Are We Angry?
Sure. But I've Never Felt So Much LOVE and JOY Either!
The Associated Press headline declared “Angry Protestors from New York to Alaska Assailed Trump and Musk in ‘Hands Off’ Rallies.”
And of course we are angry. But that was NOT the emotional tone of the “Hands Off” protest that I attended in Grass Valley, California yesterday.
As a lifelong activist who has participated in many protests over the decades, this was hands down the most joyous celebration of democracy and love in action that I’ve ever experienced.
Sadly, someone from my community who was not there, posted an all too common conspiracy theory to my social media feed this morning asserting that I, and the other protestors, were paid actors. And this person knows me rather well, so their assertion landed as a shock to my system. But I get that he’s only illustrating how deep denial can go for some cult members.
And let’s be clear, that anyone who believes that their life has gotten better because of Trump’s and Musk’s predations over the course of the last 100 days, is experiencing a level of delusion that can only be equated with that of a cult member. Even Musk must be wondering what the hell he got into this mess for as he watches his wealth and world influence wither.
Trump, on the other hand, is getting exactly what he wants: more power. And it does take a cult to make that happen. Because only if Americans continue to believe the hot air that emanates from Trump’s mouth is in any way connected to logical thought, let alone the truth, will Trump continue to obliterate our democratic checks and balances and our civil rights.
Yesterday inspired me to my bones. Our little community has a population of fewer than 18,000. And about a thousand of us came out to protest Trump and Musk, to assert our right to assemble peacefully, to exercise our freedom of speech and to call out our complicit leaders who are grifting and conning our nation while bringing enormous suffering to people from every walk of life.
It’s possible that the celebratory mood of our local protest was unique. But just the same, I wanted to share the love that I experienced yesterday as we came together to stand on the right side of history, to call out the wrongs in this moral moment (as Senator Cory Booker has referred to it) and to risk “Getting in Good Trouble,” to quote the late congressman John Lewis.
Here are a couple photos and a video from little Grass Valley, California’s Hands Off Protest:
