In August 2024, I wrote what to do in the face of an impending fascist regime. Because I feared what was coming. I wanted to be wrong, but felt like I needed to start preparing, and I wanted others to prepare too. Sadly, I was right. As January 20th comes closer and closer, I urge you to read that blog. Many of those thoughts aren’t mine – they come from people who know a lot more than me.
After the election, I added to that blog 15 more things to do so that you do not have to cooperate with the police – as they overwhelmingly support this regime, that means they are NOT on your side, so don’t be on theirs. That added list is more about acts of passive resistance. And note that none of the suggestions are about putting any crime victim in danger.
I continue to think about preparations and meaningful actions and counter actions.
The threat of deportation that might target my own family got removed last year, as a family member went from being a green card holder to a citizen, and that has provided incredible comfort. But we’re saving money like crazy in anticipation of losing our jobs in the next two years, per the actions of the incoming administration. And I intend to follow my blog’s earlier advice.
Some things I’ve found since then that I think people who want to resist need to keep in mind:
All people living in the USA who are not citizens need to be concerned about the incoming administration’s plans for mass deportations. Even if the administration backs off its most Draconian rhetoric and focuses solely on non-citizens with criminal records or anyone who has received an order of removal, others will be caught up in the roundups, just as they were eight years ago, when citizens who ICE decided “looked” like illegals were sometimes detained. This article from the New Republic does a great job of talking about who will be targeted first and what people living in the USA without USA citizenship can do right now to prepare for interacting with authorities and to delay or even end legal proceedings that could lead deportation. This includes green card holders (if you don’t think green card holders are at risk, you haven’t been paying attention to what the current administration is planning to do).
Something I have been saying to myself is What would Jimmy say? or What would Jimmy do? Yes, I mean President Jimmy Carter. All of these reflections on his life and values has reminded me of the goodness in the world and that there are people who, despite setbacks, just keep going, just keep working. He did not waiver from his humanitarian values. I need to be as strong as Jimmy.
Use your social media to celebrate public works and tax dollars to fund things like public lands, public art, public schools, government work and more. For instance, frequently take and post beautiful photos from public lands on social media, with a message about how wonderful it is that we have public lands and that these are supported by our tax dollars. Do the same regarding public art. Note on social media if you went to a play and note if the nonprofit theater received any federal or state funds.
Do not obey in advance and do not self-censor. “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given,” Timothy Snyder wrote in On Tyranny. “In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”
Mass noncooperation can slow things down, even stop things. These are things we can’t always be organized in advance or even all that organized in the moment – but you can start thinking now about who you can trust in your community with your noncooperation efforts and those you cannot. We have to be aware of each other, of our surroundings, and look for opportunities to engage in noncooperation when the opportunity arises. Think of the underground railroad where a very loose network of people shielded people escaping slavery in the Southern states in the 1800s. Think of people who hid Jewish people all over Europe leading up to and during World War II, how they rarely could coordinate with any kind of network, they just got presented an opportunity to help, and they took it. Think of more organized efforts that still relied almost entirely on individual participation, like the Indian independence movement where people refused to cooperate with British rule through various forms of nonviolent resistance like boycotts and strikes.
From December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956, approximately 40,000 black Americans refused to travel on public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, choosing instead to walk, or organize car pools, and ultimately forcing the desegregation of buses. But before that, black civil rights leaders were targeted by the government of Montgomery, Alabama during the boycott in the 1950s. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. went into hiding after police threats of arrest based on antiquated, racist anti-boycott laws. Movement organizers and others went down to the police station and demanded to be arrested since they were leaders, and some not on police lists publicly demanded they, too, get arrested. — making a spectacle of the repression and overwhelming available resources.
Focus on what’s actually happening and why it’s happening, and amplify it to friends, family and neighbors. A cabinet appointee may be outrageous, but what matters SO much more is how the actions of that appointee harm something or make a situation worse. Focus on not what these people are saying but what they are doing and the consequences of that action. And make it personal: if you lose your job and it’s because of this administration’s actions, SAY SO. If you lose health care coverage because of something this administration does, make sure people in your life know this is why.
Please don’t look like your aligning yourself with this administration or its allies. Don’t be like actors who go to Saudi Arabia for film festivals or sports celebrities who support international, high profile sports events being held in Saudi Arabia, thereby supporting the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the oppression of women and the funding of the terrorism acts on September 11, 2001. If a nonprofit wants to award you the Presidential Service Award for volunteering, consider saying, “I don’t feel comfortable accepting an award from this current administration. Thank you for your consideration though.”
The incoming regime thrives on negative comments and protests. They feed off of that energy. But deny oxygen to them and they flounder. Protests, in the form of traditional demonstrations, may do more harm, because that man enjoys the attention. Be very thoughtful before organizing a traditional protest and the reaction would very probably be (I hear he loved the women’s protests – he wasn’t ashamed at all, he pointed at them with pride).
Do not watch the inauguration. Do. Not. Watch. Do not listen on the radio. If you want to watch it later, fine, but not live. That deprives the regime the viewership it is obsessed with.
Over the next four years, attend any event you can by nonprofits focused on helping refugees and immigrants, helping LBGTQ people, or supporting any social justice issue, or any event by a community of faith meant to show allyship. Show your support by your presence at such events. You don’t have to say a thing – just be there, in attendance.
Attend any event by your local library that you possibly can. Again, show your support by your presence.
Attend any event you can by your state or US Representative if that person did NOT support the current administration. At least write that person a letter thanking them for their opposition. Let them know you have their back as they face this.
Say no to events led by or featuring someone closely affiliated with the administration, or that very publicly supported such. This includes community events by the police. You don’t have to say why, if you think it will harm your job prospects or your most important professional relationships – just say no to any RSVP and, if you have to, say you have something else you have to do that day.
If you must attend a conference where a member of the administration will speak, get up and leave the room as the person begins to speak.
Do not watch him. Don’t watch his interviews, press conferences, speeches – nothing. He lives for ratings – don’t give them to him.
If at all possible, don’t buy anything from a business that you know actively supports the current regime and its beliefs. This can be difficult if that business is the only avenue for you to obtain something you really need. It can be difficult if you have children. And there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding which businesses or business owners are actively supporting the current regime. Do you best to verify info you hear and, if you can avoid doing business with a company you know gave millions to Republican campaigns, do so.
Start learning or relearning another language, or continue to learn another language, and share on social media and in conversations that you are doing so. Be proud of it. And use that language in public whenever possible. It marks you as someone who thinks globally. It sets you apart from isolationists and ultra nationalists.
Make sure your neighbors know you and you know them, by name. Even if they are supporters of the current regime. You don’t have to socialize with them, but stay human: in a power outage, ask if they are okay. If you like their Christmas decorations, say so. DON’T RETREAT INTO YOUR HOME – it’s your community, such that it is, and you are a part of it. Do not resign being a part of it.
And something that I think is fundamentally important: get together with friends and continue to make new ones. Get together with your friends for coffee or lunch or a movie night. Go all see a concert or play together. Don’t think, “How can I possibly go out and enjoy myself or have friends over and laugh with all that’s happening.” Socializing is fundamental to maintaining and gaining strength. It’s not frivolous. Socializing keeps you from having tunnel vision, or feeling absolutely despondent or hopeless.
I welcome more ideas.
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