Brunswick Area Indivisible Newsletter #15 Jan. 11, 2026
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"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell” Newsletter for January 11, 2026 Brunswick Area Indivisible Action Calendar: BAI Book Discussion Group: Autocracy Inc. Monday, Feb. 23 from 4:00 to 5:15pm The Highlands Community Room, Topsham Public Library (details below) Recurring Events (Brunswick) 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 Mark your calendar: National Walkout January 20, 2006 at 2pm. A nation-wide protest organized by a coalition including 50501 and the Women's March. Watch for more information on Activate Maine. More details on this event are on the Women's March site: "On January 20th, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce because a Free America begins the moment we stop cooperating with fascism." For more actions and events, visit www.activatemaine.com Report of the Year-End Membership Meeting and PotluckThe January 7th BAI monthly membership meeting was a pot-luck supper. A total of 48 (46 of voting age) people attended and 34 delicious dishes were brought, including 10 salads and 9 desserts! Kudos to the Education Committee and to Leslie Joy Simmons who moderated the program. Two boxes of comfort items such as shampoo, toothbrush /paste are being delivered to Tedford Housing. Mattie Daughtry, President of the Maine Senate, gave us a review of the impressive legislative accomplishments of 2025 and the Democrats’ plans for the short session in 2026. While the Maine House, Senate and Governor’s office are all controlled by Democrats, the margin is slim and hard work, boots on the ground (I hate to use military analogies) and money are the things that BAI can help them with to succeed in the 2026 election. Mattie, who is running for the Maine State Senate for her final term for District 23 (Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell, Pownal, Chebeague Island, and part of Yarmouth) and Poppy Alford for District 101 (most of Brunswick) circulated nominating petitions. A fund-raiser for Democratic Party activities is scheduled for MLK Day, January 19 at Moderation Brewery, 103 Maine Street in Brunswick. Thanks to Catherine Whitaker’s contacts, BAI will be able to continue to use the Methodist Church on Church(!) Road, for committee meetings as well as the monthly programs designed by the Education Committee. The next BAI general meeting (first Wednesday of each month) will be held February 4 with the speaker to be announced—mark your calendars! Brunswick Area Indivisible Book Discussion Group IIThe next meeting of the Brunswick Area Indivisible Book Discussion Group will take place on Monday afternoon, February 23, 2026 from 4pm to 5:15 pm. The discussion will be facilitated by Jane Brox. We have a new location: We will be meeting at the Topsham Public Library, in their Highlands Community Room. The Library is located at 25 Foreside Road in Topsham. Our book for this meeting is Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World by Anne Applebaum. Applebaum dissects the rise of modern autocratic states—Venezuela, Hungary, and Turkey among them—and how these states operate together to accumulate power and wealth, and also attempt to undermine democracies throughout the world. Understanding how these states work is essential to comprehending the threats we currently face in our own country, and Applebaum also offers insight into means of pushing back against autocratic power and influence. Anne Applebaum is the Pulitizer Prize winning author of many books including Twilight of Democracy and Gulag: A History. She is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Those who are interested needn’t have come to the first book discussion to attend this one. Just be prepared to take part in an informal and lively discussion! The book is now out in paperback, and there are many copies available in area libraries and through interlibrary loan. Copies are available for sale at our local independent bookstores: Gulf of Maine Books, Maine St, Brunswick and Sherman's Books, Topsham Fair Mall. Maine in the top 10 most rallies, actions and events of 2025Substack columnist K. Starling, in collaboration with Harvard's Ash Center Crowd Counting Consortium documented progressive actions beginning in April last year. Maine scored in the top 10 with 1798 confirmed events. Maine, with the highest median age, and arguably one of the least ethnically diverse is one of the most rural states. This level of engagement might surprise the outside world. But Mainers showed in November that sustained local action can change political outcomes. At weekly actions, Mainers prove that our strong sense of community, local organizing and the determination to "See something, say something, do something" are our superpowers. Sustained community action, in Maine and elsewhere, helped pressure Avelo Airlines to end its deportation flight contract, announced January 7. In her post: 55,000+ Acts of Dissent, K. Starling goes on to describe the amazingly rapid growth and capacity building of progressive organizations and the work of engaging, educating and building community happening across the country. Another piece in her series, Dear Future Historians highlights these weekly protests and why they are so essential. Another Maine Pastor, Immigrant Community Leader detained by ICEPastor Lourenco Mandambila Mafuta was arrested in Lewiston on Christmas Day. Bystander video shows him being pulled from a car. Social media sources report that Pastor Lourenco is a legal resident. Nevertheless, he is currently listed (as of 1/8/25) as incarcerated by ICE at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachussets. This follows ICE's pattern of transporting detainees out of Maine, far from their families, legal representatives and sources of support. Another Maine minister to the immigrant community, Pastor Michel Tshimankinda, was detained in August for over-staying his visa, despite having followed the asylum process since his arrival in the US. He was released after 6 weeks in detention. The effect on immigrants and asylum seekers when spiritual leaders and advisors are detained can only be devastating. Actions:Project Relief Maine raises money for legal fees and family assistance for detained Maine immigrants, including Pastor Lourenco. Maine Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project provides advice and legal assistance. In December, Rep. Chellie Pingree and the group's executive director toured the ICE facility in Scarborough and expressed concerns about detainees being denied access to legal advice. Contact Senator King and demand due process for Pastor Lourenco. Washington Office Phone: (202) 224-5344. Portland Office Phone: (207) 245-1565. ICE Murders an Observer in MinneapolisAn ICE agent deliberately murdered a legal observer on January 7. This was not the first street killing by immigration agents, according to a report by The Marshall Project. This is in addition to widespread reports of detainees suffering neglect, abuse and death in federal and privately run immigration detention facilities, in a story in The Guardian. Voter Suppression 2026Voter Suppression is defined as activities or measures intended to prevent people, especially those belonging to a particular demographic from voting in elections. We have witnessed, in the Trump Era, false allegations of voter fraud throughout the country. In response to these false allegations many states have put into place voter restrictions. At least 16 states have enacted 29 restrictive voting laws in 2025 that will affect the 2026 mid-term elections. On the state level a combination of increased voter ID requirements and limits on mail-in voting which increase the risk of voter purges. On the federal level the Department of Justice has sued 20 states to gain access to voter files. This has been presented by the DOJ that it is to ensure election integrity. Critics and the ACLU view it as voter intimidation and the DOJ’s attempt to create a national voter data base without congressional approval, a blatant negation of our privacy rights. The Supreme Court is expected to make several landmark rulings in June 2026, ahead of the mid-terms. Other voting suppression concerns are that 7 states have passed ‘interference laws’ that allow state actors to have authority over elections. Voter intimidation could result in mass challenges to voter eligibility by private citizens and the presence of non-credentialed monitors at drop boxes and polling locations. Also, federal agencies have lessened their administrative assistance to combat AI generated misinformation leaving that responsibility to the states. In Maine we voted down Question 1 which resulted in no photo ID required to vote and no excuse absentee voting remains fully accessible. We can be very proud of passing this law, however, as stated above, many potential obstacles could still materialize. We need to speak out on national level to ensure free and fair elections. WE MUST BEGIN THE FIGHT NOW TO PROTECT THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS FROM REPUBLICAN CHICANERY. 2025 Year in Review for Brunswick Area IndivisibleThank you, BAI members! 2025 was an embattled year. We have risen to the challenges from the current political regime. We have fought with kindness, dignity, strength and determination. Peaceful protest must remain a key focus of our work as we continue to move forward together. It’s time to celebrate the accomplishments of 2025. The group became active, once again, with the re-election of Donald Trump at the end of 2024. Take time to reflect on what we could recall of 2025. In January, BAI had the inaugural meeting at the Curtis Memorial Library from a newspaper ad invitation. In March, the Steering Committee was formed. “Rally for Tedford Housing” was carried out. Working Groups began to form and meet; Education, Local/State, Membership, Communications, and Action. Things really took shape and started moving. As an organized authoritarian regime was forming following a blueprint made by Project 2025, BAI was trying to keep pace. With hundreds of meetings and communications under our belts, thousands of collective work hours, tears and triumphs, here are some accomplishments, but by no means a complete picture of BAI. ACTIONS February 14 - Hearts to Angus King (Valentines Day) February 28 - Rally to Protect Our Parks March 10 - Rally for Tedford Housing April 5th - Hands Off! May 1st – May Day Rally for Labor May 19th - Postcard writing workshop May 22nd - the first weekly Cosplay protest on the Mall 30 such Cosplay protests were carried out throughout 2025 May/June - Teams of BAI folks heavily canvassed for Katie Stanski for School Board, defeating her radical opponent June 3rd - The first of many weekly Maine Street overpass protests (28 Bridge Brigades) June 6th - Rally for Veterans June 10th - No Kings Day #1 Sponsored with Harpswell Indivisible and Sagadahoc Indivisible June 10th - Voting day July 17th - Make Good Trouble memorial of John LewisAugust 23rd - Members began supporting weekly Stop Avelo protests at the Portland Jetport, sponsored by Indivisible Greater Portland August 26th - Handmaids Rally: Women's Equality Day August 30th - Boycott of Portland International Jetport, against Avelo Airlines transport of illegally detained immigrants September 16th – Ezra Levin – Maine Rising in person meeting – Gorham, Maine September 20th - Make Billionaires Pay October 3rd - tabling for No on 1 started at Friday Farmer’s Market 5 of these tabling events took place before the election October 18th – No Kings II Rally, 3,000 estimated on Brunswick Mall, moving to the Sagadahoc Bridge(fondly called Democracy Bridge) Co-sponsored with Sagadahoc Indivisible and Sagadahoc Democrats October 25th - BAI Bridge Brigade for No on 1, Yes on 2 5 of these special bridge brigades were held before the election October/November - Teams of BAI members canvassed for No on 1, Yes on 2 November 4th - Voting day December 13th - Grief for Our Losses and Hope For Our Future Candlelight Vigil December 20th - Support for the Brown University Murder Vigil, sponsored by Bowdoin Students EDUCATION September 3rd - Vote No on 1 - Against voter suppression October 1st - Vote Yes on 2 - For a Red Flag Law, protection from gun violence October 25th - MidCoast Immigrant Solidarity Education and Action Forum. Co-sponsored by Brunswick Area Indivisible, Indivisible Sagadahoc, Sagadahoc Democrats, Topsham Dems, and Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. November 5th - Focus on Immigration November 10th - Book Group On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder at Curtis Memorial Library LOCAL AND STATE COMMUNICATIONS The Venezuela IncursionOn January 3, 2026 the Trump regime launched a military strike known as ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ against Venezuela. They took out Venezuela’s air defense systems, captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores in Caracas and flew them to NYC where they have been jailed on drug and weapons charges. They did not bother to go through congress as our constitution clearly directs, but they did notify the big oil companies ahead of the strike. King said Maduro is a bad guy, a dictator, illegitimate, a drug cartel leader, etc. Next, he praised our military saying it showed itself to be ‘exceptional, skillful, prepped, all absolutely extraordinary’. But he’s ‘concerned’ about where all this will lead as it applies to our country’s presidential powers. Are we giving the president the sole authority to attack other countries? What message are we sending to China, North Korea, or Russia? That it’s okay for them to exercise similar aggression toward their neighbors? “The next few weeks will prove critical in answering these questions and assessing what could likely be a lasting shift in Latin American and global geopolitics. I intend to remain engaged with these critical questions through the conduct of the needed oversight in my roles on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.” Nicolas Maduro, bad guy, narco terrorist, indicted twice in U.S. and should stand trial in U.S. Collins says she was briefed by Rubio after the fact and that it was a law enforcement operation with limited scope and there was still much to find out. Chellie Pingree rebuked Trump’s ‘breathtaking abuse of power and flagrant violation of our constitution and international law’. She also said Hegseth and Rubio previously assured senators their blowing up boats and killing about 100 people in the Caribbean had nothing to do with regime change - a blatant lie. “This reckless move risks destabilizing an already fragile region, puts millions of civilians at risk, and further isolates us from our friends and allies. I will demand answers and accountability from this Administration, and work with my colleagues to ensure that no further unauthorized actions are taken without congressional approval.” Jared Golden: Said he views Maduro as an illegitimate adversary, but Trump’s unilateral military moves bypassing congress are risking a quagmire and emphasized the oversight role of congress. Fearing the potential for corruption and entanglement, underscoring a need for transparency and adherence to the separation of powers. Although they had varying degrees of gravitas in their statements, all of our representatives agree on a couple of things. The Trump regime should have gone to congress for approval for this operation per the U.S. constitution, the one to which they swore an oath of allegiance; and that Maduro is indeed a ‘bad guy’ who deserves punishment for his corruption and malfeasance. They all expressed a similar worry about what happens next. The good news is that congress finally acted and has voted to limit the administration’s war powers. The bad news is that horse is already out of the barn and the administration does not seem to care what the law or the constitution says. -Brunswick Area Indivisible As always, if you have an upcoming issue or story that you want to go out on the Brunswick Area Indivisible email list, send it to communications.bai.me@gmail.com Have you missed a newsletter, want to look back, or want to share a past issue? 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