5 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Not done protesting Trump yet? These organizations have options for you
You marched in Saturday's No Kings March. You yelled and chanted and carried a sign that said, 'It's so bad, even introverts are here.' It felt viscerally good to realize you weren't alone in these chaotic times of creeping fascism. Then the sugar high wore off and you wanted more.
So now what?
I-wanna-do-something-more energy was off the charts after millions participated in No Kings marches around the country, according to organizers. 'Activists are doing what the national Democratic Party leadership has failed to do — organize effectively and inspire mass action,' California progressive activist Norman Solomon wrote.
It was 'a moment of much needed catharsis in an incredibly dark time, where just being in community was something they were craving,' said Yasmin Radjy, executive director of Swing Left, which supports Democrats in battleground House districts. After that experience, Radjy said now 'they are looking for the answer to the question of, 'What can I do that can make a material difference? ''
Gary Lucks, an Oakland resident and organizer with Resistance Action East Bay (RAEB), heard that question so often after the presidential election that he wrote, 'You Are Not Alone: Your Roadmap to Effective Political Action,' a just-released book with dozens of ways people can plug into activism.
On Saturday, he and his fellow East Bay volunteers handed out 1,500 flyers at the Oakland No Kings rally with a QR code linking to campaigns aimed at Republican House members in 18 battleground districts, asking the GOP members to stand up to Trump.
It was one of the ways that organizers hope to channel Saturday's energy into a mass movement focused on taking down those enabling Trump's autocracy.
'Even though it was one of the largest protests in history, it is still a protest,' Ezra Levin, the national co-founder of Indivisible, told me Tuesday. 'It's a tactic, and a tactic is not enough to achieve your goals. It's not enough even on its own to implement a strategy. A tactic is part of a broader strategy, and that strategy is mass, persistent, peaceful protest.'
Levin said, 'the real question is, how successfully do we channel the millions of newly engaged Americans into productive, on-the-ground organizing and so that is what we are attempting to do now.'
Next, Activists will zero in on the individuals and institutions providing the pillars of support for Trump's regime in the military, police, media, business and civil service, according to Indivisible organizers.
'Being able to bring about loyalty shifts and defections in key pillars of support is key,' Maria Stephan, Chief Organizer with the Horizons Project, said Monday on a call with 20,000 followers.
Many plans are still being formed, but several short- and long-term actions are scheduled. Among them:
*To help raise awareness about the 'disappearances, detentions and deportations being conducted by the Trump administration without due process,' on June 26, activists are being asked to flood social media and stand outside courthouses and ICE offices with photos of people who have been 'disappeared' during the crackdown on immigrants. * On June 28, Elon Musk's birthday, there will be anti-Musk demonstrations dubbed Musk Must Fall, including at several Tesla showrooms in the Bay Area, according to an online map of protest sites.
'Elon is done at DOGE, but we're just getting started,' reads a note on the site. 'Elon is still deeply tied to the Trump regime, still fueling conspiracies and fascist rhetoric, and still using his immense wealth to warp government policy and buy elections around the globe.'
Left-leaning activists have applauded the campaign, as damage to Tesla's stock price (a 29% decrease in 2025) and brand reputation have forced Musk to return to helming his EV company.
*The next mass march and rally will be July 17 to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and Georgia Rep. John Lewis. Dubbed 'Good Trouble Lives On, ' a nod to Lewis's signature encouragement to engage in activism ('Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America'). Organizers plan to focus the demonstrations on voting rights, one of Lewis's top priorities.
*Several groups, including Swing Left, are focused on the November 2026 midterms. Swing Left volunteers at the No Kings demonstrations connected potential volunteers to toss-up races in key swing House districts. Said Radjy: 'They're already canvassing for (Rep.) Adam Gray,' in his Central Valley district that he won by 187 votes.
*Left-leaning organizations MoveOn, Working Families Power and Indivisible have set up a national phone bank next week to contact Medicaid recipients, urging them to call their Senators ahead of the upcoming budget vote that would cut billions from the program.
Lucks, the Oakland organizer, said all the efforts are vital.
'If you look at 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream, this (No Kings demonstration) is just one of the 31 flavors,' Oakland organizer Lucks said. 'We have to do so much more.'
