The mass resistance is growing; now is the time to join in!

By Gwen Rino

Great news from Erica Chenoweth, one of the country’s foremost scholars on nonviolent civil resistance movements: The resistance to the Trump regime is alive, well, and growing every day! 

In fact, Chenoweth finds there have been more than twice as many street protests in 2025 as there were during the same period of the first Trump administration in 2017. This is a hopeful indication that a mass mobilization is emerging. Especially exciting are coordinated days of protest, such as No Kings on Presidents Day (Feb 17), Stand Up for Science (March 7), and last Saturday’s mass Tesla Takedown (March 29). Next weekend’s Hands Off action (April 5) is expected to draw similar-sized crowds to the 2017 Women’s March. Containing or ousting an autocratic regime requires this kind of sustained mass mobilization.

Protests large and small are important because they are so visible. They provide “social proof” that people are mobilizing against the regime — as do memes, overpass signs, bumper stickers, T-shirts, yard signs, etc. The more people see social proof of the resistance, the more likely they are to join. Humans are a social species and we tend to copy the actions of those around us so that we will fit in.

However, Chenoweth suggests that protests alone will likely be insufficient in the current crisis. Strategies of economic noncooperation — such as boycotts, work slowdowns, sickouts, and strikes — can be more effective and also safer. As Chenoweth says, “Calling in sick for work or school, refusing to buy, and stay-at-home demonstrations are notoriously difficult to police.”

We are beginning to see evidence of coordinated economic resistance, most visibly in the form of the Tesla Takedown but also in actions like Feb 3’s Day Without Immigrants and in ongoing boycotts of companies like Amazon and Target. Momentum is also gathering for a general strike. Over 300,000 people have already signed strike cards; you can, too, at generalstrikeus.com.

More good news: Chenoweth’s 2012 research (identifying and comparing all the major violent and nonviolent governmental change efforts of the 20th century) found that sustained nonviolent resistance was twice as likely to be successful as violent resistance. Further, nonviolent campaigns were much more likely to lead to democratic outcomes. Finally, every campaign during that time period that had ongoing active participation from at least 3.5% of the population succeeded! 3.5% of the population of the U.S. is 11 million people — for perspective, 75 million people voted for Kamala Harris in November. 

Let’s make April 5 the day we hit 3.5%! Find your local Hands Off protest here, make a plan to attend, and bring your friends! [Indivisible East Bay is co-sponsoring the event in Oakland.]