Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Weve seen a huge groundswell of support for the ACLU" said Matt Allen a field director at ACLU of Massachusetts. In an effort to attract and energize volunteers the American Civil Liberties Union recently livestreamed a resistance training video on a Saturday evening to thousands of groups across the country showing people how to get involved in fighting the policies coming from President Donald Trumps office.
The event informed people about their rights when protesting or when stopped by the police. Its the first step in building longer-term campaigns" Allen said.
Other speakers during the training touched on protesters rights what to do if ICE comes to a neighbors home and the importance of contacting federal legislators.The training was also the launch of People Power a grass-roots effort by the national civil rights group aiming to engage volunteers to
Take the fight against Donald Trumps policies not just into the courts but into the streets" according to the ACLUs website.
My wife kind of got me to take action" said Jonathan Polloni a Falmouth Massachuesetts-based real estate lawyer who organized a viewing of the training session at the Falmouth Public Library. It was one
of the handful of People Power events held Saturday on the Cape and Islands.
Polloni says the policies that have come out of the Trump administration have shocked and inspired him to get involved. The genesis really was the Muslim ban."
More than 50 people gathered in a meeting room in the bottom floor of the library and listened as Anthony Romero the executive director of the ACLU opened the event which was broadcast from Miami.
These last four months have been certainly challenging for the ACLU" Romero said.
The group plans to continue fighting Trump in court on his travel ban affecting six majority-Muslim countries and lead the fight to protect civil First Amendment LGBT and reproductive rights but they need ordinary citizens to also resist he said.
Faiz Shakir (at right) the National Political Director of the ACLU called on the people to set up meetings with their towns police departments to talk about their policies regarding the local 
enforcement of federal immigration laws.
One way to fight Trumps threats against so-called sanctuary cities" is to make sure local law enforcement are not involved in enforcing federal immigration laws he said.
The ACLU provided a model policy for how state and local police departments should handle immigration laws and Polloni is planning on reaching out to Falmouth Police Chief Edward Dunne to talk about the issue.
Shakir also asked that people write to the ACLU to give them ideas on how to resist Trumps policies.
