A newly formed chapter of Indivisible made its public debut last Friday with a "Free America" protest on Independence Day, drawing residents to the sidewalks around Heritage Park in downtown Foley.

According to a news release, the demonstration ran from 10 a.m. to noon and marked the first time Baldwin County progressives have organized their own Indivisible event rather than traveling to neighboring Mobile.

"I just want people to know that if they're upset about what's happening in our country, they have a place with us. And what better time to exercise our First Amendment rights than on our country's birthday?" said Johnston Tisdale, of Robertsdale, who leads Indivisible Baldwin County.

Indivisible, founded in 2016, is a national grassroots network focused on resisting what it calls a right-wing takeover of government and on building a more inclusive democracy, per the release. The movement helps local groups organize actions like contacting elected officials, attending town halls and advocating for progressive policy changes.

Member Donna Riley-Lein, of Fairhope, said she felt compelled to participate.

"I was never active politically, except for voting. I have watched the changes the [Trump] administration has brought — the Department of Defense not sharing satellite weather data with civilian forecasters. That endangers all on the Gulf Coast during the hurricane season. Cutting Medicaid to the poor and sick. And so on. I must use my First Amendment rights to say, 'no,'" Riley-Lein said.

Tisdale said the goal now is to grow the movement locally.

"It's important to find and grow community in Baldwin County, which is why I decided to get involved with Indivisible," Tisdale said. "As we all know, the South often gets a bad rap for its politics. But there are plenty of us down here resisting the current administration and working hard to make things better for everyone."