Brian Heywood says coordinated intimidation campaign is “10 times worse” than last year
Over the weekend, signature gatherers working to qualify two citizen initiatives in Washington State faced a wave of harassment, threats, and physical confrontations — part of what organizers say is a coordinated campaign to shut down democratic participation.
"They’ve escalated the violence about 10 times what it was last year…They’re literally coordinating online to disrupt and yell at signature gatherers."
Brian Heywood, founder of @letsgowa joined the show to discuss a coordinated campaign to shut down democratic participation. pic.twitter.com/iuUvfcq3EY
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) September 30, 2025
Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington (LGW), joined The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI to describe the escalating violence.
“They’ve escalated the violence about 10 times what it was last year,” Heywood said.
Hoffman noted, “The very people who claim Trump is threatening democracy are the ones attacking an actual avenue for democracy — signature gathering for initiatives.”
Coordinated Online Efforts to Disrupt Initiative Campaigns
According to Heywood, activists are openly organizing online to target LGW volunteers at stores and public spaces, sharing instructions to “disrupt” and “yell,” rather than engage in debate.
“I can see them coordinating online,” Heywood explained. “They’re suggesting ways to thwart anybody from even listening to us or being able to sign their name. The hypocrisy is all over this group.”
LGW reports that signature gatherers in Vancouver, Tacoma, and Bonney Lake have endured harassment, intimidation, and theft. In one particularly alarming incident, a man threatened to return with a gun after confronting volunteers outside a store. Police were called to the scene.
State Leaders Missing in Action
Despite the growing threats, Heywood says Governor Bob Ferguson, Attorney General, and Secretary of State have been largely silent.
“The only thing we’ve seen is a very brief ChatGPT comment by the governor,” Heywood quipped. “He seems to be out of the state until October 7th. I don’t know if he’s in hiding from his bad poll numbers, but nothing from the attorney general or secretary of state.”
Ari Hoffman noted on-air that Ferguson’s absence at the end of September is “a really weird time” — especially with kids in school and legislative work underway — joking that it may be time to issue a “Where’s Waldo? Where’s Bob?” alert.
Parental Rights and Girls’ Sports at Stake
LGW launched two major initiatives this month:
- Restoring parental rights, by repealing HB 1296 — which Democrats passed to weaken Initiative 2081, a parents’ bill of rights previously approved by the legislature.
- Protecting girls’ sports by ensuring that biological males cannot compete in female athletic competitions or use women’s facilities.
Heywood said both measures are about defending basic values.
“The family unit is one of the most important inventions God ever made,” he said. “When you take the parental right to know what’s going on with your kids away, that’s dangerous to society.”
He also emphasized the unfairness and safety risks of allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports, citing viral videos of girls being seriously injured.
“We’re so far in the crazy on the spectrum that there has to be a punch back,” Heywood said. “Someone has to stand up and do something. I feel that responsibility.”
Broad Bipartisan Support
Contrary to critics’ claims, Heywood said support for both initiatives extends well beyond traditional Republican voters. Internal polling shows nearly 80% of Washingtonians support parental rights, and roughly half of voters say they’d change their vote for a candidate based on their stance.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Heywood said. “The fairness in girls’ sports initiative gets the most crossover support from people who’d normally be on the left.”
A Call to Action
Heywood ended the interview with a message for supporters:
“If you see a store with signature gatherers, tell them how much you appreciate it. They’re getting a lot of hate from people screaming at them. Show them some love.”
LGW argues that harassment of petition circulators isn’t just bad behavior — it’s illegal, violating Article II, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution and citizens’ First Amendment rights to petition their government.
Meanwhile, state leaders have yet to take meaningful action as intimidation mounts.
