Next steps for the No Kings movement

The nationwide No Kings protests on March 28, are now heralded as the largest single day of protests in U.S. history, with over eight million Americans hitting the streets. 

With each new No Kings mobilization in America, more records are broken. More and more Americans are showing up and more diverse geographies are mobilizing. And this is happening globally, too.

As I wrote for Newsweek in October, “the world is afire with protest,” as “people are fed up with governments that are corrupt, cruel, unjust and violent, and they’re rising up.” That’s a good thing.

What’s also increasing in number is the awareness of the need to mobilize 3.5 percent of the population, which according to research out of Harvard University can increase the likelihood of a movement’s success in toppling a repressive government. I hear friends everywhere talking about this 3.5 percent.

This new awareness of a 3.5 percent threshold is also a good thing, even if it comes with many caveats, because it means Americans are wanting to think more strategically. 

Let’s lean into that strategic thinking, then. Even if the No Kings movement eventually mobilizes 3.5 of Americans later this year, which would be roughly 12 million people, those numbers will not, on their own, topple this government.

More work is needed, including sustained nonviolent protest, noncooperation and intervention (more on these methods here). That’s all possible, of course, but it requires strategic and sustained engagement, which my Albert Einstein Institution colleague Jamila Raqib lays out in this playbook of every successful nonviolent struggle.

So how does one get more Americans involved in the work of nonviolent resistance before, during and after a No Kings protest? How does the movement grow the numbers and sustain their engagement?

There are a couple things to keep in mind, which I explain in my Newsweek piece, including issues of safety and efficacy. If someone is going to risk arrest, they’ll want it to be part of a larger strategy. I certainly feel that way, and I know I’m not alone.  

But most importantly, again from the Newsweek article: “It’s not only about safety in numbers; it’s also about the effectiveness of those numbers. Quantity and quality. If nonviolent resisters are going to risk their record and reputation, and potentially professional or personal relationships, it had better be for something substantial, sustained and strategic. And it had better be nonviolent, which doubles a campaign’s success rate and lands better in terms of public perception.”

That bit about “substantial, sustained and strategic” means that resisters have a playbook in place, with a comprehensive assessment of the conflict landscape, built capacity and power, actions to shift power, and civilian-based defense mechanisms to defend the gains. That’s how one builds confidence in the safety of No Kings numbers and the efficacy of those numbers.

As the No Kings movement prepares for the next nationwide mobilization later this year, which will hopefully be historic and record breaking again, let’s not forget to integrate the necessary pre-requisites and post-requisites outlined in the playbook of every successful nonviolent struggle.

That’s how the movement gets closer to the tipping point. As the playbook notes, “this moment calls for us to assess wisely, build steadily, act strategically and defend relentlessly.” No step left behind.