Latest / The Audacity CAT / The Voices of AudacityCAT - Protest from Oregon to Maine
Transcript
- Lyn Donovan: Hi, welcome to Audacity's podcast, Voices of Audacity. I'm Lynn Donovan, we're doing this just audio today. ⁓ And my guest is Laura Swanson, who I met online ⁓ when ⁓ a from Tillamook ⁓ showed on my Facebook page. The AudacityCAT: Voices of Audacity podcast joins with other AudacityCat efforts to share information, promote political action, and enable discussion among local citizens. Although we hold different views on specific issues, we agree on seven core values. We oppose authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. We support inclusive democracy, equity, and freedom. And we are committed to nonviolence in all actions. Lyn Donovan: and I was reading a little bit about this group on the west coast and the Oregon coast and thinking, wow, they're doing what we're doing and it would be fun to talk. And so here we are and welcome. ⁓ The AudacityCAT: Any individual opinions expressed in these conversations reflect the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the stance of audacity as a group. Laura Swanson: Yes, so I'm Laura Swanson and the editor for a local ⁓ online publication here in Tellamon County, the Tellamon County Pioneer. ⁓ And have been posting the videos of the North County Resistance who's been protesting on a weekly basis every Saturday for ⁓ well over a year. ⁓ And Lynn reached out ⁓ So ⁓ we just started chatting about the two groups and found ⁓ some great comments. ⁓ finality. Lyn Donovan: impressed that... the numbers that I saw ⁓ was small community then there were 50 people ⁓ every Saturday around people. ⁓ And ⁓ I percentage wise, that's a little ahead of what we're doing. We have a community of about 7,000 in Rockland. we're the biggest ⁓ resistance group in the county. And ⁓ even in the worst weather Maine, ⁓ Laura Swanson: You Lyn Donovan: coast produce some pretty god-awful weather. Sometimes there are over 300 on a street corner on a small park in Rockland. And for this last No Kings Day, our numbers were up to just under 2,300, which was awesome. Yeah. Laura Swanson: amazing. Yeah, it's amazing. Lyn Donovan: to have that many people. Laura Swanson: Mm-hmm. Lyn Donovan: ⁓ and with no intentions of letting up until ⁓ there's not a need. ⁓ Laura Swanson: Right. Well, ⁓ this group actually has roots ⁓ variety of ⁓ different protests and ⁓ my interaction them has really been covering actions and they've doing as a reporter and an editor ⁓ in the local media. ⁓ so besides the fact that it's a small community, I know them ⁓ personally and ⁓ really wanted to support what they had been doing. So they actually have protesting. Lyn Donovan: I Laura Swanson: for several years and several of them will say, you we've been protesting since the 60s. So it's, very much is that the, the comments that people say that it's, you know, a bunch of old hippies and it's like, yeah, and they're very proud of that. They're also, yeah, right. But they're also, they're also very frustrated that they're having to be out there protesting again. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: Yeah, and we are exactly the same. There is that for sure. What I love seeing in ours and perhaps you're seeing it there also though is that there is a great age spread. Yeah. Yeah. Laura Swanson: There is a great age spread and that's what's so beautiful about it is ⁓ the children and the 20 somethings, third, mean, yeah, pretty much every age demographic is represented. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: Yep. Laura Swanson: North County resistance has inspired so many other groups that now there are regular weekly protests It's happening in downtown Telemuc, also on Highway 101. And now there are also protests happening in Pacific City, which is the southern end of Telemuc County. So it's a growing resistance. And I tell you, for all the people talking about these being angry, I mean, there's nothing angry about it. It's actually very joyful and there's so much camaraderie amongst the folks that are there and purpose. uplifting and I really feel it's something very positive that people are doing. Lyn Donovan: And I see that I see that here. Laura Swanson: You shared that ⁓ have a really strong art community, ⁓ which we also have here. We have, ⁓ the Oregon coast attracts a lot of amazing artists. So ⁓ some of the signs just pieces of artwork ⁓ that people are putting together. ⁓ It's really, really inspiring. Lyn Donovan: Uh-huh. Yep. Yep. It just so reflects. ⁓ the state of the country and the need to do something. And the louder the better. ⁓ Laura Swanson: I get a lot of folks that reach out to me that the local editor in there, they're not necessarily comfortable going to a protest and that sort of thing, but it's like, what can we do? ⁓ So we develop some lists of things for folks ⁓ that maybe that is helpful them ⁓ and ways for them to feel included. Well, reaching out to senators a lot. mean as far as the you know, the outreach that they can do that way the letter writing ⁓ that they can do I also I have a great I call them my my social media army and ⁓ I asked them to ⁓ look over comments because because when I do post the the videos there there are ⁓ very offensive comments that must be deleted and so I get help from from my ⁓ Lyn Donovan: ⁓ huh. Yep. Laura Swanson: pioneer readers that are very good about letting me know about those. So there's lots of different ways that people ⁓ can participate. ⁓ We've done, I've encouraged folks to write ⁓ about it and I've got several regular contributors that write ⁓ different pieces and columns and creative writing and art. So that's the other thing. ⁓ because people are at a stage of exhaustion with it, but that's what they want to do is for us not to be involved. So continuing to have that connection, I think is super important. Lyn Donovan: Yes. Yes. Yeah, I do too. Do you have a website? Does anti-resistance have a website? Laura Swanson: Well, yeah, thetellamccountypioneer.net is the main website for the pioneer. Lyn Donovan: Go ahead. Laura Swanson: Right. And then the North County resistance really doesn't. really. I mean, it's not that they didn't want the attention because they know that that's important. But. you know, they felt like it's the community's resistance. Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Well, what's happened with this group here, we do meet monthly and we do have a website. ⁓ Laura Swanson: Which you know ⁓ that from your website, or it's your website or it was your Facebook page that our group has been inspired to do some kind of big ⁓ on the water protests. Because we saw those images of you guys in kayaks. Well, literally where we're standing on the corner, you just go across the street and you're in the Nehalem River. So we're... Lyn Donovan: ⁓ terrific, yes. ⁓ great, yeah. Laura Swanson: we are right on the Nehalem River. Well, and then within other communities, because the whole idea of is taking this to all the communities, there's also some great kayak places in other communities. So we're kind of trying to plan a multiple part flotilla protest. I think Lyn Donovan: ⁓ I love it. Laura Swanson: ⁓ so we'll be, ⁓ we'll be taking it, ⁓ taking it to the water. Well, we have a dragon boat team ⁓ that practices ⁓ on the Nehalem. So, ⁓ and there are several them are part of the group. ⁓ yeah, I'm putting all the together and I'm looking forward to a flow. Lyn Donovan: Yes, I love it. I have... ⁓ ⁓ Laura Swanson: voting protests soon. Lyn Donovan: I love it. I have this great visual in my mind, you know, of it starting wherever you start upstream and, you know, working down the river, gathering people as you go. There is a really dense. Laura Swanson: Yes. Exactly. Well, and yeah, especially with Nehalem, because we could start at Nehalem and then go down to Wheeler, which is the next, you know, kind of, it would be, it would be, and there's the Nehalem bridge that goes across 101. So we'd be able to get incredible visuals of the flotilla. So yeah, we'll keep you posted on that one. But, ⁓ and it also is ⁓ a way to get other people that maybe don't feel comfortable on a street corner, but ⁓ heck yeah, they'll get on their, they'll get on their, their Lyn Donovan: Thank you. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah. But they'd be happy in their boat. Yeah. Right. Yep. Laura Swanson: paddleboard or in their kayak or whatever and and and do something with the river so yeah Lyn Donovan: That's really cool, though, to do it, you know, like down the river. That's a really cool idea. Love it. Love it. Laura Swanson: Yes. Well, and that's the group, ⁓ you know, like you said, as far as the ideas and looking at what other folks are doing and that sort of thing. So because again, when I shared with with the group that, yeah, this gal from because they're always asking about, you know, where the people from, you're not going to believe this one. Maine, the complete opposite coast. So. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Well, which I love, you know, and you and I had talked briefly and I followed it up and couldn't find anything about the Hands Across America. You know, and you know, my pet wishing that I had the energy to, you know, step up to that as a challenge. Laura Swanson: Right. Right. I know I felt the same way because they kept reaching out to me as far as helping to organize and I'm like, had so many things that I wish I loved the idea. I wish I could. So we learn as we get older that, you know, there's only so much time in the day. So, you know. Lyn Donovan: I can't, can't, I Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, mean, an older, ⁓ you know, older, this is the first birthday, my birthday was in April, that I looked in the mirror and said, you know what, you are old. You are not older, you are old. Laura Swanson: No you're not! Lyn Donovan: I think aging, I think this over 80 trip, which I am half way through, better than half way through, is about acceptance and acceptance of what is it that I have to offer, how do I do that, and what can I actually commit to and follow through on, because I can't stand it if I say I'm gonna do something and then I don't get it Laura Swanson: that's one of the great blessings that I've looked at in my community because I'm super fortunate to have multiple 80 plus and even 90 plus. Lyn Donovan: Yeah, yeah. Laura Swanson: mentors and elders that are still actively involved. And like you said, you just become more thoughtful and mindful about what you can do, but there's still ways to be able to participate in that. It's such the richness of the tapestry of our communities to have such a wealth of the multi-generational. That's one of my things. that's the publication that I have is the Talmont County Pioneer. So I'm really absolutely that one of my most important missions is preserving the stories of our elders. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: Absolutely. Maine is the, I think is statistically has the oldest population. ⁓ or the greatest population of older people of any state in the country. And so we're constantly aware of that. And then I look at the, you know, at the protest marches and I love the age spread because as we said, we have that. But the predominance of the older generations that are out there, we are out there. And Laura Swanson: ⁓ yes. Lyn Donovan: of the things that ⁓ we're really clear is that we're inclusive. ⁓ Laura Swanson: Right. Lyn Donovan: democracy, equity, freedom, ⁓ and I want to be fully respectful of that. ⁓ I love ⁓ there is resonance, ⁓ know, that we're sort of like marching in step on this side of the country and that side of the country. Yeah. Yeah. Laura Swanson: And that's it. across the country. I know. That's what, yeah, and it's not in a vacuum or in a bubble that this is happening in so many communities of all sizes and types across. And what you were saying as far as the being as inclusive as possible ⁓ and nonpartisan, that's something our groups here have ⁓ emphasized we, laugh because often because ⁓ of being the media, ⁓ there's a lot of Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Laura Swanson: assumption of course that I'm the liberal, they love to label things ⁓ and I'm an old school journalist. So I believe in presenting all sides and in freedom of speech. mean, that's, actually it's one of the main reasons that why I became so involved was when they started going after freedom of speech and the free press. Lyn Donovan: Uh-huh. Laura Swanson: I had no other choice. ⁓ know, defunding of PBS and NPR and all of that was, you know, I was already very outspoken towards this administration. And that was just the final for me that because how important that is. I mean, we we are constantly in the media battling the torrent of lies and and misinformation that they put out there. And Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Laura Swanson: I tell you, it's exhausting. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: It is exhausting. It is exhausting. And I think, you know, how can this be exhausting? I read like three or four, you know, alternative journalists every day. And I always have some comment. It used to be I had really long comments. And now basically it's like, yup, more rot. I have to remember, clean the dirt up. if you can't see it. And then it's about an exhortation to just get out there. Don't give up. Be loud. Join together. Reach out to each other. Do something kind. And from that place of doing something kind, write your congresspeople. Trust me. Laura Swanson: So Absolutely. That's been that's exactly the same messaging that we've been putting forth lead with love and kindness because that's that's truly what's going to ⁓ get us all through this and it's really about what we do for our communities ⁓ and again I always go back to the comments that people make and they're like what's that helping they should be like volunteering at the food banks well let me tell you this group collects food for the Lyn Donovan: Yeah. You know? Laura Swanson: food bank every single Saturday and have collected hundreds of pounds of food. So it's like, these are the people doing the work here. Lyn Donovan: So do we. So do we. Yep. Yep, exactly. Food, hygiene products, know, lots of, yep. Yep. Laura Swanson: Yes. Right, absolutely different. know, each time is something a little bit different maybe as far as what the needs are. Part of our one of our food banks, there's a pet food bank. So they've done pet food drives where they've as far as for pets. So yeah, always are doing that too. And, and again, I could go down the line of the 50 people and every single person I could say, ⁓ you're on the board of this, this and this and volunteer and you're on the board of this, this and this and volunteer. mean, so they're, they are the people in our community that Lyn Donovan: Uh-huh. Yep. Yeah. ⁓ huh. Yeah. Laura Swanson: are giving back. Lyn Donovan: wanted to go back to the weekly protests stuff. We're on a small park. on a corner of Route 1 as you come into downtown Rockland. There's a lot of horn honking, know, and thumbs up, people waving and cheering when they drive by. There's also a fair population of very large pickup trucks ⁓ with various flags and... Laura Swanson: You Lyn Donovan: and various fingers raised and such. And generally the response to them is just to, you know, have a good day and let it go. Laura Swanson: Right. Yes. Lyn Donovan: I don't think there's been any kind of blatantly aggressive interaction except for a couple of situations that happened this year. One was a paid opposition protester, big lanky guy in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots who moved through our crowd and ended up, I don't know whether he got shoved or somebody shoved him, whatever. Anyway, he was recognized as Laura Swanson: ⁓ You Lyn Donovan: a paid protestor known to show up at various events. I think there may be something legal going on there now about that, or it may just have faded away. The other thing that happened ⁓ was one of the pickup trucks with snow plow on it came through. And what he did was come... Laura Swanson: Mm-hmm. Lyn Donovan: I mean, we're careful about sidewalk, keeping the sidewalks clear. We have a police presence every week. There's not been a problem. This guy came down, ⁓ knocked down one person, drenched a bunch of them, plowing up the snow and the slush on the side of the road. That's the worst thing that's ever happened. ⁓ Laura Swanson: Right, staying. So. Mm-hmm. Lyn Donovan: And that is there are charges involved with that. radar. ⁓ But I was curious to know if you guys have run into any kind of, ⁓ there's nobody on opposite corner, ⁓ but usually there are a few people there with their ⁓ signs. Laura Swanson: Yeah, we- ⁓ So there's a... a difference between Manzanita, North County, Manzanita, Halem, that area, and Central County, Telemac. ⁓ And the county as a whole is very purple. ⁓ and ⁓ the, majority of the people, yeah, lots of honking, of signs, lots of thumbs up, lots of very positive reinforcement. ⁓ the other responses. ⁓ What they like to do here, because a lot of those big, huge pickup trucks ⁓ the people are driving that must be compensating for a lack of something else. ⁓ They they do something that that's called rolling coal So the D they'll they'll they'll rev up their diesel engines and then blow out all of the black smoke over the protest over the protesters and that is illegal and And it is considered endangerment and I believe that they have filed charges ⁓ For a couple of folks in Telamuk because that has happened more often at the Telamuk protest Lyn Donovan: ⁓ lovely. Wow. Laura Swanson: tests than in the halem and I've got a great story about in the halem with one of those guys in his big truck so he attempted to roll coal and when he dropped his clutch he also dropped his transmission and it came off of his truck right in the middle of 101 it was it was karma at its most beautiful and and so so we still chuckle about that remember the time with the guy photos of it. I photos of the truck with the piece of it laying there. you know, that's how I look at it. There's the incidences. And that was one of the reasons why the North County group got more involved with Indivisible was actually my prompting. I was kind of concerned about their safety because I was getting messages from folks about, we're taking down, ⁓ you know, license plate numbers and we're reporting you to Homeland Security and we're reporting you Lyn Donovan: Yep. Reasonable. Laura Swanson: to ice and you know all of those sorts of things so there's been you know just some concern and I'm always... what was that? Lyn Donovan: Do you have an ice presence there? Laura Swanson: ⁓ There has been in Telemont County because we have ⁓ a sizable Hispanic population. They work at our dairy farms and ⁓ at a lot of our restaurants and you know, the tourist economy, they take care of a lot of our hotels and all those sorts of things. So ⁓ there have been ⁓ several takings ⁓ in the area, but not recently. It's gotten very quiet. Lyn Donovan: ⁓ Yeah, and along the coast, yes, there has been a present. Yes, there have been incidents. Portland is wary, just inland, Lewiston, Auburn, much more dive. We're pretty Milky White here on the coast. Not completely, but compared to... ⁓ Laura Swanson: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Lyn Donovan: St. Louis to Auburn area very, very, very different. And looking at the clock. ⁓ Laura Swanson: Mm-hmm. We've got a really active... ⁓ Hispanic organization here that and a micro watch and very active another that's kind of another group that's that's very active in ⁓ Informing the community and and that type of thing. I've often got asked by community members, know Why aren't you reporting about these things and and it's on their advice They don't want it to be reported it. There's already so much fear within the community That that doesn't doesn't help ⁓ Lyn Donovan: God. Yeah. Laura Swanson: managing it. So like I said, I've been quite the rebel in that when ICE is in the community, I posted it on the Pioneers page and on my social media and that sort of thing. So we're informing the community and ⁓ my gosh, yeah, they were like, we're screenshotting this and sending it to, to, you know, Homeland Security and reporting you for, I'm like, okay, okay. So yeah. Lyn Donovan: That's scary. Laura Swanson: a, it's a really small percentage. And that's what I always folks too, when they, but they're so loud. So it like there's a lot of them and there's not. And Lyn Donovan: Mm-hmm. Laura Swanson: I look at when I, ⁓ when I, I look at when I, ⁓ when I, and post those protests videos the likes and the loves to the angry emojis ⁓ and ⁓ it is thousand to one so it ⁓ and that's the for me and that's what ⁓ it's so funny was like ⁓ my gosh did you see what they said I said yeah but did you see all the love look at all and post those protests videos the likes and the loves to the laughing emojis and the angry emojis and it literally is a thousand to one so it and that's the part for me and that's what it's so funny someone was like ⁓ my gosh did you see what they said I said yeah but did you see all the love look at all the love Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Yeah. Laura Swanson: love Lyn Donovan: So quick question and then we should wrap this up. ⁓ I think ⁓ going What do you see happening with the group, with the resistance movement there? Laura Swanson: Like said, I think they're going to be there every Saturday for long as they need to be there every Saturday. ⁓ Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Laura Swanson: destruction or a democracy continues, they're going to be doing everything they can to hang on to the threads and the shreds to be able to put this back together again. ⁓ So and just and again, it's outreach and education. It's information, letting the community know the things that they need to be aware of. Do you know that this is happening? Because that's the really kind of stunning part is there really are a lot of people that really don't know. And yeah, so. Lyn Donovan: Yeah. They just don't know. No, they don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Laura Swanson: as long as necessary and then I think just knowing the people involved it will continue to morph into some kind of ongoing community organization. Lyn Donovan: Yeah, yeah, and I think that's, you know, we're sort of in the same throes there for sure. This has been great. I love the resonance from one side of the country. Laura Swanson: Well, and we knew that there were so many things that were in common, ⁓ and then we've even found even more. So I will keep you posted about our flotilla and floating protests. Lyn Donovan: Yeah. Yes, dude. Thank you. Laura, thank for persevering to make the ⁓ Laura Swanson: Thank you. Thank you, Lynn. It's just delightful to ⁓ connect across from coast to coast. Lyn Donovan: This is great.