by Laurie Veninger
Many of us learned in grade school about the “shot heard round the world,” which set the American Revolution in motion.
In 1775, grassroots activists in Massachusetts set up the Lexington Alarm — a group of patriots ready to spread information quickly through a network of post riders — to warn against a British advance.
Paul Revere, the most famous of the Lexington Alarm riders, warned minutemen (local militias) that the British were moving toward Concord to destroy munitions being stored there.
April 19, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of these famous events, which resulted in something the world had not seen before: governance for the people, by the people. The towns of Lexington and Concord have been preparing for this celebration of the birth of America. However, in 2025, the stage is set for another struggle between grassroots and tyranny.
In addition to festivities planned by the towns, multiple grassroots groups will rally to support democracy and oppose President Donald Trump. Some speculate that Trump will also attend, along with the militiamen who support him.
Just as the Lexington Alarm riders were at the forefront of resistance to British tyranny in 1775, Indivisibles will stand against the tyranny of today and for democracy and the rule of law. Local Indivisible groups in Concord and Lexington are coordinating with Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition and Indivisible National on multiple events surrounding this auspicious date.
A date just as consequential today
The first day of Trump’s second presidency, he signed an executive order claiming a national emergency, citing fictional horrors occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border, in order to send in U.S. military and National Guard troops. He claimed that migrants were a threat to our sovereignty, characterizing their arrival as an invasion. He also ordered the secretaries of defense and homeland security to report in 90 days on whether the Insurrection Act of 1807 is needed to control the border.
April 20, 2025, is that day.
The Insurrection Act empowers the president, with few legal limitations, to deploy U.S. military or federalized National Guard troops inside the country, even against American citizens. The Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from acting against citizens, would be suspended. Currently, the definition of insurrection is vague: “unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States.” Since the Supreme Court has upheld that the president alone can decide the meaning of these words, it’s not hard to imagine Trump and his sycophants orchestrating violence at peaceful protests in parts of the country away from the border in order to claim that we are a threat and to circumvent our First Amendment rights to “freedom of speech” and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”
It is possible that April 19, No Kings Day, may be the last protest protected by the First Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act. While April 5 was peaceful, we should be ready for future events to be attended by bad actors such as agents provocateurs or white nationalists.
What we can do now
Our efforts on April 5 were a stunning overachievement, with estimates of 3 to 5 million people turning out. Mainstream media reports were lackluster; corporate media has capitulated and does not want to do anything to upset Trump. The Boston Globe reported “thousands” instead of “tens of thousands” or “one hundred thousand.” The Washington Post reported “thousands nationwide,” rather than the actual “millions.”
We succeeded in capturing the groundswell of angst among ordinary citizens, but we must continue to overachieve in order to break through. The fear among organizers now is that those citizens who participated on April 5 will feel they have now done their part.
This would be a disaster.
Studies of social movements worldwide show “that no government has maintained legitimacy and power after 3.5% of their population has mobilized against it during a peak event.” On April 5, we didn’t get there. At upcoming events, everyone must return with two friends — and then stay engaged.
This newly activated, nonviolent collective of ordinary citizens must continue to:
- Attend/organize large-scale events but be mindful to not risk the whole movement by responding to taunts from Trump supporters. Our side must not provoke or engage, and we should document any suspicious actors.
- Demand that mainstream media accurately report on our protests. Write letters to the editor and send complaints.
- Demand that elected officials prepare a response to the Insurrection Act and that media outlets report on it. This includes not just our elected officials in Washington, D.C., but also our state’s legislature and governor.
- Follow Indivisible Mass Coalition and Indivisible National for other recommended actions.
At the core of Indivisible’s strategy is making our voices known to our elected representatives and senators. Imagine red state officials on April 5: Several million people turned out against them, Project 2025 is hugely unpopular, Musk is hugely unpopular, and their voters want them to stop destroying federal agencies that provide them with benefits. The question is whether they are more afraid of Trump or the people who will vote them out of office (if we are lucky enough to have real elections in the future).
Now imagine if every person attending April 5 called their elected officials on April 6 to demand they act to save democracy. Even if we accept the media’s low count of thousands instead of millions, these calls would give most legislators pause.
Huge numbers of constituent calls to Congress (enough to break the Senate switchboard) is what finally pushed some Democratic representatives and senators to start actively opposing Republicans in the House and Senate.
We need to keep it up.
As patriots, we need to keep making the case to fellow citizens that this is what it takes to firm up the backbones of Dems and to send quivers down the spines of Republicans. This is our Paul Revere moment. Sound the alarms. Light the lanterns. Spread the word that now is our time to ride.
Laurie Veninger is a co-leader of IMC’s Feminist Action Team, Communications Standing Team, and Indivisible Outer Cape.
