Community Response Report: Clifton Forge Town Hall Rally (24-Hour Follow-Up)
 

Prepared for: ACDCVA Membership
Date: July 14, 2025
Prepared by: Communications Team
 

📸 Facebook Reaction Overview

Total Reactions: 183

Reaction Type Count Sentiment Interpretation

👍 Like 95 Generally positive/supportive or neutral approval

❤️ Love 41 Strongly supportive or appreciative

😆 Haha 43 Mixed — some supportive, others mocking

🤢 Wow/Sick 2 Strong disapproval/disgust (negative)

😡 Angry 2 Strongly negative

✅ Positive Reactions (Like + Love): 136
❌ Clearly Negative Reactions (Sick + Angry): 4
😐 Ambiguous (Haha): 43
 

Interpretation: Even if half the “Haha” reactions were negative, the total skew remains solidly positive.
 

💬 Comment Sentiment Breakdown (Representative Sample: ~85 comments)

Sentiment Estimated Count Notes

🔵 Positive~20 Thankful for the event, appreciation for information shared, desire for continued dialogue

🔴 Negative~40 Derisive language, personal attacks, anti-Democrat/anti-immigrant rhetoric, misinformation

⚪ Neutral/Mixed~25 Questions about event logistics, factual clarifications, satire, or moderation of tone
 

While the negative comments were more numerous, they often came from a small group of repeat posters. Many of these engaged in inflammatory, ad hominem, or misinformation-based replies.
 

🧠 Combined Interpretation: Reactions vs. Comments

Metric Positive Negative Ambiguous

Reactions136 4 43

Comments~20~40~25

Key Insights:

• 👍 Reactions vastly outnumber negative ones — indicating that supporters are present but less vocal in the comments.

• 📣 Negative voices are loud, but not large. Many comments came from a handful of repeat users with inflammatory or off-topic remarks.

• 💡 Engagement is strong. The volume of commentary and interaction shows that the rally succeeded in stimulating dialogue and attention—both critical for movement-building.
   

📌 Takeaways for ACDCVA Strategy

1. Stay the Course: Public reactions indicate strong silent support. Keep creating space for community-focused, issue-based messaging.

2. Amplify Positive Voices: Encourage supportive attendees to post their reflections, photos, and facts to balance the dialogue.

3. Anticipate Misinformation: Prepare concise counters to false narratives (e.g., Medicaid cuts, rally turnout) for use in social replies and print.

4. Moderate, Don't Censor: Let extremists self-identify—civility and facts stand out in contrast. Continue modeling respectful dialogue.

5. Highlight Participation: Visibility matters. People saw the rally. That presence builds recognition and momentum.

​

“This event sparked an important and long-overdue conversation in our community. While there were strong opinions on all sides, the overwhelming public response was supportive and curious—not hostile. Thank you to everyone who continues to stand up, speak out, and show up.”