Columnist Karen Gardner: It’s time to show up, democracy depends on it!

Protesters chant as cars pass during a “Hands Off!” rally at Main Street Park, Saturday in Easthampton.

Protesters chant as cars pass during a “Hands Off!” rally at Main Street Park, Saturday in Easthampton. STAFF PHOTO/DANIEL JACOBI II

By KAREN GARDNER

Published: 04-08-2025 4:14 PM

There were thousands, perhaps millions, of people in the streets on Saturday — in towns and cities in every state of our union. It was big! Not like the 11 people who showed up to demonstrate in front of Northampton’s City Hall on Inauguration Day, when the flood of illegal, unconstitutional executive orders began. No, it was bigger.

Not the 50 people rallying in downtown Springfield in front of Senators Markey and Warren’s office building two weeks later. No, it was bigger and bigger still than the 300 at Springfield City Hall two weeks after that. And even bigger than the 800 that gathered at Pulaski Park a few weeks later with a U.S senator leading the charge. No, this time it was even bigger than that — 2,000 in Northampton, and 100,000 in Boston!

I ended up in that Boston crowd, having taken a League of Women Voters bus to get there. I found myself surrounded by a sea of energized, motivated citizens, many carrying homemade signs that expressed the myriad reasons why they had decided to come out in the wet 40-degree weather instead of staying home, warm and dry.

On many signs the words Constitution and democracy appeared in the context of saving them from the destruction taking place in our federal government. Fascist was another popular word, as in what our democracy is going to become should the recurrent guy and his BFF (best friend forever) have their way.

And of course, the recurrent guy and BFF’s names were plastered on signs everywhere to stop the illegal and unconstitutional firing of federal workers by the tens of thousands, the tearing down of government agencies without congressional approval, the deportation of people to El Salvadoran prisons without due process of law, the cutting of congressionally approved funding and payments to cities, states, educational institutions, libraries, food banks and so much more.

Though the messages on the signs were sometimes angry and loaded with snark, they were also funny and clever plays on words, and oh so creative. Clearly people had put a great deal of energy into making them. And why, you might ask? Because after less than three months of watching our democratic system of government be dismantled and destroyed before their own eyes, they decided enough is enough.

And I am so grateful that they finally did. Being a part of that huge crowd of courageous people, standing up for the rights of everyone in this country was immensely inspiring and uplifting. And I also discovered that I’m not alone in this fight, that I’m part of something much bigger than myself. I learned that we can make a difference, we can stop this fascist takeover of our country and we can do it nonviolently and peacefully.

But it will take many more of us to do it, at least 3.5% of our population. That’s according to research by Harvard scholar, Erica Chenoweth, in her 2011 book, “Why Civil Resistance Works.” Her research shows that we need at least that many people to come together nonviolently to prevent a democratic government from turning to authoritarianism as our current one is doing.

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We must step out of our comfort zones, stop what we’re doing, and start making posters and signs and finding events to take part in. It could be rallies, marches, economic boycotts, strikes, whatever it takes. We had millions across the country on Saturday. Now we need millions more. Bring your friends, your families, everyone you know. Our democracy depends on it.

Karen Gardner of Haydenville can be reached at opinion@gazettenet.com.