ICO Newsletter - 7/9/25

We're so excited about “Good Trouble Lives On in Columbus!” 

July 17 is the 5th anniversary of the passing of Congressman John Lewis: the Good Trouble Lives On events nationwide are in his honor. Indivisible Central Ohio and Common Cause Ohio are thrilled to be working with several important Black-led organizations to commemorate and celebrate the day – and continue Congressman Lewis’s legacy of struggle for justice. 

REGISTER HERE
Please join us at Second Baptist Church – the oldest Black church in Columbus – where we will hear from these speakers and several others:

PLEASE NOTE: the location of this event has changed! 

When: Thursday, July 17, 4:30-6pm

Where: Second Baptist Church, 186 N 17th St, Columbus, 43203

Speakers include the following (more will be added!):

Deidra Reese, Ohio Organizing Collaborative & the Amos Project

Morgan Harper, Columbus Stand Up

Rhiannon Carnes, Ohio Women’s Alliance

The program will include music and more!

REGISTER HERE

At the conclusion of the program, some of the attendees will travel (drive or march) to the Ohio Statehouse to join the 50501 Good Trouble rally scheduled for 6-8pm. 

NOTE: A list of other central Ohio Good Trouble events can be found HERE.

ICO brought the protest to the people! 

Indivisible Central Ohio brought political satire to the Doo Dah Parade on the 4th with Trump behind bars and Lady Liberty showering the crowd with beach ball globes of world peace. Watch the video here, and check out photos in this album. A HUGE thank you to the marchers who braved the heat, and to everyone who worked so hard to make this a success. Special shout outs to Tom Shevlin, Meredith Benson, Susan Dlouhy, Mishka and John Griffin, Meryl Neiman -- among others! 

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, 7/11/2025: The Wave, 5-7pm, corner Milton and W North Broadway. We invite you to meet your neighbors and strengthen our community on the second Friday of every month as we WAVE FOR DEMOCRACY. See the flyer above for more info. 

Weekly rallies

Wednesday, 7/9/2025: 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, 7/12/2025: Protest in Delaware, noon to 1 PM. Let’s protest together and let folks know that we are tired of all the shenanigans.

Saturday, 7/12/2025: 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, 7/15/2025: 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.

Coming Soon to the South Side!

Thursday, 7/24/2025: Say Something, Rally the Community, 4:30-5:30 PM, Grant and Livingston Ave, Columbus. Bring your signs, your voice, and a friend and say something about how you are feeling about the current state of affairs in this country. See the flyer for the event HERE and register to attend 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 7/11, 7/15/ 7/18, 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!

CO Behind the Scenes: Meet John & Mishka Griffin

Do you subscribe to ICO’s YouTube channel? Well, you should! Because, thanks to John and Mishka Griffin, it’s packed with fantastic videos (short and long) of ICO events. John and Mishka have massively upgraded our ability to share photos and recordings of our meetings, events and actions. Not only are they at every event – working hard to capture photos and video – they also then rush home to turn the raw footage into amazing content that can be shared on social media. We are enormously grateful for their energy, expertise, and enthusiasm! 

Let’s hear from John and Mishka:

We discovered Indivisible via YouTube and found Indivisible Central Ohio as the local chapter. We joined in March 2025 because we needed to do something more productive than screaming into the void. Our experiences in photography, videography, and producing our own YouTube channel offered an intersection of our talents and ICO needs, so we immediately jumped in producing videos from the 3/22/2025 Empty Chair Town Hall. It has been non-stop ever since. Working within this community of like-minded citizens fighting for the preservation of our rights has been energizing and thoroughly rewarding. We feel honored to be considered part of this amazing uplifting organization. Thank you all for being so welcoming and passionate!

Protect the Vetoes

Our state legislators are not taking the Governor's vetoes well. Help remind Ohio’s Republican legislators that checks and balances are a good thing. America’s Founding Fathers implemented them on purpose.
Remind them that there must be a reason why their own party’s governor vetoed the items he did.
Tell your state representative and senator not to override ANY of the governor’s vetoes! 

DRAFT SCRIPT:
Hello. My name is [NAME], and I am a voter in your district. My zip code is [ZIP CODE]. I’m asking you not to override ANY of the governor’s budget vetoes. No one got everything they wanted in this budget. There are definitely some things I’m angry about. But it’s good that we have checks and balances in our state government. Please respect the executive branch and just let the budget remain as-is. Does [LEGISLATOR] promise to vote NO on any budget veto overrides? I will be sharing your responses with my networks and urging more people to call you. Thank you.

Columbus Safety Collective

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:

• ICO Sign Up for Weiland’s

• 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). 

Postcards and Postcard Stamps

In case you hadn’t heard, Signs of Justice is coordinating the Million Postcards Campaign to flood members of Congress at the beginning of each month with the cards pictured above. Their goal is to mail 1 million postcards, in sustained waves, to members of Congress each month. The next wave should be mailed on or about August 1. Find instructions HERE. We have 2500 of these postcards! Pick some up and share them with friends! Collect at 437 Piedmont Road. While you’re there you can grab a pack of cards to PA Dems. Happy writing! 

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, or simply donate to ICO at this link. 

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!

The Self-Evident Truths of Freedom–and of Tyranny

• The other winner in New York’s mayoral contest: ranked-choice voting | David Daley | The Guardian 

• What now?

• Origins of Evasion: The School Choice Project to Escape Pluralism

Upcoming Events (Calendar view) 

Wednesday, 7/9/2025 ReSisters Huddle, 5:30-8pm. Endeavor Brewing & Spirits, 909 W 5th Ave, Columbus. Join us and meet Kyle Herman, a leader for Rank the Vote Ohio – a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting ranked choice voting. We'll practice Rank Choice Voting with some Chocolate Chip Cookies! 

Thursday, 7/10/2025: Thursday Action Group, 12-1:30 pm via Zoom. Join us as ICO member Cara Stevens updates us on attempts to unseat Jim Jordan. We will also discuss the Surviving Ohio State HBO documentary. Link is here,

Thursday, 7/10/2025: How Things Work at the Statehouse with Rachel Coyle, 7-8:30pm, via Zoom. Join this training and enhance your understanding of how to effectively advocate for issues and influence our elected officials. Register HERE. 

Saturday, 7/12/2025: Newark Community Festival, 10am to late!, OSU Newark Campus, 1179 University Dr, Newark. Two stages, a dozen bands, all profits to benefit local non-profits! More info at this link. 

Tuesday, 7/15/2025: Poster Boards, Markers, and Cookies, 4:30-6 pm, Pickerington Public Library: Sycamore Plaza Branch, 7861 Refugee Rd. Join us to make signs for the upcoming Good Trouble Lives On in Pickerington protest, happening July 19. We will provide poster boards, markers, and rulers. 

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! Don't be shy! We are friendly and committed to creating a community of progressive, engaged Ohioans. Register HERE. 

Tuesdays, 7/15, 7/22, & 7/29/2025: LEAD Ohio 2025 Campaign Boot Camp, 6-8:30 pm via Zoom. Are you running for office, campaign staff, or a volunteer? Join us for this 3-part training designed to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge you need to run or help with a strong campaign. Register HERE. 

Wednesday, 7/16/2025: Community Meeting on the Future of Public Education, 6-8pm, New Albany Library. Join as speakers from Honesty for Ohio Education and Indivisible Central Ohio share information on what’s happening, what’s at stake, and how we can take action together.

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, Second Baptist Church, 186 N 17th St, 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, Rhiannon Carnes from the Ohio Women’s Alliance. 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 and United SHE Stands for an evening of Trivia fun. Sign up at this link and get a raffle ticket! Bring period products to donate to a local Columbus School to get an extra raffle ticket. 

Saturday, 7/19/2025-Thursday,7/24/2025:The Last Class Film, time varies per day. Gateway Theater, Columbus. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich delivers his last “Wealth and Poverty” class, sharing his reflections on education and inequality. Get tickets.

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!

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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Find us at our website indivisiblecentralohio.org. Check out our Linktree! Follow us here and on our public and closed Facebook pages to stay current with all our activities. Add our Indivisible Central Ohio Google Calendar so you can follow all our events. You can also follow us on Threads, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, Reddit, and Discord. Get involved by filling out our “Join us” interest form!