Please join other Middlebury citizens petitioning the selectboard to adopt a resolution on securing due process and other Constitutional rights for all people.

The petition asks the selectboard to unequivocally condemn all violations of due process and the abusive exercise of government power targeting individuals based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, social class, ethnicity, or citizenship status; affirm its unwavering commitment to support and protect the rights of all people in our town, regardless of citizenship status, national origin, political belief, or any other identity; pledge to oppose any policy or action — local, state, or federal — that targets individuals based on who they are, where they come from, or what they believe and to defend Middlebury as a community rooted in justice, accountability, and equal dignity of all; and review all relevant town policies, practices, and protocols to ensure the town actively upholds and protects the due process rights of all persons within its jurisdiction.

As the petition states: Our Constitution guarantees due process, equal protection, and fundamental rights to all persons, regardless of citizenship status, immigration status, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or political belief. Recent actions by federal authorities, including detention of legal residents in Vermont without clear justification or timely access to legal counsel, represent a dangerous escalation of government overreach and a violation of these constitutional protections.

History shows, as the petition points out, that violations of the rights of one group lead to abuses against other groups: first against immigrants, then against dissenters, and eventually against anyone who does not conform to the views of those in power. The silence of public officials at all levels of government in the face of such abuses amounts to complicity, and failure to act now will only embolden those who seek to dismantle the rule of law and divide our communities through fear.

The selectboard will receive the petition and citizen comments about the issues at its Tuesday, Aug. 26 meeting at 7 p.m., in the Municipal Building. Please attend and make your voices heard.

Michael and Judy Olinick

Middlebury