Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, we have seen dramatically
elevated assaults on the integrity of people to live in freedom and dignity. These
assaults are part of a pattern by forces that have a long history of organizing to violently protect the power of white, wealthy, heterosexual men. These forces trace their roots to the earliest days of our colonial experience, justifying the genocide against indigenous peoples, the enslavement of Africans, the dehumanization of workers, and the destruction of mother earth. They proudly proclaim this legacy and are organizing now to make it illegal to speak truthfully of our history or to engage in the development of alternative visions of our future that would put people over profits, the protection of life over the privileges of a few.
It is this drive to establish an authoritarian state that is behind the efforts of the federal government to use military troops against people in our cities. The calling up of the National Guard in California, the invasion of Washington DC and the occupation of Memphis, Tennessee are part of an effort to normalize a military presence in our daily lives. These troops, combined with a growing army of federalized ICE agents, are operating without any accountability for their actions, kidnapping people, mocking due process, and endangering all of us with reckless cruelty.
We, the National Council of Elders call upon all people who care about freedom and the development of a living democracy to resist this federal abuse of power.
We welcome the countless acts of individual heroism and collective courage that are
happening across this land as people organize to protect neighbors, support each other, and strengthen the bonds of community and place.
These actions draw upon the rich legacy of human and civil rights activists who have
historically resisted oppression, dehumanization, and the desecration of all that is
sacred. Much of our own history as elders has forged the resistance practices opposing fascism exercised against African Americans.
We look to the peoples of the globe for inspiration and solidarity, knowing that we
cannot reconstruct this land without profoundly altering the relationships our government has been creating through force and violence.
We encourage people to join with others to support the actions in their communities that
● Defend and protect immigrants,
● Document illegal government actions,
● Resist the construction of detention centers,
● Demand access to those people who are currently being held,
● Create counter narratives rooted in truth,
● Support members of the military in learning how to resist unlawful orders,
● Engage in peaceful, public demonstrations challenging inhuman practices by the federal government.
We must organize to do everything in our power to document, disrupt, and limit the
powers of the military in our communities.
We cannot rely on our institutions alone to stop the rise of fascism. The allure of money, power, and the protection of privilege is too great. The fear of retribution too paralyzing. Courts, legislatures, media, and universities are now enabling unchecked power to distort the lives of people everywhere.
Only people, organizing together for a better world can stop fascism. We support all
local and national actions to make clear that this drive to create a cruel, brutal world is against all that we have dedicated our lives to creating. We believe this is an
unprecedented moment where we have the opportunity to build just communities rooted in a culture of peace, or to find ourselves living in a country that celebrates its most inhuman and destructive impulses. The choice is ours.
What actions will you take?