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Don’t freak out. Don’t panic. Here’s a compendium of some resources.
(1) Understand the legal situation
State governors usually control their own National Guard. They’re deployed for things like natural disasters. But the President can take control (“federalize” them), which puts them under the Secretary of Defense.
In Los Angeles, for example, Donald Trump federalized the Guard under Title 10, saying the so-called “riots” were a national emergency and police were overwhelmed.
Title 10 means the Guard takes orders from the Secretary of Defense. But they cannot legally do normal policing — arrests, crowd control, traffic stops. That’s restricted by the Posse Comitatus Act, which blocks troops from domestic law enforcement.
In LA, courts said some of what the National Guard did was law enforcement and illegal. A judge ruled they had been “willfully” ordered to do unlawful crowd control. Protestor recordings were critical in proving this. This likely contributed to Trump calling off his initial plans for deployment in Chicago.
The Posse Comitatus Act no longer applies if Trump invokes the Insurrection Act. That would be a big escalation and open the door wide to what the Guard could be ordered to do.
(2) Understand your opponent’s goal
In DC, most of the violence is not coming from the Guard. They’re used for intimidation: standing around in public areas, marching through streets, sometimes showing up alongside ICE, police, and a host of other law enforcement kidnappings and other activity. To find where the guard was stationed, in LA, protestors used a map of all federal buildings and regularly found the national guard outside those locations.
The intimidation is primarily targeted at undocumented residents. Unsurprisingly then, national guard in DC ended up patrolling around primarily Black and brown neighborhoods. This was matched by increased violent policing by a host of federal agents (not just ICE!).
Trump’s deployment of the Guard does several things:
- It normalizes a military presence;
- It boosts ICE’s campaign to remove undocumented neighbors and terrorize communities;
- It props up Trump’s “strongman” mythology — a flex;
- And it creates friction he hopes will result in images of violence against them or other policing agents that he can use to justify using the Insurrection Act or active-duty troops (e.g. army/marines).
Knowing this helps us respond. Free DC has named the values that matter here:
- Do not obey in advance. Anticipatory obedience makes authoritarianism easy. Call it out, resist it, everywhere you see it.
- Prioritize joy. Every movement that has beaten autocracy has had song, food, dance, or faith at the center. These practices move us through fear and sustain us.
- Take up space. Silence and compliance are what authoritarians count on to normalize their awfulness. We win by being loud, visible, joyful in our communities, celebrating our people and culture.
- Organize. Meet people where they are.
- Practice solidarity. Authoritarians divide. They name some “dangerous” and others “safe.” Then they keep shifting the line until only those who agree with them are “safe.” Reject this. Show solidarity with every group being targeted.
(3) Understand the National Guard
In this moment, the National Guard is not the enemy. It pulls from across the spectrum — politically, geographically. People join out of service, family tradition, steady pay, or opportunities it provides.
Most serve part-time, with trainings one weekend a month, two weeks a year. They’re not trained in crowd control. Training is in fitness, weapons, combat tactics, first aid, military discipline. They skew rural, working-class, often older than active-duty troops.
There are continuing rumors of resistance inside the Guard — from dragging their feet on orders to whole platoons balking. Our goal is for that resistance is to grow. Veteran outreach, treating them as people, not pawns is one approach being implemented.
The Guard didn’t choose this situation. Many miss their families. Some feel they are freeing up police to do their job. Others feel conflicted. Quitting isn’t easy — it means losing pay, opportunities, camaraderie, even a pension — and there are lots of other options than just quitting.
Their states need support and pressure, too. They have petition pages targeting the state governments who have national guard in their city: Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina.
(4) Organize your people
When the National Guard was ordered into Chicago, something unusual happened: community groups with long histories of tension found common cause. That may happen in your city, too. Use this moment to rebuild and strengthen ties.
Some lessons from other cities:
- Build a structure for organizing — a coalition, new group, or whatever fits your city.
- Run regular trainings to expand tactical repertoire, especially noncooperation tactics.
- Create one trusted place across the city to upload video recordings of interactions with police, ICE, and Guard. This trove becomes key for legal challenges, exposing bad actors, and communications.
- Develop public narrative toolkits so people know how to talk about what’s happening.
- Organize outside your bubble. Many residents may welcome the Guard: “Finally, someone is taking crime seriously.” Don’t argue stats. The point is militarizing your city won’t stop the causes of crime. It may just lower reporting or scare people off the streets, restaurants, and festivals. To shift this, you have to show up where people already are. In DC, organizers table at concerts, host block parties after religious services, and use these gatherings to open up conversations.
(5) Organize your politicians
Because of the legal setup, the Governor plays a critical role. The ACLU has partnered with several groups to develop a No Secret Police, No Troops In Our Streets – Partner Toolkit which notes what politicians can do in these situations. (This advances ACLU’s earlier Firewall for Freedom.) Pressure may come from community groups, or — like in Chicago — from the Mayor or other political insiders who push the Governor further.
The Mayor matters, but their power is limited. In Memphis, for example, the Mayor is boxed in by a hostile Governor, limited by the dangers of a budget partially controlled by state and federal funds. Mayors often get stuck thinking only about “realpolitik” — what they can legally do within their limits. Full opposition against them misses the point. They need to be shown how to resist the pressure from above.
(6) Prepare for Noncooperation
Holding signs and bold people doing direct action to slow down the machine, won’t be sufficient. We’ll need a range of tactics available to many people, some that directly challenge the regime and others that help people grow their preparation to resist.
Resistance tactics that have proven effective:
Symbolic actions
- Nightly banging pots and pans (“cacerolazo”) — a tactic from Latin America to show unity
- Flying “Free DC” flags
- Supporting signs in business windows (signs of solidarity), getting local businesses to put up signs showing support for noncooperation/refusal of guards/against ICE/etc. Such as Signs of Solidarity or 4th Amendment workplaces
- Citywide march
- Dressing up in costumes/mascots (humor!), such as the famous antifascist frog or Trump chicken (see articles about on this tactic or interviews with Portland’s frog)
Noncooperation
- Redirecting traffic away from illegal checkpoints: e.g. this NBC report on a protest at a checkpoint that redirected traffic away from the checkpoint (eventually the checkpoint just closed up shop)
- Jury nullification: sometimes called “the People’s Pardon” but is a historical tactic of people-led noncooperation by refusing to indict people or endorse immoral acts being perpetuated (an example from Chicago)
- Boycotts of capitulating institutions
- Refusal of service, such as kicking ICE out of hotels by pressuring the hotel to refuse service
- Teaching schools how they stand against people trying to separate children from their families
- Physical intervention, including:
- Nonviolent direct action to blockade or disrupt illegal ICE operations
- Targeting enablers — such as hotels that house ICE
- Physical accompaniment at courts or other locations, sometimes with politicians
Building Alternatives
- Mutual Aid
- Organize neighborhood watches
- “Day of Joy and Resistance” — block party with neighborhood resourcing, medical care, training in noncooperation, etc.
(7) Consider the backlash
In Los Angeles, after the Guard rolled in, protests scattered. That’s when the national media looped footage of concrete blocks being thrown at cop cars from the highway. Many of those throwing rocks had just watched family members get detained. Their anger was real.
Right-wing media spun it as proof of chaos and danger. Mainstream outlets mostly echoed that frame, turning it into fodder for more crackdowns.
Some interventions helped shift the story back. Narrating our own story mattered. Videographers and community media flooded the airwaves with clips of singing, dancing, and care in the streets. The value of “prioritize joy” showed up everywhere — and helped counter the narrative of violence.
Electeds matter. They need to stay on message that it was Trump, not protestors, who are responsible for the violence. In Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom were clear about that. It is important to make sure that electeds stay clear on the real causes — this is something even otherwise ambivalent, boxed-in Mayors can emphasize.
Churches and other religious institutions, especially immigrant-led congregations, stepped forward. They set the tone, often placing themselves on the frontlines as defenders. In LA, that reshaped the story of what was happening. It was no longer about “rioters.” It became about communities of faith and care standing up against militarized force.
Courts cases helped, too, and were largely built by protestors having heavily recorded interactions and showing illegal behavior by National Guard (and others).
Additional Resources
(See links under each section.)
More at Resources for Occupied Cities
FOR FAMILIES
United Teachers of Los Angeles: “Preparedness Checklist: List of Important Documents and Information” (English)
United Teachers of Los Angeles: “Preparedness Checklist: List of Important Documents and Information” (Spanish)
FOR SCHOOLS & EDUCATORS
AFT: “Protecting Our Students” Toolkit
Chicago Teachers’ Union: “Campaign: Sanctuary Schools“
Chicago Teachers’ Union: “Defend Your School Community Under Threat of Occupation“
Free DC: “2025 Back to School Community Safety Toolkit“
Los Angeles Unified School District: “School Safety Plan: Responding to Immigration Enforcement“
LSLC: “Preparing for ICE at Your School” (Canva)
United We Dream: “Immigrant and Refugee Children: A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff“
FOR EMPLOYERS
National Immigration Law Center: “A Guide for Employers: What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace“
Power in Numbers: “Worksite Signage and Safety“
INTERNET SAFETY
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: “How to Identify Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation“
Center for Countering Digital Hate: “Building a Safe and Accountable Internet: CCDH’s Refreshed STAR Framework“
Cornell University Library: “How to Spot Fake News“
Cornell University Library: “Misinformation, Disinformation, and Propaganda: Be Media Literate“
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “Detect DeepFakes: How to Counteract Misinformation Created by AI“
U.S. Army TRADOC: “Spotting Bots“
U.S. Army TRADOC: “Spotting Fake News“
MOBILIZATION/PROTEST
AFT: “Emergency Procedures for OC Spray, Pepper Spray, and Long-Range Acoustical Devices“
AFT: “Safety at Mass Mobilization Events“
AFT: “Wellness Tips for Mass Mobilization“
Hands Off: “Safety Planning for Event Leads“
Holistic Security: “ACT: Protests“
National Lawyers’ Guild: “Know Your Rights: A Guide for Protesters“
Solidarity Share Fair: “Deescalation Skills & Mindset“
Street Civics: “Tips for Organizers When Engaging in Mass Mobilization“
Operational Security
– How to Use Signal: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-use-signal
– Tor Browser: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tor/
– Desktop Browsers: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/desktop-browsers/
– Mobile Browsers: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/mobile-browsers/
– VPN Services: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/
– Email Services: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/email/
– Private Payments: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/advanced/payments/
– Street Level Surveillance: https://sls.eff.org/
– Atlas of Surveillance: https://www.atlasofsurveillance.org/
– Security Essentials: https://activistchecklist.org/essentials/
– Secondary Phone: https://activistchecklist.org/secondary/
Holistic Security: “Prepare,” “Explore,” and “Strategize“
TERRORISM & RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism: “Right-Wing Extremism in the Military“
Southern Poverty Law Center: “Extremists, Groups, & Ideologies“
Southern Poverty Law Center: “Hate Map” and “Hatewatch“
OTHER LEGAL RESOURCES
ACLU: “Firewall for Freedom: States Must Safeguard Our Rights“
ACLU: “Know Your Rights in Encounters with Law Enforcement and Military Troops“
Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection: “Addressing Political Violence, Unlawful Paramilitaries, Threats to Democracy, and Gun Violence“
Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection: “Safeguarding First Amendment Rights“
National Homelessness Law Center: Thread on Jailing and Institutionalization of Homeless D.C. Residents