what can we do between protests?

well, a lot actually. read on, neighbor.

Knowing that we have 11 million+ people in this movement is huge. I’m proud of us. At the same time, we cannot lose momentum by assuming that large protests are the only thing that needs to happen to topple fascism. The Checklist to End Tyranny emphasizes that’s it’s not just reaching critical mass¹ that matters— it’s about developing a variety of strategic resistance tactics and creating/sustaining local engagement.

So what does sustained local engagement mean? On one hand, it means we must create intentional space for community joy and regular connection. This step cannot be skipped, because this is what builds trust and sustains resistance for the long-haul. More than that, we must also work to create strong local networks— where we share resources, get to know each other’s needs and strengths, develop new skills, engage in local actions, and recruit members.

Always be resisting.

Always be recruiting.

Always be sustaining that community.

If you take nothing else from this, remember that the best pro-democracy movements have strong local networks that offer neighbors something to do each day— or at the very least each week.

We have a number of things that need to be done at the local level, for example:

developing mutual aid efforts, brainstorming how to temporarily relocate/hide regime targets, developing protection protocols for incident-specific events (raids, militias, missing people, etc.), brainstorming local strategies of noncompliance, recruiting people to run for office and canvass for local races, creating a supportive space for phone-banking with MoveOn, teaming up with League of Women Voters for registration drives and also for demanding transparency around election integrity, working with kids and neighborhood artists to create pro-democracy public art, organizing free concerts and open mics to boost morale and raise money for mutual aid efforts, volunteering with your local ACLU chapter, developing local phone trees², teaching members how to use Signal, educating neighbors about The People’s Sick Day, creating encrypted hubs for local communication using Element³, recruiting community partners for specific local direct action events, training with local elders skilled in practicing disciplined nonviolent civil disobedience, creating a community reading group to discuss resources on the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict’s website, creating a vetted childcare networks for activists, offering protest first aid and stop the bleed workshops, offering hands-on surveillance self-defense workshops, canvassing the community to asses community needs and community assets so that we reclaim independence from a hostile state.

Neighbors, there are many other things we can be doing in between large protests, but remember: everything worth doing is worth doing together— at the local level.

The good news is that people want to do more. We’re all itching for these opportunities.

The key thing is to approach our actions with joy and remember that our goal is to outlast the regime’s chaos and build beloved community, instead of reacting to the regime’s chaos. Fascism can only thrive in isolation.

As always, check to see if a local group exists first and join it. Don't rebuild the wheel but never be shy to expand efforts. Sometimes existing local groups get stuck in a rut. If you find that’s true for your local group, draw from the list of suggestions above.

Lastly, if no group exists in your area and you’d like this weirdo’s mentorship on how to get one going, I’m just a DM away. Community organizing in crisis is my jam.

1. You know, that 3.5% figure, which, as it turns out, is a bit more complicated than reaching that magic number.

2. Y’all, it’s the best phone-tree think I could find in a pinch. If you find another resource, leave a comment and I’ll update with a better one.

3. Discord isn’t bad so long as you remember that everything happening in those spaces is like skywriting, because the platform’s owners can and will turn over your communications to the feds. Prob a good idea to make the switch to Element, because it’s encrypted.