Photo: Rep. Kate Logan being arrested for civil disobedience in Washington D.C., March 2025
As political scientist and historian, Howard Zinn, said, “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.”
When I heard about Representative Kate Logan’s arrest last month protesting Medicaid cuts in Washington D.C. my reaction was, “Good for her!” Civil disobedience is a long-practiced form of activism, calling attention to the unjust. And there’s a lot of injustice happening these days to call out – and it’s happening in our state.
If it weren’t for Senator Becca White (D-Windsor) recording live video outside a Colchester USCIS building yesterday when her constituent, Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal resident, was wrongfully detained and imprisoned, Vermonters may not have known how much Trump’s attacks on our civil liberties have fully reached and taken root in the Green Mountains. Her and other activist’s actions resulted in our Congressional delegation’s call for Mahdawi’s release and widespread local and national news coverage.
And more than 10,000 people gathered in Montpelier earlier this month to protest the Trump Administration and their ripping and tearing apart of our rights, democracy, education, the economy, our environment, and society as we know it.
These are troubling times, and sometimes action – whether alone in handcuffs or with thousands of our neighbors at a rally – is what’s needed to kick up the dust and demand change, or at the least, bring awareness to our grim reality.
In this week’s episode of the Democracy Dispatch Podcast, I interview Representative Kate Logan (P-Burlington) about her journey into politics, the challenges faced by working-class legislators, and the goals of the Vermont Progressive Caucus. We discuss the importance of grassroots organizing, environmental policy, and the role of civil disobedience in advocating for social justice and healthcare. She also responds to criticism placed upon her by leaders of the Vermont Republican Party.
I’m grateful to know we have policymakers in this state who are bold, brave, and willing to stick their necks out for Vermonters. Those who speak up and speak out. And those who remain silent, like Governor Scott, are sending their own message about their values.
As always, thanks for listening,
Justin Marsh, Political Director
Vermont Conservation Voters
Listen to the Democracy Dispatch podcast on the following services:
Spotify Podcasts | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | TuneIn | Podchaser