ACTIONS!!!
Examples of successful nonviolent resistance:
✊ 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟔: Millions protested & ousted a dictator in just 4 days.
✊ 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐧 & 𝐀𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗: Dictators stepped down after decades in power.
✊ 𝐂𝐳𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐚, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟗: The Velvet Revolution ended communist rule.
📢 Nonviolent protests are TWICE as likely to succeed as violent uprisings.
📢 Strikes disrupt the economy and force those in power to listen.
📢 The bigger we are, the harder we are to stop.
This is a 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
No leaders. No single organization.
Just 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
toward a shared goal:
🔥 Climate Action
🔥 Universal Healthcare
🔥 Racial Justice
🔥 Reproductive Rights
🔥 Living Wages
🔥 Worker Rights
@defendingdemocracy.bsky.social
This isn’t just a protest. This is a 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬.
✊ Sign your 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 today.
✊ Share this thread.
✊ Recruit 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟓 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 to sign up.
🔗 generalstrikeus.com (https://generalstrikeus.com/)
When we hit 𝟏𝟏 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧, WE STRIKE.
5 CALLS APP: Calling your congressperson is the most effective way to influence policy. Download the app, share widely & call daily.
BOYCOTT
Big Corporations Supporting ICE:
1. Deloitte
2. Dell
3. AT&T
4. Microsoft
5. Motorola
6. Thompson
Reuters
COMING SOON
Please share!!! Important!
❌DO NOT SIT DOWN:
Organizers are requesting that we keep our feet firmly planted on the ground. Link arms and hold the line!
Indivisible.com
HOW TO PROTEST SAFELY by NRDC
Protesting has the power to bring about transformative change. During a historic election season, exercising that fundamental First Amendment right remains more critical than ever.
And for many people, the act of protesting serves as motivation to keep fighting. When we turn strong emotion into action—particularly, collective action—we rise up together even as we face down the immorality of those who would disregard basic human rights and the health of our planet.
But we must bear in mind that protesting in person is a privilege that not everyone shares. Some cannot chance gathering in groups due to health vulnerabilities. Some cannot afford run-ins with police due to their immigration status, family responsibilities, or job. And protesting remains uniquely dangerous for people of color—especially Black people—who continue to face intentional targeting and violence at the hands of police.
For those who are willing and able to show up and speak out, here is your guide to protesting safely and effectively.
Before You Go
Research any demonstrations you plan to attend.
Before committing to participate in a given protest, ensure it represents your values. Does it center those who are most harmed by an issue? Do its leaders prioritize nonviolence and have experience with de-escalation strategies? Do you feel comfortable supporting their demands? Answering key questions like these can prevent you from being a part of a disorganized, problematic, or unsafe event.
Buddy up.
Protests are safer in groups. A buddy can alert others if you’re harmed or arrested—and help record any violations of your First Amendment rights. If you plan to go it alone, let a local friend or family member know when and where you plan to protest and when they should expect to hear from you again.
Pack a bag.
Prepare to stay awhile. Bring energy-rich snacks, like mixed nuts or protein bars, and plenty of water. (Looking to support other protesters? Bring extra and hand them out to those running low on supplies.) Pack a few days’ worth of essential medicines in the event you’re arrested, as well as some cash and multiple masks. While it’s a good idea to bring your phone in case of an emergency, follow our tips below for protecting your digital privacy. And, if you have the time, bring a sign. (Material you already have on hand, like flattened cardboard from a package, will do just fine as a poster board for your message.)
Be mindful of your phone settings.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s guide to protestingsuggests encrypting your phone and turning it on airplane mode before demonstrating, since phones can leave behind bread crumbs of data that leave you vulnerable. (They can also be confiscated by authorities.) The guide also suggests turning off biometric passwords—such as fingerprint and facial-recognition IDs—which make it easier for police to access your device.
During the Protest
Follow the lead of organizers.
Those leading events typically have years of on-the-ground organizing experience. Look to them to start chants, guide marches along specific routes, and notify the group of any concerns. Above all, respect organizers’ requests, such as not to damage property. If the media approaches you for a statement or to be on video, point reporters to the organizers, who know best how to communicate the group’s message and demands. Be mindful of when to step back and give others space to speak out—particularly if you are white. People of color are more likely to be directly impacted by the issues at hand, so it’s the responsibility of white protesters to act as allies and to center the voices of BIPOC demonstrators.
Know the Signs of Heat Exhaustion & First Aid
As we head into the summer, it is essential that we understand the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, especially in large crowds or warmer climates. Though many organizers have a volunteer medic on their team, everyone should be prepared to render aid.
The Nation Weather Service has a simple guide to identifying heat stroke and how to provide first aid.
Protect your Data
Electronic Frontier Foundation has created a guide to protecting your data.
Stay vigilant.
While you may have every intention to demonstrate peacefully, realize that protests have the potential to become unsafe quickly. Opposition can range from drive-by hecklers to white supremacists looking to incite violence to intentional police brutality. With tensions high, stay aware—take notice of those around you and how they’re behaving. Avoid engaging with counterprotesters, who are often the source of escalation. And keep an eye on the exits, should you need to leave quickly.
Prepare to encounter law enforcement.
Incidents of police brutality remain common and often targeted or unprovoked. Read up on how to protect yourself from nonlethal weapons officers may carry, like tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons, all of which can cause lasting bodily harm. Remember that you have the right to photograph or videotape police actions, even if officers ask you to stop doing so. While police can order the dispersal of a protest, they should only do so as a last resort if the crowd poses a threat. If you are ordered to disperse and do not, you risk arrest.
Protect fellow protesters’ privacy.
Taking photos and videos at a protest can help spread a movement’s message and capture any violations of your rights. But it’s important to protect the privacy of fellow protesters by refraining from posting photos or videos in which others can be identified.
Download NRDC's Protest Posters
Support the Cause from Home
Aid protesters in your community and beyond.
Everyone has a role to play. If you’re unable to be out in the streets yourself, you can donate supplies, like hand sanitizer and bottles of water, directly to organizers. Or consider making a financial contribution to local bail funds or organizations like the ACLU that are working to protect your First Amendment rights. (The Community Justice Exchange has a directory of local bail funds, organized by state.) Join your local mutual aid to help build a community-based support system.
Keep up the momentum.
Take your activism to the next level: Through protesting, you’ll learn a lot about community organizing, media outreach, and policy advocacy, which can help you become a more effective environmental champion. As former ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) activist and current clean water advocate Brian Zabcik explained it, “Because our positions were generally unpopular, we learned how to be resilient. Because we sometimes won, we learned how to be occasionally optimistic. And because we couldn’t win without support from other groups, we learned how to form coalitions.”
Contact your elected officials.
It’s also critical to make sure that your representatives in office continue to hear from you by phone or e-mail. Sign petitions that address them directly. Write letters to the editor to share your message with the wider community. And most importantly, keep the long view. Our democracy depends on it.
LINKS WE LOVE ❤️
ACLU Know Your Rights
https://www.aclu.org/
Email Your Reps
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Robert Reich
https://robertreich.org/
Heather Cox Richardson
Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | SubstackSubstack · Letters from an American2.1M+ followers
Alexandria Ocasio
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - House.govRepresentative Ocasio-Cortez | (.gov)http://ocasio-cortez.house.gov
Bernie Sanders
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/about-bernie/
Elizabeth Warren
https://www.warren.senate.gov/
Hasan Mehdi
Zeteo | SubstackZeteohttps://zeteo.com
Kazu Haga Non Violent Activism
https://www.kazuhaga.com/
NVC Non Violent Communication
https://www.cnvc.org/
Valarie Kaur Revolutionary Love
https://valariekaur.com
WHAT PRACTICAL ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE by Rob Bresny
Indivisible on how to fight back effectively: https://tinyurl.com/FightBackFierce
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has good ideas: https://tinyurl.com/AOCsays
Call your Senator and Congresspeople and tell them to vote a flat NO on any and all cooperation with the Trump administration. This site makes it easy: https://5calls.org
Starhawk on what groups can do now: https://tinyurl.com/WhatWeAllCanDoNow
In service to love, hold off fascism: https://tinyurl.com/HoldBackFascism
Push back against the thugs: https://tinyurl.com/PushBackAgainstThugs
Some intimate ways to create hope: https://tinyurl.com/HelpCreateHope
Nullify the nullifiers: https://tinyurl.com/HowToStopTheThugs
Sister District helps us fight for democracy: https://tinyurl.com/FightingForDemocracy
Boycott companies that enable the Trump autocracy, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla and companies that advertise on X or Fox News. Download the app: https://www.goodsuniteus.com/
No matter what happens, our task is to love each other tenderly and wildly as we alleviate suffering and cultivate liberation.
Inspiring stories of our resistance to Trump’s coup: tinyurl.com/HopeScrolling
How we are fighting back: tinyurl.com/WeAreFightingBack
Our online hub of the ongoing resistance to the growth of authoritarianism in the US: tinyurl.com/ResistAuthoritarianism
“This is really hard, but we are not quitting: Reflections on kindness and resoluteness” from Rebecca Solnit: tinyurl.com/ResoluteKindness
Read alternative and independent media: tinyurl.com/NonCompliantMedia
Rise up against Trump: tinyurl.com/RiseUpAgainstTrump
Here are more starting points on what you can do: tinyurl.com/DisruptDisobey
How to stop Trump’s power grab. Trump isn’t inevitable. Here’s a plan to keep democracy intact: tinyurl.com/StopTrumpTrauma
Here’s a master list of more practical actions we can take: tinyurl.com/PracticalActions
WHAT WE CAN DO by Rob Brezsny
How can we regular people help resist and nullify the ugly toxic creep of bigoted oligarchic misogynist fascism?
1. Understand that we are living in an historically pivotal moment — a red-alert emergency crisis — that resembles the run-up to the American Civil War and the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany
2. Talk about the details of the fascists’ activities and complain about them to smart and caring people who are our allies.
3. Get news from reliable progressive sources. A list: tinyurl.com/AlternateMediaUrge your people to avoid Trump propaganda outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and X.
4. Support the leaders and journalists who are exposing and protesting the fascist activities. Give them our strength and moral support, as well as money, if we can afford it.
5. Attend demonstrations. The Mass Mobilization on April 5 was very successful. More than 1,200 events took place across all 50 states, as well as in international cities such as London, Paris and Berlin. The protests were organized by a coalition of over 150 groups. The next one is April 14. See you there!More info on the April 19 Mass Mobilization: https://tinyurl.com/HandsOffNow
6. Tell your Congressional representatives we want them to resist, fight, and interfere with the sickos. Use this excellent service: https://5calls.org/
7. Keep in mind that the more widely known the government's fascist activities become and the more relentless we are about bringing their evil to light, the greater will be the uproar and pressure to shut it down.
That's subtle and incremental in the short run, but potentially powerful in the longer run. We must keep up the pressure. It’s hard work, I know.
8. Participate in boycotts of companies that enable the Trump gang, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Below in this newsletter is more detailed info on how to vote with your wallet.
9. To the extent you can, donate to groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action in the coming months and years will be in the federal courts. Here are organizations I love:
https://citizensforethics.org/
10. Praise and publicize the people and institutions who are resisting the fascist activities. Contribute financially to legal teams that support our allies against punishment by the fascists.
11. Communicate kindly with people who might be uninformed and/or having mixed feelings about the fascists’ activities. Invite them to join us in resisting.
Please note: I am not advising you or me to try to persuade hard-core MAGA people. I personally never engage with any of these cultists, and I certainly don’t waste my time arguing with them.
But there are millions who voted for Trump who are now very sorry that they did. There are also millions who didn't vote at all that are not Forever Trump Cultists. I personally know a few. Some of them can be persuaded.
12. In every way you know how, protect the immigrant members of your communities who are undocumented or whose parents are undocumented.
13. In every way you know how, protect LGBTQ+ members of your community. Be vigilant against prejudice and bigotry, wherever it breaks out. If you see or hear it, call it out. Join with others to stop it.
14. Help protect officials in your community or state whom Trump and his administration are targeting for vengeance
15. Push for progressive actions in your community and state. Join groups that are moving your city or state forward, in contrast to regressive moves at the federal level. Lobby, instigate, organize and fund-raise for progressive legislators. Support progressive leaders.
16. Take heart and direction from guides that help us decide how to proceed, Here are three great ones:
Indivisible: Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink: indivisible.org/resource/guide
What you can do to fight this coup: choosedemocracy.us/what-can-i-do/
Fighting Back: A Citizen's Guide to Resistance: archive.ph/FzAyY
WHAT WE CAN DO, Part 2 by Rob Brezsny
Want to align your spending with your values? Here's a quick guide.
Choosing where to spend our money is one of the most powerful votes we cast every day. If you want to support companies that align with progressive values — fair labor, racial and gender equity, environmental responsibility, and pro-democracy politics — here are tips:
✅ 1. Check Political Donations:
Use Progressive Shopper or Goods Unite Us to see where a company's political donations go. Support businesses that fund democracy, equality, and environmental causes — not corporations backing regressive agendas.
✅ 2. Check Labor and Environmental Practices:
If you're shopping for clothes, shoes, or accessories, Good On You rates brands on their treatment of workers, environmental care, and animal welfare. It also suggests better alternatives when a company falls short.
✅ 3. Dive Deeper if You Want:
If you want a broader picture — covering human rights, supply chains, tax ethics, and more — visit Ethical Consumer. They offer detailed company profiles across many industries (food, banking, tech, and more).
✅ 4. Look for Certified Ethical Businesses:
The B Corp Directory lists companies certified to meet high standards for workers, community, and the planet.
🌟 Remember: No company is perfect. Aim to choose “better” over “perfect.” Every choice matters. Every dollar is a seed you plant for the future you believe in.
+
📚 For those who want to dive deeper into the data and standards behind these recommendations, here are some trusted resources.
· OpenSecrets.org – Tracking political donations in the U.S.
· KnowTheChain – Research on forced labor in global supply chains
· Fashion Revolution's Transparency Index – Annual report ranking fashion brands on human rights and environmental impact
· B Lab's B Corporation Standards – The criteria for becoming a certified B Corp
· Ethical Consumer Research Association – Detailed ethical company profiles
· Good On You Ethical Ratings – How companies are rated on labor and environment
+
When you want to buy something, here’s a quick 3-step method:
• Step 1: Search the company on Progressive Shopper to check political donations.
• Step 2: If it's clothing/accessories, check Good On You for labor and environmental grades.
• Step 3: Search the company on Ethical Consumer for broader info (e.g., tax avoidance, supply chain transparency).
If they pass → Feel good supporting them.
If they don't → Look for better alternatives (Good On You and Ethical Consumer suggest some!).