Peaceful Resistance in an Age of Political Violence
Leading with love and grace
The Fourth of July is all about fireworks. Over the holiday weekend, as I watched the sky light up in my community, I remembered that the fireworks are meant to evoke the sights and sounds of battle. “The rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air.”
The United States was born of political violence—an armed rebellion against the king. Four score and seven years later, the United States suffered through the third summer of a Civil War. Americans have known political violence.
I fear a new age of political violence in the United States.
Back in February, Vanity Fair reported, “In private, Republicans talk about their fear that Trump might incite his MAGA followers to commit political violence against them if they don’t rubber-stamp his actions.” Last week, several Congressional Republicans who had been outspoken against the President’s domestic policy bill caved and voted with MAGA at the last moment.
In June, a 57-year-old gunman assassinated Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Democratic State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, suffered injuries in a related attack.
And we cannot forget the January 6th assault on the Capitol, nor the assassination attempts on the Commander-in-Chief while he was campaigning for his second term.
Over the weekend, a friend of mine, a peaceful activist, sent me an email. He said if anything happened to him, let the police know about the man who has been posting threats against him online. I wasn’t as shocked as I might have been even a year ago. Since the January 6th Capitol attack, violence is becoming normalized.
I’d rather be a victim of political violence than be a perpetrator.
I refuse to take part in any violence. I am redoubling my commitment to peaceful resistance. Beyond the moral implications, violence only plays into the hands of the authoritarian. Corridor Rabbit is about building community networks, providing mutual aid, and supporting those who feel the authoritarian pinch. Right now, it’s immigrants. Soon, I suspect, it will be other groups. I’m dedicated to performing peaceful acts of dissent with love and grace.
If the political environment does get more violent, it will be more important than ever to be part of a network of like-minded friends who trust and support each other. If you haven’t joined a resistance group, I encourage you to start one. All it takes is inviting three or four trusted people to an in-person meeting to share your fears, plan peaceful actions, and support your local community.
Liking, sharing, or commenting on this post IS an act of resistance. Corridor Rabbit is meant to serve as a casual guide for how to start and grow an informal resistance group. It is not authoritative; it is a live journal documenting our efforts. It is a call to action. It's an invitation to connect and share what you are doing to resist authoritarianism. Read more about the goals of Corridor Rabbit. We design our illustrations with the help of AI.
Prior to initial blow up between the President and Elon Musk, which sent Stephen Miller into authoritarian overdrive to save the Big Beautiful Bill, I was only worried about violence from extreme provocateurs. They use violence to provoke a response from their enemy to suit their own personal ends rather than to defeat the enemy. In this environment, my biggest concern was from pardoned January 6 insurrectionists and the associated Proud Boy and Oath Keeper groups.
However now, I have a bigger concern that is more difficult to overcome in mass communication. Given the scale and brutality of Stephen Miller's immigration drive, self defense and even organize self defense becomes almost a compelled response from the communities under attack. Even if they know it's counterproductive, survival and self-protection is hard wired instinct.
Communicating that the loyal base underpinning this administration is next to impossible once there's any violence, no matter who initiated it.
The only mass communication approach I've come up with is to point out the state sponsored brutality in an ongoing manner. Beyond any spark though, I think any persuasion almost has to be one on one with those that will only hear the administration's narrative.