Country. And as kpix 5 shows us, some of the marchers have stories of painful loss. Reporter they march to bring attention who what organizers call an epidemic of gun violence in the u. S. 33,000 people a year are killed by guns. Reporter and the protesters wore orange tshirts matching the Golden Gate Bridge. Walking through a dense fog this morning. Nothing in my life prepared me for my son being murdered. Reporter many came for deeply personal reasons. But this woman says she wanted to honor her son william who was savagely beaten and shot to death in november. I would say as a mother, you know, hug your kids, and you know, when you see them, and let them know that you love them, because you never know when Something Like this is going to happen. The bay areas antigun rally was one of 500 similar events in cities across the country. And inspired by the sandy hook massacre, and organizers say they are taking aim at common sense legislation that they believe would reduce gun violence.
The Importance of Local and National Collaboration
Neither the Indivisible Guide nor the organizationâs brilliantly effective map built the 2017 resistance movement wave, but they were critical in allowing our group to conceive of ourselves as powerful political agents.
Stephanie Klein-Davis/The Roanoke Times via AP
Members of Charlottesville Indivisible attended a demonstration in Moneta, Virginia, May 9, 2017, before a town hall event with Republican Rep. Tom Garrett.
This article is part of the Prospect
On a cold January day in 2017, my group of friends and activists delivered New Yearâs cards to the office of Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the powerful House Judiciary Committee chair. It was a surreal afternoonâwe were never allowed in his office and talked to his chief of staff in a hallway. It was my first-ever congressional office visit.
Resistance Disconnect
As the clock struck noon on January 20, 2021, liberals across America let out sighs of relief. But relaxation has been transitory, as it dawns on activists that Trumpâs departure is just one moment in an ongoing, dire struggle to save U.S. democracy and make government work for the majorityâas the Republican Party ever more tightly embraces violent authoritarian tendencies.
How to proceed? Many left advocates see this as a moment to rev up progressive demands on newly installed Democratic officials. However, we also need to understand how and why the momentum gained in fights to save Obamacare and win congressional and down-ballot elections in 2017 and 2018 did not fully carry over into 2020, when Democrats suffered net losses in the House and in many states. For the American left that carries the fate of U.S. democracy on its shoulders, this is a moment to learn from past shortfalls and not just mount new Beltway demands.