The Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List

Welcome to the Western Mass Resistance Calendar for the week of 5/24, a listing of resistance actions to Trump-Musk and pro-democracy actions throughout Western Massachusetts. This week we have added some additional blogs and listserves that link readers to efforts to lobby elected officials. Please send your listings for the calendar to amherstindy@gmail.com. This resource is in addition to our occasional column What Now? that explores resistance strategies.

Local Direct Action

SATURDAY MAY 24: Greenfield for a Ceasefire 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square in Greenfield.

SUNDAY MAY 25: Fast for Gaza Vigil. All are welcome to join Jewish Voice for Peace Western MA & community this Sun. May 25 at 3:00 p.m., at Northampton City Hall, to Fast & Grieve for Gaza. We will hold a vigil with song & poetry to mourn the starvation in Gaza for Global Fast Day. Bring signs that say #fastforgaza & poems to read if you feel inspired. All are welcome, whether or not they are able to fast for the day. More information

TUESDAY MAY 27 (and every Tuesday) – in Amherst. Stand out for Peace and Racial Justice (and immigrant justice, climate justice, etc.) – in Amherst. 4:00-4:30 P.M. Main Street and South Pleasant Street in front of the bank. Bringing positive action in troubling times.

TUESDAY MAY 27 (and every Tuesday). Easthampton Standout for Palestine. Easthampton for Ceasefire will hold weekly standouts in support of Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Join them EVERY TUESDAY 5 pm – 6 pm at the pond. Bring signs, banners, flags, and friends! Kids and families are welcome and encouraged to participate. For more information email easthampton4ceasefireresources@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

TUESDAY MAY 27: Standout at I-91 Overpass in Hatfield. 3:30-5:00 p.m. 12 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.

WEDNESDAY MAY 28 (and every Wednesday). Early Birds for Gaza. Standout at L3Harris in Northampton. Greet L3Harris employees with a peace message – No More Weapons to Israel – Convert to Peace Work”Come down and join us! Hosted by Demilitarize Western Mass. The idea is to have a regular space where we can gather, let L3 know we’re not going anywhere, and experiment with different tactics and approaches! Newcomers and new ideas welcome.

FRIDAY May 30 (and every Friday): HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS! Peaceful Visibility Standout, 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/

FRIDAY MAY 30 (and every Friday): Northampton Standout For an Arms Embargo. Noon- 1 p.m. Northampton City Hall, 210 Main Street.

FRIDAY MAY 30: (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 MAY 30 (and every Friday): Sunderland Gaza Ceasefire Standout: 4-5:00 p.m. Massachusetts 116 & Massachusetts 47, MA-116 & MA-47, Sunderland, MA 01375, USA

FRIDAY MAY 30 (and every Friday) in South Deerfield, MA:  Good Trouble Democracy Brigade Standout
Location: Route 116 and Sugarloaf St. 3-4 p.m.

SATURDAY MAY 31: Greenfield for a Ceasefire 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square in Greenfield.

TUESDAY June 3: Standout at I-91 Overpass in Hatfield. 3:30-5:00 p.m. 12 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.

WEDNESDAY June 4 (and every Wednesday). Early Birds for Gaza. Standout at L3Harris in Northampton. Greet L3Harris employees with a peace message – No More Weapons to Israel – Convert to Peace Work”Come down and join us! Hosted by Demilitarize Western Mass. The idea is to have a regular space where we can gather, let L3 know we’re not going anywhere, and experiment with different tactics and approaches! Newcomers and new ideas welcome.

FRIDAY June 6 (and every Friday): HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS! Peaceful Visibility Standout, 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/

FRIDAY June 6 (and every Friday): Northampton Standout For an Arms Embargo. Noon- 1 p.m. Northampton City Hall, 210 Main Street.

FRIDAY June 6 (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 June 6 (and every Friday): Sunderland Gaza Ceasefire Standout: 4-5:00 p.m. Massachusetts 116 & Massachusetts 47, MA-116 & MA-47, Sunderland, MA 01375, USA

FRIDAYJune 6 (and every Friday) in South Deerfield, MA:  Good Trouble Democracy Brigade Standout
Location: Route 116 and Sugarloaf St. 3-4 p.m.

TUESDAY June 10 (and every Tuesday) – in Amherst. Stand out for Peace and Racial Justice (and immigrant justice, climate justice, etc.) – in Amherst. 4:00-4:30 P.M. Main Street and South Pleasant Street in front of the bank. Bringing positive action in troubling times.

TUESDAY June 10 (and every Tuesday). Easthampton Standout for Palestine. Easthampton for Ceasefire will hold weekly standouts in support of Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Join them EVERY TUESDAY 5 pm – 6 pm at the pond. Bring signs, banners, flags, and friends! Kids and families are welcome and encouraged to participate. For more information email easthampton4ceasefireresources@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

TUESDAY June 10: Standout at I-91 Overpass in Hatfield. 3:30-5:00 p.m. 12 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.

SATURDAY JUNE 14; NO KINGS! NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST. Organized by Indivisible. Watch this space for local actions or look HERE and HERE for more information on the mobilization.

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.

ACTIVE BOYCOTTS: Boycotts can be a powerful tool to make companies stop doing bad things. Perhaps you’ve seen dozens of boycotts across your social media feed. Look up what boycotts are happening now and who is organizing them rated by Choose Democracy’s criteria of what makes a boycott effective.

TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday June 12: Equity in the 413: Western Mass Equity Summit. 8 a.m. – 7.p.m. Westfield State University. Join us for an inspiring series of workshops focused on advancing racial equity and justice in our region—including “Joy: A Tool for Resilience and Resistance” with Dr. Latoya Bosworth, Got H.E.R.S Get More Coaching. Get tix and more information at: https://bit.ly/4eLop6G


Other Listings and Calendars
Comprehensive WMASS Actions/ Events Calendar by Indivisible
Rise Up Western Mass Facebook (with postings of upcoming events)
Western Mass Showing Up for Racial Justice (WMSURJ)
413 Staying Connected
Regular Standouts for Palestine Calendar

Virtual Dissent
K Starling, at We The People Dissent, has started a listing of virtual , ADA accessible and at home ways to dissent. Check out her first listing for virtual events here.

Lobbying Your Elected Representatives
The Western Mass Resistance Calendar Focuses on Direct Action.  But there are many folks out there who are organizing for lobbying Congress to act to prevent a long list of specific atrocities and there are numerous blogs and list-serves that offer weekly actions that you take in response to the most pressing issues. Usually provided are addresses, phone numbers, and scripts that you can use to exhort your reps into action.  If you are looking for an action that you can take in 15 minutes, you can find all sorts of suggestions on these lists. Many of these lists also contain weekly summary’s of wins or good news from the resistance -reminding readers that resistance is not futile. Here is a sample of places to check out.

Rogan’s List
American’s of Conscience Checklist
Chop Wood, Carry Water
5Calls.org

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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 five blogs that help me to track the proliferating 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/Musk 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 on education are going and where the resistance is forming in higher education, 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.

Organizing My Thoughts by Kelly Hayes, the blog of writer, organizer and Truth Out editor. Features interviews with other organizers, tips on sedlf-care and staying sane and brave through the crisis, and a monthly, must-read reading list, reviewing the major atrocities emanating mostly from but not limited to Washington. Read her posts 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 Is Everywhere
What to Do if the Insurrection Act is Invoked by Daniel Hunter (Waging Nonviolence).With the Insurrection Act looming, now is the time to learn how it might unfold and the strategic ways to respond — including the power of ridicule.

The Creative Playbook Behind Turkey’s Mass Protests by Ela Buruk (Waging Non-Violence). In late March 2025, Turkey was rocked by its largest protests in a decade after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — a leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — was detained on corruption and terrorism charges. Outrage over his jailing and the subsequent closure of city services (such as metro and bus lines) under a protest ban quickly spilled into the streets. Yet alongside anger and defiance, an unexpected element emerged: humor and creative spectacle.

How to Fight Fascism in a Captured State by Kelly Hayes and Shane Burley. (Podcast Transcript from Truthout). We need to think deeply about cultivating that mindset of collective survival, of needing to understand each other and work together, even if we don’t like each other, and would never actually choose each other, because this is the ‘us’ we’ve got in an us versus them situation

The Anti-Authoritarian Play Book: What to Do Now. by Scott Nakagawa (blog The Anti-authoritarian Play Book). Now is the time to build stronger and deeper pro-democracy coalitions that are educated about what’s at stake and prepared to act together. The most effective approach involves forming broad coalitions across civic groups, advocacy organizations, business interests, and faith communities before a crisis hits, like a constitutional crisis, an escalation in immigration enforcement, widespread targeting of opposition leaders, crackdowns on civil society organizations, and other moves. These networks are most powerful when they transcend traditional political divides, bringing together diverse stakeholders united by their commitment to democratic principles rather than specific policy positions.

Divest Public Dollars from Elon Musk: A How to Guide by teslatakedown.com. Cities & states opposed to Musk’s illegal takeover of the federal government invest trillions of dollars in the stock market through city pension systems. Some cities purchase vehicle fleets from Tesla, and others hold contracts with Musk’s businesses. As Musk’s brutal and unnecessary cuts are ravaging state and local budgets, local governments that care about democracy should not be giving Elon Musk money by investing in his companies.

Be There, Be Counted. An Inventory of Community Actions in 2025. by K. Starling (5/1/25). A(mostly) complete list of (almost) every protest across the country. (We The People Dissent /Substack)

Fighting Elon Musk One Tesla Dealership at a Time by Sarah Larson (3/30/25). “It’s ironic that, as a pro-democracy and pro-climate group, we’re protesting against electric cars,” one activist said. “But you cannot sacrifice our democracy for one piece of the thing.” (The New Yorker)

The People’s Toolkit by Women’s March. Don’t just watch from the sidelines – join a community ready to take action. This power-packed toolkit developed by organizations behind the 2025 People’s March will connect you directly to movements making change on the issues you care about most. We’ve gathered concrete actions and individual demands from grassroots partners across the movement. Whether you’re passionate about voting rights, gender equity, or economic justice – there’s a clear path to make an impact.

17 Ways to Disprupt the Status Quo in Your Hometown by K. Starling (4/21/25). Whether you live in a sea of blue or are a blue dot in a red county, any one of us can dissent from our hometown. Here are 17 ways you can disrupt the status quo and make an impact in your town. And don’t forget—invite others to amplify your impact. (We The People Dissent / Substack).

How to Protest Safely by Courtney Lindwall (10/26/22). We must bear in mind that protesting in person is a privilege that not everyone shares. Some cannot chance gathering in groups due to health vulnerabilities. Some cannot afford run-ins with police due to their immigration status, family responsibilities, or job. And protesting remains uniquely dangerous for people of color—especially Black people—who continue to face intentional targeting and violence at the hands of police. For those who are willing and able to show up and speak out, here is your guide to protesting safely and effectively. (NRDC.org)

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)W

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)