It’s important that we see each other. Living in a so-called “red” state can be hard, because it can feel like what you’re able to do won’t matter. It’s easy to stay inside, to surrender to that feeling of impotency, to hope that enough people who “matter” will do the right things. But this is why you must, absolutely must, look around.
When you walk with your allies, you are feeding a communal fire that’s been kindled and kept lit by every movement and revolution that’s gathered to demand human dignity and freedom. Even if our backwards-looking government can slow us down today, we can show them that this fire is still lit. We join with brothers, sisters, and siblings in Los Angeles and all across the country, to say we will not tolerate a government using its military to unlawfully occupy its own territory. We will not stand for a government that detains duly elected legislators for attempting to perform justified oversight.
We need to see each other now, so that we have the strength to stand for what is right in every street, building, and room we’re in the next day. We need to see that we’re surrounded by people doing something brave and kind. That we can stand in solidarity. That we have more friends than we might have considered, if we look.
While we do this, we should remember that using our voices comes with greater risk for some of us. Today, there are too many whose basic rights have been stolen by wicked men and women in control of the executive branch and its agencies. They are hoping we will stay quiet. They are hoping they can stall long enough for the damage to be unmendable. But, we see them. We know they are not as strong as they pretend to be.