The People in Power Must Listen to the Power of the People
Cory Booker. Adam Schiff. Standing up. Finally. April 7, 2025
Note: You showed up. You were not alone. From one side of the country to the other, fro Alaska to Hawaii to the smallest, deepest red communities in the south, we all showed up. Together. Five point Two Million.
It’s just the start.
Madison’s Constitution gave us the two most beautiful words in the English language — Due Process
- Jamie Raskins
The Aftermath. The Foretaste.
By Sabra Briere
Well, those of us who were able and willing showed up on Saturday. At cross roads and overpasses, in small towns and national capitals, in the US and, sadly, our former allies’ cities. I have a fondness for the scene in Michigan/Canada, with sister rallies on both sides of the river that separates the countries. But perhaps even more significant were the small events. The places that voted red where people came out by the ones and tens and dozens. The single person waving a sign, joined by a few as the day went on. The seeming bravery which turned into embraced sisterhood, as opposition was limited and solidarity was so much stronger than many expected.
Let’s do it again.
April 5 brought out politicians. And us.
And we were the better for it.
By Sabra Briere, editor
I’m going to say this once and I want you to listen carefully.
We are allowed to have a good time at a protest.
We are allowed to bring kids and dogs, although it may be stressful. Be aware of their needs. It’s a lesson in petitioning our government, and how to behave in public when the focus is on other people.
Bring water. Wear comfortable shoes. Don’t expect to be entertained. It’s not a circus, it’s a protest.
It’s ok if the organizers got a permit. But it’s also ok if they didn’t.
Be safe.
We are allowed to feel proud that we participated.
We are allowed to post pictures; even if we are smiling. Especially if we are smiling. We are doing a good thing.
It’s ok if the crowd is mostly old white people. Don’t look for who is missing. Understand that those who can show up are part of the solution. Those who didn’t show up are waiting for us to show them we really mean it this time.
Protest culture in our country MUST CHANGE. Too many times we point the finger at each other. Let’s always remember what brought us into the streets in the first place. No judgement. Just justice.
For more on this, and a perspective that might be uncomfortable and necessary, please read this opinion from the New York Times about who we didn’t see.
Powerful Words
I listened to some (not all) of Sen. Cory Booker’s marathon speech at the Senate last week. Every pundit had their favorite portion.
Mine was the beginning. Sen. Booker, like all the other Democratic Senators, had not been particularly effective in stopping the avalanche of terrible, destructive actions by President 2.0. Perhaps there’s little the senate can do, but from the outside, there has been little they tried to do.
And Sen. Booker acknowledged that in his opening words. His constituents, he said, and others across the country, were calling, saying ‘What are you going to do? What are you going to do?’ And ‘We know you are in the minority. But what are you going to do?’
And so he spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes, and halted business as usual. His speech, of course, was not business as usual. He spoke, outlining and detailing all of President 2.0’s failures and governmental faults, the illegal acts and inactions by those responsible for providing a check on the out of control, and a balance to the erratic.
There is no true effect because he did this, of course. Things were delayed, not cancelled. But there is, in my view, a crack in wall and light is getting through. Sen. Adam Schiff placed a hold on the nomination of Ed Martin, the "stop the steal" organizer and advocate for Jan. 6 defendants whom President 2.0 nominated to be Washington, D.C.'s chief federal prosecutor on a permanent basis. Democrats could have been doing this for every *&^%(**%^ nomination, but they didn’t. Not until Sen. Booker spoke.
Our Congressmen, Huffman and Thompson, have told us to be out in the street, making noise. They also tell us to call, and write. It’s clear that if we don’t tell them, if all of us don’t tell them that the law matters, the constitution matters, and our rights matter, they won’t stand up as tall and speak out as loudly.
You know what to do.
Protest attendees grew from 72,000 to 5.3 million. In 2 months.
In the US, we don’t have a history of national strikes, or collective action, or big and unified protests at all. Any behavior that even slightly appeared related to socialism or other suspect 19th century reform movements was feared and suspect and attacked in the US in ways they never were in Europe. Take a moment to put aside all the talk about how they do it in France or England or Eastern Europe or anywhere else.
This is our home grown revolution. And we have to build it our way. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to happen overnight. And this time, we cannot relax when we make a little progress.
Not like we did in the ‘70s.
People spread optimism. They also spread fear. Decide who you want to be, and what emotion you want to bring to this movement.
I’m trying really hard to put aside cynicism and embrace joy. How about joining me? We can all be John Lewis.
We are Left. Hanging
As I started to set the final words of this newsletter down, I learned that President 2.0 has asked the Supreme Court to block a lower court order that requires the US to bring back from El Salvador a man they illegally deported there.
Not because it wasn’t illegal. Because they cannot admit they were wrong.
This isn’t the only person. There were other men in that group deported to El Salvador that — by all reports — weren’t gang members and weren’t criminals. But we don’t know, because they were all denied their due process rights.
The Washington Post (which I read, looking for stories about the weekend rallies, of course) carried stories of American citizens arrested, detained, and deported by ICE because their identification was confiscated or discounted or disbelieved. They weren’t taken to an immigration court before being deported (as the law requires). Some were held for hours, then let go without money, without transportation, miles from home.
Their crime was being brown.
When our Founders talked through and argued over the shape of a government without a king, and without an official religion, they determined that the most important aspect of government was law. Kings can be erratic (watch President 2.0!) and religions can be, well, religions. But law could be written to apply consistently to everyone. And that’s what they set out to do.
They failed, of course, but every generation since has kept trying. To make better laws. To get better at this thing of applying the rule of law. To learn from our mistakes.
Until now. Now we have a lawless government.
That’s what makes me angry. You too?
Free America from Tyranny
By Tom Benthin
It’s time for us to build this movement together. There is a role for each of us to play. Our task is to build a large, broad coalition of citizens who will confront and oppose fascism both through actions and in their daily lives.Here are some ways to get started now.
Attend a protest rally. Rallies are popping up all over - see our calendar and action listings to find the one(s) that’s a fit for you. Be peaceful, but be visible and loud. We need to let everyone know that we’re in danger, now - and we are here to fight back. Find the right rally for you in our calendar.
Take the lead on forming neighborhood or cafe gatherings. Go local. Invite people in your immediate neighborhood to get together, get to know each other, and plan actions. Meet in your home (easier for confidential conversations) or at a cafe (move visible for drawing others to you). If you’re willing to lead, write to us here [need email address] and tell us where you live. We’ll help put out the word that there’s a new group forming there.
Bob Burnett in Occidental is interested in hosting. You can reach him via email at bburnett@sonic.net
Dave Ransom in the Junior College neighborhood in Santa Rosa is assembling a neighborhood group. Contact him via email at dransom391@gmail.com
Join Bob’s music group. Bob Hahn is helping put together a group to bring music and singing to protest events - and to get together to play for the sheer joy and pleasure of it (which is also a blow against fascism, btw). If you’re interested in joining, let him know. Send him an email at: rfh511@gmail.com.
Come to an Activists’ Support and Brainstorm meeting. There is one this week, Thursday at 6:00. Find out more in our calendar.
More actions coming soon. The pivot from constituent pressure to direct action is a big one for us. We’re moving as fast as we can, so expect new actions to pop up. If you have ideas for actions, write to us. And if you want to help lead actions, let us know!
Guest Editorial
Letters from an American
Heather Cox Richardson
Sunday, April 6 (in its entirety)
It’s been quite a week.
On Monday, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) began an epic speech in the Senate calling out the crisis in which the nation finds itself. He finished just over 25 hours later, on Tuesday, setting a new record for the longest Senate speech. In it, he urged Americans to speak up for our democracy and to “be bolder in America with a vision that inspires with hope.”
Shortly after Booker yielded the floor on Tuesday night, election officials in Wisconsin announced the results of an election for a seat on the state supreme court. The candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump and backed by more than $20 million from billionaire Elon Musk lost the race to his opponent, circuit court judge Susan Crawford, by more than ten points.
On Wednesday, April 2, a day that he called “Liberation Day,” President Trump announced unexpectedly high tariffs on goods produced by countries around the world. On Thursday the stock market plummeted. Friday, the plummet continued while Trump was enjoying a long weekend at one of his private golf resorts.
And then today, across the country, millions of people turned out for “Hands Off” protests to demonstrate opposition to the Trump administration, Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” that has been slashing government agencies and employees, and, more generally, attacks on our democracy.
In San Francisco, where Buddy and I joined a protest, what jumped out to me was how many of the signs in the crowd called for the protection of the U.S. Constitution, our institutions, and the government agencies that keep us safe.
Scholars often note that the American Revolution of 250 years ago was a movement not to change the status quo but to protect it. The colonists who became revolutionaries sought to make sure that patterns of self-government established over generations could not be overturned by officials seeking to seize power.
We seem to be at it again….
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Check our website for more information and to learn more about Indivisible. Don’t forget to bookmark our calendar (yes, it’s on the website!) Every protest, rally, action, postcard party, phonebank, and letter writing campaign we hear about we share with you. Rely on our calendar to get you started. Rely on us to keep you engaged.
Our 5000 protesters who came out in Santa Rosa were very eager to express their feelings!!
I sang with a group, accompanied by a couple of guitarists! It was an amazingly victorious experience!
Singing old protest songs, written with our present concern about tRump and his actions!; was so invigorating and
Joyous!!
It felt empowering!!
I could do it daily!!
Thank you, Indivisible!! for organizing and promoting this event!!
Mathilda
When is the April meeting happening?