May 2, 2025 • 15 mins
Dive into the power of community action! In our latest episode, we explore how rallies, protests, and town halls are shaping political engagement. Discover why local involvement is crucial and how you can make a difference. Listen now and join the movement!
Check us out on Substack: https://aroundthedistricts.substack.com/p/amplifying-community-voices
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Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
welcome back to the Around the District
podcast i'm Gabrielle Mesar i'm Nicole
Brown and today we're going to talk
about all the rallies and protests and
town halls that have been happening
because there's lots of them um I myself
went to the Bernie AOC uh rally that was
here um about a month ago there was like
(00:22):
15,000 people that went to that i've
never seen anything like that it was
awesome the fight the oligarchy they've
been doing a ton more of those um there
was 11,000 people that showed up in Gley
Colorado 25,000 people in Denver and
then just recently 35,000 then showed up
in LA um Salt Lake was there oh yeah the
(00:44):
Salt Lake one i think there was 15,000
people idaho places that are normally
red places that are normally red um
they've been seeing huge huge turnouts
which is awesome i think why do you
think people have been turning out for
AOC and Bernie and I and I would have to
assume especially in these red places
(01:04):
and I know assuming isn't a good word
but that some of these people are not uh
Democrats so they have to be like some
Republicans right well AOC and Bernie
are obviously the other side of the coin
right um and the pendulum always swings
so we are very clearly obviously with
this administration very very far right
(01:28):
so what tends to happen is that the
pendulum will start to swing far in the
opposite direction we saw that with
elections that happened in the UK uh
just the last what this last year I
think it was um some of the elections
that happened in France uh which is why
I thought things were going to go
differently here but apparently we
needed to swing a little more to the
(01:48):
right uh but yeah so I that's what I
think um I think that things have gone
so far cuckoo that people are like you
know what we need something different
now I myself I love Bernie Sanders cuz I
think he's I think he's a funny little
dude um I don't necessarily support a
(02:09):
lot of
AOC's things i think they're too far in
the opposite direction but and I think
most people are in the middle but I
think they're they want to hear
something different i think it's Bernie
Sanders and knowing that he is 84 years
old um and ran for president what I
think twice uh I think twice um and then
(02:34):
know still still in the fight knowing
he's not going to be president you know
what I mean cuz he's too old but still
in the fight and in my opinion extremely
knowledgeable yeah in my opinion
um really sort of mentoring the next
generation of people um like AOC even if
everybody doesn't agree with her and you
(02:54):
know what she believes but she was a
hardworking bartender hell yeah who came
out of nowhere and unseated the
incumbent who was also a Democrat in her
district on a in a boots to the ground
campaign in a boots to the ground
campaign and a longterm incumbent i
think he'd been in that seat for 30
years it was It was a long I don't not
30 years but it was a long time he'd
(03:15):
been in that seat for a long time so for
her to unseat that incumbent was a shock
wave to them and and not only that but
to be so young i think she was 28 years
old when she did that so I think she is
amazing as a human uh I don't
(03:36):
necessarily like I said I don't
necessarily agree with some of the
things that she has i think they're I
think they're great on paper i think a
lot of the things that Bernie says are
great on paper i personally uh with
healthcare I think we do need a
singlepayer system i think we do need
healthcare for all i think that that
it's stupid that we are the only
developed nation that does not have that
what are why are why are we still paying
(03:58):
for things out of pocket like we are i
mean it's all about money it's all about
money you got to follow the money and
it'll lead you right back to the same
players every single time you know
there's one group of people that's whose
bottom line pockets are getting really
full you know while the rest of you know
the country might be struggling right so
those are that's true but getting back
(04:19):
to Bernie Sanders and AOC what now do
you think is drawing such huge crowds
though because um a lot of people
checked out myself included when this
election November 5th or whatever and
when Trump was elected allegedly um I
think they checked out for a minute i
(04:40):
think they checked out for a minute and
I think they're ready to check back in
because it's because money i think
people are affected in their pocketbook
i think people are seeing prices not go
down instead they're going up i think
that interest rates haven't come down
like he promised they would prices of
housing aren't coming down all the
(05:00):
things that he made these promises and
and to be fair you know the again we
didn't vote for this so this isn't what
we wanted but but the other side of the
co the other people the independents
that didn't that may have voted for him
because they thought oh I want something
different will give him another chance
and here he is screwing them you know I
(05:21):
think they are seeing things differently
i think people checked out for a minute
because I checked out too i left the
country in at the end of January i was
like I wish I could have left the
country i'm going to leave and I'm not
going to watch this i don't want to be
here when it happens and someone even
said to me like you know just because
you leave the country doesn't mean he's
not going to be president i was like
maybe
(05:42):
maybe it could happen uh it didn't damn
it but um but I think they're ready to
re-engage because this is so insane
and people are already getting fed up i
mean look at the turnout just this
hands-off rally i mean we had millions
of people h how many how many rallies
(06:04):
across the United States i think it was
there was five to 10 in each state just
huge amount uh is that the one on April
5th that was across one yeah that that
one was huge across country but even
before that there were uh rallies mainly
against Elon Musk and Tesla that people
(06:26):
were you know they were really you know
going out there and protesting but what
concerned me about all that is the media
wasn't showing any of it right so the
media here isn't showing it the media
nationwide Yeah wasn't showing any
united States in Arizona they barely
show it so that's concerning too because
(06:46):
that means that the media is controlling
what people see
uh Fox is showing only the stuff that's
favorable to Trump right um the rest of
the the CNN and MSNBC you know they all
bent the knee to to Trump um and so now
we got to go elsewhere out basically
outside of the country just to just to
see these rallies like I've seen them
all on social media yeah i didn't see
(07:08):
them on the news and I think that's
where I think that's where a lot of
people you know you're getting your
social media news people you know your
Midas touch your Aaron Parnes uh and
those people that are sharing these
things and uh I think uh Rick Steves I
saw Rick Steves who was at the handsoff
rally and he was chanting at the rally
and you saw a bunch of people posting
him so you're seeing all these people
(07:29):
come out but you're not seeing it in the
media and I think that's why people are
turning away from mainstream media
because they're done with it they don't
want somebody who's got a hand in their
pocket and telling you what to what to
talk about and if they're gen What Jen's
ears sure yeah so what is it now aren't
(07:49):
we back to a I don't know no or well
alpha those are the even younger folks
but I will say that they don't they
don't listen to media in the same way
that we do sure so they get their media
from social media yeah and then we saw
Bernie even went on stage uh at
Coachella and talked before I can't
remember the band he he talked before
(08:10):
and they were cheering him and he said
he mentioned Trump and they booed they
booed and I mean that's I mean it's
Coachella so they're probably all like
stoned anyway but or drunk but woo fun
but I mean that that I think that's huge
too that they're cheering on Bernie at
Coachella like when I was in my 20s at
(08:32):
Coachella I'd been like Bernie woo you
know like Coach Coachella is that it is
just Woodstock is Wooduck kind of from
the ' 60s7s probably the same thing
where people just went out there had a
great time did what they were going to
do and listen to great music it's not
country thunder i don't know if he would
get cheered
(08:53):
had like Queen Latifah was there and
Megan the Stallion so it's not all
country you know what I mean it's it's
everything right country Thunder is just
country thunder but that's here in
Arizona i don't know why I don't know
why they're not showing more of this
coverage i don't know why we're not
seeing it and I I think we really should
we really need to and it's it really
(09:14):
needs to show because all of these
rallies are so huge and it shows how
much Trump is hated all over the world
except you don't see it right and so
that to me that there there's something
there cuz you because he doesn't want to
see the rallies you know what I mean and
so they're doing what they can to make
sure people don't join well and he just
what did he just threaten CBS over that
60 Minutes interview with Zillinsky the
(09:36):
other day i mean and that also is
terrifying so here you have a news
channel that's talking about the war in
Ukraine with the president you know
President Zalinski and he is threatening
now to whatever take away their license
to share the news i mean what what the
(09:59):
hell like I don't know the the party of
freedom of speech is now taking away
freedom of speech i thought oh it's only
it's only if it were in favor of this
orange Yeah don't go constitutional
right to free speech no we're going to
get rid of that too we're getting We're
getting rid of the constitution we're
getting rid of it you know but I I think
(10:22):
it's I don't know i I I don't know where
we're going but I do know that myself I
will be participating in more rallies um
I'm going to something tonight um I
can't remember what it is but I am going
to something tonight uh just to get more
information i want more information from
myself about things that are going on
(10:43):
you know I go to our monthly meetings
for our district obviously you being the
chair um not the chair i'm sorry atlarge
member at large sorry at large member my
bad uh but you know you can find out
more information there's the handsoff
um rallies there's the 5051 movement
which is 50 protests 50 states one
(11:04):
movement um you know you can follow
Bernie Sanders and AOC see what's going
on with them but just finding uh any
town halls that your representatives are
having so you can ask them questions
they just had Mark Kelly and um Corey
Booker yeah they were all in Tucson but
(11:24):
also Greg Stan and Chris Mazize Aspen
I'm sorry they were they've all done
town halls recently um Ruben Ggo I think
he did one with one of them too i
locally I think that in in our district
in particular in district 12 we have a
calendar of events so there's lots of
things going on there's pretty much a
rally every week or every weekend um so
(11:46):
get involved stay involved yeah um and
participate in those and and and
there'll be more coming because of the
midterm elections coming up in 2026 yeah
and so it's it's really going to be
important that our we make sure our
voters stay engaged get registered you
know you could even canvas right now and
talk to people on the off years about
(12:07):
what's concerning to you like what what
bothers you the most and then get the
elect officials out there you know what
I mean and talk about it with the
constituents and that's what that's
really what matters if people know you
care just Trump just Trump in general
bothers me the most but if they know
locally yes not nationally locally if we
(12:28):
can get voters engaged we can do some
work which is the hardest thing I think
because people don't
people don't think that local elections
matter or people don't pay attention to
local elections but your local elections
and what happens locally in your
district in your county in your state
(12:48):
that is where change happens and I think
that was such a huge focus of the
Republicans i think that's where we have
really gone wrong and that's where we
need to get back we need to get back to
basics and focus on that to really make
change to really make a difference yeah
you got to start now though you can't
you can't wait until next year to get
try to get voters engaged start now you
(13:11):
can get people engaged and just rally
you know talk about the bills that are
passing through Congress or passing
through your local legislators um you
know because that indirectly impacts the
the c the uh con constituents right I
can't talk yeah constit well forget
constituents why can't I say that right
I just said it five minutes ago I got
you I don't know yeah but you got to you
(13:32):
you got to get those people involved now
if there if we have any chance of
fighting anything it's going to take the
people to do it not we can't really rely
on on Congress or even our state
legislators well we especially can't
rely on Congress right now anyway
because we don't have the majority and
there's only so much that they can do
and that's what's really unfortunate and
(13:53):
scary and why things are happening so
quickly and we just we can't make a
difference i mean there's so many
there's over a hundred lawsuits over 120
lawsuits against the Department of Just
I mean sorry the Trump administration
and Trump himself and it just doesn't I
mean it's great it's fine we can do that
but it's you know the difference is
going to come here locally and that's
(14:14):
where we have to start and we have to
start with our constituents
again and again and again and getting
the voice out there and and getting
people bringing people to these rallies
with you saying hey you know if this
matters to or just to come with me just
to like you can go to tip uh city
council meetings in Tempi Chandler um
(14:34):
Gil every city has one phoenix you can
go to city council meetings we can post
links to that school board meetings you
know what I mean all of those that you
can do yeah so yeah and we can post
links to all that too we can post links
to the LD12 calendar to events calendars
to the any of the rally stuff too and
show in the show notes so we can we can
have all that information so that people
(14:55):
can find that so that it's you know that
it's readily available and bring your
friends tell everybody about it stop
stop being afraid to talk about it
because I know politics has always been
so taboo to talk about but talk about it
get loud let everybody know take your
friends take your family and just get
out there we have to start getting loud
about it and and then on our next
(15:17):
episode let's talk about uh the state of
education in Arizona yes so on our next
episode we're so we're going to get into
um more about Doge and and what has been
dismantling and we really want to talk
about uh education um because education
is so important and we talk a lot about
you know educating people about politics
(15:38):
but just education in general so uh
we'll get more into that on the next
episode but please share like like the
show share with your friends uh this is
the Around the District podcast and
please follow us on our next episode and
thank you for watching
welcome back to the Around the District
podcast i'm Gabrielle Mesar i'm Nicole
Brown and today we're going to talk
about all the rallies and protests and
town halls that have been happening
because there's lots of them um I myself
went to the Bernie AOC uh rally that was
here um about a month ago there was like
(00:22):
15,000 people that went to that i've
never seen anything like that it was
awesome the fight the oligarchy they've
been doing a ton more of those um there
was 11,000 people that showed up in Gley
Colorado 25,000 people in Denver and
then just recently 35,000 then showed up
in LA um Salt Lake was there oh yeah the
(00:44):
Salt Lake one i think there was 15,000
people idaho places that are normally
red places that are normally red um
they've been seeing huge huge turnouts
which is awesome i think why do you
think people have been turning out for
AOC and Bernie and I and I would have to
assume especially in these red places
(01:04):
and I know assuming isn't a good word
but that some of these people are not uh
Democrats so they have to be like some
Republicans right well AOC and Bernie
are obviously the other side of the coin
right um and the pendulum always swings
so we are very clearly obviously with
this administration very very far right
(01:28):
so what tends to happen is that the
pendulum will start to swing far in the
opposite direction we saw that with
elections that happened in the UK uh
just the last what this last year I
think it was um some of the elections
that happened in France uh which is why
I thought things were going to go
differently here but apparently we
needed to swing a little more to the
(01:48):
right uh but yeah so I that's what I
think um I think that things have gone
so far cuckoo that people are like you
know what we need something different
now I myself I love Bernie Sanders cuz I
think he's I think he's a funny little
dude um I don't necessarily support a
(02:09):
lot of
AOC's things i think they're too far in
the opposite direction but and I think
most people are in the middle but I
think they're they want to hear
something different i think it's Bernie
Sanders and knowing that he is 84 years
old um and ran for president what I
think twice uh I think twice um and then
(02:34):
know still still in the fight knowing
he's not going to be president you know
what I mean cuz he's too old but still
in the fight and in my opinion extremely
knowledgeable yeah in my opinion
um really sort of mentoring the next
generation of people um like AOC even if
everybody doesn't agree with her and you
(02:54):
know what she believes but she was a
hardworking bartender hell yeah who came
out of nowhere and unseated the
incumbent who was also a Democrat in her
district on a in a boots to the ground
campaign in a boots to the ground
campaign and a longterm incumbent i
think he'd been in that seat for 30
years it was It was a long I don't not
30 years but it was a long time he'd
(03:15):
been in that seat for a long time so for
her to unseat that incumbent was a shock
wave to them and and not only that but
to be so young i think she was 28 years
old when she did that so I think she is
amazing as a human uh I don't
(03:36):
necessarily like I said I don't
necessarily agree with some of the
things that she has i think they're I
think they're great on paper i think a
lot of the things that Bernie says are
great on paper i personally uh with
healthcare I think we do need a
singlepayer system i think we do need
healthcare for all i think that that
it's stupid that we are the only
developed nation that does not have that
what are why are why are we still paying
(03:58):
for things out of pocket like we are i
mean it's all about money it's all about
money you got to follow the money and
it'll lead you right back to the same
players every single time you know
there's one group of people that's whose
bottom line pockets are getting really
full you know while the rest of you know
the country might be struggling right so
those are that's true but getting back
(04:19):
to Bernie Sanders and AOC what now do
you think is drawing such huge crowds
though because um a lot of people
checked out myself included when this
election November 5th or whatever and
when Trump was elected allegedly um I
think they checked out for a minute i
(04:40):
think they checked out for a minute and
I think they're ready to check back in
because it's because money i think
people are affected in their pocketbook
i think people are seeing prices not go
down instead they're going up i think
that interest rates haven't come down
like he promised they would prices of
housing aren't coming down all the
(05:00):
things that he made these promises and
and to be fair you know the again we
didn't vote for this so this isn't what
we wanted but but the other side of the
co the other people the independents
that didn't that may have voted for him
because they thought oh I want something
different will give him another chance
and here he is screwing them you know I
(05:21):
think they are seeing things differently
i think people checked out for a minute
because I checked out too i left the
country in at the end of January i was
like I wish I could have left the
country i'm going to leave and I'm not
going to watch this i don't want to be
here when it happens and someone even
said to me like you know just because
you leave the country doesn't mean he's
not going to be president i was like
maybe
(05:42):
maybe it could happen uh it didn't damn
it but um but I think they're ready to
re-engage because this is so insane
and people are already getting fed up i
mean look at the turnout just this
hands-off rally i mean we had millions
of people h how many how many rallies
(06:04):
across the United States i think it was
there was five to 10 in each state just
huge amount uh is that the one on April
5th that was across one yeah that that
one was huge across country but even
before that there were uh rallies mainly
against Elon Musk and Tesla that people
(06:26):
were you know they were really you know
going out there and protesting but what
concerned me about all that is the media
wasn't showing any of it right so the
media here isn't showing it the media
nationwide Yeah wasn't showing any
united States in Arizona they barely
show it so that's concerning too because
(06:46):
that means that the media is controlling
what people see
uh Fox is showing only the stuff that's
favorable to Trump right um the rest of
the the CNN and MSNBC you know they all
bent the knee to to Trump um and so now
we got to go elsewhere out basically
outside of the country just to just to
see these rallies like I've seen them
all on social media yeah i didn't see
(07:08):
them on the news and I think that's
where I think that's where a lot of
people you know you're getting your
social media news people you know your
Midas touch your Aaron Parnes uh and
those people that are sharing these
things and uh I think uh Rick Steves I
saw Rick Steves who was at the handsoff
rally and he was chanting at the rally
and you saw a bunch of people posting
him so you're seeing all these people
(07:29):
come out but you're not seeing it in the
media and I think that's why people are
turning away from mainstream media
because they're done with it they don't
want somebody who's got a hand in their
pocket and telling you what to what to
talk about and if they're gen What Jen's
ears sure yeah so what is it now aren't
(07:49):
we back to a I don't know no or well
alpha those are the even younger folks
but I will say that they don't they
don't listen to media in the same way
that we do sure so they get their media
from social media yeah and then we saw
Bernie even went on stage uh at
Coachella and talked before I can't
remember the band he he talked before
(08:10):
and they were cheering him and he said
he mentioned Trump and they booed they
booed and I mean that's I mean it's
Coachella so they're probably all like
stoned anyway but or drunk but woo fun
but I mean that that I think that's huge
too that they're cheering on Bernie at
Coachella like when I was in my 20s at
(08:32):
Coachella I'd been like Bernie woo you
know like Coach Coachella is that it is
just Woodstock is Wooduck kind of from
the ' 60s7s probably the same thing
where people just went out there had a
great time did what they were going to
do and listen to great music it's not
country thunder i don't know if he would
get cheered
(08:53):
had like Queen Latifah was there and
Megan the Stallion so it's not all
country you know what I mean it's it's
everything right country Thunder is just
country thunder but that's here in
Arizona i don't know why I don't know
why they're not showing more of this
coverage i don't know why we're not
seeing it and I I think we really should
we really need to and it's it really
(09:14):
needs to show because all of these
rallies are so huge and it shows how
much Trump is hated all over the world
except you don't see it right and so
that to me that there there's something
there cuz you because he doesn't want to
see the rallies you know what I mean and
so they're doing what they can to make
sure people don't join well and he just
what did he just threaten CBS over that
60 Minutes interview with Zillinsky the
(09:36):
other day i mean and that also is
terrifying so here you have a news
channel that's talking about the war in
Ukraine with the president you know
President Zalinski and he is threatening
now to whatever take away their license
to share the news i mean what what the
(09:59):
hell like I don't know the the party of
freedom of speech is now taking away
freedom of speech i thought oh it's only
it's only if it were in favor of this
orange Yeah don't go constitutional
right to free speech no we're going to
get rid of that too we're getting We're
getting rid of the constitution we're
getting rid of it you know but I I think
(10:22):
it's I don't know i I I don't know where
we're going but I do know that myself I
will be participating in more rallies um
I'm going to something tonight um I
can't remember what it is but I am going
to something tonight uh just to get more
information i want more information from
myself about things that are going on
(10:43):
you know I go to our monthly meetings
for our district obviously you being the
chair um not the chair i'm sorry atlarge
member at large sorry at large member my
bad uh but you know you can find out
more information there's the handsoff
um rallies there's the 5051 movement
which is 50 protests 50 states one
(11:04):
movement um you know you can follow
Bernie Sanders and AOC see what's going
on with them but just finding uh any
town halls that your representatives are
having so you can ask them questions
they just had Mark Kelly and um Corey
Booker yeah they were all in Tucson but
(11:24):
also Greg Stan and Chris Mazize Aspen
I'm sorry they were they've all done
town halls recently um Ruben Ggo I think
he did one with one of them too i
locally I think that in in our district
in particular in district 12 we have a
calendar of events so there's lots of
things going on there's pretty much a
rally every week or every weekend um so
(11:46):
get involved stay involved yeah um and
participate in those and and and
there'll be more coming because of the
midterm elections coming up in 2026 yeah
and so it's it's really going to be
important that our we make sure our
voters stay engaged get registered you
know you could even canvas right now and
talk to people on the off years about
(12:07):
what's concerning to you like what what
bothers you the most and then get the
elect officials out there you know what
I mean and talk about it with the
constituents and that's what that's
really what matters if people know you
care just Trump just Trump in general
bothers me the most but if they know
locally yes not nationally locally if we
(12:28):
can get voters engaged we can do some
work which is the hardest thing I think
because people don't
people don't think that local elections
matter or people don't pay attention to
local elections but your local elections
and what happens locally in your
district in your county in your state
(12:48):
that is where change happens and I think
that was such a huge focus of the
Republicans i think that's where we have
really gone wrong and that's where we
need to get back we need to get back to
basics and focus on that to really make
change to really make a difference yeah
you got to start now though you can't
you can't wait until next year to get
try to get voters engaged start now you
(13:11):
can get people engaged and just rally
you know talk about the bills that are
passing through Congress or passing
through your local legislators um you
know because that indirectly impacts the
the c the uh con constituents right I
can't talk yeah constit well forget
constituents why can't I say that right
I just said it five minutes ago I got
you I don't know yeah but you got to you
(13:32):
you got to get those people involved now
if there if we have any chance of
fighting anything it's going to take the
people to do it not we can't really rely
on on Congress or even our state
legislators well we especially can't
rely on Congress right now anyway
because we don't have the majority and
there's only so much that they can do
and that's what's really unfortunate and
(13:53):
scary and why things are happening so
quickly and we just we can't make a
difference i mean there's so many
there's over a hundred lawsuits over 120
lawsuits against the Department of Just
I mean sorry the Trump administration
and Trump himself and it just doesn't I
mean it's great it's fine we can do that
but it's you know the difference is
going to come here locally and that's
(14:14):
where we have to start and we have to
start with our constituents
again and again and again and getting
the voice out there and and getting
people bringing people to these rallies
with you saying hey you know if this
matters to or just to come with me just
to like you can go to tip uh city
council meetings in Tempi Chandler um
(14:34):
Gil every city has one phoenix you can
go to city council meetings we can post
links to that school board meetings you
know what I mean all of those that you
can do yeah so yeah and we can post
links to all that too we can post links
to the LD12 calendar to events calendars
to the any of the rally stuff too and
show in the show notes so we can we can
have all that information so that people
(14:55):
can find that so that it's you know that
it's readily available and bring your
friends tell everybody about it stop
stop being afraid to talk about it
because I know politics has always been
so taboo to talk about but talk about it
get loud let everybody know take your
friends take your family and just get
out there we have to start getting loud
about it and and then on our next
(15:17):
episode let's talk about uh the state of
education in Arizona yes so on our next
episode we're so we're going to get into
um more about Doge and and what has been
dismantling and we really want to talk
about uh education um because education
is so important and we talk a lot about
you know educating people about politics
(15:38):
but just education in general so uh
we'll get more into that on the next
episode but please share like like the
show share with your friends uh this is
the Around the District podcast and
please follow us on our next episode and
thank you for watching
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