Audrey Dubois

Our country is under attack, and the attack comes from the very person whose mission is to lead it to prosperity, progress, and peace. 

Our nation is under attack. Those who want to conquer know it is better to divide first. So, they stir hatred, inflame the divide between Republicans and Democrats to make us forget that the divide line doesn’t run between us Democrats and us Republicans, but between us, the People, and a handful of extremely wealthy happy few.

Our Democracy is under attack. For the last 47 days, we have seen an alarming destabilization of our core institutions and values. At least three fundamental rights protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution have been repeatedly violated by President Trump: Freedom of Speech, freedom of Assembly, and freedom of the Press. 

The list is long: there is the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ dispute, there is the discretionary access to the White House for the Associated Press, there is Representative Al Green escorted out of the House, there is the threat of retaliation against protesting universities and students, the arrest of Chris Kluwe, and the list continues on and on. The attack against the Constitution and our rights as citizens is undeniable. 

Is that all? No. Our economy, our health, the proper functioning of the State, our national security, our safety, are under attack. President Trump struck decisive blows against the economy by pushing tariffs that no one wants. He struck another blow against our public health by cutting funds to the research in hundreds of labs and universities, deleting all official pages on climate change, and trusting Robert Kennedy Jr with the Department of Health and Human Services. Again, he struck fatal blows against key agencies that are pillars of our public system: the IRS, the FAA, the DHS, the CDC, and the USDA, to name only a few, while at the same time, with Doge, he put the personal information of millions of us at risk of cyber theft. 

Is that all? No. President Trump makes it a point of honor to insult and upset historic and peaceful allies: Canada, Denmark, Ukraine, and Europe as a whole. The attack of President Trump against the United States, its People, and its historic partners is of epic proportions, and although it seems disorganized and all over the place, we cannot ignore the fact it is fully coordinated, from Project 2025 to the too-obvious obedience to Putin.

How did we get here? This is not the time anymore to dwell on a fateful chain of events. Maybe this will serve in a hundred years to our great grand-children as a lesson to pinpoint the origin of chaos to better nip it in the bud like we today turn our eyes more and more apprehensively towards the years 1930 where we notice shocking similarities with what is happening right here right now.

Indeed, what very much matters is that we are here: on the edge of dictatorship. Dictatorship. In America. The nation in the world that we would have bet our last cent on to be the last standing leader of the free world if there were to be one. 

We cannot doubt anymore that President Trump’s agenda is to destroy both methodically and frantically, our country, its political institutions, its checks and balances, its functional organization, and above all, us the People. Again, let’s not dwell on why there is such an agenda. Dwelling on the why would take us too far into the darkest folds of this strange man’s psyche. 

And we have no time for that. As we are going to be busy. Very busy. We all have our jobs, we work hard. We cannot afford to lose our jobs. That’s how our society got organized and we have to bear with it for now. We are very busy, we have our families, our parties, and our duties. And all of these are very important. And frankly, every single one of us would rather use our time being parents, siblings, friends, active and happy members of society, as opposed to upset protesters and activists. But this is it. Can we still enjoy our families, our free time, the tasks we like at work if we are afraid for our safety? When we are afraid to get arbitrarily fired? When we are afraid that the economy is going to enter a recession and that we are at severe risk of losing our job, a job that will be difficult to replace in a contracting economy?  Can we still enjoy our life, when we are afraid of saying something that can displease our President and get us arrested? “Gulf of Mexico”, “science is real”, “climate change and biodiversity collapse threaten our existence on earth”. Is saying these banal names or sentences going to become a political statement? Gosh! This life would be hell! We are busy, but history is on our heels and we don’t have so much choice whether or not we have to make room in our schedules for it. 

We have a new task to embrace: resist. We can do so much! Resist with small acts, resist with big ones, resist in protests, resist in the streets, at the office, at the store, on the internet, everywhere. Boycott! Billionaires understand only the language of money. They do not understand the language of pain, difficulty making ends meet. They do not understand the language of anger. Then, let’s teach them what reality is and show them what the People is capable of, so maybe for the first time in their golden lives, they learn fear. 

We can do more than boycott. Talk, share, spread the word. Some of us may not have the leisure to follow the news and may miss how serious the situation we are in is. Stay informed and educate. We all have a responsibility as citizens to pay attention to and interact with the world we live in. What you understand of the terrible situation we are facing, explain it, to your friends, your neighbors, and your colleagues. Organize at the local level, find friends who have the same love for freedom and respect, write to your representatives, and write petitions. 

All the judges, the members of the Democrat party, and the Republicans who are not too afraid to disobey will be of invaluable help in the fight we have to put up. But at the end of the day, let’s face the truth: without us, the People, in the equation, there is only so much that our representatives can do. There is only us, with the strength of our number, who can stop the mutilation of our rights and the destruction of our country.

Our Democracy is not in the hands of others. It is in our hands.

Today we are marching not to protect a designated group, not to defend a cause. Today, we are marching to save our very existence as a Democracy, as a nation, as a country. We, the People, shall never perish. Together, let’s march to Grand Circus Park.

Here we are, at Grand Circus. And indeed we are really in a circus these days, with sad and unsettling clowns, very perilous acts, and exotic animals coming straight from Russia. An hour ago, we were standing between Wayne State University and the DIA, between science and arts, between knowledge and beauty. A month ago, we still stood in a world where science, knowledge, and arts were the norm. Let’s go back to this world, let’s walk back together now, to Wayne State and the DIA, because this is what we want: a world where reason and truth prevail over arbitrary madness and ignorance. 

Against dictatorship, let’s walk two more miles. Then there won’t be any reason why, having come together so far, we cannot do it again, and again, and again. One step at a time. We are millions. So, when we take one step, truly, we take millions of steps. No government, no matter how corrupt it is, can stand against this. No government can stand against the People. Keep going, People of the United States! Keep going!