Beware! I Might Be Knocking on Your Door Next
And it won't be for trick-or-treating.
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As I was leaving my house today, a woman stopped me. She was powerwalking when she veered over and said,
"Thank you for your signs! I'm happy you put them out."
She was referring to my Kamala Harris sign and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic council candidate sign in my yard. I smiled, and we started chatting. She shared how her son, in Northern New Jersey, put air tags on his Kamala signs in case someone stole them.
And then someone did.
Her son tracked the sign to the home of an angry older woman who begrudgingly returned it to him.
The conversation with my new power-walking friend reinforced something for me. The simple act of my neighbor acknowledging the sign made me feel less alone, especially since I was sandwiched between houses with opposing views.
The lesson? Your people will find you.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, my husband and I hesitated to put out our Kamala Harris sign in a mostly Republican town. It is the same town whose small bookstore regularly hosts book signing events with Fox News entertainers John Concha, Jimmy Failla, and Jesse Waters.
My husband fastened the Kamala sign securely to our railing with cable ties, knowing our Ring doorbell would capture any potential trouble. No one has bothered our signs since they went up. I even ordered a third one for the lone frontier at the far end of our house, with no extra precautions to keep it secure. I'm confident it'll be left alone since similar signs in the neighborhood have remained intact.
I wondered if I was making too much of the polarity in our town.
But then, when I went canvassing for the first time on Monday evening, I noticed a broader reluctance in my community to show external candidate support. We only visited households registered as Democrats or Independents who have voted in the last two presidential elections (yep, there's an app for that). If we got a warm response, Cathy asked to put a sign in front of their house.
All said no.
One woman, a staunch Democrat, refused, saying, "I don't know who my neighbors are." The fear of retribution—whether a stolen/destroyed sign or a confrontation with a neighbor—is real. People hesitate to make their political views known because they don't want trouble.
Putting the signs out at our house demonstrates our firm belief in the American tenets of liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and freedom of assembly.
This is the United States of America, people! This is how we roll. Yet, the remaining 34 days before the November election feel particularly dicey. There has always been tension in political discourse, but it is nothing compared to what we see now. Still, I refuse to let fear dictate my day-to-day life. Our signs reflect who we are, and in a way, they signal to others that they're not alone either.
We need that now more than ever.
As I mentioned earlier, I dipped my toe more deeply into political activism by canvassing for the first time this past Monday. I'm not the type to knock on strangers' doors—honestly, I usually dread it when someone knocks on mine. Yet, there I was, alongside a local council candidate, Cathy. At 70ish, she's spry, engaging, and fearlessly chats with anyone she meets.
As we knocked on doors and handed out literature, I was surprised by how many people opened their doors and were willing to talk. Most were cordial and polite, even the Republican spouses. The worst response we got was, "I'm not a Democrat," followed by a refusal to take our flyer.
It struck me that most of the division we feel in the abstract—the heated online debates and constant media frenzy—doesn't necessarily play out face-to-face.
In person, people are mostly kind and, at the very least, civil. Even during this time of polarization, it was a relief to realize we all have similar problems and want similar things for ourselves and our communities.
This experience taught me that experimenting with activism doesn't have to be frightening. I used to think canvassing or putting out signs opened me up to conflict, but I've realized that most people aren't to be feared. I've met more new people and strengthened connections through these small acts. From joining the local Democrat Club, mailing letters to voters in swing states, and canvassing, I've found a network of people who share similar values, even in a politically divided landscape.
It's also a great way to expend my frenetic energy as I await Election Day.
These experiences have shifted my view on political activism. It's no longer just about aligning myself with my beliefs; it's about engaging with my community and realizing that fear doesn't dictate how we behave.
I'm committed to being visible in my convictions, and I encourage you to do the same, even if it means the radical act of placing a sign in your yard.
Ilona. I'm reading a book right now called "Love Wins." It's about a tragedy that happened in our town in 2003. We were here for the weekend when, unbeknownst to us (as we live 7 miles away from town up on a hill), a man opened fire on a group of young people and killed one of the town's beloved sons. The book follows the case up through the trial and beyond, and is mainly about how the townspeople supported and showed love to each other through the following months and even years. No one asked if someone was a Republican or Democrat (over twenty years ago). I thought about that as I got a box of yard signs in the mail yesterday. Even though I live far enough away from people (so the yard sign won't even be seen), I had a fear thought..."could this bring danger to my door?" I really thought about that and realized that the fear came from the rhetoric from certain persons at the top of this election cycle, and not from people I actually see in my day to day life. It comes from the images I can still see from January 6th, not my friends and neighbors in my own life.
This is great, Ilona! Very encouraging, and good for you! My yard sign says, “Don’t forget to vote,” which hopefully is too neutral to offend my landlord but yet puts a little peer pressure on folks. I also have a t-shirt that says, Harris Walz obviously” and I feel so powerful wearing it around town and get at least one compliment each time I wear it.