Hit 500 signatures on my Everett petition and it totally changed my view on local activism

I started that petition about the Crossroads crosswalk back in February, honestly just to vent. Figured maybe 50 people would sign if I bugged my neighbors. Then yesterday I checked and it was at 503. Seeing actual names from the apartments by the library and the little mechanic shop on Broadway made me realize people actually pay attention to the small stuff. Has anyone else here been surprised by how quickly a local issue can pick up steam?

2 comments

2 Comments

leelewis18d ago

Jumped on this thread because what @the_tessa said about it being addictive is way too real. I caught myself last week checking my phone to see if any new signatures came in on the crosswalk thing, like it was a sports score or something. Honestly I felt kind of like a goofball getting that excited over a pedestrian safety form, but then I saw a comment from a lady who walks her kids to school there and it hit me that this is actually affecting real people's mornings. Makes you wonder what other little things we could actually change if we just spoke up, right?

the_tessa18d ago

Oh man, that's awesome! Something similar happened to me with the pothole situation on Maple Avenue last spring. I just threw up a little Facebook group post complaining about it and woke up the next day to 200 shares and people I'd never met sending me photos of their own busted tires. It was wild seeing comments from folks two streets over who had the same issue but never said anything before. I mean, idk about you but it kind of restored my faith in people caring about the neighborhood. You get so used to thinking nobody notices things like crosswalks or potholes, but apparently they do. It's almost addictive honestly, I keep looking for the next small thing to rally about.