If you haven’t already seen, JD Vance will be flying into Bangor and speaking on Thursday (could we not, please?). Indivisible Bangor and several other groups in the area plan on giving him the welcome he deserves. Let’s show up and show him how much Maine loves him!
Doors @ 9:30 am
Program begins @ 11:30 am
JD Vance expected to speak @ 12:30 pm
The event is taking place at BGR Aviation FBO @ 188 Maine Avenue, Bangor ME, 04401 – but unless you RSVP to attend the event, you’ll need to hang with protestors. We are still working out details, but we will keep you posted once we have firm information. Until then, if you (or any of your, uh… friends) want to RSVP to attend the event, you can do that here. It looks like we might even have some out of town friends joining us in solidarity.
And don’t forget to pour a line of salt around your couch and say his name three times in a mirror to make sure he doesn’t come for you or your couch!
HAPPENING TODAY
Bangor Town Hall with Hannah Pingree
5:30 pm @ Bangor Public Library, Norman Minsky Lecture Hall
145 Harlow St, Bangor, ME
Keeping Up With the Chaos
Let’s get right to the chase. Republicans have been working in lock (goose?) step to undermine our elections – like the recent Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act, or the states that are actively redistricting following that ruling, or the (thankfully) failed attempt to pass the SAVE Act. To that end, President Donald J(ust a little coup) Trump said the quiet part out loud (again, as per usual):
…the Republicans had an Election Integrity Army in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote. We will be doing the same again in 2026, but it will be much bigger and stronger.
What army might that be? If Steve Bannon is to be believed, it will be ICE. This is something that conservative media and some in Congress are actively advocating for. This is not normal. Wait, I take that back. It’s normal if you are living under a fascist regime like Mussolini’s Italy, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, Nazi Germany, or Putin’s Russia. I don’t think they make red flags larger than that.
Thankfully, we aren’t quite there. We can still course correct – but only by taking direct action – like protesting JD Vance this week. More importantly though – we need to do everything possible to resist ICE deployments. ICE is back and coming to cities near us. Contact our legislators and tell them to support the abolishment of ICE. Tell them to stop funding ICE. Check out Mainers for Humane Immigration and sign up to volunteer – I think we are going to need the extra help soon enough.
Maybe someone should inform Bangor City Council, where the “Employee Authority in Immigration Matters” ordinance was once again delayed – this time until May 27th.
❗Get out and VOTE in the primaries! Early voting started yesterday.
Indivisible Bangor endorsed candidates Graham Platner and Matt Dunlap both gave excellent speeches at the Maine Democratic Convention. If you weren’t able to attend in person, we’ve got you covered!
Take Action
❗If you haven’t already, sign the petition to show your support for the implementation of the divestment law and share it with your networks here.
❗Tell Congress to protect the right to abortion, including medication abortion, and guarantee meaningful access to abortion for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, here.
❗We are deeply disappointed that Maine Congressman Jared Golden has once again voted against the House War Powers Resolution bill, this time casting the only Democratic vote against the bill, which resulted in the bill being defeated by one vote. Sign the petition to tell Congress about it here.
❗Tell Your Republican Representative to Stop Bankrolling ICE Brutality here.
❗Join Indivisible (national) to make calls to voters in key states and encourage them to call their Republican Members of Congress and demand they ensure our taxpayer dollars go directly to funding our communities, not to tearing families apart and locking them up in “warehouses” for human beings.Sign up here.
❗Head over to take action on our site, or visit 5calls.org to demand Congress take action NOW!
❗Learn how to have a successful district office visit with the resources provided by Indivisible! Check it out here.
Event Submissions
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MAINELY NEWS
Republicans Don’t Want to Talk About Gas Prices Anymore
The same party that spent years pinning every penny increase at the pump on former President Joe Biden is now scrambling to explain why prices have surged to their highest level in years.
The Republican attacks were everywhere in 2022. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gas prices surged to a record high of an average of $5 per gallon that June. It’s a familiar strategy for the party, using rising gas prices as a political weapon against Democratic candidates. From the moment Biden took office, GOP leaders lined up at microphones, held press conferences on Capitol Hill, and plastered “I Did That” stickers of Biden’s face on gas pumps across the country. Every rise in fuel costs was, in their telling, a direct consequence of Democratic leadership.
Read the entire article here.
Graham Platner touts energy cost plan on first day of early voting
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner voted Monday on the first day of early voting in Maine, casting his ballot alongside his wife, Amy Gertner, in his hometown at the Sullivan Town Office.
“It is paramount that we as Mainers use our constitutional rights to turn out and vote,” Platner said.
Read the entire article here.
Bangor bans storing belongings on sidewalk amid homelessness debate
Bangor city councilors unanimously passed an ordinance Monday night banning the storage of belongings on sidewalks amid rising concern around homeless residents gathering near the public library.
Councilors made their decision after more than an hour of public comments about the city’s homelessness crisis in a room packed with both supporters and critics of the ordinance.
Read the entire article here.
Indivisible Bangor
Do you want to become more involved? Would you like to help with the website and communications? Help organize events like rallies and visibility actions? Or do you just want to keep up with what we’re doing? Sign up to volunteer with Indivisible Bangor — your level of involvement is up to you!
Weekly member meetings are on Zoom, with in-person meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. As always, check out our Bluesky and Instagram for the latest info.