By Debi Ferrer
Protect Oregon’s Progress, known locally as POP, formed as an Indivisible group in The Dalles, Oregon, in early 2017. During the first four years, we had a very active group of up to a hundred people, but like many other groups across the country, participation slowed considerably after Joe Biden was elected in 2020. People relaxed.
However, during 2025, our membership nearly quadrupled, and new members continue to join every day, looking for a way to help protect our country from tyranny. We are gratified to see Indivisible’s movement nationwide grow larger and stronger as well.
Over the past year, one of our most significant accomplishments has been the formation of a strong and trusted relationship with Latinos Unidos The Dalles, holding protests together, communicating weekly on the activities of our respective groups, and supporting each others’ various efforts.
Over the past four months, ICE activity in The Dalles has increased (photo below) and several long-time members of our community, fathers of local families, have been abducted by ICE.
Alongside Latinos Unidos, we have organized rapid response protests at The Dalles Home Depot (photo below), where one person was abducted, and at a local Holiday Inn hotel where ICE agents were staying.
Dozens of our members have taken ICE Verification trainings and participate regularly on our local ICE Watch team. Last month we packed over 100 “whistle kits” for our ICE Watch team and community members. Our members have volunteered to help shuttle children of abducted parents to and from school, and have donated hundreds of dollars in grocery gift cards to the families.
In December, our members joined dozens of people representing Latinos Unidos at a City Council meeting, where many residents spoke to a request that the City take action to support the families being terrorized by ICE. We filled the council chamber (photo below), the hallway outside, and an overflow room with a live feed of the meeting.
And just this past Monday, January 12, the Council responded by unanimously approving a resolution acknowledging the impacts of ICE in our community and directing the city manager to take certain community support actions. There were so many community members at the first meeting, the Council moved the second meeting to a larger venue and we filled that up, too.
It’s a start, and it speaks volumes to a changing tone in our historically conservative community. Latinos Unidos made a similar request of our county commissioners, and POP will be there beside them when the commission takes it up early next month.
This past year has raised many important issues at the state and federal level, and POP members have worked on many: bird-dogging Cliff Bentz at meetings, in the media, and with daily phone calls; writing postcards to voters for critical special elections; weekly rallies downtown and on I-84 overpasses in The Dalles and Mosier (see top photo); two successful No Kings rallies; advocating for crucial state legislation; and getting more informed with great guest speakers at our monthly meetings.
But in the end, the work we do locally is the most rewarding because it can have the biggest positive impact on those suffering most from the chaos and cruelty of the Trump regime.
Debi Ferrer has served in both Protect Oregon’s Progress and the Leadership Team of COIN.