By email from Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible, July 27, 2026
Hello Vallejo-Benicia Resisters!
Please join us this coming Saturday as we stand together with our local partners in a solemn national call for truth, mourning, and accountability.
Important Schedule Note: This vigil will replace our regular weekly Stand Up for Democracy gathering this week. We encourage all members to attend and lend their voices to this critical cause.
We are coming together in remembrance of two community members whose lives were tragically cut short:
• Lorenzo Salgado Araujo: A devoted father shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston, TX, while driving a work van with his crew on his way to a job site.
• Johan Sebastian Guerrero: A 26-year-old food delivery driver fatally shot by ICE in Biddeford, ME, while starting his workday in front of his wife and toddler.
Our Demands for Justice – Together, we will call on local, state, and national leaders to act on the following core demands:
• Independent Investigation: Demand full, transparent investigations independent of ICE, with public findings.
• Protect Witnesses: Immediately release those detained with Lorenzo and safeguard all witnesses from retaliation or deportation.
• End Local ICE Collaboration: Call on local and state leaders to end cooperation and agreements with ICE.
• Congressional Action: Require Congress to use its oversight and funding power to demand answers and accountability.
All community members, faith leaders, workers, and families are welcome. Please bring your friends, neighbors, and posters as we stand together in solidarity.
Remembering John Lewis, Calling for Democracy, Freedom & Justice for All
Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible, July 14, 2026
Stand Up for Democracy Rally & Food Drive
When Congressman John Lewis passed away, he left us with a clear directive: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Saturday, July 18th, Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible is answering that call by participating in a national Good Trouble Day of Action. If you were with us last year, you know how powerful it is when our local community unites to protect our democratic institutions.
Saturday, July 18, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Stand Up for Democracy Rally & Food Drive At the corner of Admiral Callaghan and Plaza Dr
1175 Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo (near Home Depot)
The fight to protect voting rights never ends, and right now, we’re witnessing a Jim-Crow-era effort from politicians and their billionaire friends to restrict our freedoms, silence our voices, and consolidate power.
But in America, we choose our leaders. We will decide our future. The same spirit that fueled Selma, Montgomery, and the March on Washington lives on in our unified action.
Six years after the passing of Congressman Lewis, we’re organizing an event in our community to carry the torch, continue the legacy of John Lewis, and pass it forward to future generations. Join us!
We are expanding our standard Saturday rally into a dedicated, peaceful Good Trouble demonstration and community food drive. Bring your passion, your energy, and your homemade signs as we stand united for our freedoms!
True democracy means taking care of our neighbors. We are hosting a food drive alongside our rally to benefit Food is Free Bay Area. Please bring non-perishable, shelf-stable food items to the Chevy’s parking lot. Learn more about their vital food rescue work at fifbayarea.org.
Good Trouble Lives On is a non-partisan weekend of action. We require that participants commit to not advocate for, endorse, or oppose any political candidate or ballot initiative. A core principle behind all Good Trouble Lives On events 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 and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.
MORE from Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible – Full Schedule for Saturday July 18
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Stand Up for Democracy Rally & Food Drive
• Location: Sidewalks at Admiral Callaghan Lane & Plaza Drive (near Home Depot).
• We are taking our standard Saturday rally and amplifying it to represent the spirit of Good Trouble. Grab your progressive signs and line the sidewalks with us!
• Supporting Food is Free Bay Area: Because a healthy democracy includes taking care of our community, we are hosting a food drive right alongside the rally. Please bring canned goods and shelf-stable items to drop off in the Chevy’s parking lot. Check out their amazing food rescue work at fifbayarea.org.
• Action: Please sign up here so we know you’re coming!
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Reclaim Our Vote “Write & Hold” Postcard Party
• Location: Vallejo Private Residence (Address sent upon RSVP)
• Keep the momentum going after the rally! Reclaim Our Vote is gearing up for the critical midterm elections, and we need your hands, and your passion! Between now and October, we are launching “Write and Hold” postcard campaigns, getting out the vote in areas of the country where there is ongoing voter suppression. We will be urging people to vote by writing to BIPOC voters in five key states: North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, and Alabama. Every month, we will focus on a different state—writing the cards now and holding them to mail right when it matters most, closer to the election.
• How to Join: Email Geri Kahn at rov.solanocounty@gmail.com to RSVP and get the address.
📬 Can’t make it this Saturday? You can still help!
Come write with us at a future event! We have scheduled upcoming Saturday postcard parties from 2:00pm – 4:00pm on August 22 or September 26
o Locations: Parties will be held in Vallejo. Address provided upon RSVP!
o Want to host? If you’d like to host a party on a different date, let Geri know!
o Write from home: No problem! Email us, and we will prep a packet of postcards for you to pick up at Geri’s office so you can write from home.
U.S. Representative and beloved activist John Lewis…
“From a small farm in Alabama, to life-risking service in the civil rights movement, to three decades in Congress, he was always ‘walking with the wind,’ steered by a moral compass that told him when to make good trouble and when to heal troubled waters. Always true to his word, his faith, and his principles, John Lewis became the conscience of the nation.” – Former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Associated Press, July 18, 2020
NO KINGS Protest, Benicia CA, March 28, 2026 | Photo RStraw
I’m used to counting crowds in the hundreds, and I’m pretty good at that. I’m not much good at counting bodies in the thousands, so don’t quote me on this. But I think there were well over 2000 protesters on the banks and sidewalks around Benicia’s Gazebo.
I thought the early 9am hour might be a problem here, and we’d see fewer Benicia protesters than last June or October. But no! The movement in Benicia is growing. We’re part of a massive uprising nationwide, who will not stand by while Trump and his crowd try to destroy our successful experiment in democracy.
Here’s one of my favorite signs. True.
NO KINGS Protest, Benicia CA, March 28, 2026 | Photo RStraw
Stay tuned for more as I receive photos and links from others…
Roger Straw The Benicia Independent
REMEMBERING…
Benicia in Solidarity with Minnesota, February 2026:
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.
The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.
A core principle behind all No Kings events 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 and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.
Roger Straw: On Monday this week, Rachel Maddow gave the most convincing case for a third NO KINGS PROTEST. Her eleven good reasons (below) document the outrageous Trump and MAGA offenses since the last NO KINGS DAY! It was a tricky search gathering the transcript and video, but here they are. PLEASE show up in Benicia and/or Vallejo this Saturday, and see if you can bring someone who wasn’t planning to go!
[24:55 – 27:07] Transcript follows, see especially the 11 “bullets”. For the video, see below.)
This weekend, this Saturday…Minneapolis, will be the flagship protest in what is expected potentially to be the largest single day of protest in American history.
June of last year, that was the first No Kings protest. That drew an astonishing 5 million people across the country. You might remember that was June 14th, the first No Kings Day. That was the day Trump tried to throw himself a weird North Korea style military parade for his own birthday. That sad low turnout event was wildly overshadowed by five million Americans turning out at protests against Trump all over the country.
And then there was the second No Kings Day in October. That one did not draw 5 million people. That one drew 7 million people. The flagship protest in October was in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Constitution. 7 million people turned out on No King’s Day in October.
And that was before…
Trump bulldozed the east wing of the White House
and before he tried to arrest six Democratic members of Congress
and before we learned that in addition to bombing random boats in the Caribbean, he was also deliberately killing the survivors of those bombings, which is a war crime.
It was before he invaded Venezuela and announced he was taking their oil.
It was before he started an apocalyptic war with Iran.
It was before he renamed the Kennedy Center for himself and then announced that he would close it.
It’s before he blew up health insurance for millions of American families.
It’s before he effectively made the Nobel Peace Prize winner give him her prize.
It’s before he sent the FBI to seize the ballots from Atlanta, Georgia.
It’s before he posted a video online depicting President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as if they were apes.
It’s before they killed Renee Nicole Good. It’s before they killed Alex Pretty. It’s before they took Liam.
This Saturday, it will be Minneapolis as the flagship, but there are more than 3,000 separate protests planned all over the country this Saturday.
NO KINGS BENICIA
Saturday, March 28, 2026
9:00 AM — 10:30 AM PDT
at the Gazebo and sidewalks
First & Military St., Benicia, CA 94510 Register HERE
BRING A SIGN, JOY, FIERCE DETERMINATION,
& LOTS OF HOPE…
The future of our Democracy is at stake! Info about all nearby Rallies
AFTER THE BENICIA RALLY… many will head over to the Vallejo rally (see below), and many will return for the Fiestas Primavera – Celebrating Diversity, 12pm-5pm at Benicia Gazebo Park (More about Fiestas Primavera here).
NO KINGS VALLEJO
Rally, Food Drive & March
March 28 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Unity Plaza – JFK Library | 505 Santa Clara St., Vallejo
Register HERE Info about all nearby Rallies
Across the country, Americans are asking hard questions about the direction of our democracy.
When federal immigration enforcement actions expand with limited oversight…
When journalists face arrest or intimidation while doing their jobs…
When transparency around high-profile investigations raises public concern…
When families feel the squeeze of rising costs and economic uncertainty…
It forces us to ask: Who holds power accountable?
The founders rejected monarchy for a reason. They built a system designed to prevent concentrated, unchecked authority. “No Kings” is not a slogan — it is a reminder that in America, power flows from the people, and leaders are accountable to the Constitution.
On March 28, Vallejo joins millions nationwide for the third No Kings Day of Action.
Join us for:
Guest speakers
Live music
A community march
A food drive in partnership with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Last time, more than 1,200 neighbors stood together. This time, we aim to grow even stronger.
This is about defending democratic norms, protecting a free press, demanding transparency, and ensuring that the government serves the people — not the other way around.
Bring a friend. Bring your voice. Bring shelf-stable food (no glass) to support local families.
There are no kings here.
AFTER THE VALLEJO RALLY & MARCH… consider attending Benicia’s Fiestas Primavera – Celebrating Diversity, 12pm-5pm at Benicia Gazebo Park (More about Fiestas Primavera here).
REMEMBERING…
Benicia in Solidarity with Minnesota, February 2026:
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.
The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.
A core principle behind all No Kings events 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 and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.
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