Stuff to Do! Week of April 14
In a kind of push to simplify things, I’m going to introduce this series on “Stuff to Do”.
One of the recurring questions I hear is “what can I do?”, and I think while that comes from a very genuine place, all too often the implication is that everything is so overwhelming that the brain short-circuits.
That’s completely understandable.
I’m not going to list everything all over the country, but I am going to concentrate on Texas, Harris County, and Houston issues.
On any given day, when I open Bluesksy or even Facebook (still), there are postings by individuals and organizations, petitions to be signed and, of course, larger nationwide efforts like the upcoming protest on Saturday, April 19.
Another reason I’m doing this is because reposting stuff on Bluesky or Facebook takes time. I want to give people regular one-stop shopping, at least from my end, so there’s that. Anyway, I’m going to try this out for awhile. I may still multiple post on social media, but for ease of use, I think this might be more manageable.
Note that many of the groups listed at the end of the post will link to a variety of actions. You will find plenty of “Stuff to Do”. My list is hardly exhaustive or even all that comprehensive. This post is just here to give people encouragement, ideas, and inspiration.
Petitions/Letter writing campaigns
I’ll start with these since signing a petition is as quick and easy an action as you can take. Here I will break form state and local focus because you can make your voice heard on a larger scale by joining others and amplifying the need for attention to paid to a specific issue.
Petitions work. If they don’t immediately bare fruit in terms of legislation, they may raise significant momentum in getting an issue addressed and often, change minds of legislators who simply can’t ignore their constituents (or honestly, in some cases, haven’t even been aware that there was an issue.
Following is a list of petitions that have come across my path that I think are worth signing.
Tell your U.S. representative: Make public land pollinator-friendly
https://environmentamerica.org/texas/take-action/tell-your-u-s-representative-make-public-land-pollinator-friendly/
Save the Post Office!
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-trumps-illegal-usps-takeover
Stop Blocking the Work of the Congressional Ethics Office (from The Juggernaut Project)
https://civicshout.com/p/stop-blocking-the-work-of-the-congressional-ethics-office
Tell the Senate: Reject the SAVE Act Voter Suppression Bill
https://civicshout.com/p/tell-the-senate-reject-the-save-act-voter-suppression-bill
Tell Trump: Stop Illegal Deportations!
https://civicshout.com/p/tell-trump-stop-illegal-deportations-2
Tell Elon: Stop Attacking Social Security
https://civicshout.com/p/tell-elon-stop-attacking-social-security
Tell the SEC: Investigate Trump Admin Insider Trading
https://civicshout.com/p/tell-the-sec-investigate-trump-admin-insider-trading
Sign If You Agree: Corporations Are Not People
https://civicshout.com/p/sign-if-you-agree-corporations-are-not-people
Events
Staying up to date on everything is impossible, but keeping on top of what matters to you most is more viable.
I’ll lay out a variety of events - actions like letter-writing, regular protests to attend, Zoom sessions, and more.
Becoming informed on a subject takes time and sorting it all out is done most easily with other people. The more you learn, the better equipped you are to engage with an issue and communicate with others (those who might not agree with you or with those on the fence about something you care about.)
I’ll break these down as best I can.
Regularly scheduled protests/rallies
The Houston Democracy Project’s Weekly Protest in front of Senator John Cornyn’s office on Tuesdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm at 5300 Memorial Drive. Just show up with your sign or pick up one of the many from the bin at hand. It’s a great group of people and Neil Aquino’s been keeping it going for eight years!
More info here:
Social Security Protest on Fridays from Noon to One at the Social Security Office at 13302 Westheimer. Few things are require more immediate attention than the dismantling of the social safety net. Trust me that showing up here matters; to people on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and to Social Security administrators who are under attack and in danger of losing their jobs.
And of course, the big one is the Be Someone! Protest set up by the 50501 Houston Group this Saturday, April 19 at Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby, from noon to three.
Zoom Calls
The Ultimate Guide to Protesting your property taxes in Harris County
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/property-tax-texas/
Meet Houston Controller Chris Hollins
https://events.zoom.us/ev/AqhlLgSnezF18wD50IbATKeyNrcRCipVLlzmakjv1u1dltbysYXS~AsRmiBtamJc4MJxMq-zeGpuOH7uWTw6oZ7OD63Xv0gIgtUWedQsWO0z6Tg
Will marijuana ever be legal in Texas?
https://events.zoom.us/ev/AgA6bIW1BJvth0WDhlmDTvRydXQzQuBz5QahbRtmBewKd91AxyIb~Ao2ptatKn6-S1AB1mW_WvYrn0ylVVYcK-msNS5GIRzTivWIZ1RcBExirDQ
In person conversations/conferences
Newsletters/Substacks/Blogs
The Texas Tribune does exemplary report and you can stay abreast of the issues in Texas by subscribing to their newsletters or better yet, become a donor and support independent reporting.
https://www.texastribune.org
The Bulwark is more of an omnibus of Substacks. Choose who you want to follow. There’s a lot to choose from.
https://www.thebulwark.com
The Contrarian is another Substack aggregate of remarkable writers and journalists.
https://contrarian.substack.com
Another broad ranging source is Lever News. You can sign up for different newsletters here:
https://www.levernews.com
Global Affairs SmartBrief: admittedly geared to business leaders, they present solid takes on a number of issues
https://www.smartbrief.com/
Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is - for me - a mixed bag. Look at the major donors and you’ll see why, and I wouldn’t mind but Baker presents itself as non-partisan and impartial.
They are not. BUT that’s not to say they don’t host fascinating and informative speakers and do engage in some great Q and As.
https://bakerinstitute.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe
Lastly, this is a list of organizations that I think can help you get situated and find like-minded folks and even more “stuff to do”
I’m open to recommendations/suggestions! If you have a petition or event you want to promote or just feels needs more eyes/supporters, hit me up here or on Bluesky. (@reactionshots.bsky.social)
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