What to do if you see 4 fingers behind someone's back
Four fingers behind the back refers to the Universal Signal for Help,
a discreet, one-handed gesture where a person tucks their thumb
into their palm and folds their four fingers down over it,
signifying they are in danger and need help,
often used in domestic violence, trafficking situations, and other perils.
Update on what is happening with ICE and Minneapolis, see 50501’s Substack:
ICE Unhinged: Door‑to‑Door Raids in St Paul Show a Frightening Escalation
Also, see Liz Oyer’s analysis on the DOJ’s response to the killing of Renee Good.
Guidelines About Elected Official Interactions:
From Indivisible:
When it comes to constituent interactions, elected officials care about what makes them look good, responsive, and hardworking to the people of their district. In practice, that usually means they care a lot about some things and very little about others. Organize your time and effort accordingly.
What They Usually Care About:
* Verified constituents they actually represent (e.g., people who live in their district or state)
* Advocacy that requires effort like calls, personal emails, and especially showing up in person
* Local press and editorials, national press
* The endorsement of an interest group with verified political power (lots of money or people)
* Groups of constituents, locally famous individuals, or big individual campaign contributors
* A concrete ask that entails a verifiable action -- vote for a bill, make a public statement, etc.
* One single, timely ask in your communication (letter, email, phone call, office visit, etc.)
What They Don't Usually Care About:
* People from places they don’t represent
* Form letters, a Tweet, or Facebook comment (unless they generate widespread attention)
* Your thoughtful analysis of the proposed bill
* A single constituent
* General ideas about the world
* A laundry list of all the issues you’re concerned about