Last Thursday at noon, Karen Adams, a grandmother of four, attended a political rally at Representative Pat Tiberi’s Worthington, Ohio, office. It was the 40th straight week that she’s shown up.
Adams has had plenty of company over the past 40 weeks. Joining her has been a collection of fellow central Ohioans, most of whom belong toIndivisible: Ohio District 12—the local chapter of the nonpartisan grassroots movement that is dedicated to opposing Trump’s agenda.
Since early February, shortly after Trump’s inauguration and the beginning of Tiberi’s new Congressional term, constituents have gathered outside of Tiberi’s office once a week. In all sorts of weather—from snow and freezing rain to blistering sun, they have carried colorful, creative signs that underscore their opposition to Trump’s policies and that demand Tiberi better represent their views. These sidewalk rallies have led to not only an increasing number of honks and waves but also good discussions with curious passersby.
And each week, rally attendees go a few steps further. They march inside their representative’s office, often to deliver handwritten postcards that share personal stories about the importance of preserving the Affordable Care Act (ACA), express objections to GOP tax reform proposals, or ask Tiberi to admonish Trump for his online bullying. They also voice their concerns directly with their representative’s staff on topics including immigration, climate change, gun control, foreign policy, election tampering, and the insufficient response of Republicans to racist violence.
And sometimes this group has a bit of fun. Rally attendees brought an oversized invitation to a town hall meeting organized by the Indivisible group. (Tiberi did not attend.) They have spun a “wheel of misfortune” to highlight the effects of poor health care coverage, and they have handed in report cards evaluating Tiberi’s performance. And they often cart a full-size cardboard cutout of Tiberi (nicknamed “Flat Pat”) to rallies, which is the closest many of the attendees have been to actually meeting their representative.
It makes sense that Tiberi would be the focus of the resistance in this part of central Ohio. He’s not just the nearest representative of the Republican majority in government, he’s also been a consistent, unabashed supporter of the Trump agenda. Tiberi has voted in line with Trump’s position97.9 percent of the time.
But 40 weeks is a long time. What has driven these constituents to show up at their representative’s office—and to keep coming back week after week?
Newfound activism
The political experience of the weekly rally attendees is varied. But in Ohio—just as it is in numerous states across the country—many people have been spurred to activism by the results of the 2016 election. “I have always followed politics and consider myself pretty liberal. I always vote, but I have never been politically involved,” says Adams.
“I wanted nothing to do with politics,” says Brenda Clark of Westerville. “I lived through Watergate and the Vietnam War, but I wasn’t particularly involved. In November, I realized that you can’t be complacent anymore. This is the time to get in there and fight, because we’re going to lose everything we’ve worked so hard to gain.”
Debby Cooper of Worthington ended a long hiatus from political activism after this recent election. “In the late ’60s and early ’70s, I actively opposed the Vietnam War and campaigned for George McGovern. Otherwise, I did little more than vote before 2016,” says Cooper. “But following that election, I finally woke up. My own complacency helped elect Mr. Trump. The Women’s March inspired me, and the Indivisible group has provided countless opportunities to counter depression and complacency with service.”
Susan W. Smith, from Columbus, has experience in community organizing—and she draws on that experience for motivation and successful strategies. “With community organizing, we recognized that what really works is identifying winnable issues. It seemed to me that bearing down on our local representative, following his track record, and holding his feet to the fire just might make a difference.”
Driven by the issues—and the president’s behavior
Whatever their political experience, the men and women who attend rallies at Tiberi’s office have found common ground with several key issues. “There are so many issues worth fighting for: improved health care, curbing of gun violence, racism and police brutality, immigration issues, fair wages, dealing with climate change, and so on,” says Cooper.
Clark, who has taught courses on global public health and environmental risk assessment at The Ohio State University, began attending the Tiberi rallies and other Indivisible events during the battle over health care. “Because I’m a public health professional, I know what happens when people are sick, can’t work, and have no resources. When I showed up to Tiberi’s office, I made a point of saying that ‘I’m not here for myself. I’m here for the people who have no voice.’”
For Chrys Gee, of Columbus, the motivation was personal. “My teenage daughter had an anxiety attack at school on the day of the inauguration,” says Gee. She learned from her daughter’s doctor that mental health professionals were working overtime to help people process the election. “I realized that the only thing I could do to keep my kids safe was to start speaking out.”
The president’s reckless statements and behaviors have motivated people to stay involved. “I believe this president has shown himself to be completely unfit and dangerous, and that too many of our MOCs [members of Congress] are allowing him to run roughshod over our political process,” says Cooper. “I feel we have no choice but to oppose him strenuously.”
Frustration with Tiberi
Frustration with their local representative also pushes these rally attendees to return time after time. “I feel that Tiberi does not represent me, and I want my voice to be heard,” says Smith. “He was elected in a gerrymandered district that does not fairly represent the voting public in central Ohio. His voting record in Congress does not reflect the generous and compassionate convictions of the majority of people in the Columbus metropolitan area—people who would like to see a ‘repair not repeal’ approach to the ACA, who would like tighter controls on guns, and who want to welcome those seeking refuge in our country.”
Though Tiberi initially met with some small groups in January and February, he has not agreed to hold a town hall or have discussions with larger groups that might include opposing views. The Indivisible members feel that their calls, emails, letters, postcards, tweets, and attempts to have Tiberi to hold a town hall have been ignored. “That is not what I call being a representative,” says Smith.
When Tiberi’s actions have aligned with the group’s requests—such as when he voted to provide aid to Puerto Rico or joined the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus—he has won the praise of Indivisible members. But more frequently, group members find their representative’s views at odds with their own.
Despite the occasional defeats, Clark remains optimistic about the power of this group’s efforts to effect change and to include the voice of more citizens within the democracy. “It can definitely be demoralizing. You show up and voice your opposition to an issue, then he still votes the other way. But I believe all of these little things that we’re doing will add up and make a difference in the long term.”
Like-minded community
Many of the attendees say that a strong sense community and camaraderie among participants at these rallies and other events has helped bolster their endurance. “Several friends have joined me in these efforts, and I’ve met new people who are not only interesting, but also dedicated and articulate,” says Cooper. “It helps to know I’m not alone in feeling appalled and distressed by this administration and Trump’s agenda.”
Adams was looking for a local community that shared her values after she attended the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., in January. “The Women’s March was inspiring, and I needed more. I found the Indivisible group and went to the sidewalk at Tiberi’s in early February. I have not missed a week since. I have met kindred spirits there. It is such a wonderful mix of passionate, eloquent, concerned people.”
Gee, who has shown up to Tiberi’s office 33 times since last February, is often buoyed by her fellow Indivisible members. “There was one time in the winter when I was really down. I literally got out of bed, got in the car, and went to Tiberi’s office—and I was crying. But the group was there—out there in the cold,” says Gee. “It’s like a family.”
Forging ahead
Representative Tiberi recently announced that he would be resigning some time before January 2018—halfway through his term. But the Indivisible members and other constituents who attend these weekly rallies show no signs of letting up with their resistance to Trump’s agenda. They plan to hold the next representative accountable no matter who is elected. “It’s not about Democrat or Republican, it’s about where do you stand on key issues,” says Clark.
“I leave each week feeling uplifted that others will not quit. We will not give up. We will not go away,” says Adams. “We are not fighting for just ourselves. We are fighting for the poor, the vulnerable, for our country, and really for the world. I am doing this for my children, and their children, and all the children who deserve a beautiful world—one where there is still an American democracy.”
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Follow Indivisible: Ohio District 12 on Twitter@OhioDistrict12 and monitor the hashtags#IndivisibleOH12 and#OH12. Constituents are using#NoFreePass to show that they will hold the next member of Congress accountable.
