Latest news with #Vermonters
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Border Patrol smashes car window to detain migrant advocate, teenage stepdaughter in Vermont
De La Cruz, 29, and Perez had been delivering food to dairy farmworkers in the area when Border Patrol pulled over their vehicle in the northern Vermont town of Richford, according to Will Lambek, a Migrant Justice organizer. Lambek said responding officers did not provide a rationale for the stop and, after De La Cruz invoked his right to remain silent, an officer smashed a window of the vehicle and 'forcibly detained' the pair. Brissette said in a written statement Sunday that officers had stopped the vehicle after observing 'suspicious border activity.' He did not describe that activity, nor did he indicate whether the pair was implicated in it. Advertisement 'The vehicle's occupants refused to answer the agents' questions, would not roll down the vehicle's windows, and refused to comply with the agents' lawful orders,' Brissette said. 'Agents were forced to break a window to remove both occupants at which point the subjects were taken into custody' and brought to a nearby station. Advertisement Both De La Cruz and Perez had previously been removed from the US, according to Lambek. The incident was the latest in Saturday's detentions drew the ire of thousands of Vermonters that afternoon as organizers of 'We want to make sure that they know that people are not alone,' Migrant Justice organizer Abel Luna told the Burlington protesters Saturday. 'We want to make sure that they know we're standing together and we're not going to let them do this.' After immigrating to the US as a minor in 2023, Perez joined her mother and stepfather in northwest Vermont and enrolled at Milton High School, according to Lambek. She graduated June 7 and was poised to attend Vermont State University in Castleton this fall. 'We are, as a community, pretty devastated by this and hope to do what we can to try to fight this,' said Megan McLoughlin, who spent two years as Perez's English language instructor. McLoughlin described Perez, known by her nickname, Fabi, as creative and kind — devoted to her family, her community and especially her 3-year-old stepbrother. As one of the first native Spanish speakers to attend school in the predominantly white, working-class town of Milton, Perez 'paved the way' for others, McLoughlin said. Advertisement Like her stepfather, Perez advocated for immigrant rights at the state level. Last year, when the Vermont legislature was considering a bill that would give undocumented college students access to financial aid and in-state tuition rates, Perez spoke in favor of it at a press conference at the Vermont Statehouse. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, signed it into law shortly thereafter. Heidi Perez at the Vermont State House advocating for housing legislation. Terry J. Allen/Migrant Justice 'She was about to be one of the first students to benefit from that law,' Lambek said. 'Now she's being detained and threatened with deportation. It's just an unbelievably cruel way of cutting off this dream she's been working toward.' De La Cruz, known by his nickname, Nacho, immigrated to the US in 2016, according to Lambek. After a stint working on Vermont dairy farms, he is now a worker at and part owner of a cooperative construction company. His son, Perez's 3-year-old stepbrother, is a US citizen, according to Lambek. In recent years, De La Cruz has taken on leadership roles in Migrant Justice and become a public advocate for policing reforms, climate justice and improved working conditions on dairy farms. In January, he testified in favor of legislation that would prohibit landlords from requesting Social Security numbers from those seeking housing, an impediment for undocumented renters. At a press conference, he said it took him two years after leaving on-farm housing to find an apartment. He described living for months with his family — including his son, then 1 — in a cousin's attic with no electricity, forcing him to fan the baby with cardboard in the summer to keep him cool. Advertisement 'It's unjust that the state relies on our labor to be building these things, but doesn't allow us to live in the houses that we build,' De La Cruz said at the press conference, Last week, Scott signed that bill into law, as well.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
50501 Vermont plans 40+ ‘No Kings' protests on Saturday
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – A nationwide protest movement will be holding more than 40 events in Vermont this weekend, including an American flag that will travel all the way north from Massachusetts to Swanton. Protests against Trump administration planned across Vermont this week 50501 Vermont, the state's affiliate of the 50501 movement – short for '50 states, 50 protests, 1 day' – is planning gatherings across the state in conjunction with the military parade planned for the same day in Washington, D.C.. The group previously held a protest called Hands Off in April, and called for an 'Emergency Protest' in Burlington this past Tuesday which it said had attendance of more than 1,000 people, though the estimate by reporters with ABC22/FOX44 was only around 100. June 14th is the nation's traditional Flag Day. It is also President Donald Trump's birthday. Those near U.S. Route 7 on Saturday may see plenty of American flags in conjunction with the group's 'Flag Relay for Democracy', in which an American flag will be driven all the way across the state from south to north. According to 50501, 'Vermonters will carry this flag to honor the promise of liberty and justice for all—the very ideals generations have fought to protect.' Vermont State Historic Sites will return starting May 16 Those looking for a Saturday afternoon nap may want to reconsider, as the group plans several 'honk and wave' events as the flag makes its way north. Other events include a morning group hike on Mount Philo in Charlotte, and many local protest events. The group's largest planned event is in Burlington, where speakers including Representative Becca Balint, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, activist Mohsen Mahdawi, and feminist Alison Bechdel will appear at Waterfront Park. Judge orders Mohsen Mahdawi's release from federal detention Jennifer Wasiura, who is part of a Middlebury group affiliated with 50501, said, 'We refuse to be intimidated… We will bravely and peacefully stand together.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How did gay marriage become legal? Civil unions in this state paved the way 25 years ago.
Gay marriage, once an unpopular concept nationwide, is widely accepted today. And more so in certain states like Vermont. 'People take for granted that same-sex couples can get married nowadays,' Bill Lippert, 75, one of Vermont's first openly gay lawmakers, told the Burlington Free Press, which is a part of the USA TODAY Network. 'You can reference your husband or wife casually now in conversation. But if you weren't around 25 years ago, there isn't always an appreciation for how hard we had to fight." April 26 marked the 25th anniversary of civil unions – marriage for same-sex couples in all but name – becoming state law. Although civil unions were deeply controversial even among Vermonters at the time, they served as the first pivotal step toward full marriage equality, Lippert said. In 2000, Vermont became the first place in the world to grant marriage-equivalent legal rights to same-sex couples. Domestic partnerships existed in some places, but those unions 'usually only granted a few legal rights,' Lippert said. 'The eyes of the whole country and world were focused on what Vermont was doing in 2000,' said Lippert, who helped craft the civil unions bill while serving on the house judiciary committee. Three years later Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage, followed by Connecticut and Iowa in 2008. Vermont followed suit in 2009. Several more states legalized same-sex marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court finally made it nationwide law in 2015 through the Obergefell v. Hodges case. 'One can see the direct connection between what Vermont did in 2000 with civil unions to what followed in Massachusetts and eventually with Obergefell in 2015,' Lippert said. Prior to the creation of civil unions, gay and lesbian couples lacked 'a thousand more rights' than married straight couples, Lippert said, no matter how long they had been together. For instance, if one partner in a same-sex relationship was in hospital, the other partner did not automatically have the power of attorney. 'That was one of the most painful ones,' Lippert said. Lippert recalled one particularly egregious case that happened to a lesbian couple with a child. When the partner who had given birth to the child died in a car crash, her parents fought for custody even though the two women had been raising the kid together. 'The list goes on and on,' Lippert said. Although Vermont eventually established 'second parent adoption' in 1993, there still wasn't a 'legal connection between partners,' Lippert noted. 'That side of the triangle was missing,' he said. In the late '90s, three lawyers and three same-sex couples decided it was time to test Vermont's marriage laws. In 1998, three Vermont same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses in Chittenden County. When their marriages were denied, they filed a lawsuit that became known as Baker v. Vermont, or informally "the Baker Case," after the last name of one of the plaintiffs. A Vermont Superior Court judge ruled to dismiss the case, so the plaintiffs made an appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court. What the Vermont Supreme Court did next shocked everyone. Instead of either legalizing gay marriage or striking down the case, the justices ruled in 1999 that same-sex couples should be afforded all the same legal rights as heterosexual couples but left it up to the Vermont legislature whether to grant gay couples the ability to marry or form an equivalent union. 'Personally, I was shocked because I had been assured by the attorneys fighting for gay marriage that we would never have to vote on it in the legislature,' Lippert said. 'Many of my colleagues were, frankly, beyond anxious – terrified – because they never wanted to deal with the issue because it was so controversial.' At the time, some states were changing their constitutions to outlaw gay marriage. The Defense of Marriage Act also went into effect two years prior. In Vermont specifically, only 20% of residents supported gay marriage. Gay marriage 'was not a popular proposal,' Lippert recalled. 'It was hotly condemned and fought against by major religious groups as an affront to their religious sacraments.' One of their main fears was that churches would be forced to marry gay couples. The Vermont legislature was already in mid-session when the court dropped the issue of gay marriage in their laps. The House judicial committee, where Lippert served as vice chair, was tasked with writing the bill that would grant gay couples the right to marry or to form an equivalent union. After listening to weeks of testimony from supporters and opponents of gay marriage, the committee voted to create a 'parallel legal structure,' which they named civil unions, Lippert said. 'It was very disappointing for the attorneys and advocates, but it was clear that we did not have the votes to create full marriage for same-sex couples,' said Lippert, who was among the three committee members to vote for gay marriage. Some gay marriage advocates at the time found the idea of civil unions insulting and akin to the concept of 'Separate but equal.' Some activists said civil unions were like 'having to sit on the back of the bus' and refused to support the bill, Lippert said. 'Others said, 'At least we're on the bus.'' The lawsuit plaintiffs and their attorneys decided 'it was better to pass something achievable than pass something that would fail and then get nothing,' Lippert said. Elsewhere in the country: Naples Pride pleased with judge's ruling on drag show, 'a really big win' On the day House reps were scheduled to vote, Lippert and his committee members weren't sure if they had enough support to pass civil unions. Some representatives wouldn't share their plans, while others kept saying they 'needed more information' before they could decide which way to vote. For some representatives, a "yes" vote guaranteed they would lose their seats in either the primary or general elections later that year. 'Until the roll call, none of us knew we were going to win,' said Lippert. 'It would have taken a few votes to switch and we would have lost.' After 12 hours of debate and testimony that day, the Vermont house voted 76-69 to pass the civil unions bill. Lippert primarily attributed the win to 'courageous' gay Vermonters, loved ones and other advocates who shared personal stories throughout the bill process. Some gay people even came out publicly for the first time to throw their support behind the bill. Lippert also thinks the 'hateful phone calls and letters' legislators received made them realize why civil unions were necessary. 'They saw why we needed this,' Lippert said. 'That if this is the level of prejudice and hatefulness that comes at me, what must it be like for gay people? The hate backfired.' Once civil unions passed the house, it was much smoother sailing for gay advocates. The senate, which had a higher percentage of Democrats than the house, passed civil unions 19-11. Gov. Howard Dean, who already voiced his approval of civil unions, signed the bill into law soon after – albeit behind closed doors and without fanfare. 'He said publicly that marriage for same-sex couples made him uncomfortable' but that he could back civil unions, Lippert remembered. Even still, Dean's support was 'crucial.' 'If he hadn't been willing to say he would sign the bill, I don't think we would have passed it,' Lippert said. 'People wouldn't have risked voting for it.' 'Art is a form of protest': How Phoenix LGBTQ+ artists use poetry as an act of resistance Later that year, 17 legislators who voted for civil unions in April 2000 lost their seats to opponents who promised to help repeal the institution. Dean, who had to wear a bulletproof vest during his gubernatorial campaign, also faced an ardent anti-civil unions challenger. 'It's hard to explain the level of controversy and some of the hatefulness directed at the governor and lawmakers,' Lippert said. The following session, the now more conservative House managed to repeal civil unions by one vote, but the effort died in the Senate. Between 2000 and 2009, thousands of gay couples from other states and nations traveled to Vermont to enter civil unions. They wanted legal recognition of their relationship somewhere even if their home state or country wouldn't respect it, Lippert said. 'At the time, I would have been happy to have settled the case in court,' Lippert said. 'But looking back, I think it would have garnered greater backlash if the court had granted gay marriage or an equivalent institution directly.' That's what happened in Hawaii. In 1996, the Hawaiian Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage to same-sex couples. An enormous public backlash ensued, and by 1998, Hawaiians had changed their state constitution to outlaw gay marriage. Amending Vermont's constitution wouldn't have been as easy – it takes multiple years versus only one in Hawaii – but there definitely were some lawmakers who wanted to, Lippert said. Such an amendment never got off the ground, however. 'My view is civil unions was a historic step for civil marriage for same-sex couples,' Lippert said. 'Saying that full marriage equality was important does not take away from civil unions moving us to marriage equality in a profound way.' Lippert and his spouse eventually entered a civil union themselves. They then got married once Vermont legalized what Lippert now calls 'full marriage equality.' This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont civil unions paved way for US gay marriage equality
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Four Juneteenth celebrations taking place in Vermont
VERMONT (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermonters across the state will be gathering together to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but it has been traditionally celebrated among African-Americans in the U.S. since 1866, shortly after Emancipation and the Civil War. Vermont was one of the first states to abolish slavery in 1777, before it became part of the U.S.. Juneteenth: The long road to becoming a federal holiday The City of South Burlington will hold its celebration on Thursday, June 19 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park. The events will include a craft fair and music, and the city says it will be 'highlighting BIPOC food vendors and business owners as well as BIPOC-focused non-profit organizations'. Winooski is holding its 'Juneteenth Block Party' in Rotary Park on Friday, June 20. The event is scheduled from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.. Burlington's Juneteenth festivities will take place on Saturday, June 21 from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m., with celebrations on Church Street and in City Hall Park. City mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak welcomed the public to the event, calling it 'not just a commemoration of freedom, but a powerful statement of our commitment to racial equity and social justice in the City of Burlington.' Will you be getting mail on Juneteenth? Hartford, together with Bethel and Lebanon, New Hampshire, will also be holding their celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Lyman Point Park. The town is welcoming speakers including Vermont state senators Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Joe Major, and New Hampshire executive councillor Karen Liot Hill. More events may still be announced. Cities across Vermont including Rutland and Essex have held events in the past, and more information may be found on your community's website or social media page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermont, New York, New Hampshire sue to stop 23andMe sale
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – More than two dozen states including Vermont, New York and New Hampshire are suing to block the sale of a once popular genetic testing company. 23andMe is in bankruptcy protection. The company is known for its direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, allowing people to obtain information about their ancestry and potential health conditions. NYS Senate passes Medical Aid in Dying Act Bio-tech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals requested the court's approval to buy the firm for $256 million, but the states say DNA samples of about 15 million previous customers are too sensitive to allow the transaction without each person giving their informed consent. 'Genetic information is some of the most sensitive information a company can hold about a person,' said Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. 'It's incredibly personal and forever unchangeable. 'Vermonters' genetic information shouldn't be up for sale without their consent. I am taking action to make sure that Vermonters have the right to decide what happens with their genetic information.' Two found with 'over 100 glassine bags' of fentanyl in Vt. The court has appointed an independent official to examine the proposed sale and its impact on consumer privacy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
