The Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List

Starting this week, the Indy will maintain a calendar of resistance/pro-democracy actions in Western Massachusetts as well as a list of supplemental readings to help you keep tabs on the ongoing assault on democracy.  This is in addition to our occasional column What Now? which explores resistance strategies. This week the directory is incomplete but we hope to fill it out in the coming weeks. As you can see, there is plenty of resistance happening locally and plenty of opportunity to get involved. Please send your notices of resistance actions to amherstindy@gmail.com.

Western Mass Actions

SATURDAY APRIL 19: National Day of Action Against the Trump Administration.  More than 400 events scheduled as of Friday (4/18) morning.  Map and list of cities participating.  Read more.

Local Actions for the National Day of Action

Northampton 50501 Rally: Protest the Trump-Musk Destruction of our Government. No kings! (Noon-1:30 p.m., King and Main St, Northampton) Info here.

Holyoke Stop the Cuts Rally (Noon-3 p.m., Veterans’ Field, Holyoke) Info here.

Pittsfield Standout: Rise Up Western Mass; Indivisible (11a.m.-12:30pm, Housatonic and South Streets) Info here.

Ashfield Seeds of Hope: Cultivating the Resistance Rally, (Noon-2 p.m. Ashfield Commons) Affinity Ashfield. Info here.

Shelburne Falls Rally for Democracy (12:30 p.m., Iron Bridge, Shelburne Falls)

Springfield Democracy-Assembly Required, (2-4 p.m., Intersection of Boston Road & Parker St., Springfield) Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible + Defending Democracy in Hampden County. Info here.

SATURDAY April 19: Raise a Ruckus for Democracy. Montague MA. 11:00 a.m. – Noon. Raise a Ruckus for Democracy Montague Center, MA, Common Bring: Your voice, protest signs, musical instruments, food donation (for kids’ school vacation lunches.) A peaceful gathering. All welcome.  More information.

SATURDAY APRIL 19 (and every Saturday)Geendfield Standout for a Ceasefire.. 11 a.m.-noon, On the green by Court Square

TUESDAY April 22: Earth Day Protest – Amherst Town Common, 4:00-5:30 p.m.  We’re amplifying the Pioneer Valley Sunrise hubs and Youth Climate Action Now (YCAN) Earth Day Protest on Amherst Town Common. Please come out in support! Meet at 4pm on Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22) on Amherst Town Common, in front of Town Hall, to fight for our futures and make corporations pay their fair share for climate damages. More information.

TUESDAY April 22:  I-91 Overpass Standout – Mountain Drive, Hatfield. Come out to show that ordinary people can raise their voices against the chaos and destruction of this Administration. Help remind folks that they, too, can stand up for their beliefs – and that there’s lots and lots of people who aren’t on board with the “cruelty as entertainment” behavior of Trump and Musk and the GOP. We’ll have letterboards prepared with the message on the photo above. See The Visibility Brigade Toolkit (https://tinyurl.com/TheVisibilityBrigade). Come when you can, and leave when you must. You needn’t be present for the entire 2-hour stand-out. Once we are set up, our main job is to wave at cars and dance to the honks!  More information

FRIDAY April 25 – I-91 Overpass Standout – Mountain Park Road, Holyoke. 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Come out to show that ordinary people can raise their voices against the chaos and destruction of this Administration. Help remind folks that they, too, can stand up for their beliefs – and that there’s lots and lots of people who aren’t on board with the “cruelty as entertainment” behavior of Trump and Musk and the GOP.  More information

FRIDAY April 25 (and every Friday) Jewish Voice for Peace Weekly Northampton Standout. 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Route 9 roundabout at the Northampton side of the Coolidge Bridge. Join us in demanding a ceasefire & arms embargo. Signs & banners provided. Park at the Norwottuck Rail Trail, 446 Damon Rd. Click here for access info.

FRIDAY APRIL 25. Standouts Along I-91. A coalition of Western Massachusetts Indivisible groups will be holding a massive, coordinated standout on every overpass on I-91 from Enfield, CT, to Putney, VT.  The standout event will take place on Friday, April 25, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Different groups are committing to show up at each of the overpasses. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP. 

SATURDAY April 26: Divest Northampton at the Farmer’s Market: Teach-in. 10-11am, Gothic St, Northampton. Come learn about the Divest Resolution, to divest from Israel human rights abuses. 

SATURDAY April 26 UMASS Tribunal: Put UMass on Trial. 11am-4 pm, Place TBA. The UMass system has gone to great lengths to protect its partnerships with war profiteers and involvement in the genocide in Gaza, arresting hundreds of students, staff, faculty, and community members who sought to stop it. The people of UMass will expose the full severity of UMass’ participation in mass murder at the UMass People’s Tribunal.

SATURDAY. APRIL 26 Spring into Solidarity – Greenfield Organizer Meet-up. 11a.m. – 1p.m., Greenfield Grange Dining Room, 401 Chapman St., Greenfield, Come meet your fellow organizers to strengthen local webs of solidarity! Register here.

SATURDAY APRIL 26,  SPRINGFIELD TESLA TAKEDOWN,
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Springfield Tesla – Corner of Cadwell Drive & Page Blvd, Springfield, MA RSVP and more information.

SATURDAY APRIL 26. Greenfield for a Ceasefire Standout. 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square, 

TUESDAY APRIL 29: WORKSHOP- DIGITAL DEFENDERS: SECURING OUR RESISTANCE, A CRITICAL TRAINING ON INFOSECURITY FOR EVERYDAY ACTIVISTS.  From doxxing to digital surveillance, our movements are under threat. Join us as Dr. Heather Woods and Dr. Leslie Hahner break down the basics of infosecurity—and how we can protect our data, defend our people, and keep our resistance safe online. More information and Registration

THURSDAY. May 1: May Day RALLY No Business as Usual During a Genocide Rally. 4:30-6:30pm, 50 Prince St, Northampton Join Demilitarize Western Mass, Veteran’s for Peace 413, and STOPL3Harris. Gather at 4:30, at 5:30 march to City Hall. 6:15pm rally.  

FRIDAY MAY 2 (and every Friday): Jewish Voice for Peace Weekly Northampton Standout. 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Route 9 roundabout at the Northampton side of the Coolidge Bridge. Join us in demanding a ceasefire & arms embargo. Signs & banners provided. Park at the Norwottuck Rail Trail, 446 Damon Rd. Click here for access info.

Saturday May 3: March with People’s Pride in the Hampshire Pride Parade 10 a.m. gather at Sheldon Field, Northampton, march at 11am. Join the Democratic Socialists of American Pride Contingent with your Palestine flags, anti-capitalist messages, noisemakers, and revolutionary queer energy! 

Saturday, May 3: Greenfield for a Ceasefire 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square, 

Ongoing:  Tesla Takedowns: Elon Musk is destroying democracy around the world, and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup. Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.  In the valley – Tesla Takedowns have been held at the Tesla charging facility at the Pride Station on the Hadley side of the Coolidge Bridge.  Find a listing of Tesla Takedown actions here.

Other Listings
Comprehensive WMASS Actions/ Events Calendar by Indivisible
Rise Up Western Mass Facebook (with postings of upcoming events)

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Good Reads

The State We Are In: Tracking the Atrocities
The assaults on the rule of law and on well-established civil rights have been coming so quickly that it’s hard to absorb how dramatic the changes to our society have been.  I have been following four blogs that help me to track the proliefating atrocities and to help direct me toward the malfeasance that is most consequential.

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson – Richardson, an historian, offers her daily dissection of a single Trump Administration atrocity and then places it in the context of American history. Each day offers a compelling read, that includes citations. Read the blog or subscribe here.

Today’s Edition Newsletter by Robert Hubble.  Hubble offers a daily summary of the worst of Trump from the previous day and then reports on what folks are doing to resist Trump’s edicts and actions.  Read past editions here.

The Daily Briefing by Rick Seltzer.  This blog provides a daily rundown of Trump’s assault on Higher Education – providing the most comprehensive tracking of Trump’s war on universities that I have found.  This one is behind a paywall but if you’re concerned with where Trump’s attacks are going and where the resistance is forming, this is the place to stay on top of those issues. The blog is a feature of the Chronicle of Higher Education and can be found here

Democracy Docket: Tracking the Legal Fight Against Trump. A great blog for keeping tabs on where Trump’s actions are being challenged in the courts.  Read a sample or subscribe here.

And here’s an article by Kelley Hayes that sums up where we are at the moment.

Fascism Isn’t Coming: It’s Here Now.  Now What?  By Kelley Hayes (4/17/25).  We’re not just contending with right-wing movements. We’re talking about movements that have reached one of their goals, which is to take over the government,” says organizer and grassroots strategist Ejeris Dixon. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” Dixon and host Kelly Hayes discuss fascism, coalition building, and the compassion and shared knowledge we need to create safety and justice in these times. (Truthout)

Resistance

What Would a General Strike in the US Actually Look Like by Jeremy Brecher (4/8/25). Calls for a general strike in the US are growing. It’s important to understand how to organize one, given their key role in overcoming tyrants around the world. (Waging Nonviolence)

Mutual Aid in the Age of Fascism by Judith Levine (4/10/25). As people are being deputized to do violence, building connections is political resistance. (Boston Review)

How Civil Resistance Can Topple A Dictator by Erica Chenoweth ((2/1/25). It may only take 3.5% of the population to topple a dictator – with civil resistance. (Portside / The Guardian)

Resistance is Alive and Well in the United States by Erica Chenoweth, Jeremy Pressman, and Soha Hammam (3/19/25). Protests of Trump may not look like the mass marches of 2017, but research shows they are far more numerous and frequent — while also shifting to more powerful forms of resistance. (Waging Non-Violence)

So You Want to Be a Dissident: A Practical Guide for Courage in Trump’s Age of Fear by Julia Angwin and Amy Fields-Meyer (4/12/25). Sometime in the past two months the United States crossed into a new and unfamiliar realm—one in which the consequences of challenging the state seem to increasingly carry real danger. The sitting President, elected on an explicit platform of revenge against his political enemies, entered office by instituting loyalty tests, banning words, purging civil servants, and installing an F.B.I. director who made his name promising to punish his boss’s critics.Retribution soon followed. (The New Yorker)