When 130 people are saying the same thing – time after time – the message gets louder.
On February 7 Representative Brian Fitzpatrick’s Philadelphia office was visited over the course of an 8 hour workday by 130 voters taking 15 minute shifts to stage a surprise protest.
Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Bucks County, represents Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District.
“One of Indivisible’s messages is ‘together our message will carry,’” said Kierstyn Zolfo, Indivisible Bucks County co-leader who helped organize the event.
Observing the five people at a time office limit, protestors cascaded into the office to voice concerns about Elon Musk’s appointed role as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and agency’s impending access to sensitive private American citizens’ information like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and student loan data.
Elon Musk
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee Fitzpatrick is in a position “to take steps to stop this illegal power grab,” a Bucks Indivisible press release said.
From Forbes to CNN, Politico and The New York Times daily revelations of data access requests across scores of federal agencies – from Federal Disaster Relief to student loan data – has raised alarms among those in education, the private sector, advocacy groups and others.
READ: Elon Musk’s Smash-and-Grab Coup
CBS News.com reported access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system could mean individual taxpayer’s Social Security numbers and other sensitive data could be at risk.
For now a federal New York judge has halted Musk and DOGE’s ability from accessing personal Treasury Department information, Newsweek.com reported February 11.
“We wanted him [Fitzpatrick] to be surprised. We [Indivisible Bucks] will work together to figure out what will be the next thing,” Zolfo said.
To make February 7 happen, volunteer voters were quickly mobilized – over less than 48 hours – with response numbers far exceeding Zolfo’s expectations.
“I was hoping we’d get one or two people for each time slot. We only gave people two days’ warning and after the first 24 hours it filled up fast,” she explained.
Zolfo said reports from last Friday’s protest in the Philadelphia office were peaceful and “well-behaved as people got to express themselves.”
She said concerns not only about privacy issues but the Republican congressman’s handling so far of the issues in Trump’s second presidency are bringing protestors together.
“You [Fitzpatrick] are our representative. Get to work to fix this. You have responsibilities under the Constitution, and we expect you to fulfill them. You made an oath to the Constitution – not to Donald Trump,” Zolfo said.
