In Pennsylvania, she was known as Tilly from Philly.
That's where she took on what she calls the Philadelphia bureaucracy; the foster care system.
She started alone, with a big home-made sign, picketing in front of the Department of Health Services .
Over time, Tilly attracted dozens of supporters. Most of them were moms willing to join her cause.
Tilly is now in San Jose and on any given morning, you'll find her in front of City Hall, fighting her new battle.
"Would you like to write a message to City Hall?" asks Tilly to everyone who walks in front of her.
She has a big poster board, where anyone can write a message about San Jose's pot clubs.
Politics
Tilly tells them she's going to deliver the material to the mayor.
"Take good care of your children," she tell those who refuse to sign her poster board. "Make sure they don't get ahold of that illegal stuff called cannabis, which is drugs."
San Jose has several marijuana dispensaries. Tilly want s them all to close, and she got a few supporters on this day.
"I started out with pot, and was introduced to heroin later on," said Estevan Mireles, who signed Tilly's board.
"It is a drug," said another supporter, Jason Tobias. "And I'm not going to lie, did a whole lot of it."
But Tilly did witness some detractors, including a guy who just laughed as he read her sign.
"One guy who works at City Hall said 'legalize it'," said Tilly. "Another man offered me some pot, and I said 'no thank you'. And for some reason, a lot of young people say F-U, legalize it."
Tilly doesn't know if she'll get the same number of followers who joined her cause in Philadelphia.
But that won't keep her from talking to anyone who will listen.
"You have to stand up for what you believe in," said Tilly. "I may get a lot of ridicules and people cursing and asking if I want to smoke that junk. Even if I have to stand alone, I have to stand for what I believe."
