The Granola Bar Trial Needs Your Support
Eleanor Reid, Nathan Phillips, and Nastasia Lawton-Sticklor talking to law enforcement in front of the Burlington ICE office. Photo by Isaac Petersen.
Since this administration took power, we’ve learned time and again that there is no moral or ethical limit to the cruelty that our friends and neighbors are being subjected to every day. Our LGBTQ+, Black, brown, immigrant friends, neighbors, and family members are facing unacceptable levels of violence in courthouses, legislative halls, and right in our own neighborhoods.
Since our government has chosen cruelty and oppression, many communities are choosing to step up to do what elected officials won’t: take care of each other. Last September, Nastasia Lawton-Sticklor, Nathan Phillips, and Eleanor Reid chose to do just that by attempting to deliver food to one of the worst ICE holding facilities in the region in Burlington, MA. Instead of recognizing this action for what it was—an act of care and community—ICE agents had all three activists arrested, and now Nastasia and Nathan are going to trial on August 26th, 2026.
Each of these activists, as well as the 16 brave activists who followed, making attempts to deliver aid in December 2025 and April 2026, were motivated by the numerous accounts of abuse from people who have been held at this facility: lack of access to proper nutrition and hygiene, being held in cells so overcrowded that there is no room to lie down to sleep, and not having access to a window for days. This facility is violating both local zoning laws against holding people overnight, as well as its own 72-hour maximum policy for holding people in these facilities. The conditions are horrifying and harmful. The efforts of elected officials to hold ICE accountable have been stonewalled.
We need to rally around each other, both our neighbors and friends who are being put at risk, as well as those who are criminalized for trying to help. Nathan and Nastasia have chosen to proceed to trial in front of a jury to publicly share their motivation for taking action and to argue that their attempt to deliver food was necessary to prevent great harm from happening to immigrant community members held inside the facility. They need your support in the courtroom as they present their defense.
Showing up to their trial not only bolsters their spirits, but also shows law enforcement, ICE, and decision makers that Nathan and Nastasia represent the feelings of the community at large, who want to see our immigrant community members free from the cruelty of ICE. Another world is possible—a world in which we take care of each other. On August 26th, let's make that world a reality alongside Nastasia and Nathan as they face a criminal justice system designed to intimidate, just for trying to deliver food.
If you are in Massachusetts or the surrounding region on August 26, please fill out the RSVP form so that we can connect with you about logistics. There may be an option to attend via zoom if you are not able to attend in person, so stay tuned for information and share this invitation widely with your communities. We will keep everyone updated leading up to the trial via email; please share the sign-up form for our email list to anyone who would like to stay in the loop. For more information on the case, visit the Climate Disobedience Center.
This is a guest article from our friends at Climate Disobedience Center. To learn more about their work and to get involved, visit them at climatedisobedience.org.
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