PEORIA, IL -- The surprise election of Donald Trump to become president of the US has motivated activism among Peorians who loathe him.
A new group, Progressive Peoria, has formed. The group's legislative update meeting on Jan. 8 attracted more than 75 people who squeezed into a room at the Lincoln Public Library to discuss what to do next.
Plans are taking shape for a Peoria march on Jan. 21, in solidarity with the national march on Washington DC and marches in the major cities.
And three Democrats, state Sen. Dave Koehler and Peoria City Council members Beth Jensen and Denise Moore talked about what to do next to stand against Trump and Republicans who support him.
Here is a recording of the meeting.
Among the suggestions: aside from signing up for the group's emails here and newly developed Twitter site @progressivepeoria, Koehler said everyone in the room should email Illinois senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and tell them to vote against Sessions for Attorney General, and stand firm on the Affordable Care Act and funding for Planned Parenthood.
Send separate emails on each topic, he said, as these are tallied daily. The same is true of issues in the Illinois General Assembly, he said.
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer will have to filibuster the Sessions nomination, and he needs support, Koehler said.
"The election was a call to action," Koehler said."Don't mourn, organize," he said, quoting the historic union activist Joe Hill."We need to preserve democracy."
The Democratic Party is locating young Democrats to get involved and run for local elective offices, Koehler said. Meanwhile Democrats need to improve their messaging and framing of the issues, he said.
"Trump framed the issues," he said, but "the media has blood on its hands," for allowing what went on, e.g. lies.
Jensen said that many people who voted for Trump "didn't buy into him" and his many destructive issues such as gutting the Affordable Care Act.
Meanwhile City Council members can make a difference in people's lives at the local level, she said.
Moore urged engagement with council members. "If you're not in the room when people talk about your issue you're invisible."
Koehler said if the ACA is dismantled, it must be replaced with Medicare for all."This is a battleground issue."
Moderator Katie Jones, who works in health care, said citizens should ask the city council to pass a resolution to keep the ACA, since it saves money for taxpayers as it was designed to do. She has the figures to prove it.
People can send their support for the ACA to www.facesoftheaca.com, since advocates are collecting stories to send to Congress.
"It drives me nuts to say let's give (Trump) a chance. But if he wants a good infrastructure bill the Democrats might work with him, though not on certain other issues, he said.
Koehler said the nation's mood is ugly, but Democrats must act with non-violence, especially in the streets. "The tone is right for bad things to happen."
-- Elaine Hopkins
