#Protest held in #PortlandME to support #PalestinianActivist

March 18, 2025

PORTLAND (WGME) -- "A rally in downtown Portland was held Tuesday afternoon, protesting the detention and proposed deportation of a #Palestinian activist.

"Community leaders turned out in support of #MahmoudKhalil, a permanent U.S. resident and student who was arrested a week ago over his involvement in #ProPalestine protests at #ColumbiaUniversity.

"He's accused of distributing pro-Hamas propaganda, including flyers bearing the group’s logo and organizing protests that disrupted classes and harassed Jewish students.

"Khalil is currently being held by immigration officers in Louisiana but has not been charged with a crime.

"The State Department is looking to revoke his green card.

"His attorneys have filed a lawsuit challenging his detention, arguing his rights were violated.

"'This is a travesty of justice,' #FaisalKhan of the #CarolinaPeaceCenter said. 'A stain on the moral conscience of the United States. And yet, the American public remains largely silent. How much longer will the silence continue, I ask? How much longer will people turn away from the suffering of innocent lives. Silence is complicity.'"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/protest-held-in-portland-to-support-palestinian-activist/ar-AA1Bcl7i
#FreeMahmoudKhalil #FreeMahmoud #PortlandMaine #MaineResists #MaineResistance #USPol

LET YOUR #VOICE BE HEARD!
#PROTEST #RESIST #SPEAKOUT
======================
#Maine #SouthernMaine #Portland #PortlandMaine

For corrections, to be included, or for free sign details, please send note to: ptactivism@gmail.com
UPDATED 03.17.25

Pine Tree Activism Calendar - Scheduled Events

March 18 Tue 8-10AM (& every Tue) - #FreeportME - Stand at #Tesla - 334 Main St

March 18 Tue 12-1PM (& every Tue) - #LewistonME - #Resist Central Maine - 72 Lisbon St

March 18 Tue 12-1PM (& every Tue) - #WatervilleME - Stand at #Tesla - 334 Main St

March 18 Tues 7PM - #PortlandME, Come As You Are: A Community Resistance Event, $5 at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St

March 19 Wed 5:30-8PM - #GorhamME First Parish Church, Where's Susan? Town Hall with Sen. Collins (she's invited) 2 Church St, Gorham

March 20 Thur 10-12noon - #BangorME Bangor Post Office, 73 Hammond Street, Postal Workers National Day of Action

https://bsky.app/profile/pinetreeactivism.bsky.social/post/3lkm5r54o3c26
#MaineProtests #MaineResistance #MaineResists

#PortlandMaine: Weekly protests, Saturdays at 11am! #MonumentSquare (alternate site, City Hall)

#Protesters rallied at 16 #demonstrations across #Maine

by Carol Bousquet, Maine Public March 2, 2025

"Protesters rallied at 16 statewide demonstrations this weekend called #MarchEndTheMadness.

"Hundreds filled #MonumentSquare in #PortlandME Saturday to speak out about the #Trump Administration’s actions that have harmed #Mainers, including #farmers and #FederalWorkers.

"The protesters said they are calling for the restoration of checks and balances, the rule of law, and equity for all under the law.

"Steve Titcomb of Falmouth said he worries about the security of our country and that of our allies with Trump in charge.

"'The president has taken the side of #Russia and #Putin and is turning his back on decades of security for Europe and NATO,' Titcomb said.

"Susan Hanley of Orr’s Island said she’s disgusted with how President Trump treated #Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelenskyy Friday at the White House and said his administration is not working for Americans.

"'It’s not about ‘We the People’ for them. It’s about #greed and #money and #power,' Hanley said.

"The #16CountiesForCourage marches were organized by #IndivisiblePortland, #IndivisibleBangor and other advocacy groups.

"Earlier in the day about a hundred protesters gathered at Portland City Hall to speak out against the Trump Administration’s sweeping measures to downsize the federal government workforce.

"Angus Ferguson organizes a protest called 'Every Saturday at 11 am in Monument Square' that has been gathering for several weeks but met at City Hall because of multiple protests across the city. He said the Trump Administration is ignoring the U.S. Constitution and turning it upside down.

"'We’re protesting Donald Trump, #Musk and the #MAGA movement’s destruction of the U.S. Constitution, firing federal workers, decimating federal agencies,' Ferguson said.

"Ferguson, who is an attorney, said the President is literally 'executing' or destroying the law with his actions."

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/02/politics/state-politics/protesters-rallied-at-16-demonstrations-across-maine/
#MaineProtest #BadDOGE #USPol #MainePol #MaineProtests #Resist #ResistFascism #ResistDOGE

HT @AIF_Massachusetts

"More from Pine Tree Activism:

NOTE: There are TWO events in Portland Maine Sat Mar 1.

- EVERY SATURDAY protest is City Hall (this week) from 11-12

- END the MADNESS protest is Monument Square from 1-2 PM.

And more events later in March can be found here:

https://bsky.app/profile/pinetreeactivism.bsky.social/post/3ljay2rqo3c25
#Maine #MaineActivism #PortlandMaine #PortlandME #Protests

Hey everyone!

I am doing an event with my MARVELOUS FRIEND @tithenai for her new book The River Has Roots, WEDNESDAY March 5th at 7pm at Print: A Bookstore in #PortlandMaine!

You should come! She’s amazing! Also we’ve been friends for 20 years so this will be THE BEST conversation.

Hey, #portlandmaine folks, I just want you all to know there’s still a place in town that hasn’t jacked their prices up as far as possible.

You can still get a huge shawarma for $13, a big plate of falafel for $5 at Olive Cafe on Commercial St!

Give them business!

#March8 seems to be the next big #protest day. Unless I'm snowed in, I'll be at #MonumentSquare in #PortlandMaine. I hope some folks will join me! Otherwise, it will be another #ProtestOfOne. But a protest of one is better than None!
#ProtestFascism #Maine #50501movement #HumanRights #EnvironmentalJustice #ResistFascism #ResistICE #Resistence

I would love to attend the #PresidentsDayProtest in #AugustaMaine (assuming there is one going on), or stage a #ProtestOfOne in #PortlandMaine, but the weather in #Maine is not looking good. I will be bugging our #Congress members and will amplify what's going on everywhere else!

Meanwhile, here are some things you can do to support the #50501Movement...

https://www.buildtheresistance.org/feb-17

So, in #PortlandMaine, they built a new homeless shelter -- on the outskirts of the city! A location that's hard to get to unless one has a car (I know, I used to live out that way). Don't want all the rich folks who have moved into the city to see all the people that unaffordable housing has displaced!

Concerns rise over safety of unhoused community in Portland after recent deaths

The two men were discovered dead in the woods near a walking path commonly used by those experiencing homelessness in the area.

by Pearl Small, February 11, 2025

PORTLAND, Maine — "Concerns are growing about the safety of Portland's unhoused community—especially during Maine's frigid winter months—after the bodies of two men were discovered along a well-traveled path between a grocery store and the city's new homeless shelter.

"Portland police confirmed that William Liese and Lee Thomas Johnson were found dead Monday morning in a wooded area near Hannaford and the Portland Homeless Services Center (HSC). Their cause and manner of death have not been determined.

"The city had activated its emergency warming center the night before due to the cold temperatures.

"A city spokesperson stated that the HSC had available beds that night and did not turn anyone away. Staff working the warming center at First Parish Church also did not turn anyone away, according to the executive director of Commonspace, the group that runs the center.

"However, Courtney Bass, an advocate for those experiencing homelessness, argued that a warming center should be open 24/7, not just during extreme weather conditions. 'The 15 degrees and/or 10 inches of snow is a huge problem,' Bass said.

"Currently, the city's emergency warming center only opens when temperatures drop to 15 degrees or below, or when snowfall exceeds 10 inches.

"Henry Myer, director of Preble Street's Elena's Way Shelter, acknowledged the challenges the unhoused face, emphasizing that funding is a major barrier to operating shelters and warming centers around the clock.

:"However, Myer pointed to another issue—the location of shelters. The HSC operates 24/7, but it is five miles from many key city resources and can be difficult for individuals to reach if they miss public transportation." [Exactly!!! And do they have bus money? Not to mention there's only one bus that runs out that way!!!]

Read more:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/concerns-safety-unhoused-community-portland-two-deaths-homelessness/97-bd2b63c4-a37e-4a5e-9d89-b20f6e1ed678
#Unhoused #UnaffordableHousing #PortlandMaine #BellRiots

But of course... Apparently, there was an #AntiTrump protest in #PortlandMaine today. And I didn't know about it! Oh well... I'll find out who organized it and make sure I get in the loop!

So, one of the folks who chatted with me during my #ProtestOfOne today in #PortlandMaine pointed to the "End Citizens United" sign and shouted! "OMG! Yes! That's where all this evil began!" That made my heart so happy. And yes, that person (who was a gay man who recently got engaged) thanked me for being there. Awwww....

I was at a protest of one today in #PortlandMaine (not the first time). Unfortunately, I wasn't there on #January20 because I was getting over being sick, but there was a great turnout that day.

And it seems #AugustaMaine had a decent turnout today as well, so that's good.

But even though I was there by myself, most folks who saw me were supportive, a few thanked me, and only one #MAGA-type said that my protest was "Bullshit!" To which I replied, "You'll find out soon enough."

I don't mind being a protest of one, but next time, I plan on bringing some pepper spray just in case, and some cash for unhoused folks - who were way more supportive than some of the well-off passerbys.

It's not perfect, but it will do in a pinch. I'm planning on being in Monument Square in #PortlandMaine at Noon. We'll see who else shows up.
#50501Protests #50501Movement #ResistFascism

Walked over to #PlannedParenthood's office in #PortlandMaine today. Too cold for #ProLife types? If they do show up, maybe they should do some reading (assuming they can read)...
#SisterJoanChittister #ProBirth #WomensRights #SmashThePatriarchy #AntiSexistAction
cc: @RadicalGraffiti

I went to two Hilal shops in #PortlandMaine with some #KnowYourRights flyers. Both shops were very appreciative of the flyers (in both Somali and Spanish languages), and the second shop asked if I had any in Swahili and Portuguese. I replied, "Not at the moment, but I'll be back with those soon." If you want to print out flyers to distribute in your community, the links below are great -- and have a variety of languages.

https://waisn.org/public-resources/

https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/

This week's to do list:
1. Post information about #ICERaids around #PortlandMaine
2. Join the #MaineDSA
3. Make a donation to #CatholicCharitiesMaine to help with #Immigrants
It's not a lot, but it's a start!
#StartLocal #FightFascism #TheTimeIsNow