"We have discovered we are not alone, we are not lone voices crying in the wilderness, we are not holding our lanterns aloft in darkness. We are in a sea of light, with millions of us holding our lanterns high." ~David Gerrold
Pam! Spot on....we HAVE discovered that we are not alone. That is exactly how I felt yesterday in Washington. As I said to my friend, it's one thing to connect to each other virtually -- online in places like our beloved Hopium -- but it's another thing completely to see and feel the like-mindness of our compatriots who want to stop this mad wannabe-king tyrant. Yesterday lifted me up in ways that I never expected. I'm so grateful that I was fortunate to attend yesterday.
Claire, my feelings, exactly! What Covid took away from us, Hands Off! has helped to restore. Actually being with hundreds or thousands of people, each one unique and special, celebrating what we all cherish in common is empowering. Congregations matter! Now, we can combine that power with the power of our online communities, which miraculously brought us together in over 1000 different places to begin with, to grow our impact exponentially. The Power of the People is real and will save our country and our democracy.
Thanks, Simon, for giving us this forum to compare notes.
One of the speakers at the Lansing rally spoke about each of us being a thread in a beautiful woven tapestry. I love this analogy and would love to see someone create an actual tapestry that depicts all of us as essential parts of our communities and countey!
I have no doubt Trump and his sadistic MAGA followers will start targeting organizers of the pro-democracy movement. Somehow, we have to prepare ourselves for this so we can protect them.
The leaders of the movement are all of us There are millions of leaders. That has been my point for the last few months. Each of us by doing this work is a leader. We are building the movement. These events were all organized locally, by local people. The bottom up nature of the movement is what is going to make sustainable, powerful, effective. While we have been a little slow out of the box the progress we've made in recent weeks has been meaningful.
I think that is what the authoritarians don't get. I think that they they genuinely belive that George Soros or Reed ?? (the founder of LinkedIn) are bankrolling the grassroots movement and everyone is being paid to do this. On their side everything is transactional, grift and/or a power grab. So we do COMPUTE!!
Victor, Ezra Levin from Indivisible tells us that the key is to turn out large crowds often, while we’re not encountering any significant pushback. The sooner and more frequently we do this, the bigger base we establish to fight them when they show up.
Thank you. Appreciate it. I just worry about those at the forefront, putting themselves out there in a big way. We all are here to some degree, but there are some who are more visible. So, what we really need to do is be visible. All of us.
When asked what we could do to protect Indivisible, Ezra basically said the same as Simon. These are grass roots, locally led movements, with guidance from the national level. He said, if they come for him, they won’t destroy the movement, and asked that we loudly protest any action taken against it.
Several people I know chose not to go to a rally because they had safety concerns. Indivisible has an incredible organizing team, and the fact that they put "peaceful protest" at the top of their list is important. In doing so, it will be clear that when trouble makers show up, like they inevitably do here in Portland, Oregon, it will be made clear that they are not one of us. Hopeful those that are fearful will realize they are missing out on the fun.
I feel so sad that people are already acting from a place of fear. They’re missing out on so much love and joy that these events create. I saw one suggestion that people who are afraid can drive around the rallies in their car with flags or posters.
I almost didn't go yesterday b/c of fears of violence. This fear coming from a WDC Metro area resident of 45+ years who has attended many rallies, protests, marches, etc. Ever since 1/6 and the mad tyrant wannabe-king and his minions scared the s**t out of us, I've been reluctant. But yesterday I thought -- they ain't taking this one away from me. I was so pleased that there was no violence downtown, at least as far as I know. There was such a sense of connection and like-mindedness from everyone we encountered....from the minute we got on the Metro in Arlington, VA, to the human circle we made around the entire perimeter of the African American Museum (which is about the length of 4 city blocks!) to the crowds of people around the Sylvan Theatre stage, the Washington Monument, and beyond.
I was impressed that the first speaker at our rally focused on safety - hiighlighted the folks there in orange vests, and asked everyone to be on the lookout for troublemakers. I felt very safe.
We flood the zone with our numbers - rallies, town halls, and by contacting our elected officials. The other side floods the zone with a slew of crappy, harmful policies. Our side will win.
To all good Hopium patriots who participated in the "HandsOff!" demonstrations, and who contributed to our recent electoral victories and impressive over-performances: THANK YOU!
Remember:
"If you ever wondered what you would have done in Germany in 1933, you’re doing it now."
So true. I said that to one of the partners I know in a Big Law firm which has been silent (that is, bending the knee without a public statement to that effect). He was not happy - particularly when I reminded him of Elie Wiesel’s admonition that bystanders always help the oppressors - never the victim.
Our Georgian uber driver to the NYC rally thanked us for participating. 3 French tourists on our ferry ride home thanked us. It feels like the world is better and more united when we take a stand to care for one another.
I was extremely disappointed to get home yesterday after Washington's incredible Hands Off protest to find so little news coverage. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. We just have to keep this going for as long as it takes.
Maybe we are the ones who have to cover it. I'm writing a blog post right now about why my husband and I participated. Will it get seen? Who knows. But if thousands or millions of us speak about it, we'll be doing our part to keep the momentum alive.
YES!! And, as someone else said here, I'm still basking in yesterday's sunshine. No, it wasn't sunny here in Washington. In fact, it was cloudy with some occasional drizzle, but man did it feel like sunshine as the best disinfectant (as quoted by S.C. Justice Brandeis!)
I sent pictures to anyone I knew who supports our cause to spread the word. Don't get why there wasn't more coverage, this was HUGE nationwide. Love to hear your opinions on this..
Also, it won't be long before the 5.2 MILLION countrywide HANDS OFF protesters will become so large and so loud that everyone will know about us...even if it isn't reported in propaganda forums. Our representative will know!
Thank you for posting this. Rachel Maddow has been covering the protests in great detail since they started. She has called protesters "political leaders" and her show is usually a mini-class in political science.
The Chicago Tribune had an article, but it wasn't on the front page. And it referred to "scores" of people, not thousands! I was there, I KNOW there were thousands of us!
Check The Guardian, Reuters, AP - they all have prominent articles this morning. Even Yahoo News, which has a scroll of photos/local articles from rallies all over the country. We will need to do this again and again before it breaks through to MSM, but I believe it will - what an incredible start! All evening, Rachel was reposting on Bluesky - scores and scores of shots that people sent her from their rallies in South Carolina, Idaho, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, tiny ruby red towns as well as the usual blue strongholds. It was beyond heartwarming, and inspiring.
The world has moved on from the MSM. All politics is local. We had 1,500 demonstrations. That’s 1,500 (x3) local news events in local papers, on local TV and radio. That’s 500 cars driving by the corner of Main and Redwood in our fishing/lumber/ranching town. That’s the Ukiah Daily Journal (inland NorCal, pop. 26K) running a front page article with photos of the demo at the county courthouse. 700-1,000 folks showed up, “the most since 2,000 attended the Women’s March.”
I saw a lot of coverage locally, and some on the national networks. I protested against the Vietnam war, and we never thought about being in the media, because there were only three networks. We showed up over and over again because it was the right thing to do, and the crowds kept getting larger. It's worth looking up the story about how Walter Cronkite helped end the war.
Today we are in a much different world, and the national news is more and more irrelevant. Today we have so many ways to get the word out to people. I'm only on Facebook, and not any of the popular media platforms available today. My feed is full of stories and incredible photos of what happened on Saturday, and I know many came across the feed of Republicans too.
Sen. Cory Booker's marathon speech got 350M likes on TikTok. That is much more important than a story on the national news.
The Charlotte Rally I attended yesterday got quite a nice write up, but it was on the local Public TV channel's website -- not a major journalistic powerhouse. Here's a link in case you are interested:
Thank you for the link to the Charlotte rally. That "Jefferson Griffin Stole Your Vote"sign is awesome. It doesn't appear, so far, that our local public radio station covered our protest, but the Winston-Salem Journal did have a great article and photos. I'll share the link but imagine it is behind a paywall. https://journalnow.com/news/local/government-politics/article_a4bb283d-c138-437a-aded-37c38bd179aa.html Addtionally, I love Bluesky but it definitely needs for users to achieve critical mass. TBlack@wordlydiscourse.bsky.social. My pics from yesterday are posted. Onward to the SKY.
Hey, I was just up in Winston Salem on Wednesday! 😊 I drove up with a friend for the day to go see the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at Reynolda House. It was great although some of the paintings were very bleak. But it was a nice break from the craziness!
Appreciate your adding Thune to the list of culprits. Hardly surprised but hoped he would be better.
Highly recommend Ben Wikler’s Substack post from yesterday analyzing the WI vote. Schimel out performed Janet P. (sorry can’t spell her last name, the WI supreme court justice who won in ‘23 by 10 points) in raw votes, but still lost to Crawford by more than 10 points. I’m no statistician but that reads as compelling evidence that there are more of us than them!
The choice of photo from WSJ proves the adage: if a picture paints a thousand words….
Happy Sunday Hopium mates. Off for a rejuvenating hike!!!!!
Does anyone know how we can access "the people's cabinet" launched by the DNC? Also Simon, you said Hakeem Jefferies was doing a daily brief or press conference (not sure of the term). How do we access this and amplify it? Thanks for the photos. I was in Greenfield MASS. a small town in central Mass where so many people packed a UU church to sing Pete Seeger songs and then head out in the freezing rain to stand on a street corner. It wasn't huge but it was good old central Massachusetts. Northampton Mass had over 1000 people show up! Fantastic!
I am from Vermont — and we were in Tucson for the Hands Off rally, which exceeded everyone’s expectations size-wise… it was encouraging to be with likeminded folk! Take Back Democracy!
Left a comment about going to a protest in Fairfield, CA but forgot to mention a conversation I had with an intelligent woman who I referred to Hopium when she started a conversation about legacy media’s coverage. Told her all about Simon, his knowledge base and experience. She had never heard of Substack and was excited to look into Hopium. Warmed my heart!
In the rally I attended yesterday, held every Sat in front of the tesla dealership, I ended up standing next to a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She was standing firm and...she was a Hopium subscriber! It was good to get out with other like minded people and SWEAR. Got new sign ideas, too.
45,000 in Raleigh where my sister-in-law participated. Several thousand in Durham where my wife and I went. Word from Anderson Clayton and the NC Democratic party is to be on hold for now, but be ready for a major mobilization, perhaps to call the 60,000 voters in danger of being disenfranchised to get them to "cure" their ballots, which should actually need no curing but ...
I was also at the Durham rally and there were people there actively working on this issue! They're having a meeting tomorrow night in Durham to reach the Duke and NCCU students affected (over 1,000) and will figure out a clear message to send out. They have the phone numbers of everyone on that list and will get on it as soon as they figure out what the Board of Elections recommends. It was so cool to see people with different contacts connecting, each of whom held important pieces of knowledge! Democracy in action right in front of my eyes! Electrifying. The Duke professor working on this indicated that there is a group working on this statewide, but I'm not sure who or how. I suspect it's groups of motivated citizens across the state directed by Anderson Clayton. Exciting to see, but deeply unsettling and frightening as well!
I spoke to Anderson Clayton yesterday and have been in touch with her this morning. They hope to have clear guidance for all of us late today or early tomorrow morning.
Can we set up a Hopium force to help with the calling when the time is ripe?
Alison Riggs said she will appeal immediately and ultimately she wants to take it to federal court because those 65,000 have Federal election laws being violated. One thing about the defendant, she is a top lawyer, so who better to navigate the terrain.
I assume she will seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) so this thing may still play out for awhile...
In the coverage I've seen here in UK (not much) there's reference to thousands taking part. Is there an estimate of total number at yesterday's protests?
Here in Washington, estimates from the organizers were originally expected to be between 10,000 and 20,000. Then I saw an interview with Maxwell Frost where it was quoted to be 100,000 here. My understanding is that here in DC, official counts are no longer given by the National Park Service.
The Alt. National Park group estimated five million, but it's hard to say. Definitely millions! And this is one of the most encouraging things I've read about the power of the people and non-violent protests.
Yup, these days like any other banana republic we have to get the news about what's really happening from the Beeb. One of our British brothers here on Hopium asked me recently what newspaper he should read to know what's really going on. "The Guardian," I replied. There's no place like home.
Hi Tom, I'm so pleased you're keeping in contact. Our respective governments may be confrontational, but we the people can foster peace and respect. Proud to be a UK brother of yours.
I’ve read five million in a number of places as well. Which apparently is 1.5% of the population. Professor Erica Chenoweth’s work on movement’s says no regime has survived 3.5% of its population rising up (in a non-violent manner) so we are not that far off. Just give us more time!!
Alt National Park says there is another national day of protest coming 4/19/25 and their goal is 3.5% of the population for exactly the reasons you stated!
In my own world, I am noticing very low participation by young people (35 and under.) Some didn’t even know about the 4/5 protest, meaning it didn’t show up in their social media feed. Others knew and just didn’t participate, even though they dislike Trump. Would love to understand this better so we could mobilize this part of our community.
Hi Janet as someone in his 60s I can offer no insight here. I've heard of Joe Rogan and apparently he and his fellows helped get Trump over the line in 2024. How the Dems engage with younger voters I don't know, but I'm pleased better people than I are working on this.
I was in NYC, and it felt massive. I can't confirm this claim of 100,000, but there were a LOT of people marching down 5th Avenue, stretching on for about 20 blocks in the on-and-off rain. Here's a fantastic view -- sound on: https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3lm3scqfwvc2s
I had the same question, AAnn St, Clair. I am a California transplant from Northern Virginia and was disheartened to see the small crowds on sidewalk as the Trump "float" drove through town. Leesburg is not that far from the WMA. Although hurray from the flags flown from the building in the background. Pasadena, CA represented well yesterday and throughout the Tesla Takedowns.
Russ, I ask that you take this post down and repost it another day. It is not in the spirit of where this community is right now. Thank you.
As requested.
Thank you.
"We have discovered we are not alone, we are not lone voices crying in the wilderness, we are not holding our lanterns aloft in darkness. We are in a sea of light, with millions of us holding our lanterns high." ~David Gerrold
https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/pfbid0J1i1h4t33avv2S5w3dUQy71wwkQ4qU6jWxnAXrT4Cbug37D9cDVXA1WuPz2qCLYQl
Pam! Spot on....we HAVE discovered that we are not alone. That is exactly how I felt yesterday in Washington. As I said to my friend, it's one thing to connect to each other virtually -- online in places like our beloved Hopium -- but it's another thing completely to see and feel the like-mindness of our compatriots who want to stop this mad wannabe-king tyrant. Yesterday lifted me up in ways that I never expected. I'm so grateful that I was fortunate to attend yesterday.
Claire, my feelings, exactly! What Covid took away from us, Hands Off! has helped to restore. Actually being with hundreds or thousands of people, each one unique and special, celebrating what we all cherish in common is empowering. Congregations matter! Now, we can combine that power with the power of our online communities, which miraculously brought us together in over 1000 different places to begin with, to grow our impact exponentially. The Power of the People is real and will save our country and our democracy.
Thanks, Simon, for giving us this forum to compare notes.
One of the speakers at the Lansing rally spoke about each of us being a thread in a beautiful woven tapestry. I love this analogy and would love to see someone create an actual tapestry that depicts all of us as essential parts of our communities and countey!
That’s beautiful! Here is a painting by Shelah Horvitz that echoes that theme: A lantern held aloft in the darkness.
https://www.shelah-horvitz-art.com/workszoom/5548509/the-seeker#/
This is a gorgeous painting!
I have no doubt Trump and his sadistic MAGA followers will start targeting organizers of the pro-democracy movement. Somehow, we have to prepare ourselves for this so we can protect them.
The leaders of the movement are all of us There are millions of leaders. That has been my point for the last few months. Each of us by doing this work is a leader. We are building the movement. These events were all organized locally, by local people. The bottom up nature of the movement is what is going to make sustainable, powerful, effective. While we have been a little slow out of the box the progress we've made in recent weeks has been meaningful.
And precisely this is why our movement cannot be crushed! In time, we will be fully victorious.
YES! It is up to us, the power IS the people power!!
I think that is what the authoritarians don't get. I think that they they genuinely belive that George Soros or Reed ?? (the founder of LinkedIn) are bankrolling the grassroots movement and everyone is being paid to do this. On their side everything is transactional, grift and/or a power grab. So we do COMPUTE!!
I don’t think we were slow out of the box.
Considering that we initially expected our elected leaders to stand up for democracy, it took time to realize that wasn’t going to be happening.
Added to that, for me at least, was the dumbfounding realization that my representatives were cowards, which literally, momentarily dumbfounded me.
Given all the givens, I thought the grassroots groundswell was remarkably fast… and massive, and fantastic.
Victor, Ezra Levin from Indivisible tells us that the key is to turn out large crowds often, while we’re not encountering any significant pushback. The sooner and more frequently we do this, the bigger base we establish to fight them when they show up.
Thank you. Appreciate it. I just worry about those at the forefront, putting themselves out there in a big way. We all are here to some degree, but there are some who are more visible. So, what we really need to do is be visible. All of us.
When asked what we could do to protect Indivisible, Ezra basically said the same as Simon. These are grass roots, locally led movements, with guidance from the national level. He said, if they come for him, they won’t destroy the movement, and asked that we loudly protest any action taken against it.
If you are not currently tuning in to the Indivisible calls on Thursday afternoons with Ezra and Leah, you can register here:
https://indivisible.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GQy-In5hQYOfRmhTnrSkwQ
If you want to get caught up on the background, you can find the videos from prior sessions here:
https://www.youtube.com/@indivisibleteam/videos
I also got an email about a big organizing call from the folks at Women's March:
https://act.womensmarch.com/signup/20250409_masscall/
Several people I know chose not to go to a rally because they had safety concerns. Indivisible has an incredible organizing team, and the fact that they put "peaceful protest" at the top of their list is important. In doing so, it will be clear that when trouble makers show up, like they inevitably do here in Portland, Oregon, it will be made clear that they are not one of us. Hopeful those that are fearful will realize they are missing out on the fun.
I feel so sad that people are already acting from a place of fear. They’re missing out on so much love and joy that these events create. I saw one suggestion that people who are afraid can drive around the rallies in their car with flags or posters.
I almost didn't go yesterday b/c of fears of violence. This fear coming from a WDC Metro area resident of 45+ years who has attended many rallies, protests, marches, etc. Ever since 1/6 and the mad tyrant wannabe-king and his minions scared the s**t out of us, I've been reluctant. But yesterday I thought -- they ain't taking this one away from me. I was so pleased that there was no violence downtown, at least as far as I know. There was such a sense of connection and like-mindedness from everyone we encountered....from the minute we got on the Metro in Arlington, VA, to the human circle we made around the entire perimeter of the African American Museum (which is about the length of 4 city blocks!) to the crowds of people around the Sylvan Theatre stage, the Washington Monument, and beyond.
My brother lives in MD, so he went down on the metro and said he saw lots of folks carrying signs and banners.
Love to hear about the human circle around the perimeter of the African American Museum.
I was impressed that the first speaker at our rally focused on safety - hiighlighted the folks there in orange vests, and asked everyone to be on the lookout for troublemakers. I felt very safe.
Ezra Levin, I think. Right?
Correct, Ezra Levin of Indivisible, not Ezra Klein, the NY Times columnist.
(Who has good ideas sometimes too)
Ezra Levin is the co-executive director of Indivisible. Ezra Klein is a NYTs podcast journalist.
We flood the zone with our numbers - rallies, town halls, and by contacting our elected officials. The other side floods the zone with a slew of crappy, harmful policies. Our side will win.
George Soros is exhausted from signing all those checks.
lol
To all good Hopium patriots who participated in the "HandsOff!" demonstrations, and who contributed to our recent electoral victories and impressive over-performances: THANK YOU!
Remember:
"If you ever wondered what you would have done in Germany in 1933, you’re doing it now."
Indeed!!!!
This is, in large part, what drives. I never even batted an eye at politics and civil action before. I don't even recognize myself these days!
So true. I said that to one of the partners I know in a Big Law firm which has been silent (that is, bending the knee without a public statement to that effect). He was not happy - particularly when I reminded him of Elie Wiesel’s admonition that bystanders always help the oppressors - never the victim.
Our Georgian uber driver to the NYC rally thanked us for participating. 3 French tourists on our ferry ride home thanked us. It feels like the world is better and more united when we take a stand to care for one another.
Thank you Ellen, from the UK.
Hurray, Simon…and all of us!
And where's the major news coverage?
I've been wondering that, too.
I was extremely disappointed to get home yesterday after Washington's incredible Hands Off protest to find so little news coverage. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. We just have to keep this going for as long as it takes.
Maybe we are the ones who have to cover it. I'm writing a blog post right now about why my husband and I participated. Will it get seen? Who knows. But if thousands or millions of us speak about it, we'll be doing our part to keep the momentum alive.
Yes, Ellen. We are going to have to be ones to cover it. Good for you!
Citizen journalism at its finest!
YES!! And, as someone else said here, I'm still basking in yesterday's sunshine. No, it wasn't sunny here in Washington. In fact, it was cloudy with some occasional drizzle, but man did it feel like sunshine as the best disinfectant (as quoted by S.C. Justice Brandeis!)
I sent pictures to anyone I knew who supports our cause to spread the word. Don't get why there wasn't more coverage, this was HUGE nationwide. Love to hear your opinions on this..
Well said!! Thank you!!
Local news is very important, too. As in: https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2025/04/06/sarasota-protestors-rally-against-president-donald-trump-elon-musk/82958253007/
Also, it won't be long before the 5.2 MILLION countrywide HANDS OFF protesters will become so large and so loud that everyone will know about us...even if it isn't reported in propaganda forums. Our representative will know!
Rachel will cover mon pm for sure
Thank you for posting this. Rachel Maddow has been covering the protests in great detail since they started. She has called protesters "political leaders" and her show is usually a mini-class in political science.
The news coverage is widespread!!
https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-protests-hands-off-472c574303260cbac315367cc808960d
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/us/politics/anti-trump-protests-hands-off.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9k4.Emc_.n8WKaq0V1rBS&smid=url-share
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/05/nx-s1-5353388/hands-off-protests-washington-dc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyULBrNkYB4&ab_channel=CBSNews
https://wapo.st/4lk2Hu9 WaPo gift article
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2025/04/05/hands-of-protests-50-states-photos/82870935007/ and tons of local coverage like this from Chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_-8vVx94Ho&ab_channel=CBSChicago
TY Deborah...for sharing this great list!! I'm seeing it all over the msm!!!
Maybe in the larger areas, but not the smaller local newspapers primarily Republican.
The Chicago Tribune had an article, but it wasn't on the front page. And it referred to "scores" of people, not thousands! I was there, I KNOW there were thousands of us!
Thanks for the links!
Check The Guardian, Reuters, AP - they all have prominent articles this morning. Even Yahoo News, which has a scroll of photos/local articles from rallies all over the country. We will need to do this again and again before it breaks through to MSM, but I believe it will - what an incredible start! All evening, Rachel was reposting on Bluesky - scores and scores of shots that people sent her from their rallies in South Carolina, Idaho, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, tiny ruby red towns as well as the usual blue strongholds. It was beyond heartwarming, and inspiring.
The world has moved on from the MSM. All politics is local. We had 1,500 demonstrations. That’s 1,500 (x3) local news events in local papers, on local TV and radio. That’s 500 cars driving by the corner of Main and Redwood in our fishing/lumber/ranching town. That’s the Ukiah Daily Journal (inland NorCal, pop. 26K) running a front page article with photos of the demo at the county courthouse. 700-1,000 folks showed up, “the most since 2,000 attended the Women’s March.”
PS: for folks here the MSM has outsized importance. Just remember that we are in our own bubble. What matters is the word on the ground.
I saw a lot of coverage locally, and some on the national networks. I protested against the Vietnam war, and we never thought about being in the media, because there were only three networks. We showed up over and over again because it was the right thing to do, and the crowds kept getting larger. It's worth looking up the story about how Walter Cronkite helped end the war.
Today we are in a much different world, and the national news is more and more irrelevant. Today we have so many ways to get the word out to people. I'm only on Facebook, and not any of the popular media platforms available today. My feed is full of stories and incredible photos of what happened on Saturday, and I know many came across the feed of Republicans too.
Sen. Cory Booker's marathon speech got 350M likes on TikTok. That is much more important than a story on the national news.
I’ve seen a good amount of coverage on MSNBC
The Charlotte Rally I attended yesterday got quite a nice write up, but it was on the local Public TV channel's website -- not a major journalistic powerhouse. Here's a link in case you are interested:
https://tinyurl.com/HandsOffCLT
I'm not on Social media much, but many people that I talked to at the event in Charlotte were planning to post stuff on Social when they got home.
Speaking of Social media, I have signed up for an Introduction to BlueSky on Zoom hosted by Field team 6 on Wednesday 11 am PT/2pm ET:
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/745677/
There is also an advanced training the same day at 3 pm PT/6 pm ET for those that are already using it:
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/747440/
Tomorrow they also have a "Let's Get Loud" Training - FT6 must be channeling Simon! :-)
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/772276/
Thank you for the link to the Charlotte rally. That "Jefferson Griffin Stole Your Vote"sign is awesome. It doesn't appear, so far, that our local public radio station covered our protest, but the Winston-Salem Journal did have a great article and photos. I'll share the link but imagine it is behind a paywall. https://journalnow.com/news/local/government-politics/article_a4bb283d-c138-437a-aded-37c38bd179aa.html Addtionally, I love Bluesky but it definitely needs for users to achieve critical mass. TBlack@wordlydiscourse.bsky.social. My pics from yesterday are posted. Onward to the SKY.
Hey, I was just up in Winston Salem on Wednesday! 😊 I drove up with a friend for the day to go see the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at Reynolda House. It was great although some of the paintings were very bleak. But it was a nice break from the craziness!
There is a great photo spread of various rallies in The Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2025/04/photos-nationwide-protests-against-trump-and-musk/682320/
Still basking in the joy of yesterday.
Appreciate your adding Thune to the list of culprits. Hardly surprised but hoped he would be better.
Highly recommend Ben Wikler’s Substack post from yesterday analyzing the WI vote. Schimel out performed Janet P. (sorry can’t spell her last name, the WI supreme court justice who won in ‘23 by 10 points) in raw votes, but still lost to Crawford by more than 10 points. I’m no statistician but that reads as compelling evidence that there are more of us than them!
The choice of photo from WSJ proves the adage: if a picture paints a thousand words….
Happy Sunday Hopium mates. Off for a rejuvenating hike!!!!!
he looks like he's melting
like the wicked witch of the west!!!!
Does anyone know how we can access "the people's cabinet" launched by the DNC? Also Simon, you said Hakeem Jefferies was doing a daily brief or press conference (not sure of the term). How do we access this and amplify it? Thanks for the photos. I was in Greenfield MASS. a small town in central Mass where so many people packed a UU church to sing Pete Seeger songs and then head out in the freezing rain to stand on a street corner. It wasn't huge but it was good old central Massachusetts. Northampton Mass had over 1000 people show up! Fantastic!
Look for updates from the DNC here or use the contact form to request more info. https://democrats.org/news/dnc-chair-ken-martin-launches-peoples-cabinet-to-fiercely-counter-trump-administration-chaos-and-lies/
Hakeem Jeffries' weekly press conference is livestreamed here (last was Wednesday April 2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbeZ6JieuM&ab_channel=Rep.Jeffries
You can subscribe and request notifications. Also, Rep. Jeffries has the video links of the press conferences here. https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/leader-jeffries-republicans-are-crashing-american-economy-real-time-and for April 2
So helpful, Deborah! Thank you!
LIVE: Hakeem Jeffries' weekly press conference is live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1RmzlB0M0&ab_channel=Rep.Jeffries
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
Monday, April 7 at 3:15 p.m. (ET)
Thank you for the links Deborah!!
Thank you Deborah. This is the best thing about Hopium... so much networking and cheering. you all lift my spirits!
LIVE SOON: Hakeem Jeffries' weekly press conference is today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1RmzlB0M0&ab_channel=Rep.Jeffries
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
Monday, April 7 at 3:15 p.m. (ET)
get notifications: https://democraticleader.house.gov/contact/press-release/subscribe
Massachusetts, my birth state-GO Mass!!!!!
I am from Vermont — and we were in Tucson for the Hands Off rally, which exceeded everyone’s expectations size-wise… it was encouraging to be with likeminded folk! Take Back Democracy!
Left a comment about going to a protest in Fairfield, CA but forgot to mention a conversation I had with an intelligent woman who I referred to Hopium when she started a conversation about legacy media’s coverage. Told her all about Simon, his knowledge base and experience. She had never heard of Substack and was excited to look into Hopium. Warmed my heart!
That's how we do it! Person to person. :-D
Love this!
In the rally I attended yesterday, held every Sat in front of the tesla dealership, I ended up standing next to a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She was standing firm and...she was a Hopium subscriber! It was good to get out with other like minded people and SWEAR. Got new sign ideas, too.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
45,000 in Raleigh where my sister-in-law participated. Several thousand in Durham where my wife and I went. Word from Anderson Clayton and the NC Democratic party is to be on hold for now, but be ready for a major mobilization, perhaps to call the 60,000 voters in danger of being disenfranchised to get them to "cure" their ballots, which should actually need no curing but ...
Hi Matt, Excellent - I understand there are two weeks for voters to do this. I just hope enough do, to ensure the will of the people stands.
I was also at the Durham rally and there were people there actively working on this issue! They're having a meeting tomorrow night in Durham to reach the Duke and NCCU students affected (over 1,000) and will figure out a clear message to send out. They have the phone numbers of everyone on that list and will get on it as soon as they figure out what the Board of Elections recommends. It was so cool to see people with different contacts connecting, each of whom held important pieces of knowledge! Democracy in action right in front of my eyes! Electrifying. The Duke professor working on this indicated that there is a group working on this statewide, but I'm not sure who or how. I suspect it's groups of motivated citizens across the state directed by Anderson Clayton. Exciting to see, but deeply unsettling and frightening as well!
I spoke to Anderson Clayton yesterday and have been in touch with her this morning. They hope to have clear guidance for all of us late today or early tomorrow morning.
HOW do I get involved to help call people who need to cure their ballots? I am all in from deep red TX
Can we set up a Hopium force to help with the calling when the time is ripe?
Alison Riggs said she will appeal immediately and ultimately she wants to take it to federal court because those 65,000 have Federal election laws being violated. One thing about the defendant, she is a top lawyer, so who better to navigate the terrain.
I assume she will seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) so this thing may still play out for awhile...
They only have 2 weeks! We need to do this fast and work at least 2 shifts. We can do it!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
In the coverage I've seen here in UK (not much) there's reference to thousands taking part. Is there an estimate of total number at yesterday's protests?
It was easily in the millions
Here in Washington, estimates from the organizers were originally expected to be between 10,000 and 20,000. Then I saw an interview with Maxwell Frost where it was quoted to be 100,000 here. My understanding is that here in DC, official counts are no longer given by the National Park Service.
The Alt. National Park group estimated five million, but it's hard to say. Definitely millions! And this is one of the most encouraging things I've read about the power of the people and non-violent protests.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world?fbclid=IwY2xjawJeyvFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHv1zk9cyazC5LQIDF3y-0AzsEMNVa4gZSMYtLA-53nhTFtqjg81gpNt6YQcA_aem_K3-H728S9PKbgH1qDLQ-ow
Yup, these days like any other banana republic we have to get the news about what's really happening from the Beeb. One of our British brothers here on Hopium asked me recently what newspaper he should read to know what's really going on. "The Guardian," I replied. There's no place like home.
'Twas I Tom, thank you. That the BBC or Guardian are best places to turn for objective coverage of USA is an interesting reflection on USA media.
Good to hear from you, brother. And bad on me not to notice you initiated thid entire thread :D
Hi Tom, I'm so pleased you're keeping in contact. Our respective governments may be confrontational, but we the people can foster peace and respect. Proud to be a UK brother of yours.
I’ve read five million in a number of places as well. Which apparently is 1.5% of the population. Professor Erica Chenoweth’s work on movement’s says no regime has survived 3.5% of its population rising up (in a non-violent manner) so we are not that far off. Just give us more time!!
Alt National Park says there is another national day of protest coming 4/19/25 and their goal is 3.5% of the population for exactly the reasons you stated!
In my own world, I am noticing very low participation by young people (35 and under.) Some didn’t even know about the 4/5 protest, meaning it didn’t show up in their social media feed. Others knew and just didn’t participate, even though they dislike Trump. Would love to understand this better so we could mobilize this part of our community.
Hi Janet as someone in his 60s I can offer no insight here. I've heard of Joe Rogan and apparently he and his fellows helped get Trump over the line in 2024. How the Dems engage with younger voters I don't know, but I'm pleased better people than I are working on this.
I was in NYC, and it felt massive. I can't confirm this claim of 100,000, but there were a LOT of people marching down 5th Avenue, stretching on for about 20 blocks in the on-and-off rain. Here's a fantastic view -- sound on: https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3lm3scqfwvc2s
Wow, that's impressive!
The Alt National Park (on FB and probably other social media) today said total count was 5.2 million.
Thanks Jayne. It shows a huge amount of energy out there, hopefully this will translate to future votes.
Was there a counter-demonstration in Leesburg, VA?
I had the same question, AAnn St, Clair. I am a California transplant from Northern Virginia and was disheartened to see the small crowds on sidewalk as the Trump "float" drove through town. Leesburg is not that far from the WMA. Although hurray from the flags flown from the building in the background. Pasadena, CA represented well yesterday and throughout the Tesla Takedowns.
Looks like it, but here is an affirmative view of Leesburg. https://www.instagram.com/marciaklioze/reel/DIFmUPqxYvs/
Thanks. I needed that perspective as I follow the current state of politics in the Commonwealth of "Sic semper tyrannis"