(Photo: Rob Bell)
By Rob Bell | PA NJ Radio News
An enthusiastic crowd of about 250 local residents attended Sunday’s Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope meeting at 3 p.m. at the New Hope Eagle Volunteer Fire Company building on Sugan Road.
Indivisible is a national political movement that arose in reaction to President Trump’s election, starting with the publication of an online guide on how to resist many of his administration’s policies. The guide went viral, and more that 5,000 chapters of the group are now active, including Indivisible Lambertville/NewHope. Calling members of Congress is a core tactic in the Indivisible approach.
Organizer Cindi Sternfeld of Lambertville addressed the crowd on Sunday after screening a PBS video of a recent town hall meeting with N.J. Representative Leonard Lance (R – 7th Congressional District) at Raritan Valley Community College. She pointed out that career politicians like Lance are susceptible to protest because they want to be re-elected.
Sternfeld described the 90-minute meeting, only the third the group has had since President Trump was elected, as an opportunity to gather information and exposure, get motivated individuals to sign up for postcard parties and rallies, and to help those who want to “push back” against the current administration’s policies.
She explained to the crowd that Indivisible is a national movement, and that there are over 30 indivisible groups in Lance’s 7th New Jersey Congressional District alone. Sternfeld underscored three effective activities to protest the President’s initiatives: 1) resist, 2) elect democrats and liberals in 2018, and 3) be respectful of others opinions, not violent.
The crowd was then encouraged to repeat the mantra “Resist! Elect! Respect!” a number of times. Attendees broke into discussion groups with headings including “civil rights,” “conflicts of interest,” and “national security,” with each group selecting a leader. The meeting ended with a round of applause by the energized crowd.
“We’ve organized letter writing, postcard writing, rally cries, and meetings on specific topics,” explained Sternfeld in an interview Monday. “It’s an incredibly busy group, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.”
Sternfeld said the group is already collaborating with Solebury Democrats and Jersey 7 Forward.
“We need an ongoing engagement from members — not a week or a month — but forever,” she observed.
“This election taught us we can’t go back to bed.”
The next meeting of Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope is March 19, but a location has yet to be determined.
Updated 5:51 p.m. to include Sternfeld quotes.
Lisa, I would be happy to find out that I am wrong about your group. My comment was based on a leaked audio from a group meeting of Indivisible plotting how to best manufacture a hostile environment at a town hall meeting with Rep. Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana. Do a Google search Truthfeed, KPEL local radio station, Indivisible. Hard to hear everything at first, but it gets very clear pretty quickly. Listen to the ENTIRE audio. Nothing respectful about it. That being said, I might be tarring you all with the same brush.
Sandra, Thanks for your response. I appreciate your clarification and open-mindedness. Our group is committed to resisting what we believe to be wrong for our country in a positive and respectful manner. I hope that other groups who call themselves Indivisible will do the same.
What does a group in Louisiana have to do with this group in New Jersey-Pennsylvania?
Can you say “false equivalence”? Sure you can.
This has been my third meeting, and as always it was inspiring! It is great to be associated with this group and I feel fortunate to have found them, plus their meetings are held not far from where I live in Ringoes, NJ. Their message is always a positive one. ‘Hate has no home’ at these meetings — I like that! Practical methods given to oppose Trump’s (+ the GOP) agenda regarding saving our healthcare, environmental concerns, civil & human rights, etc. Looking forward to the next meeting!
They are professionally organized teams of liberals, most of them foreigners to the area they are protesting in, who are actively trying to undermine our government. They are not there to resist & respect. They are there to disrupt. I’ll be attending their next meeting on March 19 to see if I recognize ANYONE from this area. I doubt if I’ll see many.
Sandra, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. Indivisible Lambertville New Hope is a group of dedicated and passionate local citizens who are doing their utmost to preserve our democracy in a respectful way. No one is trying to undermine our government. No one is a “professional liberal.” It is a group of unpaid people volunteering our time, talents, and efforts to defend our constitutionally protected rights. No one is trucked in from the “outside.” If you do attend the next meeting, you will most certainly see all of this for yourself.