For the last few weeks East Cobb and Roswell residents have been gathering in front of the Trader Joe’s at Pine Straw Plaza—where anti-Trump protests took place this summer—”to bring the resistance to their own neighborhood corner” on a regular basis.
The group calls itself “The Dissenters,” and they meet every Saturday from 8-10 a.m. at the Johnson Ferry-Roswell intersection in what’s being called the “Community Coffee and Protest” initiative. Organizers provide free coffee and donuts as participants “engage in community building and peaceful advocacy on rotating weekly themes.”
The group was formed by four women who met on their neighborhood corner with coffee and donuts, as well as political signs.
“We believe real change starts with neighbors who know each other’s names and show up for each other consistently,” said East Cobb resident, Jennifer Schwert, founder of Community Coffee and Protest, in a release the group sent out this week.
“Big rallies are important, but sustainable change happens when you build genuine community networks at the local level.”
East Cobb News has left a message seeking more specific information about what “The Dissenters” are dissenting about, how they define what they call “the resistance,” and how many people have turned out for their events thus far.
Schwert said on the group’s website that she got the idea to do something after the 2024 elections, and had around 200 names of “women and LGBTQIA+ people across metro Atlanta—all of us furious, all of us ready to fight back” but not sure how to proceed.
Based on previous gatherings, their events favor advocacy of politically liberal positions on such issues as immigration and gun control and opposition to Trump Administration actions.
“Last week, community members who are DACA recipients approached the group to express gratitude for neighbors taking a public stand on issues affecting local families and lives,” the release said.
[DACA means Deferred Action for Childhood Arrrivals, who are the children of illegal immigrants but who have generally been granted a reprieve from deportation.]
“The initiative is intentionally unaffiliated with any political organization, focusing instead on building grassroots community networks that can respond to local needs and concerns.”
Related:
- At Charlie Kirk vigil, a call for ‘sharing the light’
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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