A Case for Corner Protests

The Resistance Table: Why All Forms Deserve a Seat.

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Photo by beyza yurtkuran on Unsplash

Since the announcement of No Kings III, a tsunami of criticism has risen. People have critiqued or expressed concern about the date, the method, and the efficacy of No Kings.

Unfortunately, much of the confusion comes from a lack of information. People lead busy lives. They work. They raise children. They build relationships. They rest. Few have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the breadth and depth of the movement. For some, it can be hard to estimate the value of a mass national protest in the throes of (gestures around) all of this. It can be easy to discount their purpose.

So, let’s do that today.

A powerful civil resistance movement is not a podium; it’s a table. A podium approach crowns a handful of civil resistance actions as the most vital, oftentimes to the detriment of others. Sustained strikes or civil disobedience are awarded proverbial medals, while corner protests or rallies are disparaged, rarely even earning an honorable mention, and occasionally, earning censure. When we take the podium approach, a vast well of civil resistance goes unacknowledged.

Instead, we ought to view resistance as a table. At this table, varying forms of dissent gather to improve and defend democracy. If that table were uniform—comprised of just one or two forms of civil resistance—it would fail. It would not be able to innovate or respond. Its uniformity would be a weakness. By contrast, a table can add chairs to expand or adapt to fresh challenges.

Our movement began as more of a café table. It was largely street protests, calls, and national rallies. However, over the past year, it has added leaves and pulled up more seats. Between No Kings and Good Trouble, there has been an ever-increasing groundswell of walkouts, sit-ins, boycotts, mutual aid, ICE watches, and other direct actions.

Last week, hundreds of high school groups staged walkouts as part of a national strike. On January 23, 100 clergy members were arrested at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. They sang hymns and knelt in prayer to draw attention to deportation flights. Crowds of dissenters have marched through Target stores or staged sit-ins at Hilton hotels. Mutual aid events are on the rise. Groups responding to ICE threats have exploded. Over the last year, the frequency and diversity of direct actions have blossomed.

In the mix of all this is the foundation—street protests. They are easy to discount. Few hit the headlines. They happen quietly every day, on overpasses and main streets. However, they occupy an integral place at the table.

Corner protests serve three main functions: community building, resistance training, and visibility. Between the chants and waves, people are able to dip a toe into civil resistance. They hear stories, gain boldness, and imagine themselves taking other forms of action. From there, they may attend a training, join an ICE watch, or speak at a town hall.

Furthermore, street protests raise visibility. Whether it’s a protest in front of an ICE field office masquerading as an office complex, or the headquarters of a corporation colluding with DHS, street protests act as a neon arrow on an otherwise quiet lane. They shout, “HEY! See this? This is wrong.” They interrupt our routines and force us to direct our eyes toward the suffering around us.

Let me be clear: they are not the end-all and be-all. Effective civil resistance movements are never just marches. Other forms of resistance are vital to building pressure and toppling pillars of power. However, in Erica Chenoweth’s research, they found that the “ability of people to organize large-scale participation and build momentum” is essential. That is the power of No Kings and efforts like it.

Friday’s national strike stood on the shoulders of local organizers doing the work of welcoming their neighbors into the resistance. People marched by the thousands through city streets because of the expertise and structure built by volunteers. Word spread rapidly because of the mailing lists, Signal chats, and websites built by organizers.

Our movement has grown because of community. It is a table surrounded by diverse voices. Every form of nonviolent dissent has a seat—and when a new need arises, we must be ready to add a leaf and pull up another chair.