Banner No. 4 — The Only Way Forward Is Peaceful Resistance

Violence fuels authoritarianism. But history—and the 3.5% rule—prove that disciplined, nonviolent resistance can topple strongmen and reclaim our sovereignty.

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

Authoritarianism is on the march in America. Trump and his allies have made it abundantly clear that their goal is not governance—it’s domination. They seek obedience, not democracy. They crave loyalty, not liberty. And they will use fear, division, and lies to get it.

So what are we to do? Fight fire with fire? Meet violence with violence? Some will argue yes. But history—and hard data—tell us otherwise. The only proven way forward is peaceful resistance. Not passive, not meek, not “going along to get along.” But deliberate, courageous, mass nonviolent action that puts our sovereignty as citizens above the power of any one man or party.

This is how we protect democracy. This is how we rise.

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The Power of Human Sovereignty

At the heart of our struggle is the concept of Human Sovereignty—the unshakable truth that the people, not politicians or parties, are the ultimate source of power. No president, no Supreme Court, no party boss grants us freedom. We already own it.

To reclaim that sovereignty, we need to embrace RISE: Restoring Integrity, Service, and Ethics in public life. That isn’t a slogan. It’s a commitment. It means refusing to be cowed by lies. It means building solidarity across divides. And it means standing firm in the knowledge that peaceful resistance has more force than any authoritarian strongman.

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The 3.5% Rule

Political scientist Erica Chenoweth and her colleagues studied every major protest movement from 1900 to 2006. Their conclusion is stunning in its simplicity: if just 3.5% of the population participates actively in a nonviolent movement, that movement never fails.

Read that again: Never fails.

For the United States today, 3.5% equals about 12 million people. That’s not everyone. That’s not even a majority. That’s enough.

Nonviolent movements succeed because they undermine the moral, political, and social legitimacy of authoritarian regimes. They bring in allies from all walks of life. They weaken the resolve of the oppressors’ foot soldiers, who see friends, neighbors, and even family members on the other side. Violence, by contrast, plays into the strongman’s hands. It justifies crackdowns, frightens the undecided, and fractures the coalition needed for change.

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History Proves It

We don’t have to take this on faith. The record is clear.

Gandhi’s India. When the British Empire ruled over hundreds of millions, conventional wisdom said it would never end. Yet through the concept of satyagraha, disciplined, nonviolent resistance—boycotts, marches, hunger strikes—millions of ordinary Indians withdrew their cooperation. The empire couldn’t govern without the consent of the governed, and in 1947, independence was won. It changed political protest forever.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Jim Crow wasn’t dismantled by bullets. It was dismantled by bus boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and mass peaceful defiance. Television images of Black Americans facing down dogs and fire hoses with nothing but dignity and determination shocked the conscience of the nation and the world. Laws changed because the legitimacy of segregation collapsed. Famously, in the sermon Loving Your Enemies, Dr. King reveals the core to why the 3.5% rule works:

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

In both cases, authoritarian power structures faced not armed revolution but peaceful mass resistance. And they crumbled. Their lessons resonate still.

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Why Violence Fails

Violence tempts us because it feels powerful. It offers the illusion of control. But in reality, it hands authoritarian leaders exactly what they want.

• Distorting truth. Violence sows chaos, removing truth as a foundation.

• Excuse for repression. Violence lets strongmen claim they are “restoring order.”

• Loss of moral authority. Violence alienates moderates, religious leaders, and the undecided middle.

• Escalation spiral. Once begun, violence almost always escalates—and authoritarian regimes usually have more weapons, more troops, and fewer scruples.

Trumpism thrives on fear. Violence feeds fear. Peaceful resistance starves it.

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Peaceful Resistance in Practice

So what does this mean for us today?

It means refusing to normalize authoritarianism.
It means showing up—in the streets, at the polls, in our workplaces, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our families.
It means forming networks of solidarity that can’t be broken by intimidation.

Peaceful resistance is:

• Marches and rallies that display the sheer numbers of people committed to democracy.

• Economic boycotts of businesses that fund authoritarian politics.

• Workplace actions that withhold labor until dignity and rights are respected.

• Cultural refusal to parrot propaganda or stay silent in the face of lies.

• Civic courage—everyday people standing up in school boards, city councils, and neighborhood meetings to defend integrity, service, and ethics.

Every action chips away at authoritarian power. Every refusal to cooperate strengthens democracy.

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Our Moment to Rise

We are at an inflection point. The authoritarian push is real. But it is not unstoppable. The 3.5% rule tells us that if enough of us act—just one in thirty—sustained peaceful resistance will prevail.

But it requires discipline. It requires courage. And it requires faith in the truth that we the people are sovereign.

Trump and his allies want chaos. They want fear. They want us to believe that violence is inevitable. Our job is to prove them wrong. To show that the American people can rise, peacefully but firmly, in defense of democracy.

As Gandhi said: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
As Dr. King said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

They weren’t speaking in abstractions. They were pointing to a proven path. Now it’s our turn to walk it.

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The Call

This is not the moment for despair. It’s the moment for resolve. It’s the moment to remember that our strength lies not in guns or rage, but in solidarity, numbers, and truth.

If we want to defeat Trump and the authoritarian tide, we don’t need everyone. We just need 3.5%.

12 million people—standing together in peaceful resistance.

That’s enough to bend the arc of history. That’s enough to defend human sovereignty. That’s enough to RISE.

That’s what it takes to begin restoring—so let We the People RISE!

~VALERIUS

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