So. What's next after #NoKings?

Monday night's Zoom call had some juicy ideas

Some 20,000+ people joined a Zoom call last night to talk about what happens next, after successful and packed weekend protests against the policies of the diapered felon who rapes. Even more people were watching the call live on YouTube, and if you click on that link, you can watch the whole thing.

But to recap: 250 partner organizations organized some 2,169 events and speakers for #NoKings, and on Monday, probably the most daunting stories came from Lisa Erbes and Rebecca Larson, of Indivisible Twin Cities. Despite warnings from Minnesota state leaders that residents shelter in place and skip holding protests while they searched for a man (since found and charged) who shot and killed two people and wounded two others (including political leaders), organizers went ahead and gathered. They worried that speakers wouldn’t show up, but that didn’t happen, and the event brought some 80,000 Minnesotans anxious to stand up to political violence, extrajudicial kidnappings, would-be kinds, all of it. Here’s Minn. AG Keith Ellison speaking at the event:

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) came onscreen and reminded viewers that power flows up, and that non-violent resistance will triumph over Trump and his minions. She also reminded people on the call that as they flex their power, the administration will escalate its nasty protocols. But we will, as Rep. Jayapal said, stay engaged and stay informed.

The conversation explored what entities/organizations prop up an authoritarian leader:

If you saw the post from this morning, I have some ideas about the media. Remember: These pillars are made up of people who respond to pressure, and this isn’t just about protesting. The Tesla Takedown has involved protest, targeting pension funds, and suggesting people not buy Musk’s Swasticars.

Think, too, of the targeted pressure on Avelo Airlines (New Haven got a mention, and saLUTE!), a company that has signed on to be a part of the federal government’s kidnapping operations because a bottom line is a bottom line, I guess. I dunno. I’m not a business major.

Next up? Targeting the enablers of authoritarianism (a lesson taken from the civil rights movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s). The speakers suggested everyone can generate pressure. Don’t let up and do not be bound by decorum. You don’t have to be an asshole (my words) but lower your pinkie and (thanks, Canada), elbows up. We move forward joyfully, resolutely, and with our goddamn swords all the way up (also my words).

Here’s an upcoming event for faith leaders who want to push back authoritarianism.

Here’s information for the public at large on upcoming training for non-cooperation. And here are some more planned events.

Finally: Here’s the GoFundMe link for the family of Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who was shot and killed at the Salt Lake City #NoKings protest on Saturday. Give if you can.