Get Trained to Fight Authoritarianism
You Made Some Good Necessary Trouble
What an amazing turnout for the #GoodTroubleLivesOn rally in Utica last night! We had more than 225 in attendance, and some of the best, most inspiring and motivating speakers we've ever had an IMV rally in more than 8 years!
Mrs. Freddie Hamilton, a contemprary of John Lewis, and longtime community activist (and former Utica Councilwoman), connected us to the history of the civil rights movement and called for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Rev. Sharon Baugh blew the whistle on the corrupt and unjust administration lifting up the billioaires and corporations while everyone else, exhausted and impverished, disrespected and persecuted, struggles to access affordable health care, housing, and education, and many populations (LGTBQ+, Black people, immigrants, workers, women and more) are persecuted, scapegoated, and denied civil rights that should be guaranteed. Aziah Armani Clark, a recent high school graduate, read John Lewis' final speech to close out the evening.
Please read our IMV press release about the Utica Good Trouble rally. You can see some photos attached, along with those posted on our IMV Facebook page.
Thank you all for showing up to join our rally--one of 1600 across the country remembering John Lewis and calling people to join the pro-democracy social justice civil rights movement of our time!
One Million Rising Training is Launched!
We hope that you were able to attend. It was astounding--20,000 on Zoom, and far more than that on the spillover streaming channels. We think this is what many of you have been asking for: a Clear sense of mission and the nuts and bolts of how to do strategic non-cooperation to fight authoritarianism. Here are key links from Wednesday's session. Please click HERE first to watch the first training session if you missed it (or check out the slides).
State of Play (According to Indivisible)
"We are in the period where a would-be authoritarian (Trump) attempts to rapidly consolidate power, eliminate checks on that power, and operate with impunity -- this moment is referred to as an authoritarian breakthrough. Right now, that looks like Trump deploying the military in LA, firing thousands of qualified federal employees, exponentially increasing the budget of ICE, and so much more.
The important thing to remember: This isn’t new or unique to the United States -- which means we know the winning tactics to fight back.
The key to stopping any momentum toward authoritarianism isn’t to attack the would-be ruler at the top, but to chip away at the vital institutions and communities that uphold their power, causing the entire house of cards to come tumbling down. Trump cannot consolidate power without well-maintained roads to transport his military muscle, vendors who sell to his detention facilities, and educated workers to fill in for his decimated federal workforce, just to name a few.
These pillars of support are much closer to us as everyday Americans than Trump is himself, which means we have the ability to shift them from compliance to defiance.
This is how we fight back against Trump’s authoritarian takeover -- by identifying our influence with the pillars of support his regime depends upon and convincing them to participate in strategic non-cooperation. For example:
Harvard teachers, students, and alumni pressuring the university to continue to reject Trump’s demands
Naval academy graduates convincing the school to return access to books removed during an anti-DEI push
How We Get Started
This approach gives us a historically effective means to fight back against Trump’s power grab with a simple tool all of us have access to: people power. There are thousands of ways to go about chipping away at his support, but they all involve activating those around us. As Maria Stephan said on the training Wednesday night
“Mass movements with millions of workers, teachers, lawyers, truck drivers, farmers, merchants, and students who are engaged in active defiance are very difficult to repress… More tactics means more opportunities to get new people involved, more ways to create leverage over an authoritarian regime, and more ways to generate and sustain momentum. And momentum is key to success.”
This is the critical moment to build the opposition we need to fight back. It is vital that we recruit, train, and mobilize a critical mass of people now before Trump’s authoritarian regime has fully consolidated power. And that’s what we need you to do.
Community gatherings
Indivisible is asking you to host a Community Resistance Gathering -- a meeting of a small group of people, who have some relationship to each other, who come together to build their connection, knowledge, and resilience against fighting authoritarianism.
Who should I invite? People you already have some connection to (e.g. friends, friends of friends, neighbors, colleagues), not strangers. Aim for ~10 people.
Where should I host it? At home, a public space like a library, or somewhere else -- wherever makes sense for you and your connections.
What will we do at this gathering? Using our toolkit that we’ll train you on at the July 30 session, you’ll share the ideas we covered last night to get them aligned on the best tactics to fight back.
When should this happen? You should start scheduling now, and ideally hold your gathering between July 30 and August 13 (our next two sessions), with a potential second gathering in the future.
You don’t need to be an expert. If we wait for one million experts to lead community conversations and communal learning, we will be waiting forever. The point is for you to share with your connections as you learn together.
[But if you want to feel even more prepared, we encourage you to come to an IMV Community Circle first (see below). Then think about the 5-10 people you could invite to a gathering to start building this movement out further than those who have already attended an Indivisible Mohawk Valley event already.]
We’re asking that you register your gathering on Mobilize. This will provide you with an easy way to contact all of your attendees, share details, and have a central place for information about the event.
This will also be how we know who is holding events. We want to make sure we are supporting folks who will be hosting with opportunities to ask questions and share knowledge. **Indivisible will be offering special office hours to event hosts who are registered through Mobilize.**
Wow! Wow! Wow!
Over 100,000 people registered for our first One Million Rising call. If each of you hosts a gathering with 10 community members, we reach our goal of training one million people in strategic non-cooperation.
This moment, as the regime attempts to sprint toward an authoritarian breakthrough, is exactly when we need to stand together and fight back against the momentum Trump is attempting to build -- but we can’t do that if we don’t activate a critical mass of people. These community gatherings are a crucial step in opposing Trump’s would-be dictatorship."
Register for the next training if you have not done so already. REGISTER for July 30.
IMV Community Circles
We want to make sure that we're not just showing up at mass mobilizations, but building networks for community and support for these difficult times. The relationships we have with each other can sustain us and create a foundation for powerful political action.
The news is unbelievably crushing every day. Come up for air by connecting with others who share your values. Inspire each other! Attend an IMV Community Circle and meet at least one new person --if not many!--who can make you feel more comfortable in this big grassroots political movement of Indivisible Mohawk Valley. Then see what you can do together!
Here are the details for the next few IMV Community Circles:
Saturday, July 19
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Kirkland Town Library
55 1/2 College Street, Clinton
Monday, July 21
6:00 PM-7:30 PM
New Hartford Library
2 Library Lane, New Hartford ( Corasanti Room with maximum capacity of 30).
Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/815688/
Wednesday, August 13
6:00 PM -7:30 PM
Rome Art and Community Center
308 W. Bloomfield Street, Rome
IMV Annual Summer Picnic: Everyone's Invited!
Tuesday, July 29th, 5-8 pm,
Sherrill Brook Park (Route 12 in New Hartford).
Bring a picnic dinner for yourself, and a blanket or lawn chair. IMV will provide dessert.
We're going to give an overview of where we are and where we're headed with pro-democracy activism at this time.
We'll hear from our local candidates for 2025 elections.
This is a great time to empower yourself as a citizen to become informed on the platforms of local officials and connect with a community focused on building a better future.
All are welcome at this event! Bring your family!
Do Not Give Up. This Movement Needs You Now
Please don't sit out this critical moment. The window to fight authoritarianism is closing. But we CAN fight it. If enough people are pushing back from every direction at every level and with every possible means they have--right now.
USE YOUR PERSONAL POWER IN YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
DECIDE NOW THAT YOU WILL NOT OBEY IN ADVANCE
GET TRAINED FOR EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC ACTION
SHOW UP IN PUBLIC FOR ACTIONS
The work ahead is not easy, but our country's future depends on it.
Our lives and the lives of millions of vulnerable people depend on it. Our children and grandchildren depend on it.
We did not expect to be in this moment, but maybe, just maybe, we were made for it. Yes, we were made for this moment. Ground yourself in that fact, and here's a little music for inspiration, from The Poor People's Campaign.
"I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I will die/stand.rise/sing/march for liberation, 'cause I know why I was made."
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
“No one let go of anyone’s hand.”
"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful ... Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” -John Lewis
Website:indivisiblemv.org
Follow us on Bluesky:@Indivisiblemv.bsky.social, on Instagram's Threads.net/@indivisiblemohawkvalley, on X (Twitter) using@indivisiblemvand of course on ourFacebook pageandIMV Activism Group.
