A demonstrator is arrested at a protest at ICE’s National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston on Monday, Feb. 9. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger WILLISTON — A group of older adults were arrested Monday during a civil disobedience action in the Williston office park that house s a large digital surveillance office run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Eleven of about two dozen protesters were charged with trespassing, and two were issued citations and released after they declined to leave the private property and asked to be taken into custody, according to a State Police press release. “Courage, my friend, you do not walk alone,” the protesters sang as participants were led out by state troopers. READ MORE The entire operation was nonviolent on both sides. The 11 people arrested were Revell Allen, 75, of Middlebury; Karen Bixler, 83, of Bethel; Lexington Kennedy, 21, of New York; Donald Kollisch, 74, of Hanover; Dorothy Mammen, 70, of Middlebury; Henry Prensky, 79, of Burlington; Timothy Price, 71, of Ripton; Douglas Smith, 85, of Sharon; Roan Wade, 22, of Red Hook, New York; Jennifer Wasiura, 46, of Weybridge; and Sherri Wormser, 57, of Colchester, the release stated. Peter Booth, 57, of Jericho and Laura Simon, 72, of White River Junction, were issued citations on a charge each of criminal trespass and released. They are all scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. on March 2 at Vermont Superior Court in Burlington, according to the release. “This is the way we get our message out,” Simon said minutes after she was read her rights and escorted out of the atrium of a building in the White Cap Business Park at 426 Industrial Ave., which houses ICE’s national tip line and data center.  Video by Auditi Guha/VTDigger “Every time people see us doing this, others realize they can also choose to stand up and exercise their rights,” she said. “I think more of this has to happen to create a change in government.” “The Vermont State Police respects the right of people to protest and ensures those rights are protected, while also acknowledging that the owners of private buildings have the right to restrict people from entering and occupying their property,” the release read. “In this case, the property owner has requested that protesters not enter the building to ensure users of the facility are able to access their office spaces.” This was the second week that a group of older adults occupied the atrium at the office park that houses one of two ICE facilities in town and has seen a series of protests in recent months. In a symbolic stance, the town passed a resolution opposing ICE last month. Beginning about 1:15 p.m., Monday’s protest saw the roughly two dozen protestors occupying the atrium, which has doors leading into the office housing ICE’s National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center.  Vermont State Police Captain Debra Munson warns demonstrators they face the risk of arrest at a protest at ICE’s National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston on Monday, Feb. 9. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger They sang songs of protest and read names of people killed in ICE custody or by ICE agents. Some carried placards that read “Resist Fascism.” One protester wore a colorful cloak that read, “Love Your Neighbor.” Two donned animal costumes — a polar bear and a black and white cow. A few protesters wore red knitted hats that have become a form of protest in Minnesota, in a nod to those Norwegians wore as a sign of resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II. “The disturbance caused by our presence here is only a tiny fraction of the life-altering disruption that ICE visits on Black and brown communities every day,” they chanted, reading from a prepared statement. “We know our action today can do nothing to bring back the more than 38 people killed by ICE in the past year or bring home the people who have already been deported.” They were accompanied by legal observers and a communications expert who acted as liaisons between the anti-ICE activists, the property manager and law enforcement. Vermont State Police troopers arrived around 2:45 p.m. and encouraged the group to leave of their own accord and protest outside. Troopers informed them they were trespassing and warned they would issue three warnings asking them to leave the property before arresting them. Capt. Debra Munson made the first announcement in the plant-lined building atrium about 3:40 p.m., and a few protesters left. A few others followed after the second warning. After the third announcement, Munson gave orders for arrests for unlawful trespassing under Vermont statute. “No human being will ever be illegal,” sang the remaining few, arms linked, as state troopers announced their intent to start arresting them. Williston police arrived to help. The people arrested were read their rights and walked to a room near the entrance, patted down and given citations. Some of them were then led into a waiting van to be taken to the barracks for booking. Outside the building, a group of protesters held up a large red “Abolish ICE” banner. Smaller “ICE OUT” placards were planted in the snow at the entrance of the office park. Inside, new no trespassing signs were pasted on the doors around the buildings, but protesters found a way in via one of the side doors. “It’s for our children, it’s for sanity in government, it’s for protesting innocent people of Vermont being subject to arrest, and assisted murder by federally authorized thugs,” said Atchinson, of Plainfield. A map on the wall of the White Cap Business Park in Williston indicates office space leased to the U. S. General Services Administration. Photo by Auditi Guha/VTDigger He and others at the protest said Vermont should not be leasing to those who are conducting what they said are criminal actions in places like Minnesota and Maine. They said they’ve been compelled to act against what they see as state-sponsored violence since ICE targeted and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month. As ICE raids continue in cities across the nation, the Vermont activists said it is time for people to put their bodies in line to stop the state from colluding with ICE. This is the second time in two weeks that older Vermonters protested ICE at the Williston facility. About a dozen residents entered the atrium last Thursday and blew whistles in a show of civil disobedience. Then they taped photos on the walls of the lobby. Normand Stanislas, the property manager, initially came in angry. He said the protesters were trespassing and ripped the photos of ICE detainees off the walls. The protesters ignored him and continued to blow their whistles. “ICE is using fear to terrorize people,” Sherri Wormser, of Colchester, said last week. “And right here is the surveillance center (being used) to find our neighbors and disappear them.” Stanislas called police last week and demanded that the protesters be removed. Clients in the building were complaining about the noise, he said then, adding, “I respect everyone’s right to protest, but we have rights too and this is private property.” Williston police responded to the scene last week and said the protesters were within their rights to assemble. Police advised Stanislas not to physically remove the protesters, warning it could constitute assault. They also cautioned the older adults they could be arrested for refusing to leave, but no charges were filed.  After police left, Department of Homeland Security officials arrived, threatened to charge the protesters with federal misdemeanors and tried to physically remove them, according to an organizer.  “This is going to continue unless and until the property owner steps up and prioritizes what is right over what is easy and profitable,” Booth said last week. This week, Stanislas said the protesters outside have been respectful, but that the protesters inside should leave. “I have no problem with people exercising their First Amendment rights, but this is illegal tresspassing,” he said.  Asked what he thought of the protesters’ demand to cancel ICE’s lease, Stanislas said that was up to the owner. A map of the building in the lobby indicated a large space is leased to the U.S. General Services Administration. Stanislas said the lease has existed for about 16 to 17 years. Correction: A previous version misstated the number of protesters issued citations. Read the story on VTDigger here: 11 arrested during ICE protest at Williston business park. ...read more read less