
Yesterday was one of the biggest days of protest probably in US history. There were some 1300 “Hands Off” rallies against Trump and Musk in all 50 states; it’s hard to find solid estimates, but tens of thousands of people, and possibly hundreds of thousands, marched to defend social security, government programs, and democracy.
The protests were nonviolent and largely nonconfrontational; there seem to have been little in the way of arrests or clashes with police. This was by design; the protests were attempting to draw in as many people as possible, including families, children, the elderly, and people who had never participated in protests before. They were a show of solidarity, rather than an effort to take direct disruptive action.
Social media was mostly filled with people celebrating the show of resistance. Inevitably, though, there were some skeptics who argued that the party/picnic atmosphere meant that the demonstrations were not likely to sway politicians, and not likely to spur much in the way of change.
I think those criticisms are misguided. There’s a place for disruptive protest for sure; I’d love to see congress members physically block the entrance to government buildings to prevent DOGE assholes from entering. But there’s also a place for less dangerous, more broadly welcoming, and bigger demonstrations—especially in our current situation.
That situation is an incipient dictatorship. Trump and the GOP are attempting to quash dissent and subvert institutions—law firms, universities, federal agencies, newspapers—which might oppose fascist dominance. MAGA wants to close down all space for dissent; they want to foreclose alternatives. By doing so, they hope to make their voices the only voices and to terrorize all others into silence.
Trump is deliberately creating a collective action problem. Whoever raises their head, he wants to cut that head off. By doing so he hopes to keep others from looking up or speaking out.
This is where solidarity comes in. The state can target a few people, and maybe even a lot of people. But if resistance is sufficiently sweeping and prevalent, it becomes exponentially harder to target everyone. One person speaking up can be squished; a hundred can, maybe, too. But once you’ve got tens or hundreds of thousands of people in the streets, shutting everyone down becomes a logistical impossibility.
Dissent creates more space for dissent. That means it creates more space for protestors. But it also creates more space for politicians, for journalists—for all those stuck in a defensive crouch, terrified both that Trump will come for them and them alone, and that Trump’s election victory makes him the authentic voice of the people. Mass demonstrations show voters, and politicians too, that they are not alone. It puts Republicans on notice that there is an opposition, and that it is extensive and enraged.
Coupled with overwhelming electoral victories and Trump’s cratering polls, the protests help solidify the narrative that Trump, after less than three months, has used up his goodwill, and has become a liability and a pariah. That can stiffen the spines of Democrats and put the fear of God into Republicans. It can signal to universities and corporations that Trump is a loser, and that caving to him is likely to be a losing strategy too. It can remind Supreme Court judges that people are watching, and that Trump is not the sole true voice of our nation.
Broad, nonviolent, nonconfrontational protests aren’t likely to overthrow fascism on their own. But this kind of mobilization helps to build power and solidarity for a range of ongoing battles—in universities, in the courts, at the ballot box. Protest isn’t the whole fight; neither is voting, neither are lawsuits. But every little bit helps—and the massive protests yesterday were more than a little bit.
The story behind the story, Sat. was a tremendous success in any manner of determination or description: size, geography, enthusiasm, sign cleverness, age range, etc. How did it happen? How did it come about? Of course, there were Indivisible and "Hands Off" doing great work, but there was more. Much more. Who were some of the people that have been working, fighting, in one manner or another, to bring about this national day of protest--and all the days to follow--needed to win this war against Trump/Musk et al and save our democracy. With the millions of heroic protestors out with signs (or just standing in solidarity) , this April 5th (actually any and all days of protesting Trump/Musk, Tesla or any other issue), here's an updated partial list of those fighting back every day [as of 4-5--25 I'm also adding courageous law firms who haven't caved. Besides upstanding lawyers (e.g. Brenna Trout Frey, and law-abiding honorable (present and former) judges (including James Boasberg, chief judge, D.C. District Ct.), here's a growing list of Profiles in Courage men, women, and advocacy groups who refuse to be cowed or kneel to the force of Trump/Musk/MAGA/Fox "News" intimidation:I'll begin (again) with Missouri's own indomitable Jess[ica] (à la John Lewis's "get in good trouble") Piper/"The View from Rural Missouri," then, in no particular order, Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025), Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American," Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse," Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rep. Maxwell Frost,, Gov. Tim walz, Sarah Inama, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Rev. William J. Barber II, Jasmine Crockett, Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, Ken Harbaugh. Ruth Ben-Ghait, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes, Ali Velshi, Prof. Lawrence Tribe, Stephanie Miller, Gov. Janet Mills, Gov. Beshear, Gov. JB.Pritzker, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amb. Susan Rice, Mayor Michelle Wu, Jim Acosta, Jen Rubin And the Contrarians, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Jay Kou, Steve Brodner, Rachel Cohen, Brian TylerCohen, Jessica Craven, Scott Dworkin, Brett Meiselas, Joy Reid, D. Earl Stevens, Melvin Gurai, Dan Pfeiffer, Anand Giridharadas Anne Applebaum, Lucian Truscott IV, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Michael Bennett, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Adam Schiff, Jon Ossoff, Elyssa Slotkin, Tristan Snell, Delia Ramirez,Tim Snyder, Robert B. Hubbell, Ben Meiseilas, Rich wilson, Ron Filpkowski, Jeremy Seahill, Thom Hartmann, Jonathan Bernstein, Simon Rosenberg, Marianne Williamson, Mark Fiore, Jamie Raskin, Rebecca Solnit, Steve Schmidt, Josh Marshall, Paul Krugman, Andy Borowitz, Jeff Danziger, Ann Telnaes,͏ ͏Will Bunch, Jim Hightower, Dan Pfeifer, Dean Obeidallah, Michel Zeitgeist, Liz Cheney, Adam Kimzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, John Cusack, Judd Legum (Popular Information) Qasim Rachid, Sue Nethercott, Mary L. trump, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jonathan V Last, Sarah Longwell, Andrew Egger, Aaron Parnas, Rep.Don Beyer, Greg OlearAmerican Bar Association, 23 blue state Attorney Generals, Indivisible. FiftyFifty one, MoveOn, DemCast, Blue Missouri, Third Act, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Democracy Index, Protect Democracy, DemocracyLabs, Fred Wellman/On Democracy, Hands Off, Marc Elias/Democracy Docket, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters, Lambda Legal, CREW, CODEPINK, ACLU, The 19th/Errin Haines, Working Families Party, American Oversight, Every State Blue, Run for Something, Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday, The American Manifesto, The Dr. Martin Luther King Center, Bulwark Media, Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers, The States Project, Field Team 6, The Union,AICN ( last 4 all from North Carolina) The Lincoln Project,Blue Wave, Blue Future, The Civic Center, Olivia Troy,The Politics Girl, The Dean's List/ Dean Obeidallah,And, as Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together"--or via Jess Piper, from rural Missouri: "Solidarity." FIGHT BACK! WE ARE NOT ALONE! (Latest addition h/t , Robert B. Hubbell: Law firms, see below). All suggestions are welcome.* Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams & Connolly. Per The ABA Journal, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, representing fired inspectors general. (Law.com)Hogan Lovells, seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. (Law.com)Jenner & Block, also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com, Reuters)Ropes & Gray, also seeking to block cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com)Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services. (Law.com)Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.Wilmer HaleKeker, Van Nest & PetersSouthern Poverty Law CenterPerhaps I should add our nation's motto--and on our Great Seal--the phrase "E pluribus unum" (out of many, One ). Ii's 13 letters makes its use symbolic of the original 13 Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of George III . . .And now we protest together against King Donald. As my rural MO. indomitable Jess Piper always says: "Solidarity."P.S. I have misplaced several suggested additions. Pls provide names again if you don't see them listed. My bad. Thanks.
Thanks--I needed this today.