Brunswick Area Indivisible Newsletter #14 December 22, 2025
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"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell” Newsletter for December 22, 2025 Brunswick Area Indivisible Action Calendar: Rescheduled BAI Membership Meeting and Potluck - Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, 6-8pm Celebrate a year of action and accomplishments! Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry will be our guest. Please bring toiletry items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and tampons to donate to The Gathering Place and Tedford Housing. Tuesdays, 5:30 pm Brunswick Maine Street Route 1 Overpass Rally - Bring your signs and flags. Wednesdays, 12:30 pm Brunswick Town Mall Cosplay protest. Meet at the Gazebo- costumes optional For More actions and events, visit www.activatemaine.com Brunswick Light in the DarknessBrunswick Area Indivisible gathered for our candlelight vigil, "Grief for Our Losses and Hope for Our Future." A pristine scene was set by the Town of Brunswick and BAI Action Group. No matter where one looked, beauty and love were there. Lead by Reverend Alicia Vélez Stewart,of Brunswick United Methodist Church, we lit candles and took deep, cleansing breaths. We heard harrowing survival stories unfolding in our own community, and the ways our own community steps up, including our recent drives for food, warmth items, and toiletries. We learned about homeless community members from The Gathering Place. Asylum seekers were aided by the many services at HOPE Acts. A cis-gender woman spoke in support of LGBTQIA folks. The acclaimed Spindleworks Arts Center talked about the fears facing their artists and how they overcome them. And Mid-Coast New Mainers told us about their clients and that we must reach out to Governor Mills to get LD1971 passed. (The Governor has since announced the bill would become law). In response to each of these testaments participants sang, "You do not carry this all alone. This is way too big for you to carry this on your own. You do not carry this all alone.” It is not too late to take action to support these groups. 1. Make a donation to Spindleworks. They accept money and art materials. 2. HOPE Acts will take money and items from their wish list. They are also actively looking for drivers for immigrants to have allies at legal and other appointments. By driving, you can literally prevent immigrants from having their cars taken by the US government. 3. Mid-Coast New Mainers welcomes your check or household goods and furniture. 4. The Gathering Place will take monetary donations, along with warmth items and toiletries.
From BAI member Peg Duston
Stan and I cannot find adequate words to express our admiration for the dedication, the patience, and the determination required to bring this Community Vigil from a broad-based idea to an inspirational event. Sheryl, Chris, and the outstanding Action Team are a marvel. The repeated successes of this team are rooted in the mutual respect between the leaders and the team members. Thank you for creating this working community. At the close of the ceremony, participants appeared lost in reflection and thought. So many were quietly saying to themselves, “That was beautiful!”
Maine Somali Community Under AttackSomalis are under attack by Bobby Charles, a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate in Maine. Throughout 2025, Charles has drawn significant criticism for his focus on the Somali-American community, specifically:
How to Help If you want to support the Somali community in Maine and push back against this climate of harassment, here are several ways to take action:
Resources for Immediate Support If you or someone you know is facing direct harassment or threats:
And Maine Shows UpOn December 13th, around 1,000 good people of Maine gathered in support of the Somali community in Lewiston, Maine. Without surprise or wonder, America witnessed Donald Trump acting his typical witless and virulent self. He recently targeted Somali immigrants across the country, making them a target of his followers. His unhealthy obsession with Somali people seems to have begun with stalking Representative Ilhan Omar. Recently he riled up his base against these immigrants from coast to coast, calling them 'garbage and murderers' and threatening to de-naturalize US citizens. Political leaders from across the state came. Indivisible members were there from every corner. The mayor and Lewiston residents were there, and many supportive neighbors were there. Somali dancers, sambusas and tea were offered to participants as a sign of friendship. The main theme of the event was 'love is greater than hate'. Accomplishments of the Somali community were acknowledged. Speakers talked about holding their Somali neighbors in high esteem and condemned dehumanizing any group of people. Generations have made Lewiston home, and contribute generously to the city, increasing the work force and revitalizing the downtown area. Another Way to Help: Maine ICE Watch & Resource HubThe Maine ICE Watch & Resource Hub is alive and well, despite recent threats and harassment. Hundreds of volunteer operators and verifiers are prepared to monitor the impacts of immigration enforcement policies that violate civil liberties and threaten the health and safety of all Mainers. The hotline continues to grow as more than 1,600 calls and texts from all over the state have already been received. Please continue to call, text and send photos. Note: anonymous calls cannot be accepted. Videos must be emailed to rtorres@maineimmigrantrights.org at MIRC. You can help by taking these easy actions: 1. Ask 5 friends to save the Hotline number (207.544.9989) and video email (info@maineimmigrantrights.org) in their contacts, so they're ready to join in monitoring immigration enforcement. 2. Share this post with your network of friends, family and community. Share on facebook and/or Instagram. Indivisible Will Endorse Primary CandidatesIf you are familiar with the public BAI facebook page/community, you may have seen posts indicating Indivisible has a plan to primary sitting democrats. For Indivisible, this is a complete U-turn from the previous stance, where we didn’t get involved until after party candidates were chosen. In March of 2025 Indivisible called for the resignation of Chuck Schumer, when he and nine dems caved to the Republicans on the spring spending bill. An Indivisible website said, “Federal employee unions, litigators fighting Trump in court, outside advocates, House Democrats, many Democratic party insiders, and Indivisible were all in lockstep that passing this bill would be worse than a government shutdown.” In early November, seven Democrats along with Maine Independent Angus King, all voted with the Republicans, undermining leverage for the Democratic party against another bad spending bill. None of them are running for re-election in 2026. On November 22nd, BAI’s facebook page conveyed that Indivisible chapters would be called upon to primary sitting democrats and endorse fighters. First, Indivisible will not endorse anyone who supports Chuck Schumer. And on December 2nd, Indivisible announced their Primary Program Launch. BAI members attended via Zoom. The Trump administration has practically devastated the U.S. government - stakes could not be higher. Members of BAI are familiar with the secret police, affordability crisis, attacks on our constitutional rights, voter manipulation, bribery, extortion, and corruption, with no oversight from the other branches, especially congress, where voters have a say. This is no time to tolerate weak leadership. The best way to fight capitulation to Trump from congress is to demand strong candidates. Indivisible deliberated with our membership to discover the organization's expectations of powerful candidates. Contenders should be willing to confront MAGA and 'do-nothing Dems' clearly and fearlessly. Their coffers must be free of AIPAC, corporate PACs, and billionaire strings. Focus must be on the needs of constituents. It’s key that new and principled candidates have bold agendas free of corporate influence. Maine will get a lot of political energy and financial focus with several seats getting national attention. Those include one senate seat, the office of Governor, and seats for the House in Maine districts 1 and 2. Indivisible chapters across the state will vet and endorse candidates for these offices. We’ll need to be prepared and energized if BAI decides to tackle this difficult task. LD1971 Becomes Law in 2026
We cannot turn a blind eye to ICE’s unacceptable actions, which is why I’ve chosen to allow a bill that limits police cooperation with the federal agency to become law. -Gov. Janet T. Mills Governor Mills announced her decision to allow LD1971 to pass in an op ed piece in the Portland Press Herald on December 15th. Thanks to a BAI member for this gift article. At the same time, she announced that she is repealing a Lepage era executive order that called for enhanced cooperation between State and Federal officials on immigration enforcement. Though she expressed concerns about "confusing restraints" on the state's law enforcement agencies, she acknowledged the need for such legislation. Many thanks to those who called and wrote to the Governor on this issue. The new law will take effect in spring, after the end of the next legislative session. Until then, concerns remain about 'officer discretion' regarding arrests for minor violations. For instance, traffic stops unrelated to any immigration violation have resulted in detentions and deportations in Maine. In some cases, sheriff's deputies and police officers have required all passengers, not just the driver, to prove immigration or citizenship, an unusual procedure in routine traffic stops. Actions: Maine towns and counties may need to clarify when to "loop in" ICE or Border Patrol in matters not directly related to immigration enforcement. Let your town councilor and county commissioner and know you want clarity in your community. -Brunswick Area Indivisible As always, if you have an upcoming action, article, legislative issue or story that you want to go out on the Brunswick Area Indivisible email list, send it to communications.bai.me@gmail.com |