When: The second Saturday of each month
Where: Hwy. 55 and Winnetka Ave. N. Golden Valley
Time: Noon – 1:00
Hello Friends, Neighbors, Patriots, Americans.
We are so glad you are reading this. We are grateful to you for being part of our coalition to protect our democracy. Without the support of each other, it would be a lot harder to carry on with this good work.
We know that the cold weather will keep some of people from protesting outside. We are hoping you spend the hour either writing or phone messaging our legislators if you can’t join us, or find some other way to be a part of the resistance and join us again in the spring. We have to take care of ourselves first so we can continue for as long as this takes.
There have been some very hopeful signs of progress lately with unexpected rebukes coming from within the Republican ranks. We need to continue being vocal, and we need to work really, really hard to get those people who did not vote interested in doing so for the midterms and beyond.
We are seeing a slight increase of younger people becoming involved in protecting our democracy as they witness the abductions, hate, cruelty, numerous illegal acts, and complete disregard of our Constitution. We need to let them know that this is not normal. That we welcome all to join us. That we want to hear their ideas. We value the cleverness and talent of all people, and that we recognize and embrace diversity.
While there are still many racist, bigoted, and illegal behaviors and acts happening every day, there is cause for hope as well. We are part of an historical movement that condemns these acts. Your presence at our protests bolsters others to speak out. Your signs inspire and plant seeds in the minds of those who are silent. The joy, conversations, and new friendships that have come from these monthly protests are contagious. It is abundantly clear that we genuinely care for and about each other, and that is what will sustain us. It takes a village, and we have a beautiful one right here in Golden Valley!
Thank you so much for standing up with us. We appreciate every single one of you and want to acknowledge your courage. Never give up!
Some reminders -the protests will generally be at noon on the 2nd Saturday of the month going forward unless we want to coincide with other national protests, or the weather is dangerous. Emails will be sent by 10am on the day of the protest if it is cancelled for any reason.
For the winter, the protests will only be 1 hour long. They will start at noon and end at 1pm.
There are some volunteers in yellow vests that we ask you to report any concerns to. They will do their best to handle situations that may arise, including rudimentary first aid until official help arrives.
Due to the many safety concerns, we do not want anyone to be protesting anywhere on the south (park) side of Hwy 55. The Golden Valley police department has the same concerns as we do about safety.
Please take a moment to look at the map on the bottom of this email to see where it is appropriate to stand. We can all be seen if we spread out to the north on Winnetka and/or on the overpass. Please do not stand in any area with a red X on it.
We are grateful for the police presence and encourage you to thank the officers too.
We would also like for you to patronize the businesses in this area as they have been very supportive and patient with us, and we intend to come back as many times as it takes.
Lastly, we ask you to be careful and to look out for each other. It is imperative that we remain peaceful and do not engage should any counter protestors arrive. Their goal is to rile us up and spread their lies. We cannot feed into any of that. It emboldens them, and gives them the attention they so desperately crave. Let’s keep the focus on us and why we love our country enough to stand out here time and again. They are not here to try to learn. They crave conflict. It makes them feel powerful when they can rile people up. Completely ignoring them is the best way to handle them-no matter what they say. Think about it. They can’t deter us. We are neighbors here together having a good time and getting our messages out.
Our website has had an upgrade. We encourage you to check it out and also to share it with others. Our policy is that even with consent, we will not show anyone’s face if we post pictures. The one exception to this is the video on the website since it is on You Tube.
https://sites.google.com/view/goldenvalley-sod/home
