To the editor:

After 18 months of various kinds of activism by those of us opposed to the policies and actions of the current administration, it may be time to examine the effectiveness of the resistance. There is no poll or government report that measures this. But by piecing together evidence available now and listening and reading opinions on the topic it is clear that the activism is and will continue to make a difference.

First, let’s look at the impact of street protests and the value of those actions here in Rhode Island. Since March of 2025, local activists have held weekly “bridge brigades,” holding signs on bridges to raise awareness, as well as other visibility events. Those who have regularly participated report that there has been a noticeable increase in response from those driving by—truck drivers, public transportation workers, landscape workers and others are responding with increased signs of support during these events. In just the past month here in Bristol, a local Signs of Fascism demonstration and a De-Ice Citizens Bank protest have encouraged people, as they drive by and see the protestors, to stop and join us. We can attest that people have joined us and said they were grateful for a group to join for the day.

There are other reasons why street protests can have a positive effect. The world is watching the people of the US, and we want the world to know that not everyone here is in agreement with or complicit with the administration’s actions. Also, some people are hesitant to act. Seeing others standing up gives them permission to do likewise and reminds them that resistance is the valid moral choice to make during these times. Finally, building community with people who are resisting this government provides emotional and other support to the protestors during these difficult times.

Third, the current administration is trying to overwhelm people with an increasing number of policies and actions that are designed to lead us to inaction. As Benjamin Valentino, a professor at Dartmouth College, was quoted in the NYT about the dehumanizing White House web page about “aliens”: “...the purpose of the page is not to get Americans to do anything: It’s to get them to do nothing, while the government commits its campaign of cruelty against millions of people just trying to live in peace. They want a majority of the population to turn their backs. That’s all that’s necessary.”

Fourth, ongoing resistance and protest to the administration’s directives are examples of what Maria J. Stephen calls “collective stubbornness” in a Guest Essay in the New York Times on 6/16/26. She defines this term as “...people working together to increase the costs of authoritarian behavior, throwing enough sand in the gears of the state that its operations sputter and eventually fail.” Examples of successful “collective stubbornness” are the administration backing down after months of protest in Minneapolis. Local faith groups, unions and others came together in New Haven, Conn., and by pressing financial backers, eventually led Avilo Airlines to stop flying deportation flights for the federal government.

Ms. Stephen suggests that the best way to fight authoritarianism is to ask what we can do for each other. When we work to expand our communities and the number of people we care about, we will win. It will be through all the large and small actions: street protests, letter writing, lobbying state and local governments to protect our own, and ensuring that everyone votes that we will win. Please come and join us!

Ann Harrington, Bristol
On behalf of Stand Up Rhode Island