Dear friends,

I am writing to state my whole-hearted support for the call by Refuse Fascism to, starting November 5 (the first anniversary of Trump’s election), begin flooding Washington DC with the millions of us who have been living this past year in a constant state of shock and horror. This is an outlandishly bold call–for massive, sustained, nonviolent actions with the goal of inspiring resistance from every level of society, including in the government itself, ultimately making it impossible for the Trump regime to continue its rule.

Please believe me that I have not come to this decision easily. I have devoted the last 35 years of my life to making films, not activism. But now I agonize daily, as I am sure you all do as well, over what can be done to stop, or even slow down, this horrendous juggernaut. You don’t need me to go into details–you see them every day, and they make your stomach tie up in knots as you try to find an outlet for your fury. You demonstrate when possible, you post videos of the despicable, proud cruelty unleashed by ICE, you scream to yourself as the outrages pile on daily. Maybe, hoping for a way forward, you stare aghast (as I do) at the barrage of texts and emails from Democrats promising that if you just contribute to their campaign all will be well come next November.

It won’t.

Here is the reality I believe we face:

–No matter what your generation, we are today in the fight of our lives;

–This is the most critical moment faced by the people of this country and the world since the rise of Hitler;

–That is NOT hyperbole. Today we are not just facing Trump, but the entire Republican Party and the Christian Fascist movement that has been building and working for decades to massively reshape this country and the world in their image;

–This is no easy fight. Far from it, this will take determination and sacrifices we haven’t seen yet. But consider this: Up until now, TRUMP IS WINNING. We have got to face that reality and take huge steps in this battle to turn the tide;

–This call by Refuse Fascism and an increasing number of organizations and individuals who have been fighting Trump and his acolytes on every front IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY to gather together all of the tremendous opposition that has been building to this regime, from every political perspective, and create a situation in which EVERYONE, including Democratic politicians, is emboldened to take a stand. If you can be there, be there. If you can’t, contribute money and find ways to spread and sustain that movement.

History is calling on us, folks. We cannot turn away. In the historic and incredibly prescient words of Mario Savio at Berkeley in 1964:

“There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”

NOW IS THAT TIME

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David Zeiger is a film director, writer and producer. His documentary Sir! No Sir! is the only full-length film chronicling the extensive antiwar and resistance activity of U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. DisplacedFilms.com