In the Advocate May 2025: Michael Righi Chaos Monkey Goes After the Federal Reserve Michael Righi Trump wants lower interest rates. Probably so he and his family can borrow cheap money to pump up the value of their crypto coins, then dump them and leave ordinary investors with the losses. Maybe he needs money to build a golf course in Dubai. Or wait, maybe that’s going to be a “gift.” So call me cynical. He is also worried that his tariff chaos is going to slow production and the economy. Lower interest rates might encourage more spending and support the economy he is effectively tanking. Trump the autocrat wants the same power over interest rates that he has over tariffs. So he is threatening the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell. Firing Powell would be illegal; his term is not up, but this is Trump, right? And the Federal Reserve system was created to function independently of the president and Congress, on purpose, supposedly to insulate the Fed from political pressure. The Fed was initially created in 1913 to stop the financial crises private banks kept causing. Bankers would make riskier and riskier loans to pump up profit, some loans would go bad, banks would collapse and production and jobs would disappear. The Fed, once created, then lent money to bail the banks (and depositors) out, and prevent depressions. How to Make Money That is a crucial understanding – the Federal Reserve Bank creates money, out of thin air. You write a check, you draw down your account. The Fed writes a check by changing some numbers on a computer – only based on their authority as the country’s central bank. The Fed works through the private banking system. The Fed buys financial assets, Treasury bonds, or lately even mortgage-backed securities. That money winds up in the banking system, enabling banks to make loans. That’s more money in the economy. So the Fed enables banks to create our money supply. The Humphrey-Hawkins law passed by Congress mandates that the Fed keep both inflation and unemployment low. The Fed does this by controlling short-term interest rates. Those are often conflicting goals. Low interest rates (“easy money”) encourage borrowing and spending and so more jobs. But that also allows businesses to raise prices. High interest rates (“tight money”) have the opposite effect, slowing the economy. This all sounds technical and value- neutral. That’s what the Fed and Wall Street and financial elites want us to think, that Fed policy is apolitical and technocratic. Tell that to homeowners who lost their homes in the 2008 financial crisis while the Fed bailed out big insurance and bank corporations. Or to cardholders and small businesses now as the Powell Fed allows Capital One and Dis- cover to merge and raise their charges. The Fed Is Not Independent The Fed is run by bankers and Wall Street financiers, and influenced by what the corporate elite wants. High interest rates protect the assets of the financial elite from inflation, reducing their value. High rates also keep the economy from creating jobs, because then workers’ wages and willingness to organize might interfere with corporate profit. But financial crisis might call for extended periods of low interest rates, to keep Wall Street afloat, as after 2008. As wages have stagnated or fallen for decades, low rates also encouraged families to run up debt to maintain living standards. Whatever the capitalists in power need, the Fed tries to provide. Its power is relatively easy to access for the wealthy, easier than going through the somewhat more democratic legislative process. With Trump going after him, it is tempting to defend Powell and the Fed. That just puts us back into the space of bad choices. Neither represents what the working class needs. The Fed itself is soon likely to face both inflation and unemployment, a result of Trumpian chaos and uncertainty. If leaving it to the Fed is not the answer, then what is? That also should be up for discussion. There are ideas out there. Regional and local public banks could loan money for public infrastructure, such as transit and clean energy. Postal banking would enable those shut out of banks to borrow and make transactions. Put representatives of labor and communities on the decision-making bodies of the Fed. Use the Fed’s power to support states and cities and localities, to prevent the austerity budgets we are being battered with. It is important for us all to debate, popularly, monetary policy, and not leave it to so-called experts. Money and interest rates are political; they are determined by government policies. We don’t need to be defending Powell from Trump’s attacks. That’s a choice between autocracy and the status quo. Michael Righi is a retired economics professor and a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

Thank you for Completing PSARA ’ s 2024 Washington State Legislive Survey.

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents June 2026 Elections in Washington Likely to Change Robby Stern In late June or early July the US Supreme Court will issue a ruling in the case of Watson v. Republican National Committee . During the oral arguments before the Court, experienced Court observers noted that the majority of right-wing members of the Court are disposed to overturn a Mississippi election law designed to help make sure people’s votes are counted. The Mississippi law that is likely to be overturned allows mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by election day and are received within five days after election day. The challengers seeking to eliminate the Mississippi election law are the Republican National Committee, the Mississippi Republican Party, and the Mississippi Libertarian Party. Their argument was that the Mississippi law conflicts with federal laws that set the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as “election day.” This argument received favorable comments from right-wing members of the Court. The Trump administration weighed in as a “friend of the Court” supporting the challengers to the Mississippi law. The Solicitor General of the US, appointed by the President, argued that the Mississippi law was too “general and permissive.” The Trump administration argued that the law was inconsistent with the laws passed by Congress in the 19th century. The intention of the Trump administration has been made clear by the actions they are taking. The naked call for racist gerrymandering, along with the March 31 executive order authorizing the executive branch of government to determine voter eligibility, makes it crystal clear that the Trump administration and the Republican Party will resort to any means they can muster to retain their control of Congress, including restricting voter turnout and ignoring voter choices. The expected decision by a majority of members of the Supreme Court on Watson v. Republican National Committee will have a significant impact on Washington’s vote-by-mail process. If the decision goes the way knowledgeable observers anticipate, we must do everything we can to make sure all of Washington’s eligible voters’ ballots are counted. Frequently, the ballots of Washington voters, postmarked on election day and arriving after election day, are from more progressive voters. We want to encourage Washington’s voters to cast their ballots so that they will be counted. We will not await the Court decision. Beginning to educate as many Washington voters as we can about the likely change on the horizon is the reasonable path forward. We will not know for sure until the decision is issued if the anticipated majority decision impacts Washington’s consequential August primary. Ballots for the primary will arrive in our homes in mid-July. But, even if the Supreme Court decision does not affect our August primary, it will have a large impact on the crucial November election. PSARA, as a member of the Standing for Democracy organization, will work to educate Washington voters beginning now (this article being one example). We will do what we can to let WA voters know that many of us must change our behavior related to getting our ballots cast on time. Voting the first week we get the ballot and immediately mailing the ballot is one possible action to take to ensure our votes will be counted. If you don’t mail your ballot the first week you receive it, it is advisable to put the ballot directly into a ballot drop box in case there are delays in stamping a postmark and/or late deliveries that might interfere with our votes being counted. Each of us can spread the word. Our vote is a precious right and the autocrats ruling our country are trying to consolidate their control of government policies. They know what they are doing does not have the support of a majority of people in our country. Acting vigilantly to protect people’s right to vote and have their vote count is a necessary step in our resistance to autocratic/fascist domination. Robby Stern is President of the PSARA Education Fund and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. < Back to Table of Contents

Read American Medical Association’s (AMA) In Opposition to the Medicare WISeR Program

Democracy Depends on Truth and Facts As a potential harbinger to the future in our country, Cindy Domingo reports on the challenges to democracy in the Philippines. Read

She Walks Miles in Other People’s Shoes, Part I Interview With Maureen Bo Angie Bartels interviews PSARA member and labor organizer Maureen Bo on her life experiences and work in organized labor Read

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2026 Vertical Integration: How UnitedHealth Group Consolidated Market Power Katie Harris In last month’s article on vertical integration, I described how significant shifts in healthcare were taking root around 1984. Vertical integration was falling into place. This is when a company owns all the goods and services needed to carry out its business. So, for example, in 1984, a health care company might buy psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and acute care centers, along with manufacturers of hospital equipment, such as diagnostic machines, hospital beds, lifts, wheelchairs, and linens. With these acquisitions, one unit of the company could charge another unit of the company whatever it wanted. Vertical integration eliminates incentives to trim costs or evaluate product quality. In 2026, vertically integrated companies are buying much more than goods and services; they’re reshaping infrastructure. Physicians’ practices and health insurance companies are being purchased. Websites that appear to be independent sources of information about health and health insurance are being acquired. Our health information, from the moment we sign up for insurance to the present moment, becomes a cache of saleable information. What enabled companies like Unit-edHealth Group (UHG) to become vertically integrated behemoths? By 1984, at least two forces were converging: Reagan’s push toward privatization, and a model of integrated service delivery called continuum of care (CoC). Here’s how the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) described privatization under Reagan: ”A strategy to shift the production of goods and services from the Government to the private sector in order to reduce Government expenditures and to take advantage of the efficiencies that normally result when services are provided through the competitive marketplace." Note the striking assumption that efficiencies will “normally result.” I didn’t believe it for a second; once services were privatized, they became much harder to monitor. That difficulty in monitoring has been key in spurring the growth of vertically integrated companies. The move toward a model of service delivery called continuum of care (CoC) was a second important force. A CoC’s goal is to provide a seamless, integrated suite of health, mental health, and social services, oriented around the client. Here’s a definition rolled out at the 1984 annual meeting of the American Hospital Association: [A] client-oriented system of care composed of both services and integrating mechanisms that guides and tracks clients over time through a comprehensive array of health, mental health, and social services spanning all levels of intensity of care." In the 1980s, numerous studies documented the success of CoC in providing long-term improvement in clients’ social and economic well-being. I was a research assistant for a federal resource center at that time. CoC made complete sense to us as a model of service delivery, and we embraced it. By 1994, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had integrated CoCs into its requests-for-proposals (RFP) for services. The move to CoCs was greeted with excitement and relief by local governments and other funders, service providers and clients. It was a hugely complex undertaking as clients’ needs spanned healthcare, housing, and employment. Tracking clients over time posed a significant logistical challenge, as did working across multiple agencies. The US Government sought proposals from the private and nonprofit sectors for services with seamless integration, tailored to individual needs. The preconditions for rapid growth by companies like UnitedHealth Group were in place. By 2024, for example, UHG had invested more than $1 billion in housing, specifically framing its investment in housing stability as key to promoting health equity. UHG leadership's paper, Investing in Housing and Health, Stewards of Aflordable Housing for the Future, asserts that UHG’s housing investments reflect its commitment to health equity: "Investments in affordable housing are part of UnitedHealth Group’s commitment to advance health equity and promote community environments that enable people to live their healthiest lives." But UHG’s embrace of health equity, anchored by housing stability, is sharply at odds with actions by other UHG subsidiaries. This past August, Senators Warren (D-MA) and Wyden (D-OR) called for an investigation into “alarming reports of United Health Group (UHG) padding revenues through cost-cutting programs” for patients in skilled nursing facilities, dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare whose care was administered by UHG subsidiary Optum, through institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs). Optum has offered “heavy incentives” to nursing homes that delayed patients’ hospitalization to meet certain company targets. This increased negative health outcomes such as stroke. Senators Warren and Wyden also asserted that UHG strongly encouraged nursing home patients to sign Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Do Not Intubate (DNI) orders to reduce costs. The two Senators sent a second letter on August 27, 2025, referencing “abusive tactics” following a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a tech subsidiary of Optum that processes a staggering 45% of U.S. healthcare transactions. During the attack, healthcare providers were unable to determine eligibility, seek approval for treatment or bill for reimbursement, with huge financial consequences for those providers. The senators said: "These reports…underscore the extraordinary market power of United’s massive, vertically-integrated conglomerate: the problem was caused by a breach of United’s payment clearinghouse, Changes [Change Healthcare]; the loans were offered by United’s industrial bank, Optum Financial; and now the company is using its insurance arm as a collection tool." In next month’s look at vertical integration, we’ll explore how and why UHG is changing service delivery through its purchases of physicians’ practices and insurance companies. If you are a medical practitioner who experienced the transition to UHG ownership, or if you are a patient of a practice that made the transition, please email if you’re willing to share your observations: organizer@psara.org . Katie Harris is the Retiree Advocate's copy editor and a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board. < Back to Table of Contents

Save the Date June 20 For PSARA’s Juneteenth Event With a Very Special Guest Our Juneteenth event, at 1-3 pm on June 20, will feature Delbert Richardson, national award-winning, extraordinary artist and storyteller, and his “Unspoken Truths” traveling history museum. Through displays, artifacts and narrative, Mr. Richardson presents history through an Afrocentric lens that allows us to truly understand the past and present. Everyone is welcome from 1-3 pm on Saturday, June 20 at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 124 21st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122.

Social Security: A detailed look at what's going on, posted by a Social Security Administration worker In the Advocate August 2025: Social Security: A detailed behind-the-curtain look at what's going on, posted by a Social Security Administration worker I have not posted about my federal agency in a while. Here is why: we lost 94% of the staff in my regional office in the last two and half months. An office of 550 is now less than 2 dozen. One group of folks retired or quit. Another group were given directed reassignments to headquarters components (but did not have to physically move). A third (largest) group was bullied and pressured into “volunteering” to take front-line, public-facing jobs. Many of these folks had never worked in direct service before, and others took significant downgrades to positions from which they were promoted years or even decades before. So basically we’ve been in an inadvertent devolution exercise for the past 3 months. It’s exhausting and traumatic. I’m simultaneously enraged and grieving all of the time. All of my energy is spent on – I don’t even know what. Survival? Putting out fires? Offloading work? Responding to emails that 550 staff used to respond to? Here is a long catch-up post. The Trump administration continues to assert that Social Security is not being touched and that there have been no field office closures. While it is true that there have not been field office closures recently, there are closures and these are completely destroying the infrastructure of the agency. In order to be invisible to the public, the cuts are happening at regional and national offices that provide support to our front line staff. The destruction at SSA is designed to be off the public radar. What is happening at SSA is happening to other agencies as well – like NPS, HUD, EPA, etc. Here is some granular info: SSA used to have 10 regional offices. We are now down to 4. The 4 remaining are in hospice care. We no longer have enough staff to even triage. In my newly consolidated region, we had 550 employees in March. We now have less than 24. The remaining two dozen staff are trying to support the operations of 10,000 employees in 20 states. The other three remaining regional offices are similarly gutted. What do employees in regional offices do? These mission critical employees support the front lines; we provide computer hardware and software support, provide policy advice and guidance, train new employees, train journey level employees on new or changing policies and regulations, work with landlords and GSA, contract with guards, hire new staff, oversee labor and employee relations, allocate budget, overtime, and staffing, monitor spending, monitor for fraud, etc. We will not properly function without regional offices. We are being dismantled, physically and organizationally. Employees are psychologically gutted. Deep grief, anger, distrust. Russel Vought's plan to traumatize the workforce is working. Everyday there is an employee on the other end of the phone or video call that is crying, or telling me about their sky-rocketing blood pressure, about new anti-depressants and anti-anxiety prescriptions or increasing dosages, about their family begging them to quit or retire because it is not worth their health. It is frustrating that both the media and congressional staff keep asking only about how cuts are impacting the public. They are missing the bigger picture. It’s hard to explain what Social Security regional offices do as a lot of it is behind the scenes. We don’t interview the public or process claims, but here are some things we (used to) do that directly impacted payments and prevented fraud. As a result they are not getting done at all. Troubleshoot W2s and FICA tax issues with employers – these are both mom & pop small businesses as well as large employers like Boeing and Amazon. Interface with the state governments on Food Stamps, SNAP, WASHCAP, etc. Coordinate with state child support enforcement on garnishments. Field inquiries from state L&I on worker’s comp issues. Manage Section 218 agreements that state and local entities use to with- hold Social Security taxes from wages. Work with fisheries, farmers, and advocate groups on special Social Security number applications and non-work number cases. Liaison with state vocational rehabilitation. Work with states on Medicaid pass- along agreements. Interface with CMS and state healthcare entities on Medicare. Work with jails to support pre-release agreements as well as to obtain info when individuals are incarcerated and not entitled to benefits. Negotiate with state and local governments to obtain safe and protected data exchange agreements. Resolve attorney fee issues with disability attorneys. Ensure that Social Security over- payments are not discharged and are recouped in bankruptcy cases. Respond to FOIA requests. Headquarters components are also being hollowed out. Not only have they also lost employees to DRP, VSIP, and reassignments, they have been massively reorganized to the extent that there is no longer structural integrity. Staff have been scattered. Workloads are likewise scattered but have not always followed the staff that were scattered. We no longer know who “owns” what. Workload X used to be Department A’s responsibility but Department A is now Department Omega and the group who used to run it in Department A are no longer there. The work may still be in Department Omega or it could have moved to Department B except Department B is now gone too and maybe it’s in Department Beta? The regional offices are trying to move work to headquarters since there is no one left in regional offices but we don’t know who is left and where anything remains in headquarters either. All of this is invisible to the public because field offices continue to function at the moment. It is insidious. We are still in a freefall and haven’t hit bottom yet. There is no talk of rebuilding. We are not there. Elon may have left, but DOGE has not. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents September 2025 We Remember Michael Righi Mike Andrew, Karen Richter, Robby Stern Michael Righi, member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board, veteran activist, and retired economics professor, died in July. His passing is a huge loss for PSARA and the Retiree Advocate, and a person- al loss for his many friends in and out of PSARA. PSARA sends our deepest condo- lences to Bobby Righi, an equally great activist, writer, and friend. Below, some PSARA leaders who worked closely with Michael share memories of him. Mike Andrew: I don’t remember when I met Michael Righi. He was the kind of person who, once you talked to him a couple of times, you felt like you’d always known him. It may have been in 2012, when I first started working for PSARA, or it may have been before that, in the context of economic or climate justice organizing. He was passionate about both. In any case I was delighted to find out that we shared a political pre-history in the New Communist movement in the 1970s. Michael was wicked smart, but not a show-off about it. He was wickedly funny too. And he was more than willing to turn his droll sense of humor against billionaires and the politicians who abetted them. “Every billionaire is a policy failure,” was one of his favorite taglines. As editor of the Retiree Advocate, I appreciated his ability to take complex economic issues and explain them in simple – but not simplistic – terms any reader could understand. And all in 750 words! I know our readers appreciated it too, because every one of them, without exception, when they heard that he’d died, exclaimed “Oh no! What will we do without his articles?” I also appreciated the fact that Michael – and Bobby too – would pitch in to help with whatever was needed. He could explain cryptocurrency, carry a banner in a march, set up chairs for an event, or stick mailing labels on the latest issue of the Retiree Advocate . He was completely selfless that way. I last saw Michael at Tim Wheeler’s book reading on July 26. I was expecting to see him again a few days later to plan the new issue of the Retiree Advocate. It didn’t work out that way. I’ll miss him. Karen Richter: Michael was a generous and caring person and great friend. His articles in the Advocate helped so many of us understand the complexities of economic justice issues. He had a great sense of humor and was a talented cook. He made the best pizza and paella I ever tasted. Michael was always there when we had rallies, demonstrations, and marches no matter what. He always showed up to help with everything – our mailing parties, membership meeting, concerts you name it he was there. He was one of the best people I've ever known. I will miss him dearly. Robby Stern: Michael was one of the most decent and thoughtful men I have ever known. He was a good and beloved man with an outstanding sense of humor. He played a very important role in our collective work and was someone I was always glad to see and spend time with. As a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board, his good humor, insights, and compassion were consistently present in our deliberations. He helped to make the meetings fun and productive and was a very significant part of creating a quality newsletter month after month. He and Bobby have been an amazing couple and served as a model of lifetime progressive activism. It was always a delight to interact with the two of them at street actions, fundraising events, PSARA meetings and other events supporting the movement for social and economic justice. Michael was both incredibly funny and at the same time determined to provide his good thinking on what we could do in that moment in the fight to create a more just world. As a progressive economist, his monthly articles in the Retiree Advocate were clear and easily readable, not an easy thing to do when discussing economic issues. He helped many of us better understand what forces were at work in our economy that sharply tilts in favor of the very rich and powerful and the avaricious multinational corporations. He also wrote with underlying compassion about how it should be as opposed to how it is. He was an ever-present activist in our efforts to change how the economy works as well as fighting for worker, climate, racial, and gender justice. We will miss Michael enormously and will honor him by carrying on the work he chose as his lifetime mission. Michael will live on in our hearts, our memories, and our thinking about what we should do next to resist autocracy and fascism and build a better world. < Back to Table of Contents

Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People, Alice Woldt In the Advocate August 2025: Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People Alice Woldt For more than a quarter-century, PSARA has fought to protect the security and dignity of older Americans and the generations that follow. That mission is deeply tied to the health of our democracy. If billionaires and corporate interests drown out our voices, we all pay the price – whether it’s in lost retirement security, unaffordable healthcare, or neglect of our most vulnerable neighbors. That’s why I’m urging PSARA members to vote Yes on Proposition 1 this August to renew funding for Seattle’s groundbreaking Democracy Voucher Program. Since voters first approved it nearly a decade ago, this program has transformed how our city elections work by putting real power back in the hands of everyday people. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program gives every resident four $25 vouchers to contribute to local candidates of their choice. It’s a simple idea that has had extraordinary results. Instead of local campaigns relying on a handful of wealthy donors and corporate PACs, they’re fueled by small contributions from people like us – retirees, renters, working families. And the proof is overwhelming: Since the program began, small donor participation has increased fivefold, with more than 105,000 Seattle residents using Democracy Vouchers. The vast majority were first-time donors, many from lower-income house- holds and communities of color who previously had little voice in our local politics. The candidate pool is more diverse than ever. There’s been an 86% jump in the number of candidates per race, opening the door for more women, younger candidates, and people of color to run competitive campaigns. And it’s made our elections more fair. Contributions under $100 have surged by 156%, while large contributions over $250 have dropped by 93%. Big out-of-city money has plummeted by up to 84%, making local campaigns truly local again. This is precisely the kind of change many of us dreamed of when we first took up the fight to reduce the influence of big money in politics. And it’s working. A study even found that Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program boosted voter turnout by nearly 5 percentage points – an enormous shift in local elections that typically struggle to bring people to the polls. Right now, we have a chance to protect all of this progress. Prop 1 would renew the small property tax levy that funds the Democracy Voucher Program for another 10 years. For the average Seattle homeowner, it’s a modest investment – about $13 a year – to keep our democracy strong, fair, and accountable. Without renewal, the program’s dedicated funding will disappear. Seattle would either have to drastically cut back or eliminate the program, or raid the city’s general fund – already under strain from other vital needs. Worse, letting it lapse would send a terrible message: that we’re willing to let billionaires and special interests reclaim their grip on our elections, right when so much is at stake. Our country is at a crossroads. Across the nation, we’re seeing voting rights rolled back, dark money unleashed, and attempts to silence the voices of working people. Here in Seattle, we can show there’s another way. We can stand up for a democracy that works for retirees on fixed incomes, young families starting out, and everyone in between – not just the wealthy few. So here’s what you can do: Mark your calendar and return your ballot by August 5th. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors – especially younger voters – about why voting Yes on Prop 1 matters for the future of our city and our democracy. And if you have questions or want more resources, visit www.YesOn Prop1Seattle.org. As a long-time advocate for democracy reforms, I’ve seen countless efforts come and go. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program is different. It’s a proven success, built by voters, supported by voters, and now ready to be protected by voters once again. Let’s make sure we keep our elections of, by, and for the people. Vote Yes on Prop 1 this August. Alice Woldt is the former Executive Director of Fix Democracy First and Washington Public Campaigns and a member of PSARA. PSARA has endorsed a Yes vote on Prop 1. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

In the Advocate July 2025: 4,000 Attend No Kings Event at People’s Park, Tacoma! John Alessio Our Vote, Our Choice, Our Power, Our Voice!” “Power to the People, We Insist-Billionaires Should Not Exist!” “Say it Once,Say it Twice, We Will Not Put Up With ICE!” These are just a few of the chants heard at People’s Park Saturday, June 14th. PSARA joined Indivisible Tacoma and many other organizations to create an informative, riveting, and festive event on “No Kings Day”. Other participating groups were: 350 Tacoma; AF- SCME Council 28; Evergreen Resistance Tacoma; Black Panther Party, The TSM Shop; Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma; La Resistencia; Rainbow Center; The Tacoma Urban League; LD27, LD28, and LD29 Democrats; Oscar’s Enemies; Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Immigration Alliance; Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America; Tacoma Fellowship of Reconciliation; Tacoma for All; Tacoma Veterans for Peace; The Conversation 253; Washington Wildlife First; and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 367. Careful planning included meetings and continuous communication between the leaders of many of these organizations to assure a safe and meaningful protest of the Trump administration’s immoral and unconstitutional activities. Preparation included de-escalation training sessions that resulted in a roaming Safety Team during the event. A First Aid Sation was created, with drinking water, snacks, and other relevant supplies. Various groups had their own information booths, plus a booth for sign-making, and even a face painting booth. People’s Park was humming with excitement and enthusiasm. Four thousand people, peacefully demonstrating, were completely rapt for two and a half hours listening to inspiring speeches about what is being done, and what still needs to be done, to stop Trump and his minions from destroying our democracy and inflicting more grievous harm on large segments of our population. The event started and ended with lively protest music, and there were clever chants interspersed throughout. The importance of local elections was emphasized, and people were encouraged to get involved by door-knocking, providing support to progressive candidates, and especially voting in the upcoming 2025 Primary on August 5 and again in the General on November 4th! Action events were announced, such as a June 18th “Door-Knocking for Introverts” to help people become effective doorknockers. On July 9th Indivisible Tacoma endorsed candidates will participate in a Candidate Forum at 6:30PM at Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church, 1115 So. 56th, Tacoma. La Resistencia and others will continue to strategize and call for united actions against the activities of ICE and the Northwest Detention Center - a critical court hearing is set for September. Some people may want to attend the “Breakfast With the Sheriff” meetings to remind Pierce county Sheriff Keith Swank that Washington state laws protect people from unconstitutional harassment and arrest. The next scheduled breakfast is 7-9AM Saturday, June 21st. We know he would love to see us. A Facebook message to a friend read: “I was at People’s Park with my brother who is blind and paralyzed on his left side. We had the best day. He felt part of society.” That statement captures the mood and inclusive spirit of the Tacoma “No Kings Day”. Let’s keep it going! John Alessio is a member of PSARA and Indivisible Tacoma. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE