Bend the Arc Jewish Action announced its plans to mobilize American Jews nationwide to participate in Rise Up! on May 1.
The movement is in response to “President Trump’s radical, anti-immigrant agenda, including his attacks on sanctuary cities and harsh deportation and detention policies,” said the organization’s press release. The protest will include rallies, protests and town halls organized by grassroots organizations nationwide. CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Stosh Cotler believes that America needs to go into a high-alert mode because of the Trump’s policies. The grassroots resistance will encourage Muslims, immigrants and refugees to participate in order to stop the White House from targeting marginalized groups.
“Any time a leader tries to explain economic and social ills, real or fabricated, by scapegoating and stereotyping a community in our midst, all of us are endangered. Many of our parents’ and grandparents’ ancestors were targeted with this kind of abuse when they first arrived in this country,” said Cotler. “President Trump may have forgotten that, but we have not. We are proud to stand with today’s immigrants to resist these attacks on their communities and defeat immoral policies that threaten their safety and wellbeing. Together, we will ‘rise up’ to stop Trump’s anti-American agenda and work toward a society that treats immigrants and all people with the dignity they deserve.”
The organization believes that America doesn’t work without immigrants. “On May 1st, we will not work, we will not go to school, we will not shop to show that our country will not move forward without our immigrant neighbors.”
On May 1 people are encouraged not to work, not go to school and encouraged to not shop to show that the country will not move forward without “our immigrant neighbors.” Also, according to the group, they are fighting against a planned massive deportation by the administration that will destroy families.
Bend the Arc Jewish Action also organized a campaign to stop the nomination of now Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and called for Trump to fire White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who they believe is a white supremacist.