On Monday, Feb. 9, eleven people were arrested during a protest in Williston, including several residents of our area. The protest took place at a facility in the Williston White Cap Industrial Park that houses a large digital surveillance office run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The eleven protestors arrested included three who reside in the Upper Valley — Karen Bixler, age 83, of Bethel; Douglas Smith, age 85, of Sharon; and Donald Kollisch, age 74, of Hanover; along with Laura Simon (72) of White River Junction, who was issued a citation on a charge of criminal trespassing at the scene and released.
In the aftermath of the protest, the Standard spoke with Bixler about why she chose to protest at this specific facility, why she stayed long enough to get arrested, and what she hopes to see from her region, the state, and the nation moving forward.
For more on this, please see our Feb. 19 edition of the Vermont Standard.
