Thank you to everyone who made it out for our NJ 11th for Change Volunteer Meeting on Thursday! It was so great to be together. Help us plan the next one and DONATE today! We can’t do this work without your support!
Was the room packed for the volunteer meeting? Yeah. It was. Did we have to extend the room for another hour because folks had a lot to say? Yeah. Yeah we did. We are so grateful to Bill Solomon for recording the event so we could share it with those of you who couldn’t make it. More events to come (gotta point out that donate link again!).
(Thank you to Tierney’s Tavern and our awesome bartenders Kyle and Lauren!)
So, a recap of the night: We saw old friends who’ve been with us since back in the Rodney days, pretty much everybody from the Gordonhurst Gang (you know who you are!), and a whole bunch of new folks that we were thrilled to meet. After a brief history of the group and talking about what we have accomplished, we got right into what we’ve been doing since Trump was re-elected and how you can get involved. We shared a whole bunch of resources which you can find linked below.
We then opened the floor to questions and you all had things to say. Worried. Angry. Scared. Passionate. Determined. READY TO WORK. We love that. We have power, and we are ready to use it!
NJ 11th for Change March 27, 2025 Volunteer Meeting Resources:
Calling your reps is an excellent way to make a difference. Call and tell them how you feel about whatever is happening right then including when you want to say thank you. Staffers do listen and record your comments. Get a group of four or five friends together and ask for a meeting.
Looking for a good reason to call your state legislators this week? At the meeting, a call was issued to support the “Reproductive Health Care Package.” In New Jersey, reproductive health care, gender affirming health care and HIV prevention health care are protected only by executive order. These protections must be codified into law before the next governor’s administration.
Right now, four bills in the legislature aim to codify these protections. Three are collectively known as “The Reproductive Health Care Package.” These bills:
- Protect both providers and patients accessing reproductive health care including abortions, and providers and patients accessing gender affirming care (S3491/A4656)
- Prohibit adverse actions from malpractice insurers (S3452/A4601)
- Protect patients’ health care data related to reproductive health care (S3493/A4658) (This bill still needs an amendment to protect gender affirming care)
The fourth bill:
- Protect and expand access to HIV prevention and treatment. (“PrEp and PEP”; S2019/A3089.
Scroll down to the end of this message for a complete call script in the Events section.
Support Neighboring R Districts (CD-7)
CD-7 is our neighbor. Tom Kean Jr. is nothing more than a newer, worser version of Rodney Frelinghuysen, and we know what to do about someone like that. Join our friends at the Morris Dems for their Finding Kean Fridays weekly to fight back. And we need big numbers in Bridgewater for the April 5th HANDS OFF rally, sign up here!
Use Your Voice!
NJ 11th for Change is a trusted voice in our community. Use that to share news and calls to action with your wider community. The Facebook page is full of robust conversations. This newsletter will keep you updated. You read it, you love it, it’s a super valuable resource. Share with your friends!
HANDS OFF! National Day of Action on Saturday April 5th
Across the country, Hand Off protests are being planned for April 5. We encourage you to find an event that’s right for you and GO! Check out www.handsoff2025.com for details. Our friends and partners are sponsoring rallies in Montclair, Morristown, and Bridgewater. Find one and go.
NJ 11th for Change will be heading to the New York City protest. We will be leaving from the Clifton NJ Transit Station and the Harrison PATH station. Sign up here if you would like to join us. Note - this is just so we know you want to travel/ march with us. Sign up for the NYC rally here.
Need ideas for signs? Find them here!
Rallies
People want to get out in the streets. See above for all info on April 5, but here are some weekly events.
- Montclair - every Sunday from 3-4pm, join like minded folks on the corner of Church and Bloomfield Ave.
- Tesla TakeDown Rallies are being held almost every weekend and more frequently during the week. We will share local actions in our events section and you can search Tesla Takedown to find others across the country.
- Visibility Brigades! They are expanding to new overpasses in our area (and nationwide!) and a new initiative at train stations. Check out the toolkit and signup info here!
Safety
If you are going to be at a rally or protest, please be safe and take a look at these resources from our trusted allies. Check out
- Indivisible's Safety, Security, Rights & Conflict De-escalation resource;
- MoveOn’s video on de-escalation and disruptions;
- ACLU’s Know Your Rights resource.
NJ 2025 Gubernatorial Race
NJ 11th for Change does not endorse in the primary but we are still paying attention and we know you should too! The primary is June 10th so do your research and get out there for your favorite candidates!
- Sign up and join online for the IONJ (Indivisible One NJ) interviews with their top rated candidates. Events will be held on zoom from March 31- April 3 and you must register for each event individually. (These interviews are linked individually in the Events section below.)
- Governing New Jersey Roundtable w/Democratic Candidates For Governor
Join us and our friends from BlueWaveNJ on April 22nd at 7:00 pm for the next "Governing New Jersey" Speaker Series, this time a roundtable with the Democratic Candidates For Governor. Sign up here.
Know Your Rights Cards
We have a supply of English/Spanish Know Your Rights Cards. Drop us an email if you can share them with vulnerable populations.
Whew! It was a long, great meeting! We are so grateful for those who were there and those who wanted to be. We will do more events but we do need your help. Of course we can always use money. Donate here. We also need your skills, passion, and energy. Drop us a note at [email protected] and tell us what you want to do.
Most of all, thanks to you for being there, for showing up, for being willing to DO THE WORK.
Events!
Get more information at the links in their titles and register there if an RSVP is needed!
Sundays, into the Future…
Montclair Protest: Standing Up to Trump & Musk!
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Church Street in Montclair
Come from any/all surrounding communities. Come this Sunday, next Sunday, any Sunday, every Sunday for a peaceful protest of this outrageous regime.
Later this week…
Indivisible One New Jersey Interviews with 2025 Democratic Candidates
For New Jersey Governor
[Names are links; register for each one individually; you are encouraged to register for all four!]
Ras Baraka
Monday, March 31st @ 7pm ET
Mikie Sherrill
Tuesday, April 1st @ 7pm ET
Sean Spiller
Wednesday, April 2nd @ 7pm ET
Steve Fulop
Thursday, April 3rd @ 8:30pm ET
Saturday, April 5, 2025
National Day of Action! HANDS OFF!
Check the website to sign up for news and updates on planned events in your area!
Full Call Script for the Reproductive Health Care Package
Currently in New Jersey, reproductive health care, gender affirming health care and HIV prevention health care are protected only by executive order. These protections must be codified into law before the next governor’s administration.
Right now, four bills in the legislature aim to codify these protections. Three are collectively known as “The Reproductive Health Care Package.” These bills are to:
- Protect both providers and patients accessing reproductive health care including abortions, and providers and patients accessing gender affirming care (S3491/A4656)
- Prohibit adverse actions from malpractice insurers (S3452/A4601)
- Protect patients’ health care data related to reproductive health care (S3493/A4658) (This bill still needs an amendment to protect gender affirming care)
There is also a fourth bill to:
- Protect and expand access to HIV prevention and treatment. (“PrEp and PEP”; S2019/A3089.
(“S” indicates the bill number for the senate, “A” indicates the corresponding bill number for the assembly).
You are represented in the New Jersey legislature by your two assembly members, and your state senator. Call them to let them know you support these bills and ask the following:
- What is the status of the Reproductive Health Care package and the PrEP and PEP bill? (You can state the bill numbers.) What can be done to speed these bills to the floor for a vote?
- What is the status of an amendment adding protections for protecting data related to gender affirming care to S3493/A4658?
- If you have a personal reason for caring about these bills, tell your story. Legislators are people and it helps when they understand why a bill is important to their constituents. If you don’t have your own story to share, it is always great to say “I support this because every member of our community – women, transgender people, people at risk for HIV – all deserve the dignity of access to safe health care.”
Some background on the legislative process: the New Jersey legislature is bicameral (has two chambers) with a senate and an assembly. Each legislative district in New Jersey is represented by one state senator (elected for a 4 year term) and two assembly members (two year terms).
Every bill takes three readings. After a bill is drafted, the first reading occurs when the bill is introduced. The bill is then referred to a committee. Committee chairs decide if and when a bill will be debated: chairs are very powerful in the NJ legislature. Many bills die in committee because the chair declines to bring them to debate in the committee. If a bill is debated in committee – the second reading – this is usually where amendments will be made.
Finally, if the committee decides the bill should proceed, the third reading is on the floor of that chamber of the legislature before the bill goes to vote. This entire process then happens in the other chamber of the legislature. Bills need a simple majority to pass in each house, and then they become laws when signed by the governor. NJ has a strong-governor model, with our governor having the power of line item vetoes.
TL;DR Call your state assembly members and state senator to get these bills passed and signed before the next governor takes office!
Don’t Forget!
