In Brattleboro on September 15 there will be a rally to support workers at Brattleboro Memorial hospital. The rally will start at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. on Canal street outside the hospital. Details about the struggle are at:

https://valleypost.org/2025/06/25/some-520-workers-brattleboro-memorial-...

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In Springfield, Massachusetts there will be a rally on September 13 at 9 a.m. The rally will be outside 36 Court street. The goal is affordable housing. The organizers have a web site at:

https://SpringfieldNoOneLeaves.org

One way to raise money to build homes for homeless people would be to tax vacation homes and other buildings that are vacant most or all of the time. The new homes could be like the ones in the Brooks House in Brattleboro, a short walk from the Amtrak station.

The Brattleboro Home Depot closed in June 2008, about 17 years ago. The building and its vast parking lot have been vacant ever since. They are owned by a giant corporation based near New York City. Kesha Ram Hinsdale is the first woman of color to serve in the Vermont senate. On June 9, 2025 she told the Valley Post the state should “tax property vacancy. Right now, there’s often more financial incentive to leave a commercial or residential property empty than to rent it. In over 80 towns across the state, the 'non-homestead' property tax rate is lower than the homestead property tax rate, meaning second homeowners pay less than permanent residents.”