Melat Kiros on Being Fired for Pro-Palestine Stance & Challenging Establishment Democrats

Fired for Speaking Out

• 💡 In November 2023, Melat Kiros was fired from her job after posting online against law firms opposing pro-Palestine protests and anti-genocide demonstrations.
• ⚠️ Kiros was inspired by students losing job offers for advocating for human rights, drawing parallels to the civil war and genocide in her home region of Tigray, Ethiopia.
• 💬 She refused to take down her post, stating that standing up against genocide and for human rights is the bare minimum expected of institutions and those in power.
• 🏥 A message from another attorney highlighted the coercive nature of employment, where fear of losing health insurance prevents speaking out.

Immigration and Coercive Markets

• 🚀 Kiros, an immigrant who arrived in 1998 via the diversity visa lottery, advocates for a more humane immigration system.
• 💰 She criticizes the use of immigration as a scapegoat for the affordability crisis, pointing to corporations and establishment Democrats as the real culprits.
• 🗣️ The current system is described as coercive, where employers leverage workers' inability to afford basic necessities like rent and healthcare to stifle freedom of speech.

Challenging Establishment Democrats

• 🎯 Kiros is challenging Diana DeGette, a long-serving incumbent in Colorado's 1st congressional district, who has been in office for nearly 30 years.
• 💰 A major contrast is corporate pack money, with DeGette accepting significant funding from PACs, while Kiros pledges to refuse all corporate PAC money.
• 🇺🇸 Kiros supports an arms embargo to Israel and notes that 80% of Democrats desire one, highlighting a disconnect between party voters and elected officials.
• 📈 She criticizes establishment Democrats, including Governor Polis, for being