Make it the biggest damn funeral ever in Minnesota

No Kings will be a hit. The images will be great. More folks will turn out than last time. People will walk away renewed for the fight. And, outside of training in crowd building and event participation, such events yield little long-term.

This morning in Minnesota, Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark are dead, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette are gravely injured.

I was going to write on how illusory protests look, as even red states can get good turnout with a major city or college town. And how opposing Trump loudly does not make your wishes more likely to come true. Strategy does. Plans for progress do. Protests without these are merely emotional support gatherings.

So without objections from family, go to Minnesota. Make it the biggest goddamned funeral a state legislator has ever had.

Today makes our situation much more dire. Now, every Democratic state lawmaker wonders if they are on some MAGA hit list. Every time they see a police officer walking toward them, they are now afraid. These people will start to panic, and not without reason. The progressive community must hold the line and show elected officials they are not alone. Such an assassination is a hallmark of fascism. Even if this assassin acted alone for private concerns, it is still escalating political violence that we must call out to the world as unacceptable.

Go to the funeral

Express sympathy for the bereaved and gather to witness against fascism—go to Minnesota for their funeral. Show the country that the elected officials who stand against Trump matter. Turnout is essential here. Who are these people coming from all over the country for a funeral? Why are they here? This allows us to resist the violence that underpins fascism through a tragic, clear example. Every elected official now on the front lines needs to know we are there for them. Otherwise, fear will take hold and Trump will win.

So without objections from family, go to Minnesota. Make it the biggest goddamned funeral a state legislator has ever had. The future of our democracy is at stake.