Betterment and Praxis

October 18 stands as a massive organizing opportunity. Bring petition sheets for ballot initiatives and gather signatures while you march. Distribute flyers with specific instructions on contacting state representatives with concrete demands: arrest ICE agents who overstep their authority, fire and criminally charge police officers who fail to prevent abuses of power, pass state laws barring Trump from appearing on ballots if he attempts a third term. Push your state to ban local agencies from cooperating with unconstitutional federal actions, encourage Attorneys General to investigate and charge corrupt politicians, establish state-level safety nets to replace threatened federal benefits, join multi-state compacts for healthcare and civil rights protection, and expand voting rights, voting hours, and ballot access in states like Texas where suppression is systematic. Bring literature explaining these measures and how to pressure legislators to adopt them. The gathering of two million people is wasted if everyone just walks and goes home. Turn the crowd into a recruitment and coordination network for the sustained campaigns that follow.

The day after the protest, join or create a working group focused on economic noncooperation. Strikes and boycotts create costs that force negotiation, but they require preparation. Build strike funds. Establish mutual aid systems for participants. Identify strategic targets: which companies profit from authoritarian governance? Which supply chains can you disrupt? Which elected officials depend on donors you can reach? The forces you’re fighting have billion-dollar budgets and write the laws. They’re betting that protests will be merely symbolic.

Connect beyond your usual circles. Jane McAlevey’s research on successful organizing shows you need 10 committed organizers for every 100 participants. Engage people through their multiple identities as parents concerned about schools, workers seeking dignity, or congregation members following faith. Movements with diverse participants generate more public support and signal broad coalitions. The oligarchs you’re fighting spent 50 years building infrastructure and executing long-term strategy. Match their patience and coordination.