Great piece, thank you! I would add that Indivisible is doing tremendous work building coalitions and training local organizers. An added bonus is their founding expertise in reaching and influencing lawmakers. You’ll likely find a local Indivisible group near you, and if not - start one!
I find the work Indivisible is doing to be invaluable. It provides impetus and a call to action on a regular basis, like the No Kings protests. Next one is Oct 18th, dates and times already being announced. Events occur at a sustainable rhythm. They make it easy to join in or to start a hyper-local chapter. Their ability to do that gave our small election reform nonprofit a way to reach people.
Since the event of the second Trump administration, much has been written about what to do. I want to congratulate you on writing the most succinct, but clear piece on what is to be done. You have not only mentioned the great Gene Sharp and his important book, From Dictatorship to Democracy, but you have described what a nonviolent strategic unified movement needs to look like and what it needs to do to be successful. My congratulations, as I am an Elder in the San Francisco Bay area, who is organizing seniors as well as others in the community to participate in all the national actions, fully recognizing that what you are describing as needed is indeed way forward.
Thank you for this reminder that we need to be more strategic. Been seeing for a while that all they need to do is ignore our protests and rallies and just keep doing their bad stuff.
Can I get your book anywhere else? I'm trying not to buy anything from/via Amazon - or any other American oligarch-owned corporation for that matter - at the moment. (Sorry guys! My own small activist protest in the face of the rise of American fascism)
I appreciate that you're doing that! I'm working on alternatives, everything just costs $$$ so that takes time to do. I'm considering dropping free audiobooks on YouTube within the next month
Chris, I don't know if you mentioned here or in another substack that there's a national blackout from September 16-20. If you must buy something during those days, try to buy from local merchants if possible. No Kings 2.0 is October 18th.
I’m going to try to take 10-18-2025 off to protest or organize one 💙🇺🇸🦅✈️❤️🩹🕯️💔✌️💙 I also started a community of like minded people to make things HAPPEN!!
Now to find enough people willing to organize something like this and have the courage to stand up when the goon squads come after them. And you know Trump's people will come with everything they can throw down. That's what authoritarians do.
Leonard Cohen had a song, “In My Secret Life,” that explained a lot about the difference between people’s internal view of themselves and their actions. I think a lot of people might say they’d die for the truth, but I’ve observed that to be a rare trait.
Yeah, I find very few will stand up and be counted if they think they will get hurt or arrested. These days, online activism is the easiest way to express outrage at the authoritarians but if it came down to protests in the street or defending their home against the goon squads, they'll draw the line.
I'm not much for street protests as I have a thing about crowds of pushing people but I would defend my home or someone else, if needed with no qualms. My Army training would kick in real quick.
A general strike is the only way. Hard to organize but very effective. We (some number of millions of us) stop working and purchasing everything but the non essentials like food, grinding the economy to a halt. Taxes stop flowing, everything stops. This obviously takes some savings and planning and not everyone can join. But if there are enough of us who can, general strikes are very powerful.
Spot on, well reasoned and well said. I’d emphasize one thing: I’ve attended too many meetings where 3.5% is brought up, but the fact that “active SUSTAINED participation” is necessary isn’t brought up. It needs to be so we’re clear-eyed about the fight ahead of us
Yes, Hurting big business through boycotting, likely for years has to be put into action. We need DEM Politicians to stop covering for their corporate donors, and promote boycotting.
I have never seen this way of organizing to achieve success so clearly presented. You need to speak at all the main rallies explaining this. I have said for a long time that economic boycotts are critical. Look at what happened with Tesla. Now is a time for strong leadership to coordinate these actions. I have been boycotting Amazon for a long time, but there is so much more people can do and need to do even if it is inconvenient. Have you spoken with the main protest organizations about these necessary actions beyond just protesting and contacting their state reps?
I don't currently have those lines of communication although I'm developing a training course and book on organizating when the fascists are running things. In the next few months I'd like to start doing exactly what you describe and implement effective political assymetric warfare strategies.
A good article, as always by Chris Armitage -- on how and when strategies of non-violent civil resistance work; and how and why and when they don't.
.
Curiously, Chris does not seem to have mentioned in his article the name of the book in which Chenoweth and Stephan published their research. Maybe I missed it, but here it is, just in case:
.
Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, August 2011).
.
Also, there are a couple of good articles by The New Yorker on Chenoweth and Stephan's work and their book -- Nov 16th 2020's "How to Stop a Power Grab", and April 12th 2025's "So You Want to Be a Dissident?"
If the US is going to break their current fever I would suggest that a General Strike across the land is the only vehicle that will achieve this. I applaud all the kicking and scratching you people do and I applaud and support every time I can, but I have come to the sobering conclusion you have to shut the whole thing down. It has been done before and the results were magnificent.
I am a proud Canadian, we share a common border, how can it be that we are so damn different.
Important piece. Thanks for compiling this. It's likely the backing down of Target had to do with people, mostly people of color, stopping shopping there. We do need to act strategically on all fronts just now. I have participated in recent protests in several different states and I do think it makes a statement, as part of a larger movement. In some ways participating in the protests and rallies is good for you as the protester. You realize you are not alone and there is a lot of support for the changes you are passionate about.
Great piece, thank you! I would add that Indivisible is doing tremendous work building coalitions and training local organizers. An added bonus is their founding expertise in reaching and influencing lawmakers. You’ll likely find a local Indivisible group near you, and if not - start one!
Indivisible is AMAZING, thanks for mentioning them!
I find the work Indivisible is doing to be invaluable. It provides impetus and a call to action on a regular basis, like the No Kings protests. Next one is Oct 18th, dates and times already being announced. Events occur at a sustainable rhythm. They make it easy to join in or to start a hyper-local chapter. Their ability to do that gave our small election reform nonprofit a way to reach people.
Since the event of the second Trump administration, much has been written about what to do. I want to congratulate you on writing the most succinct, but clear piece on what is to be done. You have not only mentioned the great Gene Sharp and his important book, From Dictatorship to Democracy, but you have described what a nonviolent strategic unified movement needs to look like and what it needs to do to be successful. My congratulations, as I am an Elder in the San Francisco Bay area, who is organizing seniors as well as others in the community to participate in all the national actions, fully recognizing that what you are describing as needed is indeed way forward.
Senior organizating, I LOVE THAT. Thanks for your kind words and more importantly for your activism 🌲🌲🌲🌲
Thank you for this reminder that we need to be more strategic. Been seeing for a while that all they need to do is ignore our protests and rallies and just keep doing their bad stuff.
Can I get your book anywhere else? I'm trying not to buy anything from/via Amazon - or any other American oligarch-owned corporation for that matter - at the moment. (Sorry guys! My own small activist protest in the face of the rise of American fascism)
I appreciate that you're doing that! I'm working on alternatives, everything just costs $$$ so that takes time to do. I'm considering dropping free audiobooks on YouTube within the next month
Have you looked into Bookshop.org? I have no idea what their policies are for authors, but it is a solid alternative to Bezos.
I've never heard of them but if they don't charge an arm and a leg to publish then I'm all for it. I'll check immediately. Thanks for the heads up.
Chris, I don't know if you mentioned here or in another substack that there's a national blackout from September 16-20. If you must buy something during those days, try to buy from local merchants if possible. No Kings 2.0 is October 18th.
I’m going to try to take 10-18-2025 off to protest or organize one 💙🇺🇸🦅✈️❤️🩹🕯️💔✌️💙 I also started a community of like minded people to make things HAPPEN!!
That makes me happy to hear, thanks for doing the work!
My day off was approved!😊 I was invited to a No Kings protest! I will feel somewhat safer in a larger crowd 💙🦅🇺🇸❤️🩹✈️💔🕯️✌️💙
This piece is really smart. Thanks so much. My involvement can be much more effective.....and I'll see that it is!
Now to find enough people willing to organize something like this and have the courage to stand up when the goon squads come after them. And you know Trump's people will come with everything they can throw down. That's what authoritarians do.
As the situation gets worse, more people will be ready for this fight. Let's be ready to lead them.
I agree. That’s the rub, isn’t it?
It all comes down to what are you willing to sacrifice or what kind of physical hardships are you willing to endure for these protests?
Leonard Cohen had a song, “In My Secret Life,” that explained a lot about the difference between people’s internal view of themselves and their actions. I think a lot of people might say they’d die for the truth, but I’ve observed that to be a rare trait.
Yeah, I find very few will stand up and be counted if they think they will get hurt or arrested. These days, online activism is the easiest way to express outrage at the authoritarians but if it came down to protests in the street or defending their home against the goon squads, they'll draw the line.
I'm not much for street protests as I have a thing about crowds of pushing people but I would defend my home or someone else, if needed with no qualms. My Army training would kick in real quick.
It's pretty straightforward to find a way to economically impact a grocery chain, or all Tesla dealerships.
Please help us find straightforward ways to economically impact a corrupt federal government and an enabling Supreme Court?!!?
A general strike is the only way. Hard to organize but very effective. We (some number of millions of us) stop working and purchasing everything but the non essentials like food, grinding the economy to a halt. Taxes stop flowing, everything stops. This obviously takes some savings and planning and not everyone can join. But if there are enough of us who can, general strikes are very powerful.
Spot on, well reasoned and well said. I’d emphasize one thing: I’ve attended too many meetings where 3.5% is brought up, but the fact that “active SUSTAINED participation” is necessary isn’t brought up. It needs to be so we’re clear-eyed about the fight ahead of us
Yes, Hurting big business through boycotting, likely for years has to be put into action. We need DEM Politicians to stop covering for their corporate donors, and promote boycotting.
I have never seen this way of organizing to achieve success so clearly presented. You need to speak at all the main rallies explaining this. I have said for a long time that economic boycotts are critical. Look at what happened with Tesla. Now is a time for strong leadership to coordinate these actions. I have been boycotting Amazon for a long time, but there is so much more people can do and need to do even if it is inconvenient. Have you spoken with the main protest organizations about these necessary actions beyond just protesting and contacting their state reps?
I don't currently have those lines of communication although I'm developing a training course and book on organizating when the fascists are running things. In the next few months I'd like to start doing exactly what you describe and implement effective political assymetric warfare strategies.
Also thanks for the kind words 🌲🌲🌲
.
A good article, as always by Chris Armitage -- on how and when strategies of non-violent civil resistance work; and how and why and when they don't.
.
Curiously, Chris does not seem to have mentioned in his article the name of the book in which Chenoweth and Stephan published their research. Maybe I missed it, but here it is, just in case:
.
Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, August 2011).
.
Also, there are a couple of good articles by The New Yorker on Chenoweth and Stephan's work and their book -- Nov 16th 2020's "How to Stop a Power Grab", and April 12th 2025's "So You Want to Be a Dissident?"
.
If the US is going to break their current fever I would suggest that a General Strike across the land is the only vehicle that will achieve this. I applaud all the kicking and scratching you people do and I applaud and support every time I can, but I have come to the sobering conclusion you have to shut the whole thing down. It has been done before and the results were magnificent.
I am a proud Canadian, we share a common border, how can it be that we are so damn different.
Lary Waldman
lary.waldmann51@gmail.com
Chenowith has a more recent book: Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=2c3c6c9257d3bc5e&sxsrf=AE3TifPJvzcINyJiI27JggiRXQPs2stmIQ:1757457535145&q=Civil+Resistance:+What+Everyone+Needs+to+Know%C2%AE&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLSz9U3yEsqyShKV-LVT9c3NEw3SSkqMC4v1JLKTrbST8rPz9ZPLC3JyC-yArGLFfLzcioXseo7Z5Zl5igEpRZnFpck5iWnWimEZySWKLiWpRZV5uelKvilpqYUK5TkK3jn5ZcfWgcAuf2_c2sAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9iNzA38yPAxV6AjQIHQ2-Ig0QgOQBegQIMRAM&biw=1821&bih=896&dpr=1
Dan, thanks for bringing us up to date on Chenowith's most reccent book. I was not up to speed on that, and your reference is helpful. Sean.
I've had the book for a few weeks, but haven't gotten around to reading it. I'll do that now.
Please let me what you think of it. I would be interested to hear.
Important piece. Thanks for compiling this. It's likely the backing down of Target had to do with people, mostly people of color, stopping shopping there. We do need to act strategically on all fronts just now. I have participated in recent protests in several different states and I do think it makes a statement, as part of a larger movement. In some ways participating in the protests and rallies is good for you as the protester. You realize you are not alone and there is a lot of support for the changes you are passionate about.