"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell”

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Newsletter for November 23, 2025

Action Calendar:

Brunswick Area Indivisible upcoming events

We Ain’t Buying It! Nov. 27- Dec. 2. Pledge to boycott Home Depot, Target and Amazon, unrepentant Trump regime collaborators. Shop local instead. More information below.

Potluck - Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 5:30-6:30pm Celebrate a year of action and accomplishments! ​
Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Rd, Brunswick.
Bring a holiday potluck dish, a plate and eating utensils (for yourself), and a friend! We'll provide drinks- including hot cider.
Please bring toiletry items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and tampons to donate to The Gathering Place and Tedford Shelters.​
International Human Rights Day was established in 1950 by the United Nations on the same day as our celebration.

Recurring Events (Brunswick)

Tuesdays, 5:30pm Brunswick Maine Street Route 1 Overpass Rally - Bring your signs and flags.

Wednesdays, 12:30pm Brunswick Town Mall Cosplay protest. Meet at the Gazebo- costumes optional

For More actions and events, visit www.activatemaine.com​

BAI Mobilize Meetings

After viewing the three training videos available online from Mobilize.us, members of BAI pledged to host small gatherings of 10 or more to share stories and strategize about what we can do locally to resist the Trump Regime and support Indivisible’s national efforts to affect change.

Dan Meyer, a Communications Work Group member, recently held a meeting with a group of 8 acquaintances which turned out to be fun and informative. Although Mobilize Us provides a format for the meetings, it was not strictly followed as the 'Six Pillars' concept did not resonate with the group. Nevertheless, most of the attendees were already taking action with other organizations such as: www.forcemultiplierus.org, and www.mobilize.us/call4change. One person is part of a musical group called the “Ideal Maine Social Aid and Sanctuary Band”. They are interested in performing at resistance events. https://www.idealmaineband.org/​

If you have hosted one of these meetings - please share it with us. Send your story to: communications.bai.me@gmail.com.

For complete information go to: One Million Rising Info, The Toolkit, Webinar sign-up at https://www.nokings.org/rise​

We Ain't Buying it - The Big Beautiful Boycott

During one of the busiest and most profitable times of the year for businesses, Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, a coalition of groups has organized a boycott on Nov. 27th - Dec. 1st of three major businesses who are being targeted for aiding and abetting the authoritarian Trump Regime. Let's send a message straight to the bottom line of these companies: WE WILL NOT FUND THE DEMISE OF OUR DEMOCRACY!
​1. Home Depot - Allowed ICE to conduct violent raids on immigrants on their properties.
​2. Amazon - Owner Jeff Bezos, multi-billionaire, donated massive sums of money to the Trump Regime in exchange for massive tax breaks.​
​3. Target - Immediately capitulated to Trump's demands to end DEI practices.

This is the most simple form of resistance one can take as it requires NO action. We are lucky enough in Maine to have so many alternatives to the big box behemoths including our own chain stores and a plethora of unique gift shops situated in many of Maine's small towns and villages. Make it a point this year to shop locally and keep our dollars in our communities. For more information: https://weaintbuyingit.com/​https://weaintbuyingit.com/​https://app.kit.com/publications/18439927/reports/www.activiatemaine.com​

ICE Moves On - Open Letter from Mayor Daniel Biss, Evanston, Illinois

ICE is fanning out in cities across America in calculated assaults against democratically lead cities. The siege on Charlotte, NC has already quickly cycled in a matter of days, with Trump’s government claiming that 30% of those detained are hardened criminals. Preceding this quick operation, Mayor Daniel Biss, of Evanston, Illinois, sent an open letter to the city of Charlotte to prepare them for the inundation of kidnappers.

Biss suggested that strengthening of local laws, establishing ICE-free zones, refusing staging from city properties, and police response to ICE abductions were keys to Evanston’s resistance. He also mentioned volunteers armed with whistles and cell phone video cameras.

“If you’re reading…, I know this all may sound extreme. You might think that could never happen here. I used to think that, too. But this is what life became in our region. Agents driving unmarked cars through neighborhoods, swapping license plates, and targeting people based on skin color or accent. Cities caught between their duty to protect residents and a federal government intent on sowing fear.

My plea to Charlotte and the rest of the country is simple: get ready.”

Immigration Hotline Verifier Training — New Date

The Maine ICE Watch Hotline is a new statewide tool created to verify reports of immigration enforcement activity and connect immigrant families with resources and support.

The hotline — (207) 544-9989 — is a project of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, the People’s Coalition for Safety & Justice, and other community partners. Organizers say the goal is to provide accurate, real-time information about ICE and Border Patrol operations in Maine and to help families stay safe amid a period of heightened enforcement and fear.

Over 100 community volunteers have already been trained to support the hotline, serving as either operators who take calls, or “verifiers” who are dispatched to confirm or refute reported sightings of immigration enforcement activity. Verifiers are community members who document enforcement actions and help prevent misinformation from spreading.

Last week the hotline received reports ranging from Lewiston, Portland, Augusta, New Sharon, Bangor, Mount Desert Island... so we anticipate a need for trained verifiers in our area.

Cat Whitaker and Janet Ostrov are offering the two-hour verifier training in Brunswick in January. Email Janet if you are interested and she will be in touch in early January with potential dates and times to accommodate as many people as possible.

Feel free to share this information with trusted contacts who might want to participate.

If you have questions or wish to sign up for the January training contact:Janet Ostrov 518-265-5643 janetostrov@gmail.com​

Voter Suppression - It Isn’t Over

The defeat of Maine Ballot Question 1 was decisive, but attempts to limit voting and access to voter registration continues. The League of Women Voters has filed a lawsuit challenging the ban on voter registration at naturalization ceremonies. For years, LWV and other non governmental organizations have been present at U.S. Naturalization ceremonies to welcome our newest fellow citizens and assist with voter registration. In August, the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services agency (USCIS) abruptly changed their policy and blocked the League and other NGOs from the ceremonies. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to voting participation since 1920.
Democracy docket provides a good summary of the situation https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/uscis-naturalization-ceremony-voter-registration-assistance-ban-challenge-lwv/​

In a separate action, the League is contesting an initiative to use Homeland Security’s faulty, outdated, insecure immigration status database into a voter verification system. Critics warn that governments could be required to use the system to purge voter rolls, potentially disenfranchising many naturalized citizens. The broad distribution of unverified data based on social security numbers without individual legal consent is of concern to many.

​https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/judge-doubts-the-lawfulness-of-trumps-voter-purge-database-but-wont-block-it-for-now/​

Keeping Up Voter Momentum

Meanwhile, building on the success of the No On 1 campaign and the surprising turnout across the state, voter education is crucial. New voters, occasional voters, and folks new to Maine’s Ranked Choice Voting and Semi Open Primaries may need to know more. The League of Women Voters Maine has excellent summaries of our state’s system and voter rights. Got questions? Contact the League’s hotline.

Notes from BAI Working Groups

Membership Working Group

• Ellen Lahaie joined us at the Nov 5th monthly meeting - we are now a group of nine.
• Thanks to Mary Turner, we now have a list of donors and will send personal thank you notes!
• Along with Ellie Schneider from Membership and Chris Mills from Action, we are working on a BAI flyer to post around the community and the Bowdoin College campus.

State and Local Government Working Group

Representatives from the group go to each Brunswick town council and school board meeting and take notes. We encourage other BAI members attend these meetings as well. Volunteers are needed to cover Topsham meetings. Representatives of the group also attend office hours of Brunswick councilors and local state legislators, finding it a useful opportunity for more informal discussions and developing alliances.

Brunswick Town Council and Topsham Select Board meetings are recorded and archived. Schedules, agendas and links to recordings are available:

Brunswick Town Council page https://www.brunswickme.gov/331/Town-Council​

Topsham Select Board page https://www.topshammaine.com/bosmeetings​

At our Book Club discussion on Nov. 14, Representative Poppy Arford said there is proposed legislation in the works to strengthen laws against threats toward public reps and judges. It was suggested that we push for a state level response, with real consequences to such threats.

The book discussion was well attended. If you would like to join or have a book that you would like to recommend please send the title and author to jaynebrox@gmail.com.

Brunswick Area Indivisible Communications

If you have an upcoming action, event, article or legislative issue you would like published in the BAI Newsletter, send it to communications.bai.me@gmail.com. Identify your submission in the subject line: #(Issue No.)