Hoosiers who heed the national call to stand up against President Donald Trump at the Oct. 18 protest in Indianapolis might or might not notice a difference, but the groups behind the effort are different than the one that led the first “No Kings” protest here in June.
Over the summer, a group of Indiana organizers responsible for rallying major crowds at the Indiana Statehouse in a matter of months disbanded after infighting divided its core organizers.
It’s common for advocacy collectives to fall apart over time, experts say. Indiana’s 50501 collective is one of numerous examples of how internal difficulties can threaten a movement’s longevity, despite public appetite for the cause.
Now, ahead of another national protest, Central Indiana advocacy organizations are preparing for a long-haul movement in solidly Republican Indiana. They’re collaborating more closely to organize large demonstrations and other civil participation to oppose the Trump administration.
“We don’t need to recreate the wheel,” said Amy Courtney, executive director of MADVoters. “We need to learn from the organizations that have had success and their expertise and lean on them. Everyone’s going to have a role to play.”
Since taking office in January, Trump has taken dozens of steps challenging the extent of his powers and presidential norms, including on immigration, federal spending and the military. His approval rating has remained steady around 40%, with some pollsters reporting a few points higher, according to several recent polls nationally and at the state level.
Social media, combined with the tense political moment, have motivated thousands in Indianapolis alone to express their First Amendment rights since Trump took office. However, capturing that enthusiasm and distilling it into a movement is not an easy feat.
“New organizations and new protest movements are often struggling to build long-term capacity, even in an environment where there are lots of people who are enthusiastic and interested in protesting,” said Matthew Baggetta, an expert on social movements and civic engagement at Indiana University.
Patchwork of strengths, priorities
Advocacy organizations have always worked in tandem, but organizers are especially seeking closer collaboration to mobilize more protesters as Trump policies rile more people. The “No Kings” protest in Indianapolis on Oct. 18 is an example.
Indivisible Central Indiana is leading the protest while the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, MADVoters Indiana, Women4Change Indiana and others are assisting and promoting the event. Organizers told IndyStar they view each group as bringing a different dimension to the cause.
MADVoters’ Courtney said the goal is to make sure Hoosiers’ civic engagement doesn’t end with a protest. Their outreach seeks to drive people to contact elected officials at all levels of government, plug themselves into government meetings and volunteer for campaigns.
“We’re really just trying to give people the tools so that they can take actions that are meaningful,” she said. “We’re going for a sustained movement.”
Founded to resist Trump’s first-term presidency, Monty Hulse sees his organization, Indivisible Central Indiana, as a big tent where activists and other protest groups can come together to oppose the major strokes of the current administration.
His organization is building a coalition of organizers to better support and equip them with resources. They can provide guidance on topics such as how to recruit speakers, what are the best sound systems and how to secure a permit.
“One of the goals with this, and one of the reasons why we wanted to form a coalition, is we want to have a sustainable basis for people that could want to organize actions, like these mass mobilizations,” Hulse said.
Other organizations are also ramping up in Indianapolis. A group called Indiana Resistance formed in May and began growing its presence in Indianapolis after 50501 folded, Caroline Hamilton said. One of its primary goals is to unify grassroots efforts across the state.
“The beautiful thing with 50501 when it originated was that it sparked all of these small teams across the nation,” Hamilton said. “All of those teams are still active and protesting regardless if Indiana 50501 is still active in the state.”
Indiana’s 50501 chapter schism
Prior to the social media age, Baggetta said, quick-on-their-feet, strong leadership was critical to produce a good turnout. Now, a couple of posts can result in an influx of enthusiastic participants for rookie organizers who lack the structure to host them.
“What often happens these days is an initial big wave of people turning out for something and then a lot of that just sort of dissipating because there’s no way to capture it and harness it and keep it going in the future,” Baggetta said.
The volunteer-led 50501 movement — which stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day — has organized several national peaceful protests across the country. In Indianapolis, organizers were responsible for themed demonstrations, including “Hands off!” on April 5, “May Day” on May 1, “No Kings” on June 14 and “Good Trouble” on July 17.
When momentum was building, former 50501 organizer Taelar Christman said, some of her proudest moments were leading protests reaching into the thousands.
It grew stressful quickly.
There was a time she picked up her phone after 12 hours to find 3,000 messages. Those texts grew frustrated and hateful, she said.
The weight of organizing eventually culminated with clashes with other activists. Christman said she left the group with a bad taste in her mouth — a feeling she believes is common in activism spaces.
The Indiana 50501 chapter’s website now directs people to other local groups, including the Indiana Resistance Alliance, Indiana Rural Summit, Indivisible Central Indiana and MADVoters.
Finding sustainability in the ebb and flow of activism
The strain of the daily grind on leaders is most likely to lead to issues with longevity, Baggetta said. Sometimes, groups paralyze themselves in discussions trying to figure out their next move or overall strategy, he said, which could lead to internal disagreements and people leaving.
“The amount of pressure that is on organizers to be perfect is a little insane,” said Christman. “I know that it comes out of a desire to grow and a desire to see the changes that we want in the world, but I think one of the big things that will bring us to long-term momentum and activism is setting up realistic expectations for ourselves and others.”
Several veteran organizers stress building relationships and boosting morale as major keys to longevity. Many talked about holding picnics and other get-togethers to build community. Hamilton, of Indiana Resistance, said mutual aid was a priority for that reason.
Indivisible, like many organizations, is attempting to spread its web of grassroots organizing to more communities, Hulse said, so local organizers can build relationships with their neighbors.
“It’s going to be long distance, not a sprint,” Hulse said. “It’s important to pace ourselves and figure out how a movement can keep itself focused and effective over the next few years.”
“Serious” leadership and organizing training can help mitigate some of these problems, Baggetta said. Several organizers also mentioned encouraging such education.
It’s important that people find balance to combat burnout, said Courtney, of MADVoters. She encouraged people to find others in their community who feel similarly and find ways to take action that they are comfortable with.
“This is going to be probably a longer effort than any of us want it to be, but we can’t stop until we win,” she said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
The USA TODAY Network – Indiana’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
Have a story to tell? Reach Cate Charron by email at ccharron@indystar.com, on X at @CateCharron or Signal at @cate.charron.28.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Marathon, not a sprint’: Indy’s anti-Trump movement evolves as ‘No Kings’ protest nears
Reporting by Cate Charron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
