Do Americans have what it takes to save democracy? Irrefutably, the answer is yes. The second Trump administration has engaged in a variety of measures to steamroll the opposition. Abetted by a subservient Republican party, empowered by a complacent Supreme Court, greased with billionaire money from technology and financial institutions, and impervious to elite institutions, law firms, and universities, Donald Trump seemed invincible. Yet, the citizens of Minnesota proved a formidable opponent through organization, solidarity, and highly effective civil resistance, shocking even MAGA.

Throughout the United States over the past several months, ordinary citizens from Portland, OR, Washington, D.C., Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA and most recently, Minneapolis, MN have exerted their First Amendment freedoms of expression with civil rights protests and have been met with repression by law enforcement. Notably, Minnesota became the epicenter of political and ideological crisis in January. Citizen marches throughout the country illustrated a revolution underfoot to confront and reverse the attempts to destroy American democracy by the Trump administration.

The American political theorist of democracy, Robert Dahl viewed civil resistance as a crucial mechanism for enhancing democracy and increasing political equality. Ongoing active participation of citizens exerts necessary pressure from the bottom up to challenge elite control. This theory played out on the streets of Minneapolis in January. Events and participants in Minnesota clearly illustrated the strength of civil society, especially active citizenship engaging in a nonviolent revolution.

The government siege of Minneapolis in January was meant not only to intimidate undocumented immigrants and also to send a message to the opposition, specifically blue states. Trump presciently told the “great people of Minnesota” that the “day of reckoning and retribution was coming.”  And this is exactly what transpired, Renee Good was shot dead by ICE agents on January 7th and Alex Pretti suffered the same fate on January 24th. The violence, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and constitution trashing occurred daily. However, the response was extraordinary.

Against the backdrop of right-wing media vilification describing civil resistance as an “organized, illegal insurgency” in which community members were labeled “domestic terrorists” was a community corps of opposition. President Trump wanted the protestors to use violence to employ the Insurrection Act of 1807 and send federal troops to quell the unrest; however, demonstrators did not take the bait and employed a variety of nonviolent tactics. Nonviolent persistence and resistance prevailed through patrols, locked doors, boycotts, sit-ins, whistles, signs, flags, memorials, databases of ICE license plates, and even red hats! Thousands of citizens were actively engaged on a daily basis. Showing up in frigid temperatures, providing care to those injured, delivering needed goods and supplies to those shuttered and afraid in their homes, and triggering alarms of the presence of ICE agents. The brave and determined citizenry teams’ resolve broke Trumpism’s social theory.

Strong, well organized, and intense community efforts, rather than state action, led to many tangible outcomes for the opposition. Not only was there a deescalation of federal forces in Minneapolis and accusations of federal misconduct and scrutiny regarding unlawful detainment and the killing of protestors but also there was the forceful firing and removal of Greg Bovino, the Commander at large of the Border Patrol, and most recently, the reassignment of Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem.  Despite the Trump administration’s plans and push to make an example of Minnesota, the administration’s efforts failed.

Minnesota events were indeed horrifying but encouraging. The twin cities’ pushbacks against Trump’s narcissism and unconstitutional actions represent a new chapter in the long history of civil disobedience in the face of authoritarianism and fascist attempts to crush freedom. Americans are selflessly and courageously demonstrating strength and resolve to defend fundamental democratic values.