Brunswick Area Indivisible Newsletter #31
|
"We are a grassroots organization of concerned residents of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell” Newsletter for August 23, 2026 Brunswick Area Indivisible Action Calendar: BAI Monthly Community Meeting, Wednesday September 9, 6:30pm, come at 6 for a half hour of socializing. Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Road, Brunswick. Please note corrected date. The editor apologizes for the wrong date in the last newsletter. Postcarding before the Community Meeting, Wednesday September 9, 4-6pm. Come early to write postcards to Maine voters. Organizer Karen says: "Did you know? Jared Golden won his last election in 2024 by 2,159 votes or roughly .6 %. The Progressive Turnout Project (Postcards to Swing States program) boosts turnout by 1%The 600 postcards I wrote for that election could have made the difference. We need your help on September 9th to write 500 get-out-the-vote postcards to Maine voters. With 25 volunteers-2 hours - 20 postcards each It will make a difference! Donations for postcard stamps are welcome! 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 Saturdays, 11:00 am to 12:00 Brunswick, Maine St. on Rt 1 Overpass. Bring banners, signs. Mark your calendar: BAI Book Group Discussion Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 4 to 5:15pm. Topsham Public Library. For More actions and events, visit Activate Maine and Mobilize Countdown to Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.Most polling places are open 8:00am to 8:00pm. Check with your town office. Mail-in Ballots are available now. Call or stop by your town office or use this form from Maine Secretary of State website. In person early voting starts 30 days before the election. Contact your town office for exact days and times. Monthly Community Meetings resumeOur next Community Meeting is Wednesday September 9th at 6:30 pm, and come at 6 for a half hour of socializing. Brunswick United Methodist Church, 320 Church Road, Brunswick. Our first Community Meeting of Election Season will feature Katie Guare, Organizing Director of Maine Votes / Maine Voices Network who will speak on Election Security. Maine Votes is an affiliate of America Votes . Then Sean Sebrey and Wren Tetreault of the Maine Democratic Party will speak on the effectiveness of voter outreach with canvassing and phone banking. We need to have a huge turnout this year in advance of the 2028 Presidential Election. Our opponents may have the funding so we must win the ground game. And Healthcare for All Maine, Julie Pease from Topsham, will tell us about their effort to put a Universal Healthcare Resolve on the ballot in 2027. They are working to gather 70,000+ signatures by November 2026. BAI looks forward to kicking off this election season with action! Time to halt the authoritarians, bit by bit. When we do it together we win. Volunteer to CanvassLocal Democratic Party groups are organizing canvassing in all towns in our area. Talking to voters face-to-face is the best way to earn their support for Democrats up and down the ticket and beat Susan Collins. Sign up for the Maine Coordinated Campaign through Mobilize. Don't worry if you've never canvassed before; there will be training and Q&A before we begin knocking doors! Seeking Justice; Oversight of ICE's Use of Force in the Death of Johan Sebastián Durán GuerreroOn August 17th, 2026, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree brought Congress members to Maine, for Democratic members to hold a 'shadow hearing,' "Seeking Justice; Oversight of ICE’s Use of Force in the Death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero.” In attendance was Representative Bernie Thompson, House Committee on Homeland Security’s ranking member of Mississippi, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, House Minority Whip, and Representative Troy Carter of Louisiana. With a large audience, Duran Guerrero's parents, Omar and Dora traveled from Columbia to give a heartfelt testimony. Also present was the family’s attorney, Governor Mills, and immigration experts from the community, many of whom have partnered with BAI. According to the attorney, Ben Giddeon, “ a month later, the government has still refused to tell us who the target of the operation [that killed Guerrero] actually was. Governor Mills said, "If ICE cannot be reined in and fundamentally reformed, then it is time to abolish it." The audience applauded enthusiastically. The recorded hearing is shared here, and is worth a listen. BAI members attended but their contributions were not recorded. Encampment - Continuous Presence at Scarborough ICE FacilityWhile there have been ongoing protests at the Scarborough ICE facility since the beginning of Trump’s second term, activity has accelerated since the the murder of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero by an ICE agent in Biddeford on July 13, 2026. Guerrero was in the United States legally and was not the target ICE was attempting to kidnap and incarcerate. His three year old daughter and wife were at the scene and witnessed the aftermath of the crime. The Maine Bar Association (MSBA) issued a formal statement highlighting serious concerns over due process, departmental standards, and constitutional limits on the use of deadly force.They called for an independent, transparent investigation to determine whether federal agents violated constitutional requirements. Local advocacy leaders, legal council representing the family, and state and local officials have criticized the lack of official communication and transparency from federal agencies, pressing for the release of full video footage and independent oversight. Numerous activist groups and local community members organized large emergency protests and have maintained extended presence and vigils outside the Scarborough ICE facility. One group of concerned citizens have maintaining a log of ICE vehicles’ movements as well as other pertinent information. If the group can identify the families of detainees, they set them up with legal resources. A continued vigilance against the abuses of ICE is necessary to bring justice for the death of Duran Guerrero. So far no action has been taken against the ICE agent who has a history of documented physical violence and psychological instability. We can no longer tolerate a masked goon squad given free rein to abuse and murder people. Who is funding political campaigns, locally and across the country?The Accountability Scorecard was created by REBS, a grassroots political group that describes itself as follows: “We are not lawyers; we are not politicians…” See how all U.S. House representatives voted on H.R. 1, the SAVE Act, and Iran war-powers limits. You can easily connect to all local Indivisible groups, volunteer to knock on doors, and find your polling location. Check it out and share with like-minded friends and relatives across the US. Another ‘fun’ place to look is What’s Up Congress? This site contains information on every senator and representative in regard to a host of issues including campaign funding. If readers would like to share links to similar resources and want the BAI newsletter to spread the word, please contact us. Creepy Surveillance - Automatic License Plate ReadersACLU is warning of the dangers of license plate reader systems. Private companies, including Flock, Axon and Motorola, are marketing ALPR systems aggressively to municipalities in Maine. Mounted along roadways or in police vehicles, high speed cameras photograph and store plate numbers and descriptive information about vehicles: color, make, model, roof-racks etc. These new AI powered systems are capable of collecting thousands of plate numbers a minute. Data can be shared broadly among other law enforcement agencies, and can be held, searched and matched against other databases to identify individuals and track their movements. According to ACLU Maine: “This type of dragnet surveillance poses a significant threat to our Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches by government authorities. ALPRs have led to many invasions of privacy and abuses of power.” It is difficult to understand why unlimited data collection is necessary for normal public safety operations. After all, the cameras do not prevent crime, they only track vehicles that can be identified as 'of interest' after a crime has occurred. A web of cameras across the country would be needed to improve on the tools currently available. This appears to be what Flock, in particular, wishes to foist on all of us. Flock has been accused of aggressive and possibly deceptive practices, and making it difficult to set limits on data sharing and data retention required by Maine law. South Portland found that data from newly installed Flock cameras had been accessed literally millions of times mnot only by other law enforcement agencies, but also a number of 'unknown inquirers'. The city ended its contract with the company. Brunswick contracted to try Flock, then canceled, according to documents obtained by ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act. All without the opportunity for public comment. Documents are available on the ACLU Maine site. An overview of the situation in Maine is posted by Cunningham Security. Obviously, this company has a vested interest as a competitor in home and commercial property security, but the information is well documented and up to date. Actions:
Working Group News-GovernmentAt the Brunswick Town Council Meeting on August 17, the Council unanimously voted to pass a 'Resolution to Support Prohibiting Civilian Firearms in Municipal Buildings.' Voting Rights is one of the group’s key advocacy issues. This resolution is an important step toward making our town’s polling place at the Recreation Center safe from firearm intimidation and potential violence, as well as protecting all municipal buildings and public proceedings from gun threats. Most importantly, the resolution is contingent on a judicial ruling or legislative change. Until this happens, the Town Council cannot consider adopting an ordinance about guns in municipal buildings. Currently, civilian firearms are prohibited in state buildings and public proceedings, courthouses, correctional facilities, and schools. Several members of the Government Working Group were instrumental in writing and promoting the resolution. They collaborated with prominent gun safety activists to create the document. Councilor Jennifer Hicks brought the resolution forward. Most of the working group testified. Representative Poppy Arford laid important groundwork for this resolution sponsoring the bill LD1743 about firearm prohibition in municipal buildings during the last legislative session. It passed in the Senate but failed in the House by one vote. Other agenda items included: — Town Planner Jimmy Dealaman presented information about amending the zoning ordinance for the downtown area. The proposal would increase height allowances from Mill St. to Noble St. The plan to develop the former J & J Cleaners brought this request. There was much public comment with concerns about parking and maintaining the nature of downtown. The issue was tabled until the next meeting. —The issue around the new fuel station contract brought strong public comment. The Council voted, 5 to 4, to allow the Town Manager to renegotiate with the contractor while the work is on hold. A task force has been put in place to review the New Public Works Upgrade. —The Council voted to amend the Mobile Home Ordinance to protect owners from rent increases until the new Rent Review Board begins on September 1. —If you wish to be a candidate for Town Council or School Board (Districts 5, 7, and at large, and an at large seat), nomination papers must be in by September 8 at noon. -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 Have you missed a newsletter, want to look back, or want to share a past issue? The most recent 6+ newsletters can be found on the BAI Posts page. Want to support BAI? We welcome your time and talents. Contact communications.bai.me@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities. Donations are welcome at our meetings and online through ACT BLUE.
|