Dear John,
The First Amendment guarantees the freedoms of speech, thought, and peaceful assembly: crucial cornerstones of our free society. Criminalizing protest would be a giant leap toward authoritarian rule, leaving Americans in fear of speaking the truth.
On October 18, millions of Americans filled the streets in nearly 3,000 cities for the second wave of “No Kings” rallies. If the right to protest were criminalized, the millions of peaceful Americans uniting for “No Kings” would never have happened. Yet that’s just the future Senator Ted Cruz has in mind.
The message of the day was unmistakable: America has no kings — power belongs to the people. This breathtaking moment of unity — people gathering freely in every state to be seen, to be heard, to stand together — was only possible because the First Amendment protects the rights to speak, to assemble, and to challenge those in power.
These freedoms are not luxuries. They are the bedrock of democracy. Without them, citizens are left whispering their beliefs in fear, afraid to gather, afraid even to be honest about what they think. That’s not freedom — that’s life under authoritarianism. But Ted Cruz wants to rewrite that reality. His new plan would twist anti-racketeering RICO laws — designed to fight organized crime — into tools to criminalize peaceful protest.
We can’t let that happen. Tell Congress to reject Cruz’s dangerous plan and make clear that organizing protests is not a crime — it’s a constitutional right.
Under Cruz’s proposal, the people who organized the “No Kings” rallies could be treated like mob bosses. It could become a felony simply to coordinate a peaceful demonstration — a direct assault on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression and peaceful assembly.
The news that Trump’s FBI Director, Kash Patel, has endorsed Cruz’s approach is a chilling sign that peaceful climate marchers, immigrant rights advocates, and pro-democracy organizers could soon be branded as criminals — tried and prosecuted by an autocratic federal government that views any form of criticism as nothing short of treason.
When governments make people afraid to gather or speak their minds, democracy withers. Cruz and his allies want to strip these rights from their opposition. The right to speak, the right to assemble, the right to protest — these are our shields against tyranny. We cannot lose them.
Defend the First Amendment. Stop Ted Cruz’s plan to criminalize protest.
Thank you for standing up for free speech, for democracy, and for every American who refuses to live in fear of their own government.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
