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There have been numerous anti-Trump protests in his first 9 months (back) in office, including several No Kings protests. The latest of those will take place on Saturday, of course.
For some reason, the latest No Kings installment has really gotten under the skin of MAGA Nation. Members and allies
of the administration have just gone wild, with Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Secretary of Transportation
Sean Duffy and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) all giving interviews in which they slurred the event in terms
usually reserved for communists, trans people, teachers of critical race theory, and communist trans CRT teachers. The
themes have been recurrent—"America haters," "Hamas lovers," "terrorists" and "violent radicals" most prominent
among them. This strongly suggests central coordination, and the obvious candidate as the "organizer" is Ernst
Stav... Stephen Miller. It's been bad enough, and it carries enough risk of violence, that Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-VT)
recorded a video
asserting that these rallies are actually for people who love America. Maybe we are wild-eyed, mamby-pamby,
glass-is-half-full optimists, or maybe we are communist trans CRT teachers, but we think the Senator has the much
stronger side of that argument.
The carping from Trump & Co. might well be designed to encourage a Kyle Rittenhouse clone to show up with a gun to one of the rallies. And even if that is not the intention, it could nonetheless be the effect. So, if readers are attending, please be careful.
On that point, we are going to break format a bit here. Normally, we run answers to the reader question of the week on Saturday morning. However, as several readers wrote in to point out, that is really too late to be of use to people who will have to be up bright and early to get to wherever they are protesting. So, we are going to run this week's reader answers today. As a reminder, here is the question:
R.E. in Chicago, IL, asks: What advice do you have for people who are going to participate in the No Kings protest on October 18? Either practical advice, or advice about how to maximize attention/effectiveness.
And here are some of the answers we got from readers:
K.H. in Albuquerque, NM: The most important thing is turning up. Unless you are at risk from ICE, be there. Be counted. Be in the video. Be seen. Your body is your voice on Saturday.
What I've seen in various e-mail threads and on Facebook:
- Undercover ICE, far right influencers, and agitators have been spotted at other protests.
- Mike Johnson has already started the narrative that the No Kings protest is a "terrorist" event.
- They WILL be trying to provoke violence. Whatever you do, do NOT take the bait. Stay peaceful, stay on message.
- If you are interviewed, repeat the most unifying talking points: Against fascism and violations of the law.
- Do NOT lean into "antifa" labels. It is not a real organization. Don't let their lies become real. Don't let it become a label. Stick to saying the whole thing: We are against fascism and violations of the Constitution.
BTW, I saw inflatable one-size-fits-most frog costumes for sale in the big box stores for $39. #justsaying
J.E. in San Jose, CA: If you share photos or video, try to include something with words in the shot. Should it go viral, it will be more believable because AI still can't get lettering right.
E.S. in Providence, RI: It's better to have a sign that shows a specific thing you support (e.g., "Defend the Constitution"), rather than just a bumper sticker slogan (e.g., "Trump Sucks").
S.S. in West Hollywood, CA: My advice for attending protests in Trump's America. First, a little paranoia is healthy these days. Always assume someone is taking pictures of the crowd and monitoring cell phones. I recommend turning your cell phone off and, if possible, leaving it in the car or at home. At the very least, restart your phone before and after the protest. That will help get rid of any spyware it might have picked up. (Actually, you should already be restarting your phone at least once a week for that reason. And get a VPN if you don't already have one.)
Do not put anything on your sign/t-shirt that can be perceived as a threat. And don't do anything illegal like blocking traffic or getting into a fight with counter-protesters. And if you are planning civil disobedience, be clear ahead of time exactly what that means and do it with people who have done it before and can properly guide you. Do not do it on a whim in the moment. It's a bad idea.
Having important phone numbers like your lawyer written on your arm with permanent magic marker might be helpful. And it's a good idea to make sure there are people who know you are at the protest and will start searching for you if you don't check in after it's over.
I know I'm about to contradict myself, but if there are any interactions with ICE/law enforcement, your best tool is to record it with your phone. Just don't involve yourself in a way that will put you in jeopardy. If possible, ask anyone they have on the ground and/or are being taken away for their names. It might be the only record of who they are when they are disappeared and their loved ones are trying to find them.
You might also want to sanitize your phone of any messages that could be perceived as illegal/threatening and/or anti-Trump. Do not open your phone for law enforcement for any reason and certainly don't give them permission to open/look at it. And it goes without saying not to say anything without your lawyer. Law enforcement are not your friends. Don't assume they're going to be reasonable, even if you're wealthy and white. That might have been enough in the past, but that was before the dictatorship took control.
As for maximizing your effectiveness? Just showing up is the most important thing you can do! Then on Monday call and/or write your Senators and Representative and politely demand they do more in the face of Trump's corruption, incompetence, and blatantly illegal and unconstitutional activities. Then do it again the following week and every week after that.
And finally, most important of all, have fun! 99% of the protests will not have anything ugly happen. (Despite what Fox "news" will report.) It's a very rewarding thing to join your community for something greater than yourself that is necessary and meaningful. It will recharge your batteries at a time when we could all use a recharge. And it can be a lot of fun, so enjoy it! I also still appreciate that I live in a country where I can peacefully protest the government and (probably) not be shot or thrown in jail for it... yet.
M.A. in Park Ridge, IL: I've been going to these things for a while now. Some thoughts:
- Bring a sign. No matter where you are, it's better with a sign.
- Make your own sign. Make it big, simple and easy to read (i.e., no brown, cardboard backdrop). People will have a few seconds to see it at most.
- If you want to add your body to pump up the crowd size, go to the large downtown event in Chicago. But be prepared to just stand around for a couple hours.
- If you want to interact with the public rather than pump up the crowd size, go to a place that puts you on the side of a busy street (preferably near a corner with a stoplight). If you have your sign with you, you'll get cheers, honks, thumbs up, and the finger (but not all from the same vehicle). Reactions are what it's all about for me: I like showing people that they aren't alone.
- Whatever and wherever it is, GET OUT THERE.
F.C. in Sequim, WA: As far as MAGA: They will drive by, flip you off and rev their engines. Mostly because they aren't any smarter than IQ 47 and they think you can be intimidated. Some will walk among the protestors. Ignore them.
It is amazing how good it feels to be with thousands of like minded folks. Mostly, I think, because mainstream media doesn't cover the protests. And we don't walk around talking to strangers, and talking politics, these days. So we really don't grasp how many of us there are. Everyone should do this at least once!
As far as signs, that's up to you. Say what you want to say!! I carry an American flag. We are encouraged to do so since MAGA doesn't like us to. Very highly likely there are lots of extra signs that the promoters will bring from past protests and you can pick through those if you like. In my town we also bring canned food for the food bank. My favorite protest sign:
M.M. in Leonardtown, MD: Bring a CamelBak or similar hydration system for drinking water. Don't have to carry anything in your hands, larger capacity means you can go longer before you have to find a new water source, and if things go sideways you can't be accused of throwing water bottles.
R.P. in Alexandria, NY: Having been to over a dozen rallies since late January in Jefferson County and Lewis County in northern New York, including the peaceful march out to Tom Homan's cottage on Lake Ontario that helped to get three school age children and their mother released from detention by ICE, I offer these recommendations for the October 18th No Kings events.
- Remember that you are exercising First Amendment rights guaranteed since 1791, designed to provide the means for average citizens to check the abuses of government power, making it protected speech.
- Remember that the language in that amendment is "peaceably assemble," so do your best to live out that legacy.
- There are likely to be people who disagree with you and will try, loudly and with profanity, to intimidate you and produce a chilling effect on your exercise of those rights. On a few occasions when there were less than a dozen of us holding up signs in a vigil we talked about the best way to respond. When a MAGA person flips you the bird, we found that waving your hand with a smile worked. We called it "giving them the full flock," or "giving them the bouquet."
We have had retired law enforcement personnel join us and remind us that when MAGA people drove by too fast and loud, they needed to be pulled over. And that did happen on some occasions, even here in rural areas.
When they shouted and cursed, we decided the best reply was "Bless your heart."- Do what feels right in terms of protecting yourself by wearing a mask. There are valid disagreements about whether it is best to do so or not. In these times of the resurgence of COVID that alone would make it valid and understandable to wear a mask. On the other hand, the point is to get the attention of media to bolster the courage of more people to engage, so wearing a mask may be counterproductive in that effort. I tend not to wear a mask but there are people I love who do.
- We have had the good fortune of having members of unions (particularly teachers unions from public schools), of the local Democratic Party, of people working for farm cooperatives, veterans representing peace groups and advocating for the retention of benefits, and people representing churches at these events. We have had tractor-trailer drivers give us a friendly blasts on the horn and found that boosts spirits to chalk those up for extra points.
At the first rally in the bitter cold, two young men in our group disappeared for a bit and brought back hot chocolate and paper cups to share. One of them then went with another older woman from our group to bring the hot chocolate to a young person waving a Trump flag and American flag nearby, he said, "I thought you hated me." They replied, "No, we don't hate."- Enjoy the music. Our music is so much better than theirs, especially Jesse Wells.
J.S. in Columbia, MO: Don't fall for distractions. There might be people on the sidelines shouting inflammatory stuff, egging you on to an argument, or better yet, a fight. Ignore them. But don't ignore 6th-sense safety stuff.
B.C. in Phoenix, AZ: As a child of The Sixties, a member of the last of the draft eligible men, I participated in a lot of antiwar demonstrations right up until Kent State. Somewhere, there might still be a photograph of a National Guardsman flourishing his bayonet at a long-haired me.
Protests like these are always highly emotional for everyone, so here are a few suggestions for anyone attending a No Kings protest:
- Don't shout, there will probably be enough shouting of orders from law enforcement and any misguided military or former military members present; you do not need to add to the cacophony.
- If possible, choose one or two people to say the things you wish said as you assemble and march; this will help keep tempers down, whereas having a whole mob of people even murmuring some slogans can be considered threatening by the folks with the badges and the military hardware.
- At the first sign of a breakdown in order (i.e., someone shouting and ignoring some cop's order) get the f**k out of there.
K.H. in Ypsilanti, MI: What I'm going to do, and encourage others to do, is bring a big American flag and fly it right-side up.
While I appreciate those who display it upside-down as a sign of distress, I think it's important to send the message that this is a patriotic movement of those who love our country and are distressed about the direction we're headed, and counter the right-wing message that we're just a bunch of discontents who just don't like America that much.
For too long we've allowed the right wing to co-opt the flag as a symbol. It's time we took it back.
R.L.D. in Sundance, WY: If you are at a protest and police/military confront you and your fellow protesters, sit down. I mean, not by yourself, you don't want to get trampled. But if you are sitting and the jackbooted thugs... I mean law enforcement professionals and military members just following orders... start cracking heads, it'll be clear who is rioting and who is remaining calm. You can't riot from the lotus position. You probably can't get away with blocking a public sidewalk, and various ordinances meant to make life unbearable for people experiencing homelessness might be applied to you, but at least the video will be unambiguous.
D.R. in Yellow Springs, OH: My best advice for protesters is to make your signs highly legible with short words. For example, this one:
Far too many signs at protests attempt to fit an essay onto a piece of cardboard. Anyone driving by will be unable to read more than a few words. When making your signs, use a ruler to mark straight lines on your board and keep your letters spaced evenly. Use a thick marker or a paintbrush to put the lettering on the sign.
As tempting as it might be, avoid using swear words on your sign. You won't win over anyone who isn't on your side already with vulgarity and you'll risk alienating people who are on the fence.
I plan to carry an American flag. Trump's allies are trying to portray this as a "hate America rally"; we want to counter that lie.
M.S. in Knoxville, TN: I would advise No Kings attendees to bring their joy and peace. Be loud, but be peaceful. Remember, there are more of us than there are of them. This is not about right and left, but right and wrong. We are right, and they are wrong.
We didn't get to run photos from the last big protest, but we'd really like to do that this time. So, if you have 'em, please send them to comments@electoral-vote.com, ideally with subject line "No Kings."
Again, if you're headed out to the protests, be safe. And whether you are protesting or not, have a good weekend! (Z)