LWVSPA Members Approve Adding Social Justice Team to Program
Our social justice team is back! On Thursday, July 10, LWVSPA members gathered virtually for the final vote to add a social justice team to our program. After members voted unanimously in favor of adding the team, the new social justice team leaders provided details about upcoming events, calls to action, and news worth celebrating. Lastly, Sebastián González de León of the San Pedro Gazette presented about his work as a journalist covering immigration and other social justice issues in the community.
Robin Davidov, Carla Vila, and Jackie Azis will lead the social justice team, which will focus on defending democratic values, educating the public on critical issues such as immigration and racial justice, and advocating for equitable redevelopment in St. Petersburg. The team also intends to mobilize community action through campaigns like the LWVUS Unite and Rise 8.5 campaign, foster informed dialogue on urban transformation projects such as Reimagine 175, inform people of their rights regarding immigration, and build consensus around the responsible redevelopment of the Gas Plant site. Through a blend of advocacy and education, the team will empower residents to engage in shaping a more just and participatory local democracy.
Check out the social justice team’s first updates below, and sign up to join here: https://lwvspa.org/social-justice/.
Upcoming Events:
Monthly Team Meetings: The Social Justice Team will meet on the First Thursday of the month. Our meeting will be on Thursday, August 7 from 5-6 via Zoom. RSVP for Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HuF4Xld0QhqFXHFpOAe3PQ.
Trolley Tour of the St. Pete African American Heritage Trail: Join us for a members-only trolley tour of the St. Pete African American Heritage Trail on Saturday, October 4 at 10 am. This tour provides an overview of African American influence and history in St. Pete. The trolley tour is limited to 20 attendees and LWVSPA members only. Sign-up here.
Calls to Action:
1. Everglades Detention Facility – FL Department of Emergency Management invited FL legislators and U.S. congresspersons to attend a guided tour of the Everglades Detention Facility (or what the government is referring to as “Alligator Alcatraz”). Elected officials who RSVP yes by noon on Friday, July 11 will be allowed to tour the detention camp this Saturday, July 12.
Call to action: Contact your state and U.S. elected officials IMMEDIATELY to encourage them to RSVP YES to attending the tour. The deadline for elected officials to RSVP is noon on Friday, July 11. Even though we recognize this tour will be staged and limited in time and scope, we think it is important that elected officials tour the detention center to see the facility and the people who are detained there. You can find your FL representative here, FL senator here, and your U.S. elected officials information here.
2. Birthright citizenship – Some Floridians will be stateless by the end of this month if no action is taken to preserve birthright citizenship.
Background: Trump signed an executive order terminating birthright citizenship for children who do not have at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident parent, effectively terminating birthright for children of authorized immigrants who have a visa (e.g.: work, student, entrepreneurship visas) and for those who are without a regulated status. This executive order is yet to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, but they made a decision last week that a current injunction is only applicable to states with active lawsuits. Because FL does not have a lawsuit, we are excluded.
Call to action: Demand nationwide protection for birthright citizenship- https://flic.fyi/act
3. Immigration Detention Camps – One new immigration detention facility is operational, others are likely being built soon.
Background: Florida state government took over a natural preserved area in the Everglades and built a detention camp there. The facility itself is highly problematic; unsafe in case of flood or hurricane, people are getting water once a day, and food with maggots. It is also in a fragile ecosystem and exposes both staff and those detained to mosquito-borne diseases. Closing this facility is urgent, but we also have a bigger problem – DeSantis is moving to build others across the state.
Call to action: Demand that Miami-Dade County sue the state for the land grab and to ensure that the Big Cypress remains a preserved area – bit.ly/no-everglades-detention-camp
4. Commit to Unite & Rise in the Fight for Democracy with LWV– The LWV’s Unite & Rise 8.5 initiative aims to mobilize 8.5 million voters to showcase the many ways voters can drive change through advocacy, mobilization, civic education, and engagement. .
Call to action: Commit to take action through voting and volunteering, mobilize in nonviolent efforts, and stay informed about policies and decisions. Join the LWV Unite and Rise 8.5 Campaign here.
5. Good Trouble Lives On– Join us on Thursday, July 17 for a national day of nonviolent action to defend democracy and respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights.
Background: July 17 is the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing. John Lewis famously said, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Around the country, groups will come together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change.
Call to action: Join us, Pinellas County NOW, and other organizations for the Good Trouble Lives on Day of Action on Thursday, July 17 from 4:30 – 6 pm around the Williams Park perimeter (350 2nd Ave N, 33701 for your GPS). Register here.
6. ICEBlock– This is a new app for iPhone users to report and alert nearby users to ICE sightings
Additional information: You do need to enable location settings to use this app so that you can report exact locations where sightings take place. If you do not personally need to be alerted when ICE is nearby, you can limit locations permissions to “allow while using the app” which allows you to report sightings by opening the app, but you will not receive notifications when the app is closed. Read the Time Magazine article on the app here.
Call to action: iPhone users can download the app, report ICE sightings when they see them, or share information about other reported ICE sightings.
News Worth Celebrating:
Five Florida Lawmakers file lawsuit against Governor DeSantis for denying them access to the Everglades Detention Facility (also known as “Alligator Alcatraz”). Under Florida law, legislators have the right to conduct unannounced visits to detention facilities, including immigration detention facilities. Yet, five Florida legislators tried to visit the Everglades Detention Facility on July 3 and the government denied the legislators access to the facility. Read more about the lawsuit here, and you can read the lawsuit complaint here.
Supreme Court Denies FL’s Request to Enforce Discriminatory Unconstitutional Anti-Immigrant Law – The Supreme Court blocked Florida’s request to enforce state immigration law Senate Bill 4-C, which criminalizes the movement of undocumented individuals into the state and allows local police officers to make arrests based on immigration status. This decision leaves in place a lower court’s pause on the law while it is being challenged. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/u-s-supreme-court-denies-floridas-request-to-enforce-unconstitutional-anti-immigrant-law
Iranian woman detained by ICE in New Orleans released – House Majority Leader successfully advocated for the release of Donna Kashanian, an Iranian woman who has lived in the US for 47 years. Kashanian was detained by ICE gardening in front of her New Orleans home on June 22. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jul/9/steve-scalise-helps-secure-release-iranian-woman-detained-ice-new/
A federal judge agreed to block executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship – Last month, the Supreme Court curbed the power of lower courts to issue injunctions while keeping intact the ability of plaintiffs to seek a widespread block of the order through class action lawsuits which is what happened on Thursday when a New Hampshire judge agreed with immigration rights attorneys to certify a nationwide class suit and a preliminary injunction against Trump’s Day order.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/10/politics/birthright-citizenship-hearing-rhode-island
With that, welcome to the team! Please reach out to us with any ideas, questions, feedback, or just to say hello. We look forward to all that we will do together in our community.
In League,
Robin Davidov, Carla Vila, and Jackie Azis