This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
We, the undersigned civic-minded neighbors in Salt Lake City, hereby affirm that there is a silver lining to Donald Trump's contentious election, transition and administration. Trump and his allies in Congress — including the entire Utah delegation — have provided the impetus for residents of our neighborhood to connect with one another in common cause. We've discovered like-minded friends among our neighbors and, in January, decided to organize.
Our Capitol Hill Action Group is composed of medical professionals, educators, accountants, homemakers, business owners and others — many of whom have never been politically active until now. It took Trump and Co. to jolt us away from business as usual, as individuals and collectively. CHAG is headed toward 30 members as each one spreads the word and invites someone new. We are learning so much more about the dynamic composition of our neighborhood.
CHAG neighbors have written letters, made phone calls, met with Rep. Chris Stewart's staff, attended a congressional town hall, participated in rallies and held monthly planning meetings to share notes and ideas. Recognizing that the deluge of Trump assaults on what we value can be overwhelming, we've formed committees to focus on four basic areas: health care, immigration, environment and national security.
CHAG is about educating and empowering each other. Committees meet separately, summarize an issue and present action items to the group. Taking small steps, all members become more knowledgeable about the issues and more confident in our ability to take action. Applied knowledge is power. Each member takes some action to make a difference. Some months, it's as simple as signing onto a group letter.
Sometimes we draw from like-minded organizations and social networks. Examples include the newly formed Action Utah and Salt Lake Indivisible, which provide helpful background and action information. Social media, such as Facebook and Nextdoor.com, provide vehicles for organizing at the most local level: neighborhoods. Through our diverse personal networks, CHAG has linked members to additional local, state, national and global organizations … and a broader set of perspectives and opportunities.
We realize that from the standpoint of representation in Congress, our broader 84103 neighborhood has been essentially neutered by partisan state legislative gerrymandering. One CHAG member heard Stewart's staff tell residents that 80 percent of the phone calls received on Republican efforts to replace the Affordable Care Act came from Salt Lake City ZIP codes 84103 and 84111. Assuming most calls from these strongly liberal areas were against ACA replacement, the congressman's vote did not reflect constituents' expressed wishes.
There have been some lighter moments, such as when Rep. Stewart's district director Gary Webster told our group that his boss has the distinction of being the only member of Congress to have bombed his own district. As an Air Force B-1 bomber pilot, Stewart reportedly dropped ordnance on Tooele County.
We are also learning about group dynamics. Despite the Trump tempest, everyone faces demands and challenges of everyday life: jobs, children, aging parents, health concerns, home maintenance, travel, etc. Some neighbors have more time and energy than others to devote to the defense of our collective values. Yet everyone brings something unique to the group. And everyone can take action at some level.
What works in our neighborhood can work in others, and hopefully is happening right now. Part of the democratic process is neighbors knocking on neighbors' doors. While all CHAG members agree that Trump and his enablers pose real threats to America's values and our collective future, we appreciate their having provided the spark that ignited our commitment to informed civic engagement and to our neighbors as friends.
Signed by Rebecca Horn, educator; Jan Nixon, retired registered nurse; Bill Nixon, retired physician; Bill Knowles, retired business owner and community ombudsman; Sally Jones, retired human-resources director; Wayne Martinson, conservationist; Deb Sawyer, peace activist; David Scheer, architect; Jan Brock, retired certified public accountant.