For two hours Saturday morning, more than 30 people bundled up against the wind and stood along Missouri Boulevard near U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer's office, protesting his "failure" to hold a town hall meeting this past week.
Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, has been in Congress since January 2009, and during that time, he has held a few town hall meetings with the general public - but most often meets with small groups, school groups and service clubs.
"We are incensed that Rep. Luetkemeyer will not meet with us during District Work Week," when most members of Congress are in their home districts instead of Washington, D.C., organizer Sue Gibson explained. "We elected him to represent us, and we feel that he's doing a poor job and he needs to listen to us."
She said the protesters "have a lot of concerns about what's going on," including "mounting evidence of Russian influence on the (Trump) administration."
Gibson said there are also concerns the federal government is "not supporting our trans (gender) community (and) our vulnerable children. Insignificant progress has been made toward making it clear that 'Black Lives Matter,' and we demand more progress."
She said the demonstrators want Luetkemeyer to support federal funding for Planned Parenthood, an organization known for providing birth control and medical services to clients, especially from low-income families - and for providing abortions and advocating for the right for women to choose to have an abortion.
"We will not tolerate the people's health care being taken away," Gibson said, a concern which also includes Republicans' plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
A number of town hall meetings around the country have been in the news lately for the confrontations they've featured between members of Congress and their constituents.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said last week protesters disrupting town halls were part of an organized effort by liberal activists - an argument rejected by critics.
Kristina Weger, Luetkemeyer's spokeswoman, told the News Tribune on Saturday, "listening to and responding to his constituents are top priorities for the congressman," whose district includes Mid-Missouri counties and suburban portions of the St. Louis area.
Weger said Luetkemeyer has had more than 1,000 meetings in his district over his eight years in Congress, and he often "takes live questions on radio shows that air throughout Central and Eastern Missouri every month."
Luetkemeyer's offices responded to more than 5,000 constituent queries in January, she said.
"Blaine also frequently holds tele-town hall meetings," Weger added, "where he answers live questions from constituents, and roughly 8,000 callers are on the line at any given time."
In a news release announcing Saturday's demonstration, Gibson dismissed the tele-town hall meetings as events where Luetkemeyer "controls what questions get posed."
Mike Ramelb, of Jefferson City, was one of Saturday's nearly three-dozen demonstrators.
"I do feel that, if (Luetkemeyer) hears enough of his constituents saying they would like to have (a town hall meeting), it should at least be considered," Ramelb told the News Tribune. "If it's not mandatory, he can do what he wants - but I think more and more people will be telling him what we would like to have is that open dialogue."
Ramelb, 42, said he only recently has become politically active.
"I've been someone who has typically just sat on my couch and complained," he said. "I've started to see a groundswell around the country, and figured it was time for me to come out and participate."
He's concerned "about a lot of specific issues," but added: "The overall climate, I think, is very bad. There's a lot of people we need to talk with to try to help get our message out."
Gibson also helped organize a protest six weeks ago that drew only a half-dozen demonstrators - a fifth of Saturday's turnout.
What's the difference?
"Obviously, it's a huge grassroots movement that is demanding access to our representatives," she explained, "and that our views be heard."
The Associated Press contributed information used in this story.