Drivers heading north on Interstate 89 through South Burlington last Thursday were treated to a curious sight. Above the highway on the Patchen Road overpass, a group of women held up large pieces of cardboard with the words “Epstein Files” written in capital letters.
“We had painted ‘Epstein Files Now,’” said Jeanne Keller, one of the group’s organizers, “but it was so windy up there that it took four people to hold the word ‘Epstein.’”
Keller and her crew aren’t conspiracy-
minded MAGA adherents but rather true-blue progressives who say they want to know what President Donald Trump’s administration is hiding about late wealthy pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. This particular showing was inspired by a press conference last week in Washington, D.C., staged by some of the women who survived sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein.
“Where are the Republicans on this? Why are we carrying this weight?” Keller asked. “But we will. We will until there’s justice for these women.”
Keller said the location was intentional: A large contingent of people heading north on the highway are commuters who live in more conservative parts of the state. Many of those honking in support were tractor-trailer drivers, she said.
“The target for this is Republicans,” Keller said. “You should be ashamed and mortified that your president is stonewalling on this.”
Keller’s been organizing against Trump since the Women’s March during his first term, in January 2017. She’s registered voters and sent tens of thousands of postcards to swing-state residents. But more recently, in Trump’s second term, she and a small group of “old hippies” decided to become more “action oriented” under the name “Resister Sisters.”
During the No Kings protest in June, they held a die-in on the Burlington waterfront meant to reflect the impact of Trump’s policies. They’ve also protested outside the South Burlington Tesla dealership and handed out leaflets at the Burlington Farmers Market.
Standing on a highway overpass with a large banner was their first action mentioning Epstein — and won’t be the last, Keller said.
“Next time, we’re going to make it even bigger,” she said.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Sisters Act”
This article appears in Sep 10-16 2025.
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