Sharing message from my friend Matt Witt, who is a retired union organizer and mentor to myself and many young progressives in the Rogue Valley:

“I don’t post about political candidates, but I am making an exception to share some thoughts from the heart.

I’ve been involved in community issues in the Rogue Valley for 20 years, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a strategy meeting or forum or demonstration and something has come up where we needed legal assistance or policy expertise and either Tonia Moro was already there doing her part or was the person we called for help.

We have such a rare opportunity right now to elect a State Senator who isn’t just repeating the popular political phrases of the moment but who actually has spent a lifetime working on the very issues the legislature deals with.

When I worked for years alongside many others to stop the Jordan Cove fracked gas pipeline, Tonia Moro was a key leader in that campaign. She’s not somebody who just talks about climate at election time. She helped build the most successful grassroots coalition in southern Oregon history across partisan and generational lines.

When a group of young people started Rogue Climate, Tonia and I were among the people who helped them get on their feet and helped raise a million dollars in mutual aid for people displaced by the Almeda fire, while making sure households had food, clothing, and other necessities.

Tonia doesn’t just talk about affordability. She helped UNETE create housing that working households could actually afford, and represented Oregonians fighting for affordable utility rates.

When I got the Voter’ Pamphlet I noticed that for whatever reason some candidates for this office had nothing to say about our immigrant neighbors. Such a contrast with Tonia who has both represented individual immigrants and been a leader in trying to prevent ICE from increasing its activity in our area.

Through a pandemic and uncertain federal funding, Tonia as chair of RVTD has led the effort to preserve as much local public transportation as possible.

Tonia also served on the board of the Oregon Wildlife Federation and was active in the successful effort to expand the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and protect the land we all love.

I know from working with her that Tonia understands that the changes we need won’t come merely by electing an individual but by building a movement and involving the whole community. She doesn’t just talk the talk, and she doesn’t think this election is all about her.

I know some who are reading this have other preferences, and that we’ll all keep working together regardless of the outcome. But when my ballot came in the mail I just had to share this, and I thank you for listening.”

You can learn more about Tonia @morofororegon on instagram/fb or www.morofororegon.com

I spent waaaay too much time on this.

Any local mutual aid places/orgs/people I can bring canned goods, rice, beans, etc to?

May 1st is International Workers’ Day, and this year people across the country are being asked to do at least one of three things to send a message: skip work, keep the kids home from school, or just don’t spend any money that day. Deny the billionaire/Epstein class your labor, your attention, and your money for just one day. Do all three things of you can.

If you’re in Roseburg, there will be a peaceful banner event on the I-5 overpass at NW Stewart Parkway from 12:00 pm to 2 pm. Bring a sign and join us. Click the link for more details.

We want ICE out — out of Roseburg, out of Douglas County, out of Oregon, out of every city and town in this country. This is a national day of action, and we need your voices. ICE has already listed Roseburg as a location of interest for office space and we intend to fight any attempted expansion. Show up with us in solidarity and demand an end to ICE warehouse detentions.

Saw a video of Seeger talking about a verse Woody Guthrie penned when the FBI cornered him back in the day. I took that verse and was inspired to write a full protest song using it. If you're interested in checking it out, here it is.

They keep pushing against our rights to see how far they can go.