January Membership Meeting - Working together on legislative action
Tuesday, January 6 | 5:30-7:30 PM
Queen City Brewery | 703 Pine Street
January 6 is the first day of the new legislative session in Montpelier. This is our chance to build up the legal defenses against fascism right here in Vermont. We'll get a brief refresher on how to influence the state legislature, acclimate ourselves to the State website, and send emails to legislators right from the meeting. Bring a phone or laptop if you have them.
Also: Five years on, what do you remember about January 6, 2021? We'll talk about how the riots at the Capitol changed us all.
47 Reasons to Take a Stand
Tuesday, January 6 | 12:00-1:00 PM
1001 Shelburne Road at Hannaford Drive, South Burlington
Our friends from Champlain Valley Indivisible are hosting a peaceful visibility event to commemorate the attack on the Capitol and to take a stand against the abhorrent actions and threats of the current Administration. Roadside activism! Details here.
Stop the National Surveillance Center
ICE is currently using White Cap Business Park in Williston to host their National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center, which is used to spy on communities across the country and target immigrants for deportation. They are planning to bring in more spies this spring. Help get ICE surveillance out of Williston before they can scale up. Contact White Cap Business Park and ask them to cancel the lease.
Sample script:
Normand J. Stanislas | (802) 316-6017 | norm@njsrealestate.com
Sample script: “Dear Mr. Stanislas, I’m reaching out to ask you to protect your community and cancel White Cap Business Park’s contract with the National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center. Your property is currently being used to violate the privacy of communities across the nation and enables the countless illegal arrests and constitutional rights violations being committed by ICE. Vermonters do not want our local businesses to be implicated in or liable for the unlawful and immoral kidnapping of our neighbors. We are excited to financially support businesses that act in line with our Vermont values. Please do the right thing - you do not have to be complicit in ICE’s unlawful operations. Your community will support you in taking this courageous action.”
As always, modify the script as you see fit.
Book Talk: Freedom for all: What a Liberal Society Could Be by Alex Zakaras, Professor of Political Science, University of Vermont
Wednesday, January 14 | 7:00-8:30 PM
Phoenix Books | 89 Church Street
$3.00 online or at the door
His book addresses the threats to our democracy, not just in this moment but in the past, and offers a vision for the future rooted in a bold concept of liberalism. Details here.
Film screening: Heightened Scrutiny
Thursday, January 15 | 4:00-6:00 PM
Vermont State Capitol, Statehouse Cafeteria | 115 State Street, Montpelier
Please join Planned Parenthood and ACLU-VT for a screening of Heightened Scrutiny, a 2025 documentary about trans rights and gender affirming health care on the national stage. There will be a panel discussion after the film. Sign up using this form.
An Evening with Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark
Tuesday, January 20 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM)
Phoenix Books | 89 Church Street
Join us as we hear from Vermont's Attorney General. Clark has filed multiple lawsuits to block the federal destruction of constitutional rights with some notable successes. We'll hear what she has planned next and how to support her work. Reserve your seat (and suggest some questions for the AG) here.
"He who allows oppression, shares the crime." - Erasmus Darwin, physician, scientist, reformer, poet, and grandfather of Charles Darwin (1731-1802)
