On October 18th, Americans will gather for the No Kings March, a reminder that power answers to the people, not the other way around. The United States stands again at a crossroads that tests not just our politics, but our character. In the weeks ahead, the machinery of state violence could be turned inward. Under the Insurrection Act, a vague law written in 1807, a president can deploy troops inside the country to quell “domestic disturbances.” It was meant for moments of true crisis—not for silencing the very people it was meant to protect.
Donald Trump and his former deputy, Stephen Miller, have spoken openly about using this power to “crush the enemy within.” The danger isn’t abstract. The Insurrection Act gives the president near-total discretion to decide what counts as “insurrection,” with little oversight and no requirement for Congress to agree.
When Eisenhower invoked it in 1957, it was to enforce school desegregation in Little Rock. When George H. W. Bush did so in 1992, it was to contain the Los Angeles riots – and he only did so at the request of the California governor. But using it now to suppress peaceful dissent would be something very different: not an act of protection, but of repression.
Trump’s circle has long blurred the line between protest and treason. Supporters have cheered proposals to give drivers immunity if they hit demonstrators blocking roads. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Attorney General Pam Bondi are calling peaceful protesters “terrorists.” Step by step, such rhetoric makes it easier to see fellow citizens as enemies.
A repeat of Kent State or Selma may not start with tanks rolling down the streets of Chicago. More likely it would arrive through a declaration of the Insurrection Act federalizing the National Guard, classifying protesters as terrorists, and framing dissent as “domestic extremism.” Under current conditions, all it might take light this spark is one violent incident (real or manufactured) to trigger a nationwide crackdown.
The point of such escalation wouldn’t only be to suppress protests. It would be to redefine dissent as criminal and make citizens doubt their own right to speak, gather, and protest.
America has faced unrest before, but this time the threat comes from the top. Trump has praised dictators who used state violence to “restore order.” He once called China’s massacre of pro-democracy students in 1989 “a strong, powerful response.” The worldview that sees obedience as strength and conscience as weakness is what drives this administration’s approach to those who oppose its policies. This moment is also different because unlike the first Trump administration, this time around there are people in key positions who place loyalty to Trump over the law and their oath to the Constitution.
For nine months, we’ve watched the slow hollowing of institutions; inspectors general dismissed, career officers purged, and agencies bent toward loyalty rather than law. If the Insurrection Act is declared next it will land on institutions already under siege.
Authoritarianism rarely arrives with flying banners and marching bands. It comes wrapped in the language of safety, order, and tradition until we awaken to find those words emptied of any meaning.
Republican leaders are already setting the stage for a government crackdown with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the peaceful October 18th No Kings protest a “Hate America rally.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer went even further calling it a “terrorist” event.
What You Can Do
This is not a time for despair. It’s a time for resolve and remembering that democracy isn’t defended by presidents or generals, it’s defended by us.
Stay peaceful and visible. Authoritarianism thrives on chaos. If federal forces provoke violence, don’t take the bait. Don’t match escalation with escalation. When protesters shift from confrontation to calm, the moral clarity of a movement becomes unmistakable. Large, calm, well-documented gatherings reveal the truth that ordinary people are not the danger. Film everything. Protect each other. Non-violence is not passive, it’s disciplined strength.
Support local leaders who stand firm. Governors, mayors, police, and military units can resist and refuse unlawful orders. Write to them, thank them, and let them know you’ve got their back. A single courageous voice is easier to silence than a community raising its voices together.
Back independent journalism and legal defense groups. At a time when more media outlets are being bought up by billionaires allied with the administration, independent media is more important than ever. Support those who keep truth and law alive when it matters most like the ACLU, Propublica, Brennan Center for Justice, Protect Democracy, The Bulwark, and local reporters risking safety to tell the story straight.
Don’t fall for provocations. Authoritarian playbooks rely on chaos. If someone urges violence or destruction, assume they’re agents provocateurs working for the wrong side. Protect the integrity of your movement and keep your cool.
Build community resilience. Democracy is not abstract, it’s intensely local. Share phone trees, Signal groups, neighborhood check-ins, and safe meeting places. The more we know and trust each other, the harder it is to divide us.
Remember the oath. Members of the military and police swear to defend the Constitution, not a man. Many will do the right thing if they feel the public behind them. Remind them gently and respectfully that their loyalty is to law, not power. Remind those behind the shields standing across from you that they have a choice too.
Film everything, but don’t interfere. When government power is turned inward, discipline and documentation become the citizen’s best defense. During the federal deployment to Portland in 2020, cameras captured who was escalating – and it wasn’t the demonstrators. What prevented wider abuse was citizens filming arrests, journalists staying on site, lawyers filing immediate habeas corpus petitions, and thousands gathering peacefully night after night. The protests remained disciplined, and eventually the federal presence withdrew.
Keep pressure on institutions. Write to your representatives. Demand hearings and investigations. Document every violation of rights. Even under emergency rule, law does not disappear but rather it waits for citizens to claim it.
Vote with your dollars. Authoritarian movements thrive when citizens feel powerless. Every purchase you make is a choice and in moments like these, choices add up. Spend with intention. Support local stores, small farms, and businesses that treat workers fairly and uphold democratic values. Avoid companies and media networks that bankroll or amplify authoritarian rhetoric. Research who they donate to and how they use their profits. Each time you choose a neighborhood café over a corporate chain, or a small business that speaks up for fairness over one that stays silent, you’re voting for the kind of country you want to live in.
If the Insurrection Act Is Declared
If that moment comes, take a breath. Pause and verify before reacting to anything since rumors will spread faster than truth. Verify everything before you share it or reshare it on social media. Move away from the scene if protests become unsafe. Defending democracy doesn’t always mean being in the street. It can mean funding legal aid, supporting journalists, and caring for those who can’t risk arrest.
Governors can challenge federalization of their Guards. Judges can issue restraining orders. Congress can investigate and legislate. The machinery of democracy only works when citizens keep turning its gears – so pedal hard and get those around you to do the same.
Above all, remember that panic helps no one. Calmness is a civic virtue. Fear feeds the authoritarian impulse, while collective composure starves it.
We’ve already had a glimpse of what it looks like when federal power is turned inward. In Portland in 2020, unmarked agents swept protesters into vans. What ended that occupation wasn’t rage but resilience. Citizens stayed peaceful, filmed everything, cared for each other, and made the truth visible.
Every autocrat begins by promising to defend “real citizens” from imaginary enemies. It’s an old story, but each generation must write its own ending. Our defense lies in disciplined solidarity and everyday courage.
In 1989, one man in Beijing stood before a column of tanks. In 2025, it will take millions of Americans standing up for the Constitution and the simple idea that no one is above the law.
We have done this before. We’ve faced darker odds and found our way back through the Freedom Rides, labor movement, and the long arc of the struggle for civil rights. Those moments teach us that courage is not loud; it’s patient, steady, and shared.
Civic courage is a duty of democracy. The tanks may never come. But our silence can do their work for them. When citizens grow quiet and institutions shrink from their duty, democracy withers in the stillness.The defense of freedom begins in the smallest acts, refusing to spread lies, helping a neighbor who’s afraid, and showing up peacefully and persistently for what’s right.
Democracy isn’t something you have, it’s something you do. It lives in our sense of community, our habits of care and our willingness to stand with one another even when it’s risky or inconvenient.
If Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, remember this: the Constitution is not suspended until we stop believing in it.
Hold the line not with anger, but with awareness and commitment. Not with hate, but with heart and grit. Courage is contagious so holding on a bit longer when you think you can’t could be what makes others find the strength to carry on.
Our democracy still belongs to those who defend it with courage, calmness, and love.
