The Democracy Papers: Paper 21
Fuck You, We Won't Do What You Tell Us
This weekend, the streets of Los Angeles looked like a war zone.
ICE raids, backed by armed National Guard units, stormed neighborhoods in broad daylight. Over a hundred "arrests" were made with ICE raiding clothing shops in the Fashion District, storming Home Depot parking lots, and stopping people on sidewalks. This was political theater, not immigration enforcement, and a show of force designed to intimidate, destabilize and ultimately, silence.
Protesters showed up with banners, bullhorns and righteous fury and faced off against batons, tear gas and 'less lethal' ammunition rounds. Some blocked the 101 Freeway. Others marched downtown and in Compton. Several Waymo self-driving vehicles were set ablaze. Arrests numbered between 27 and 45 by Sunday night.
And yet, they showed up. Again. And again. And again.
When the Military Serves Power, Not People
Recall our thread of the 27 reasons our founders gave us to revolt, specifically, “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
President Trump invoked federal Title 10 authority and deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to LA, without Governor Newsom’s permission. It’s the first time since 1965 that the city saw federal troops deployed unilaterally. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that 500 active-duty Marines were placed on high alert at Camp Pendleton.
National Guard troops were deployed to control citizens, not to protect them. To enforce unlawful orders. To threaten with violence what can’t be justified with reason. When our armed forces are turned against our communities, against the very people they swore an oath to protect, they cease to be defenders of liberty. They become something else entirely. And if we don't fight back now, they'll become the authoritarian foot soldiers we have fought against our whole lives.
This Is What Authoritarianism Looks Like
It doesn't start with tanks. It starts with raids. It starts with men in uniform knocking at the wrong door. With fake charges and 'administrative errors'. With a child taken before anyone can ask for a warrant.
It starts when silence becomes habit. When fear becomes nothing but background noise. When the public becomes complacent.
This weekend, that silence started to break.
Protesters faced down police and braved tear gas, rubber bullets, flash bangs and pepper spray. Downtown LA was barricaded. Tactical alerts were issued. Hundreds refused to go home. An international reporter was shot, live on air, by riot police.
Obedience Is the Enemy
This isn’t about left or right. This is about whether we believe in government by the people, or in a government that treats the people as the enemy.
We are told to comply. To be quiet. To look the other way.
We, the people refuse.
We will not obey in advance. We will not accept military crackdowns in civilian streets. We will not stand down while families are ripped apart and neighbors disappeared.
To those giving the orders: we see you.
To those following them: you’re choosing the wrong side of history.
To those resisting: we've got your six.
Because this country was not built by the obedient. It was built by the defiant. It was built by us.