The gallery above is a selection of signs I saw at the Washington Monument during the Hands Off! demonstration on 5 April. It's been posted as click bait in the hope of attracting readers for my messages below, as well as calling for action on this coming Saturday. I posted my own signs two weeks ago [1] and will be reusing them.
Message #1: It takes concerted, massive and repeated protests to affect change. Last time I mentioned the results of a study that indicates change can be affected if at least 3.5% of the population peacefully and persistently demonstrates for it. Others have mentioned this so-called “3½% Rule” so I am not claiming credit for the ascent in its popularity, but nobody seems to be advertising the persistence requirement. So, I'm asking you to look around, to currently ongoing demonstrations against the governments of Turkiye, Israel, Serbia, Georgia and Gaza to see the need to get out there and keep getting out there, so that those in power become convinced that we are not going away.
Message #2: We need to maintain focus on what is being done domestically. DOGE is still stealing our data, Government agencies are still being stripped and their workers fired, people are being disappeared or erased. Yes, there is a trade war, but its effects are yet to be felt, and the focus of the media on tariffs and the stock market provide cover for the ongoing implementation of Project 2025. If we do not take to the streets in protest, it will continue to go on, with the 70% of Americans who read or see news only once a week oblivious to what is happening.
Talk to your friends, neighbors and coworkers about the situation. But do it in addition to taking to the streets. After all, we can all walk and chew gum at the same time, right? 45% of the US electorate approve of the administration according to current polling. If 80 days of lawlessness and chaos are insufficient to convince them we're on the wrong track, having a chat over a beer or cup of coffee is unlikely to make a difference. On the other hand, 15 million people in the streets of every large city and state capital, whether en masse, in small groups, or solitary marchers, will send chills down the spines of the politicians. Don't forget: That's what we are after – to convince the politicians that support for the current nonsense is not a recipe for reelection.
I'll be out there on the 19th. If there is no organized demonstration, I will march alone. Thank you, Greta, for showing the way!
Notes
[1] https://stephenschiff.substack.com/p/hands-off-april-5th