J/K.
It’s fucking pointless.
We live at a time when we can’t even agree on basic facts. So while you might think you’re doing some noble thing trying to get some stranger to shift his or her belief system via some comment thread somewhere, all you’re really doing is cultivating a gaping ulcer.
What does help, though, is showing up when it counts.
If you’re angry about Donald Trump and the Republican Congress’s position on, say, healthcare (gutting the shit out of Medicaid or whatever they’re doing to spite the poor this week), showing up at a public official’s town hall meeting — and bringing your like-minded friends — will lend momentum to the cause.
That’s why we’re launching this column, which will shine a spotlight on upcoming events related to what everyone’s calling The Resistance. We’re combing through event listings, social media invitations, you name it, and listing a handful of events that are worth showing up to.
Not that standing on the corner of Kennedy and Westshore whilst waving a sign that says “impeach” is going to reverse decades of ultraconservative programming, courtesy of Fox News, embedded in the mind of the person in the driver’s seat of a passing F150. Nor, likely, would it sway the likes of a Marco Rubio as he prepares to vote on the confirmation of a cabinet nominee whose family contributed heavily to his campaign. But gatherings of motivated individuals, whether for cocktails, a lecture or a good ol’ protest, do create a sense of community, which helps the movement sustain itself. It’s a way to vent. Plus, such events help draw media attention, which means media outlets will help proliferate your message, which will reach people who are on the fence.
So, yeah, win-win.
We know we won’t catch every resistance-related event — hell, most of ’em aren’t organized far enough in advance to make our print deadline. But we do want to give our readers — most of whom are at least left-leaning (we’re the alt-weekly, duh) — a chance to get involved.
If you have a political event you would like us to consider including in subsequent lists, go ahead and submit it via local.cltampa.com and we’ll check it out.
Here goes:
The Liberal Agenda
Cocktails and Company. The Tampa leg of the Indivisible movement seems to know all too well how drinking has helped some of us get through the last couple of months. That’s why they’re inviting you to be “surly, progressive and utterly Indivisible” whilst having a couple of beverages. Friday, May 26, 6-9 p.m. The Pub, 2223 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa.
Learn the truth about Florida’s Constitutional Review Commission. As we’ve previously written, the Florida CRC is in the process of developing amendments to put on the state’s ballot. Their proposals will likely be motivated more by ideology than voters’ preferences, which is scary, considering they could put, say, an abortion ban on the ballot or an attempt to undermine a citizen-led initiative. Toni Van Pelt of the National Organization for Women’s Florida chapter will host. Saturday, May 27, 1-4 p.m. Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, 2740 Nursery Rd., Clearwater.
March for Truth. On Saturday, June 3, activists with the group Floridians Against Corruption and Treason (FACT) will march in downtown St. Petersburg as part of a national day of action. The main message here is a call for an independent investigation or special prosecutor to look into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. 12-3 p.m., North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Dr. NE.
District 15 constituent forum. If past town hall meetings are any indication, this one might get rowdy. Congressional District 15 includes the region’s easternmost reaches, including Lakeland, Plant City and Bartow, and the current incumbent is one Dennis Ross, a Republican who is a yuuuge fan of Trump. Announced candidates in the 2018 race for that seat have been invited. Activists are hoping that pro-Affordable Care Act activists (ideally, residents of the district) will show up en masse as they have in other districts. Monday, June 5, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Lakeland Public Library, 100 Lake Morton Dr., Lakeland.
Social Justice Storytime. An event aimed at children under 8, it takes place courtesy of the group Community Roots Collective. The aim is to educate the kids on everything from LGBTQ equality to environmentalism. Kids who attend will also get a nifty activity sheet. This week, the focus will be “LGBT and family diversity.” Wednesday, June 7. 11-11:45 a.m. 400 East Palm Ave., Tampa.
This article appears in May 25 – Jun 1, 2017.