The usual sounds of traffic along a busy stretch of Fletcher Parkway mingled with the sounds of protest Thursday. Drivers honked their horns in support of the demonstrators, who had one big request of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-48).
“Hold a town hall," said protest organizer and District 48 resident Connie Elder.
Town halls across the nation have been tough places to be lately for Republicans and even some Democrats. The head of the GOP campaign arm recently advised his fellow Republicans to stop holding town halls. But Connie Elder said Issa owes it to his constituents.
“He is our representative. We certainly expect that he would be willing to meet with us and talk with us and we’re gonna keep demanding that," she said.
The homemade signs carried messages on a number of topics. One, held by retired dentist David Willner, said "Dentists Against Political Decay."
“We need our congressman to vote for what is right when it comes to saving our democracy," Willner said.
Though the majority of people driving by seemed to support the protesters by honking their horns, a few did not. One man screamed at them from his truck, and a woman told KPBS she was furious about protesters holding upside down American flags, which is a sign of distress.
But Elder said she and her fellow protesters are not deterred, and she said they won’t give up.
“We’ll be here every Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine and we’re gonna grow," she said.
KPBS reached out to Rep. Issa's office for a comment, but we didn't hear back.
Meantime, these protesters will continue to raise their voices, if not in a town hall, then on the street.
