Just Solutions, as our name implies, is grounded in a fundamental belief that the best solutions come from communities because we know what is best for ourselves. In a democracy, our responsibility is to debate and discuss differences of opinion, with constitutional rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. These are the cornerstones of America that have always made us great. 

President Trump’s actions in LA and around the country to sow chaos, aggravate division, deliberately force confrontation, and, most troubling, engage the US military to turn on its people to squash these very freedoms that soldiers have fought and died to protect are not advancing solutions. The physical attack on a U.S. senator is an example of this abuse and shocking overreach of power. As our economy weakens, climate disasters rage, and our planet warms, health care costs soar, and our public programs are dismantled, we need the President to prioritize the most concerning and pressing problems we are facing. 

Let’s be clear: the President’s actions across the nation target all immigrants, threatening rampant racial profiling despite his rhetoric suggesting otherwise. Throughout history, immigrants have been used as a scapegoat, turning attention away from the true causes of our social and economic problems. Most of us have ancestors of various racial, ethnic, or religious groups that have found refuge in the US or actively came to the US to contribute to building a prosperous, inclusive, and diverse country. This is also what has always made America great. 

We stand with our partners in California fighting at this new frontline to protect communities and our democracy. We watch and name how the Trump Administration uses violence against communities, inciting violence instead of negotiating in good faith with peaceful protest, then militarizes its response to the civil unrest they cause in ways that crack down on peaceful dissent. In Los Angeles and other cities across the country, we insist on centering the voices and solutions of Frontline communities, including immigrant communities. We condemn the authoritarian tactics of the Trump regime.

We urge you to be informed of the actions of President Trump, his Administration, and their far-right partners. At the same time, we encourage you to use our research to advance solutions, such as those in our recently published paper, Defending and Advancing Climate Justice Policies. We hope you stay connected with us as we track developments at the federal level and work with states and local communities to advance just solutions.