Cold weather doesn’t stop protesters

WAUPACA – If you happened to be driving down Fulton Street on Saturday, Jan. 31, you probably saw a group of people holding political signs in the chilly temperatures.
The group calls themselves, “Do Something – Waupaca,” and they define themselves as “a gathering of like-minded, action-oriented friends and neighbors dedicated to peacefully and purposefully monitoring and prioritizing and acting on local, state, and national issues that impact Waupaca, Wisconsin and surrounding communities.”
Anita Olson, one of the organizers and group members, said the first gathering of Do Something-Waupaca was in December 2024 in the meeting room at the Waupaca Public Library, with initially only three people joining and soon the small movement grew.
“We continue because we cannot be silent or stay on the sidelines when our country is in jeopardy of losing its democracy,” Olson said. “We are totally engaged and continue to volunteer many hours of our time, no one has been paid.”
Olson said about 100 participants showed up and there was an assortment of reactions from cars passing by ranging from beeps to negative hand gestures.

The group collects donations at its rallies which have allowed them to make printed signs, rent the gazebo in downtown Waupaca, as well as purchase pins and yard signs.
Olson said the group has slowed down during the colder winter months, but says they are ready to resume activities in regard to rallies and informational meetings.
Previously, Olson said, there has been upwards of 450 people that have gathered on the lawn at city hall.
Olson said there has not been much pushback from the community and said that they have collected numerous email addresses and found many in support of their cause.
“It has been a protest as well as positive statements about democracy and about our collective values,” Olson said. “We hope more folks will engage in what is happening each day in the U.S. and feel moved to do the hard work of engaging in ‘small-d democracy.’”
The group will be holding another gathering on Feb. 11 at the Waupaca Public Library from 5 to 7 p.m.
The gathering will feature speakers such as Steve Hendrix, who is a former career diplomat and coordinator for Foreign Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He will be joined by Helene Pohl and Jocy Barraza to speak to the subject of immigration, as well as Barb Karpinski, Dan Naylor and Kristy Opperman to discuss Wisconsin’s election systems.
There will also be a gathering March 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Waupaca Public Library meeting room to talk about the upcoming April elections, who is running for what positions and position papers from all candidates, as well as information on the operational referendum that will be on the spring ballot.