PLEASE SHARE!!!!!
Our original intention with this call was to get the signatures of academics, political activists, organizers and others known to various elements of the US public. However, given the urgency of the moment, it seems best just to put it out there in the hope that it will inspire people in the United States to begin organizing among their friends and acquaintances to protest any potential Trumpist theft of the upcoming US election. So, please read this, share it far and wide, and get a group together to protest if/when the need arises.—Peter Bohmer and Ron Jacobs
This is a call to the people of the United States who believe in fair elections, wish to preserve what remains of our democratic process and want to join the struggle for a nation where democracy and justice come before profits.
It is becoming clearer with each passing day that the Trump administration and its supporters in Congress, the government bureaucracy and certain state capitals do not intend to let all eligible voters in the US vote in the November presidential elections. They are tampering with the mail, lying about mail-in ballots, practicing various types of voter suppression, and generally laying the foundation for a rejection of any outcome that does not give Donald Trump a popular and electoral victory.
Understanding the high stakes involved, it is time for those in the US to act. It is imperative we protest in the streets if Trump attempts to steal the 2020 election and stay in power. The 2000 election stolen by George Bush showed the limitations of a purely legal strategy which the Democrats unsuccessfully used.
Therefore:
If Donald Trump rejects the results of the November 3, 2020 election in any manner, and/or if he refuses to leave the White House--we call on people around the nation to gather at their local Federal Building, their parks and town squares, their campus greens and auditoriums, their churches and their schools and protest until Donald Trump and his administration leaves. We also call for a simultaneous protest and occupation of the National Mall in Washington, DC.
We should also begin now to prepare for a General Strike in case this violation of democracy occurs. In a general strike, workers go on strike and stop all production and distribution and then produce for general distribution, essential goods and services.
This General Srike should begin the day it is clear that Trump and his supporters illegally attempt to stay in power and continue until Trump accepts his defeat. For a general strike to be successful and effective, it will require a lot of organizing, beginning now.
A general strike and mass protests in the streets could be very powerful and even more important, effective, to end Trumpism.
This is not an endorsement of any candidate. It is a plea to salvage what remains of the democratic process. We understand removing the Trump administration is not a panacea. However, it is a step back from the fascist trajectory the Trump administration has been following the past four years. Indeed, we support calls to continue and step up protests for economic, social and racial justice after the election no matter who wins.
Paul L. Atwood, Veterans for Peace, Mass Peace Action and UMass Boston
Ron Jacobs, writer and library worker, Vermont
Peter Bohmer, Faculty Emeriti Evergreen State College
Brian Tokar, Lecturer, University of Vermont
Marc Estrin, writer, editor and publisher at Fomite Press
