Grassroots protests evolve into a community

On a crisp, fall Saturday afternoon, Sue Woods stands under a tent along Mission Street with close to 100 others carrying signs, wearing costumes, blasting music and chanting. Alongside her, several other older women wear bright, neon vests decked out in pins and buttons, pacing the sidewalk to talk with protestors.  

The rally, “No Kings-Vote Early!,” was one of hundreds happening across the nation on Oct. 17, encouraging citizens to vote in the upcoming midterm election. But Saturday rallies like these aren’t new for these Mount Pleasant protestors.  

Since August of last year, Woods and several others have been doing small rallies every Saturday alongside the roads of Mount Pleasant in rain, snow and heat. Although the issues vary from person to person, the overall message is to remind individuals to use their first amendment and to go out and vote, Woods said. These rallies, she said, aren’t going to change any time soon. 

“It’s (the rallies) reminded people that we do have a voice and using that voice is both a right and a privilege, and unless we use our voice, we aren’t going to have the outcome that we want to have,” Woods said. “It’s just amazing, the spirit of the people who contact us that we know that they feel empowered.”  

Woods and the other organizers are part of Indivisible Central Michigan. The group is one of 2,500 chapters across the country, protesting the Trump Administration and organizing with local leaders to promote democracy.  

On the national scale, Indivisible has been an active grassroots organization since 2016 after President Donald Trump was first elected, according to the Indivisible website.  

A group of 12 Mount Pleasant residents formed the Indivisible chapter after President Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Woods said. 

Outside of the weekly gatherings, the Mount Pleasant chapter has meetings twice a month, meets with residents weekly at the farmer’s market in Island Park and participates in regular community service.  

The group has grown since it was formed. Woods said the chapter’s weekly meetings have an attendance of anywhere between 60 to 100 people, and over 1,500 people have subscribed to their mailing list.   

“It has grown immensely, and it’s given people hope,” Woods said. “It’s given people an outlet.”  

Woods said the group is planning to continue to gather every Saturday. After a year, several others still feel motivated by Indivisible’s efforts.   

Madilyn Tidd is a student at Central Michigan University studying psychology. Despite only going to a few protests, Tidd said she believes the regular rallies make a difference in the community by continuing the conversation.  

“I think that the more people that see this, the more people who are going to think about this, and the more people have a chance of realizing that this is wrong,” Tidd said.  

Outside of protesting, the chapter also has a community outreach program. Woods said the chapter makes consistent donations to the five food pantries in town. The organization has also created a group that visits the North Lake ICE Detention Center in Baldwin, Michigan, to visit those who are incarcerated and provide supplies such as toiletries or gas cards for family members to visit. 

The group is also not the only chapter who protests every week. Chapters such as the Lake Superior Region Indivisible, have weekly visibility brigades where people stand out along roads and hold signs and banners, and the Kent County chapter does something similar, according to the Indivisible website.  

Currently, Indivisible has been focused on the upcoming election and encouraging citizens to vote, Woods said. The chapter still has to plan on what comes next, but the group will remain active. 

“I think getting the truth out there is always going to be a job for us about what is happening politically and to educate people about the democratic process,” Woods said.  

“I think there’ll always be a need. But what that need exactly is, going to depend on how our public responds to the right to vote now.”