Good morning!! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Another “shortish-but-sweet” newsletter today.
And “thank you” to supporters who have been donating to our ActBlue fund!
Current News:
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Weekly Vigils
Weekly vigils are happening here in the Bangor area!
First up is the Tuesday Weekly Vigil at the Federal Building in Bangor at 11:00 am, followed by the Wednesday Weekly Orono Vigil from noon to 1:00 pm.
And today is the Friday
Bangor Visibility Brigade
The week finishes with the Visibility Brigade on Fridays. Join the brigrade on the Essex Street overpass at the new time of 3:00 p.m. as we hold letters to spell out messages for the drivers on I-95! Learn more here. Tell them you read about it here
Upcoming Events:
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TODAY IN DOWNTOWN BANGOR
Give Big Box Stores a Pass!
“Plaid Friday is the fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday” and is designed to promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays. Downtown Bangor retailers have special offerings ranging from discounts for those wearing plaid to free gift wrapping and other surprises!”
This annual Plaid Friday and tomorrow’s Small Business Saturday go well with the shopping boycott against Home Depot, Target, and Amazon this weekend. And remember, some small business have web-only storefronts, so keep them in mind, too!
THIS Black Friday Weekend
November 27 – December 1
“No cash for Trump collaborators”
We Ain’t Buying It
From Ezra at Indivisible National:
What we’re experiencing in America now is strikingly similar to what other democracies that have collapsed into authoritarianism have experienced.
Yes, it’s a right-wing government passing right-wing laws that cut healthcare to give tax cuts to right-wing donors. But the fight is over more than just the national legislature or with the executive branch. In an authoritarian breakthrough moment, the regime attacks or co-opts other sources of power in a society as well — media, law firms, universities, businesses, political critics, and even comedians.
We’ve seen this story play out again and again — in Serbia under Milošević, Hungary under Orbán, Turkey under Erdoğan, Russia under Putin. The regime guts the judiciary, shutters newsrooms, attacks universities, brands NGOs as foreign agents, undermines the political opposition, bullies businesses into submission, and even drives satirical shows off the air.
And now we’re seeing it in America.
Businesses are caving to regime pressure or simply obeying in advance. Since Trump took office, we’ve seen corporations and billionaires rush to bend the knee. The list is so long it can feel like cowardice is just part of the culture now:
- Companies like Target preemptively ended their DEI and trans-inclusive policies.
- Companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft forked over millions to Trump’s inauguration slush fund.
- Companies like Spotify are running ads to recruit for the regime’s secret police.
- Companies like Facebook/Meta, Comcast, and T-Mobile helped fund the destruction of the East Wing of the White House.
- Media companies like ABC and CBS have embarrassed themselves with a pro-Trump lurch away from real journalism.
I could go on, but you get the gist: A huge number of companies have decided that their interests are best advanced by throwing their lot in with the regime. For those collaborators and capitulators, it’s simply a business calculation. And that’s why it’s time for us to change the math.
This Black Friday weekend, we’re joining with a super-team of organizers — the Target Three, Black Voters Matter Fund, Until Freedom, Working Families Party, 50501, and more — to issue a shared collective call: We Ain’t Buying It.
We Ain’t Buying It is a movement action to flex our power by zeroing in on three targets — companies who have, each in their own way, enabled Trump’s agenda:
Home Depot has allowed its parking lots to become ground zero for ICE raids on immigrant day laborers, and its billionaire co-founder Bernie Marcus has funneled millions into Trump’s campaigns.
Target, which once branded itself as the friendly, inclusive big-box store, has now scrapped its DEI goals and scaled back LGBTQ+ offerings to avoid angering the regime.
Amazon didn’t just shower Trump’s inauguration with cash — Jeff Bezos’ company pitched facial-recognition tools to ICE and powers the Palantir systems ICE uses to track and deport immigrants, making Amazon a core contractor for the regime’s deportation machine.
We want to concentrate our focus on three notable consumer-facing enablers because we’ve seen that organizing is far more effective when it is concentrated and easy to join in on.
That doesn’t mean our three targets are the only problem. But if we can get their attention and provide impetus for them to shape up, we’ll send every other consumer-facing company the message that even a quiet decision to enable this administration might trigger widespread consumer outrage.
And that message, if we land it, will be heard all across the corporate world. Then, rinse and repeat!
BOYCOTT ACTION
BANGOR
Saturday, November 29th!
Home Depot
Saturday, November 29th, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.!
ACTION IN BANGOR 11/29
TELL A FRIEND-
homedepot.indivisiblebangor.org
Home Depot continues to allow ICE to terrorize, intimidate, and abduct people, non-citizens and citizens alike, from their property.
We will be on Stillwater Avenue, across from the Home Depot in Bangor on Saturday, November 29th, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.!
Bring signs that tell the shoppers driving on Stillwater exactly what Home Depot is doing!
Town Hall with Matt Dunlap
NEXT Tuesday
December 2, 2025
About this event
“I’m excited to invite you to a town hall in Bangor! This is a chance for us to sit down together, talk about the issues that matter most to Maine families, and hear directly from you.
“I’ll share my vision for Maine, answer your questions, and listen to your concerns. I’ve always made it a priority to be accessible to voters, and I look forward to having an open conversation with you.
“I hope you can join me — bring your questions, ideas, and your voice!”
The Norman Minsky Lecture Hall is located on the third floor of the Library. It is accessible by stairs or elevator.
Sign up here.
Tuesday, December 2
6:30 – 7:30pm EST
Bangor Public Library
145 Harlow St
Bangor, ME 04401
It’s a piece of cake to email or call with these links!
The names of our senators and representatives listed below are links that go right to their official congressional contact form pages. The telephone numbers are links that should open your phone app to call that number. It’s that easy!
Senator Angus King
DC: (202) 224-5344
Augusta: (207) 622-8292
Senator Susan Collins
DC: (202) 224-2523
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
DC: (202) 225-6116
Portland: (207) 774-5019
Waterville: (207) 873-5713
Congressman Jared Golden
DC: (202) 225-6306
Bangor: (207) 249-7400
Caribou: (207) 492-6009
Lewiston: (207) 241-6767
Find your State Representative:
By name: Here
By district: Here
Find your State Senator:
By name: Here
By district: Here
Our government in Augusta:
Governor Janet Mills
Email Governor Mills
Call (207) 287-3531
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows
Contact Secretary Bellows
Call (207)626-8400
Attorney General Aaron M. Frey
Contact Mr. Frey
Call (207) 626-8800
Questions or comments? Contact George!
