Indivisibles,

If your goal is to reduce the power of those who cheer political violence, how do you strategically respond to acts of political violence? This is unfortunately a real-life strategic question we’ve been wrestling with all year. So I have some thoughts, and Indivisible has some actions.

Political violence hurts democracy. Period. Minutes after the news broke that Charlie Kirk had been shot, we had a group leader call with a few hundred Indivisible leaders across the country. On that call and in a statement, we condemned this horrifying attack, expressed our deepest condolences to Kirk’s wife and two young children, and reasserted our commitment to peaceful, people-powered organizing.

This is more or less what we did after Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in June; and after the firebombing of Governor Shapiro's residence in April; and after the shooting of Trump in July of last year; and after the attempted murder of Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022; and after the bloody insurrection at the Capitol in 2021; and after the kidnapping plot against Governor Whitmer in 2020.

This is not an academic thing for us. Like judges and other public figures, Indivisible broadly, and Leah and myself specifically, have been threatened by right-wingers all year. And we’ve heard similar stories from Indivisible leaders around the country.

So at Indivisible we’re very clear: political violence is a cancer on democracy. It doesn’t matter if you disagree politically -- and we strongly disagreed with Charlie Kirk on basically everything. But we’re clear that political violence in any form is an attack on the basic conditions that allow everyone to organize and voice their views.

There’s a clear line: Do you condemn all political violence, no matter the perpetrator or the target? In the Indivisible movement, we are people who will condemn, with our whole hearts, such violence no matter the target or the perpetrator. We know the path forward is nonviolent, peaceful organizing.

Moments like this call for moral and strategic clarity across the political spectrum. And one of the challenges in organizing for democracy in the current moment is that the president of the United States is not interested in reducing right-wing political violence. That’s not an editorial statement by me -- that’s a verifiable fact.

Trump shrugs at right-wing political violence. We know what Trump thinks about right-wing political violence because he tells us with his words and actions.

He jokes about the brutal assault of Paul Pelosi, or says that expressing concern for the murdered Minnesota politician would be a “waste of time.” Asked about right-wing political violence on Fox News, of all places, Trump said “I couldn’t care less” before concluding with an attack on Democrats, trans kids, and immigrants.

So what do we do about it? Shrugging at political violence is dangerous for democracy, but issuing statements and moving on is insufficient. In the face of this violence -- and the right-wing escalation -- we need to be intentional, principled, and courageous. We also need to understand the strategies for how large-scale, broad-based, peaceful, people-powered organizing best operates in this environment.

That organizing must be informed by best practices around how to identify, defuse, and prevent the spread of political violence. Indivisible is offering a training on that this Sunday, September 21, at 8pm ET / 5pm PT -- you can register here. And if you want to do the reading ahead of time, you can find the 123-page curriculum here!

Training is important, but the point of training is action. That training needs to inform large-scale acts of opposition to violence-backed authoritarianism, so we need your help to make No Kings on October 18 the biggest peaceful protest of the year. Please spread the word, register your local protest as soon as you can, and start RSVPing for the local events to help build momentum.

I know the threats are real and the opposition is shameless and unrepentant. The way we triumph is by demonstrating courage with our actions. By standing up in defense of democracy and in opposition to violence, we spread the courage for more to do so.

We get out of this together -- each of us doing our part. That’s how we win. And we will win.

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Sign up for the No Kings mass kickoff call on September 18 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. Jump online with Indivisible, our partners, and thousands of activists across the country to discuss the vision, urgency, and strategy behind the national day of action on October 18.
2. Have a Dem senator? Call to demand that they FIGHT HARD against handing Donald Trump a blank check. With a huge government funding deadline looming, we’re reminding our Democratic senators that we expect them to hold their ground -- not roll over like last time. More on the funding fight below!
3. Have a GOP representative? Email them to help force a vote on the Epstein Files. We only need one more House Republican to sign a discharge petition that would force a congressional vote on releasing the Epstein Files. If your representative is a Republican, write them about ending the cover-up now.
4. Volunteer for a virtual phonebank to help Dems win big in Virginia this fall. We’re helping VA Democrats flip the governor’s mansion, hold the legislature, and win other races up and down the ballot by making 1,000,000 calls to VA voters! Read on for more info on our Virginia strategy.
5. Join a powerful conversation about how teachers defend truth, combat disinformation, and protect democracy. On September 30, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will lead a discussion on her book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers, and highlight the importance of standing with teachers today.
6. Sign up for “What’s the Plan?” on Thursday as Leah and Ezra answer your questions. Every Thursday at 3pm ET, our co-founders go live to break down our key initiatives and answer your questions directly! Be part of our interactive chat about what’s next in our fight for democracy.

P.S. We now have over 1,000 nonviolent No Kings protests planned on October 18, with hundreds more expected soon. Ensuring all those events and organizers have the training, support, and resources they'll need is a massive undertaking; only grassroots support makes it possible. If you're able, chip in today to make the No Kings protests on October 18 massive and historic.

Make sure Dems fight like hell

We’re only fifteen days away from the federal government funding deadline, with a costly shutdown on the line. Republicans need to earn Democratic votes with a bipartisan funding plan that preserves our healthcare and vital services, but some MAGA lawmakers still seem deadset on handing Donald Trump a blank check.

We’ve been calling on Democratic leaders -- particularly Chuck Schumer -- to unify the caucus and stake out a strong position. Last week, they took a huge step in the right direction!

Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are now saying they’ll reject any funding deal that continues GOP healthcare cuts. That’s a welcome move -- but it’s equally important that Democrats hold the line, reject any deals that hand Trump a blank check, and demand meaningful constraints on Trump’s weaponization of taxpayer dollars!

Please call your Democratic senator today. Ask them to make sure Schumer will FIGHT LIKE HELL and REJECT any deal that’d give Trump a blank check.

If you don’t have a Democratic senator, you can still help win this fight; tell your Republican senator(s) not to cause a Trump shutdown!

Plug into local No Kings protests

Since we rolled out the No Kings map in last week’s newsletter, hundreds of new events have been added in all fifty states -- with hundreds more still expected this week!

Check the map >>

We need you with us to make October 18 the biggest day of protest yet against Trump’s authoritarian regime. Check the map often, share nearby events with your network, and consider hosting your own No Kings event if you see a gap on the map!

Click here to see the No Kings protests happening on October 18! Then, share this link with your friends, neighbors, families, and allies to join us.

IndivisiWIN of the week

In Oakland, CA -- one of many blue cities targeted in Trump’s escalating ICE raids -- local Indivisibles are organizing to slow down ICE and show love to their immigrant neighbors. In one day last week, Indivisible East Bay canvassed 45 small businesses and convinced 31 stores to put up Signs of Solidarity posters!

Each sign is a visible reminder that the Oakland community stands with immigrant families and rejects Trump’s authoritarian attacks. To learn more and canvass businesses in your community, join the Signs of Solidarity campaign here.

All eyes on Virginia

We're six weeks away from one of the most consequential elections of 2025, with all eyes on Virginia. Control of the governor’s mansion, Attorney General’s office, and House of Delegates is up for grabs, along with a slew of other statewide and local offices.

Virginia’s election will be the biggest test of our ability to out-organize MAGA at the ballot box since Trump retook office -- and its consequences will be felt far beyond Virginia.

Our groups and volunteers are our greatest source of power in elections, and even if you don’t live in Virginia, we’re ready to provide you with tools and resources you can use to help win this election. From now to Election Day, there are so many ways you can plug into this work, regardless of where you live, including:

• Virtual phonebanks with the goal of making 1,000,000 calls to voters with support from volunteers from across the country
• Neighbor2Neighbor, our groundbreaking voter contact tool that lets Virginia locals get out the vote in their neighborhoods, on their own time
• Traditional canvasses for anyone in or willing to get to Virginia! We’ll help connect you with partner organizations to boost our doorknocking efforts and help us reach 100,000 voters.

Democratic trifectas are vital xxxxxxs against Trump’s MAGA agenda, and with your help, we can secure a new one in Trump’s backyard. Click here to visit our Virginia Election Hub and see how you can help defeat MAGA at the ballot box this fall.

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