Seeds Will Grow

Cross-posting Rise and Shine’s recent email, in response to recent political violence and admonishing movements for social justice to be vocal about their commitment to nonviolence.

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The murder of Charlie Kirk—a right-wing speaker and organizer who made frequent racist, sexist, homophobic, and cruel comments—set off a head-spinning melee of violent threats, dangerous false claims, shocking lies, and an overwhelming mess of misinformation. It’s hard to simply keep up with it all, let alone find the time to debate and debunk them with your neighbor, coworker, or family member. 

It’s a dangerous moment for all of us. It’s how hate crimes happen. It’s how civil wars start. It’s how political violence worsens. 

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is taking Kirk’s last message as a personal directive to dismantle the left. We’ve already seen coordinated legal efforts (like subpoenas to testify) directed at groups working on migrant rights and anti-ICE organizing. Under the guise of rooting out violent left-wing factions, we are likely to see widespread surveillance of activist groups, politicized crackdowns, and abuses of power.

Amidst this, one of our best ‘insurance policies’ is our steadfast commitment to nonviolence. For example, a right-wing online journal recently posted an article claiming that federal law enforcement had been informed that FLARE, a nonviolent antifascist group in DC, was planning coordinated attacks on law enforcement. This was false. 

FLARE has a nonviolence commitment and they were able to lean on it to disprove those claims. It is a good example of how and why nonviolence doesn’t just help us win, it can make attempts at repression like this backfire on the regime. 

How does this work? Here’s the play-by-play:

1. The regime claims we’re a violent threat. 
2. We demonstrate the truth: we’re committed to nonviolence.
3. The regime is exposed as deceitful liars. 
4. Their trustworthiness is undermined—even in the eyes of their supporters.
5. Supporters start to wonder what else isn’t the whole truth.
6. We start to see loyalty shifts along the Spectrum of Allies and the Pillars of Support.
7. The regime loses critical support groups.
8. We win. (Eventually.)

All this only works if we are nonviolent. If we use violence, all bets are off. The use of violence by ‘our side’ proves the regime right. They can easily justify their crackdown, and their supporters agree with them. Outgunned (quite literally), our movements have difficulty withstanding the level of repression the regime can unleash.  

It’s in our best interest to commit to nonviolence. A clear nonviolence commitment can help us distinguish our group from a violent flank, or acts of sabotage or property damage being framed as violence. Here’s a recent example.

A few months ago, as Tesla Takedown was picking up steam with stock prices plummeting, sales dropping off a cliff, and nationwide picketline protests at showrooms. Then some people began setting Teslas on fire at dealerships. Trump and Musk threatened to deport the arsonists to prisons in El Salvador. 

Tesla Takedown could have collapsed. Why didn’t it?

Because they rolled out a nonviolence commitment that helped them distance themselves from the acts of arson. On their website and action sign-up page, they put a prominent notice up:

Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.

They protected themselves from a crackdown by the Trump administration, refocused the movement on the effective tactics of the boycott and pickets, and continued to put pressure on Musk until he withdrew from DOGE. 

Nonviolence is our insurance. It doesn’t guarantee safety. But it does help us stand up and push back when we’re accused of violence. It gives us a strong foundation for disproving false claims and making attacks backfire. And that has a lot of strategic value. 

Take some time this week to review your statement of nonviolence. How does your group articulate your nonviolence commitment? Where is it publicly posted? Do the people you work with know about it and know how to adhere to it? 

In solidarity,

Rivera, Ken, and the Pace e Bene Team

PS – We’re headed into our Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, Sept 21-Oct 2. With over 5,562+ actions and events happening to build a culture of peace and active nonviolence, we’re going to be a little busy. We may skip a week … but don’t worry. We’ll be back to Rise & Shine soon.

We can make the use of political violence backfire on those who use it. Take a look at the 5 R’s from Harnassing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE).

• Reveal: expose what’s happening. Our opponents thrive on secrecy. Tell the truth. Document. Get the story out there.
• Redeem: rehumanize the target. Our opponents want to demonize those they attack. Lies and misinformation can be countered with storytelling, positive images, and solidarity.
• Re-frame: reinterpret the situation from your perspective. Opponents will often cast blame (unfairly), dismiss the impacts of their harm, and justify their violence as necessary. By reframing, we reclaim the narrative and keep the focus where we want it.
• Redirect: mobilize support outside of coopted/corrupt channels. Opponents will push the issue into courts, police departments, or proceedings where they feel likely to win. Our task is to redirect the process into public action, so true accountability can occur.
• Resist: stand firm against intimidation or capitulation. Opponents will try to bribe or threaten you and allies into compliance. Stand firm and united in your goals.

Check out this printable 1-pager to the 5 R’s or this longer slightly longer guide or this 123-pg version. You’ll find more resources on HOPE’s website. You may also like these videos on the Paradox of Repression.

You can also join HOPE’s training with Indivisible on Sept 21 to learn the best practices around how to identify, defuse, and prevent the spread of political violence. 

You may also appreciate this robust toolkit called the Backfire Manual on The Commons Social Change Library.

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