Ashley Wolf / Special to American Press

<p class="p1">Approximately 30 people lined the sidewalk at Lock Park on Saturday evening as part of the national March for Truth day of protests.</p><p class="p1">The group, Indivisible SWLA, is one of at least 7,500 affiliated groups who resist the Trump administration’s agenda. Eight people from the neighboring chapter, Indivisible DeRidder, also participated in the event.</p><p class="p1">Carolyn Woosley and her partner Joy Pace co-founded the SWLA group in January in response to the 2016 presidential election. </p><p class="p1">“We had been in the Women’s March in L.A., so we wanted to be a part of a national movement,” Woosley said. “. . . We wanted to be a part of something larger than ourselves.”</p><p class="p1">The group’s agenda is mainly to phone or fax members of Congress, Woosley said. Over 250 citizens in the SWLA chapter and over 150 citizens in the DeRidder chapter participate in sending daily actions during the weekdays regarding specific concerns with the Trump Administration.</p><p class="p1">The March for Truth is the first time the group has “been on the street” for a public demonstration, Woosley said. The group held a peaceful candlelight vigil “to call for continued investigations into Russian meddling into the U.S. election and ties to Donald Trump, his administration and associates,” Woosley said, adding that many people were there for other causes, including mental health, healthcare, environment, education and immigration.</p><p class="p1">A member of Indivisible DeRidder who attended the event, Gayle Bailey, said she was particularly upset about Trump’s decision to drop out of the Paris agreement. </p><p class="p1">“Our president – he isn’t interested in our environment and our environment for our children and our grandchildren,” Bailey said. </p><p class="p1">Several participants expressed concern about a lack of transparency in the administration. At one point, the group participated in a call-and-response chant:</p><p class="p1">“What do we want?” </p><p class="p1">“Transparency!” the group said.</p><p class="p1">“When do we want it?”</p><p class="p1">“Now!”</p><p class="p1">While the protesters chanted, drivers passing by honked in support. However, one driver stopped her car to yell at the protesters saying, “How ‘bout you guys get lives?” </p><p class="p1">The protesters kept chanting, unfazed by the brief moment of hostility.</p><p class="p1">“We’re not worried about the negative,” participant Ellaweena Woods said. “We’re just worried about our mission and our purpose.” </p><p class="p1">Pace and Woosley considered the event a success. </p><p class="p1">“I’m thrilled actually,” Pace said. “I wasn’t expecting as many people as came because it’s a small group; it’s not that there’s a small group of people that think this way but that would be willing to be visible in this way. </p><p><span>Around 30 people lined the sidewalk at Lock Park on Saturday evening as part of the national March for Truth day of protests.</span></p>Ashley Wolf