WHAT’S NEXT?

That’s a powerful — and deeply important — question. When protest and mass demonstration are met with dismissal or mockery by those in power, the challenge becomes transforming that public energy into sustained strategic pressure.

Here’s a thoughtful breakdown of what to do next, drawn from effective civic movements past and present:

⚖️ 1. Shift from Protest to Organized Pressure

Marches raise visibility — but change happens when officials feel consequences for ignoring constituents.

• Form local action groups: small, coordinated teams in each district focused on one goal at a time (voting rights, reproductive autonomy, corruption oversight, etc.).
• Target legislators directly: Schedule district office visits, flood their phone lines, and show up at town halls with specific questions and demands.
• Use constituent leverage: Lawmakers respond when they believe their reelection depends on it. Even 50 organized voters can sway a local race.

📢 2. Control the Narrative

Governments mock movements when they believe the public has tuned them out. Flip that script.

• Document everything: film peaceful protests, compile stories of harm, and publish on independent media platforms or your own newsletter.
• Frame the message smartly: move from anger alone to moral authority — “We are fighting for the future our grandchildren deserve.”
• Recruit unexpected allies: teachers, veterans, clergy, small business owners. They lend credibility and widen appeal.

🗳 3. Transform Energy into Electoral Power

If they mock you, it’s because they don’t fear you yet.

• Register, canvass, and take over local offices — school boards, county commissions, party committees.
• Use civic data to map vulnerable districts and concentrate voter turnout efforts there.
• Support down-ballot reform candidates — judges, clerks, and prosecutors shape real power quietly.

💰 4. Starve the System that Ignores You

• Boycott strategically: Identify corporate donors who fund regressive policy and expose them publicly.
• Buy and bank locally: direct your spending toward community cooperatives, small businesses, and ethical financial institutions.
• Build mutual-aid networks: When citizens support one another materially, reliance on corrupt institutions weakens.

💪 5. Sustain the Spirit

Movements don’t die from repression; they die from exhaustion.

• Rotate leadership. Give people rest. Celebrate small wins.
• Keep cultural expression alive — art, music, storytelling. They sustain morale and attract new participants.
• Reconnect purpose to joy: protest culture thrives when infused with humor, compassion, and shared meals.

🧭 6. Remember: Mockery Means You’re a Threat

When those in power resort to ridicule, it’s a sign they’re rattled. They mock what they can’t morally defend.

Your job now isn’t to shout louder — it’s to build stronger: networks, alliances, and strategies that make them listen or lose.

Julie Bolejack, MBA

juliebolejack.com

mindfulactivist.etsy.com