Why we must rise again and bigger to protest peacefully

Ariel Hasse-Zamudio, a member of Juneau for Democracy, speaks at a protest in support of unions and against the Trump administration on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Independent)

By Kate Troll

Within the last year, I have protested more than I have in the last 50 years. Sometimes it seems futile, but as the stakes for our democracy grow in intensity, so do the numbers grow.

And as the numbers grow, it’s important to be aware of the 3.5 % rule advanced by political scientist and Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth. After studying the success rates of civil resistance efforts from 1900 to 2006 and focusing on major violent and nonviolent efforts to bring about regime change, Chenoweth and other political scientists found that when 3.5% of the population of a country protest nonviolently against a government, that government is likely to fall from power. 

It is estimated that the last nationwide No Kings Protest garnered about 1.5% participation. Now with thousands already in the streets in Chicago and Portland, that number is likely to grow when the second No Kings protest occurs this Oct.18.

But there is more reason than a number for engaging in defense of our Constitution in these undeniably challenging times. Since the last No Kings rally, there is now the outrage over deploying the National Guard to Chicago and Portland over the objections of state and local leaders; suggesting that the military answers to the president and not the Constitution. There is the refusal to keep health care costs affordable for millions of Americans while bailing out an authoritarian regime in Argentina for $20 billion. So much for America First. 

Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to rally together is the escalation of breeding fear and resentment among Americans. Somehow now all Democrats are branded as “evil” and “the enemy within.” Then to pour fuel on this divisive fire, the president suggests that the U.S. military should use democratically run cities as training grounds for battle deployment.  

Google up characteristics of fascism and you get 16 characteristics. Here are just the first two: 

1) Powerful, often exclusionary, populist nationalism centered on cult of a redemptive, “infallible” leader who never admits mistakes.

2) Political power derived from questioning reality (like the 2020 election), endorsing myth and rage, and promoting lies.

Doesn’t this sound like Donald Trump and the MAGA cult? If not, look up the other 14 characteristics and you’ll see strong parallels to what is happening today in America. 

To oppose this march toward a bleak, authoritarian regime is to be labeled “Antifa” as in against fascism. Trump has called for “Antifa” to be listed as a domestic terrorist organization, when no such organization exists. 

“Antifa” is not a network, or a collective, or a syndicate. It has no headquarters, it holds no assets, and it has no members. It publishes no pamphlets, records no podcasts and sells no branded merch. It has no policy agenda or plan for a national takeover. It’s simply people opposing fascism in favor of democracy. 

According to a June 2025 poll from NPR, PBS and Marist, about three-quarters of Americans say democracy is under serious threat. This means that three-quarters of Americans could potentially be seen as Antifa and therefore a threat. 

Residents in Portland have been experiencing the steady thrum of Black Hawk helicopters circling overhead. According to resident Cristina Breshears, “the sound is constant, invasive; a low mechanical beating above our homes. It’s expensive. It’s intimidating. And it’s unnecessary.” Ms. Breshears notes in her Facebook post, “our protests have been largely peaceful. There is no insurrection here. Yet this federalized military presence makes us feel like we are living in a war zone.” 

If this isn’t fascism on the march then I don’t know what is. And despite President Trump’s efforts to target an organization that doesn’t exist, this is the time for all us Aunt Tifas and Uncle Tifas to rise up. This is the time to double the size of the first No Kings rally; the time to reach for the 3.5% threshold of resistance. 

Let’s not forget that a nation’s soul is measured not by the might of its military, but by the generosity of its people. We can’t allow intimidation to replace compassion; to trade our conscience for control. We protest because we want our country, our democracy at its best; not spiraling downward into fascism. It’s time to rise up again…and again. 

Please attend and bring your neighbor to "No Tsars, No Kings Rally" scheduled for noon on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at Overstreet Park (The Whale) in Juneau. 

• Kate Troll, a longtime Alaskan, has more than 25 years of experience in coastal management, fisheries and energy policy and is a former executive director for United Fishermen of Alaska and the Alaska Conservation Voters. She’s been elected to local office twice, written two books and resides in Juneau.