Dear Friends,

Over the course of a holiday weekend, when Bet Tzedek was celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, honoring the histories and cultures of Indigenous communities, and observing Sukkot, which asks us to think about the blessing of having a permanent home and acknowledge that so many people lack this fortune — we were confronted with the ugly leaked comments made by Council Members Nury Martinez (who has since resigned), Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León, and union leader Ron Herrera (who has since resigned) from a conversation in October of last year.

The recording revealed crude language that was anti-Black, anti-indigenous, homophobic, anti-Asian, antisemitic, anti-tenant, and anti-immigrant. It was an abhorrent failure of our city’s leadership.

Bet Tzedek strongly believes in the power of intersectional justice and in uniting communities rather than pitting them against each other. In last five years, Bet Tzedek has grown its partnership with local municipalities, including the City of Los Angeles. We have intentionally centered that work on helping communities that have long been disenfranchised by the powerful riptide of racist policies and laws. This includes the ongoing work of our Racial Justice Working Group, investigating how we engage in outreach work in partnership with communities of color, and rolling out programs such as estate planning services that promote the growth of intergenerational financial resiliency in communities of color.

Make Your Voice Heard: VOTE in Next Month’s Midterm Elections!

With the City Council scandal, calculated attacks on our civil rights in recent Supreme Court decisions, and an economic downtown, now is the time to VOTE for candidates who can bring real change. Voting is one of the most valuable forms of collective action you can take to bring about change, with other examples including organizing, participating in mutual aid, canvasing for candidates you support, and helping get people to the polls.

Over a dozen high-stake political races in the last two decades were decided by a single vote or ended in a tie, according to Global Citizen. And so Bet Tzedek has rolled out “Get Out the Vote” campaigns to our communities, encouraging critical participation in the 2022 Midterm Elections this November 8th. You have until TODAY to register to vote in-person or by mail; however, you can also register same-day on Election Day and vote in-person.

Check your voter registration: https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration

Register to vote: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Watch our "Get Out the Vote" videos below for more detailed information!

VIDEOS: REGISTER to Vote by Today! (English and Spanish)

Register to Vote for the November 8th Midterms!

¡Regístrese para Votar por las Elecciones de Medio Término el 8 de Noviembre!

Videos: Why You Should Vote in the Midterm Elections

English video here

Spanish video here

Why You Should Vote in the Midterm Elections

Por Qué Deberías Votar en Ellas Elecciones de Mitad de Período

Join Bet Tzedek for a Post-Election Conversation

Please join us for Bet Tzedek’s annual Rebecca Nichols Symposium examining the state of voting rights in the U.S. The panel will feature renowned constitutional law expert and UC Berkley School of Law’s Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Poy Winichakul of Southern Poverty Law Center and co-director of LaunchProgress PAC, which encourages and supports young leaders running for their first state or local office.

When: November 16th
Drinks & nosh: 5:30-6:30 // Panel: 6:30-7:30

Location: Covington LLP 1999 Avenue Of The Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Click here to attend in person.

You can also attend virtually: Click here to attend online.

This Pro Bono Week, A Gracious ‘Thank You’ to our Volunteers

2022 Pro Bono Week has launched and, with it, Bet Tzedek is launching a social media campaign over the next few weeks celebrating our invaluable volunteers and pro bono attorneys without whom we would be unable to assist tens of thousands of individuals and families each year.

We are always looking for more people to support our mission of providing free legal services to those who need them most. If you would like to volunteer your time and expertise, please visit our website here.

Help an Illegally-Evicted Elderly Woman Recover Damages

Guadalupe is a 77-year-old low-income client who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1971. She worked as a housekeeper for many years and her husband worked at a local elementary school. Guadalupe experienced an especially tough year after the death of her husband in April and the recent passing of a newborn grandchild. She has now been illegally evicted from her home.

Guadalupe had been renting her single-family home in Culver City with her late husband for nearly 10 years. In mid-July, her landlord verbally told her that she would not be accepting August rent and that Guadalupe had to move out. Intimidated and frightened, Guadalupe began gathering her belongings and distributed them among her children and a temporary storage unit. Not long after, Guadalupe came home to find the locks had been changed and was told she could no longer enter. Guadalupe still had many possessions inside, including important documents, medications, and her two cats. When Guadalupe was finally allowed to briefly re-enter the unit and gather what was left. To her horror, everything was destroyed or missing, including the ashes of her husband and grandchild. Guadalupe, who is limited English-speaking, is seeking pro bono assistance for reimbursement of her losses. If interested, contact Director of Pro Bono Programs, Sara Levine at slevine@bettzedek.org.

Have anything you'd like us to add to future newsletters? Respond to this email.

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

3250 Wilshire Blvd 13th Fl
Los Angeles, CA | 90010-1509 United States

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.