online salon for art, news, essays, and organizing action

Category: Events and Actions

  • Submit your comments to Avelo Airlines, transporter of immigrants

    Submit your comments to Avelo Airlines, transporter of immigrants

    Send a message to Avelo Airlines and let them know that you will be boycotting their airline until they stop cooperating with ICE and Trump. They are aiding illegal deportations. Phone: 346-616- 9500. Email: support@aveloair.com, or leave a comment on their website.

  • Testifying Through Presence: Handmaids at the Maine State House

    Testifying Through Presence: Handmaids at the Maine State House

    On Friday March 28 of 2025, members of the theater group of The Audacity traveled from their various home towns of the midcoast to the Maine State House in Augusta, donned the red robes and white bonnets that visually refer to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and stood outside the hearing room where the Judiciary Committee of the Maine State Legislature received testimony regarding L.D. 975 and other bills that would outlaw and criminalize abortion in the state of Maine. The visual testimony of this group augmented the written transcript of testimony by 34 members of The Audacity submitted to the public record for the same hearing. Multiple members of the theater group had lived through a time in American history during which abortion had been criminalized and women punished for making choices about their own bodies.

    Protesters from Midcoast Maine assemble at the Maine State Legislature outside the hearing on bills that would criminalize abortion in the State of Maine -- Friday, March 28 2025

    Participant Lisa Kushner arrived alone:

    “I attended that event dressed in a red costume. When I walked up outside the statehouse there were 2 small groups of people, anti abortion Christians and pro abortion supporters. Those against the bills were loudly chanting slogans like ‘my body my choice’. There were more young people than I’d seen at other demonstrations. I joined another red cloaked person who was there on her own. I was looking for The Audacity group but didn’t know where they were meeting up.

    After about 15 minutes the red cloaked white bonnet maidens came from the Cross building in single file through both groups of protesters. A silence occurred. It was a dramatic moment.

    The red tape covering their mouths was really effective.”

    Nancy Davis describes the day:

    “I was part of the handmaid‘s group who went to Augusta on Friday. We met outside the Cross  building a little after nine, finished getting our red outfits on and strolled through the building to the capital. We were a big stand out in the crowd as we approach the capital building. Lots of people took our picture and news crews filmed us entering the building. unfortunately, the hearing was in a small room and couldn’t accommodate groups of people. People who wished to speak, had to sign in, declare if they were in favor or opposed to the law and wait their turn to speak one by one. Of course they chose the people who were opposed to abortion go first. So we stood for a couple of hours waiting and still realized we had a long time to go so most people left to go home. Three of us were interviewed by Channel 8 news. However, I watched, and unfortunately, only one of us was quoted and in just a few words. I was the only one filmed in the story, although the two women with me were much more articulate than I.”

    Kimberly Krejsa adds:

    “We gathered together in a cold, windy parking garage.  Looking furtively around, we quickly put on our disguises; red gowns, white bonnets. Briskly, we walked to the rendezvous point, gathering more maidens as we approached the government building.  Protesters gathered outside, yelling and chanting at each other; cameras were turned in our direction as we solemnly walked into the building.  We were recognized and warmly greeted by several folks.  We could hear people murmuring about our costumes as we walked about, silently protesting the extremity of these 7 bills.  People signed up to argue their case, one by one, in front of the legislative committee.  Passions were high, arguments were eloquent and the committee was patient and kind.  Everyone had a chance to speak if they did not mind waiting for hours.  Some of the personal testimony was heart-breaking as people shared their personal stories.  It was good trouble.”

    Seven members of The Audacity dressed as Atwood Handmaids in front of the legislative hearing room in which bills proposing to criminalize abortion and otherwise restrict it were being considered.  Date: March 28 2025.

    Cynthia Stancioff concludes:

    “We were sort of struggling with costumes in the wind, not all that unified in appearance, and without any choreography of our movements. So I think we looked like a small group of distinctly-dressed, mostly-old ladies (one childbearing age person among us), there to make an impression – but doing nothing in particular. It was clear some people recognized the trope, but there wasn’t news coverage as far as I could tell, so we impressed a hundred people or so? Maybe I missed a tv camera or something though.


    “I felt like we needed some plan (marching orders, as it were) of how to walk around, like single file, heads down, – didn’t have to be fancy to be dramatic, but we didn’t take advantage of the theatrical possibilities! A fair number of people did take pictures of us, and we met with only approval, no opposition that I could see.”

  • We Mainers need to talk more about Angus King

    We Mainers need to talk more about Angus King

    I received this from Becca Glaser, the original author, who told me she wants us to pass it on. — Nancy Galland

     


    Scroll down to sign on to register for King’s virtual Town Hall on April 9, TOMORROW – and when you do, there will be a form to fill out with your questions.  

    We Mainers need to talk more about Angus King, and the fact that he may not be the “Maine treasure” many Democrats still seem to believe he is. 

    King is taking part in a carefully curated virtual Zoom Town Hall this Wednesday, April 9th at 5PM hosted by Cumberland County Indivisible. 

    It’s time that people start focusing on the ways King has failed us, question why so many Democrats are still giving him the benefit of the doubt, and start giving him a much harder time for his pro-Trump votes. 

    He’s been making strong-sounding speeches on the one hand, while on the other, voting for 1/3 of Trump’s 2025 Cabinet members and standing out FOR being one of only two non-Republicans who voted for the recent Republican continuing budget resolution which stripped hundreds of millions of dollars for Maine projects, beefed up ICE and the military, and gave more power to Trump/DOGE.


    CALL HIM OUT AT TOMORROW’S TOWN HALL (IF THEY LET YOU…).
    TOWN HALLwith Senator King WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH @ 5 PM­ – ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenM4FFJ5GszlLG2_wT9wNCa2L4T9t2MI0VuVrnJseoknr0Jg/viewform

    I routinely see LOTS of emphasis on Susan Collins—At a recent anti-Trump Rockland protest, someone was handing out “Where’s Susan?” flyers. But when I asked him about Angus’ recent vote FOR the Republican continuing budget resolution, he was unaware. At this weekend’s giant Hands Off protest in Augusta, I saw plenty of “Susan, Speak Up” and “Susan, Grow a Spine” signs, but not a single one calling out Angus King. Why the different treatment? 

    Susan Collins, after all, IS a Republican. That is her party. Why would we expect anything more from her? Her values align with them most of the time. Despite saying she would not support Trump, and despite taking a few mostly-performative votes against the Trump agenda, she never left the party. That’s what she stands for. We should still keep pushing her to do better, but be aware in the end, that is who she is, despite the media’s constant refrain about her supposedly being a “moderate” Republican.

    But what about Angus King? Why do I see posts like this one: “Angus is a treasure and we’re lucky to have him on our side.” Another: “Angus is an amazing human. We in Maine are especially lucky to have him…”Or, after King’s outlier vote for the Republican CR budget, someone saying, “Angus is always so reasoned and smart. This makes us wonder if there is a good reason for his vote.” 

    I ask you, the next time you think about giving King the benefit of the doubt like this, ask yourself, “Why am I giving him the benefit of the doubt? Why when he and Susan Collins vote the same, do you give King a pass? Is there a chance it could be because he is MALE? WHITE? Speaks in a CLEAR, WHITE, RICH, MALE “REASONED”-SOUNDING VOICE that we have been trained to associate with rationality and caring? How about how wealthy he is? Do we really think he is in touch with what most Mainers are going through, and will go through? Should we keep letting him off the hook?”

    A FEW FACTS ABOUT ANGUS KING’S RECENT PRO-TRUMP ACTIONS:
    He is one of only TWO non-Republicans to VOTE FOR the Republicans’ recent continuing resolution budget. ABC News: “Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of the bill. All other Democrats voted against it.” Let me be clear. He voted NOT just to move the bill forward, but FOR the Republican budget itself. He is one of the ten non-Republican Senators who, along with Sen. Schumer’s about-face on the Republicans’ continuing budget resolution, to vote to move the bill forward, in order to make a Democratic-filibuster impossible. The Republicans’ continuing budget resolution which King went OUT OF HIS WAY to vote for, heavily beefed up the military and ICE even more, it gave MORE power to Trump/DOGE to further control congressional spending, which they have otherwise been illegally usurping, AND it broke trust with the House Democrats, who had had an agreement with the Senators to filibuster and therefore be able to negotiate at least something or other from the Republicans.

    The budget King voted for REMOVED hundreds of millions of dollars for incredibly important projects that had previously been earmarked. SOME OF WHAT MAINE LOST WITH KING & COLLINS’ VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION (focused on Midcoast Maine):
    • Rockland Marine Access Improvements: To upgrade access related to Rockland’s working waterfront and public pier. $5,100,000
    • The Landing Place: To construct a new building to accommodate youth programming. $600,000.00
    • Penobscot Bay YMCA: To repair and replace the critical infrastructure of the Rockport YMCA branch. $906,000.00
    • Matinicus Island Plantation: To publicly acquire the Matinicus Island Airstrip and rights of way from private ownership. $90,000.00
    • City of Rockland: To renovate the Fire Station and to build an addition to the existing building for the Police Department. $3,012,000.00
    • City of Belfast: To fund the construction of the superstructure (above ground portion) of a new City of Belfast Public Safety Building. $3,965,000.00
    • Town of Northport: To construct an upgraded, energy-efficient town office and community center. $1,750,000.00
    • City of Belfast: To retrofit and upgrade the Waldo County Court House building’s exterior and interior. $1,870,000.00
    • Healthy Acadia: To purchase and upgrade a property in Machias to be the Safe Harbor Recovery Residence for Women and Children. $421,000.00
    • Island Institute: To support microgrid deployment in Maine’s coastal and rural communities. $995,000.00
    • Midcoast Youth Center & Skatepark: To support the renovation and expansion of Midcoast Youth Center. $1,500,000.00
    • Town of Friendship: To demolish, dispose of and reconstruct the town Wharf. $975,000.00
    • William A. Farnsworth Art Museum and Library: To reopen and preserve the historical Olson House in Cushing, ME. $1,094,000.00
    • South Thomaston Library and Community Center: To build a modern, energy efficient facility to house a Library and Community Center. $2,595,000.00
    • Regional School Unit 13: To construct a Performing Arts Center. $1,513,000.00
    • Northport Community Center and Town Office: To construct a consolidated facility to house the town office and community center, which would also serve as an emergency shelter. $2,325,000
    • Owls Head STEM Community Center: To construct a STEM community center and public spaces for educational and professional programming. $1,533,000
    • Maine Veterans’ Homes Facility and Equipment Upgrades For facilities upgrades and equipment to support care for aging veterans. $2,946,000
    • Vassalboro Sanitary District for Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements To upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Vassalboro. $363,000
    • St. George CTE Makerspace Building To purchase equipment and tools for the Career and Technical Education Makerspace Building. $272,000
    • Town of Waldoboro Ambulance: To purchase a new ambulance $306,000
    • Searsmont Storage Upgrades: To construct a salt and sand storage facility. $950,000
    • Maternal Delivery and New Infant Project: To replace and modernize equipment across hospitals with labor and delivery units. $1,555,000
    • Gulf of Maine Ocean Observation System: To expand the ocean observation system in the Gulf of Maine, which is used by the maritime industry. $8,000,000
    • FOR THE ENTIRE LIST, LOOK THROUGH THIS BANGOR DAILY NEWS ARTICLE: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/12/politics/washington/congress-may-cut-millions-in-maine-earmarks-to-avert-shutdown-joam40zk0w/

    King voted to APPROVE SEVEN of Trump’s 2025 Cabinet Members (that’s a 1/3 support rate). Sure, the ones he supported don’t have the same flashy name recognition as some of the worst we all worked so hard to stop, but can anyone plausibly argue that ANY of Trump’s 2025 appointees are not explicitly part of a horrific fascist agenda? A vote for ANY of these sickos is too many. Seven means that King is trying to still play the fascists’ game. Or could it be he just doesn’t have the same values we like to think he does? Our Maine federal representatives (except Chellie Pingree, though she needs to do so much more) are completely and utterly shameful and causing tremendous harm. I for one am completely despondent about how little our supposed reps are protecting us. Once again, it comes down to US. So, please take really good care of yourselves right now, and reach out when you need support.

    <3, Becca


    TOWN HALLwith Senator King ­WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH @ 5 PM­ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED ­REGISTER NOW!On April 9th, Senator King will be in Washington DC, but has agreed to meet with Indivisible Cumberland County via Zoom. Given the anticipated interest in the event, we are moving to a fully online format. In order to participate, you will need to registerWe are asking for questions ahead of time (they can be submitted through the registration form).

  • Rep. Chellie Pingree to Hold Congressional Town Hall in Rockport 4/13/25

    Rep. Chellie Pingree to Hold Congressional Town Hall in Rockport 4/13/25

    Summary: Click here to get a free ticket to attend a Town Hall meeting with Representative Chellie Pingree from 4-5:30 PM on Sunday, April 13 at the Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, Maine.

    In early April 2025, The Audacity submitted a petition containing the names and towns of 1,089 Mainers to the offices of Representative Chellie Pingree, Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins inviting each to visit Knox County for an in-person, listening town hall in which any person in attendance could ask their member of Congress a question. This is a classic mode of political representation in the United States with deep history.

    To date, we have received no response from the offices of Senator Angus King or Senator Susan Collins.

    In contrast, Rep. Pingree’s chief of staff promptly got in touch with leadership of The Audacity, not only to affirm the communication, but in full agreement regarding the importance of in-person town halls. We are pleased to announce that Rep. Pingree will be holding a Town Hall on Sunday, April 13 at the Camden Hills Regional High School, off Route 90 in Rockport.

    Admission to this town hall is free of charge and open to all, but to obtain a free ticket you must register using an Eventbrite page set up by Rep. Pingree’s office. Because the space of the Camden Hills high school auditorium is limited (although large), we encourage you to request a ticket right away through that Eventbrite page.

  • 40 Days of Trump, 75 Grievances for Congress

    40 Days of Trump, 75 Grievances for Congress

    On March 1, 2025, 131 residents of the towns of midcoast Maine peaceably assembled at the Knox County Courthouse to petition our government for redress of grievances, the protected right of all people living in the United States under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    The following list represents the full 75 grievances identified by members of The Audacity as of March 1, each representing an act of the Trump administration during the first 40 days of its second term. We sadly expect many more to follow. We’re sending our list of grievances to each of our members of Congress now.

    But that’s not all. We call on all Mainers of conscience to TAKE ACTION and SIGN OUR PETITION FOR A PUBLIC TOWN HALL in Knox County with our members of Congress, Representative Chellie Pingree, Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins. When we reach 1,000 signatures, we will deliver our petition to each of our representatives for a prompt response.

    1. The President has issued an order stripping citizenship from babies born right here in the United States.
    2. The Director of ICE has pledged to deport citizens if their parents are immigrants.
    3. The President has been deporting people in the United States to the Guantanamo camp without notice or due process. 
    4. The President has threatened democratic allies and praised hostile dictators.
    5. The administration has given our personal financial information to the world’s richest man.
    6. The President has fired the nation’s top generals for questioning the legality of his orders.
    7. The President has illegally ousted the inspector generals whose job is to protect Americans from abuses of power.
    8. The President has illegally emptied the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, pledged to protect Americans from unconstitutional surveillance, search and seizure, save for one Republican who has been stripped of the power to act.
    9. The President has handed out pardons to violent insurrectionists.  
    10. The Attorney General has ordered prosecutors to drop criminal charges against the mayor of New York City in open exchange for political cooperation in hunting down immigrants.
    11. The President disbanded a task force targeting Russian oligarchs who have aided the war against Ukraine.
    12. While people go hungry, the President has ordered $450 million worth of food to be left to rot.
    13. Teenagers with HIV are being denied access to life-saving medication that the United States has already shipped overseas.
    14. Following anti-vaccination campaigning by the Trump Administration, a child in Texas has died from the measles, the first death in 10 years. The rate of measles infection is higher than it has been in 20 years.  More innocent children will die.
    15. The President has fired federal agents for investigating his illegal behavior.
    16. Violating the First Amendment of the Constitution, the President has created an office using the government to punish people for disagreeing with Christians.
    17. The President has forbidden families from seeking health care for their transgender children.
    18. The Trump Administration has expunged statistical reports counting the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United States and comparing the rate of violent victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people to the rate of victimization of straight people.
    19. The President has fired hundreds of people who work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the people who monitor and give us warnings about weather and climate threats.
    20. The President has blamed the people of Ukraine for being invaded and threatened them for defying the tyrant Vladimir Putin.
    21. The President has called for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine so he can develop it into a luxury resort.
    22. The President has praised and promoted a video depicting Palestinian women working for European tourists in the sex trade and the erection of a 50-foot-tall golden statue in tribute to himself. 
    23. The President has closed the Social Security Administration’s civil rights office that investigated discrimination and protected disabled workers.
    24. The President has restricted the freedom of the press to cover him, banning news outlets that disagree with him from asking him questions.
    25. The President has sued news networks for reporting the truth about his behavior.
    26. The President has threatened the people of Maine, promising to withhold already-pledged federal funding from the state of Maine unless Maine’s governor promises to act against existing federal and state law.
    27. The President has terminated contracts for work to prevent another Ebola outbreak.
    28. The President has demanded that private companies must stop promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
    29. The President’s lawyers have asserted that only the President and his hand-picked Attorney General can review and rule on the legality of the President and his Attorney General.
    30. The President has promised to cut Environmental Protection Agency staff by 65%.
    31. The President has fired workers for the Food and Drug Administration who ensure our food and medical supplies are safe.
    32. The President has declared the confirmed torturer and assassin crown prince of Saudi Arabia to be “tremendously respected.”
    33. The President has named right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino, who has repeatedly praised the January 6 insurrection and violence against Trump’s opponents, as deputy director of the FBI.
    34. The President’s administration has blocked funds for biomedical research, bringing U.S. research on cancer, dementia, and addiction to a halt.
    35. The President has ignored the rulings of federal judges who have issued direct rulings that he must end his conduct.
    36. The President has asserted to right to control federal spending, a power expressly assigned to the Congress by the U.S. Constitution.
    37. The President has laid off agents who investigate tax fraud by the richest people and corporations in the United States.
    38. The President has illegally fired the leadership of the Kennedy Center and installed a new director with the promise of using the Center to celebrate Christianity over other religions.
    39. The President has violated federal law to end all activities of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the people who investigate and report on corporate fraud against Americans.
    40. The President’s administration has announced a cut of 84% to federal staff who respond to disasters and help people get back on their feet. 
    41. The President has ordered federal officials to stop investigating foreign influence into United States elections. 
    42. The President has fired hundreds of employees at the Transportation Security Administration, making the nation more vulnerable to terrorist attack.
    43. Ignoring the existence of intersex and infertile people, the Trump administration has declared it a matter of law that only males and females exist and that they are defined by their reproductive potential.
    44. The President has packed the executive and judicial branches with politicians who have vowed to end women’s control over their own bodies.
    45. The President and his administration have circulated media giving Donald Trump a crown and naming him “The King.” 
    46. The President has fired health inspectors at the border who prevent human, plant, and animal diseases from entering the United States. 
    47. The President has illegally ordered independent watchdogs to submit to his authority and accept his interpretation of law. 
    48. The President has forbidden teachers and schools across the country from Kindergarten to the university level from mentioning the existence of discrimination and prejudice.
    49. The President and his party have made inclusion, the bedrock principle of democracy, an insult to be abolished.
    50. The President has allowed pregnant women to die rather than allow them medical treatment.
    51. The President has declared and then reiterated that “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
    52. The President has forbidden communities from requiring Covid vaccinations during outbreaks. 
    53. Amidst a backlog of nearly 4 million federal immigration cases, the President has fired federal immigration judges. 
    54. The President has deleted all federal references to the existence of transgender people, and revised history to remove mention of the central role played by transgender people in the Stonewall movement. 
    55. The President has directed his Health Secretary to initiate actions that would end women’s access to abortion pills.
    56. Ignoring long waiting lists for military veterans to receive health care and other benefits, the President has ousted more than a thousand people who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
    57. While cutting dozens of federal programs that help people, DOGE head Elon Musk has maintained a steady flow of government contracts to his private corporation.
    58. The President has ended the longstanding practice of asylum for people being persecuted in their home countries. 
    59. The President has purged members of the Intelligence Advisory Board and replaced them with loyalists.
    60. The President has canceled regulations that require America’s wealthiest corporations to disclose the impact of their activities on our climate.
    61. The President has used his office to obtain unreported gifts and promote his private businesses. 
    62. The President has halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal for companies to bribe political leaders.
    63. The President and his Attorney General have disbanded a task force to stop foreign influence over U.S. elections.
    64. The President and his Attorney General has blocked the enforcement of laws preventing pollution of our air and water. 
    65. While granting Elon Musk and his DOGE team access to the personal financial data of every American, President Trump has declared all DOGE records to be immune from Freedom of Information Act requests for public records. 
    66. The President has ousted the nation’s archivist, who preserves government documents for history. 
    67. The Trump administration has prohibited federal workers from using pronouns to refer to themselves in communication. 
    68. The President has banned Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. Military.
    69. The President has banned the Holocaust Days of Remembrance in the U.S. military.
    70. The President has made it legal to discriminate against trans people in the U.S. military. 
    71. The President and his administration have gutted Federal Aviation Administration staff, leading to a rash of safety incidents and outright plane crashes across the country.
    72. President Trump has repeatedly mentioned running for a third term, an unconstitutional act. 
    73. President Trump threatened to revoke the broadcast license of CBS after it aired an interview with Kamala Harris.
    74. The President has halted mine-clearing operations across the world.
    75. The President has declared his intention to close the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides disaster relief to millions of Americans.
  • Protest on the Newcastle-Damariscotta Bridge 2/26/25

    Protest on the Newcastle-Damariscotta Bridge 2/26/25

    [Keep up with the news from Lincoln County Indivisible on Facebook -editor]

    We arrived in Newcastle for our first protest. (Well, since the late 60’s  during the Viet Nam War and the Nixon years. In retrospect,  Nixon was a breeze as compared with trump.)

    I had joined an Indivisible group just last week, and had been told that two weeks ago there were 10 protesters, and that last week there were 20. The hope was that this past Wednesday there might be 30 participants. 

    Well, nearly 90 people showed up and it was so encouraging. Lots of cars traveling both ways over the bridge,  with most all of the drivers honking and waving in solidarity.

    It was so gratifying to be with so many like minded people, all of us hoping to make a difference. 

    We have to save Democracy.

  • Pen Bay Pilot: The Audacity Joins Maine’s 16-County Day of Courage on March 1, 2024

    Pen Bay Pilot: The Audacity Joins Maine’s 16-County Day of Courage on March 1, 2024

    Source: https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/midcoast-activist-group-audacity-meet-sign-march-rockland/255349

    Members of the local artistic social movement known as The Audacity are holding a mass meeting, a public-square sing-out of protest songs, and a march to the Knox County Courthouse Saturday, March 1, as part of the statewide 16 Counties for Courage day of action. 

    “Members of the public who support democracy and who oppose the turn toward authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption in America are invited to join,” the organizers said, in a news release.

    The Audacity joins the 16 Counties Coalition for a protest March 1 in Knox County's seat, Rockland. Meet at 10 AM at 345 Broadway.

    Part 1 of the day on March 1 begins at 10 a.m. with a mass meeting at the First Universalist Church, 345 Broadway, in Rockland.

    “During the Civil Rights Movement, meetings were held right before actions, and we’ll follow that lead,” the group said. “These in-person mass meetings are essential not only to move people into action, but also to get people connected to planning and to get new organizing ideas rolling.”

    “Everything that The Audacity is doing happened because somebody said ‘someone ought to,’ and then somebody stepped forward to make it happen,” said James Cook of Rockport, facilitator of The Audacity. “If you’ve got an idea, bring it to the meeting.”

    The meeting is not sponsored by the First Universalist Church; The Audacity has rented the space, organizers said.

    Part 2 of the day continues at noon as The Audacity gathers in Chapman Park in Rockland to sing songs of protest, resistance, freedom, and a better world.

    Public-square singing follows the Estonian Singing Revolution model,  “and we will teach and learn new songs from one another this and every Saturday at noon,” the release said.

    Part 3 of the day involves a transition at 12:30 p.m. with a nonviolent, non-obstructionist march to the Knox County Courthouse at 62 Union Street. 

    The Knox County Courthouse, two blocks from Chapman Park, is the local seat of government and therefore a fitting place for citizens to peaceably assemble and petition for redress of grievances, as is their First Amendment right, organizers said.

    As the assembled march from Chapman Park to the Courthouse, they will sing Joshua Blaine’s song of inclusion:

    No one is getting left behind this time

    No one is getting left behind

    No one is getting left behind this time

    We get there together or never get there at all

    When assembled at the steps of the courthouse, members of The Audacity will read aloud the offenses against the nation by the forces of authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption in the first month of the new administration, the release said.  Video and a text transcription of this reading will be sent to Maine’s elected federal representatives.

    The Audacity is a new local group that formed in January to plan and implement creative collective action to counter the erosion of democracy, equity, and inclusion in the U.S.  

    “The group works together across differences in philosophy, values, and methods within a broad commitment to nonviolent resistance,” the release said. “All members of the public who support democracy and who oppose the current turn toward bigotry, corruption, exclusion, and authoritarianism are welcome to join the group online at audacitycat.com or by emailing contact@audacitycat.com.”

    Maine says NO to authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. Saturday, March 1 in Rockland