Your experiences and point of view are so valuable in these times. I agree. All of the protest energy must be managed effectively by strong leaders because the administration will come back with more force and crazy tactics. They’re hoping people will run out of steam.
Well-written, pragmatic advice for the Dems, I really hope they listen and implement it! Following the situation with both interest and horror from the other side of the Atlantic. Greetings from Croatia✌️
This is how the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s was conducted. It maintained its moral authority by using non-violent civil protests and, in the case of unjust laws, civil disobedience. The current resistance movement needs a coordinating authority to replicate the role of the NAACP in training resistors in non-violence. It is never easy to not adopt the tactics of the oppressor but it is crucial if we want our Republic to survive.
Another important thing to remember, in terms of maintaining hope - there were a LOT of riots in black neighborhoods in the 1960s, especially in the '66-'68 period. '92 L.A.-level riots in dozens of US cities. And they were damaging to the cause, as you can imagine in a period where even MLK's approval among whites barely cracked double digits. It didn't stop people with more measured approaches from making progress like the passage of the Fair Housing Act.
This from Peter Coyote is the best advice to the anti-MAGA movement I’ve seen yet.
(ideas originally from the Civil Rights Movement):
“A protest is an invitation to a better world. It’s a ceremony. No one accepts a ceremonial invitation when they’re being screamed at. More important you have to know who the real audience Of the protestis. The audience is NEVER the police, the politicians, the Board of supervisors, The Congress,etc. The audience is always the American people, who are trying to decide who they can trust; who will not embarrass them. If you win them, you win power at the box office And power to make positive change.Everything else is a waste. There are a few ways to get there.
Number 1: LET WOMEN ORGANIZE the event. They’re more collaborative. They’re more inclusive, and they don’t generally bring the undertones of violence men do.
Number 2: APPOINT MONITORS, give them yellow, vests and whistles. At the first sign of violence, they blow the whistles and the real protester sit down. Let the police take out their aggression on the anarchists and the provocateurs trying to discredit the movement.
Number 3: DRESS LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO CHURCH. It’s hard to be painted as a hoodlum When you’re dressed in clean Presentable clothes. They don’t have to be fancy they just signal the respect for the occasion that you want to transmit to the audience.
Number 4: MAKE YOUR PROTEST SILENT. Demonstrate your discipline to the American people.Let signs do the talking.
Number 5: GO HOME AT NIGHT. In the dark, you can’t tell the cops from the killers. Come back at Dawn fresh and rested.
I have great fear that Trump’s staging with the National Guard and maybe the Marines is designed to clash with anarchists who are playing into his hands and offering him the opportunity to declare an insurrection. It’s such a waste and it’s only because we haven’t thought things through strategically.
Nothing I thought of is particularly original. It was all learned by watching the early civil rights protests in the 50s and 60s. And it was the discipline and courage of African-Americans that drew such a clear line in the American sand that people were forced to take sides and that produced the civil rights act. The American people are watching and once again if we behave in ways that can be misinterpreted, we’ll see this explained to the public in Republican campaign videos benefiting the very people who started this.
Wake up. Vent at home. In public practice discipline and self control. It takes much more courage.”
There have been calls from protest coordinators to stay seated, in order to expose any pro-Trump agitators in the ranks. It's looking like the Trump Regime wants an excuse to "Wag the Dog".
And you can bet many of them are on the ground ready to go - in all cities. Watch, it will be the same MO every time things start heating up. And I bet they won’t get arrested. Paid agitators. Provocateurs.
I hope today’s event will be recorded as I will not be able to make the life session. Looking forward to listening in. Have a great day everyone. Peace!
You are correct in pointing out that Dems should be leading and visible, everywhere. They are not. We the people need to hold it together, literally and figuratively. Peacefully.
Great advice to Democrats. Instead of sitting in City Hall, Mayor Bass should be leading by example. Organize a controlled march from City Hall to the detention center(s). Hold silent vigils for a those being absconded from work, homes and schools. Make it more like a funeral than a party. The “organizers” of these protests are not in control. They just call groups of people together and let them mill. Boredom can often do the work of the authoritarian. Primal screams make us look out of control. We are in the right here and need to reinforce the dignity and meaning of our purpose. Stop acting like children.
As someone who lives in a place that is both the "entertainment capital of the world" and one of the gathering points of Central and South American immigration, I certainly know what you mean when you speak about media images and the impact that gatherings of Los Angeles citizens, if even slightly violent, can have as useful fodder for Trump. But the story that everyone in the U.S. needs to understand (somehow) is that when Trump and Miller proceed to arrest immigrants who are not criminals, but regular workers, then those two malignant men are upsetting this entire society, and to the dissatisfaction of everyone hereabouts--white, brown, black, Asian, you name it. Emigres work and live with us in a way that is entirely integral. And when ICE proceeds to disrupt those places of work and life, it creates a direct assault on our entire society.
Tl;dr: yes, he has both, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree that this form of winning enables you to tell people who are bringing sacrifices of their own what “the right way”(tm) to protest is.
Kasparov cuts to the chase here. Unless and until there is credible political leadership, Trump is going to get exactly what he wants -- a violent reaction he can use as a stepping stone to power consolidation. Without leadership, the protesters are an irrational mob.Trump is worried about his waning political capital because he fears a Democratic Congress after the mid-terms. He is counting on the mob's out of control behavior as the linchpin of his strategy to keep Congress and not get impeached by Democrats.
Everything he is doing now is calculated to keep the MAGA base riled up and kite together a Republican majority in Congress at the mid-terms. For example, he is pressuring the Texas congressional delegation to redistrict Texas now, right after it was just ruthlessly gerrymandered and without new census data. This means Trump fears his formidable Texas power base is in danger of slipping away. I happen to agree it is. Texas Democrats are showing signs of life. So, what would be a good way to bring Texas voters back to him? An immigration debacle. Our goal is to deny him that immigration debacle.
Democcrats should look at the map of No Kings protests scheduled and see how many protests are scheduled in RUBY RED districts. Democrats need to leverage that opportunity to reinforce popular revulsion and animus at Trump. If they don't, Trump will keep the fire hose of propaganda going and successfully wear these voters down. Unless his narratives are rebutted, everyday voters will eventurally give up or come around to his false narrative. This is how he turned public opinion his way about January 6. Democrats didn't take his and RW media's narrative seriously as a threat. But it was.
It might be nice if Jefferies was the leader we need. But he isn't. We have a few others in Congress like Raskin, Crockett, etc. who could do it, but I suspect Jefferies won't turn them loose to seize the national bully pulpit. I have come to the conclusion we won't get smart politics or leadership out of national Democrats. They are incompetent. As usual, Americans will have to do it ourselves.
So, I think the plausible and effective source of leadership here is labor unions. The union leaders are starting to step up. They have the political savvy to do this. They have the guts to do this. I am watching their actions and ready to stand in solidarity with them.
Not JUST an irrational mob. If you tie everyone into organisations like 50501 and indivisible, they are self-organizing at least, and with a constructive people like the American this might take you farher than you think.
Open-minded leaders would probably be good too, though. But as i see it this is about opening up politics all the way from negative campaigning to positive participation on your OWN terms.
Before people can start trusting politicians again, both they and politicians have to begin to trust and respect PEOPLE and their power or engage somewhat. And this is only done by self-organisation. And this is a golden opportunity for that. <3
Agreed. Now that we have the hindsight of No Kings Day, it was fascinating to see all the ground roots organizing coming to bear. Americans were organized through all kinds of groups. I attended an Indivisible group protest, but 50501 and other local groups had people extremely organized. Even though Abbott deployed the National Guard, there was nothing for them to do.
The people's imaginative and boisterous determination to fix their own problems was really inspiring. Your prediction about the groups was correct.
Thank you for this clear-eyed perspective. Your comparison between protests under Putin and those unfolding in the U.S. is a sobering reminder of how fragile democratic norms can be. The call for disciplined, strategic nonviolence—and real leadership from Democratic figures—is especially urgent.
Thanks for your invaluable insights....they're worth gold Just hoping the Democrats get some guidance from you moving forward....as one observer noticed of a Democratic Senator two months ago "she seems shell shocked"....the faster D's can get their act together to show leadership the better the summer can become
This was also a problem in Hong Kong, where the CCP-aligned governments in Hong Kong and China would frame it as a Colour Revolution or chaotic riots whenever there is an act of vandalism, whether it was baited by the government or local elites.
Your experiences and point of view are so valuable in these times. I agree. All of the protest energy must be managed effectively by strong leaders because the administration will come back with more force and crazy tactics. They’re hoping people will run out of steam.
This is very well written and should be read by all . Thank you for this piece of excellent advice and insight. . . You would know.
Well-written, pragmatic advice for the Dems, I really hope they listen and implement it! Following the situation with both interest and horror from the other side of the Atlantic. Greetings from Croatia✌️
This is how the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s was conducted. It maintained its moral authority by using non-violent civil protests and, in the case of unjust laws, civil disobedience. The current resistance movement needs a coordinating authority to replicate the role of the NAACP in training resistors in non-violence. It is never easy to not adopt the tactics of the oppressor but it is crucial if we want our Republic to survive.
Another important thing to remember, in terms of maintaining hope - there were a LOT of riots in black neighborhoods in the 1960s, especially in the '66-'68 period. '92 L.A.-level riots in dozens of US cities. And they were damaging to the cause, as you can imagine in a period where even MLK's approval among whites barely cracked double digits. It didn't stop people with more measured approaches from making progress like the passage of the Fair Housing Act.
Contact indivisible about it? They can call for people who want to help and organise courses?
This from Peter Coyote is the best advice to the anti-MAGA movement I’ve seen yet.
(ideas originally from the Civil Rights Movement):
“A protest is an invitation to a better world. It’s a ceremony. No one accepts a ceremonial invitation when they’re being screamed at. More important you have to know who the real audience Of the protestis. The audience is NEVER the police, the politicians, the Board of supervisors, The Congress,etc. The audience is always the American people, who are trying to decide who they can trust; who will not embarrass them. If you win them, you win power at the box office And power to make positive change.Everything else is a waste. There are a few ways to get there.
Number 1: LET WOMEN ORGANIZE the event. They’re more collaborative. They’re more inclusive, and they don’t generally bring the undertones of violence men do.
Number 2: APPOINT MONITORS, give them yellow, vests and whistles. At the first sign of violence, they blow the whistles and the real protester sit down. Let the police take out their aggression on the anarchists and the provocateurs trying to discredit the movement.
Number 3: DRESS LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO CHURCH. It’s hard to be painted as a hoodlum When you’re dressed in clean Presentable clothes. They don’t have to be fancy they just signal the respect for the occasion that you want to transmit to the audience.
Number 4: MAKE YOUR PROTEST SILENT. Demonstrate your discipline to the American people.Let signs do the talking.
Number 5: GO HOME AT NIGHT. In the dark, you can’t tell the cops from the killers. Come back at Dawn fresh and rested.
I have great fear that Trump’s staging with the National Guard and maybe the Marines is designed to clash with anarchists who are playing into his hands and offering him the opportunity to declare an insurrection. It’s such a waste and it’s only because we haven’t thought things through strategically.
Nothing I thought of is particularly original. It was all learned by watching the early civil rights protests in the 50s and 60s. And it was the discipline and courage of African-Americans that drew such a clear line in the American sand that people were forced to take sides and that produced the civil rights act. The American people are watching and once again if we behave in ways that can be misinterpreted, we’ll see this explained to the public in Republican campaign videos benefiting the very people who started this.
Wake up. Vent at home. In public practice discipline and self control. It takes much more courage.”
(But will be much more EFFECTIVE.)
DAVID used strategies to confront GOLIATH.
THAT'S why DAVID WON!
There have been calls from protest coordinators to stay seated, in order to expose any pro-Trump agitators in the ranks. It's looking like the Trump Regime wants an excuse to "Wag the Dog".
And you can bet many of them are on the ground ready to go - in all cities. Watch, it will be the same MO every time things start heating up. And I bet they won’t get arrested. Paid agitators. Provocateurs.
Yes. False flag is a time honored US tradition too.. unfortunately. :p
I hope today’s event will be recorded as I will not be able to make the life session. Looking forward to listening in. Have a great day everyone. Peace!
You are correct in pointing out that Dems should be leading and visible, everywhere. They are not. We the people need to hold it together, literally and figuratively. Peacefully.
Great advice to Democrats. Instead of sitting in City Hall, Mayor Bass should be leading by example. Organize a controlled march from City Hall to the detention center(s). Hold silent vigils for a those being absconded from work, homes and schools. Make it more like a funeral than a party. The “organizers” of these protests are not in control. They just call groups of people together and let them mill. Boredom can often do the work of the authoritarian. Primal screams make us look out of control. We are in the right here and need to reinforce the dignity and meaning of our purpose. Stop acting like children.
As someone who lives in a place that is both the "entertainment capital of the world" and one of the gathering points of Central and South American immigration, I certainly know what you mean when you speak about media images and the impact that gatherings of Los Angeles citizens, if even slightly violent, can have as useful fodder for Trump. But the story that everyone in the U.S. needs to understand (somehow) is that when Trump and Miller proceed to arrest immigrants who are not criminals, but regular workers, then those two malignant men are upsetting this entire society, and to the dissatisfaction of everyone hereabouts--white, brown, black, Asian, you name it. Emigres work and live with us in a way that is entirely integral. And when ICE proceeds to disrupt those places of work and life, it creates a direct assault on our entire society.
You resisted Putin in Russia? Cool. Who won?
😳
Garry won because he lived to tell about it. Don’t diminish his sacrifices? He’s got both courage and brains.
For context: https://www.thenextmove.org/p/responding-to-your-comments-on-the/comment/125534941?r=51xiwq&utm_medium=ios
Tl;dr: yes, he has both, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree that this form of winning enables you to tell people who are bringing sacrifices of their own what “the right way”(tm) to protest is.
Kasparov cuts to the chase here. Unless and until there is credible political leadership, Trump is going to get exactly what he wants -- a violent reaction he can use as a stepping stone to power consolidation. Without leadership, the protesters are an irrational mob.Trump is worried about his waning political capital because he fears a Democratic Congress after the mid-terms. He is counting on the mob's out of control behavior as the linchpin of his strategy to keep Congress and not get impeached by Democrats.
Everything he is doing now is calculated to keep the MAGA base riled up and kite together a Republican majority in Congress at the mid-terms. For example, he is pressuring the Texas congressional delegation to redistrict Texas now, right after it was just ruthlessly gerrymandered and without new census data. This means Trump fears his formidable Texas power base is in danger of slipping away. I happen to agree it is. Texas Democrats are showing signs of life. So, what would be a good way to bring Texas voters back to him? An immigration debacle. Our goal is to deny him that immigration debacle.
Democcrats should look at the map of No Kings protests scheduled and see how many protests are scheduled in RUBY RED districts. Democrats need to leverage that opportunity to reinforce popular revulsion and animus at Trump. If they don't, Trump will keep the fire hose of propaganda going and successfully wear these voters down. Unless his narratives are rebutted, everyday voters will eventurally give up or come around to his false narrative. This is how he turned public opinion his way about January 6. Democrats didn't take his and RW media's narrative seriously as a threat. But it was.
It might be nice if Jefferies was the leader we need. But he isn't. We have a few others in Congress like Raskin, Crockett, etc. who could do it, but I suspect Jefferies won't turn them loose to seize the national bully pulpit. I have come to the conclusion we won't get smart politics or leadership out of national Democrats. They are incompetent. As usual, Americans will have to do it ourselves.
So, I think the plausible and effective source of leadership here is labor unions. The union leaders are starting to step up. They have the political savvy to do this. They have the guts to do this. I am watching their actions and ready to stand in solidarity with them.
Not JUST an irrational mob. If you tie everyone into organisations like 50501 and indivisible, they are self-organizing at least, and with a constructive people like the American this might take you farher than you think.
Open-minded leaders would probably be good too, though. But as i see it this is about opening up politics all the way from negative campaigning to positive participation on your OWN terms.
Before people can start trusting politicians again, both they and politicians have to begin to trust and respect PEOPLE and their power or engage somewhat. And this is only done by self-organisation. And this is a golden opportunity for that. <3
Agreed. Now that we have the hindsight of No Kings Day, it was fascinating to see all the ground roots organizing coming to bear. Americans were organized through all kinds of groups. I attended an Indivisible group protest, but 50501 and other local groups had people extremely organized. Even though Abbott deployed the National Guard, there was nothing for them to do.
The people's imaginative and boisterous determination to fix their own problems was really inspiring. Your prediction about the groups was correct.
Love to hear that! :D Thank you!
Thank you for this clear-eyed perspective. Your comparison between protests under Putin and those unfolding in the U.S. is a sobering reminder of how fragile democratic norms can be. The call for disciplined, strategic nonviolence—and real leadership from Democratic figures—is especially urgent.
Thanks for your invaluable insights....they're worth gold Just hoping the Democrats get some guidance from you moving forward....as one observer noticed of a Democratic Senator two months ago "she seems shell shocked"....the faster D's can get their act together to show leadership the better the summer can become
This was also a problem in Hong Kong, where the CCP-aligned governments in Hong Kong and China would frame it as a Colour Revolution or chaotic riots whenever there is an act of vandalism, whether it was baited by the government or local elites.
Garry, great thoughts, very much appreciated. Tried to upgrade my subscription and having trouble getting it to work…will try again later
Hi Betsy, just sent you a DM here on Substack.
All set, worked on my cell phone, just not my iPad…