Do you generally feel that things in the country are in or out of control?
In Control: 15%
Out of Control: 80%
The people are right, our system is careening wildly out of control, and in this moment, it’s unclear which way things will fall: towards justice and equity, or oligarchy and repression. Thankfully, it appears that people are finally done waiting in frozen fear for someone else to do something. No longer passive, Americans have poured into the streets and are attempting to seize the moment and demand change from a system that has for too long used and abused the most vulnerable for the benefit of those who need it least. Of course this is no ordinary time, and while powerfully life-affirming, this activity carries its own real dangers, not just from violent and repressive police brutality, but also in potentially causing a second surge of COVID-19 among many who have already suffered so much.
It’s clear, however, that this newly stirring activism in America is beginning of have an effect. Some police officers are actually being charged when they commit crimes, powerful people are resigning and serious discussions about disinvesting from police departments are occurring across the country. It’s too soon to tell how great a change such protest will manage to extract from a selfish elite, but if the economic disruption to elites can be sustained it may be possible to transmute this moment of pain and anger into a rebirth of a more socially conscious society! To create that better future will require the stamina to outlast the powers that be, and convince them that there is no choice but to change or lose everything. So far, Americans have shown incredible resilience In the face of overwhelming police brutality and public health risks, but we need to add new strategies into our repertoire that defang police violence and avoid spreading disease. Don’t shop on Tuesdays is one such tool, that keeps the economic pressure building while keeping everyone safe. Of course, no strategy is sufficient on its own, and it will take creative passionate people trying a variety of new modes of organizing and resistance, but DSOT can be a unifying lynchpin to continue to put pressure on our government and help sustain the broad and enduring movement of people, demanding change. Don’t miss this chance to change our country for the better. Join us every Tuesday, in growing solidarity and power until we take back our democracy from amoral special interests, and greedy politicians: Don't Shop on Tuesdays!
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