Take The Initiative

Dolal Idd was shot and killed by police near the same place Geroge Floyd was killed. Idd, 23, was Somali American and lived in the Twin Cities suburb of Eden Prairie. His father told the Sahan Journal that Idd was taking classes at Normandale College.

Idd “was a family man, loved by his folks and his friends. Only god knows the pain everyone is feeling today,” said Abdirahman Warsame, who organized a GoFundMe pageto help pay for the family’s funeral costs.

According to Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension records, Idd had been convicted of five misdemeanors and two felonies. Records show that he was jailed for possession of marijuana, carrying a firearm without a permit, theft, his involvement in a traffic accident, fleeing a police officer and giving a false name to a police officer. He was just finishing a three-year probation, his father said.

In an incident from 2018, police say Idd, then 21, fired a gun in his family’s basement while two younger children were sleeping on the same level, according to Southwest News Media.

His family is burying Idd on New Year’s Day, said Jaylani Hussein of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Officers were executing a traffic stop, which took place at the Holiday gas station at 36th Street East and Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis, as part of a “probable cause” weapons investigation. But he didn’t offer more specifics about it. A police spokesperson earlier said that the victim was suspected of a felony. Officers recovered a weapon at the scene. It’s still unclear if Idd shot at police at all because of only one video of body cam footage was released. POLICE SHOULDNT USE DEADLY FORCE!

If you are reading this petition, it means that you are most likely a victim or know a victim of catalytic converter theft. This petition is a LIVING DOCUMENT for all the citizens impacted. Please sign the petition, and share your story in the comment (include what city you belong to) and share to your network.

[Campaign Update- 02/16/20]: The campaign has shifted from promoting passage of specific bills to getting a non-partisan bill to pass where both the MN Senate and the MN House. To do this, I will be setting up a virtual community meeting starting at 5:30pm, Monday, March 1st, bringing legislator sponsors and community members together to discuss what is “effective legislation” to address catalytic converter theft and the appropriate actions steps that can be taken. Currently, there is call-to-action of requesting legislators from bills HF330, and SF206 to attend the meeting.

1) What is happening?

The catalytic converter is a device located underneath an automobile that filters harmful emissions from your car emission. The rare metals used in the catalytic converter is valuable. Thieves steal and sell the stolen catalytic converters to "legitimate" scrap-metal dealers. Recently, the Covid19 pandemic has significantly increased the value of the rare metals and, as a result, there is a national surge of catalytic converter thefts and number of vehicle types targeted have expanded. For the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, compared to last year, it is reported auto-accessory thefts have increased by 300% as seen from this image.

2) Why is this an urgent problem?

Replacing catalytic converters can cost thousands of dollars to replace. Even if insurance companies cover a portion of the bill, the out-of-pocket costs are still hefty, and personal insurance coverage rate increases. Some households get their replacement catalytic converters stolen within a few months! These thefts disproportionately impact lower income households, renters, and/or blue collar workers because they are less likely to have a garage or secure parking area. For this reason, it is lower priority for legislators as it does not personally impact them or their wealthy donors.

3) What about law enforcement?

It's simply hard to catch the thieves (can take two-three minutes for removal) and local law enforcement prioritize more violent crimes and, in general, funding has been restricted. So a legislative solution is the appropriate response.

4) Campaign Strategy and Public Community Meeting [ Update: 02/16/20]

Initially, this petition was supporting the passage of Senate bill, SF206, and House Bill, HF330. Things have been a bit complicated since then. Recently, State Senator John Marty, an early advocate, just introduced a Senate bill, SF890, addressing catalytic converter thefts. At the current rate, a Republican bill, SF206, will pass in the Senate, and a Democratic bill (to be announced) will pass in the House. This will create unnecessary gridlock and quagmire, which may undermine effective legislation to be passed and delay the process.... This is NOT ACCEPTABLE!

I advocate for a non-partisan agreement of the interested lawmakers to come up with a single agreed upon reformed bill to pass both legislative houses. I will be setting up a virtual community meeting, on Monday March 1st, bringing legislators and community members together to discuss what is “effective legislation” to address catalytic converter theft and the appropriate actions steps that can be taken. To be clear, the meeting has three goals:

A public discussion and record for citizens, experts, and legislators to address the issue.
Push for non-partisan unity, where a single agreed upon bill (or action) will pass both the MN House and Senate. Let’s debate and discuss publicly the merits of each legislative bill
Bring state legislators who have sponsored the bills AND local leaders in the same table
Currently, Senator John Marty, bill author of SF890, has expressed interest in attending.

5) CALL-TO-ACTION: Bring Legislators into the meeting

On Monday I have reached out to the bill sponsors of SF206 and HF330 with a letter inviting them to the meeting asking for at least one bill representative to attend the meeting. None of these legislators have responded back to me. Reach out to these representatives to encourage them to attend the meeting on March 1st by calling them and/or emailing them. The most significant legislator is Senator Karin Housley.

MN Senate Bill (SF206)

Senator Karin Housley (R) || Bill Author || District 39: Stillwater || Number: 651-296-4351 || Email: [email protected]
Senator Karla Bigham (D) || Bill sponsor || District 54: Cottage Grove/ Afton/ Newport || Number: 651-297-8060 || Email Form (place on browser): https://www.senate.mn/members/email-form/1238

MN House Bill (HF330)

Representative Greg Davids (R) || Bill Author || District 28B: South-Eastern Tip (Wisconsin and Iowa border) || Number: 651-296-9278 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Keith Franke (R) || Bill Sponsor || District 54A: West Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, Newport || Number: 651-296-4342 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Tony Jurgens (R) || Bill Sponsor || District 54B: East Cottage Grove, Afton, Denmark Twp || Number: 651-296-3135 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Tony Jurgens (R) || Bill Sponsor || District 54B: East Cottage Grove, Afton, Denmark Twp || Number: 651-296-3135 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Tony Jurgens (R) || Bill Sponsor || District 54B: East Cottage Grove, Afton, Denmark Twp || Number: 651-296-3135 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Kaohly Her (D) || Bill Sponsor || District 64A: East Saint Paul- Union Park, Midway, Summit Hill, St. Anthony Park || Number: 651-296-4342 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Leon Lillie (D) || Bill Sponsor || District 43B: North Saint Paul, Oakdale, Maplewood || Number: 651-296-1188 || Email: [email protected]
Representative Connie Bernardy (D) || Bill Sponsor || District 41A: Fridley || Number: 651-296-5510 || Email: [email protected]
5) Follow the campaign, and Join the Community

This organization group members are volunteers and this is a decentralized group. Join our Facebook group, and Twitter, @RConverters, to get campaign updates and rally for change.

Lead Organizer, Abu Nayeem

Abu is a Saint Paul resident. He is a community organizer, and data specialist. He has a Masters of Science in Agricultural & Resource Economics from UC Berkeley. In 2019, he ran for city council in Saint Paul for Ward 1. Feel free to follow him on Twitter and Facebook for updates on this project and other civic actions within Saint Paul.

If John doesn’t find a job soon, his mom is going to ship him to Maine to work. This would be really funny and I want to see it happen

Good Afternoon,

This is a petition for the removal or resignation of Carol Ann Cutler as Animal Control Officer of Sedgwick, Maine. Carol Ann had neglected to take care of animals in our area in a timely and orderly fashion. She has also tried to remove animals from homes without any due diligence. The Sheriff has had to contact Ms. Cutler and tell her that she, as an animal control officer, has no right to swipe dogs off the street and ‘seize’ animals without due process, as he as a sheriff has no right to walk into a home and take a child without due process (8/23/2021).
Ms. Cutler has gone above and beyond in making herself judge, jury and prosecutor with great disrespect for our justice system. The bullying and gossiping from her needs to stop. It has been long enough, she has had almost a year and a half to show that she is a professional and capable of handling the process of her job and it still seems as though each day is her first day on the job again. My husband and I have raised, brought to sanctuaries, rescued, homed and loved many animals in our 14 years together including but not limited too (God, forgive me if I forget one!) a parrot, a lizard, cats, new born kittens, a loon, an owl, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs & of course pit bulls, muts, hounds, not to mention our beloved Moose he was our first dog together and dead happily of old age after 12 years of being at our side. We are very responsible pet owners and take our love of animals very seriously. Ms. Cutler has not only been harassing my family but also a very good friend of mine. She has no reason to contact as him as he doesn’t not live in this town or own a dog located in the town. This man repeatedly told her whom the dog in question belonged to as he was the previous owner but she continued to call (over 6 to times in 36 hours!). I don’t give into bullying and I certainly do not condone harassing a man over 65 who is confined to his home after being t-boned at 70mph. That is not way to treat a human being and any respect I could have mustered in the future for Carol Ann diminished the moment I heard how this gentleman was treated.
Whether you have had an experience with Ms. Cutler yourself, know someone who has who has or just believe in my cause and live in the area of Blue Hill peninsula or the town of Sedgwick, please consider signing my petition. Thank you for your time, may all of your furry family members be happy and healthy.

Wiscasset school districts are torturing their students by forcing them to wear masks every day at school. Wearing a mask impacts our day-to-day life in school with our learning experiences. Masks also cause stress to our social life in school because we are always getting scolded for being too close together. Masks are making students in Wiscasset middle-high feel like animals.

I've gone around my school asking fellow students what makes make them feel like and the best way and the most common way I've heard it described is like putting a dog muzzle on us all day long for 6 hours and being followed around and reprimanded when trying to get a fast not in 30-second mask break during school. This is the reality for every student at the Wiscasset school district. Think of how this is affecting elementary school kids if that is what high schoolers are feeling like. they cant be kids they can't play tag or run around everything without being 6 feet. The argument may be made that the kids are not being made to be six feet but most teachers at the elementary school are being made to be 6 feet when outside without a mask which is not right and 3 feet inside with masks is also not in the policy. 3 out of 5 teachers all disagree with the masks but comply.

Masks impact our learning big time. no big group work really unless online. 90% of work is online so at least 3 out of 6 hours a day staring at a screen and typing. masks make it hard to talk therefore making it hard to hear the person talking.

Take a second and look at all this info and do some research do you really wanna be another number? We as Wiscasset school students need to fight back against the admission forcing us to do inhumane things and treating us like we are nothing but animals. So please take a second and sign the petition to help not only yourself but the whole school fight against these inhumane rules.

The historic Saco Drive-In Theater has been serving the city of Saco, Maine, and the surrounding communities since 1939. Since its inception, the drive-in has become a treasured part of the community, a spot where many memories were made under the stars for nearly eighty-three years. Now, this drive-in, which is the third oldest remaining in the world, is slated for demolition within the next two years. In December of 2021, the drive-in was sold discretely to Hale Trailer, Brake, and Wheel, a nationwide trucking company, to be redeveloped and replace their current location in South Portland. The city has reached out to Hale offering to give them land for their new location in exchange for the land the drive-in sits on. However, they have declined this offer. We, the citizens of Saco and the surrounding communities, are asking for Hale Trailer, Brake, and Wheel to reconsider the land swap and saving this landmark that means so much to our community.

WHY WE ARE BOYCOTTING SIMPSON'S EGGS: Senator Wilton Simpson, the President of the Florida Senate, has stopped an anti-dog chaining bill from moving forward (SB650/HB177 Tethering of Domestic Dogs and Cats). Thirty-one state legislators sponsored the bill and many other legislators supported it. Nineteen Florida counties already have this law (those counties cover 65% of Florida's population). We are animal advocates and we want to know what kind of person would be ok with dogs spending their lives on the end of a chain in the Florida heat and thunderstorms?
DO NOT BUY EGGS FROM PUBLIX OR WALMART: Senator Simpson owns a very large egg farm that is under the Cal-Maine Foods network. Cal-Maine Foods sells eggs to Publix and Walmart. Pledge to boycott Senator Simpson's eggs until an anti-dog chaining law is passed. In addition, pledge to research the cruel egg industry. The photo in this petition is an actual image of Simpson's farm. Not only do chickens endure harsh treatment and conditions, but male chicks are also ground up or suffocated because they are not useful to the industry. Yes, you read that right, male chicks are not needed and meet a terrible fate.

Thank you for your support! Please forward and post this petition and Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BoycottSenatorSimpsonsEggs

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:

Florida Anti-Dog Chaining Bill
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=70191

Link to video to senator Simpson's egg farm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_63Vn1Fy7l0

Here is an animal abuse investigation of one of Cal-Maine's egg farms with quote from Senator Simpson. Watch the investigator's video:

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-tampa/investigation-reveals-deplorable-conditions-animal-abuse-at-lake-wales-egg-farm

Links to find out more about the cruel egg industry:

https://www.kinderworld.org/videos/egg-industry/baby-chicks-ground-up-alive/

http://arff.org/chickens

https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/chickens-their-life-and-death-in-farming-operations

In January of 2022 Versant & CMP raised their utility and distribution prices for their Northern and Eastern customers- with rate hikes expected to exceed 88%. As many people living in Northern & Eastern Maine have begun feeling the effects of this rate hike- we say “enough is enough”. Peoples once less than $200 electric bills are soaring to $400-$600. This is an unsustainable practice that only hurts their customers. With Versant & CMP having the market cornered there is no feasible way for the average customer to switch to a more affordable form of electricity. Customers are being forced to pay these astronomical prices or risk being disconnected. In 2022 electricity is not the luxury that it once was. Electricity is needed for our heat, hot water, to be able to work and attend school. Tell Maine Utility Commission to bring back their old rates so that we can continue surviving in this already volatile economic state.

Maine's Androscoggin County Commissioner Isaiah Lary of Wales authored an anti-mask resolution that states the mask mandate by Gov. Janet Mills is unconstitutional and calls for residents and visitors of Androscoggin County to decide for themselves whether or not to wear face coverings.There is a concerted effort to force Lary and other commissioners to bend the knee. Piscataquis County is also facing the same backlash. They are trying to strong-arm them into dropping resolutions that 'we the people' support.
How much longer can we allow our concerns about mask wearing and lockdown restrictions to be ignored? Are our local and county representatives not even allowed to put forth resolutions that are supported by the community? Are we not allowed to ask for legitimate medical exemptions to mask wearing that exist in many other U.S. states as provided for in the federal Americans With Disabilities Act?
Please share this and let the rest of Maine know what is going on. A recall petition has been initiated against Lary for daring to challenge Mills' executive authority, and he is being falsely portrayed as an irresponsible grandstander.
In fact, he is a courageous public official who represents many, many more Mainers than Mills or the media would be willing to admit.
Time is of the essense! Sign this petition and let the Androscoggin County Commissioners know that We the People support Lary's efforts to restore sanity and free speech in Maine!

This petition is to show support and to prove that there is a genuine local need for a concrete skatepark in Presque isle, Maine.

The new skatepark will be a free-to-use, safe, inclusive and family orientated sports facility for users of all ages. Professionally designed constructed by a company selected by the 'Your project's name here' with design input from local skatepark users.

Skateparks are proven to increase health, well-being, community cohesion whilst reducing social exclusion and anti-social behaviour. The skatepark will not only benefit skatepark users, it will enhance the town and will be an asset to the whole community.

Hello! A while ago district 207 bought one of these banners (except it says at Maine East, at Maine West, or at Maine South we believe...).The signs were hung up at Maine West and East but Maine South opted to make their own which just says ¨Hawks fight together¨. I believe that having the sign that the district bought on our building would show solidarity with the other schools as well as reflect the values of the students at Maine South. The fact the the other schools have the signs on their buildings but we do not showcases the division, racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, ect. that we allow to exist within our community. I will be taking this issue to the school board during their next meeting (the first monday in April), if you would like an answer for why Maine South won´t stand in solidarity with the other schools in our district and why they don´t believe in the values listed above, then sign this petition and share it with others.

February 2022

An Open Letter to Governor Janet T. Mills, Maine Department of Public Health Director James Markiewcz, Commissioner of the Maine Health & Human Services Agency Jeanne Lambrew, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Pender Makin, all Maine County Public Health Officers, and all Maine Public School Superintendents and School Boards:

We are writing to you today as health professionals and as Maine residents, parents and grandparents. Since this pandemic began, we have been living under highly restrictive COVID-19 policies in Maine, which have caused considerable collateral damage throughout the pandemic. These policies have long lost their justification as necessary for prevention of serious illness and death and continue to negatively affect our professional and personal lives without clear benefit nor any end in sight.

Present policies have driven thousands of people from our state and from our public schools, and we will continue to lose many great minds, great businesses, great families and great individuals if current policy is not righted.

We are particularly concerned about the toll that Covid mitigation policies continue to have on children and teens.

We are writing to ask Maine officials to acknowledge the endemic nature of COVID-19 and immediately shift our public dialogue toward defining a clear and immediate path for removing all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in public schools.


We implore you to do the following:

1. Acknowledge that any adult and most school age children have now had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated; many thousands of Mainers have also recovered from Covid adding to our collective immunity, and that forcing further mandates, including requiring boosters for children, is likely to increase mistrust and resentment of government and public health officials.

2. Acknowledge that many families in Maine vaccinated their children for the good of society since children are at lower risk of severe disease.

3. Acknowledge that the people of this state have been waiting for a major relaxation of restrictions which they have yet to receive.

4. Acknowledge that the public is weary from two years of restrictions and fighting for schools to reopen and resume in-person learning for their children; the public is weary of shifting messages from government officials, and a failure to acknowledge that the risk of severe COVID among children is practically nonexistent; indeed, it could take well over a generation for government leaders and infectious disease experts to regain the public’s trust.

5. Acknowledge the incredibly minute risk that COVID-19 illness poses to children compared to the disproportionate toll that mitigation measures have taken on children.

6. Acknowledge the ongoing mental health crisis that is present in our children and teens due to social isolation and anxiety that has been created by pandemic public policy, which failed to prioritize our children.

7. Acknowledge the ongoing educational crisis that is unfolding before us so long as children cannot see their teachers’ and peers’ faces and adequately hear and interact with them.

8. Immediately make masks optional in all school settings.

9. Acknowledge the potential developmental harm that is caused to children of all ages who do not get to see their caregivers’ and teachers’ mouths when they are being spoken to nor see their full facial expressions in their interactions.

10. Emphasize one-way masking (N95/KN95 masks are readily available and free) as a protective strategy for those who are extremely risk averse &/or immunocompromised.

11. End mindless testing and pooled testing of asymptomatic individuals with no clear purpose given that COVID-19 is here to stay.

12. Acknowledge that policies on college campuses throughout Maine should recognize that population’s relative low risk, thus not warranting returns to distance learning that deprive our young adults of social interaction that is formative for a lifetime.

13. Immediately shift away from a public health response that is based on case rates to one that strictly looks at hospitalizations and deaths in a broader context.

14. Acknowledge that true COVID-19 hospitalizations remain low in this state and particularly in our county, and that we should refrain from panic-driven restrictions that inflict additional collateral damage on our most vulnerable populations, unjustified by a less deadly variant.

15. Commit to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis for all future pandemic policies to ensure that benefit always outweighs harm, without disproportionately prioritizing prevention of transmission above all other health considerations.

We stand ready to help this state establish an immediate path to normalcy in our schools and beyond. We call upon our leaders and public officials to act now.

Sincerely,
_____________

More than 85% of eligible people in Vermont are now vaccinated. On June 14th, governor Phil Scott ended all Covid 19 restrictions including the mask mandate. This has allowed us to get on with our lives and enabled the state to mostly return to normal. However work places throughout Vermont have choosen to force their employees to continue to wear masks and many are now reinstating the mandate. This needs to end. Masks must be an individual choice not a mandate!

Governor Phil Scott, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, and Vermont Department of Health have all stated that because of Vermont's high vaccination rate, masks are not required but remain an option for those who choose the wear them. Yet businesses believe they know more than our state officials. The same officials that led vermont throughout this pandemic and helped Vermont be the safest state in the nation. Because 85% of vermonters are vaccinated, Vermont is in a unique position and the policies that work in other states are not necessarily here.

Together we have a strong voice. Let's use that voice to end the authoritarian rules placed on us not by our government but by our employers. End mask mandates in the workplace!

Last night on February 16th, 2022, we lost the young lives of Logan Cota, and Taylor Warren in a tragic head-on collision with an intoxicated, if not completely careless driver in Charleston, Vermont.

About two weeks ago the woman responsible, (Katlyn Deslandes, aka “Katy”) had driven off the road in the middle of the day on a snowbank, and posted it for sympathy. In the post (which her family has since deleted, as well as her Facebook profile) you can clearly see that that was in fact the result of her either being impaired, or distracted with what we can only assume was her phone. All day I have been trying to speak out and advocate for them, as it could’ve been me; it could’ve been any of us. All day I’ve also been getting my posts with the evidence taken down as a result of her family trying to cover up the fact that she killed two teens.

I may have not known them personally, but I, as well as hundreds of others are not going to settle for a manslaughter charge.

How many times are we going to give drunk drivers a slap on the wrist before they kill someone again?
We demand that she is to be put in prison for life.

Were not going to let you get away with this, and we will get justice for Logan and Taylor.

We just received notification that they will be eliminating the Mask Mandates in Vermont only for schools with 80% vaccination rates. It's time for parents to take a stand and stop the ridiculous vaccine mandates for the least at risk population. Vaccine status is a medical choice and children should not be a target of mask mandates any longer, and these discriminatory polices targeting unvaccinated children. It's time to take a stand and stop school mandates. Please let your voice be heard and sign this petition to End ALL Mask Mandates for our kids and let them get back to normalcy!!!!!! They won't stop until we make them. Medical freedom is your right as a parent, and children have suffered the most in this pandemic but are the least at risk . . . . . . . . it's time to say NO MORE......... Sign this Petition and CALL DAN FRENCH at the Agency of Education (802) 828-1130 to tell him to end his school mask mandate for ALL students!!! Or Email him at [email protected] . . . . . . END MASKING FOR KIDS!!!!!!!

At the end of last school year, Vermont dropped its mask mandate in schools and even went as far as telling districts not to impose their own during summer programs. With the increase and uncertainty of the transmission of the Delta variant and the unknowns of how this will affect our children and communities, it is prudent to protect everyone in Vermont schools.


The CDC has recommended universal masking for children in schools this fall. Please sign this petition in support of a mask mandate in Vermont public schools and also be sure to let the Agency of Education know you expect our children to be protected!

Please be sure to contact the Vermont Secretary of Education, Daniel French, and let him know your thoughts.



Daniel French

[email protected]

802.828.1130

Racism is prevalent among our university. As there is no zero tolerance rule among our school when it comes to racism. This has come to the forefront as a current student of the university still has the opportunity to work and live on the Lyndon campus after he used a racial slur at a black student. The slur was said with malicious intent and used to harm. You should not get a second chance when it comes to racism especially at a university that prides itself on being open to all people no matter the race and sexual orientation. The Zero tolerance rule at NVU would remove a student from the university that has intent to hurt when it comes to race. That can be in an individuals action or word. Our university needs to be better when it comes to priorities. Situations like this are the reason racism is alive and well in 2021.

President Elaine Collins stated

“NVU believes in a community that takes action to celebrate all people and embrace a plurality of ideas and experiences. NVU denounces the rhetoric and actions of white supremacists and hate groups. We stand in solidarity with those who reject acts of hatred and the use of fear to intimidate and marginalize. Let us stand united in support of each other.”

But without the Zero Tolerance policy in place this will not be an accurate statement. By signing this petition it should show our higher ups at Northern Vermont University that a zero tolerance rule should be in effect.

Vermont State College System (VSCS) got 10 million dollars in scholarships to Vermonters. In the scholarship, they are giving students a free year of education if they live in the states. They are not offering anything to out-of-state students. This is unfair to students that are out of state that is attending VSCS. I feel that there need to be some scholarships to out-of-state students and not just in-state students. We pay close to $45,000 a year in financial aid and in-state only pays up to 20,000 a year.

We have to drive 40 minutes to Keene NH to get chipotle. I think we should have a chipotle in Springfield.

We, select members affiliated with UVM Sisters of Color, in coalition with the greater UVM community call upon the immediate resignation of UVM Associate Professor Aaron Kindsvatter. His most recent video, “Racism and the Secular Religion at the University of Vermont” is harmful to our campus’ community of color. His demands to remove anti-racist work done by administrators on the basis that it “reduces his identity to his race” defends his privilege and denies accountability that campus groups have spent years advocating for.

Specifically, the associate professor’s qualms are with the “turning towards whiteness” teach-in, where he claims he was victimized and targeted because of his whiteness. He believes anti-racist rhetoric employed by the university was in itself discriminatory, and that it contributes to hatred fueled by hate groups.

Claims of being “suppressed” for his “moderate views” are unsavory and asinine—the first step towards any kind of progress on campus is through accountability and having honest discussions. Furthermore, the fact that you go so far as to claim notable, respected literature on anti-racist work as to cause you a sort of “spiritual sickness” is beyond comprehensible.

We quote Educator Tricia Ebarvia: “You cannot disrupt if you do not understand how systems of oppression work. You cannot understand how systems of oppression work until you come to terms with how they have worked on you. We believe any person hoping to engage in these kinds of conversations first engage in understanding how systems of oppression work. Individuals need to do their own work first to model what they are asking of others.”

Having conversations around anti-racism and acknowledging the role of whiteness in systemic racism has been supported by every department on campus, as it is rooted in our campus’ common ground values. Speaking out against this work is harmful when you cannot hold yourself accountable and begin practicing good allyship. This video is particularly harmful towards the community of color through his calls to organize. When identity groups have been repeatedly targeted in dangerous manners on campus, this rhetoric is concerning to say the least.

Professor Aaron Kindsvatter’s “i-don’t-see-race” mentality has been proven to be harmful towards any kind of societal racial justice and for that reason we are demanding his immediate resignation. A UVM faculty member, especially one who teaches courses in counseling, should not hold this ideology employed by white supremesists. The freedom of free thought is not what is being restricted here, it’s the fact that Aaron Kindsvatter is using his position of power and authority as a platform for spewing these ideologies.

Aside from the Asst. Professor’s video tirade, his public Twitter profile has retweeted and actively engaged in racist tweets claiming of “white genocide.” He believes “wokeness” to be a proxy for abusing power. As an individual, you have the right to believe that. However, as a professor in the College of Education and Social Services, you have the authority, professional academic obligation and sphere of influence pertaining to counseling and mental wellbeing where it is imperative to realize all of one’s own biases. Simply put, Aaron Kindsvatter hides behind sophisticated, elitist rhetoric to mask his self-victimization and racist ideology--a tactic employed by white elites in America to cover up their racism.

We kindly demand the immediate resignation of Asst. Prof. Aaron Kindsvatter. Despite what the video’s disclaimer says, Aaron’s words are wholly dismissive of the experiences that students of color face on campus. The university, despite the assistant professor’s history of speaking out against diversity and equity mandates, has not pursued disciplinary action. We ask that the university sticks to its promise of promoting equitable justice and holds its faculty members accountable for harm they cause.


Sincerely,


J M

A M

M C

M T

F A