Please join us for our 80th consecutive community rally to Defend Democracy in beautiful downtown Bethel. Our overall theme is Defending Democracy.
On Saturday, Sept 12th 11am – 12:30pm (90 mins), we will remember 9/11 and honor those we lost. We will also discuss the troubling aftermath of increased anti-Muslim racism and Islamophobia as well as our government’s response for increased surveillance and creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There is a direct line to the current issues we see today with the violent kidnappings and the collection of detailed information about everyone. Our theme this week is:
Remembering 9/11 and Its Troubling Aftermath
(Tip: If viewing on facebook or mobilize, it is easier to read the full Bethel rally announcement with pictures here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pw23RIR8Lfam0CTTEdu8O8k2sJkVo3dUhdHqOho5-fE/edit?usp=drivesdk
We will be needing extra setup and packup help the next few weeks for the rallies. Please let us know if you can help.
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“Four planes. Nineteen hijackers. Two thousand nine hundred ninety-seven lives were lost. A nation left shattered. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since the World Trade Center and Pentagon were hit by hijacked airplanes and since passengers took down an airplane in a Pennsylvania field to foil the terrorists on board. Now, 9/11 is known as the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Since then, many Americans have worked diligently to honor those who were lost on that fateful day of Sept 11, 2001.”
from, “ The 9/11 Quotes That We’ll Never Forget”, Jeanne Sager
The nation changed forever on September 11, 2001. Many Americans remember a country before and a country after, and for many young Americans, only a country after. Many conversations and reflections followed on American identity, patriotism, security, and service that resonate today.
Hate crimes, physical assaults, verbal threats, and arson targeting mosques, community centers, and individuals perceived to be Muslim skyrocketed in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
There was collateral targeting of Arab, South Asian, Sikh, and Middle Eastern Americans, regardless of their actual faith or background. There was also a nearly 250% increase in religion-based workplace discrimination claims from Muslim Americans in the wake of the attacks.
The government placed severe immigration and travel restrictions and spewed rhetoric blaming entire muslim communities. Long-term tracking by groups like the Pew Research Center indicates that negative public perceptions—such as the belief that Islam encourages violence more than other religions—remained high and increasingly polarized years after the initial tragedy.
Today, even as Muslim Americans attain greater representation, they continue to confront racialized narratives that portray them as suspect, foreign, or insufficiently American. When there is violence involving Muslim perpetrators, they are still often framed as inherently susceptible to terrorism and casting Islam itself as a religion that promotes violence.
Government overreach after the September 11 attacks led to major losses of personal privacy and legal rights under the name of national security.
Mass Surveillance and the PATRIOT Act
The PATRIOT Act: Congress quickly passed this law in 2001 to give federal agencies broad new powers.
Data Collection: The government gained the right to track phone logs, monitor internet history, and check library records.
No Warrants: Many searches happened without any specific proof of wrongdoing.
Privacy Concerns: The American Civil Liberties Union reports that these rules created a system of mass spying on ordinary people.
Secret Spying and Courts Wiretaps: The National Security Agency (NSA) listened to phone calls and read emails without getting standard court permission.
Secret Judges: A special group called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved sweeping spy requests in secret.
Law Overhauls: Experts at the Brennan Center for Justice state that these rules stripped away legal protections against spying.
Detentions and Interrogations Guantanamo Bay: The military held terror suspects at a prison camp in Cuba for years without normal trials.
Torture: Government lawyers wrote secret memos to allow extreme interrogation tactics, such as waterboarding.
Citizen Jails: U.S. citizens were sometimes jailed as enemy combatants without access to a lawyer.
Costs and Secrecy
Massive Spending: The Atlantic Council notes that the nation spent trillions of dollars on endless security programs and foreign wars.
Hidden Actions: Federal agencies used national security rules to hide their daily actions from the public and avoid oversight.
And today, government surveillance has expanded rapidly, supercharged by advanced artificial intelligence (AI), commercial data brokers, and biometric tracking. While the government argues these tools are necessary for national security, border control, and law enforcement, civil liberties organizations warn that we are entering an era of unprecedented mass surveillance.
How can you protect your privacy? Because modern surveillance relies heavily on digital footprints and automated data harvesting, you can actively reduce your exposure by taking a few key steps: use end-to-end encrypted apps like Signal, lock down location services, and use privacy-focused browsers & VPNs. Browsers like Brave or Firefox Focus, combined with a trustworthy Virtual Private Network (VPN), mask your IP address and block corporate trackers from logging your daily browsing habits. You can also opt-out of data brokers by using data-removal services (such as DeleteMe, Incogni, or Kanary) to systematically force commercial data brokers to purge your personal information and phone records from their databases.
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See the full Bethel rally announcement with pictures here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pw23RIR8Lfam0CTTEdu8O8k2sJkVo3dUhdHqOho5-fE/edit?usp=drivesdk
Please don’t attend the rally if you cannot refrain from engaging with agitators.
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Never miss information about upcoming rallies by registering for our rally newsletter, bit.ly/BethelRalliesNewsletter
(case sensitive).
You can also provide feedback on what you’d like to see at future rallies.
Questions and feedback are also always welcome anytime at:
BethelDefendsDemocracyRallies@gmail.com
Visit our website BethelRallies.org
to find videos and pictures from our past rallies.
Note: Rally is rain, snow or shine. Please bring your own lawn or camping chair.
Approximate Rally Schedule:
(Rally will be on Greenwood Ave behind the Bethel Library on the sidewalk and up to 17 feet from the curb)
11:00 – 11:15 Sign holding and chanting
11:15 – 11:45 Program
11:45 -12:30 Sign holding and chanting
12:30pm Disperse
Food Pantry Requests:
We collect for Bethel’s food pantry each week. All non-perishable items are greatly appreciated, but the food pantry especially needs: Cereal, Canned & dried fruit, coffee, toilet paper, laundry detergent in SMALL bottles. The pantry is also ready to receive *Cardboard* egg cartons only.
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Upcoming events:
Empathy is the Cure
Sunday Sept 13th, 3-6pm
Empathy is the Cure is a music series in Bethel, CT, which raises money and goods for local charities. It takes place the 2nd Sunday of the month at Molten Java in Bethel. Let’s support our friend Barry Seroff, a big supporter of our rallies and many causes, who is the organizer of this series.
This month Empathy is the Cure is raising money for the Harambee Center for Youth and Community Service! At Harambee they work together to provide a safe haven for the low-income and minority youth of Danbury, CT; where kids and teens can learn new skills, practice sports, and gain a community to support them!
Performances by
3pm – John Williams
4pm – Gregory Frost
5pm – Larry Moore
See you there! If you cannot make the event you can still donate.
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Ridgefield Resistance is starting weekly Monday rallies! So if Saturday isn’t enough or you have a conflict, please consider joining our Ridgefield Resistance friends.
Every Monday from 4-5pm in front of Ballard Park join them to support democracy. They had a great turn out with lots of HONKS!!
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Sunday, Sep 20, Noon — 3:00pm
REBS Midterm Mixer!
NOD HILL BREWERY
137 Ethan Allen Hwy.,
Ridgefield
It’s a party!
Join us for good company, live music and great food and drink as we come together to celebrate all we do for our democracy. Spending time in community is rewarding, inspiring and motivational. And we need all those good vibes as we head into the midterm elections. Voting will be one of the most important actions we can take.
Let’s celebrate our country, our democracy and our freedom to vote!
Register here:
https://mobilize.us/s/dJCCkx
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September is Hunger Action Month.
There is no excuse for one of the most affluent states in America to have the worst food insecurity in the entire Northeast.
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Lightworkers Film at Prospector Theater Oct 15th
Ridgefield Resistance, Indivisible Fairfield County, and other local groups such as Bethel Defends Democracy and Bethel Bethel Blues, are sponsoring the showing of the film Light Workers.
Thirty-five diverse men and women confront the problem of saving their democracy from fascism.
The documentary is about all of us who are standing up now. We the people who believe our government must be, of the people, by the people, and for the benefit of the people. We who are determined to make it so. Bring a friend who you want to inspire to engage!
https://www.lightworkersdoc.com/
https://mobilize.us/s/nTG6y5
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NEXT No Kings is Oct 17th. The theme is Voting Early.
We are beginning the planning, so anyone who would like to volunteer please let us know.
Bethel Municipal Center 11am-1pm
Register here:
https://mobilize.us/s/V096Eg
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Support Amos House: A Road to Home event
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GXDXn2AeM/
Amos House is holding its fourth annual signature event, “A Road to Home (RTH)” on Thursday, October 22, 2026, 6:30pm at Candlewood Inn, Brookfield. This is their most important annual fundraiser and every dollar raised goes toward providing a safe haven for mothers and children. RTH is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness by providing our families with the tools that they need to transition toward permanent and independent living.
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With the US Open in progress in NYC, a little wisdom from Arthur Ashe:
We appreciate every one of you that attends. Together we can voice our frustrations, build community, and also hopefully learn a little something from experts or your fellow neighbors’ experience.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. ❤️
Please park at one of the four public parking lots. We ask that you leave the limited street parking spots open so they are available for patrons of downtown businesses – but definitely enjoy our beautiful town’s restaurants and shops after the rally!
Bring your voice, your spirit, and your friends. Let’s make change visible.
💥 Because the fight for democracy continues through all seasons.
Thank you 😊
*A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.*