I have been encouraging people to attend the April 5 protests on the National Mall in DC (or their local equivalent elsewhere). The responses have been concerning on both extremes. My friends, including a teacher, a tour guide, and a tradesman, have all expressed the same anxiety: “Well, guess it’s time to see if they’re really going to shoot us.”
Concerning, morbid, but not improper or exaggerated. As reported by NPR, President Donald Trump once instructed beleaguered Defense Secretary Mark Esper, to shoot protestors in the legs, and has since explicitly reserved the right and indicated a desire to have protestors shot. During his confirmation hearing, ex-Fox News host and current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was asked directly whether he would obey such an order and seemed to indicate he was “good with it.”
The other response, which I find a bit more troubling, is the “Why bother?” mentality I mostly see on online spaces and especially on Reddit. Here is my straw man example:
“Hey man, I got nothin’ against protests. They make people feel like they are doing something. Maybe that matters. But nobody has written an essay telling me how marching and chanting and holding signs and banging drums is meant to revolutionize the world. All anyone ever says is the viewers at home could feel inspired to join the next time. IMHO that seems quite far-fetched. I think those guys will just cringe and scroll past. The system is too entrenched. People in power are not watching. Nothing meaningful comes from shouting in the streets—it’s not the ’60s anymore, buddy! Just being realistic.”
People like that guy I just made up have already accepted that protests are meaningless wastes of time, that nothing can change, and that all attending earnestly would do is make them feel silly and self-conscious. I get it—I am notoriously cynical, too, and I am not a big “take to the streets” guy either, but I think presupposing futility is a trap that, instead of leading people to do something even more effective with their time (whatever the heck that is—I certainly do not know!), causes them to instead hang out on the couch in a low mood. I am resistant to throwing cold water on these sorts of marches because we are in a time where people who are opposed to the current Presidents Trump and Musk are dispirited, need the morale, and, if left to believe that every action is futile, will do nothing.
In this case, the 04/05 “Hands Off!” march on the Mall should at least clarify whether we are already at the “ignore the protesters,” “tear gas the protesters,” or “shoot the protesters” points on the timeline, which I want to know.
As a broader point, visible defiance is important in a world where the president and politicians deliberately insulate themselves from negative feedback. Republicans are avoiding town halls because they do not even want to know how their constituents are impacted. Not good.
Protests exercise civic muscle—citizens who engage in mass gatherings will likely be politically active in the future. They provide an opportunity for organizers to meet and connect with people, or for people to make connections in the real world. Perhaps two #NeverTrumpers will fall in love, or form a local group to pressure their representatives that would not have occurred had they not made the trip.
For me, an underrated element is that they simply give attendees the opportunity to listen to some speakers—which is at least as good a use of a Saturday as watching Netflix.
I do not think anyone is under the illusion that holding a sign will change the country back to what it was in 2015. But there will be people holding signs no matter what, so I think it would be good for people who have nothing else to do that day to make that number as big as possible. And if they do end up on camera trying to hurt the crowd, I am (1) dipping the hell out, and (2) that should hopefully help anyone still ambivalent recognize what time it is.
I hope the April 5 event includes the absolute maximum number of people. When people dismiss protest as futile, on any given weekend, their alternative is just indolence. I feel like if you think it pointless, do it anyway, because most other things you might have had going on would accomplish even less.
Make a plan to attend this Saturday.
Hands Off! March on D.C.
also being called:
April 5: PEOPLE’S VETO DAY!
Saturday, April 5, 2025
12:00 PM at Washington Monument, National Mall, D.C.
Additional Information:
Also see:
or if you prefer to get your “life pro tips” from reddit threads: