With the disappearance of Mahmoud, the (blocked) invocation of the Alien and Sedition action and Trump's sending people to Latin American prisons where they will be used as forced labor, there are now increasing calls for "We must do something".
No.
We are doing something. We are learning, once again, to protest. America history shows that protests were effective in changing bad policies, ending the Vietnam War and promoting the Civil Rights movement. We know it can work, and we are learning how to use it again now to change the current regime.
This document is a mild reworking of something that I posted internally to the Indiana 50501 discussion group on 3/17/25 in response to a Reddit post stating that this won't work and we must do something.
All,
To say that protesting doesn't work is, I think it is an unknowable thing. I understand the feelings going around the Internet for action, I truly do. But ...
If you advocate for violence, you can't be here. 50501 has a EXPLICIT non violence position and the reason is simple. A group that calls itself the resistance is edgy enough in America. We start talking violence and we will be shut down.
America has never seen 3.5% of the population stand up and say: \ \ F* NO** \ \ We simply don't know what will happen. I am EAGER to find out. Hell I am EXCITED to find out. \ My goal here in Indiana is to organize at the State level (done) Congressional district level (in progress) and then down to the city level (call me) and get 288,000 people protesting. It is just that simple.
Erica Chenoweth's research is solid and proven across multiple cultures. Bear in mind that while Trump may not want to step down when 3.5% of the country (11.5 million in US / 288,000 in Indiana) stand up, the powers that be may not support him any more. At some point they will think about more than re-election. They will think about their safety. And they will think about safety not because we have done anything but because 11.5 million people is MASSIVE. They will be so scared that they will want to crap their pants and leave. Trump without his minions will be nothing.
I understand the calls to do something. Life under Trump feels like water torture. But we are all still here (mostly; Mahmoud is real and I know it). Now I am very aware of the power of America's military machine. We do NOT WANT that aimed at us. We may talk about the atrocity of Kent State but that is nothing compared to a modern squad with automatic weapons.
People -- things are going to get worse. And we are still going to be non violent. And we are going to help each other. As I said on Friday at the 3/14 protest "We stand together or we die alone". Part of the reason that we have forums here like gardening is because we need to truly be a collective that helps each other. The reason we all broke bread (ok cookies) together on Saturday is to try and become friendly enough that we will help each other. Sharing food is the most basic of human actions. We need that shared humanity now.
What we need to do is realize that TODAY we are in practice mode. We are running protests NOT because they will change things TODAY but because they are TEACHING us how to protest and they are bringing people INTO the movement. Think of today's protests as RECRUITMENT. We are closing in on a congressional district leader for Bloomington. Why? Because he came to 3/4, found me and then I've been nurturing him. As of 3/3, he was anxious and alone. Now he has hope. And he will drive that hope into his district. And we will repeat that state wide.
Trust me I see the mockery on Reddit. The snide comments about our lack of alignment. Our "cute" signs, etc. THEY ARE WRONG. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. And that's fine. We are a movement and they will join us. Always remember the progression: First they ignore you. Second they mock you. Third they fight you. Fourth you win.
We keep protesting non violently and we keep America's military machine from being aimed at us. We get stupid now and they will do the wrong thing to us. We need to let every military person and law enforcement person know that we aren't violent. Why do you think that I showed up at a Veteran's protest on 3/14 when I'm not a veteran? If we make friends with veterans and show them we are non violent, they will tell their friends who still serve.
There is a reason that I go and say Hello to the police at every protest. There is a reason that I thank them after. We have been divided into a class war for far, far too long. The police are not our enemy. I know it feels like it at times but, so far, in Indiana the police have been very good to us. At the 2/17 ICE protest they even cleared the way for us to march in the street.
Peace
Scott Johnson / State Leader / Indiana 50501