 Welcome to Think Tech Hawaii's Movers, Shakers, and Reformers Politics in Hawaii series. I'm your host, Carl Campania. Today, I'm excited to talk about freedom cities. We're going to get into a discussion with one of the spokespeople for freedom cities and really what that means. What a freedom city is versus a sanctuary city and then we're going to learn about something called the nine model. And I know a bit about that, but we're going to learn about that. And it is all based in some of the concepts through the ACLU of the American Civil Liberties Union. So for this conversation, please welcome to the show Miss Sophia Mendoza. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Absolutely. My pleasure. And tell us a bit, before we get started into all that stuff, tell us a bit about yourself, where you've kind of come from and how you've gotten to this place. Okay. So I'm newly retired from the military and in the military, one of my, the jobs I was most proud of was as equal opportunity advisors. As an equal opportunity advisor, I would provide equal opportunity training to soldiers because we have people come from all walks of life. They come into the military. They need to be acquainted with, you know, these are the ways that the constitution works. These are the ways that we have these protections for each one of us as soldiers, but also in our capacity as soldiers, we defend these rights and the constitution. So this is a DOD initiative? No. No, that's just me. Okay. That's just you. That's just me. Okay. So how I came to this was I was a soldier. I've retired. Now, President Trump comes along and I'm inflamed. I'm just like, you know what, no, this is what I've been working years and years to educate people that this is not the way to conduct an agenda, an agenda that is arrogant and has a lot of prejudice in it from my perspective. It seems like it's clear prejudice and it's not just prejudice. It is. It's targeted. It's bigoted and when previous presidents, virtually every previous president has made it clear we don't want these things to occur. Let's work together. One society or one nation, that was never Trump's message and it is still not his message. He doesn't care that social injustice is getting worse. He doesn't seem to care that the atrocities that are happening, and I will call them atrocities that are happening, where you've got race baiting going on and more and more racism and more and more bigotry, whether it's LGBT or race or anything else, people who look down at someone who has less or is homeless, all of these things are being given a greater voice under Trump and greater strength to believe that they are justified to believe these things and not be more considerate and open to other people. So the intolerance level has grown, I think. So anyway, just to elaborate on that thought, that bothers some part. Right. So for years in the military I taught soldiers about tolerance for all different types of groups. So then I came to Hawaii with my husband and I saw the agenda, Trump's agenda, and I was just like, I have to do something about this. I would gladly be sitting at the beach in my retirement life, but I just really feel so passionate about social justice. And so what happened was the way I came to this particular initiative is the ACLU conducted a grassroots training event and I signed up and I met with a group of people who were taking in the training and learning about the Freedom Cities Initiative. We formed a group together. We are called 808 RAN and we are a product, we're associated with the ACLU People Power Initiative. Okay. We're going to learn about all of that in a minute. So okay, how did you find out about the training? So I was on Twitter. So on Twitter I have an account where I provide heart fuel for the resistance and it's just my way of using the skills that I've developed with helping people to overcome challenges and give them some fuel, kind of name things that are out there that they may not be familiar with. For instance, we were just talking about gas lighting and some of the political poses of the alt-right that are, they're just flash points and people really need to know about them. So as I was going through my Twitter and along with the other resistance members, the ACLU training came up and I signed up. Okay. All right. So then through social media you found this opportunity and immediately. So were you looking for something to do and you found this and you were excited about it or did it just, it happened upon you and you realized, hey, I can go do something? Right. I think it's both. I started my Twitter handle and I was new to Twitter. I didn't even know. I was like, I've got to figure this out. Clearly I can do this. It's only 140 characters. Exactly. You know, if some of these people can do this, I can do this as well. So I learned that and then I was like, you know, this is just, you know, I think you can't, if you're a feeling-thinking person, you can't watch the news and not be impacted. So I was impacted. Yes, I was looking for a way to make a contribution locally. I like to think globally, but I like to act locally. And so I was like, well, I need to get with somebody and then this thing came out. I was like, here I am. I'm ready. There you go. Okay. So, okay. Tell us about 808 RAN and People Power. Okay. So People Power is a grassroots initiative by the ACLU. And so, for instance, the way they explain it is we have, the ACLU has 300 lawyers. The United States government has 18,000 lawyers. They need a grassroots to carry messages, to create a conversation. And that's really what we're doing, is creating a conversation about the agenda. How do we feel about it? What can we do about it? And so, 808 RAN is a collective of people that got together. We were just like, let's form a group. We don't know what's going on in Hawaii, but we want to do something. And so, we got, we called ourselves 808 RAN. We started investigating the initiative. We started joining other groups of resistance on the island. Also, I like to call them persistence groups. I mean, we want to persist with that, which is good, you know. And so, we've joined with other groups, Women's March Hawaii, J20, to come together and provide more people towards the causes that we feel are important. We go to the Senate, and we have something called Resist Trump Tuesday. Resist Trump Tuesday. Right. And so, we go down. Which are great. Resist Trump Tuesdays are great. And from what I understand, there's also going to be, because Resist Trump Tuesday is specifically a federal legislator effort where a grouping of people, and I've gone once, a grouping of people get together, and they go to our federal legislators. So, they go to Schatz and Horono and Honobusa and Gabbard. And talk to them. Every Tuesday, talk to them about some issues, get follow-up on questions they've had previously. And I believe this week was the 18th or 19th week in a row that this group has been going. Right. So, that's an important thing. So, it's a connection. It's showing up at their offices and asking them, what is your, you know, reply to this? What is your plan? How can we get more information, and how can we better address what's going on? This is a direct communication, as opposed to waiting for a town hall. Right. Exactly. I've heard, and maybe you know the answer or not, but I've heard that they're also planning on doing this at the state level, I think on Thursdays. There is, I'm not exactly totally familiar with it, but there is, yes. Yes. So, I think that there's a plan for them to do, for this grouping or others involved to get together and start doing the same thing and going door to door at our state legislature. Yes. And I take that back. That's true. I did go probably last Thursday. Last Thursday? Okay. That's a great thing. Right. It's a form of accountability that we otherwise don't, I think, realize we have access to. Yeah. And so, that's one of my other concerns, you know, just for myself. I was in the military for so long that, you know, that consumed my life, and now I have this time to devote to civics and understanding it, learning about the government, even though I worked for it for so long, doesn't mean I'm an expert on it, but I really feel challenged. I really feel empowered now to raise my voice and talk to people, because that's really what I want to do is I want to have a conversation. What's going on? And so that I can tell other people and hopefully affect, you know, or keep what we really like about our government in place and then improve other things. Keep it getting the social consciousness, making sure that there's an awareness throughout the social consciousness, and that we need all of that. Absolutely. And all of the groups, there's been a collection of groups, and they all have a slightly different focus, and certainly different people, and it's wonderful that there's so much collaboration happening. Sure. What's really great for me is watching the evolution, watching the evolution of the groups coming together in Hawaii, but also watching the marches, how they're evolving as well, how people are becoming like, you know, how do I really make an impact during these marches? What do I really need to do? What do I need to bring? What do I need to know? And there's something about it. What do I write on my sign? Absolutely. Where do you get the signs at? And so it's just, it's really nice to be around people. It all sounds like, do I need a permit to do this? And how do I do that? Right. There's so many little bits and pieces that are necessary to make those things happen as well. I really like also when new groups become involved, because everybody essentially is on the agenda, whether you think so or not. You're going to be impacted in some way. Huge truth to that. It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you are on, these policies that are national and local affect you. And whether you think it's a positive thing, when suddenly all of these people who voted, and this is what we're about to see coming up soon, all these people who voted for Trump that are potentially going to lose their health insurance. Let's see how they really feel about that. I don't think that that's what they voted for based on the things he said. He was promising better health care, and it seems like that's not going to happen. Anyway, we'll see how that really impacts. And that's what one of the pieces that we are trying to drive as well as the resistance and persistence crew towards 2018 to start affecting that change. So. Absolutely. So yes, there's a lot there. So thank you for sharing how that. Let me ask you this. I didn't ask that. What branch were you in? Army. And what was your rank? Master Sergeant. Thank you so much for your service. I truly appreciate it. It was my pleasure. People thank me and I was like, it was great. It was a wild adventure. I loved every moment of it. I loved, you know, affecting soldiers, growing leaders, taking care of Army families. So yeah, it was a great career. But now I'm on to something else. Now you're on to something else you've got a passion for. And you have a way you've found a direction. Yes. And a grouping of people, like-minded people who are trying to make change happen. Absolutely. On a grassroots level. That's been my favorite thing about if there's anything positive about Trump's victory is that it has awoken the sleeping grassroots giants. Absolutely. So that in itself, I think, is valuable. I really appreciate that you say that because I've been telling that to people from the very beginning. I'm like, hey, now we're all talking. We're all like, what? What's we're all woke? What's going on? Exactly, what I'd like to make reference to is how at this point there are more people involved and engaged and aware civically than we have had since probably the revolutionary time period when everybody, when that was the conversation. What's going on? Why is this going on? This tax, that tax, this thing. And then we have a revolution as a result. So more people were aware, so they were ready to do something. Well, more people are aware right now. And maybe we haven't had this many, this engaged since then. Right. I also think that the conversation is really important, too, because it outlines what we had. We didn't know how good we had it until something else showed up that was anti, I use the terms arrogant and prejudice, because those are big things that people, they can look at and they're like, yeah, that doesn't work. And that's what the agenda is, but now we're all sitting back going, hey, it used to be really great. We used to do this. We were on such a great path towards promoting peace, incorporating people, allowing people to reach their maximum potential with the assistance of the government, not because of the government. Yeah, and not staying there, just because that's the whole purpose of it. Precisely. What all of that reminds me of is Benjamin Franklin's quote, I will paraphrase it, that those who will give up some freedoms for the sake of some freedoms and some liberties is what he says, for the sake of some safeties, deserve neither freedom nor liberty. And that's where we're at at the moment, all these people who have this fear, and it was fear mongering that made it all happen. So anyway, I think that was a good introduction conversation, but I think we're pretty close to taking a break at the moment. We're gonna jump really into the freedom cities versus the sanctuary cities, and then what the nine model is, so we'll do that right after this break. So thank you so much for joining us again. This is Think Tech Hawaii's Movers, Shakers, and Reformers. I'm your host, Carl Campania. Thanks again to our guest, Miss Sophia Mendoza. We're gonna talk more about this to you in one minute. Welcome back to Think Tech Hawaii's Movers, Shakers, and Reformers. I'm your host, Carl Campania. And welcome once again, our guest, Miss Sophia Mendoza. So okay, now we're gonna jump right into, okay, we learned a little bit about people power and 808 ran, and now it's affiliated with ACLU. It's the grassroots activism around specifically, I think, immigration. Yes. Having to do with ACLU and what that comes together. So, as promised, we're gonna talk about freedom cities, and so tell us about freedom cities and what the differences may be between a freedom city and a sanctuary city. Sure. So the term sanctuary city, it's been in place for quite a while, obviously. So a sanctuary city is one city that does not, it's a city that doesn't go after people to say, what's your immigration status? And no, you can't do this or you can't do that. So, because people in sanctuary cities, the government's in sanctuary cities understand the value of immigration, what it brings to their city, how it can prosper, et cetera. And the damage that you do when you don't have its freedom city, I mean a sanctuary city. Sanctuary city is an old term, it's still used, a lot of states are creating their own resolutions that they are, in fact, a sanctuary city. There's also the term welcoming city that people are using, right? Some of the cities are using, right here, right now, ACLU is termed their initiative, freedom cities. So if you think about it, if you think about the definition of sanctuary, you think about the definition of freedom, I think it says a lot right there of what we're trying to accomplish. What does it mean to walk down the street as an immigrant? Even if you've just newly become a citizen, what does it mean to be free in the city? And one of the ways that the primary initiative here is to interact with the local law enforcement. Are the local law enforcement familiar with whether or not we're a sanctuary city or freedom city or what have you, okay? So there is no clear cut definition on what a sanctuary city is versus a freedom city versus a welcoming city. I think that people are all trying to communicate, look, if you are an immigrant, we welcome you, okay? Freedom cities, because it's an initiative of the ACLU, goes straight to what does the Constitution of the United States say with regards to your rights and the abilities of the government towards its people with regards to freedom, okay? Okay, so it's taking like the next step. Yes. So sanctuary city is you should be safe without somebody coming and harassing you about where you're from. Right. Now it's, now that you have that, we're taking it the next step by saying, by the way, here are your rights and here's the expectations. Right. So this is what you should have some belief in. Yes. So, you know, there's the Constitution, a lot of people don't necessarily know what their rights are. The ACLU, by having this grassroots of freedom cities is getting people involved to this larger conversation. Really, what is going on with the local police department? Are they familiar? How are they trained? Do they know about these now nine model policies and rules that we like to see in place that create bias-free policing? Bias-free policing, okay. We're gonna get into nine model in a minute, but I wanna jump back a little bit. Going back at the beginning of this year, Governor E. Gay in the state of Hawaii came out and said that he wants us to be a sanctuary state. Right. And we have this, as everyone knows, we're the, there's that little island in the middle of the Pacific that's causing an impact nationally that they can't quite understand how that's happening. But as a result, we also have our AG, Doug Chin, who has brought court cases and is shutting down that travel ban and is doing everything in his power to keep it as it is so that there are no negative impacts here locally. My question is, or what I know is, but I wanna get your thought on this is, what I know is, there was a bill that was introduced to officially declare us a sanctuary state and it did not pass. And what I also know is, we're one of the five remaining states in the country that still comply 100% with these immigration ICE rules. Yes. So there's a disconnect there. And is there something that, within people power, within 808 ran, any assailings, is there something being talked about with regards to that? How that happened and what we can do? Absolutely. So along with, as a byproduct of Freedom Cities and talking with local law enforcement, we are engaging in conversations with the senators and the representatives. And so we wanted to know about, I personally wanted to know about the resolution that you were talking about to declare ourselves a... It was a resolution, not a bill. Well, it might have been a bill. I'm grassroots. I think there was one in city council. Right. And I think there might've been one for the state as well. Okay, so there's been a couple of things that have been going on. So the last one that I was involved in was the Ho'opika. Ho'opika, is it? Ho'opika? Yes. And so that was a resolution to say that we are the Aloha State. We are welcoming. And that one did not pass. It's really, that should really be a no-brainer because that's more of a confirmation. Absolutely. Of the state of Hawaii, of the Aloha State, of what Aloha means. Yes, absolutely. And yet. So what I'm finding is that, so it was, it kind of died its death. And now the groups are working together to reintroduce a new resolution along those lines and to get it passed. Now, why it didn't pass, in my opinion, is politics, you know? And it's also about not necessarily wanting to do deep dive on really what does it mean and what would we lose if we declared ourselves a sanctuary city. What would we lose? Okay, exactly. People think that we will lose money because, you know, the interpretation. Because the threat from Trump saying that he's going to take something out on. That's my personal opinion. That's my personal opinion. Okay, is that when there's a lack of understanding, it's not, and they have so many other resolutions on their docket that they need to get passed before they adjourn. Okay, it just, there wasn't the time available to make the conversations happen. My personal opinion. So again, fear-mongering. We're afraid. So we have to not do something that is innate, frankly, with what this community is. Because what is Hawaii? Exactly. But. The wellspring of Aloha. The wellspring of Aloha, but also, it's the metropolitan congregation of multiple cultures. Precisely. And many thanks to the native Hawaiians for still allowing it, as is. There's, unfortunately, they don't have as much to say about it as they would like. But, how is it possible that it is not representative of the state and that more people are not angry that we are not making that clear? Right. It seems problematic to me. Well, it was to me as well. And so now I'm more inclined to remain active, simply just to get some of the things that should be put into writing, get them into writing. And that's, I think, one of our downfalls is that we have all these accepted norms. Hawaii is this and Hawaii is that, but it's not written down anywhere. And it's the same with the other states, you know? Yeah, the other side of that is, yeah, it's written down. It's written down, codified in some ways, and just law that law in other ways. But then there's also making sure that the people are more aware of what is going on, in which case what you're writing down, you're doing op-eds for those who read the paper. You're doing whatever necessary to get information out, so through outreach programs. So, we're gonna jump into the nine model right now, but before I do that, how would people who want to help get engaged and help as far as 808 ran and People Power? Well, you know, there's a lot of groups that are larger than us. Well, first off, peoplepower.org is, you know what, you go to the website, sign up, find out where an event is being held in your neighborhood, all across the country. 3,000 cities are holding events, looking for people, waiting, asking for people to join them to say, you know what, whatever you can bring to the table, bring it, you know what, we will find a place for you, no problem whatsoever. What we need is energy. That's right. Energy and willingness to be active. Right, and it's really the consistency, because they're waiting for the resistance to die. You know, they're like- Hoping. Hoping, yeah, hoping that, you know, we'll go away, but we can't, we can't afford to go away. I don't think that, in my opinion, the resistance isn't going anywhere. There's strong, strong desire and too many people who are woke to just let it go now. And the more things happen, and unfortunately, yeah, we do get sidelined a little bit by some of the circus theatrics that go on, but we're not really losing ground when it comes to the people who want to change, who want to keep us on the track we were on or get us back on that track. So, okay, let's talk, we only have a few more minutes left, so let's talk about the nine model, what that is, and how that is implemented. Okay, so the nine model is nine model policies and rules that law enforcement agencies from around the country have agreed that these are some of their best practices. So, okay, it's best practices, it's law enforcement best practices? I guess I just wanted, I'll just term it policies and rules. So, and it all goes together with the law as it is. Okay? Is it like guidelines to how to approach? Yes. It's all based on immigration. Yes, these are all based on immigration. So number one, there are nine of them, and the intent is to defend our families, friends, and neighbors from Trump's mass deportation agenda to protect their privacy from the Trump administration and to help our friends and families and neighbors get redressed when abuses or mistakes occur. Okay. So this is all really, again, this is going really quickly, we only have a short time left, so just to focus in, so it's nine principles or nine guidelines that Hawaii Police Department agrees with, as far as their friends. We wanna have dialogue with the mayor, with the police commission, and the police chief. You want to, but are you? We're trying. And you have not yet been given that access. So I've met with the, I've provided public testimony to the police commission twice, still waiting to get seen by the police chief, but the co-chairs. Well, Russell, we're about to get a new police chief, right? Right, and so the co-chairs of the police commission have said we would like a follow-up to find out exactly how your meeting went and what transpired. Yeah, okay, unfortunately, the show is over. So, okay, go to peoplepower.org. Right. You can go to 808-RAN on Facebook. You can look these up. It's the nine model ACLU. We have to close the show. That's right, we're in this camera today. We have to close the show. Thank you so much for joining us. This is Think Tech, Hawaii's Movershakers and Reformers, Politics and Hawaii Series. Thank you again to our guests today, Ms. Sophia Mendoza, talking about all of these important issues. So thank you for joining us. See you next time.