Tag Archives: Washington DC

Search for a Strategy: Protest Plus

The iconic image of a social movement is the mass demonstration, and American history is littered with plenty of them, representing causes, good and bad. Washington, DC is a magnet for mass demonstrations, and the Resistance to Trump I was … Continue reading

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Trump Inauguration II: This time is different

Today’s People’s March, protesting Donald Trump’s second inauguration, numbered in the thousands, far shy of the millions mobilized by the Women’s March 8 years ago. There are always protests at presidential inaugurals, but the Women’s March of 2017, along with … Continue reading

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March for Our Lives is Still Marching

They’re back. Teens in Parkland, Florida, who had survived the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in 2018, initially organized around the slogan, “Never Again.” They vowed to make sure no other kids would have to live with the loss … Continue reading

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Dilemmas and Dynamics of Escalation (3)

People who want strong action to combat climate change have many options beyond self-immolation–which isn’t a good choice at all. Within a broad movement that includes the full spectrum of advocacy and protest actions–from talking to neighbors to ecosabotage–with all … Continue reading

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Justice for J6 sputters

The Justice for J6 demonstrators protest sputtered from the start, with turnout estimated at just a few hundred people, even after months of buildup. There were plenty of people there; Capitol police were abundant, National Guard were activated in reserve, … Continue reading

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(More) conservative protest in the pre-post-Trump era: storming the Capitol.

The chaotic insurrection effort at the Capitol building today showed that 14 more days is far too long for Donald Trump to continue to serve as president. As promised, Trump showed up early in the day to speak at a … Continue reading

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March for Our Lives (rightly!) claims credit for NY’s lawsuit against NRA

Political activists don’t get credit unless they claim it. Minutes after New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that she was filing a lawsuit calling for the National Rifle Association to be disbanded, March for Our Lives sent out an … Continue reading

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Chains of change

In an expression of commitment and principle, served with a chaser of trolling for the president, Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed the plaza in front of the White House, and commissioned artists to paint BLACK LIVES MATTER in broad capital (or … Continue reading

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Trump’s rally turnout, unlike Trump, modest

The pro-Trump “Mother of All Rallies” turned out a few hundred demonstrators in Washington, DC, rather than the planned thousands. Sympathy rallies across the country were much smaller–or canceled altogether. Photos showing the assembled on an almost empty mall circulated on … Continue reading

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Democracy’s rapid response: defending immigrant rights in the Trump era

We live in extraordinary times, made so by the threat of tyranny, not of terrorism. When the Trump administration forced implementation of a new set of entry restrictions clearly targeted more at Muslims than terror, the responses were massive and … Continue reading

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