Mess Things Up, Slow Things Down

What everyday people are doing in the face of this fascist takeover.

We Must Do Something About It

We don’t get to ignore what is happening. We don’t get to put our heads in the ground ostrich-style, and hope the bad stuff goes away. We don’t get to say that we don’t follow politics, or that we don’t read the news. Even if we desperately want to, we don’t get to carry on as if everything is normal.

Blair Imani says:
I understand that you don’t want to believe what’s happening. You don’t want to believe that our government would do this to us, to you, because if you believe it then you might have to do something about it. There’s no getting away from this or spinning it. This is real. This is happening. We must do something about it.

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It’s Hard to Know WHAT to Do.

I favor a mess things up, slow things down approach. Back in November of 2024, when election results were announced, I was furious at the Democrats for disappearing. I publicly called for questioning the election results — even if the election couldn’t be overturned, I knew it was a chance to takeover media headlines, distract Trump’s team, and make them use their energy and resources playing defense.

I wanted to see Dem leadership making a huge fuss, demand accountability, assume Trump’s people were lying and make them prove the results. I thought they should delay and actively stall any transition efforts. I wanted them to be aggressively non-cooperative, to gum up the works as much as possible, to run up legal expenses for Trump’s people.

Even if it only meant buying a few more weeks before the Trump regime could start implementing Project 2025, I felt it was worth it. A few more weeks is better than nothing.

The same approach can work now. Let’s gum up the works in any way we can.

Sheryl Weikal says:
The thing about fascists is that they're human beings. That means they can only do so many things at once, and the more barriers you erect, even flimsy and temporary ones, the more you slow them down. And if you have a position of power, like, say, a governorship, there's lots of things you can throw at them to at least slow them down, even if it's not a fix, even if it's not permanent. Just forcing a countermove can be beneficial.

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How Everyday People Are Gumming Up The Works

Here are a few examples of what everyday people are doing to hold fascists accountable, and to slow down the gears of fascism however they can. Some of these ideas will appeal to you, some won’t. Some will sound doable, some will seem like more trouble than they’re worth. The quality of the idea doesn’t really matter that much. Suggest every idea that comes to mind. Try what you can. If it doesn’t work, move on.

I’m going to start with a suggestion I made a couple of days ago that went viral on Twitter:

What if we start feeding ICE false information and tell them there are “illegals” at the houses of MAHA moms and right wing podcasters and MAGA politicians. ICE gets money for anyone they pick up, right? If conservatives with a platform start getting detained, maybe their followers will change their opinion on ICE.

We can offer up our professional skills where applicable:

Keya Hall says:
I’m a paralegal. If an attorney needs me so we can find every ICE agent and introduce them to a level of poverty the likes of which will shock God into silence I’m ready to work. I speed read, I’m scary accurate, got good equipment and plenty time. Let’s do it. Let’s find them all.

Amanda Litman says:
As you know, Run For Something doesn’t do federal races. But in my personal capacity: Happy to chat thru the mechanics of starting a campaign for anyone who wants to primary one of the Democrats who voted for ICE funding. My DMs are open.

We could use our doomscrolling to collect information and report it to the people who can hold them accountable:

Ronan V. says:
I can’t bring Alex Pretti back, but I can make sure the people celebrating his execution face their employers. Screenshot every comment. Find every profile. Send every receipt. They wanted to be proud of this? Let their bosses see.

Jessica F. Cox says:
I’m locating the adult kids, wives of ice and maga ppl… Who are saying that ‘Alex deserved to die’ and reporting posts, as well sending the messages to their friends, family, and employers. I am posting them to my LinkedIn where I have 33,000 followers. I also caught an ice agent cheating on his wife, and sent her all the evidence.

We could make sure the people around us have no excuse to pretend they don’t know what’s happening:

Kelsey Dake Rushing Says:
Sick of people not knowing the news so I’ve gone full nutter and made a banner for my house. Worth adding, the chosen phrase “ICE KILLED A PERSON TODAY” is in reference to the “A Man was Lynched Yesterday” flag that hung outside of the NAACP headquarters from 1936-1938. The graphic style references the Guerrilla Girls’ work, which advocated for women’s equal representation in the arts.

You can see Kelsey’s banner on Threads.

We could look for opportunities for malicious compliance. As an example, Bondi is demanding Minnesota voter information from Walz. He could comply like this:

Dino Luck says:
Actually, Walz should send 1% of the voter rolls to Bondi, and it all be redacted but the page numbers.

We could choose not to protect the unsavory secrets of MAGA people in our lives:

Katelyn Langer says:
Hey! If you’re considering a run or running for senate in Florida, specifically the 9th district — that seat is up for grabs this year. My father is your opponent and I have all the tea. Please, algorithm, connect me with the right person/people.

We can look for ways to be even better helpers:

Kari Goetz says:
My entire family signed up for a class at our local hospital so we can learn how to control severe bleeding. We’re gonna learn how to apply direct pressure, pack a wound and properly apply a tourniquet.

We can call our representatives and demand action — try using 5 Calls to get started:

Heather Cox Richardson says:
16 Republicans could stop this now, and 23 could impeach him.

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Hopefully, some of these examples spark your own ideas. If you’ve seen other suggestions, or have your own, feel free to add them below.

Coming up with ideas for actions to take, big or small, can help calm our dis-regulated brains in a world that feels out of control. And small actions really do add up to meaningful change.

Thinking of you today.

kisses,
Gabrielle

P.S. — ABOLISH ICE! PROSECUTE ICE! FUCK ICE!