Speaking Truth: And May Day

 The only good way to take down an authoritarian is democratically. Here’s another truth: Every mass mobilization that Indivisible has helped organize -- from Hands Off a year ago to No Kings I, II, and III -- has been historically large, powerful, and joyfully nonviolent. We defend our constitutional rights by using our constitutional rights. Sometimes we use those rights to say uncomfortable truths loudly.

So here are some more truths: Trump is an authoritarian. He's a convicted rapist who's all over the Epstein files. His secret police force has murdered Americans. His regime serves billionaires and himself at the expense of everyone else. He violates the Constitution constantly, including recklessly starting a war with Iran. He's deeply unpopular. His own coalition is fracturing. And he's currently on track for an electoral blowout in midterm elections that he's openly threatening to sabotage.

Proclaim some truth with your community this Friday on May Day. Earlier this year, the heroes of Minnesota organized the “Day of Truth and Freedom” -- a day where the people of the Twin Cities flexed their economic power to raise the alarm against the occupying regime. Indivisible is backing the May Day Strong coalition for a similar, national effort this Friday. In many communities we’ll see schools closed down, workers off the job, and stores empty. This is a tactical escalation -- the kind of peaceful action we’ll have to supercharge if Trump tries to sabotage the midterms.

The more we insist on the truth, the more inevitable it becomes that members of this regime will have to face that truth one day. That day is coming, and the people doing No Kings are bringing it.

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Your weekly to-dos

1. Join May Day Strong's Mass Call ahead of Friday’s day of action (Weds 8pm ET/5pm PT). You’ll hear from organizers mobilizing across the country about the importance of economic disruption as a tactic in fighting authoritarianism and how you can take part in the day of action this Friday (If you haven’t already, find a May Day event near you. There are already more than 3,000 events planned across the country.)

 It’s time to talk about truth, organizing, and strategic nonviolence again. Anybody even a little acquainted with Indivisible knows we believe political violence is a threat to democracy, full stop. This is a core belief in no small part because we know authoritarian regimes use political violence to justify repression of the nonviolent opposition. 

The truth is Trump is an authoritarian, and it’s important that we say the truth. After a fringe extremist attacked the White House Correspondents’ dinner this weekend, Trump immediately tried to blame nonviolent, pro-democracy protests. He told 60 Minutes, “The reason you have people like that is you have people doing No Kings.” 

Well, as one of the millions of “people doing No Kings,” I call bullshit.

This is all right out of the authoritarian playbook. In a deeply researched piece looking for practical lessons on global democratic backsliding, Zack Beauchamp found that authoritarians succeed in consolidating power by preventing their opposition from raising the alarm about their efforts to consolidate power. Trump may be in mental decline, but he still understands that much. Democracy dies in darkness, so it’s the pro-democracy organizer’s job to keep the lights on.

The regime does not like that. Like clockwork, regime-aligned media kicked in over the weekend to blame Democrats and call for them to “tone down” the rhetoric. Even putting aside the hypocrisy and concern-trolling from Trump and his allies, the correct response to the tone police is to refuse to tone down the truth. Sugarcoating the truth only serves those who want us to believe lies.  

 

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin 
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

 

No Kings : The Resistance Grows

You and I make the difference, We make the road by walking. 

 Indivisible 

It’s been a long harsh winter, but the ice is melting, and it’s time for No Kings Spring. In these newsletters, I try to inform with a bias towards action. The only way out of this mess is by recruiting a lot more people to do a lot more organizing in a lot of more communities. There’s no bigger or better opportunity to make progress against the fascists in the month of March than No Kings 3. 

No Kings 3 will be historic because we will make it historic. Less than two weeks out, I can now confirm that there will be more No Kings protests on March 28 than on any previous day in American history. 

But, as with Hands Off last April, No Kings last June, and No Kings 2 last October, I know this isn’t done until it’s done. We need this to be an enormous, historic rebuke to Trump’s regime. But whether it’s successful depends on far more than just me or Indivisible -- it depends on the leadership, courage, and commitment of millions of people around the globe. 

This is a grassroots-driven event, which means it will succeed or fail because of what we all do to organize, recruit, and prepare. There are no corporate sponsors, there’s no massive advertising campaign, and despite what the right-wing wackjobs obsess about, nobody’s sending big checks to protestors. It’s up to us -- all of us. 

The good news is we’re not alone.

Momentum is building -- you can hear it. Last weekend, Leah and I went down to Selma for the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee's commemoration of the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the fight for a real, multiracial democracy. We were there because Indivisible received the Freedom Flame award, and we wanted to experience the history of that pivotal moment in Civil Rights History first-hand. I’d recommend anyone and everyone go next year. You’ll learn from and be inspired by the leaders who paved the road for our democracy with blood, sweat, and tears. 

You’ll also find lots of friends.

We were humbled when Faya Ora Rose Touré, the civil rights legend who cofounded the Jubilee, came up to us and shared a song she'd written for No Kings. You can see the lyrics here.

All of us can organize. I love that No Kings is becoming so well-known that talented people all over the world are creating art in support of the movement. Nils Lofgren -- guitarist for the E Street band with Bruce Springsteen -- sent us his new song: No Kings, No Hate, No Fear. Neither he nor Springsteen had planned to write new protest music or even go on tour this spring, but after the crackdown in the Twin Cities, they decided they had to do a No Kings protest tour, kicking off in Minneapolis after the flagship No Kings protest there on March 28. 

But you don’t have to be a world famous artist to help make No King 3 into something historic. I’m not talking about money -- I’m talking about effort. With twelve days left to go, here are the three things I’d recommend:

1. Register your local No Kings events! If your No Kings protest isn’t yet on the map, you’ve got until Wednesday, March 25 at 11:59pm PT to register it. Rule of thumb: if you go to the map and can’t find a protest within 30 minutes of where you live, start planning your own! 
2. Train up. If you’re looking for training on safety, de-escalation, marketing, digital, or constitutional rights, we’ve got you covered. If your Indivisible group needs support, reach out to your organizer to walk you through the esources we provide. Ultimately this is up to you and your group, but you’re not alone and we can help!
3. Recruit. Yes you should post to social media, but don’t just rely on the largely regime-friendly tech platforms to spread the word. At your favorite coffee shop, on Nextdoor, or among friends -- invite folks to join you. Find three people who didn't attend No Kings last year. Have a conversation about the moment we’re in, and ask them to come with you on March 28. This is old-school and more time consuming than just posting online -- but nothing is more effective at actually building the movement.

As Faya Rose put it, without democracy, we cannot be free. That’s why we march, that’s why we sing: No kings, no kings.

In solidarity, 
Ezra Levin 
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

The Resistance Shows Its Strength -Sacramento

 

Today, millions of Americans flooded the streets to demand an end to Trump’s authoritarian power grab. We expected hundreds of thousands. But at virtually every single event, the crowds eclipsed our estimates. And it’s not over -- people are still marching in some West Coast cities and heading to events in Alaska and Hawaii.  This is the largest day of protest since Trump retook office. And in many small towns and cities, activists are reporting the biggest protests their communities have ever seen as everyday people send a clear, unmistakable message to Trump and Musk: Hands off our healthcare, hands off our civil rights, hands off our schools, our freedoms, and our democracy.  There've been protests in red states, blue states, purple states, DC, and US territories. Outside the United States, too, with protesters showing solidarity in the UK, Portugal, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands. A glimpse of what we’re seeing at a few of the 1,300+ protests across the country:  Boston, MA For many, many more #HandsOff photos, check out our Instagram and Blueskyaccounts.  The Trump administration has spent its first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us, to make us feel powerless, so that we will fall in line, accept the ransacking of our government, the raiding of our social safety net, and the dismantling of our democracy.  And too often, the response from our leaders and those in positions to resist has been abject cowardice. Compliance. Obeying in advance.  But not today. Today we've demonstrated a different path forward. We've modeled the courage and action that we want to see from our leaders, and showed all those who’ve been standing on the sidelines who share our values that they are not alone.  Even more important than the message we’ve sent to Trump, Musk, and MAGA is the signal we’re sending to those who agree with us but have spent the last few months feeling shaken, hopeless, and afraid: The fight for our democracy isn’t over -- it’s just getting going. And whoever they are, wherever they are, we need their voice to win. Today, hundreds of thousands of people attended their first protest of the new Trump era. Hundreds of millions more are going to see coverage of the events or hear about it from your social media posts and want to know how they can get involved. Our ask for you: Tell them. (And if you’re looking to step up your involvement, here’s how YOU can do that, too):  We are stronger when we organize together. Now is the moment for folks to join their local Indivisible group. Indivisible exists to support local organizing. If there’s a part of this country without an Indivisible group -- or if the nearest group isn’t being responsive -- anyone can start a new one. You don’t need to be an expert to get involved. But for anyone looking for a clear “how to” on fighting Trump’s authoritarian vision, we wrote the Indivisible Guide. With Congressional recess coming up and MAGA Republicans plotting to gut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the rich, where going to need a LOT more people showing up in their communities to say “hands off!” Anyone interested in joining this next fight can add their names here. Thank you to everyone who showed up today, hosted an event, or joined us online. This has been the culmination of a lot of hard work, but also the beginning of something much, much bigger.   In solidarity, Indivisible Team   Seeking photos from Sacramento.