Chippewa Valley Indivisible

ICE returned to the Chippewa Valley on July 20, and two people were taken in Durand. CVI’s Rapid Response team and the Dunn County Rapid Response team were immediately activated to provide support.

The incident hit close to home for many in our community. These were neighbors — people driving to work, living their lives — caught up in enforcement actions that have resulted in multiple deaths nationwide this year, including U.S. citizens.

CVI responded swiftly, pivoting Bridge Brigade messaging to ICE-focused themes and organizing protest rallies in both Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls for that same week.

CVI launched Conversing for Unity — a fresh approach to canvassing that focuses on genuine, non-partisan conversations with neighbors. Volunteers receive a stipend for their time, recognizing that this work matters and that people’s time has value.

The program trains volunteers to talk honestly, without an agenda, with people in our community. The goal isn’t to convince — it’s to connect. To find the one or two things you already share with the person across the doorstep, and build from there.

With mail-in voting underway and the midterms approaching, Conversing for Unity is putting CVI members into neighborhoods across the valley, one real conversation at a time.

Our interview with farmer George Polzin struck a nerve — and the internet responded. The video racked up 23.5 hours of YouTube watch time, an extraordinary number for a local grassroots video. George spoke plainly about what data centers and federal policy mean for working farmers in Wisconsin, and people couldn’t stop watching.

The Polzin interview is part of CVI’s farmer reel series, which has collectively reached nearly 200,000 views. These aren’t scripted political ads — they’re real Wisconsin farmers speaking from the heart about their land, their livelihoods, and their communities. That authenticity is why they resonate so deeply.

A milestone worth celebrating: CVI’s Overpass Bridge Brigade has now surpassed 1 million social media views. What started as a handful of people on an overpass with handmade signs has become one of the most effective grassroots visibility campaigns in Wisconsin.

Twice a week, CVI members show up — rain, snow, or blazing sun — to hold signs that cut through the noise. The messages are sharp, timely, and designed to make people think. And clearly, they do: a million views means a million moments where someone saw our message and engaged with it.

One million views. Zero dollars in advertising. That is the power of showing up.

CVI’s Facebook page hit staggering numbers this year: 4.7 million views, a 6.35% engagement rate (industry average is under 1%), and 2,777 new followers. These numbers put CVI’s social media reach on par with organizations many times our size.

Behind every view is a person seeing our message. Behind every share is someone saying ‘this matters.’ Our social media team, combined with the authentic content created by CVI members at events, protests, and Bridge Brigades, has built a platform that amplifies local activism to a national audience.