HARTFORD, Conn. — If you travel along Interstate 91 during rush hour in Hartford on any given weekday you may notice a smiling face waving to you above on the pedestrian overpass bridge along with American flags, signs and messages to alert motorists below that “things are not normal.”

The Hartford Visibility Brigade, a group of area Connecticut residents, have been gathering each Thursday morning and Friday afternoon on the pedestrian overpass bridge that crosses I-91 near the I-84 entrance in Hartford. The group, part of a national movement, aims to share a simple message in a very visible way: “To remind you that we are in trouble”

The progressive activist group started in Paramus, New Jersey, in 2020 as a way to “connect with and activate voters and demonstrate that resistance is possible,” according to the group’s website. So far this year, a handful of local groups have popped up in cities and towns throughout the state, waving signs and flags above bridges and overpasses along some of Connecticut’s busiest highways.

Bethel, Hartford, New Haven, Redding, South Windsor, Stonington, Waterford, and Westport all have Visibility Brigade groups. There are over 200 local groups throughout the country.

“Where is more visible than being above Interstate 91 in Hartford during rush hour?” said Hartford Visibility Brigade organizer Nicole Holly Stone. “We’re here to tell people that while things may look normal around us, these are not normal times. A lot of things we take for granted are at stake.”

The group is known for its messaging protesting against Donald Trump’s administration and has sported signs recently with messages about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, fascism and voter rights. The group describes itself as pro-democracy, pro-immigrant, and anti-fascist.

“It’s really just exploding in popularity, we’re getting new members each week,” Stone said. “Several local groups have popped up in just the last few months. We get a lot of people honking their horns. It’s just a great way to get our message out in a peaceful way to as many people as possible.”

One of the activists, 68-year-old Rachel Donovan, is a former nurse midwife who has been coming to the bridge each Friday for two months waving an American flag. She said that protesting is just “part of her DNA” growing up during the turbulence of the 1960s and in the shadow of the Vietnam War.

“I grew up at a time when people were protesting Vietnam, everyone was holding a sign” Donovan said. “So protesting is not something new for me. I remember my dad would be down at the New Haven Green protesting. Courage is contagious. We will be out here for as long as we can until we can’t be.”

As Donovan waves to speeding cars and trucks below, loud honks and truck horns can be heard in solidarity below. Other motorists occasionally show their disagreement by shouting profanity out their windows as they speed by. But the protest is peaceful, according to Stone. The group has not had any issues with counterprotesters.

“So far, we have also not had any issues with law enforcement or state police,” Stone said. “In fact, many state police cars drive by us and they don’t mind we are here. We don’t think we’re any different than the bright, changing billboards along the highway to grab your attention. We’re not causing a distraction or impeding traffic.”

However, activists in West Haven with the Connecticut Visibility Brigade filed a formal complaint against state police last month after alleging that the same state trooper has visited them three times on separate occasions. Activists alleged that the trooper involved had been “harassing” the group, a claim state police deny. Stone said she is not aware of any arrests or attempts to shut down the protests. She called the West Haven incident “isolated” and noted that the majority of law enforcement have been friendly.

Activists are given small cards with “rally etiquette tips” to ensure they follow the rules including staying peaceful and respectful and never engaging with motorists. Rules are also posted on the back of the signs at each event to ensure everyone is being respectful and not breaking any laws, Stone said.

Each week, the messages change to reflect the big issues of that week. The group gets direction from the national Visibility Brigade on what signs to display, but members are also encouraged to bring their own signs and messages. Stone said the group mixes patriotism with protest, waving flags to show their support of the U.S. but disdain with the current administration.

The group stands out on the bridge for just over an hour each time, with activists estimating around 10,000 cars speed by and see their messages.

Among the signs displayed this past Friday included “If you are not angry, you are not listening” and “Erase hate, not people.” Previous signs have been more specifically anti-Trump including a sign that read “Grab him by the Epstein Files” and pro-immigrant signs such as “CT Unmask Ice.” Nearly all of the gatherings have a “Join Us” and “RESIST” sign displayed.

“It’s really a shared sense of camaraderie here,” said activist Karen Wilkinson. “You really get to make friends here and we all have the same message. These are not normal times and we just want people to see that. We want people to know they’re not alone in thinking that way.”

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