What Groups Can Do Right Now

Here's Thirteen Suggestions

Many voices are calling for people to form small groups of trusted friends and neighbors to take action together in the face of the Mump regime’s illegal and authoritarian blitz of actions. But once you get that group together, what do you do then? We need both long-term strategies and immediate responses, and we need to not get overwhelmed, panicked or paralyzed. So here’s a suggestion of thirteen things you can do with a small group. Many of them can also be done individually, but you’ll have more confidence and support if you do them together. And whenever possible, combine them with a potluck! Nothing brings people together like sharing food.

· Support one another: create space for people to share what they are feeling and experiencing.

· Write letters, make phone calls and contact elected representatives. Send a slurry of Letters to the Editor.

· Fact-check spurious stories on social media and counter them. Amplify stories and memes that further justice and empowerment.

· Go together to the office of your local congressperson or Senators and meet with staff to share your concerns. Bernie Sanders and Van Jones recommend this as being more effective than writing or calling.

· Go together to protests, demonstrations, vigils, etc. and bring friends. Organize them!

· Organize practical support, financial aid and/or legal support for people at risk: workers who have been forced out of their jobs or illegally fired, immigrant families, transport for people needing medical care, etc.

· Accompaniment: stay or walkwith people who are at risk of being targeted by ICE, hate groups, etc. Film and document interactions.

· Take and/or organize trainings in nonviolent direct action, strategy, group decision-making and other skills relevant to organizing and expanding our resistance and movement-building.

· Make art, music, theater, street theater, puppets, comedy or other forms of culture to contest the fascist takeover and empower people.

· Refuse to comply or cooperate with unjust orders or systems, and support non-co-operation.

· Pick one issue to focus on, and develop your own campaign around it or find a group already working on it to support.

· Ally with larger groups that are already organizing around key issues.

· Support good candidates for local offices, or run yourself.

· Create models of regeneration and empowerment.

We may not have the power we’d like—but we do have power! It will grow if we use it together, and if we do what we can, we may be surprised by what we can accomplish!