By Shar Walbaum
We pay attention to a lot of huge rallies and demonstrations within Indivisible, but it is nice to be reminded of the impact a single person can have. Shar shared this wonderful example with us recently.
On April 12, 2025, Jerry couldn’t just sit anymore. We had been to protests in Portland and Salem, and everything felt so intense. I was amplifying news for ILC on FB.
He decided to start protesting on Hwy 101 and NW 22nd every day between noon and 1:00. His sign was: “HANDS OFF THE VA.”
By May 2, a couple of people had joined him.
By his 200th day, these folks came out to celebrate with him.
In that photo of the 300th [top of page], some folks were shy and not in it. It was 25° on a Friday in mid-February.
Slowly, it turned into a group of five. Now it’s 8 – 12 people.
I counted cars and checked with traffic folks. That spot sees about 700 cars per hour on a weekday and 1250 on a weekend.
They started counting honks in June, and they were between 90 – 120. Honks increased over time, and now range from 200-300. (Of course, there are also waves, raised fists, peace signs, smiles.)
Recently, they started counting middle fingers as one way to gauge opposition. For example, today (Day 315), there were 287 honks and 17 fingers.
No comparison.
People drop by and give them coffee or cookies or hugs. They are told how much seeing them out there, rain or shine, really helps. It is a good thing he started.
What is just as important is that they have formed a community. They care about each other, ask after each other, watch out for each other. It is a beautiful thing.
Shar Walbaum is with Indivisible Lincoln City and is a leader of Oregon’s Coastal Coalition.