ICO Newsletter - 7/2/25
March with us in the Doo Dah Parade!
Indivisible Central Ohio is bringing hard core political satire to the Doo Dah Parade this Friday, July 4. You don’t want to miss this! We’re reprising the White House float, but this time, Trump will be riding with us – placed exactly where he belongs: behind bars! Lady Liberty will be on board, showering the crowd with the promise of world peace, along with the ICO Sheriff, bubbles and bullhorns.
Wear your blue Indivisible Central Ohio T-shirt and carry a sign. We’re encouraging folks to bring tombstone-shaped signs memorializing the various programs that have been dismantled by this regime (eg, USAID, Cancer Research, etc), or the virtues that Trump and MAGA have killed off. (See the cartoon below for morbid inspiration.)
Meet us in the parade line up along Park St near the corner of Buttles. Arrive by 12:30, step off is 1pm. Check the Facebook event HERE.
Register Voters at Doo Dah! You can also put on an orange shirt and register voters along the parade route. Check out the sign up HERE .
Blue shirts for sale (Orange VR Shirts are Free)
If you need a blue ICO shirt to march with us on Friday, they will be available at 437 Piedmont Rd at the following times this week:
3-5pm Wednesday (today), 7/2
9-noon Thursday, 7/3
To cover costs, shirts are $10 cash, or $12 via card.
ICO Receives Comfest’s Honored Community Organization Award
Indivisible Central Ohio was the recipient of Comfest’s Community Organization Award. ICO was recognized for its commitment to preserving democracy and harnessing the strength of community through its broad volunteer base. See a video of the award presentation HERE.
RALLIES & PROTESTS
Every week there are rallies and protests all over central Ohio! You can follow what’s happening in the Events section of our website, indivisible central ohio.org.
This Week Only
Friday, 7/4/2025: Hilliard 4th of July Parade – Target Congressman Mike Carey & Senator Jon Husted!
The Hilliard July 4 parade will be an excellent opportunity to target Mike Carey – a vulnerable congressman who really doesn’t care that he is 100% inaccessible to constituents – and also target our lame US Senator Jon Husted. Both Carey and Husted will be marching in the parade! We suggest bringing signs that say, “Carey doesn’t Care” “Husted ignores his constituents!” "Carey cut your Health Care" "Husted Works for Billionaires" or whatever creative message comes to mind. Here are the details you need:
Step off: 9am from the Hilliard Fairgrounds
Route: Exit left from fairgrounds (Main Street/Avery Curve), continue on Main Street, left on Cemetery Road, left on Norwich Street, then parade vehicles will turn right and exit through fairgrounds via Columbia Street.
The best place for signs is the underpass on Cemetery Rd.
Friday, 7/4/2025: 50501 Rally for Democracy, noon-4pm. Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capital Square. Rank the Vote Ohio will be there as well. Opportunities to help with setup, clean up, or tabling/canvassing with Rank the Vote are HERE.
Weekly rallies
Wednesday, 7/2/2025: Wednesday’s at Bernie’s, 12pm, Bricker Federal Building, 200 N. High Street. Let's hold Moreno accountable to the people and taxpayers of Ohio. We demand to be seen AND heard - just like his rich donors. More info and register HERE.
Saturday, 7/5/2025: Protest in Delaware, noon to 1 PM. Let’s protest together and let folks know that we are tired of all the shenanigans.
Saturday, 7/5/2025: Tesla Protest! 4:30-5:30 PM, Easton Tesla Dealership. Join the weekly Tesla Takedown protest! Even driving by and giving us a supportive honk is appreciated!
Tuesday, 7/8/2025: Rush Hour Rallies, 4:30-5:30pm,
Eastside, Support Veterans: Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center, 420 N James Rd, Columbus. Come out to support our veterans! Registration & more info HERE.
Worthington: Join us to deliver our message of resistance to commuters at the intersection of Route 161 and High St. in Worthington. Organized by the Worthington Area Democratic Club and Westerville Progressive Alliance. Signup & parking info HERE.
Join the Overpass Army!
A fun and easy entry to anti-Trump activism is to join our crew as we hold signs over the highways. Upcoming dates are 7/3, 7/8, 7/11, and more – all 4:30-6pm. Details, directions and sign up are HERE. Bookmark that location as we add dates every week. We have the signs and flags. You bring the manpower!
For an example of the kind of very cool visibility work we aim to do in the future, check this amazing video from Cleveland!
No Rest for PWGSD (People Who Get Shit Done)
The state legislature is on break for the summer holiday. Without those calls to make to the statehouse, you might be feeling lost. Here are some actions you can still take.
Today only! Make Calls with Move On to Save Medicaid, 6-8pm. Sign up HERE.
Use the 5 Calls app to make calls to your representatives in Congress. If you haven’t downloaded the app yet, it makes contact simple by providing the number and a script for individual issues.
Join the Columbus Safety Collective to collect the signatures needed to get this initiative on the ballot.
Get booklets and training:
ICO Office hours: Mondays, 5:30-6:30pm, Global Gallery, 3535 N High St.
CSC Office hours: Thur, 6-7pm & Sat, 10:30am-noon, Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Brydon Road.
Find places to collect signatures:
More sign ups at this Mobilize link
For info or materials outside of regular office hours contact Jackie Bird (jackieoep@gmail.com) or Cheryl Grossman (cherylrsgrossman@gmail.com).
Update from CSC:
The effort is now shooting for the MAY 2026 ballot, thus signature collecting will continue to early April 2026;
Lots of opportunities to collect signatures this 4th of July weekend. Don’t forget neighborhood parades. Contact Cheryl or Jackie for booklets;
CSC is calling in ALL booklets by July 7. Please turn in any booklet with signatures, no matter how many or few, to Global Gallery on JULY 7 from 5:30-6:30 pm. Pick up more blank booklets & keep going. CSC needs to assess its numbers to date.
US Postage Going Up Again 7/13
Did you know that last year Indivisible Central Ohio members wrote more than 25,000 Vote Forward letters? That’s $18,250-worth of stamps! And that’s not even counting the tens of thousands of postcards we wrote as well. Of course, many of you provided your own stamps (thank you) and/or donated, but overall Indivisible Central Ohio spent beaucoups bucks on postage!
Not a postcard writer but looking for a way to help? With postage rates due to go up on July 13*, pitching in for stamps before the increase is a great way to have an impact! Any postcard or first class stamps you want to buy will help us make sure that everyone who wants to write can do so, whether or not they can supply the stamps. Feel free to drop off stamps in the postcard box on the porch at 437 Piedmont. (And pick up some postcards to write while you’re there!)
* Postage prices on forever postcard stamps will increase from 56¢ to 62¢ each. Postage on first-class forever stamps will increase from 73¢ to 78¢. When you are talking about thousands and thousands of stamps, this bump up is a big difference. Buy ahead for yourself as well and all your political postcarding and letter-writing!
Questions? Please contact Michelle at mlerner5@gmail.com or 740-258-8343.
Ralph Carter and We Are Linden are running the Project Safe Summer Program this year, to keep kids engaged in a safe environment where they can have fun and learn leadership skills to serve them throughout the year. Ralph has put out a call to their Village (that's US!) to rally donations to keep the kids hydrated and fed as well as funding field trips this summer.
Donate at this link (SCROLL DOWN) via Ca$happ or Venmo, or contact Ann Shroyer at Randomann@gmail.com. Thank you!
Friday & Saturday, 7/4 & 7/5/2025: LOCAL MUSIC VENUES “JULY FOUR THE PEOPLE” Benefit Concerts for CRIS and ACLU. Check the amazing lineups above! Tickets at this link. Representatives from Indivisible Central Ohio will be at some locations to share information & recruit members!
Tuesday, 7/8/2025: Become a “How Things Work at the Statehouse” Presenter, 6-8pm, in person, in Columbus, plus online on other dates. Attend training sessions to learn from the best in the game, Rachel Coyle, co-founder of “How Things Work at the Statehouse” (and OAE’s Programs Director), and practice your skills with Rachel and OAE Executive Director Maria Bruno. After completing this 2 part program, you’ll be able to confidently train up your own community to advocate at the Statehouse. Sessions are offered in person and virtually. There is a fee. Registration and more information HERE. This same training will be offered virtually on July 9.
Thursday, 7/10/2025: Thursday Action Group, 12-1:30 PM, virtual. ICO member Cara Stevens will update us on attempts to unseat Jim Jordan and we will discuss the “Surviving Ohio State” HBO documentary. Check next week’s newsletter for a link.
Sunday, 7/13/2025: Rise Up and Sing Together, 7-8:30pm. We believe in the power of singing together to build community. We invite you and anyone passionate about freedom, justice, and community to join members of Indivisible Central Ohio in song. Members are invited to recommend songs from Rise Up Singing, Rise Again, or other sources for us to sing and play together. Whether you sing, play an instrument, or just love the idea of connecting with like-minded people through music, we welcome you. Previous gatherings' songs have ranged from "This Land is Your Land" to "I Will Survive." The location is in Clintonville and will be shown once you register.
Tuesday, 7/15/2025: Testifyin’ Tuesdays, 6-8pm, La Matraca Mexican Grill & Cantina, 5000 Gender Rd, Canal Winchester. Join us for a monthly social/political dinner, where we write to legislators or voters, or plot and plan more events, about issues we care about! We meet in Canal Winchester with activists and volunteers from around central Ohio on the third Tuesday each month. We are a community of people who still believe strongly in democracy and the goal of social justice. Don't be shy! We are friendly and committed to creating a community of progressive, engaged Ohioans. We'll suggest actions anyone can do, resources anyone can gather, and small steps toward the goals of equity and positive change. Register HERE.
Wednesdays, 7/16, 7/30, 8/13/2025: One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism. The No Kings team has organized a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design. Join these training events HERE.
Thursday, 7/17/2025: Good Trouble Lives on In Columbus! 4:30-6:00PM, venue TBD in Columbus. Get ready for a big gathering to commemorate Congressman John Lewis on the 5th anniversary of his passing and get into some Good Trouble! Speakers will include Deidra Reese from the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Morgan Harper from Columbus Stand Up, among others. Information will be added to the event registration page HERE as we finalize details.
Friday, 7/18/2025: Trivia Night! 6:30pm, Endeavor Brewing and Spirits, 909 W 5th Ave, Columbus. Join the ICO team for an evening of Trivia fun. See details in the flyer above!
Wednesday, 7/23/2025: ICO In-person Meeting, 6:30-8pm, 1st UU Church, 93 W Weisheimer Rd, Columbus. Join other members of Indivisible Central Ohio for our monthly in person member meeting, fourth Wednesday of every month. We will discuss current actions and activities and hear from you about your ideas for new actions!
Sunday, 7/27/2025: ICO Postcard Party! 6-8pm, 219 W Dublin Granville Rd, Worthington. Let’s stand up for democracy while building a community via a postcard writing party. We will supply cards, snacks and drinks. Feel free to bring anything to make the postcards more fun to read with stickers or markers. For those who are able, stamps are appreciated.
Wednesday, 7/30/2025: ICO Social Hour, 6-8pm, Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall. Join us for a drink and the opportunity to get to know some other Indivisible Central Ohio folks!
Thursday, 7/31/2025: Central Ohio High School Collective Bargaining Program, 9am to 3pm. Know a high schooler who could use some civic education? The Central Ohio Worker Center in partnership with area unions, with curriculum support from the DePaul University Labor Education Center, is offering a one-day training on collective bargaining. Register HERE by July 21.
Mia & Linda for the Indivisible Central Ohio Team
Questions? Please reach out to us at indivisiblecentralohio@gmail.com or reply to this email.
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