Probably the best thing about these events, for me, is that I've learned that there are hundreds of like-minded people in my rural area and that I'm not alone in this. Living in this area, it feels like I'm surrounded by nothing by MAGA conservatives and there's no room for dissenting opinions. But it's simply not true. They're just the ones who've been loudest all these years, but that's changing.

Sitting in front of a screen and complaining about what's going on while also disparaging those trying to do something about it -- 100% ineffective, 100% counter productive.

When hundreds of people are showing up in public across thousands of small towns around the country, that's people learning they aren't alone. That's people making new friends. That's people actually getting involved and organizing. And that's not to mention, this is happening in all the major cities as well.

In a way, the demands of the movement are on ourselves, the people attending these events. It comes down to making ourselves responsible for learning how to organize, engaging in political speech, and to normalize exercising our constitutional rights. This is all new to large numbers of people attending these events, so it's a learning experience for a lot of us.

And besides, I think of it this way...

Let's say November rolls around and the president decides to interfere with the elections or he tries to invalidate the elections. What's got a better chance of successfully resisting? A scared and disorganized population that's never organized and/or attended a protest and isn't prepared for what that entails? Or a populace that's done this a few times already in recent history, that's built up support, knows how to organize, knows who to contact, and one who is actively engaged? In this life, there are no guarantees, but if I had to put my money on one of those two, I'm choosing the the latter.

Oh look. The same attack they used against Occupy Wall Street. Expect it to be repeated until its accepted wisdom.

do they need clearer goals?

They need more persistence and more frequency.

1day protests every 4 or 5 months isn't putting pressure on anyone.

These protests are a place for organizing and networking.

But what's really being danced around is "Why are there not politicians converting this movement into effective policy?"

And we all know that the power brokers and leaders of the political parties are being paid to ignore them and keep it a leaderless and rudderless movement. We saw the exsct same thing with Occupy Wall Street and thst resulted in lobbyists codifying their bribery into law.

These protests are an important part of the process. At least one commenter in this thread mentioned that seeing people out there encouraged them to participate more.

And discussions online are also an important part of the process. The discussions online are what led to the protests being organized.

These protests need to lead to discussions of concrete goals - what they should actively accomplish, otherwise they will fizzle out like the Wall Street protests in years past.

And people should see the groundswell of support and run for local office, run for regional office, for state, for national office. Get the experience and take over the government at all levels. Take our country back from fascism.

So all of it is important. Do what you can at every level. Fight against misinformation and fascist propaganda. Get out on the street if you're able. Run for office if you're able. Support those running for office. Participate in discussions about concrete goals.

All of it matters.

The folks I know who are taking more tangible action are not posting about it online, and there’s more of them as time passes. Don’t be passive, talk to people irl, and be smart about your choices and actions. We all have different roles and different levels of risk tolerance.

We need tangible action.

Some 50501 chapters are speaking out about demands https://50501demands.com/

The only thing that's going to get their attention is a general strike. As long as Frank Freeway is more worried about getting fired than he is about what kind of society we're going to live in, that's not going to happen.

Clearer goals? Its pretty straightforward

How about "try this entire administration for treason?"

A hugely important aspect is to put your money where your mouth is. Vote with your wallet - this administration cares about you more as a consumer than as a citizen.

Be mindful of where you spend your dollars. Shop with local businesses that deserve your money. Single day boycotts of giants like Amazon and Walmart aren’t helpful if you’re just going to show up tomorrow and buy from them anyway. Find alternatives and really consider who will be benefitting from every dollar you have to spend.

Pay in cash. Use local swap or buy nothing groups. Try lending libraries and second hand stores. Give homemade gifts and baked goods instead of store bought presents. Go without. We have been conditioned to live our lives laden down with so much stuff, and truly so many occasional use items don’t need to be owned by every individual household.

Maybe if they would do this at way shorter intervals? June 25, October 25, March 26 - with such large gaps, you won't grab long-term attention.

Turn "No Kings" into a general strike. Ask the French, they are the experts.

I thought the demand was to return power to congress.

I think "Trump bad" is a legit reason

It's pretty fucking clear to me: Trump acts like a king and ignores the Constitution. That must be stopped at all costs.

I think what this article is failing to state clearly is that none of the government is working therefore No Kings can't achieve its goal of reining in Trump. That doesn't mean we stop protesting. That means we start thinking about the next step: "Stop. Or else".

"No Kings" - Sounds like a clear goal to me. Excuse me now while I get ready 🇺🇸

Millions show up, "but could it be perfect?" Fuck off guardian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hQIFEtUyg

Reminder that Democrats gave Trump his funding bill and stopped the most effective government shutdown.

It should be hosted in the same place trump held his rally before the capital was stormed. At the conclusion of the protest everyone should walk to the capital building for "selfies".

No kings needs to become No Oligarchs. All that MAGA responds with are taunts like "we dont have a king" and "We havent had a king in 250 years".

I'd like to see every governor that still respects the constitution to activate their State Defense Force.

Send a crystal clear message that true patriots are ready to defend the constitution against all threats, foreign and domestic.

They want protestors to have too many demands so they fail just like the Occupy Wallstreet protests. "No Kings" is a good demand.

Any goal would be productive.

Edit: There aren't any demands being made so they don't feel the pressure enough. I know it's about getting together to get the discourse started but meanwhile Trump has started a war without warrant or approval, and that's just the most recent thing he's done. He's planning on messing with the election/voter roll next. Some opposition is needed.

It's good to protest but if everything returns to normal Monday morning, then thsy don't have to change anything.

The morning after the protest in Minnesota ICE shot Alex Pretti. Justice for them should be demanded.