What
is happening in the United States is unprecedented. All aspects of the
American ruling structure: the government, the police, the economy,
political parties, and white supremacy are being called into question,
physically attacked, and in many cases, being found to be illegitimate
by a large majority of the population. Riots, blockades, and occupations
of land have become commonplace as the rhythm of struggle remains
constant. People are starting to find each other, and their own power. Across
the US, popular assemblies spring up in cities to make decisions
outside of State and police power, as trainings are held on everything
from healthcare to self-defense, bringing in hundreds, as the far-Right
responds with wave after wave of violence and attacks to try and keep
the people subservient to the State. But a new power is rising.
As Trump prepares to take the reigns of power, he seeks to rule over a deeply divided nation that by and large, doesn’t want him. The elites favored Clinton because she represented someone who could potentially keep a lip on social peace at a time of massive unrest; Trump on the other hand thrives off chaos and seeks to pick fights with the very population he wants to rule. Already, his approval rating has slipped farther and farther as more and more sectors of society become activated against him. Previous groups that were excited about Trump now see their jobs, health-care, and very lives and freedoms in danger. At the same time, the so-called Alt-Right subculture which helped propel Trump into office is tearing itself apart, while other far-Right formations blindly march lock and step behind their new leader, ready to serve as an extra-legal force to the State, using violence if necessary.
Meanwhile, the Left is speechless, as the institutional, reformist, bureaucratic, and policy based organizations and formations have literally no idea of what to do or how to proceed. Having based their activity around non-profit fundraising, single-issue activism, creating meaningless spectacles for the sake of getting media attention, and trying to pressure the Democrats for basic policy changes, the Left now finds itself at a loss as to what to fucking do. Having spent decades simply turning people out or milking them for funds, the reformist, electoral, and non-profit Left is now seen as the dead weight that they are. Everyone from Bernie Sanders, the entire DNC, the Green Party, to the entire engine of American democracy is seen as bankrupt, a sham, and a complete and total waste of time.
In other words, the situation is excellent.
Why #DisruptJ20?
Everywhere, anger is brewing.
Trump was selected by the electoral college at a time of massive disgust at the American political system, which over the last 8 years has continued wars abroad while at home ramping up spying, police powers, and repression. As the economy restructured itself after the crash of 2007-8, massive amounts of wealth were taken out of the hands of the working-class and poor and placed into those of the richest and most powerful elites. At the same time, the threat of drastic climate change has only gotten more grim, as massive social movements, struggles, and popular revolts and insurrections against the State and its police have exploded across the public terrain. In the face of mass mobilizations from below, we saw both the coordination of repression from the Obama administration, as well as the growth of a reactionary auxiliary force from the far-Right to protect white supremacy, property relations, and the government itself in the face of black insurgency and the mobilization of the exploited and excluded.
Trump will only continue these trajectories, and more over make America great again for the elites that own and control it, as he staffs his administration with various billionaires, corporate CEOs, his own family members, and far-Right talking heads and media moguls. Is it any wonder that tens of thousands took to the streets on the nights following the election in riotous clashes, freeway blockades, and mass marches in the face of what the current regime has in mind? Continued mass deportations, expanded state powers of surveillance, control, torture, and spying; attacks on unions, reproductive freedoms, public education, social programs, and much more. Further adding to the rising tide of popular anger, Trump lost the popular vote by over 2.5 million, more than half the country didn’t even bother to cast a ballot for either candidate, and exit polls show even those that did by and large hated who they pulled the level for. We, the people that reject the political system as an organized racket of the ruling class; we are the majority.
Currently, the Republican platform as well as Trump’s 100 day plan only shows that to be even more true. In short, Trump calls for attacks on nearly every segment of society, the broader working-class, massive draconian measures aimed at immigrants and Muslims, giving carte blanche to the police, and the ramping up of extractive industries in the face of impending climate disaster.
What is important about #DisruptJ20 is how we grow and build with those around us as we push forward to take action on this day and beyond. That we set the standard and raise the bar for mass collective resistance in this country and move ahead. That we take this confrontation, militant, and revolutionary energy back with us to our communities and use it in the struggles that lie ahead; organizing, building, growing, and advancing.
Defending Against The Far Right, Outflanking The Left
It goes without saying several major realities: the first is that the far-Right will be out in force to support Trump. Despite their narrative that we are all funded by Soros and are foot soldiers of the “globalist” agenda, they are the ones being used as shock troops to ensure government control over the streets. While we image that the hardcore white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and KKK will more than likely be there to support Trump, they probably won’t be flying their colors. If there is one activity they will probably jump at however, it’s getting into clashes with us. Alt-Right soft-ass meme frogs will also be on hand en masse, but will more than likely come nowhere near any sort of confrontation, and will most likely be concentrated around the Alt-Right ‘DeploraBall‘ which will celebrate Trump’s inauguration. This event, and the anti-fascist mobilization against it, will take place on January 19th at the National Press Club.
More likely than clashes with Neo-Nazis, KKK members, the Alt-Right, white nationalists, etc, will be possible confrontations with other segments of the far-Right which are much less ideological but much more willing to rumble. This includes Bikers for Trump and other associated groups (which click-bait news sources say are bringing in millions) and Patriot groups like the Oath Keepers and 3%ers. The Oath Keepers have even put out a ‘Call to Action‘ and pledge to protect ‘electors’ from ‘radical leftists.’ In many ways, J20 will be a testing ground for the next couple of years, as far-Right formations are itching to act as an auxiliary force to protect the State from the people trying to get power back over their lives and communities.
Stay safe, move as a group, protect each other, have a change of clothes, and stay alert. While we are on that tip, also, if you haven’t already, put a lock on your smartphone, switch to the Signal Whipster Systems text messaging app which encrypts your messages and allows you to make encrypted phone calls, put a lock on that as well, and set up text groups with your friends as a way to coordinate. The more people using encrypted messaging and calls, the better. This will also help minimize danger to you if your phone is taken by the police. Lock that shit down.
The other thing that goes without saying is that obviously J20 is much bigger than Trump and we must not get sucked into reducing everything down to just him. We must avoid the Leftist swamp of lowest common denominator politics and remember that we live in a period where more and more people are turned off by both parties and the overall system in general. We would do better at pushing an overall critique of the system and not just focusing on Trump as a personality. We also have to remember that Trump has been given a vast apparatus of power and control via the Obama administration’s build up of repression institutions and infrastructure. If we can win one victory in the coming period, it’s winning the argument that the Left as we know it is a failure, the political process is bankrupt, and electoralism isn’t going to liberate us. That overall, we offer a solution and a way forward based on building autonomy and new forms of life, and fighting directly for the world we want against this current one.
Overall, the stage is set and open for those that are willing to organize, to fight, to mobilize, and take territory out of the hands of the regime. It is our opportunity to gain, and our opportunity to lose. If we are up to the challenge of moving forward and becoming a material force at this point in history, it will depend on how organized, serious, open to building a base and bringing new people in, and determined we are to win.
To submit your action for the list, email us at: info [at] itsgoingdown [dot] org. Include a link if possible.
Note: IGD (and Enough is Enough, editor) is not organizing any of these events, we are merely listing them for people across the US to be able to see what is going down.
See you in the streets!
Actions leading up to J20
Jan 14th – 16th Action Camp – Washington DC
‘Trump the System’ – Minneapolis, MN
Walk-Out – Portland, OR
Protest the ‘Alt-Right’ DeploraBall – Washington DC
Actions on #J20
#DisruptJ20 – Hawaii
#DisruptJ20 – Seattle, WA
Breakaway March – Seattle, WA
#DisruptJ20 – Olympia, WA
Walk-Out – Bellingham, WA
Rise Up and Resist Fascism – Portland, OR
Walk-Out – Portland, OR
Walk-Out – Oregon State University
#NotMyPresident – Eugene, OR
Protest Art/Music Show – Napa, CA
Inauguration Day Protest – Santa Rosa, CA
Not My President – Sacramento, CA
Walk-Out – Davis, CA
Walk-Out – Merced, CA
Walk-Out – Thousand Oaks, CA
Walk-Out – Claremont, CA
Mass March – San Francisco, CA
General Strike – Oakland, CA
Walk-Out – Berkeley, CA
#NoMyPresident – Palo Alto, CA
#DisruptJ20 – San Jose, CA
General Strike – Santa Cruz, CA
#OccupytheInauguration – Palmdale, CA
Walk-Out – Santa Barbara, CA
Walk-Out – Los Angeles, CA
Walk-Out – Los Angeles, CA
Labor Rally – Los Angeles, CA
#DisruptJ20 – San Diego, CA
Walk-Out – Santa Clarita, CA
Inauguration Protest – Las Vegas, NV
#DisruptJ20 – Salt Lake City, UT
Walk-Out – University of Utah
#DisruptJ20 – Phoenix, AZ
Walk-Out – Albuquerque, NM
#DisruptJ20 – Durango, CO
#DisruptJ20 – Denver
#DisruptJ20 – Dallas, TX
Walkout – Houston, TX
Protest – Houston, TX
Smash Fascism, Smash Trump – Austin, TX
Walk-Out – Austin, TX
Walkout – Carbondale, IL
Shut Down Trump Tower – Chicago, IL
Walk-Out – Chicago, IL
Walk-Out – Chicago, IL
#DisruptJ20 – Columbus, OH
Mass Protest – Milwaukee, WI
Walk-Out – Minneapolis, MN
Walk-Out – Minneapolis, MN
Resist Trump – Madison, WI
Walk-Out – Ohio State University
Walk-Out – Ann Arbor, MI
Walk-Out – Grand Rapids, MI
Walk-Out – West Des Moines, IW
#DisruptJ20 – Kansas City, MO
Walk-Out – St. Louis, MO
#DisruptJ20 – St. Louis, MO
#DisruptJ20 – Washington DC
Walk-Out – Morgantown, WV
Walk-Out – Saint Petersburg, FL
Walk-Out – Tampa Bay, FL
Inauguration Protest – Miami, FL
Dump Trump – Tallahassee, FL
Walkout – Chapel Hill, NC
#DisruptJ20 – Asheville, NC
#DisruptJ20 – New Orleans, LO
#DisruptJ20 – Scranton, PA
Walk-Out – Philadelphia, PA
Walk-Out – Philadelphia, PA
Walk-Out – Selinsgrove, PA
Walk-Out – Worchester, MA
Inauguration Day Protest – Stroudsburg, PA
Walk-Out – Rochester, NY
No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA! – Buffalo, NY
Walk-Out – New York, NY
Black, Brown, and Indigenous Mobilize Against White Nationalism – New York, NY
Note by Enough is Enough:
Europe
On January 20th and January 21st there will be actions against a meeting of European fascists in Koblenz, Germany. More information at: #J20 #J21 European ENF Fascists Will Come To #Koblenz: #Antifa Announced Counter Protests
Enough is enough
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