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PEACE CENTER ACTIVIST ALERT
FEBRUARY 16th, 2026
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16th, 4 PM TICE VALLEY ROAD
and ROSSMOOR PARKWAY, WALNUT CREEK
"NOT MY PRESIDENT" DAY!
President's Day is TODAY! . We (Good Trouble) think it’s a perfect day to make some strong statements about the current administration's handling of the country and want YOU to be part of coming together for a strong, inspiring rally:
PLEASE JOIN US!
Make your signs, bring your flags , bring your voice! Bring friends and family, get ready to sing, play, and give hope to passersby! We also plan some music! Raging Grannies and ukeleles! TBD
Whatever your issue regarding saving our democracy and building a better future for the grandchildren, make your voice heard. Is it standing with MN, ICE out of everywhere, USAID, DHS, detention camps, family separation, Greenland, NATO, common decency, social justice, the broligarchy, racial profiling, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, due process, human rights, and so many more? Make a sign, state your concern, bring a chair, bring your outrage and your joy!
Feel free to send this to anyone you think might be in need of some community in these difficult times.
Let's gather in community because our democracy depends on it.
In solidarity and joy, GOOD TROUBLE!
"A core principle behind this event is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. We keep it positive! No profanity on signs, please."
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 7 PM
ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
2727 COLLEGE AVE. BERKELEY
NORCAL SABEEL & ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
present:
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co-sponsored by:
Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center, Jewish Voice for Peace - Bay Area, St. Columba Catholic Church of Oakland, Berkeley Women in Black, Beyt Tikkun, Ecumenical Peace Institute, and Christians for a Free Palestine.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19th, 2 PM
2180 MILVIA STREET, 6th Floor
BERKELEY
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 4 PM
Stanley Dollar House
1015 Stanley Dollar Drive,
(Rossmoor) Walnut Creek
Friends of the
Mt Diablo Peace & Justice Center
is proud to present
Attorney and Author Dan Kovalik
speaking on
International Law vs. Gangsterism
The Cases of Venezuela, Colombia,
Iran, Syria and Palestine
Gangsterism is defined as "the organized use of violence, intimidation, or other extralegal means of coercion for personal or group ends." Is the U.S. administration using gangsterism?
Human rights expert and attorney Dan Kovalik will answer the question in relation to U.S. actions regarding Venezuela, Colombia, Iran, Syria and Palestine. He will also reference how these international policies are being mirrored at home.
ABOUT DAN KOVALIK....
- U.S. Attorney representing the President of Columbia, Gustavo Petro;
- Attorney representing Colombian family in a complaint against the United States for extrajudicial killing in the Caribbean;
- Attorney for United Steel Workers for 26 years;
- Author of ten books including "The Plot to Attack Iran", "The Case for Palestine", "Syria: Anatomy of Regime Change", and "The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela".
For more information call 925.324.3358
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, NOON
ONLINE/WEBINAR VIA ZOOM
Civic Engagement Committee
of LWV Santa Clara County Presents:
Immigration, Congress and Common Sense
Can Everyday Americans Move Action
Forward In These Times?
Commonsense American (CSA) is a program where everyday Americans make a tangible difference by bringing common-sense voices to Congress through a bipartisan focus. CSA members are four-for-four in identifying solutions wise enough to attract support across our political divisions and then championing them into law.
Is that possible now, around Immigration issues?
CSA is a program of the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD). Three NICD leaders will share an insider look at the work of CSA in this webinar:
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Cheryl Graeve serves as the Director of National Programs for NICD, and works with communities and partner organizations to foster civil discourse capacity and help bridge political divides through online and in-person NICD training and programs. She’s worked on a national level for the League of Women Voters, the AFL-CIO on youth programs and as a staff member for a Minnesota Member of Congress.
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Jack Thomas as NICD’s Director of Congressional Engagement and Public Policy, working with Congress on CSA policy issues and with NICD’s State Legislative program training state legislators on civil discourse practices and working across partisan differences. He’s worked with the House of Representatives on the Select Committee on Modernization of Congress. And he holds a Master's in Public Policy from the College of William and Mary.
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Cynthia Irmer: After many years working in the public and private sectors as lawyer, teacher, advocate, student, peacebuilder and conflict resolver, Dr. Irmer retired from fulltime work and moved with her husband from the Washington, D.C. area to Southern California. She has a passion for acknowledging under-represented voices and for comprehending social complexity. She also serves as the CSA volunteer state ambassador for California.
REGISTER HERE and join us to find out more!
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ARE YOU TAKING ACTION THIS WEEK?
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VOTE NO ON VOTER RESTRICTIONS!
Sign the petition: BLOCK the SAVE America Act
Trump’s plan to steal the midterms and end democratic elections in America took a giant step forward last week.
The U.S. House passed the SAVE America Act, an extreme “show your papers” voter suppression bill fueled by far-right propaganda and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories.1
Trump is trying to force through national voter ID at the polls. He’s demanding proof of citizenship to register to vote. The SAVE America Act will stop millions from casting ballots in the midterms.2 Our Senators must oppose Trump’s attempt to shred our constitutional right to vote.
Sign the petition: Block the SAVE America Act
Under Trump’s restrictive bill, people can’t register to vote or update their registrations without a passport or original birth certificate — documents that 21 million people don’t have ready access to. Tens of millions of women who’ve changed their last names after marriage and may not have a passport or birth certificate with their current last name would face additional burdens. And every single voter would need to show a government-issued photo ID with an up-to-date address and current name before casting a ballot.3
The SAVE America Act is yet another Trump attempt to interfere in our free and fair elections. There is no mass “noncitizen” voting that justifies any of this. The 2020 election was not stolen. But Trump, Stephen Miller, and Pam Bondi are counting on enough Republicans and MAGA loyalists to get behind these myths so they can rig the midterms. Steve Bannon even wants to send ICE to “surround the polls” come November.4
The Senate must reject the worst voter suppression bill in modern history.
Reject the SAVE America Act now!
Sources:
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The Associated Press, "House GOP pushes strict proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters ahead of midterm elections," February 11, 2026.
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Democracy Docket, "New version of GOP suppression bill would impose nationwide proof of citizenship, photo ID requirements," February 7, 2026.
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ACLU Press Release, "ACLU Condemns House Passage of SAVE America Act as Dangerous Assault on Democracy," February 11, 2026.
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Democracy Docket, "White House ‘can’t guarantee’ ICE won’t be at polls," February 5, 2026.
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VOTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
FROM PEACE CENTER MEMBER MARTI ROACH of 350 Contra Costa.
This is an important and easy action to support environmental protections, including in Contra Costa County.
BACKGROUND
The Trump administration released plans to open more than 1 million acres of public lands and mineral rights to oil and gas drilling and fracking in Southern California and the Central Valley, Central Coast and Bay Area.
The areas slated by Trump for drilling and fracking are near spectacular public lands, including state parks, national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Oil companies could target land around popular sites like Pinnacles National Park, Mount Diablo State Park, Henry W. Coe State Park and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.
Draft environmental impact statements and resource management plans from the Bureau of Land Management would allow new fossil fuel extraction across eight counties under the Bakersfield Field Office: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura. The Central Coast plan would allow drilling across another 10 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin.
ACTION
Register your opposition in one or ideally both of these action sites sponsored by non profit advocate groups
Save Mt. Diablo
Last Chance Alliance
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ONGOING....
IYAS SARTAWI, LOCAL PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST/ORGANIZER SEEKS DONATIONS FOR GAZA
more info go to: IG projecthopepalestine
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Are you seeking out
independent media?
Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center is collecting a variety of media including readings, documentaries, and podcasts on the topics of the day, to be read and shared.
Our goal is to educate, encourage discussion, and inspire activism.
NEW THIS WEEK:
"In this second installment of our weekly deep dive into the Epstein files, Robert Scheer and media scholar Nolan Higdon unpack a wave of newly unredacted documents that expose the scale—and the culture—of Epstein’s elite network. In the last 24 hours alone, Congress forced the release of additional co‑conspirator names, revealing ties that stretch from Wall Street to Harvard, Silicon Valley, global finance, and even the intellectual world of Noam Chomsky.
Higdon walks through the emerging picture: a ruling class that treated Epstein not as a pariah but as a peer, confidant, fixer, and ideological fellow traveler. The files show billionaires, academics, and political figures trading favors, seeking image management, and in some cases engaging in coded exchanges about trafficked girls—all while U.S. institutions look the other way."
Richard D. Wolff & Michael Hudson: Is Trump Killing American Capitalism? The 2026 Economic Breakdown
"This Joy" by the Resistance Revival Chorus
Introducing the music video for “This Joy,” the title track from our debut album on Righteous Babe Records, dropping October 16!
This song is near and dear to our hearts and our mission. It comes to us through the Black church from gospel music legend Shirley Caesar and we are proud to offer our version at a time when joy and healing are so needed.
Self-filmed during quarantine at the height of the pandemic, this video — directed by Geneva Peschka and edited by Maximilla Lukacs with animation by Jenny Scales — illustrates how our intrinsic individual and collective joy can never be locked up, shut down or taken away, even during our darkest struggles."
FROM LAST WEEK:
AFP: Gaza fisherman battles poverty with plastic-bottle boat
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PLEASE READ/WATCH and SHARE!
| | ONGOING WEEKLY LOCAL PROTESTS | | |
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TUESDAY EVENINGS
NOTE WINTER START TIME!!!
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Corners of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Road, Lafayette
A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING - THE WORK CONTINUES!
Meet Local Activists, Bring your own signs or make one when you arrive.
AND A MESSAGE FROM THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS WEEKLY EVENT:
We are concerned with safety and have a monitor at each corner wearing an orange vest. They will help keep the crosswalks and sidewalks clear for pedestrians. If you have any questions or concerns, please let one of them or Gordon Lake, our main event organizer, know.
Our mission statement and some norms for our group: .
Mission:
We are meeting to collectively defend democracy and support and protect the institutions which are vital to the wellbeing of all of us, and which are now under attack. Our goals are to meet every week to express our values and ideas, to promote solidarity and mutual support within our protest community, and to encourage other like-minded citizens to join us.
Norms:
We are non-violent in word and deed. We will follow all laws and act in ways that ensure personal safety. We will not block crosswalks or walkways.
We will not respond to those in cars or on the street who express different views. We will contact monitors in orange vests if we have questions or concerns.
LAMORINDA PEACE & JUSTICE GROUP
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WE THE PEOPLE PROTESTS
taking place on various days
WALNUT CREEK, LAFAYETTE,
MARTINEZ and OAKLAND!
CHECK THE SCHEDULE HERE
Organized by Indivisible ReSisters Contra Costa!
Join us for a rousing honk and wave visibility action.
Bring your signs and raise your voice for democracy and to protect our rights!
This is a nonviolent event. Stay within your rights, don’t break laws, stay safe, stay peaceful, and avoid any risk you don’t feel comfortable with. Don’t obstruct traffic, impede pedestrians, or commit any acts of property damage.
If counter-protestors appear, do your best to ignore them. When people shout from cars, just remember that we are standing for their rights, too. They just don't know it.
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| | ADDITIONAL ONLINE SOURCES FOR ACTIONS and INFORMATION ON PALESTINE/GAZA and other MILITARY ACTIONS WORLDWIDE | | |
ACTIONS TO TAKE!
Continue contacting Congress to
demand they pass these resolutions:
Block the Bombs – Support H.R. 3565
Call on your member of Congress to support the
Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565), introduced by
Rep. Delia Ramirez, to stop U.S. weapons transfers to Israel.
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/block-the-bombs-act
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RECENTLY RELEASED!
2025 edition of Mapping Militarism
24 interactive maps to highlight
the state of war and peace on our planet.
Each map allows the viewer to spin the globe,
zoom in and out, scroll the timeline back through the years,
or switch from map view to list view.
TRY IT HERE!
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World BEYOND War has
a DIVESTMENT campaign!
About the Campaign
Grassroots-led war divestment campaigns are springing up all over the world, from students organizing to divest university endowments, to municipalities and states coming together to divest public pension funds. Divestment means organizing to remove public and private assets from weapons manufacturers, military contractors, and war profiteers.
Public pension and retirement funds especially are often invested, directly and indirectly, in weapons companies. Teachers and other public servants whose interests lie with promoting human needs have their retirement security tied up with maintaining or enlarging the war industry. Every dollar currently invested in weapons and war is a dollar that could be better spent on job creation, education, housing, healthcare, food security, and so much more.
War profiteering is largely normalized today. We’re working to stigmatize the war machine. World BEYOND War assists divestment campaigns led by our chapters, affiliates, other coalitions, and individuals around the world.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN HERE
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This website provides comprehensive information including events & campaigns
CHECK HERE FOR LINKS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES!
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Includes a frequently updated
calendar of local events
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Peace work in the Quaker tradition
American Friends Service Committee
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BOYCOTT
DIVESTMENT and SANCTIONS!
CHECK OUT THIS HANDY APP!
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Peace is Possible!
Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center
at Creekside Commons
1035 Carol Lane
Lafayette, CA 94549
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