After 10 years of on-the-street activism, seeing the middle finger waved in her face does not faze Sheila Ryan, a senior member of End the War Coalition.
She simply adds it to the list of middle finger gestures she’s received since she began regularly protesting in 2003.
For Ryan and other downtown Phoenix activists, angry reactions don’t dissuade them from showing up on street corners, in front of libraries or outside politicians’ offices. They say it is their responsibility to make the community aware of important local and international issues that are being overlooked.
“Darn it, when we were kids we were told that the country was run by the citizens,” said Joan Kroll, an activist with Grandmothers for Peace. “I feel like (by protesting) I’m a participating citizen.”
Most protests in downtown Phoenix are small, with just a handful of primarily middle-aged to senior members, unlike the grand, diversified protests that garner national attention. Demonstrations such as Occupy Phoenix, which pulled in thousands of protesters for several days in Oct. 2011, are rare because of their size, youth mobilization and widespread interest.
The impact of the smaller protests tends to vary, Ryan said. When there are big issues in the world, more people tend to come out to protest. But, she said, dedicated protesters are active in the community even when other citizens are not.
Edwina Vogan, a consistent member of the Arizona activist community, said that protesters force people to recognize there are issues that need to be addressed, even during down times in between large-scale protests. Sometimes just being visible is enough, she said.
Health sciences junior Courtney Laycock said for her, protest messages are often hit or miss depending on which causes the activists are promoting and whether those causes affect students.
“The ones that stand here petitioning don’t really affect me, but the ones handing pamphlets out better catch my attention,” Laycock said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said public awareness of issues is not lacking in downtown Phoenix. Arpaio called himself the “whipping boy” for various protest groups.
“These activists, they don’t want to listen, they don’t want to know the rationale. I hate to call it hatred, but I think that’s pretty much what it is these days,” Arpaio said, specifically referring to protesters of immigration law Senate Bill 1070.
If activists are expecting to make an impact on him, Arpaio said they shouldn’t hold their breath. Even if he reversed his position on immigration and gave protesters what they want, Arpaio said they would lose respect for him.
“That may be one way to get them off my back, but its not going to happen,” Arpaio said.
Even so, Vogan said protesting is still personally fulfilling. The activists said they see it as their obligation to society to raise awareness about these issues, even if most people they talk to will not care.
But Vogan said there is always a chance the next person she talks to could get involved with social change. She is happy if she can connect with just one person while standing outside a politician’s office.
“This is what we do, we’re activists,” Ryan said.
Contact the reporter at kristy.westgard@asu.edu
