Buddy System

If you joined the resistance in 2025, do we have a task for you!

Three days ago I made this birthday wish : "May history remember Minneapolis as the point where the regime’s loss became inevitable." My wish has gone from plausible to probable.

Last week Patty Murray was explaining why the appropriations bill she’d helped build was as good as Dems could do. Now she says they won’t fund DHS.

MAGA has shifted from quiet quitting to doing it right out loud. The shift isn’t just anecdotal—the NRA called for an investigation into Pretti’s death.

Resistance groups are buzzing, too. First-time posters wield strong feelings and beg for guidance while less earnest posters chase the zeitgeist, seeking relevance. The mood has shifted.

This is an exciting time to be in the resistance—and that’s dangerous.

If you’re a seasoned organizer, particularly if you’re a minority, your feelings may run to resentment. That’s valid. Remember your goals. This is what we were working for. Building movements is perpetual, exhausting drought punctuated by devastating deluge. You can only do so much, and in the past 36 hours a firehose turned on.

This is where the acolytes come in! If you joined the resistance in the past year, and you’ve found your sea legs, boy do we need you now! You remember being new, and you know enough to be helpful. First, though, let’s put on your oxygen mask. The internet wraiths are descending, smelling the meat of fresh attention.

This morning I woke to a poster advertising a nurses’ strike. I saw it four times before I’d had coffee—people were spreading the word, as we’ve asked them to do.

I saw red flags.

A health-care workers’ strike is one of the most complex organizational actions imaginable. There are very strict laws about strikes by nurses and this protest was already in violation of at least one (ten days’ notice.) Consequences of an illegal strike can include loss of nursing license, and even prosecution. I checked to see if a nurses’ group was organizing. No organizer was listed.

Sirens went off.

I was suspicious because years ago I sat with a nurse friend who was planning to strike, but how would a newer activist know? There are dozens of tip-offs you’ll come to recognize, but this will help immediately: slow down.

Acting quickly takes planning and familiarity. The newer you are to activism, the less “instinct” you’ll have, so don’t try to be first to the gate. It’s a bad habit we’ve picked up online. I wanted to finish this essay by 11am, but it’ll be dinner soon and I’m pretty sure we’ll still be fighting fascism in the morning. My urgency is self-inflicted.

There is nothing I am doing which requires instant turnaround. If you’re new to activism, I’d lay money that’s true for you, too. The truly urgent tasks take training and experience. This essay isn’t for those folks. They already know what they’re doing.

If you’re newer than that, give it a few hours. Skim the comments. Check the details. Look for a trusted organizer like Indivisible, or relevant professional endorsements like a nurses’ union. Anything anonymous gets extra scrutiny. Anything pushing urgency calls for a pause. Even breaking events, like reports of ICE activity, need to be done right to help. Only share from vetted sources, and learn the SALUTE model. Vague rumors of “ICE on Aurora” only drive panic. Remember : malign actors win every time they get attention, but activists need to keep the channels clear.

If after due consideration, you’re just not sure, it’s okay to do something else. Choose a safe, mundane task if you’re feeling anxious : call your senators or fold zines and drop them off in little libraries. Volunteer for a fix-it clinic or walk your dog. You do not need to maximize every moment. There is plenty of resistance for everyone!

Now that you have your own oxygen mask on, turn to your neighbor. Many new activists feel isolated, or confused. Reach out and offer a helping hand. Look for someone who seems to be struggling with their emotions, or posts “When will someone DO something?!” Invite them to go to a protest or meeting with you. Indivisible is well organized and committed to non-violent resistance—they are an excellent starting point. If in-person connection isn’t an option, help them find a task. During a crisis—and suddenly realizing your nation has slipped into fascism is an existential crisis—having a task really helps. The task should be concrete, simple, and result in a sense of completion.

If you need ideas SimpleResistance.us has more than two-hundred simple tasks (and a few more advanced ones) for people seeking traction. The front page features three topical suggestions every day, or browse the “five minute” quick actions.

Think back to when you were new, and share the resources you found. If someone helped you get started, try to remember what they did to help. If you figured it out on your own, what do you wish you’d found faster? A massive influx of new energy is a phenomenal gift, but exhausted organizers can’t keep up, so do what you can to help integrate newcomers. If everyone reaches for the hand of someone a step behind them, we’ll win this thing so fast the regime’s heads spin.

No essay like this is complete without a word about tactics. Erica Chenoweth’s research tells us that non-violence is the most effective way to resist. The data are unambigous : the best way to get back to democracy is with widespread non-violent resistance. Not all non-violence is legal or safe, but if you’re just getting started, stick to legal non-violence for now. Actions like the famous civil rights era lunch counter sit-in challenging segregation laws require training, discipline and trust in your team. That’s something you build towards.

While I exclusively promote non-violent resistance (of all types) I don’t condemn armed resistance. I believe there are times and places where it has become a moral imperative to simply stop evil, after widespread resistance failed to materialize. I believe there are many lanes for resistance, but as a practical matter the riskier an action, the more experienced and prepared you need to be.

We’re about to enter a new phase of this fight for our nation. While I was fretting over how long this essay took, news broke that Trump is pulling Border Patrol (but not ICE) out of Minnesota, and Bovino is out. Credible rumors suggest Noem may face demotion or impeachment. They’re shuffling the deck because Minneapolis shut them down. Every abuse led to more resistance there, and more nationwide scrutiny.

You did that, even if you haven’t done a single thing for the resistance yet. The massive shift in our attention put them into damage control mode. You’re part of that.

This is your first win! Don’t let it be your last—they declare victory and pull back in the face of steadfast resistance, but they always pop up in a new place so keep organizing. Build your skills, so there are even more of us with our sea legs for whatever comes next, whether it’s a new city, or a new tactic.

If you’re new to the resistance, you helped put the secret police on the run. Now get integrated and educated so we can chase them out of office and all the way to the Hague!

Image from Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash