Peaceful Protest—Not Polarization—Is the Recipe for Saving Our Democracy
Nonviolent movements attract a big tent—and based on research from the many successful nonviolent resistance movements against authoritarianism worldwide, we need a big tent now.
On a cloudy Wednesday in mid-April, Jared and Laurie Berezin, a couple in their 40s from Maynard, Massachusetts, pulled their car into the Macy’s parking lot at the Burlington Mall. Carrying a sign that said, “Just Say No To Harassing Immigrants,” the two stood by themselves outside Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s New England Regional Headquarters.
One week later, there were five people. Six weeks after that, there were 60. Earlier this month, at the 29th consecutive Wednesday protest, there were more than 700.
Singing and chanting, the crowd of grandmothers, ministers, war veterans, nuclear physicists, retirees, and many others offered hope and support as a handful of immigrants arrived for their deportation hearings. Using bullhorns, they decried injustices happening inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility where hundreds of immigrants, many with no criminal records, have been detained for multiple days since January.
This is what peaceful—and pluralistic—civil disobedience looks like. And it’s happening all over Massachusetts—and the country. Polarization has no place in these protests. Respect for due process and the law does.
No Kings and protests like Burlington’s remind us that when we come together in solidarity, we can do amazing things.
In October, No Kings Day was touted as one of the largest peaceful protests in US history, second only to the first Earth Day in 1970. Here in Boston our organization, Mass 50501, estimated over 100,000 gathered on Boston Common to stand in solidarity for our Democratic Republic and against the rapid rise of President Donald Trump's authoritarianism.
As an organizer, I am often asked why there is so much energy and commitment to nonviolence behind this ever-growing national movement. There are two reasons: a deep devotion to the values this country was founded on. And the knowledge that history shows peace is more powerful and effective than other means in achieving change.
As a mother and an educator, I will not associate myself with violent protests. Nonviolent movements attract a big tent—and based on research from the many successful nonviolent resistance movements against authoritarianism worldwide, we need a big tent now.
We make space for all as long as we can remain respectful of each other and work together to hold up the tentpole of democracy. This is a perfect reflection of what our country was founded on.
That is why protests like Burlington’s last and lead to positive impacts such as the Burlington Town Meeting’s overwhelming vote in October for a resolution demanding that ICE end overnight detentions and overall “inhumane” conditions.
“Burlington should never be complicit in unlawful or inhumane detentions,” Town Meeting member Phyllis Neufeld, the resolution’s author, told a throng of protesters outside the ICE facility last month. “We are now on record demanding change.”
When our United States was formed, it was by people from different backgrounds and religions who were willing to work together to oust a British King and create a new political order founded on personal liberty and justice for all.
But our democracy has not always worked well for all people. Our history is rife with periods of systemic divides: Think of the Gilded Age and the Jim Crow South.
As happened then, we are now witnessing firsthand how easy it is to create wedges between us. This is exactly what has been exploited by this administration. Those who follow history know that this divide did not start with our 47th president, Donald Trump. It began nearly three decades ago when politicians such as Newt Gingrich decided to stop trying to reach across the aisle and instead use derision and polarization for power.
The United States of America—the country known for individualism—has been manipulated into teams of red and blue. Our politicians are elected to fight for the needs of all of their constituents, but now they vote down party lines instead of finding compromise and solutions on important issues such as affordable housing and healthcare.
Meanwhile, Americans are paying higher prices for goods and losing their benefits and social safety nets. Many of us are watching our neighbors being dragged away by masked men. Bills and blood pressure are up, while empathy and mental health are down.
This is the authoritarian playbook. They want us fighting each other. It makes us easier to control. No Kings and protests like Burlington’s remind us that when we come together in solidarity, we can do amazing things. We are building communities and rekindling our sense of belonging.
It is time to reunite. This will take work and daily action, but there is a place for everyone in this movement. We are writing American history right now—what will your story be?
