Newsletter #3: We Mourned. Now We Organize!

Written By James Cook

The Audacity: Creative Action Together | AudacityCAT.com

Newsletter #3, February 13 2025

It's been a quite a week: the heartbreaking developments of the Musk-Trump takeover grind on, people are getting hurt, and yet... there is a feeling of spring in this winter.  Nationally, people shook themselves out of their post-election shock and started acting to stop the administration's assaults on people and the rule of law.  Locally, where there was bleak nothingness of activity, it's like like a spray of bulbs has popped out of the snow, with multiple groups and actions here and nearby getting going.  The American Spring is just around the corner.

This doesn't just happen magically: you make it happen when you stand up and say "I don't know about that, but I can contribute this."  It takes all kinds of contributions to make a lovely activist soup.

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Newsletter Contents:

  1. Join a Group to take your Membership to Actionship

  2. Upcoming Audacity Actions and Planning Sessions: A Saturday Activist Trio

  3. Upcoming Actions by Other Movement Groups in Maine

  4. Poll: When Should We Hold Our Next Meeting?

  5. Call for a Planning Circle

  6. Lessons from the February 4 debacle and the February 5 magnificence

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1. Join a Group to take your Membership to Actionship

Thanks so much for joining this newsletter list; getting the word out is important.  Right now, however, what's even more important is getting out in public and engaging in visible acts of protest and resistance to erode the false appearance of public support for Trump's made-up "mandate."  In other words, it's time to do something.

I am not going to mince words: this moment in history calls every one of you who is able to join an action coming up soon. In items 2 and 3 of this newsletter we'll list the many upcoming local social movement actions in which you can take part.  If you can be there, be there!  The world needs to see a wave, and a wave is the accumulated movement of many.

However, even better is to help plan what we at The Audacity call a Creative Action Together (CAT).  To accomplish this, we've set up 8 working groups, each with a core person who is responsible for getting coordinated groups going. To join one of these groups, email the community wrangler for the group or groups you'd like to join -- that way, you'll get notice of brainstorming sessions, practical meetings, upcoming shenanigans and all that comes with a group focused on a particular area of activism.

Let's hear it for these community wranglers, and when you join them in an organizing group, let's hear it for you!

2. Upcoming Audacity Actions and Planning Sessions: A Saturday Activist Trio

Saturday, February 15 is going to be a glorious day in which you have not one, not two, but three opportunities to get involved in planning creative action together with The Audacity:

  • Noon on Saturday Feb. 15: Public Protest Community Singing with The Audacity at the corner of Park and Main Streets (next to the Walgreens) in Rockland Maine. All those in opposition to the bigotry, corruption, and fascism being imposed by Donald Trump as his minions are welcome. We will sing songs of protest, resistance, freedom, and a better world. Teach a song you learned when you were young, learn a song from social movement veterans, and sing together in community. Tables will be made available for allied social movement organizations. Pick up a free button, make a connection, find allies, and join a resistance group in this time of challenge. Spread the word.  If you're on facebook, share this event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/8994992917221487/8994992930554819/ . If you're on BlueSky, share this announcement: https://bsky.app/profile/theaudacitymaine.bsky.social/post/3lhlvlrak3s2h. If you communicate by email, share those links or this event web page: https://www.audacitycat.com/events/sing-out-at-chapman-park-in-rockland . We have some videos from our first week that have such great heart and spirited song-teachers: watch them to pick up a few songs and share them with your friends on The Audacity's new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAudacityCAT.

  • 1 PM on Saturday Feb. 15: When you're done singing, head up the street to the UU Church on Broadway in Rockland.  Community wrangler Kendray Rodriguez announces that The Audacity Theater group is holding an active theater-confabulating session! Rodriguez writes, "Annegien has secured the UU Church (345 Broadway, Rockland ME 04841) for us! So, save the date, bring some paper and pencils and all your big ideas, and let's get to planning! If you are unable to attend this Saturday's meeting but have ideas you would like to share, you're welcome to email those to me (kendralula@gmail.com) and I'll bring them along to share with the group."

  • 3:30 PM on Saturday Feb. 15: Head up to our friends at the Rockweed collective at 156 High Street, Belfast ME 04915 (across from Darby's).  The Audacity Public Art group will be holding a session to make posters that will be put up all around Belfast for the occasion of the town's Winter Ice Festival on February 21.  Public Art community wrangler Sydney Hall and Susan Dexter announce that "posters around the idea of such phrases as 'in Belfast, ICE is frozen art, not a frozen heart', with visual elements (a heart below? handcuffs below that?) to accompany them.  We can inspire one another as we make posters together.  We will have some materials and encourage everyone to bring whatever they may have." 

We checked the forecast: the snowstorm isn't expected to hit us until after 7 pm, so weatherwise you're good to go.

3. Upcoming Actions by Other Movement Groups in Maine

It's springtime all over Midcoast and Central Maine.  Here are some meetings and actions by other groups. There are a few really big national events happening locally among them:

  • Monday February 17: No Kings 50-State Protest: Locally, we gather at the Maine State House in Augusta from Noon to 4 PM.  Maine Resists has obtained a permit.  Masks are encouraged.  A Facebook page for the event is at https://www.facebook.com/events/1142883684283638/, and a Threads page is at https://www.threads.net/@the_maisinator/post/DF_o-7BPRoT.

  • Wednesday February 19: Circle for Peace and Resistance, At 6 pm in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library at 106 High Street, Belfast, ME 04915. This is organized by Peace & Justice of Waldo County. They write, "If you are wondering what we can do in this challenging time, come share your ideas and we will share actions that are happening both locally and around the state, as well as inspirational videos of resistance happening around the country! We need each other as we stand for peace and justice. Nourish the Resistance! Free ad open to all.  Potluck snacks are available and tea too (bring your own mug). For more information, email peace.and.justice.waldo@gmail.com."

  • Friday February 28: One Day Total National Boycott.  Buy NOTHING on February 28 to protest corporations who have been falling in line behind the totalitarian Trump, betraying the people who obtain products and services from them. Show them that we are not happy about this. There is no one center of this call, but groups and celebrities have been spreading the word, so the corporations will be paying attention. Make this work. BUY NOTHING.

  • Ongoing Regular Standouts organized by Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights. In Belfast: Sundays at Noon in Post Office Square.  In Camden: Fridays at 5 PM on the Village Green.  In Rockland: 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 3 PM in Chapman Park (Main and Park Streets).

4. Poll: When Should We Hold Our Next Meeting?

It's almost time for us to hold our next meeting. We'll announce it soon, but it's democracy time: if you have a preference among some options for when we should hold our next meeting, visit this online poll to cast your vote! One-Question Poll Link: https://forms.gle/XuDSJ9p6ouGEHEgC8.

5. Call for a Planning Circle

We're doing a lot, and a lot needs to be done.  Thanks so much to the community wranglers who have already done so much, and also to the intrepid organizers of November and December who helped plan the idea for what The Audacity would be.  It's become clear that we need a central group of folks who help look at the overall direction of The Audacity and help keep all the moving parts of this unfolding 4-year open-air activist variety show going.  If you have non-profit planning skills or interest in getting some, e-mail contact@audacitycat.com to express your interest.

6. Lessons from the February 4 debacle and the February 5 magnificence

Multiple members of The Audacity traveled on February 5, 2025 to the Maine State House on the Capitol Grounds in Augusta to meet folks from across the state. We were called together by a grassroots group of citizens working outside the traditional party structure and apart from long-established advocacy groups such as the Maine People’s Alliance and the Maine Democratic Party. 

In Maine, the Kennebec Party Democrats pulled an especially unproductive move by first jumping on board and endorsing Augusta participation in the national day of protest on February 3, and then on February 4 not only withdrawing that endorsement but widely publishing slander against the grassroots activists who were organizing the event. A statement on a party page was put out that referred to a "poorly defined and, some people believe suspect movement... apparently some ‘bad actors’ had reposted the flyers with an added URL link to a pedophile site.”  Democratic Party officials put out messages to rank-and-file Democrats, warning them to stay away because, in the overwrought worries of these party officials, right-wing counterprotesters and trolls would overtake whatever well-meaning folks showed up.  Organizers with The Audacity received over a dozen messages by confused members of our group, asking whether it was safe to protest at the State House in Augusta.  They told us they'd heard from Democratic Party officials that the protest was just a right-wing trick.

To put it succinctly, the treatment of this grassroots protest group by institutional political actors on December 4 was a debacle.

But you also know what happened next: this grassroots group calling the event nevertheless mounted peaceful and productive rallies at all 50 state capitol buildings.  Unfortunately, the Maine House protest on February 5 was smaller than it could have been, because these confused Maine Democratic Party officials convinced so many people that the protest was a bad idea.  But of course it was magnificent on February 5.  Of course it was safe.  Of course this grassroots group, which filed a permit and arranged police protection, was not a secret pedophile ring.  Of course the group were not bad actors after all; there was nothing suspect about them.  Of course the meaning was clear to and, indeed, civilly co-created by those who attended.  

Were there counterprotesters and trolls? No, not in the plural. Just one lonely man brought himself, a sign, an insecurely-oversized flag, and a loudspeaker. After about 20 minutes he became discouraged at the sight of hundreds of anti-Trump protesters. At the prospect of being ignored by the crowd, and quietly went home.

It was a really cold winter day with a nasty wind blowing, but people were of good cheer nevertheless. People made their own homemade signs, rather than being handed out a set of official organizational messages. That’s one sign of a legitimate grassroots movement moment reflecting what’s on citizens’ minds, as opposed to the “astroturf” fake-grassroots events you’ll tend to see on the right, in which most people are carrying the same sign approved by a paid staffer (or even wearing the same centrally-ordered t-shirt, another classic sign of communications-professional astroturf).

Watch this beautiful moment we captured on video and posted on The Audacity's YouTube channel.  It's a lovely instance of the power of art to uplift a protest event.  Belfast activist Joe Niemczura brought his trumpet to play "Amazing Grace": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLdUwA06I68. No one would mistake the assembled for a crazed, unruly group of troll pedophiles.  This demonstration showed the heart of Maine and the people who live there.

The point of this is not to single out the Democratic Party as essentially problematic -- indeed, multiple representatives from the Knox County Democratic Party bucked the trend and showed up to the Maine State House and placed themselves front and center.  A tip of the hat to them!  But we will have moments in which there's a lack of clarity, or when some voices will disparage activism in very unfortunate terms.  During these moments, which are an expected aspect of reactions to emerging totalitarianism, we will have to pay attention, of course, but at these times we will have to tune out the voices that repeat the word "can't," especially when those voices come from groups that rely on institutional bureaucracy and feel disempowered by independent actions of the grassroots. We will have to rely on the trust we're building now with one another and with fellow groups.  Sometimes we'll have to lean in to trust and the bright side, even when bad things could hypothetically happen, because that's the model of America we believe in, because that's what it means to "Lead With Love," as Paula Coil's excellent songleading taught us at last Saturday's Rockland singing event.

We are going to do amazing things together, as we trust others in other communities are getting ready to do the same.  Together, we will form a wave of love, joy, righteous outrage, and determination that is so audaciously amazing... the bigots, the corrupt, and the fascists who bring them together won't see it coming, but it will be beautiful to watch when it does. 

Best,

James Cook

Facilitator, The Audacity

James Cook
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Photos of a Classic Civic Gathering in Action: #50501 Protest Against Musk & Trump, February 5 2025 in Augusta, ME