It was a sunny day as I started my journey to the 10th Frame blowing alley in downtown Appleton.
As I approached the corner of Northland and Wisconsin Avenue, I noticed what I estimated to be about two hundred people lining both sides of the street one block down and directly across from the 10th Frame. They were engaged in a protest against the Republican Party of Outagamie County’s Lincoln Day Luncheon featuring Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, Congressman Tony Wied, and Senator Ron Johnson.
I parked my car and took a good look at the protestors arrayed on the sidewalks. Their signs were a mish-mash of Democrat causes: Free Palestine, LGBTQ+ people have rights too, Trump is a lawless dictator, and MAGA (Misogynists Are Gutting America). I decided to get a first-hand account from the protestors themselves as to what they were really protesting.
The first group I encountered were standing one block away from the entrance. Their signs were focused on the lack of town hall meetings in the Fox Valley region by Republican politicians. I asked them what they were protesting, and they answered that the Republican officials were not meeting with their constituents, and that Trump was allocating too much power to the executive branch versus the other two branches. I answered that these issues were being addressed in the court system and that this will all be sorted out in the next few months. They agreed but still expressed their frustration. We parted ways with me telling them I appreciated their time and talking to me, and them saying that they appreciated me talking to them civilly and being reasonable.
The second group I spoke to was not as polite or civil.
I walked up the street towards the entrance to the luncheon and passed several more protestors and a man playing a snare drum, trying to get the protestors to yell in a cadence instead of screaming over each other. I made it to the entrance and decided to ask the people right outside the door what they were protesting (yes, I can read signs, but I wanted to hear their issues in their own words). There was a man and a woman. I asked them what they were protesting, and the woman told me she was there to protest Trump’s dictatorial first one hundred days. I asked her to explain as I did not understand what dictatorial meant in this context. She explained that Trump was taking away people’s right to protest. I countered by asking for examples, but she had none.
She quickly changed the discussion by asking me why I did not support peaceful protests. I told her peaceful protests are a cornerstone of our democracy, but I do not support violent protests. She insisted that Democrats do not engage in violent protests. I gently reminded her that on April 5th a Democrat-supported protest—a “Hands Off” protest against Trump and DOGE—an innocent man was pulled from his Tesla and beaten by the crowd. She retorted that this was “an unfortunate incident.”
At this point, the man next to her asked me if I thought that everybody in the country had rights. I answered that yes, all citizens have rights. He asked me again if all people in the United States have rights. I answered again, yes, all citizens have rights. He asked me if I was familiar with the 5th Amendment to the Constitution. I said yes, it deals with double jeopardy, self-incrimination, a fair and speedy trial, and the right to a grand jury review before a federal criminal formal accusation can be brought. He answered that I was wrong and that I should re-review the Constitution. It was at this point that our discussion had garnered the attention of other protestors. I decided I did not want to be another “unfortunate incident,” so I parted company with them and entered the event hall.
Once inside I recounted my experiences to anyone who would listen. Their first reaction was that I was crazy. I told them it was a small attempt to foster discussion and understanding, and to have reasoned discourse, and that overall I thought it was successful. As the event got closer to starting, I learned from the chairwoman of the Outagamie County Republican Party that she was the subject of a death threat. Although it was not connected to the luncheon (it was for comments made regarding an earlier incident) it reflected the unhinged nature of many in the Democrat Party.
I also heard that the event venue (The 10th Frame) had been subject to threats for agreeing to host the luncheon. To their immense credit, when given the opportunity to cancel the event, they decided not to and to stare down this blatant intimidation tactic. This courage needs to be supported, and I urge everyone reading this article to make it a point to patronize the 10th Frame and write words of support on their Facebook page.
