Social movement scholar here to comment on No King again. a 🧵:
These protests are important b/c:
1.) as sustained image events, protests offer evidence of continued disapproval of the direction the country is going and disavowal of the country's leadership.
Glad to see Trump going all-in on owning this failing economy. Only his ego could stop someone from seeing how politically dumb this is.
The State always wants to control violence to maintain legitimacy. The Trump administration wants to control violence to destroy democracy and make the oligarchs richer. The distinction is important.
Watching these idiots destroy the Kansas economy to enact their anti-education ideology is sickening. kansasreflector.com/2026/01/08/g...
Y’all, let me get this straight. Renewable energy is too disruptive, so we need to stick with oil/gas. But AI is totes cool? It almost seems like well funded lobbyists are the key. 🤷
Violence is "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in, or has a high likelihood of, resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation." (WHO)
Reading Trump's posts from this morning, it's important to remember the threat of violence is itself an act of violence.
Trump increasingly appears to be a deteriorating maniac, but he still knows his threats have consequences. That's why he makes them.
These ad hominem attacks (e.g., snowflakes, Trump Derangement Syndrome, pearl clutching) used to distract people from the reality that the Trump administration is destroying democracy and marching the nation into authoritarianism are next-level political gaslighting.
ICE has already spent over $70 million on new weapons this year. Last year, they spent less than $10 million during the same time period. During Trump’s first term, they spent an average of just $8.4 million annually. This seems more important than any ballroom.
I see Fox News is now calling Old, Osawatomie John Brown a “vigilante mass murderer.” Their racist defense of white nationalism grows bolder every day.
The weaker the Trump administration feels the more they will posture strength and grandiosity. The ballroom is nothing. Things are going to get much worse before they can possibly get better. I hope enough people are prepared for that so we can get back onto the path towards a better America.🇺🇸
About 1,000? Can y'all even count? There were far more than that.
Watching JD Vance act like a soulless partisan hack is disgusting. A month after wanting to ruin people’s lives for expressing schadenfreude at Charlie Kirk’s death, now he’s dismissing the “pearl clutching” response to Young Republicans celebrating rape and laughing about gas chambers. Pathetic.
Friendly reminder that the “attention” in “Thank you for your attention to this matter” is the point. Trump wants to distract you. From the Epstein files. From the failing economy. From the authoritarian consolidation of power. From his declining health. Stay focused.
7.) Finally, they are of course named after the abolitionist John Brown, an American hero who was willing to give up his life in the fight against slavery. Erasing history and bringing back the Lost Cause myth will never change that.
6.) The best historical analogy for JBGCs might be the vigilance committees that popped up all over the North in the 1850s to help protect Black people from those attempting to profit off the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law.
5.) Some JBGCs will provide armed protection for marginalized community members and the businesses that support them. They are defensive and not offensive in nature.
4.) Many JBGCs offer gun safety resources and provide mutual aid for the larger community.
3.) Because of that, JBGCs reflect the values and goals of local members. Most focus on offering left-leaning gun owners a shared space away from the more rightwing, conservative gun culture.
2.) The first JBGC started over 20 years ago in Lawrence, Kansas. Others have taken the name, but there is not a national organization. They are a VERY loose network of local groups, some of which now exist under the name Redneck Revolt.
1.) JBGCs are NOT domestic terrorists.
Since the rightwing mediasphere is trying to turn John Brown Gun Clubs (JBGC) into the radical left boogeyman, here are a few things to know since I have written about the groups.
Stephen Miller & @StephenM This language incites violence and terrorism. America @america • Sep 24 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls ICE arresting illegal aliens "authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government".
This weak, brazen attempt by Stephen Miller both to chill free speech and to set up a premise to criminalize it — and, to be clear, this is the very type of speech most central to First Amendment protections — would be laughably embarrassing if this man did not have the power that he has.
Violence: "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation." (WHO)
With all this talk of what is and is not violence (looking at you DHS), seems like a good reminder is in order. And if you didn't know, the World Health Organization has a really solid definition that covers a lot of ground--and does not include video recording law enforcement...
They have their prophet and now they have their martyr, so this is not about politics for a lot of them. This is a faith movement, a religious movement. I don’t see how calls for more debate and civility are going to help. This requires a massive social and political countermovement.
It will also likely lead to more extreme actions, including violence, because the martyr talk only makes their faith in Trump all the more unbreakable. They still see the failed assassination attempt against him as a “miracle” and proof that he was destined to be re-elected.
