Grandmas march for democracy.

Rallies to continue ‘til election.

If you happened by the intersection of X and Y. on X.date, between X.time and Y.time, then you would have seen the Grannies for Democracy make their first appearance in X. About fifteen grandmothers waved signs in support of a wide range of causes and rallied to overwhelmingly positive reviews in the form of waves, cheers, and car horn honks.

The relatively newly formed and growing group was organized by X resident A___ B___, whose son C____ not only helped create all of their signs, but also documented the event and was kind enough to give a statement on behalf of his mother and her friends about the aims of this rally and group.

The grannies “are totally about the positive message: Fair elections, good education, clean environment, free press, women’s rights, and so on.”

Says C____, “Our group is promoting [the] positive…, encouraging the vote (especially Blue), and stoking enthusiasm” for an array of issues.

Inspired initially by Swedish high schooler Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech about climate change, A and several X residents decided to organize their own platform for promoting a healthy environment both physical and political for future generations. The group is not the only collection of grandmothers to get political, though they want to steer clear of any association with Raging Grannies International (RGI), who are more divisive.

Grannies for Democracy is a bipartisan if left-leaning collective of women who were taken aback by the recent wave of polarization and conflict among X residents over Black Lives Matter and the upcoming election; they wanted to rally around causes that everybody can get behind, and standing up for future generations, the grandchildren, whether over clean air or education, is something Republicans and Democrats can rally around together.

Said C B for A and the group about RGI, whose civil disobedience the ladies of Grannies for Democracy admire, “I love what they do, but we don’t want the other side of the political spectrum to see (our) ladies as a threat.”

The RGI formed in 1987 around protests of nuclear powered and armed naval vessels sailing the waters of Canada’s city of Victoria. Their first protest involved giving an unValentine to those governing at the time; a broken heart over their inaction over the nuclear subs off the coast. Since then they have employed the same sense of humor in protests.

Following suit, Grannies for Democracy rallied, tongue-in-cheek with signs like “Grannies for Gun Control” and “Grannies 4 Healthcare For All.” Some showed their support for Democratic candidates in upcoming local and national elections.

Surprisingly, since who could “be negative to us old ladies,” said participant D____ E_____, there were one or two passersby who flashed a thumbs down; tame compared to the actions and reactions of BLM and counter-protesters in Old Town last month who started their march at X bank, where the Grannies for Democracy now convene every Saturday.

Mrs. E, who held a “Grannies for Education” sign, further stated the organization is for older women specifically “who want a better world environmentally for our descendants collectively.”

As the name suggests, the Grannies limit membership to women with or expecting grandchildren. Anybody interested in joining the Grannies for Democracy on Xs from X to Y at PCH and Main every weekend leading up to election day should contact C or A B at x@y.com, who have signs for every issue available.