In the warming afterglow of their Jan. 17 protest rally, I telephoned Tom Bethin. He was buzzing.
Earlier that day, his all-volunteer organization, Indivisible Sonoma County, had organized a speaker series on Santa Rosa’s civic plaza. Backed by a 10-foot tall banner emblazoned, “RISE UP AND RECLAIM OUR DEMOCRACY,” six candidates for two congressional seats (including Mike Thomson and ole Mike McGuire) sought to fire up the crowd (and justify their leadership). After the inspiring talk, the crowd—numbering in the hundreds, was offered candles and arranged on the square to form a giant, manifesting peace sign. Visit indivisiblesoco.org to watch the aerial video recap.
I describe this rally—a fist raised to the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration—partly to do a bit of inspiring myself. And to put my finger on two of the qualities that have made the Indivisible network the most effective protest movement of the Trump era. Those being close communication with elected leaders and diverse, and (I daresay) fun, protest tactics…