Strike! Strike! Strike!
Nationwide General Strike
Morning, Neighbors! Quick note today!
WHAT: General Strike! Here’s some info.
WHEN: Today, January 30th, 2026.
WHERE: Nationwide. From your home. In the streets. Wherever your body is located.
WHO: All of us. Everyone.
WHY: We want ICE to get the fuck out. The people of Minnesota pulled off a successful strike in their state last Friday and have called for this strike in solidarity with them. The demand is simple: ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE.
HOW: However you choose to spend the day, just do not feed the machine.
No work. Use sick time if you have it. The goal is to slow down the system and stop producing profit. I can’t answer every individual question about whether your job is the kind where striking makes sense. Consider the overall leverage your field or industry has in our national economy, as well as the leverage you personally have within your setting. Clergy, you have a ton of moral authority. People will feel they have “permission” if you say this is a worthy action. Union leadership, you have the most power of all. Please use it.
Also, this is very simplified, and I know it will make some folks uncomfortable, but the greater your and your family’s financial stability, the less complicated the question of strike should become for you. Those of us with the most privilege MUST GO FIRST and help sustain the momentum for others.
No school. Students, you have incredible power! Don’t let anyone tell you different. Skip class. If you are a college student, easy peasy. Go protest with your friends. Parents, write your teens that note or support their walkouts, and keep your younger ones at home.
Educators, you hold so much for this nation. Thank you! You deserve so much more, and you should not have to navigate ICE on top of it all. When you and your colleagues decide to shut it down, it will be a major domino. We are with you!
No shopping. Billionaires and big corporations are aiding ICE. Stop giving them your money.
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good here. Start somewhere. Try not to spend today. If you absolutely must, try to shop local. In the longer term, start trying to eliminate one “Big Box” store a month from your life.
Time For Something New
Here’s the thing . . .
We are not going to vote our way out of this. I did not say, “Don’t vote.” I said voting (if the fascists keep allowing that) won't be enough.
We aren’t going to “march on a warm Saturday every once in a while” our way out of this. I did not say, “Don’t march.” I said fascists don’t care about marches.
We aren’t going to “call our Congress people” our way out of this. I did not say, “Don’t call.” I said we are in a taxation-without-representation situation due to the Citizens United ruling, and that those people in DC are deeply compromised at best (often complicit).
We have tried all these other things. It is time to try something new. General Strike is our best nonviolent option for withdrawing our consent.
The Tr*mp regime keeps telling us that the country should be run like a business. Okay, fine. Then we should relate to our government like workers to a company. We will not work until our demands are met. If they speak money, we stop producing and spending money. Our labor is an excellent point of withdrawal in a capitalist society.
Pep Talk
Try to decenter your individual needs or concerns. Try to decenter your feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. If striking makes you feel uncomfortable, try to explore why you prefer avoiding personal discomfort to acting powerfully for your community. Our way out of this will not be comfortable, but it will be worth it. Minnesota is embracing this reality right now, and it’s why we all admire them so much. I hope you participate in General Strike today in whatever capacity you can. This is community care.
P.S. Remember some years back when a bunch of people were nitpicking the “Defund the Police” and “Abolish ICE” slogans? Once a militarized force is built, it has its own inertia. They don’t just stop using that force; they expand the targets. The folks using those slogans were trying to warn everyone.
While we argued over the slogan, they supercharged these forces (both Dems and Repubs). More regulations and training aren’t going to help. Better regulated and trained fascists are still fascists (did you hear that, Rep Jefferies and Senator Schumer?). We have to move toward solidarity and away from distracting conflict.
Neighbors, I haven’t talked about strike much here, but if you know me personally, you know I’ve been hammering the need for General Strike for yearrrrrrs!
If we get this rolling, I’ll do cheer routines out in the streets for you all. My cheer captain friend, Brittany, has agreed to choreograph them for me. I’m here to encourage you all the way!
Are you striking today? In whatever capacity, tell me about it!
Neighbors, if committing to a subscription isn’t really your bag, but these notes get you thinking, you can show your support with “Buy Me A Coffee.” Click the button!
My local independent bookstore held a gathering today for us to commiserate, plan, and support each other. I am so stoked to find like-minded people in my small red(dish) town. We will be doing more community organizing together going forward.
We will not shop today. We will share the strike concept with others