Peachtree City Protest Planned for Next Week; Organizers Deny Paying Participants

Peachtree City residents will see another organized protest next week, as organizers of an upcoming rally say claims that participants are paid are false.

Southern Crescent Indivisible, a regional pro-democracy advocacy group, will hold a rally titled “Democracy Strong!” on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the corner of Highway 54 and Northlake Drive in Peachtree City.

In response to repeated reader questions and online assertions that local protesters are compensated for attending rallies, organizers said the group is entirely volunteer-based and does not pay participants or organizers.

“Southern Crescent Indivisible is a 100% volunteer organization. No one is paid for any work within our organization,” said Irene Cheyne, co-founder of Southern Crescent Indivisible. “Protesters and organizers are never paid. We have no paid staff and we do not pay for any professional services.”

Cheyne added that participants are not reimbursed for expenses. “No one is even reimbursed for parking, gas, or supplies to make their own signs,” she said.

According to Cheyne, expenses for shared items such as organization-owned signs, water, and printed materials are covered through donations to the group. “Donations to our organization are not tax deductible,” she said.

Southern Crescent Indivisible has previously held three rallies in Peachtree City. The group describes itself as an all-volunteer organization whose members live in Fayette, Coweta, Butts, Clayton, Henry, Lamar, Spalding, Pike, and Upson counties.

In a news release announcing the event, organizers said the rally is intended to express concern over what they describe as threats to constitutional protections.

“The focus of the event will be to show local support for lawmakers to uphold the protections in the U.S. Constitution that are at risk from overzealous federal law enforcement,” the release stated.

Cheyne said participation has grown as concerns have increased. “We are hearing from more and more people from all walks of life who are concerned about their civil liberties, and those of their families and neighbors, being threatened by the current administration,” she said. “We want to send a clear message to our representatives in Congress that these unlawful actions need to stop.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own signs, though organizers said volunteer-made signs will also be available to share.For more information about Southern Crescent Indivisible, visit www.southerncrescentindivisible.com.