peaceful protest – Critical Mass: Three Point Five Percent

October 22, 2025October 24, 2025

3.5% Rule’: The Anti-Trump Movement Is Nearing an Important Threshold

MSNBC by The Rachel Maddow

An excerpt from The Rachel Maddow Show highlights how the recent No Kings rallies signal a new stage of organized, nonviolent resistance. Seven million people took part nationwide — one of the largest single-day protest turnouts in U.S. history — as thousands of local events replaced the old model of single-city marches. Drawing on new research from Harvard’s Kennedy School, Maddow connects this decentralized momentum to political scientist Erica Chenoweth’s “3.5 percent rule,” which shows that when roughly 3.5 percent of a population engages in sustained, peaceful protest, movements almost always prevail. With participation expanding into traditionally pro-Trump counties, the data suggest that the U.S. is edging closer to that historic threshold where disciplined, nonviolent action can deliver real change.

➜ Read the full article at MSNBC

October 17, 2025October 24, 2025

Protest Safety & Rights: A Field Guide for Peaceful Resistance

A brief field guide for peaceful resistance

Peaceful protest is one of the oldest forms of American participation—a reminder that power still answers to people. Whether demonstrations rise in response to authoritarian overreach, attacks on rights, or local injustice, the principles are the same: show up, stay calm, move together, and keep it nonviolent. Authoritarianism grows when people stay home and look away; it recedes when enough of us stand together in public and say no. We do not need everyone, just a steady, disciplined presence large enough to be seen, heard, and impossible to ignore. Numbers create safety, and clarity creates momentum.

A little preparation goes a long way toward keeping you and the folks beside you safe and effective. Whether this is your first protest or your fiftieth, a quick refresher on safety and rights helps everyone show up with confidence. Peaceful assembly is protected by law, and the most durable movements pair courage with discipline. Know your rights, plan ahead, move with a buddy, and look out for one another so the message stays clear and everyone gets home safe.

The following guide includes sections on everything from phone security to what to do if tear gas or pepper spray is deployed. It isn’t exhaustive, but it covers the essentials to help you stay safe, focused, and effective. While most protests remain peaceful and orderly, it’s still worth understanding how to stay calm and protect yourself if something unexpected happens. Being ready for the worst doesn’t mean you expect violence—it means you value safety, solidarity, and the ability to keep your protest nonviolent even under pressure.

October 6, 2025October 25, 2025

Why Nonviolent Protest Can Work When We Actually Try It

Nick Allison challenges the fatalism that says peaceful protest has “already been tried.” Drawing on data from Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, he argues that disciplined nonviolent movements succeed far more often than violent uprisings—and that no campaign reaching even 3.5 percent of a population’s active participation has ever failed. From Gandhi to King to Havel, history shows the power of organized nonviolence, and Allison contends Americans have yet to test it at scale. His call isn’t for revolution but for civic discipline: fill the streets, stay peaceful, and defend democracy without surrendering the moral high ground. Violence, he warns, only feeds authoritarianism; sustained, visible nonviolence erodes it.

➜ Read the full essay at The Fulcrum.

September 29, 2025October 17, 2025

No Kings: National Day of Action, October 18

On October 18, the No Kings coalition is organizing a National Day of Action with one clear message: America has no kings, and power belongs to the people. Their call is rooted in disciplined nonviolence — organizers stress de-escalation, lawful action, and a strict ban on weapons at events. Trainings on protest safety and “know your rights” are underway, equipping participants to resist authoritarian drift without feeding cycles of violence.

→ Read more at No Kings

July 21, 2016September 21, 2025

5 Peaceful Protests That Led to Social and Political Changes

Global Citizen, July 8, 2016 — by Meghan Werft and Julie Ngalle

From Gandhi’s Salt March to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat, history shows how nonviolent action can spark profound political and social change. This piece highlights five landmark movements—the Salt March, the 1913 Suffrage Parade, the Delano Grape Boycott, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Estonia’s Singing Revolution—each proving that peaceful resistance can topple unjust systems, expand civil rights, and even win independence. Together, they serve as powerful reminders that sustained, nonviolent protest can achieve what violence cannot: lasting systemic change.

→ Read the full story at Global Citizen