminating radiation exposure standards while the Trump administration is opposing renewable energy systems — all while the Trump family invests in “advanced nuclear” systems. Don’t let Trump increase your exposure to harmful radiation so that he can become your energy supplier.
• Nuclear waste is deadly. The proposed waste facility shut down for THREE YEARS due to a radiation spill.
• We take the risks, Oregon gets the energy, Amazon reaps the profits — Amazon is investing in “advanced nuclear” to power their data centers in Oregon, not homes in Washington, while we deal with the radioactive waste and accident risks. 
• Indigenous rights will be trampled — again.

If you’re a TAN member, take this action. 

Otherwise, call or email Rep Fitzgibbon: 360-0786-7952, joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov 

Consider tailoring this script to reflect your personal views:

I strongly oppose taking on the risk of nuclear energy facilities that benefit wealthy corporations like Amazon while residents are exposed to the risk of nuclear waste and radiation accidents. The 9-month “advanced nuclear” study sounds biased and uninformed. There are no commercially active “advanced nuclear” facilities in the US. In addition, in 2017 & 2023 there were “advanced nuclear” facility terminations due to extreme cost over-runs. Wind & solar are 4 times less expensive than nuclear, are proven safe, and are technically mature. The legislature should focus on enabling private community solar and removing restrictions on rooftop solar. The “advanced nuclear” industry should not be allowed to “pay to play” with backdoor access to our state energy strategy.

Please oppose House Bill 2090.

Indivisible Truth and Share

Get Informed About the

“Trump Tax”

Donald Trump promised he would lower costs on Day One. Instead, his first six months in office were spent pushing a budget bill into law that takes money out of working people’s pockets to give handouts to the rich. Look up by state to find out how the Big Betrayal Bill is affecting the residents of that state. Please share this info far and wide! 

GET INFO

Vashon2Voters What’s The Plan? 

 Vashon2Voters Postcards

From Our Partners

Beachcomber Insert – What Can We DO?

It’s likely many of you saw the surprising insert tucked into a recent Beachcomber. For those who didn’t, let’s catch you up: The insert is a Stars and Stripes publication geared toward veterans. It includes a full-page advertisement featuring an image of Uncle Sam and the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND, AMERICA NEEDS YOU” and “JOIN.ICE.GOV.”

Let us be clear: The Beachcomber editorial staff had no warning that the insert was to be included. Modern corporate ownership of small newspapers means that big advertising decisions stay several levels removed from local editorial staff. One reaction we heard was “I’m cancelling my subscription to the Beachcomber!” Please, please don’t do this. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we SUPPORT and PROTECT our local journalists.

Here’s the thing: The Beachcomber is published by Sound Publishing, which is a subsidiary of Black Press Media, a company based in Surrey, B.C. that owns small community newspapers in Western Canada, WA, and HI. In 2024, Black Press Media was acquired by Carpenter Media, a Tuscaloosa-based media corporation that has a practice of installing conservative top-down coverage in the papers it acquires. Remember Sinclair’s decades-long buyup of local television news stations and their conservative infiltration into news programming? This is the print media version of that. Carpenter now owns more than 250 small local papers across the country. We are in the middle of a wholesale consolidation of all forms of media. The manipulation is insidious, it’s intentional, and it’s one of the key authoritarian strategies: taking control of the narrative.

So where does that leave us? What do we… do? There was MUCH debate about this among Indivisible Vashon (IV) team members last week. Would calls to the involved corporate players make a difference? Would a public-facing protest effort cause unwarranted blowback to our invaluable local paper, or further endanger vulnerable communities? How do we take action in a way that is smart and strategic, not impulsive and irrational? We had to remind ourselves that throughout history, it’s always many actions on many fronts that make a difference in fighting authoritarian regimes. There’s no silver bullet, and we won’t know ahead of time exactly what will make a difference and what won’t. One wise member reminded us to “Do what’s right, even when you don’t see immediate results.”

Of course, we also won’t all agree on what’s right — in this specific case, or across the wider chessboard. This incident is a microcosm, an illustration of the larger fight. What we do know is that, in both the micro and the macro, we can’t let uncertainty have a freezing effect. We must carry on. We must each individually keep doing what’s right, so that collectively we can keep moving forward.

Below, we have some carefully curated options for you. (We’ve done a lot of due diligence to do no harm here.) We’ll inevitably have more suggestions as this unfolds. Reflect, decide what’s right, and take action. And if you have ideas about how to protect local journalism, share them with us — we’re all in this together, and we’d love to hear from you.

Read on for your local Activist Actions and a year-end recap of what we’ve accomplished this year, together.

~ IV Editorial Team

• Write a letter to the Beachcomber.  Express your support. Let the staff know that we stand with local journalists, and that their work is more important than ever. Email: Editor@vashonbeachcomber.com
• Attend an Anti-ICE Protest. We will be attending the ICE Deportation Flights protest at Boeing Field on January 15. See below.
• Donate to the fight. Indivisible Vashon Protest Team can use funds to support their visual activism against ICE and the regime overreach. See Fundraising below and put “Protest” in the memo line.
• Help Vashon community members with legal fees while they navigate the immigration system. See Actions below.
• Buy an ad in the Beachcomber highlighting your love and support for our island community and every islander. Contact  
• Write to Stars and Stripes. Tell them that our veterans deserve real respect and support, not insulting ICE recruitment ads. Contact online.

Educate yourself and inform others. Become aware of who owns all the media you consume, and spread the word. On the larger news scale, become familiar with alternate media sources. (Scroll towards the bottom of this page for a list of trusted media sources.) Throughout history, whenever authoritarian attempts have been thwarted or reversed it’s been in part because of dissident media. Seek out and support this type of media, on whatever platforms you use. Fact check the corporate media you consume against independent journalists.

Donate to Indivisible Vashon

Indivisible Vashon is all-volunteer and people-powered. Help us cover expenses like meeting location insurance, outreach materials, postcards and stamps, protest supplies and more.

We’ve made it easier for you to donate! We now have a Venmo account. Just scan the QR code above with your phone camera. You can also search in Venmo.com for @Indivisible-Vashon. Don’t Venmo? We still happily accept checks (made out to “Kevin Jones for Indivisible Vashon”) or cash!

Thank you so much for your support and if you have questions about how donations are used, please contact us. 

Vashon Families Continue to Need Our Help

Thank you for improving food security for our community during these challenging times. Please continue to support island families hurt by SNAP cuts or federal furloughs by donating food, supplies, or funds. 

Vashon Maury Community Food Bank: Did you know that your $1.00 donation can buy $1.80 in food?

DONATE    Mail checks to: Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, P.O. Box 1205, Vashon, WA  98070

Vashon Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness: A special fund has been set up to supply food gift cards to our two island grocery stores. (Type “Food” in “Add special instructions to the seller.”)

DONATE    Mail checks to: IFCH, P.O. Box 330, Vashon, WA 98070 (Write FOOD in the memo).

Qualified Charitable Distribution: If you’re 70½ or older, or you are required to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from an inherited IRA, you can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly to charitable organizations, like the Vashon-Maury Community Food Bank, and reduce your taxable income — even if you don’t itemize deductions. QCDs count toward your Required Minimum Distribution and are one of the easiest and most impactful ways to give. See the Qualified Charitable Distribution instructions HERE.

Support Immigrants & Refugees by Donating Locally Today

Jayapal’s Resistance Lab Trainings

Congresswoman Jayapal is continuing her Resistance Lab Training. She knew we needed a way to turn our anger, fear, and frustration into action and progress. That’s exactly why she launched these in-depth, organizing trainings to build our movement and give us the tools we need at this moment. She’s even added specialized training on Immigration.

When: March 8, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Sign Up & More Info: Website

Gear Up For Protesting, Show Your Indivisible Pride

& Help Grow the Movement

INDIVISIBLE VASHON MERCH – NEW ITEMS HAVE BEEN ADDED!

Our amazing in-house designer Jenna has created a Zazzle shop where we can order t-shirts, tote bags, car flags, hats, and more with designs unique to us! Let us know what else you’d like to see. Think: “Use Your Outside Voice”, “Hate Has No Place Here”, etc. We all have ordered tee shirts and sweatshirts and they seem to run true to size, are good quality, medium-weight fabric, and the printing is high quality. Check out the shop and let us know what you think.

Order NOW for upcoming protests and just to spread the word about Indivisible Activism! Order Soon!

Indivisible Vashon Zazzle SHOP

Come Join Us!

• Actions Tracker: Read a Substack Newsletter or follow a trusted news source? Help us turn what you learn into Action Alerts to help fellow Indivisible members know what actions to take to fight the Regime.
• Social Media: Do you have a Facebook, BlueSky or other Social Media page? Help us amplify the posts that Indivisible Vashon puts out and also help post on our pages.
• Video/Multimedia: Have experience with making videos (even just on your iPhone!) or editing, production? We would love for you to help film segments that could then be shared via YouTube, on our Website, or Social Media platforms.
• Poster Crew: Join our group who helps hang posters around town to advertise our upcoming events.
• Marketing Background: Do you have a background in Marketing and would like to help our Communications Strategy Team?
• Elected Official Liaison: Create a connection with one of our elected Representative’s teams — so that we know up to date information from them and vice versa.
• Climate Action Plan Team: Help us to move forward the King County Climate Action Plan.
• Washington Indivisilbe Legislative Action: Help track legislation and provide actions for members to take to support legislation in the 2026 WA State Legislative Session.

Email Action.Alerts@IndivisibleVashon.org to sign up or get more information.

Let’s Celebrate Good Things That Happened Recently!

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. 

And it’s worth fighting for.”  

~Samwise Gamgee, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

• Union leader Taylor Rehmet won the special election for Texas State Senate Seat 9 with 57.2% of the vote (an over 30 point swing and while being outspent 20 to 1) – yep, you read that right – a ruby red Texas district outside Fort Worth elected a Democrat for the first time since 1991.
• More from Texas! Former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee won the special election run-off in District 18, a seat that had been held open by Governor Abbot since March 2025. This narrows the GOP majority in the US House so severely that they can only afford to lose ONE vote.
• A group of Buddhist monks (including Aloka the “Peace Dog”) are on day 103 of their 2,300 mile Walk For Peace from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., walking through every state capital and blessing crowds along the way. They’ll reach the Lincoln Memorial on February 11.
• In mid-January, Minnesota UPS driver Benji Gomez started Benji’s Pantry Comunidad out of his garage — and his own pockets — and within days was delivering food to families scared to leave their homes. He put out a call on social media, others joined in, their fundraising took off on TikTok and Instagram, and Benji has now served hundreds of families in Minnesota. Said Benji recently, “I won’t stop until we’re all safe. Because safety isn’t a privilege. It’s a right.”
• King County Council passed the first-in-the-nation motion calling on Congress to Rein in ICE, impose significant guardrails, and put in place accountability measures. Our own Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal worked with the Council to make this happen. This may feel performative, but they are leading the way for other communities to apply pressure to Congress.
• Four Winds Candle Co., a husband and wife candle-making company in Colorado, recently posted a tearful video on their tiny TikTok account in which they spoke up about the atrocities happening in our country: “This is just us, as humans, saying something out loud.” They did it despite the risk of losing their business — and the people responded. The video went viral, the Four Winds website immediately sold out, and their following exploded from 99 people to 30,000+. Because people seek and support the GOOD.
• Grammy winner Bad Bunny headlined the Superbowl Halftime Show, and MAGA has been FURIOUS! Because, you know, rapping in Spanish… So what did the NFL do? They added English-speaking act Green Day… who has always been outspoken politically, rewrote one of their old anti-Bush songs to be anti-Trump, and whose lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong has been loudly anti-ICE on recent tour dates. Also? LGBTQ+ music icon (and PNW native) Brandi Carlile is singing “America the Beautiful.” (P.S. Guess who picks the Superbowl acts every year? Rap legend Jay-Z, aka Beyoncé’s husband.) Great to see the Seahawks WIN too!!

Let’s Keep Up the Pressure!! The GOP and the Current Regime are Showing Cracks and Weakening!!

Still Want More Action Options?

• 5Calls.com
• Chop Wood, Carry Water Substack by Jessica Craven
• Take Action Network (TAN)
• Hopium Cronicles Substack by Simon Rosenberg
• Mobilize.com
• Indivisible National

Trusted News & Information Sources

• Indivisible National
• Washington Indivisible Network
• 1440
• PBS News
• National Public Radio
• Rachel Maddow Show
• Jessica Yellen – News Not Noise
• Talking Points Memo
• Project 2025 Information
• Substack Newsletters – www.substack.com and then search the names below:
• – Heather Cox Richardson
• – Jay Kuo
• – Joyce Vance
• – Andrew Weissman
• – The Contrarian
• – The Grassroots Connector

Member Meeting Recaps

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Recap – Member Meeting on September 2, 2025