Wednesday In Ohio: How State Lawmakers Kill Democracy In The Dark
While no one was watching, Ohio lawmakers passed SB 172. Now my grandmother’s language, her legacy, and her liberty are all on the line.
The Day They Moved In The Dark
Wednesday, June 18, was supposed to be ordinary.
As soon as I checked my phone, I immediately felt the floor shift under me.
They’re trying to ban abortion again in Ohio.
Not in theory. Not in the future. Right now.
And not just any ban.
A new legislative push is underway to reinstate abortion restrictions—
even though 57% of Ohio voters passed Issue 1 on November 7, 2023,
amending our Constitution to protect reproductive rights.
We showed up. We voted. We won.
It wasn’t close.
And now?
Nineteen months later, they’re drafting new laws to override the will of the people.
They’re telling us that our vote doesn’t matter.
That our Constitution doesn’t matter.
That we were allowed to speak—but not to be heard.
This fight is personal to me.
In addition to fighting for our democracy, I lead a Trouble Nation group through Red Wine & Blue—a national network of women organizing in local communities making “good trouble.” RWB was extremely instrumental in battling disinformation and mobilizing voters across Ohio when reproductive rights were restricted after the Supreme Court rolled back Roe v. Wade.
I’ll never forget what came after that day.
Ohio passed the “Heartbeat Bill.”
And within weeks, the world watched as a 10-year-old rape victim had to leave the state just to obtain the care she needed.
That wasn’t an outlier.
That was policy.
So when I saw the new attack on reproductive rights surfacing, I immediately reached out to the State Director of Red Wine & Blue.
She said they were already on it—
and then she let me know about another disturbing development:
Senate Bill 172.
It had just passed out of committee.
And it was expected to hit the Senate floor today.
I hadn’t heard anything about SB 172.
But by 9:12 a.m., the day had already gone downhill.
What Is SB 172—And Why Is It Moving So Fast?
I work hard to stay informed.
I follow the news.
I read the legislative trackers.
I talk to people who do this for a living—and even they just found out about it.
So, why hadn’t I heard a single word about SB 172 until the day it was heading to a vote?
No headline.
No media coverage.
No warning.
Because that’s the strategy:
Move quietly. Vote quickly. Count on confusion.
Here’s What SB 172 Does:
🔺 It allows any law enforcement officer in Ohio—federal, state, or local—to detain someone they “suspect” is undocumented.
Not someone convicted of a crime. Not someone with a warrant.
Just… “suspected.”
🔺 It applies to every corner of the state.
Courts. Schools. Clinics. Public offices. No exceptions.
🔺 It overrides all local protections.
Sanctuary policies? Gone.
Local officials trying to protect their communities? Powerless.
The bill forbids them from interfering—and even threatens punishment if they try.
🔺 It gives cover to bad actors.
Anyone who “aids” law enforcement—even wrongly—gets legal immunity.
Profiling, false accusations, racial harassment? Protected.
This isn’t about immigration enforcement.
This is about building a legal framework for fear-based policing.
And here’s what that really means:
Theoretically—and legally, under SB 172—someone could see my brown aunt and my 100-year-old grandmother out in public, speaking Spanish, and decide they “look suspicious.”
Both are American citizens.
Both were born in Puerto Rico—an American commonwealth.
Spanish is my grandmother’s native language.
Ten days ago, she received a proclamation from the mayor of her city—
honoring her 100th birthday and recognizing her service to her community, her church, and her family.
She was celebrated as a matriarch. A neighbor. A pillar.
And under SB 172, that same woman—that same American—could be detained.
Not for anything she did.
But for what she looks like. For the language she speaks.
For who she is.
No crime.
No warrant.
No protection.
Just suspicion.
So yes—I’m using her photo as the thumbnail for this piece.
Because this is who they’re targeting.
And I want you to see her face.
The Mannings, The Vote, And The Voicemail
Let’s talk about who helped this bill move.
Because it’s not theoretical.
It’s not abstract.
And it’s not anonymous.
It’s my own state senator.
Soon, it will be his mother.
Senator Nathan Manning and Representative Gayle Manning—the county’s “political dynasty.”
And on June 18, their party didn’t just co-sign this moment—they tried to hide from it.
💾 Here’s the truth:
Nathan Manning didn’t write SB 172.
He didn’t co-sponsor it.
He wasn’t on the committee that advanced it.
But when SB 172 came to the Senate floor on June 18, 2025—
he voted YES.
That vote is public record.
His name is listed.
He helped pass this bill.
And yet—just after the vote, I received a voicemail from Rep. Gayle Manning’s office.
It was 2:31 p.m.
The Senate session was scheduled to end at 2:30.
The vote had already happened.
Nathan Manning had already said yes.
And here’s what her staffer told me:
“Senate Bill 172 has not even been passed by the Senate yet... so neither Rep. Manning nor Senator Manning, Nathan Manning, have had anything to do with the bill. To say we are trying to fast-track it is a false ideology.”
Three minutes later, I called back.
And when I asked directly, he repeated it:
He told me Senator Manning still had nothing to do with the bill.
That it hadn’t even been voted on.
That they hadn’t even seen it.
So I pushed.
And then—he backpedaled.
He told me he was just there to “defend his boss.”
Not to tell the truth.
Not to clarify.
To gaslight.
Their Playbook—How Democracy Dies In The Dark
What happened in Ohio this week wasn’t an accident.
It wasn’t miscommunication.
It wasn’t “just committee procedure.”
It was a coordinated play—and if you live in any other state, you better pay attention.
This is how they do it:
📍 STEP ONE: Introduce the bill quietly.
They don’t launch it with a press conference.
They don’t invite public input.
They bury it in a committee docket—usually one packed with unrelated or low-profile bills.
📍 STEP TWO: Let it sit there—until the headlines are busy.
In this case, it was passed just as a new abortion ban was starting to surface again.
While the public was distracted by the threat of ICE descending on our communities and the looming shadow of a World War, SB 172 moved forward.
And no one knew.
📍 STEP THREE: Vote it out of committee with no spotlight.
It gets voted on to move out of the Committee sponsoring the Bill.
No coverage. No statement.
Just a quiet “yes.” Behind closed doors.
📍 STEP FOUR: Schedule both chambers to move in rapid sequence.
The Ohio House and Senate can meet on the same day.
That part’s not unusual.
But on June 18, the schedule was precise—and telling:
🕜 Senate at 1:30 PM
🕝 House at 2:00 PM
That’s not just a day of government business.
That’s choreography.
When the chambers are stacked like that—just 30 minutes apart—it’s not for debate.
It’s not for deliberation.
It’s for speed.
That’s how you rush a bill through both chambers before anyone can sound the alarm.
📍 STEP FIVE: Lie. Delay. Gaslight.
When constituents call?
They’re told “that hasn’t happened yet.”
That “nothing’s been passed.”
That “they haven’t even seen the bill.”
Even when the votes were already cast.
📍 STEP SIX: Blame someone else.
Once it passes? They’ll say:
“It was the Senate’s fault.”
“I didn’t write it.”
“I just voted it through to start the discussion.”
They’re counting on our confusion.
They’re counting on our exhaustion.
They’re counting on our silence.
This is not just Ohio’s problem.
This is the national playbook.
And unless we rip it wide open, they’ll keep using it—state by state, bill by bill, while you sleep.
What You Can Do Right Now
If you’re reading this and thinking,
“This can’t be happening”—I promise you—it is.
And it’s not just Ohio.
This exact playbook is already being used in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, and more—
anywhere silence gives them cover.
Same tactics. Same goals. Different bill numbers.
In Ohio, it’s SB 172.
In your state?
It might be called something else.
But if it allows law enforcement to detain someone based solely on “suspicion” of immigration status—
it’s the same attack.
1. Call your state lawmakers.
Ask them directly:
“Are there any bills moving in our state that allow law enforcement to detain someone based solely on suspected immigration status?”
Make them go on record.
Let them know you’re watching.
2. Share this piece.
Post it.
Text it.
Print it.
Read it at your next community meeting.
They’re counting on your silence.
Break it. Loudly.
3. Ask every candidate where they stand.
School board. State rep. Governor.
“Do you support bills that allow detention based on immigration suspicion alone?”
If they won’t answer?
That is your answer.
4. Watch your statehouse like it’s your own home.
Because it is.
Set alerts.
Read the dockets.
Ask questions.
Don’t wait for a press release.
5. Teach the playbook.
Show your friends how this happens.
Copy and paste the steps.
Help them name the quiet moves before the loud ones land.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to be awake.
They move in the dark.
We light the way.
The Light, The Line, And The Torch
I’ve always told my children:
“If you stay in the light, you never have to be afraid of the darkness.”
And I still believe that.
But I’ve also learned this:
Humans are as imperfect as they come—flawed to the core.
We’ve all walked in the dark at some point in our lives.
Some of us are pushed.
Some of us go quietly.
Some of us don’t know any better—until we do.
But eventually, we reach a moment where a choice must be made:
Stay in the dark, or walk in the light.
The moment I saw my state trying to erase what we voted for.
The moment I saw lawmakers quietly empowering fear over freedom.
The moment I heard someone gaslight me about legalizing cruelty—twice.
The moment I looked at my 100-year-old grandmother, born in an American commonwealth, honored by her city for a century of service—
and realized she could be detained just for speaking the language of her birth?
That’s when I knew:
I will never stay quiet.
I will not be bullied.
And I will not let them legislate in silence while pretending to serve.
This isn’t just a piece.
It’s a record. A reckoning. A warning.
If they hoped no one would notice,
they were wrong.
If they thought I would be polite—
that I’d behave like a good little “upper crust” citizen—
they got the wrong girl.
Instead, I am walking through their darkness—
with a torch in my hand.
P.S.
This is what Spanish looks like.
This is what it means to be American.
To be Puerto Rican.
Hispanic. Latina. Proud. Seen.
And still standing.
If this piece moved you, I hope you’ll also read:
👉 This Is What Spanish Looks Like
A love letter to my grandmother—and a reminder that they will never erase us.
For continued advocacy and real-time updates, I encourage you to follow the work of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, who are on the front lines of this fight.
The torch you’re carrying is lighting more than just your corner of Ohio—it’s exposing a whole damn strategy of silencing the people under the guise of “law and order.” When lawmakers move in shadows to undo what 57% of voters made clear, that’s not governance—it’s sabotage in a suit. And when they start writing laws that turn brown skin and Spanish words into “probable cause,” we’re not talking about policy anymore—we’re talking about authoritarian creep. This is the same fear-fed playbook being xeroxed across red states. Thank you for refusing to be quiet. Thank you for naming names. Now let’s make sure everyone else is watching, too.
Thank you Lisa for exposing the evil that is taking place in Our Country under this crazy and evil administration. Thank you for shining the light for all of us. Keep the light burning. Expose each and everyone of them. We must vote them out here in Ohio and in every state in the country. We have much work to do but we can stop them for the truth has been revealed. In the end TRUTH and LOVE will win. That is what my family is about. I invite all families to join us for this is about all families fighting to save Our Democracy and yes Our Country. We All belong here and as Patriots we must lock arms and Stand up for Our Freedoms. We can now in the light see what is happening in the dark. Thank you Lisa for shining the light of truth and power. PEOPLE Power !!!
Diversity is what makes this Country GREAT and BEAUTIFUL!!!!!