The Kidnapping of Abrego Garcia

We of the Douglas County Colorado Democratic Party wholly condemn the removal and incarceration of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia by the Trump administration. Abrego Garcia is one of many immigrants who have been removed from the USA and transferred to an El Salvadoran prison under horrible conditions — all without any due process and against court rulings. Abrego Garcia had been granted protected status by an immigration judge that prohibited his deportation to El Salvador, and his removal was due to “administrative error.” The Trump administration now says nothing can be done to bring him back to the US, because he’s in El Salvadoran custody. 

The indiscriminate and thoughtless nature of these removals and incarcerations is horrifying. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right of due process to all people - regardless of citizenship status. 

We are appalled at the dismissiveness with which the Trump administration approaches issues of human rights. Tolerating this violation of due process is not only wrong, it is incredibly dangerous. We call on the Democratic Party nationally, as well as members of Congress and other elected officials, to publicly condemn these actions and demand that these people be returned to the US and given their legal due process. 

Activism Today in Douglas County

There is a lot of anxiety in our country right now, especially among progressives.  It’s almost impossible to watch the news and not become angry or sad.  It can be overwhelming. But there are things we can do here in Douglas County to counter these feelings. By becoming actively engaged and helping to amplify progressive messages while also countering misinformation. There are many ways people can become engaged; from writing post cards and attending town hall meetings, to participating in peaceful protests and marches. The Douglas County Democratic Party (DCDP) wants to activate our party members to make this happen.

Introducing the Douglas County Activism Task Force

On March 17, county activists from around the county met to establish the vision and objectives for an Activism Committee.  The meeting, led by Party Chair Meg Furlow and 1st Vice-Chair George Jackson, solicited suggestions and recommendations for actions and activities the group could support.  Suggestions included:

·      creating a coordinated activist calendar,

·      hosting town hall meetings, including empty chair events for our House Representative who doesn’t want to have a public town hall meeting.

·      launching a recall effort for our House Representative.

·      strongly suggesting that our elected democratic representatives be more confrontational,

·      encouraging participation in large events held in Denver and elsewhere,

·      attend town and county business meetings, and publish bullet point lists of meeting discussion topics and action items,

·      encouraging individual activism activities like 5 calls, sending post cards for out of state races, and participating in GOTV phone banks

Taking all these ideas into consideration, and after some thought and discussion, we’ve decided to create a Douglas County Activism Task Force.  This group will consist of leaders of the different activist groups: Indivisible Lone Tree, Parker and Larkspur, Red Wine & Blue in Castle Pines, Living Liberally Castle Rock, Douglas County Parents and others.  The Task Force will set up a new Facebook private group off the DCDP Facebook group, as well as a BlueSky group. Heidi Bonilla will fill the role of Facilitator.  DCDP will host an Activist Events calendar, and the overall expectation for this Task Force would be to facilitate cross promotion and cross participation in events and activities.  We wish to encourage participation among all progressive people, including independents. 

We will produce a calendar of events and protests that people can participate in, and we will publish a list of things people can do, both individually and with others, to become involved locally in the coming weeks.  Keep an eye on our website for updates and additional information.

March 2025 Message from the Chair

In this issue:

• Message from the Chair

• Become a Precinct Organizer!

• Municipal Elections

• Upcoming Events

Message from the Chair

It has been a busy month of organizing and setting up our party committees. Last night we had an outstanding turn out to the kick-off of our Activism Committee and many great ideas were shared. While this may be an off election year, there is plenty to do and many ways to get involved to help us be ready for another big election year in 2026! For the next couple months we will be focusing on our municipal elections coming up May 6th and building our base by training and recruiting Precinct Organizers. Want to know more? Read below and stay tuned for future communication.

Meg

Become a Precinct Organizer!

Precinct Organizers (POs) and Precinct Organizer Assistants (POAs) play an important grassroots role between the party and the community. As a PO/POA, you are a representative of the Douglas County Democratic Party in your precinct, or neighborhood. Elections are truly won or lost in precincts, especially in Douglas County. The relationships you build with your neighbors can impact how they chose to vote. Each precinct is able to have two POs and two POAs. POs are members of the Central Committee and able to vote on party leadership and decisions. If you are interested in becoming a PO, please attend the PO Training on April 9th to see if this role may be right for you!

Register for PO Training April 9th Interested in being a PO? This training is for you! Register for VAN Training April 12th This training will be required for any new(er) POs wanting access to the database.

Special District Elections

Did you know many local special district elections are coming up in May? See our Elections Page for more info. These local positions, including metro district boards, water boards, and fire boards, play a crucial role in shaping policies that affect education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunities. Many of these elections are decided by a small number of votes, making every candidate – and every voter – incredibly important. For example in 2023, the Highlands Ranch Metro District Race was decided by 2000 voters! Did you know you may not automatically receive a ballot? Depending on the election, you may need to request an absentee ballot to be mailed a ballot. Otherwise, you need to go vote in person on May 6th. These elections require you to request a ballot: Highlands Ranch Metro District Highlands Ranch Water South Suburban Parks and Recreation

Upcoming Events!

Town Hall with Parker and Castle Rock State Reps. - Saturday, March 22 1pm at the Castle Rock Library. RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfcOefDA5B6Ot.../viewform
	Hands Off! April 5th 200 E Colfax Ave 11:45am-4:00pm
***Please note these events are not sponsored by the Douglas County Democrats. ***

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