Alongside cracks and signs of pushback in elite institutions, @chenoweth.bsky.social is tracking the huge # of protests in areas that previously voted Trump: wagingnonviolence.org/2025/10/resi...
This Admin's shocking actions don't have mass support OR inevitable elite cooperation. Fodder for hope.
Dozens of Pentagon journalists handed in access badges rather than agree to coverage restrictions. Prominent venture capitalist Ron Conway resigned from Salesforce's Board after the CEO supported Trump bringing National Guard to SF. The OK governor objected to the National Guard deployment. (Cont.)
On the eve of what will be truly massive #NoKings protests - I'm noticing a flurry of high-profile people & institutions refusing to bow to Trump. Almost every major airport has refused to air the Kristi Noem propaganda video. Brown & Penn joined MIT in rejecting the Higher Ed Compact. (Cont.)
(between the No Kings logo and an image of a hand holding a sign that reads “REJECTING KINGS SINCE 1776”) Wear yellow. Show up. Show out. Saturday, October 18th. nokings.org
On Saturday, we wear yellow. ❌👑
What's most significant about today's day of action is the sheer number of locations where protests took place -- more than 1000 towns and cities, all over the country.
That's only happened one or two times before *in all of American history.*
Huge and electric Chicago crowd in Daley Plaza at today’s Hands Off rally. Today felt like an inflection point for this rising opposition movement against the demolition of our government & freedoms, & FOR democracy, freedom, dignity for all people. Courage!
#handsoff
Rare & vital leadership opportunity in US social movement & democracy defense circles: @moveon.org is hiring a new ED as @rahnamepting.bsky.social steps back after 5 amazing years. The org is on exceptionally strong footing, & has never been more important. Help spread word: lnkd.in/evHRKreP
I like this from @boldprogressives.org - tells a central story very simply. They’re not just smashing government in the abstract. They’re coming for our social security, health care, education, housing, Medicare, even our private information… stealing from all of us.
This was the motto of the civil society movement to resist Bolsonaro’s right wing authoritarianism in Brazil. I learned it from @annagalland.bsky.social and love it. Would love to see American designers do their own interpretations.
My advice is generally: find your lane – sign up for MoveOn, Indivisible, Working Families Party, whatever local organizations feel most accessible as part of a broad-based pro-democracy, anti-oligarchs-smashing-government movement. Take action. Don’t despair. Step by step.
Momentum: Courage and action are sparking more courage and action. @workingfamilies.org @indivisible.org & @moveon.org hosted a mass call on Feb 2 with 50K participants; today there are 100+ rallies at Senate offices around the country & a protest at Treasury Dept with hundreds of people tonight.
Momentum: New coalitions are popping up to beat back extremists. In Texas this week, Dems joined with "moderate" R's to block the far-right candidate for Speaker of the House. (They are all super conservative but went against the wishes of billionaire donors.) www.texasstandard.org/stories/dust...
Momentum: Local immigrant defense networks are getting organized. There were big marches in Los Angeles, AZ, NC, AR, MO, GA, and TX over the weekend. "Know your rights" trainings are proliferating, including many hosted by city governments & school districts. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
Momentum: Federal employees are organizing against Musk. A government worker’s post on Reddit went viral: “before [Elon’s buyout] email went out, I was looking for any way to get out of this fresh hell. But now I'm fired up to make these goons as frustrated as possible”. Fueled a viral protest plan.
Momentum: House Dems won’t support ending Medicare or Trump’s “illegal” OMB order & will fight against immigration EO’s & against tax cuts for billionaires. Govs like JB Pritzker modeled how to counter Trump’s irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric after the tragic plane crash in DC.
Momentum: In a special election in Iowa last week, Democrats flipped a state senate seat in a district that Trump had won easily in 2024. www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
Momentum: Trump’s illegal funding freeze was blocked after legal wins + a public outcry. Admin had to rescind its illegal funding freeze after Democracy Forward won a total restraining order, bolstered by rapid response rallies, 1000s of calls to Congress, Senate Dems boycotting the Vought hearing.
Trump and Musk (an unelected billionaire oligarch!) are attacking good people and trying hard to break the government while they personally profit from the destruction. But here’s a partial list of what’s giving me hope & fueling my own determination to stay active in community with others:
I’m genuinely heartened by the momentum I'm seeing in the last few days: a ton of regular people are getting on the field and ACTING for freedom, democracy, and dignity – rather than despairing or wringing our hands.
Some real awful stuff is coming out of Washington. I'm mostly not in posting mode, but based on my texts, seems maybe helpful to share what I'm seeing.
I’d forgotten this. Still grateful for your generous portraits of me & other #Ordcamp friends, Bryan.
I talked to my old friend and veteran organizer Anna Galland about, well, <gestures broadly>
Really recommend listening to what she has to say.
t.co/MJqGR5893i