I joined the local protest today. Had about 150 which I thought wasn’t bad for Canada.

I was thinking we would see bigger numbers in the US. Sadly, I think fatigue is setting in for many people.

Frankly, I think it is more important to focus on get out the vote efforts at this point.

It's possible, perhaps likely, that some relatively small percentage of people at the protest I went to think that protesting is more important than getting out the vote, but no one ever, ever, ever, has felt the need to say it. I doubt anyone has even thought it unprovoked by someone volunteering how unimportant or ineffective they think protesting is.

I don't know if it's unique to here but I have had a lot of people approach me to sign petitions. I've probably signed 6 or so. Starting to lose track of what I signed. Anyway, it seems like a lot more than in 2016. They're everywhere- at the rally today, shopping malls, on the light rail, libraries, and grocery stores.

In CA there are always a lot of people gathering signatures and most of the time it's just a job to them. I'm not saying never sign them and I do sometimes. Sometimes I just sign thinking that they should get that money ($1-$3, I looked it up. It's more than I would have guessed. )

I didn't know the amount, probably different here in AZ. I'm seeing yt ads that claim the clean energy petition sponsored by Tom Steyer employs criminals to collect signatures, implying they are using people's private info for identity theft. Obviously that never happens if you sign a conservative petition.

It's hard not to be a criminal in a police state. I'm sure many of them are and it's part of the reason it's hard for them to get regular work. My personal experience here is limited, but one guy I hired a while ago to do some sales for me also slung petitions so I did have one insider to talk to. I don't know if he was a criminal or not. This was early in my current business before I knew just how common it is in some circles for people to be dealing with a criminal record. Now I'd guess that most people doing this kind of work have something that makes it hard on job applications.

The people collecting the signitures get $1 to $3? Who is paying? The ngo?

I didn’t know this was a thing.

Had a nice turnout today, our group (Democratic Socialists of Honolulu) got a ton of signatures to abolish ice in Honolulu. A lot of people asked me what we are all about, one asked if we're "the Bernie group" lol. I got to talk about our values, and gave out food. Talked about the fact that all people deserve human rights, food, housing, meaningful work, all that good stuff. We had some incredible speakers. Kaniela Ing and some other candidates for office seriously endorsed the idea of abolishing ICE. We got a lot of support from passers-by in the form of car honks. It was a really beautiful day. People are thirsty for something better, it's time for us to get out there and organize that energy into something meaningful.

Edit: For me it's totally a volunteer thing, I'm not getting paid at all. I did snag a twix bar from the ones we were giving away though .

I stated my point poorly. It wasn’t that protesting was ineffective. I went today. I was just trying to make myself feel better because I was hoping for bigger turnout.

More often than not some billionaire is paying. It costs about a million bucks to get a statewide initiative on the ballot in California (big state - bigger than your country). Sometimes it's unions or industry groups. Once in a while it's a grassroots thing where people aren't being paid to canvas, maybe. Maybe a coalition of environmental groups have done it a few times.

They are saying 70000 in Los Angeles.

Interesting. I naively thought it was grassroots. I don’t think we have anything like that here. I guess because we don’t vote on issues normally.

What does this mean, exactly? Becoming a sanctuary city? Not sure how you abolish a federal agency at a city level...

Speakers on stage at SF said 20,000, dunno what an official count might be.

Man arrested after shouting 'womp, womp' and pulling a gun on immigration protesters
https://trib.in/2tUdKBu

He seems like quite the character

Yep I got this voicemail multiple times over the past 2 months. Gotta admit I was impressed by the diabolical underhandedness of it:
Also, the signature sheets (at least in AZ) have a section at the top that indicates whether the gatherer is paid or volunteer. I was also offered the Outlaw Dirty Money petition multiple times at the rally yesterday, and the ones I noticed were all volunteers.

Hmm. I've just checked that the sheet wasn't something different from what I was told, didn't make it to the paid/volunteer part. I just assumed paid. They catch me when I just want to be on my way and don't have reading glasses with me. Crafty criminal bastards!

well how can u blame him? just like everyone else, hes fed up with how this country has gone downhill and is doing his part to make the world a better place as best he knows how.

just like those lovable lawbreakers Bo and Luke Duke

Are you forgetting that your mother immigrated to the U.S. from Canada, and that since you have no proof you were born across the border, you yourself are an undocumented immigrant, and your family has received much U.S. and local government assistance, and you have also cost the taxpayers much money by committing crimes and being incarcerated? You are exactly the kind of person Trump wants to deport.

In America we are all immigrants. Even "Native Americans" migrated here from other lands.

WRONG. my mother was born in KS, she lived in KS til she visited canada in her late teenage years, and spent 2 years there, where she met my dad and they got married. when he died when i was 1, she immediately moved back to KS, with me. my citizenship problems stem from the fact the department of state lost any paperwork they have and cannot find a record of my mother registering me when she crossed the border back into the US with me when i was 1. but she wasnt an immigrant, she was born in the USA.

and the only real felony i had on my record was when i was 20. it was years ago, and i spent about 5 months in jail til i got probation. a more recent and famous arrest, the prosecutor dropped it without filing charges because it wasnt a prosecutable offense, just me stating how i felt, and i didnt even mean it seriously. it wasnt like a said it in a casino, to anyone working there, but simply saying in my blog i felt like someday killing a few folks who piss me off.

not only that i havent gotten SSI in 8 yrs. i never wanted it because i dont like the govt telling me what to do, but my mother insisted because i was living with her at the time and pretty broke, except for a few hundred on pokerstars for something to do. this was in 2005.

my mother not only got me the ssi for my autism, she got me a govt housing apt in lyons ks too and was furious i gave it all up to play poker, but im much happier with my freedom. and i think others would too if they support themself from gambling and get off govt assistance. my mom deserves her govt assistance because she is 76, and so does my 25 year old son because his autism is more severe, but its best if as few get it as possible

and what bugs me about mexican immigrants is they insist on doing it illegally. people from other countries like sweden, they even own homes and property yet still must leave at the proper time and return home and be away from their family while they wait years to return and be a full citizen. why should mexicans get special rights and privledges over other groups?

This thread has gone in unexpected directions.

Actually it's the US government that insists that they immigrate illegally. For a middle class Mexican person with no family here, there is literally no legal way for them to start a new life here. Why should it be harder for them than so many other groups?

I'm not sure non-disruptive protests do anything. They may even be good for business. Politicians are thriving on division.

On the peaceful protest front, I think boycotts are underutilized. Someone should put together a list. If anyone has come across a good list, lemme know. If not, maybe we should start a thread on it.